My Future Refreshes Weekly

Chapter 1: Talent Awakens, the Ferryman of Time

Transcendent Era, Year 2029, May 18th, 17:00 in the afternoon.

Zhongzhou City, No.1 Senior High School.

The bell for the end of class had already rung, yet the teacher ignored it, his gaze fixed on a boy sitting in the back row of the classroom.

“Jiang He, what was the key historical event that separated Ancient History from Transcendent History?”

“【The Sinking of the Peninsula】.” Jiang He, called by name, stood up and replied: “At the end of 1968, multiple Grade-A Transcendents fought on Cape Peninsula, and completely destroyed the entire peninsula. It caused two hundred thousand civilian casualties and gave rise to today’s Abyss Strait.”

“From then on, wars of the Old Era fully ended, and the world entered the Transcendent Era.”

Teacher: “And what was the pivotal moment that laid the foundation for the Transcendent Era?”

“【The Gift of the Millennium】.” Jiang He answered without hesitation: “At the beginning of the year 2000, the first Grade-S Transcendent, 【The Prophet】, was born, triggering the Blessing of Transcendence. From that day onwards, every newborn child would inevitably awaken a transcendent talent—at the latest on their eighteenth birthday.”

“Very good.” The teacher adjusted his glasses, then suddenly asked: “Jiang He, today is your birthday, isn’t it?”

“Yes.” Jiang He unconsciously gripped the textbook in his hands tighter.

As a teenager living in the Transcendent Era, he was one of the rare cases who had never awakened a talent.

But he was about to turn eighteen.

According to the fundamental law, today he was destined to awaken a talent of his own, and officially step into the ranks of Transcendents.

“Happy birthday. Tomorrow when you come to school, remember to register your talent information with me.” The teacher did not press further. He picked up the lecture slides on the podium and said, “Class dismissed.”

As soon as those words left his mouth, the classroom erupted in noise.

The bell had rung eight minutes ago, and the students had long been restless, rushing out the door with impatience.

Jiang He also stuffed his book back into his desk, packed up his things, and prepared to leave.

At that moment, a crumpled piece of white paper was thrown from the front, landing on his head.

Jiang He looked up and saw two boys staring at him with mocking smiles.

“Dead last, finally getting your turn today?” “Eighteen years just to awaken a talent—what kind of big move have you been holding back?”

“Stop bullying him!” A girl intervened, then turned to Jiang He: “Maybe he’s been holding it in, planning to become the first person since the Millennium who fails to awaken a talent at all, so that he’ll be recorded in history.”

The two boys burst out laughing, and a few classmates nearby who had not yet left couldn’t help but chuckle as well.

Jiang He ignored their words, grabbed his backpack, and walked straight out of the classroom.

In the Transcendent Era, talent determined everyone’s future, and it was the measure by which all children compared themselves… In such an environment, even those who awakened weak talents would be ridiculed, let alone those who never awakened at all—the so-called “cripples.”

Jiang He had long grown used to this kind of mockery, just as he had grown used to going to school, eating, and living alone—

But today was different.

Today he would awaken his own talent and officially join the ranks of Transcendents!

Just the thought made his steps lighter.

It wasn’t until he walked out of the teaching building and passed by the school playground that he finally stopped.

17:13 in the afternoon.

Jiang He stood by the edge of the playground, looking toward a fiery-red figure in the distance.

It was a girl with crimson-red hair. She stood at the center of a special training field, surrounded by machines that locked onto her… These machines launched a rain of dense, high-speed projectiles, yet she controlled flames to block them one by one, burning them to ash.

Her name was Du Lingwei, a top student in the elite second-year class. She had awakened a rare talent called 【Flame Spirit Guardian】 when she was very young. Her hair had also been transformed into fiery red by transcendent energy—later, she was even chosen by a Grade-A Transcendent and advanced to the Grade-A profession 【Sunflame Wielder】.

Not just at No.1 High, but in all of Zhongzhou City, she was the brightest rising star.

At this moment, as Jiang He watched Du Lingwei’s training, his eyes were filled with envy.

If only he could awaken such a powerful rare talent…

“Haah.”

Jiang He withdrew his gaze, sighed softly, and lowered his head as he walked toward the school gate.

The awakening of talent was like a gamble with near-impossible odds. Everyone staked their lives on it, but ninety-nine percent of them ended up losers.

He had already entered the game too late—half a loss by default. How could he possibly become a winner?

As long as the talent he awakened wasn’t too poor, as long as he didn’t lose completely, he would already be satisfied.

Carrying that pessimistic thought, Jiang He left the school and arrived at a noodle shop.

【Cui Family Cold Noodles】—this was the snack shop right below Jiang He’s apartment, also the one he ate at the most often. He didn’t even need to say a word. As soon as he sat down at the table, a large bowl was placed in front of him.

Jiang He looked at the bowl of cold noodles drenched in sesame paste broth, topped with shredded cucumber, wheat gluten, and minced garlic, and couldn’t help but swallow.

“Uncle, isn’t today’s portion a bit too much?”

“Today’s your birthday, my treat. Eat more.” The middle-aged fat man in an apron chuckled: “Only by eating your fill can you awaken a good talent!”

“All right, get back to work. Don’t put pressure on the child.” The boss’s wife tugged at Boss Cui and gave Jiang He a warm smile: “Xiao He, good luck, happy birthday. Auntie believes in you!”

“……”

Jiang He felt a warmth in his chest. “Thank you.”

“What’s with the politeness, child…”

Jiang He poured vinegar over the cold noodles, added two spoonfuls of chili, then glanced at the time.

17:37 in the afternoon.

Slurp!

Uncle Cui’s birthday-special version of cold noodles was even bigger than the usual large bowl.

Especially the specially-made wheat gluten—he had added an entire extra layer on top.

By the time Jiang He had eaten so much it nearly reached his throat, he went home and lay down for a long while before he barely managed to recover.

“Uncle Cui is trying to assassinate me…”

Jiang He muttered to himself. Feeling that the time was about right, he got up, took a shower, and changed into new clothes.

Then, he pushed open the door to the study and turned on the light.

With the lights coming on, two black-and-white photographs hanging on the wall and a table with an incense burner came into view.

In the black-and-white photographs, a man and a woman stared forward, smiling radiantly.

Jiang He stepped to the table, lit three sticks of incense, placed them into the burner, and bowed respectfully.

“Dad, Mom, good evening.”

“In a little while, I’ll turn eighteen and awaken a transcendent talent. You must bless me with something decent…”

Jiang He rambled on.

The Transcendent Era was far more dangerous than ancient times.

Even though order was usually maintained, if a Transcendent caused chaos, it could lead to massive casualties.

Especially for people like his parents, born before the Millennium, ordinary people who had never awakened a talent—once caught in a transcendent riot, they had no power to resist, turning into nothing more than light, weightless numbers on the casualty lists.

In the end, leaving behind only Jiang He, their only son, to struggle alone.

Fortunately, those difficult days were finally about to end.

Jiang He checked the time.

19:36 in the evening.

According to the hospital records, there were only two minutes left until the exact moment of his birth.

These last two minutes dragged on like two years pass.

He counted every second, and when it came down to the last ten or so, he couldn’t help but hold his breath.

Although he had told himself that as long as he could awaken a talent—even a weak one—it would be fine, at this final moment, a deep, instinctive desire still welled up from his heart.

“I want to have a powerful talent…”

“I… want to become strong!”

19:38 in the evening.

Jiang He’s heart suddenly tightened, as if seized by an invisible hand.

The next instant, it felt as though his consciousness had been forcibly torn from his body, crossing the boundaries of space and time, and he saw countless visions—

On a land reduced to ruins, countless figures knelt and kowtowed, while a vague figure stood at the very end of the crowd.

In the endless depths of the stars, countless monsters swarmed forward. A massive silhouette swung his fist, and all the monsters seemed to be struck at once, exploding instantly.

In the dark abyss crowded with demons, a figure sat on a throne, scarlet eyes gazing across the distance.

Cities of order, shattered planets, endless battlefields, colossal machines…

One dazzling vision after another flashed before his eyes, then transformed into beams of light, converging together, finally forming a gigantic tree forged of pure radiance.

Jiang He stood upon the lone trunk, gazing up at its countless branches.

The next moment, the visions shattered, reforming into words that floated before him.

【Talent Awakened: Ferryman of Time】