"Uhm… General Feixiao?"
Fuli sat stiffly on the floor, a distinct thread of nervous tension tight in his voice.
"Mhm?" A lazy, sultry chuckle drifted from the beauty behind him. Her warm breath brushed against his ear, stirring up ripples of dangerous ambiguity.
"There's, uh… something of yours pressing into my back."
"Oh? I wonder what it could be?"
What else could it be?! Obviously, it was a pair of generously proportioned, top-tier, extra-large frontal ballistics! Those indescribable, gravity-defying twin peaks were currently pressed flush against his spine, radiating an unmistakable, plush softness and astonishing elasticity.
Somebody, save me! Fuli howled internally, though he desperately maintained a veneer of outward composure.
The reason for his panic? They were currently deep inside the Yaoqing delegation's headquarters. The door was locked tight, and the room was pitch-black. This was her home turf. If something did happen, he could scream himself hoarse and no magical girl was going to drop from the sky to save him from being crushed by a Foxian's legendary hip-work.
But the main issue was that he simply couldn't beat her in a fight. If he made a sudden move and triggered a sensitive nerve in this unfathomably strong, wildly unpredictable General… say, if he triggered her Thirst for Victory…
Oh boy. He'd be completely destroyed (in every sense of the word)!
However, as an honest, firsthand witness, Fuli had to admit that Feixiao's body was an absolute cheat code. She was lithe and perfectly proportioned—not the fragile, delicate type, but radiating a healthy, powerful beauty. The curve of her hips and the taper of her waist were genuinely heart-stopping. Her skin was so soft it completely belied her status as a battle-hardened veteran; it was impeccably smooth, gleaming with a luminous luster like high-grade warm jade.
Then there were the plush lips hovering right next to his ear. With every parting, her hot, damp breath carried the intoxicating scent of ripened fruit. For a moment, Fuli felt dizzy, his iron-clad will to resist crumbling just a fraction.
It couldn't be helped. He was, after all, only sixteen. A teenage boy at the absolute peak of his hormonal overdrive—the kind of age where you eat a full meal at noon and are starving again by twelve-thirty.
Fortunately, these charmingly impure thoughts were fleeting.
The trauma of his past quickly dragged him back to cold reality—the sinister sneer of the Grand-Sequence Shuhu clutching a comrade's severed head, and the Herrscher of Domination's endless, violating rondo of torment. As the unlucky victim who had personally experienced all of it, Fuli's mind sobered up fast.
So what if she was the Merlin's Claw? Could the Merlin's Claw fight against a high-ranking Grand-Sequence or an S-rank Breaker?
Well… actually, yes, she probably could. If she mobilized the entire might of the Yaoqing Xianzhou, there would be heavy casualties, but it was doable.
But Fuli clearly had no intention of relying on others. What he truly desired, from beginning to end, was to use his own two hands to send those two bastards straight to the deepest pits of hell.
Taking a deep breath, the boy finished his mental gymnastics and prepared to speak.
Yet, before he could make a sound, Feixiao seemed to read his mind. She took a proactive step back, releasing the delicious prey she had been mere moments away from devouring whole.
Fuli: ?
Noticing the confusion on his face, the famously bold General burst into laughter. "Striking decisively when you like someone doesn't mean completely ignoring their feelings and forcing yourself on them. What's the difference between that and a thug? Just because I've got a pretty face?"
What else would make a difference? Fuli scratched his head.
People were realistic. If a girl was saved by a hero, and the hero was handsome, she'd say, "I have nothing to repay you with, so I offer myself to you." But if the hero was ugly, she'd say, "I will repay your kindness in my next life by working as a horse or a cow, plowing your… bowels."
Wait, no! Fields! Plowing your fields!
Damn it, he'd spent too much time around Kiana; that academic failure's terrible vocabulary was rubbing off on him!
[TL/N: Wordplay. The proper Chinese idiom for repaying a great debt is "Jie cao" (tying grass), but Fuli accidentally thinks of the word "Jie za" (getting a vasectomy/getting one's tubes tied).]
Of course, this was only one of the reasons Feixiao chose to stop there. She dialed back her amusement and studied Fuli's face seriously, her crystalline gaze seemingly piercing straight into his soul.
"I recognize that look in your eyes."
That incomparably firm, razor-sharp gaze—burning with absolute resolve toward a blazing goal—was so familiar to her that it brought her genuine joy. She was exactly the same kind of person.
Whether it was desperately fleeing the clutches of the Borisin in her childhood, training like a madwoman after becoming General Yueyu's disciple, or leading the Yaoqing to one grueling victory after another as General. Feixiao understood all too well this state of singular, undistracted focus.
Because of this, she knew perfectly well: until he achieved that deep-seated obsession, Fuli would flawlessly suppress any lingering thoughts of romance and worldly pleasures. If she forced the issue now, it would be a blatant insult to the boy in front of her and the convictions he held.
The Merlin's Claw disdained such underhanded actions.
And precisely because she saw this so clearly, Feixiao found herself liking the boy even more.
Heh. As expected, my eye for talent is never wrong.
She narrowed her eyes in delight, the fluffy white Foxian ears atop her head twitching back and forth in sheer happiness.
On the other side, Fuli astutely picked up on the respect and understanding underlying her shift in attitude. Unconsciously, the guarded distance in his eyes melted into a genuine sense of closeness toward the General.
"Alright." Feixiao clapped her hands lightly, steering the topic back on track. "I wasn't just spouting nonsense earlier. My signature movement technique, my very own creation—Lan's Form—do you want to learn it?"
"I do!" Fuli answered without missing a beat.
An A-rank skill in the Honkaiverse was something that wouldn't become obsolete even when he reached S-rank. Hesitating for a single second would be a massive disrespect to the General who was willing to pour her heart out to teach him.
"Good!" Hailing from the Yaoqing military, Feixiao loved his decisiveness.
Without further ado, she dove straight into the lecture. "Lan's Form is a movement technique I created myself, building upon Big Sister Yukong's Cloudkite Wind-Chaser art and fusing it with the essence of various other footwork styles.
"When executed, you move like the wind itself. Sometimes impossibly gentle, sometimes terrifyingly fierce, sometimes as fast as lightning. It shifts freely and is highly flexible. If you push its speed to the absolute limit, your velocity shatters common sense, making the surrounding time appear almost frozen."
As she spoke, she tapped the empty air, projecting a holographic screen between them.
SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!
Her fingers danced with vigorous, forceful strokes, drafting a complex, esoteric summary of mantras and Honkai energy circulation diagrams.
"These are the detailed files and training points for the Cloudkite Wind-Chaser. If you want to truly master Lan's Form, you must progress step-by-step and build a solid foundation." Feixiao clapped her hands, turning back to explain. "I noticed the Shunpo technique you mainly use is roughly at the C-rank level. It's best you completely digest the Cloudkite art first before taking the next step. Besides, Sister Yukong's footwork isn't a low-level technique by any means. Just learning that will be enough to serve you well for quite some time."
In short, sharpening the axe wouldn't delay the woodcutting. This was the standard learning process for a normal person.
But what about Fuli?
Chat, is there a magical exploit to completely skip the prerequisite skill tree and instantly learn the high-tier ultimate?
Why yes, bro. Yes, there is.
"General—"
"Just call me by my name."
"Senior Feixiao, please demonstrate Lan's Form for me."
The General didn't entirely understand his angle, but she gave a crisp nod anyway. "Alright."
With that, the two left the study and headed down to the spacious martial arts arena specially built on the first floor.
Feixiao's gaze focused, and the aura around her instantly shifted. An invisible shockwave condensed around her with a heavy RUMBLE, manifesting as a visible, pale-cyan gale swirling about her body. Her beautiful silver hair fluttered without any wind, framing her breathtaking, charismatic stance. It was a beauty born of pure, unadulterated strength.
Seeing this, Fuli spoke in a deadpan tone. "Please don't resist what I'm about to do."
The moment she nodded, he reached out his hand and activated the Devouring Power originating from the Human Immortal Dao, plundering a fraction of Lan's Form.
Almost simultaneously, a similar pale-cyan gale began to surge and coil around Fuli.
With a sudden blur, he vanished entirely. When he reappeared a moment later, he was holding a dozen skewers of still-sizzling roasted squid and cuttlefish out of thin air.
"Just ran out to buy these. Don't worry, I paid for them," Fuli said, handing a skewer to Feixiao.
She took the mouth-watering roasted squid and unceremoniously took a massive bite.
"Was that the so-called Outer ways of Plunder you just used?" she asked, her cheeks puffed out. Her eyes were wide with curiosity, and the way she mumbled while chewing offered a rather cute, stark contrast to her imposing title.
After the press conference, Feixiao had specifically made time to review a massive amount of Fuli's combat footage and related data. Naturally, she knew about this Critical-class ability that was rated as giving him a "guaranteed chance of victory" no matter the opponent.
Fuli waved his hand dismissively. "That 'guaranteed chance of victory' is just internet hype. At the very least, when facing General Fu Xuan's Origin Strike: Star Shatter, this trick of mine is completely useless."
The Origin Strike: Star Shatter could not be interfered with, meaning it naturally couldn't be devoured by the Human Immortal Dao. Since it didn't even meet the prerequisites for devouring or plundering, turning it into his own power was out of the question.
"Don't let it get you down; that technique is the exception among exceptions," Feixiao consoled him after swallowing a mouthful of squid. "Even among the trump cards mastered by the various Generals, the complexity and sheer bizarre nature of the Origin Strike: Star Shatter is in a league of its own. Honestly, the fact that you forced her to use it is a testament to how insanely strong you are."
It was the absolute truth. If the Origin Strike: Star Shatter had a lower cooldown, Fuli's title for having the strongest assassination technique, Divine Departure, would have been snatched away by Fu Xuan long ago.
Not that the high-ranking General Miaojian cared about such empty vanity in the first place.
However, if you asked Fu Xuan—who had personally tasted the devastating power of Divine Departure in their previous battle—she would most likely still leave the title to Fuli.
The Origin Strike: Star Shatter was undeniably powerful, but it could still be blocked by spells of the same tier, and it suffered from a glaring weakness against spatial abilities. Divine Departure, on the other hand, was the great equalizer. It completely ignored all levels, attributes, and energy shields, dealing direct piercing true damage. Not even EX-rank defenses were exempt.
"So?" Feixiao took another bite of cuttlefish, asking with keen interest. "You plan to use your Outer ways to plunder and personally experience the essence of Lan's Form, then reverse-engineer it to accelerate your learning process until you fully master it?"
"That's part of it," Fuli nodded. "But mostly, I'll still have to rely on your meticulous instruction, General."
Using his Outer ways to grab a "free trial card" of the skill did massively speed up the learning curve. After all, Lan's Form leaned heavily on physical technique and energy application, rather than being a headache-inducing, overly complex magical formula like the Origin Strike: Star Shatter.
But just knowing the cold, hard answer wasn't enough. He needed his teacher, Feixiao, to help him deeply understand the equation behind it and walk him through every microscopic step so he could truly digest the technique.
Otherwise, given the massive number of abilities Fuli had plundered in the past, he would have actually mastered a lot more of them by now.
"No problem! Leave it to me!" the beautiful General agreed cheerfully, stepping forward.
What followed was a pulse-pounding, mouth-drying ordeal that tested Fuli's self-control to its absolute limits.
Sometimes, Feixiao would suddenly press herself against him right as he executed a movement, solemnly running her hands down his waist and thighs under the guise of "adjusting his leverage," sending subtle tickles and electric shocks coursing through his nerves.
When demonstrating footwork, the tips of her hair and the hem of her skirt would lightly brush against his arms or cheeks. Their scents tangled together, mixing into a strangely intoxicating fragrance.
When explaining crucial circulation bottlenecks, she even shed a good half of her clothing, grabbing the boy's hand and guided his hands across her own body, prompting him to carefully feel the rhythm of Honkai energy flowing within her.
All of this was obviously entirely intentional on the General's part, as she fully unleashed the innate Foxian talent for charm and teasing.
On the surface, she righteously claimed it was all to help him master the technique faster. Yet, she always knew exactly when to pull back right before things crossed the line, leaving Fuli's mind racing and his blood pressure spiking and dipping like a rollercoaster.
Time flew by. After such a heart-pounding session of intimate, ear-to-ear instruction—combined with the unique "free trial" experience provided by his Outer ways, the mystical, comprehension-boosting aura granted by the Grand Time-Robbing Gift, and Fuli's own monstrously high innate talent...
By 1:00 AM, he had finally managed to grasp the entry-level basics of Lan's Form.
Even with all those buffs stacked in his favor, Feixiao was incredibly astonished by his progress.
She wasn't the stingy type. Any soldier in the Yaoqing army who met the prerequisites and passed a loyalty test could apply to learn this powerful movement art, which was considered top-tier even among A-rank skills.
(Granted, the aforementioned intimately hands-on VIP tutoring was an exclusive privilege only Fuli got to enjoy.)
But those soldiers had vast amounts of time to practice! Yet, even so, to this day, those who actually managed to master Lan's Form were still few and far between.
However, rather than marveling at the boy's talent—
"It's getting pretty late." Feixiao stretched lazily, looking at Fuli with a teasing smile. "How about staying the night? I've got plenty of spare rooms here."
"No, no, no, I'm good!" Faced with the General's invitation to stay over, Little Fuli shook his head like a rattle-drum.
You see, a man could talk a big game all he wanted, but when push came to shove, mistakes were bound to happen. After spending half the day and most of the night engaged in such deliciously ambiguous interactions, he was genuinely terrified that he'd lose control in the middle of the night and end up as the live-in son-in-law of the Yaoqing Xianzhou's General.
"Alright, alright, I'll stop teasing you." Feixiao didn't force the issue, merely offering a gentle smile. "Training requires persistence. Remember, throughout the entire Luminary Wardance Ceremony, the doors to my room are always open to you."
"Understood!"
Fuli nodded solemnly. After giving the senior warrior a respectful bow of gratitude, he activated the still-unfamiliar Lan's Form.
A pale-cyan gale wrapped around his body, and he dashed toward Exalting Sanctum at a speed far surpassing anything he'd achieved before.
The Yaoqing delegation's headquarters was located in Central Starskiff Haven, while the Phantom Mansion was over in Exalting Sanctum. The two locations were quite far apart; even taking a starskiff would normally require a fair bit of time.
Yet, this time, Fuli reached his destination in barely over a dozen breaths.
The price, however, was nearly a third of his total Honkai energy reserves.
According to Feixiao, the deeper one mastered Lan's Form and the more frequently it was used, the body would gradually form a unique muscle memory. When that happened, the technique's energy consumption would drop drastically, eventually becoming even cheaper to cast than some standard C-rank skills.
Take her, for example—she essentially had the skill running passively at all times.
But those were goals to strive for in the future. On this path, Fuli still had a long way to go.
BEEP!
He swiped his keycard, unlocked the mansion's front door, and walked inside.
Cold moonlight spilled through the window lattices, illuminating the center of the spacious living room. Unsurprisingly, the Fragmentum shadow of the former Luofu Sword Champion was standing there quietly, exactly as usual.
She was clad in black-and-blue form-fitting armor, with thigh-high combat boots hugging her snow-white legs. Her pale hair, tied in a high ponytail, cascaded with a frigid luster under the moonlight. Even though her eyes were covered by a black blindfold embroidered with a moon crest, it couldn't hide her breathtakingly beautiful face.
She was the quintessential Eastern sword-fairy, completely free of any cloying melodrama.
"Sorry, sorry, kept you waiting," Fuli greeted her. He felt a bit sheepish, despite knowing full well she was nothing more than an echo forged by the Fragmentum.
He practiced drawing his gleaming Plasma Kagehide nodachi, ready for his usual sparring session with this formidable training partner.
"..."
The cold swordswoman, who usually attacked without a second thought the very moment they met, didn't make a move this time.
She tilted her head slightly. The black blindfold covering her eyes seemingly pierced through the surface, scrutinizing the pale-cyan wind still lingering around Fuli's body.
She stared at him silently for a few seconds, then tilted her head just a fraction more.
That posture, that subtle movement, inexplicably conveyed a crystal-clear sense of confusion and scrutiny. It was as if she was saying:
You're cheating on me with some "wild" master out there?
How to put it? Even knowing perfectly well that the Jingliu standing before him was merely a mindless projection of the Fragmentum... being stared down by her with such an emotive posture made an inexplicable, subtle pang of guilt rise in Fuli's heart. It felt exactly like a husband being caught red-handed by his wife having an affair.
Fortunately, this bizarre silence didn't last long. A split second later, a bone-chilling, freezing sword aura erupted like a bursting dam, sweeping toward him.
The boy quickly banished all those irrelevant, messy thoughts. His eyes narrowed in focus as he brandished his long blade and charged head-on to meet the attack.
The night quietly slipped away amidst the intense, pure clash of swordplay between the two.
---||---
A misty early morning.
"Hss! Why does it feel like Jingliu's shadow was striking extra ruthlessly last night?"
Fuli hissed in pain as he left the mansion. But in the blink of an eye, all his injuries healed completely.
The hyper-regeneration of his Garuda organs truly was a miraculous thing. Coupled with the healing effects of the Setsuna Blade: Obscured Moon, even if he was beaten within an inch of his life, he could recover eighty percent of his health in a dozen breaths.
Especially considering it was healing someone as immensely durable as him at the Critical-tier. If this was slapped onto an A-rank or below, they could probably moonlight as a perpetual motion machine.
[It's most likely because the host's swordsmanship has improved since last time. The Fragmentum construct instinctively sensed this growth and correspondingly ramped up its attack intensity and patterns.]
Prometheus, floating beside him, hypothesized. The look in her eyes as she gazed at Fuli carried an inexplicable sense of pride.
See that? The host has come this far, and I, the Will of Honkai, witnessed it all with my own eyes!
"Solid deduction, babe. I figure that's exactly what happened."
Fuli nodded in solemn agreement. He walked to the side of the road, pulled out his heavily-modified Type 59 tank that was disguised as an SUV, and climbed in.
Following the Luofu's already bustling morning starskiff traffic lanes, he quickly returned to the Hyperion delegation's headquarters.
He first greeted the newly awakened Herrscher Trio and Kallen, then savored a hearty breakfast prepared by the chef cat-cakes. Then he stepped out, took a left, and arrived ten minutes early at the gates of the neighboring Schicksal headquarters to wait for his older cousin, Fu Hua.
They had agreed yesterday to go together to the Luminary Wardance Ceremony's preview arena matches. When the time came, Hua would be up on stage absolutely slaughtering the competition, while Fuli would be in the audience acting as her personal hype man, cheering his lungs out.
But when he arrived at the gate, he found they were already there waiting for him.
It wasn't just Fu Hua; there was also big sis Himeko, whose fiery red uniform only further accentuated her sensational curves; a dark-haired, unfamiliar beautiful girl; and—
"Miss Asakura, it's been a while!"
Fuli's eyes lit up, and he enthusiastically greeted the pink-haired girl who was hiding behind Yuno, desperately trying to minimize her own presence.
He took a few quick strides forward, grabbing the young girl's cold, slightly trembling hands. His eyes were incredibly sincere, and his tone brimmed with gratitude:
"Back in Nagazora City, I was totally saved by your Deva Path Stigmata. I've always wanted to thank you in person, but unfortunately, the timing was never right and I couldn't find the opportunity."
As for Miyuki Asakura, who was caught entirely off guard by his sudden physical contact?
Her eyes rolled into the back of her head.
Oops, she passed out.