Chapter 1: Lin Yi
Lin Yi stood behind the bar, skillfully manipulating the cocktail shaker in her hands, creating dazzling displays of flair. Under the vibrant lights, she performed tricks with cards, bottle flips, and even set the martini glass on fire, the blue flames dancing in the air. When she slid the cocktail glass towards Old Du, the flames slowly receded, turning into a gentle blue glow that settled into the heart of the glass. It then emanated fragmented golden sparks, resembling the eternal starlight in the vast universe.
This was her newly crafted cocktail, named "Stellar Lord."
Just turning seventeen, without a legal guardian, Lin Yi wasn't allowed to work in Hyperstar City as per regulations for those under eighteen. It was Old Du who recommended her for a temporary bartender position.
However, Old Du had been drinking heavily lately, and Lin Yi initially wanted to advise him but later refrained.
A person with genetic issues and lacking the financial means to purchase effective medication could only numb their body with alcohol. In Old Du's case, these days were numbered.
Lin Yi, formerly known as Lin Yi, was born with heterochromia. In her eyes, everything in the world could be represented by various symbols. Inherited the family's ancestral craft, she specialized in drawing symbols and creating talismans for people. Many elites were her regular clients, and her grandfather entrusted the family's ancestral symbol stones to her. Unfortunately, her luck took a turn for the worse during a trip abroad when she encountered a plane crash.
The moment disaster struck, she couldn't recall the circumstances. All she knew was that, at the moment of death, her soul was drawn into the ancestral symbol stone, which then carried her through the depths of the universe.
It might sound impressive, but for Lin Yi, it was the most dreaded period of her existence.
Because it lasted for seventy thousand years!
Trapped in the symbol stone, she was conscious, perceiving time pass, witnessing the terrifying energies in the deep corners of the universe colliding, devouring, and interweaving into intricate patterns.
Finally, after a colossal energy collision, her consciousness plunged into darkness.
When she woke up again, the symbol stone had vanished, and she found herself on a distant alien planet, living anew in the body of a girl named Lin Yi. Her innate eye ability persisted, enhanced by the exposure to the boundless energies in the universe.
Only after arriving here did she learn that the symbols she saw had a scientific explanation. They were manifestations of source energy, known as source patterns or rule patterns according to scientists.
According to "Star Authority Science," source energy was distinct from any other energy source, originating with the birth of the universe. It contained all life force and energy elements in the cosmos, theoretically possessing an infinite and cyclic nature.
Based on this, source technology emerged as a new discipline.
In the present Hyperstar, intelligent robots were ubiquitous in daily life. Beyond the stellar skies, two new planets were developed using source technology, featuring vast ecological systems housing two billion inhabitants. Additionally, there existed colossal space military bases.
However, two hundred years ago, the rapid development of source technology led human society into a frenzy of gene editing and enhancement.
In just fifty years, human genetic modification technology turned class differences into an insurmountable chasm, engraving inequality into their very genes. Despite strict legal prohibitions, resentment and despair fostered negative emotions. Subsequently, some individuals with edited genes experienced peculiar genetic diseases, leading to panic. In fear, they resorted to further gene editing, but this exacerbated the genetic issues, becoming an ineradicable tumor within the human species.
Society plunged into crisis, and opportunists incited war, engulfing everyone.
The war endured for twelve years, devastating civilization.
Finally, the governments of the three planets formed an alliance, quelling the conflict together. They enacted a series of new laws, including the prohibition of "artificially editing and enhancing human genes." Strict scrutiny was imposed on source technology in the field of biological sciences.
With order restored, the scars of war gradually faded with time. Two hundred years later, technology had evolved countless times. Under a comprehensive legal system, the world enjoyed unprecedented prosperity and stability.
However, genetic diseases persisted despite the absence of war.
Now, source points allowing space travel were as commonplace as bus stops. Distances between the two planets could be reduced to mere hours. Yet, breakthroughs in the medical challenge of genetic diseases remained elusive.
Genetic ailments persisted through bloodlines.
Humanity inevitably became divided into different classes, despite legal mandates against such distinctions. As time passed, this social stratification became increasingly stable.
Later on, those afflicted with genetic diseases were labeled with a specific term – genetic failures.
Old Du was one of them, a genetic failure.
In Lin Yi's eyes, a person's life information was written in their life source pattern. When she first saw Old Du, his life source pattern was almost entirely fragmented.
So, Old Du, not yet fifty, exhibited signs of aging, particularly with graying hair and deep wrinkles. With an average life expectancy of 150, many individuals in their fifties or sixties appeared as if in their twenties. This was the most prominent effect of inheriting super genes – extended lifespan and prolonged youth.
Individuals like them were labeled as super gene carriers.
As usual, Old Du picked up the glass, gulped down the contents, and then pushed the glass forward. Lin Yi could tell his mood was particularly bad today, so she said nothing and prepared another "Stellar Lord" for him.
After three drinks, Old Du waved his hand and asked, "Are you really planning to take the entrance exam for Three Rivers Source Academy?"
Lin Yi nodded, "Yes."
Old Du raised an eyebrow, "Source Academy is not easy to get into. Even if you do, with your condition..."
However, Old Du stopped mid-sentence, hesitating to deliver the potential blow.
Genetic failure was the deepest pain for each affected individual. No one wanted to be reminded of it, especially a young girl like Lin Yi, whose life had barely begun, and yet, she was already labeled a failure.
Indeed, Lin Yi was also a genetic failure.
But in her eyes, although her life source pattern was incomplete like Old Du's, it wasn't entirely fragmented. Almost ten percent of it was missing. She didn't understand what that represented, but she had a gut feeling that if those missing parts weren't addressed, she could drop dead at any moment.
After enduring seventy thousand years, she finally had a chance at rebirth, and she was determined to live a good life.
So, Lin Yi said, "I have to give it a try."
Old Du couldn't help but size her up.
Lin Yi was much taller than the average girl, slender with long limbs, a small face, a straight nose, and short hair. Her bangs were a bit long, covering her slightly uplifted eyes and softening her indifferent gaze. This often led people to mistake her for a handsome young man.
"Give it a try..." Old Du mumbled to himself, feeling a mix of emotions. He, too, at Lin Yi's age, had ventured forth with hopes. Yet, in the end, he discovered that even the purest source energy only prolonged his life and alleviated his suffering slightly. And for such marginal improvement, he had to spend a significant amount of star coins annually.
The Alliance government used two centuries but couldn't eradicate this problem. Genetic diseases were deeply rooted in the human species, a painful price paid for their arrogance and greed.
For individuals like them, this unfortunate fate was predestined from the start, with no exceptions.
Old Du had witnessed too many genetic failures. Regardless of their initial ambitions, they couldn't rewrite their destinies. Some opted for a reckless lifestyle, drowning themselves in alcohol, and eventually succumbing to various accidents before their health deteriorated. Lin Yi's parents were victims connected to such incidents.
At just seventeen, Lin Yi's entire life seemed to be laid out before Old Du. It would be short, filled with frustration, and ultimately powerless against the inevitable.
Lin Yi attended to other customers, and Old Du leaned on the bar, appearing dejected. After Lin Yi prepared cocktails for other patrons, she glanced at Old Du and walked over, pouring him a glass of iced water. "Go home early. Don't end up passed out on the roadside every day. I have to pick you up after my shift."
Old Du, looking at Lin Yi's youthful face, suddenly asked, "Have you prepared the tuition?"
Lin Yi nodded, "I've saved enough star coins. Just need one more for the exam source stone."
The entry requirements for Source Academy were high. Besides a hefty registration fee, applicants had to provide their own exam source stone. However, once admitted and successfully graduated, high-paying job offers awaited them. Those with exceptional abilities could even receive a Source Master's certification, ensuring a bright future and star treatment.
For a person with a genetic disease to graduate from Source Academy meant, at the very least, a chance for a slightly better life.
Therefore, despite the high entry standards and low acceptance rates, applicants flooded in every year. Before each enrollment period, cram schools outside the academy popped up like mushrooms, each advertising "full refund if you fail" guarantees.
Old Du picked up his glass, took a big sip of water, and then pulled something out of his pocket, tossing it to Lin Yi. "Come see me after work."
He said and left.
Lin Yi opened her palm to find a source stone. Its core emitted a faint, enchanting light that formed ever-changing patterns in her eyes.
This source stone was essential for her exam, a step towards a potential future she desperately needed.