"Alright, everyone, tomorrow at 8 AM, we meet at the Stargazer Navalia. Don't be late!"
"Mm, see you tomorrow!"
After finalizing their operational plan, the members of Team Classic bid each other farewell at the gates of the Twilight Courtyard's base and dispersed.
Although the mission seemed low-risk on paper, preliminary estimates suggested the entire operation would last at least three to five days. Embracing a "better safe than sorry" cautious approach, the boys and girls unanimously decided to spend half a day on thorough logistical preparations, then regroup the following morning at the designated departure point.
Back at the Hyperion base, Fuli immediately sought out Kallen, who was idly floating around the courtyard. He informed her of the various supplies they needed to prepare.
The Elder Sister, Kallen, upon hearing this, immediately slapped her impressively ample chest—a sight that would make even the Celestial of Mount Taixu feel inadequate—and guaranteed that everything needed would be perfectly arranged.
Throughout the conversation, Fuli carefully observed Kallen's expression. After confirming she truly had no knowledge of last night's Jingliu's Secret Training, he couldn't help but marvel at his Master. An S-Rank Transcendent was truly something else; if she said she could keep it a secret, then no one would ever know.
"By the way, did Bronya come back today?" Fuli asked.
"She returned briefly this morning, hastily swapped and enhanced some gear, and then rushed out again," Kallen replied leisurely, hovering in mid-air. Her tone was tinged with a playful tease. "That girl is incredibly motivated! Little brother, don't forget the bet between you two—the losing party at the end of the Wardance has to fulfill any one wish the winner asks for, you know?"
"We're guaranteed to win! My teammates are freaking awesome!" Bro Fuli declared confidently.
"Master?"
A cold, melodious voice, laced with a hint of uncertainty, drifted into his ears from behind.
Fuli turned around and saw it was Ei. It made sense; since his rebirth, he had only formally accepted one disciple. The purple-haired girl wore comfortable casual clothes that facilitated movement.
A simple off-white knit sweater accentuated her already fair skin, paired with dark trousers. Her delicate brows were furrowed with a hint of awkwardness.
"Ah, Ei," Fuli said, his face instantly blooming into a warm, enthusiastic smile at the sight of his eldest disciple. He closed the distance in three long strides, his voice filled with genuine concern as he asked, "Did you not go out on a mission with Bronya today? Or are you recovering from an injury?"
"No," Ei gently shook her head, looking up at her Master, who was actually younger than her, and answered seriously. "Today, I'm learning swordsmanship with Sparkle."
Thanks to her excellent "two-in-one" golden bloodline physique and the fact that her corresponding Chrysos Heir was among the absolute strongest, Ei had rapidly ascended to A-Rank upon awakening.
She was currently learning the "Musou Shinsetsu" sword style from her teammate, Sparkle, who was also a member of the Dimensional Boundary Break team. Her plan was to use Sparkle's sword art to build a solid foundation, then naturally inherit her Master's unique, systemic swordsmanship in the future.
Of course, by the time Ei wielded it, the sword art's name definitely couldn't remain "Setsuna Blade." It absolutely had to be changed to the more commemorative "Fuli's First Strike."
Setsuna? Who's that? Never heard of them.
"Excellent! Excellent! That's a great arrangement!" Fuli clapped his hands happily, though his expression soon fell slightly. He undoubtedly wanted to personally teach the girl, but he had explicitly told Yunli and Yanqing when he asked them to teach Kiana that he was utterly hopeless in that regard.
I really need to get around to deconstructing my sword arts, he thought, slightly frustrated. Otherwise, what will I teach my disciple in the future?
Ei, perceptive and thoughtful, keenly picked up on the subtle shift in Fuli's mood. She tilted her head and extended a slender, pale hand, offering her open palm to her Master as she looked at him with her pure purple eyes.
"Master, this is my reverse apprenticeship gift."
She had clearly noticed his internal awkwardness and guilt and wanted to use this unique gesture to give him a chance to express himself, thereby easing the tension.
Fuli was stunned for a moment, then his eyes lit up. "Oh, right! I have just the thing. One second." He immediately rummaged through his pockets, quickly pulling out an exquisitely designed bracelet.
The bracelet was fashioned into three interconnected snakes, their bodies shimmering with a dark golden metallic luster, their eyes inlaid with tiny red gemstones, giving it a mysterious and luxurious appearance.
"Its name is 'Draconic Shadow.' I acquired it after I honorably defeated Yunli and Yanqing right in front of everyone. She gave it to me as spoils of war." He carefully fastened the bracelet onto Ei's slender wrist, explaining in detail, "When you wear it, it grants you the ability to materialize shadows within a certain range and transform them into various forms for combat. Its strength and duration are determined by the amount of Honkai energy you infuse into it."
The contemporary Artisans of Zhuming were truly generous. This item was rated a solid B-Class. Furthermore, its ability was the incredibly rare and practical power of shadow manipulation. It was excellent for stealth attacks, crowd control, or support—a premium piece of equipment that maximized both power and versatility.
"Draconic Shadow... It sounds very similar to my name," Ei murmured, a flicker of delight dancing in her eyes. "I like it very much, Master. Thank you." (i lazy)
"Good, good. As long as you like it." Fuli was immensely pleased, stroking his chin only to realize he had no beard.
"Then, Master, I will continue my sword practice."
"Go, go. Don't be impatient. If the sky falls, your Master will hold it up."
If the sky doesn't fall, I'll just hold up my Master—bah, bah, bah! This is all Master Jingliu's fault for corrupting me!
"Mm." EI nodded obediently and turned to leave.
Kallen, who had been silent for a long time, watched her retreating figure and muttered, "Strange. Why do I keep thinking that girl's profile looks a bit like Mei's?"
"Does it? It's just that their hair and eye colors are both purple, I guess," Fuli said dismissively. "EI is a Chrysos Heir descendant of Baal, and Mei previously absorbed the divinity of Shakra Devendra. Both of them are Chrysos Heirs of the sky and thunder. They might share some common traits in their aura. Perhaps that's why you're mistaken?"
"Perhaps," Kallen scratched her iconic silver braid, no longer dwelling on the topic. "Little brother, the Starforge Crucible seems almost done. Aren't you going to check on the results?"
"Of course I am!" Fuli's spirits lifted. This was one of the key reasons he had deliberately set their departure time for tomorrow. If he was going on a potentially risky mission, he naturally needed to adjust himself to his absolute peak condition.
He strode over to the crucible, which was continuously radiating intense energy fluctuations, his gaze fixed on the countdown displayed on its body.
WHOOSH—!
Several minutes later, accompanied by a low hum, the massive cauldron spewed out a large quantity of white steam, and its lid slowly opened automatically. In the center of the furnace, a Light Cone emanating a deep, ethereal glow quietly floated.
Fuli didn't hesitate. He reached out and carefully retrieved the Light Cone. The moment his fingertips touched it, a massive influx of information flooded his mind.
—Light Cone: Abyss of Exalted Darkness of Heaven. It is a perfect fusion of the Vishnu Factor—a Vipralopa-Class Honkai Beast possessing the power of devouring evolution—and the Human Immortal Dao, which created a perfect digestive system.
It requires at least Critical Class physical prowess, along with extremely strong energy manipulation and mental resilience. Furthermore, an unshakeable will is necessary to wield it, allowing the wielder to manage the mental assimilation and corrosive risks that come with devouring all things.
The Abyss of Exalted Darkness of Heaven is by no means an ordinary energy absorption. It is the Ascension of Life's fundamental nature. The wielder will transform into a walking Terminator, gaining the ability to evolve through devouring.
The wielder's body will become an ultra-efficient conversion furnace. Their flesh and blood will possess nearly perfect compatibility. Whether it is conventional energy, matter, or even abstract concepts like information, emotional fluctuations, or rule-based existences—all can be recognized and converted into nourishment to strengthen the self. Simultaneously, aging will cease entirely, vitality will rapidly increase, and potential will become almost limitless.
When necessary, a miniature black hole can be manifested outside the body as an additional devouring organ. It is not a celestial body, but the materialization of the power of consumption, used for predatorily absorbing larger, more powerful energy sources or targets that are difficult to directly contact.
It can also temporarily plunder others' special abilities, skills, and even talents for the wielder's own use. The plundered abilities will exist within the body as "Outer Path Imprints," consuming energy continuously during use until depleted or actively dispelled.
After deep development, through specific devouring behaviors or other forms of profound energy-soul entanglement, it can directly plunder the target's spiritual memories, genetic sequences, energy characteristics, and even the essence of their soul, converting everything into the ultimate nourishment for the wielder's own evolution.
However, it must be noted that devouring energy beyond one's tolerance limit or overly complex genetic sequences carries the risk of bodily explosion or genetic collapse.
Furthermore, excessive reliance on devouring, especially after plundering others' memories and souls, makes it extremely easy to confuse one's own boundaries with those of others, leading to depersonalization or schizophrenia.
["Note: The origin of all things and phenomena, where freedom, existence, elements, rules, and space-time converge. The light of ultimate ending that attracts all. The Exalted Heaven of the Abyss!"]
"Hiss—! Kallen gasped, exclaiming, 'Unbelievable, terrifying! This child must not be allowed to live!'"
"Hey, saying narrative-like inner thoughts like 'Kallen gasped' out loud with a straight face is legitimately unsettling, you know."
Fuli shot a half-serious, half-joking glance at Kallen, who was still floating in mid-air. He absorbed the Abyss of Exalted Darkness of Heaven into his body, shattering its Light Cone shell and turning it into the Third Turn of his Peerless Nine-Turn Art.
Though he outwardly complained, he was generally very satisfied with the results of this fusion. Not only did it retain the "Outer Path" he highly valued as a trump card, but the devouring ability itself had escalated to literally "devouring everything."
While it still required significant future development to fully master, and looked like an incredibly massive undertaking, this new ability had undoubtedly made a qualitative leap compared to the original Vishnu Factor and Human Immortal Dao, which could only devour matter and energy.
Now, among other things, the sheer ability to devour others' memories alone would make it incredibly convenient for Fuli to produce more Light Cones for sale, rather than relying on the paltry scraps from the System Shop's 24-hour refresh cycle.
The era of Light Cone proliferation, here we co—
"Suppress it! Do NOT sell them! Do you understand the concept of 'rarity increases value'? If you flood the market with too many high-quality Light Cones at once, the entire market will collapse!"
"Anyway, don't sell them! Do you hear me?!"
CLANG!
The call was ruthlessly cut off by Asta.
Fuli stood there with the communicator in his hand, exchanging blank stares with Kallen, who was still floating in the air.
The era of Light Cone proliferation was not coming at all.
Little Fuli mumbled petulantly, "I was just calling to share the good news, share the joy of success. I wasn't actually planning on selling them in massive quantities..."
So aggrieved. So unhappy.
The communicator buzzed again. A new message popped up:
["Pink-haired Little Rich Girl has transferred 50,000,000 Crystals to you."]
["Note: Hush money. Don't mess around, or I'll bite off your—!"]
Fuli's expression instantly underwent a dramatic Sichuan opera-style face-change. SLAM! He clicked his heels together, straightened his back, raised his right arm at a 45-degree angle toward the direction of the IPC's headquarters, and roared with full lung power:
"LOYALTY!"
"That's a NXzi salute, you idiot!" Kallen, unable to bear it any longer, promptly smacked him on the head.
---||---
After dealing with all matters related to his Peerless Nine-Turn Art, Fuli checked the time. It was only 2 PM.
"Sigh..."
Leaving the Hyperion, he took a deep breath, his face etched with a tragic, solemn expression, as if he were marching to his own execution.
He pulled out his phone, found the contact labeled "Yaoqing Demon King," gritted his teeth, stomped his foot, and pressed the call button.
"Hello?"
After the call connected, a languid, magnetic voice with a hint of playful teasing answered.
After a brief exchange, Fuli hung up, his face solemn.
"What must come, always comes..." he murmured to himself. He activated his Lan's Form, transforming into a blur of motion, and rushed to Boyue Ancient Sea, arriving within the required three minutes.
As the cerulean sea where Vidyadhara dragon scions and various dragon species resided, Boyue Ancient Sea boasted stunning, 5A-grade beautiful seascapes. Yet, the beach was desolate and empty, with hardly a soul in sight.
This was easily understandable; most tourists valued their lives. Highly intelligent humanoid existences like the Vidyadhara were generally fine. As long as you didn't litter or defile the ocean in front of them, they wouldn't actively pick fights.
But non-human dragon species were a different story. Most of them lacked intelligence, were incredibly short-tempered, and possessed astonishingly huge dimensions.
However, these dangers, which were more than enough to deter ordinary tourists, were not even speed bumps for the formidable, "Three-Nos General" Feixiao.
Nor were they for Fuli.
Soon, he spotted the graceful, silver-haired figure lying languidly on a beach chair.
A star-spangled indigo bikini clung tightly to Feixiao, exquisitely outlining her fiery, sensual curves. Sunlight, like golden dust, sprinkled over her, bathing her skin in a delicate, alluring honeyed glow.
She seemed to be napping, her eyes closed, her body stretched into a fluid arc. Her bikini straps had slipped to her elbows, revealing her smooth, taut back. Her hip line, sculpted by the brief, looked full and shapely.
"..."
From every angle, the Merlin's Claw General of the Yaoqing was a dazzlingly beautiful woman, full of intoxicating charm.
Yet, a deeply unsettling premonition suddenly rose in Fuli's heart.
Sure enough, before he could even move, that languid, magnetic voice spoke up.
"Why are you still standing there like an idiot? Come here."
The beauty lazily rolled onto her side, propping her head up with her arm, watching Fuli—who was frozen in place—with a half-smile.
Shimmering beads of sweat and fine seawater slowly trickled down her deep spinal groove, disappearing into the edge of her scant bikini bottom, leaving an incredibly seductive wet trail.
Little Fuli was speechless. He could only stiffen his spine and cautiously shuffle over.
One step.
Two steps.
Three steps.
Moonwalk...
"Tsk. So slow and hesitant. Am I really going to eat you, little brother?" Feixiao complained, extending her long legs, crossing them elegantly. Her toes, dusted with sand, curled slightly toward him, her ankles glinting with a pale gold under the sun.
Logic told Fuli she was telling the truth. They had barely met a few times. Love at first sight was essentially just lust at first sight. A battle-hardened, high-ranking, super-boss like Big Sis Feixiao would certainly not be interested in him for such a naive, maidenly reason.
"Of course I trust you, Big Sis."
So, he forcefully suppressed his unease, puffed out his chest, and strode confidently over to Feixiao, even picking up a pineapple from the fruit platter and biting into it ferociously.
Feixiao simply found him adorable.
"Heh heh. That's more like it." She chuckled softly, pleased, and affectionately tapped Fuli's forehead.
Then, she performed an action that made his heart stop. She incredibly naturally raised her hand, as if to undo the clasp behind her bikini top!
"G-General! What are you doing?!!"
Bro Fuli's face went white with shock, his voice cracking.
"Putting on sunscreen," the beauty said openly. "It was just me here earlier. There are so many places on my back I can't reach myself, and I can't apply it evenly. Now that you're here, why don't you lend Big Sis a hand~"
With that, she didn't even give Fuli a chance to refuse. She simply lay back down on her stomach, exposing her entire smooth back to him.
The warm sea breeze swept across the beach, gently fluttering the thin bikini straps and tousling her long silver hair scattered on the fine sand.
GULP!
Fuli gulped uncontrollably, his gaze fixed on the two enticing, persimmon-shaped mounds that were slightly squashed and overflowing to the sides as she lay prostrate.
But at least things hadn't devolved to the absolute worst-case scenario.
He composed himself, grabbed a bottle of sunscreen from the nearby beach table, squeezed out some cool lotion, rubbed it evenly in his palm, and then, with trembling hands, pressed them onto Feixiao's smooth, elastic back muscles.
"Mm-hmm..." The cool touch made her let out an ambiguous hum. She squinted her seductive emerald eyes, a look of blissful, hazy enjoyment spreading across her face.
Some time later, Fuli, his nerves stretched taut, finally completed this arduous task. He let out a long breath, saying with immense relief, "General Feixiao, your back is all done."
"Oh?" Feixiao replied languidly, then gave a slight roll, flipping onto her back.
The instant she turned, gravity did its work. Her already precarious bikini top slid right off!
"Now, it's time for the front."
She smiled dazzlingly at the instantly petrified Fuli, her nimble tongue tracing her lower lip. Her emerald eyes gleamed with the dangerous, predatory light of a hunter locking onto its prey.
"Run! RUN!"
Fuli's pupils instantly contracted to pinpricks. A powerful sense of crisis made him realize things had gone terribly wrong! His Lan's Form erupted at full power, and his figure shot backward!
Unfortunately, his speed was fast, but Feixiao's was faster.
An indigo afterimage flashed. Fuli felt an irresistible force grab him from the side. The world spun around him. The next thing he knew, he was pinned beneath Feixiao, her soft, elastic body pressing tightly against his waist and abdomen.
"How careless of me."
Big Sis Feixiao leaned down, her breathtakingly beautiful face close to the boy's. Her loose hair brushed against his cheek, and her warm breath, infused with the scent of seawater, ghosted against his ear.