Legacy of the Stars

Chapter 14: The Potential of Civilized Races

Senior year of high school passes by in the blink of an eye; before long, a month and a half had already passed, and the National Day holiday was just around the corner. Naturally, a monthly exam was also imminent.

"Whoo~"

In the examination room, Liu Yuan gently put down his pen and carefully checked his paper and answers once more. Confirming there were no issues, he began to chat with the intelligent program in his mind.

Liu Yuan was quite confident about this monthly exam. Over the past month, he had focused on improving his weakest subject, English, and his scores had improved dramatically. When practicing with mock exams, he could consistently score around 130 points. Although not perfect, it was a significant leap forward. He also diligently studied other subjects, expecting a perfect score in math and strong marks in science. Chinese remained a challenge, especially in essay writing, where high scores were elusive without better handwriting.

With his improved English, Liu Yuan felt confident in competing with the top students in the school's advanced classes for this monthly exam. However, his goal was not just to be the top in school but to aim for the highest score in the province in next year's college entrance examination.

"Seed, you've been studying our Earth's technology for over a month now. What do you think of our technological level?" Liu Yuan asked the intelligent program in his mind.

The seed had been on Earth for over a month, using its powerful penetration abilities to quickly gather all available technology and analyze it. It then created a learning plan for Liu Yuan, starting with mastering Earth's technologies before moving on to the advanced knowledge within the seed. The seed had even devised a complete plan for Liu Yuan's education.

"If we consider the highest level of our home civilization as 1, your Earth's development level is around 0.8. Under normal circumstances, it would take about 200 more years for you to advance from a home civilization to a stellar civilization at your current rate of development," the seed replied almost instantly.

"Another 200 years?" Liu Yuan felt this was too long. "You're underestimating us. Our technology is advancing rapidly, with significant changes every decade. How can it take 200 more years to become a stellar civilization?"

"Two hundred years is a conservative estimate. Although you reached the moon last century, it's only your planet's satellite. You still can't land on a planet of the same class. Even if you reach Mars this century, it doesn't mean you've become a stellar civilization. A stellar civilization can extensively utilize stellar energy, operate throughout the solar system, and even migrate within it. Your species has great potential and can achieve unlimited possibilities if you follow the right path."

"Species potential?" Liu Yuan was intrigued. "What's that?"

"Species potential refers to a race's potential for development. The universe is full of countless intelligent species and civilizations, each evolved from various life forms. Your humans evolved from high-level intelligent apes on Earth, possessing good intelligence, body size, and gene structure, making you a species with great potential. However, some intelligent species are limited by their size, body structure, or genes, making rapid development difficult."

"For example, on Earth, intelligent animals include wolves, apes, dolphins, and elephants. Even if a dolphin, through genetic mutation, evolved high intelligence, its body and marine environment would limit its ability to develop a civilization. Although this example is imperfect, the principle is the same. Human evolution research suggests there were about 17 human species, like Neanderthals, Heidelberg people, and Denisovans, all of which were intelligent species. Yet, they were all eliminated by Homo sapiens. If there were over a dozen human species on Earth, you can imagine the countless intelligent species in the universe, each with varying potential."

"Species with great potential might take less than a thousand years to evolve from a home civilization to a stellar civilization, while those with low potential might never reach it, even over millions of years. Even on Earth, the human development index varies significantly between countries and regions."

"I see," Liu Yuan understood. "It's like how some people are naturally good at studying, while others struggle no matter how hard they try."

"Of course, a civilization's development speed isn't solely determined by species potential. It also depends on other factors. For example, some intelligent species might not develop due to harsh planetary conditions or disasters. Some civilizations might take a wrong turn in development, leading to slow progress."

Liu Yuan resonated with this. "I used to worry about my grandparents' health and our financial situation, which affected my studies. Now that I can focus entirely on learning, my efficiency is much higher."

"The Earth people are fortunate because you have the God's Civilization's heritage. Having guidance makes a vast difference. With this heritage, you will rapidly develop and rise in the universe," the seed said, turning somber. A sense of sadness was transmitted, reflecting on the demise of the once-mighty God's Civilization.

The bell rang, signaling the end of the exam. Many students reluctantly submitted their papers, some still trying to copy answers from classmates.

"Time to visit my grandparents," Liu Yuan thought, planning to go home during the short holiday.

"Hey, Liu Yuan," a voice called out as he left the classroom. A friend approached, smiling. "What are your plans for the holiday? How about we go hiking together?"