Global Era of Star trekking

The only regret was that each exploration of the Alien Star Domain allowed only 24 hours, an excessively short time, so short that it prevented Song Chi from really diving in and making a big impact.

"If only the Zhu Tian Ruins Market's spatial anchor point feature could provide one more usable anchor point, then I could simply set a return anchor point at home and shuttle between the two star domains without restrictions. Resource collection wouldn't be limited like this..."

With a sigh in his heart, Song Chi shook his head, telling himself not to think any further.

Whether another usable anchor point would appear depended on the subsequent upgrade to Second Rank of the ruins market; if it didn't happen, he needn't think about it for the near future.

As he thought about it, a slight sense of weightlessness enveloped the entire Cang Qiong.

The return time had arrived.

Above the sky of Dragon Spine Continent, an airship over twenty meters in length pierced through the clouds and descended rapidly from the Vault of Heaven before landing on Green Moon Island, where Green Moon Manor was located.

As soon as Song Chi returned, he immediately went back to his room and then his figure vanished as he entered the Zhu Tian Ruins Market.

He couldn't wait to begin the formal upgrade of the Cang Qiong.

Zhu Tian Ruins Market, the Free Stall Area.

Compared to the Free Stall Area, which had expanded to more than 400 meters in length and width, the Cang Qiong of just over twenty meters in length seemed particularly small.

But not for long, as it would reach a hundred meters in length once this upgrade was successful.

Next to the Cang Qiong, as a flicker of Ghost Light twinkled between Song Chi's brows, a strand of Origin Torch energy surged out from the Ancestral Torch and slowly merged into the spaceship's hull in front of him.

It was at this moment that an emotionless mechanical voice reached Song Chi's ears.

[Current warship upgrade success rate is 90.1%, are you sure you want to start the official upgrade? Once initiated, it cannot be reversed, please decide carefully!]

Whoosh!

Song Chi took a deep breath, then his slightly squinted eyes suddenly flew open, and he uttered two words.

"Confirmed!"

As he spoke these words, the entire hull of the Cang Qiong in front of him began to quiver violently, and a mysterious and profound Ghost Light enveloped the entire body of the airship, seemingly undergoing some deep transformation.

Dozens of meters away from the Cang Qiong, Song Chi watched with a worried expression, his eyes betraying an undeniable tension.

Even though the Cang Qiong's upgrade success rate had reached an astonishing 90.1%, it was still not one hundred percent.

Honestly, he feared being that unfortunate soul plagued by extreme misfortune.

And if the upgrade failed, while there would be no danger to him as the Torch Ship Captain, the Cang Qiong would be lost.

Moreover, as the captain, the moment the Cang Qiong sunk, the Seed of Torch within his Ancestral Torch would be weakened, and without special items to repair it, it would take at least decades to recover.

That wasn't the most important part. If it came to that, he could quickly sell the valuable items he possessed, such as [Red Origin Heavenly Fire] and [Insect Mother Skin], which should be able to get him special resources to accelerate the recovery of the Fire Seed.

The key issue was that if the Cang Qiong sunk, over ninety percent of the components on board would be completely destroyed, and that was something Song Chi absolutely could not accept.

You see, among the components currently mounted on the Cang Qiong, there was 1 Red Component, 4 Orange Components, and 4 Purple Components. If more than ninety percent were destroyed, at best he'd be left with 2 high-quality components, something utterly unthinkable.

Time passed minute by minute, and Song Chi's heart hung heavy, unable to relax. However, the warship's upgrade was not something that could be completed in a short time, it required at least 24 hours at minimum.

Thus, he had no choice but to suppress the tension in his heart and stepped into the All-Attributes Cultivation Room.

In recent months his Guidance Technique had improved significantly, but it still wasn't enough. After experiencing the last transaction at the ruins market, all he wanted was to ascend to Second Rank as quickly as possible.

This time, instead of using the Second Rank Insect Race flesh, he took ten pounds from fifty pounds of Third Rank Peak Sand Worm essence meat, using it in conjunction with the Advanced Body Tempering Potion and Body Tempering Liquid.

In the Free Stall Area, Ghost Light circulated around the hull of the Cang Qiong, and in the All-Attributes Cultivation Room, the flow of Spectral Energy continued without interruption.

Thirty hours later, Song Chi emerged from the All-Attributes Cultivation Room after more than a day of secluded cultivation.

His aura still showed his Guidance Technique at level 16, with no new breakthroughs.

At this, Song Chi felt a bit disappointed, yet it seemed normal to him.

Level 16 Guidance Technique. This was no longer the Zero Rank era; a regular Torch Ship Captain looking to advance to First Rank would need at least a decade. Yet, in just a few months, he had surged from level 11 to level 16—an already terrifying feat.

How could advancing to level 17 as quickly as this be simple?

Even the peak Third Rank sandy worm's essence meat could not make it happen.

Of course, that didn't mean there were no gains at all. Song Chi could feel that under the triple boost of the high-level Body Tempering Potion, Third Rank sandy worm's essence meat, and Body Tempering Liquid, his Guidance Technique was not far from reaching level 17—perhaps with a few more months, it would naturally fall into place.

Arriving at the free stall zone with anticipation, Song Chi's eyes twitched slightly. The Cang Qiong, still enshrouded in Ghost Light, had not finished its promotion even after 30 hours.

Thus, Song Chi could only exit the Ruins Market for the time being.

More than three hours later, after freshening up and completing today's visualization of the Mythical Mech Projection Imprint Blueprint, Song Chi returned to the Ruins Market.

As he gazed at the Cang Qiong, still flickering with Ghost Light, he originally wanted to grumble a bit, but his eyes soon widened once more, anxiousness flickering within them.

Because just then, the Ghost Light that had been enveloping the outer hull of the Cang Qiong began to slowly recede.

In the teachings of the past, this was the sign that a Torch Warship's promotion was entering its final stretch. Whether a Torch Warship would succeed in its promotion was all decided in these final moments.

"It must succeed!!"

Constantly whispering in his mind, Song Chi's gaze was glued to the Cang Qiong, not daring to miss a single detail.

Time passed.

Ten seconds;

Thirty seconds;

...

Two minutes quickly passed, and the Ghost Light above the hull of the Cang Qiong was about to dissipate, when suddenly the body of the Spectral Airship started to vibrate violently again.

His breath stopped for a moment. Then, a second later, a fierce joy appeared in Song Chi's eyes, and his heart, which was suspended in mid-air, settled down heavily.

In front, the Cang Qiong, over twenty meters long, was expanding rapidly. Within a brief time, it had grown from twenty meters to thirty meters.

Then, forty meters, fifty meters...

After a dozen seconds, the hull of the Cang Qiong reached one hundred and twenty meters, officially completing its promotion from a Spectral Airship to a Guardian Class Spectral Warship.

And this also meant that, from that moment on, Song Chi was officially a Second Rank Torch Ship Captain. Although his own Guidance Technique was still somewhat lagging, it didn't change this fact.

Looking at the Obsidian Armor Layer that wrapped around the entire hull of the Cang Qiong, and the streamlined body of the warship, as well as the three new secondary cannon slots at the bow.

Song Chi felt a sudden, faint sense of pride swell within him.

This warship, which was already beginning to live up to the name of a steel behemoth, was the result of his efforts over the past year and a month. How could he not feel proud?

In just over a year and two months, he had taken a Torch Warship from Zero Rank to Second Rank. Even among scions of a prominent family like the Dinghai Song family, this achievement was undoubtedly outstanding.

Without trying to suppress the excitement and elation bubbling up inside, as the Captain of the Cang Qiong, Song Chi felt he had every right to rejoice, at least in this moment he did.

Striding into the newly transformed interior of the Cang Qiong, Song Chi's eyes swept around, taking in everything, silently observing the various changes inside the warship.

He soon arrived at the Cang Qiong Main Control Room. Without any other actions, the moment he entered the Main Control Room, he eagerly accessed the warship's attribute panel.

[Name: Cang Qiong]

[Model: Torch-Guardian Class Spectral Warship]

[Level: lv20]

...

ps: Promoted, and while at it, begging for votes, thank you!!