To avoid being cornered at the school gate and gawked at like a rare animal by her enthusiastic classmates, Lin Qingyue endured a barrage of stares that screamed, "Something's off with you!" and "You've been hiding your true strength!"
She grabbed her sister—still caught in a daze of excitement and bewilderment—and bolted, practically greasing the soles of her feet to escape.
Along the way, Lin Xiyue danced with excitement, happier than if she had won the match herself.
"Sis! That final Retreating Staff Strike was insane! You sent Li Yue flying! You should have seen the crowd's faces—their eyes nearly popped out of their sockets!"
She mimicked Lin Qingyue's staff-swinging motion, nearly smacking a nearby utility pole.
"And when you retorted, every word was a dagger to the heart! 'Sloth, arrogance, and shallowness'! Hahaha, her face turned green!"
Lin Qingyue watched her sister's vibrant energy, a faint smile gracing her lips. "Just the basics."
"But seriously," Lin Xiyue leaned closer, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper, her eyes glinting with mischief. "I've seen you secretly practicing how to beat people with your staff at home, but I never expected you to be this ferocious in a real fight! Dominating an Assassin and then sending her flying with a single staff strike… You're one bizarre Priest, you know? A Melee Priest!"
"What Melee Priest?" Lin Qingyue replied, her expression unchanged. "This is what I call a profound understanding of my class."
She explained with a perfectly straight face:
"Can a Priest's actions truly be called violence?"
"This is what I call 'Root-Cause Healing.' If I eliminate the enemy, no one can harm my allies."
Lin Xiyue burst out laughing. "'Root-Cause Healing'? Sis, who are you trying to fool with that? But…"
Her playful expression vanished, replaced by a serious look. "No matter what you've become, being strong is always a good thing! When we run dungeons in the future, I'll tank at the front, and you can stay in the back… uh, and depending on the situation, either heal or come up and help me bash them?"
"Trust me, when sisters work together," Lin Qingyue patted her sister's shoulder, "you'll naturally understand the wonders of my skills when the time is right."
"So mysterious…" Lin Xiyue puffed out her cheeks, but the smile and trust in her eyes never wavered. "Anyway, I'm just glad you're okay and even stronger now! I couldn't be happier!"
When they arrived home, their parents were still away on dungeon duty.
Claiming she needed to "consolidate her insights," Lin Qingyue dove into her room.
Bang!
The door slammed shut and locked.
The entire sequence was executed in one fluid motion, completely blocking her sister's curious gaze.
Finally, the world was quiet.
She took a deep breath, and with a flicker of thought, a card shimmering with an emerald-green glow materialized between her fingertips.
The card depicted a bard in a green cloak, holding a lyre. A signature, utterly punchable smile played on his lips.
[Venti Trial Card (24 Hours)]
[Type: Limited-Time Character Card]
[Description: Upon use, you will temporarily transform into Venti, the bard from the continent of Teyvat, gaining a portion of his abilities and traits (including but not limited to Anemo control, bardic charm, and the essence of slacking). The effect lasts for 24 hours (precise to the minute, with a pause function). After use, there is a chance to gain permanent buffs based on compatibility and usage.]
[Note: Get to work, Barbatos! —Oh, wait, now it's your turn to get to "work," Host.]
"The Anemo Archon, Barbatos…"
Lin Qingyue whispered the name, her eyes gradually burning with fervor.
In this world where everyone awakened a class, elemental control was the exclusive domain of Mages. While Priests could use Light element, it was primarily for healing and purification.
If she could master Anemo, even temporarily, it would become a brand-new, devastating trump card.
But the most lethal temptation lay in the System's description: the words "permanent buffs."
Go big or go home!
"However…"
Lin Qingyue walked over to the full-length mirror.
The mirror reflected a woman standing 1.75 meters tall, her perfect hourglass figure sculpted by years of rigorous Priest physical training.
Even her loose loungewear couldn't fully conceal those stunning curves.
Combined with the sleek muscle definition she'd gained from using the Five Years of Millelith Experience Book a few days ago, her entire presence radiated a beauty of strength and mature femininity.
The classic Mature, elegant older sister physique.
Her gaze slowly drifted back to the card, to the slender, almost androgynous boy depicted on it.
Lin Qingyue fell into deep thought.
She glanced down at her own impressive bust.
This transformation... are you sure it's not a "clothes-bursting" trial card?
The mere thought of buttons popping and fabric screaming in protest sent a wave of social-death anxiety through her, despite her System-hardened composure.
But the words "permanent buffs" hammered relentlessly at her heart, as if enchanted.
"Screw it! I'm alone in the room anyway. Even if I embarrass myself, no one will see!"
Lin Qingyue took a deep breath, psyching herself up in the mirror. "What's a little shame compared to gaining more power?"
She stood before the full-length mirror, steeled her resolve, and mentally commanded, "Use Venti Trial Card!"
The card in her fingertips dissolved into countless specks of cyan light, like a swarm of startled fireflies, instantly enveloping her.
A breeze materialized out of thin air, carrying the scent of dandelions and freedom, gently lifting the ends of her hair.
Her loungewear didn't tear; instead, it uncannily "melted" away.
The texture of the fabric against her skin shifted rapidly, the softness of cotton giving way to the coolness of silk and the toughness of leather.
The light faded.
Lin Qingyue eagerly turned to the mirror.
Her eye twitched uncontrollably.
The person in the mirror still had her own bright, striking face, but her attire had transformed into a ridiculously "modded" bard outfit.
The boy's original shorts had been stretched into form-fitting dark trousers, accentuating her astonishingly long legs.
The white ruffled shirt, strained to accommodate her impressive figure, was stretched taut across her chest, revealing every curve and putting every button under immense pressure.
The green capelet she wore over it now looked comically small and tight.
The whole scene looked like a mature, alluring Big Sister who had secretly slipped into her younger brother's cosplay outfit for some unspeakable thrill.
The sense of dissonance was off the charts!
Before she could fully process this bizarre transformation, an intense, unfamiliar urge to speak welled up in her throat.
Her body moved before her mind could react, her hands already planting themselves on her hips.
A clear, lively voice, brimming with boyish mischief, burst from her own lips:
"Time for a warm-up?"
Lin Qingyue: "!!!"
Shut up! That's not my voice!
She slapped a hand over her mouth, her eyes wide with horror.
That voice! That tone!
This damn Trial Card forces you to role-play?!
Not only does it change your clothes, but it comes with a voice pack and a locked tone?!
She tried to utter a single syllable in her own cool, aloof voice. But the moment she opened her mouth, the lazy, smiling boyish tone emerged again:
"Ehe! Looks like I can't speak in my old voice anymore! It seems the wind really likes this new vessel. The path was a bit winding, but the wind always finds its own way, doesn't it?"
Lin Qingyue pressed a hand to her forehead, giving up the struggle.
Fine. No one's watching anyway.
I'll just endure it.
She focused her attention inward, sensing the new power within her.
It was wind.
Free, unrestrained wind flowed through her limbs with every breath, light and agile.
She raised her index finger, and a wisp of cyan wind obediently coiled around it, condensing at her fingertip into a tiny, cheerfully spinning vortex.
With another thought, the air above her palm abruptly compressed, forming a palm-sized cyan wind field out of thin air, its airflow stable and powerful.
No chanting, no spell formations—it was as natural as breathing.
"So this is Elemental Mastery..."
Lin Qingyue gripped the ornate longbow that had appeared when she used the card, named "Elegy for the End."
"Skyward Sonnet!" she whispered in the boyish voice, reciting the name of the Elemental Skill.
The moment the words left her lips, she pushed off lightly from her toes. An invisible force abruptly lifted her, launching her straight toward the ceiling like an arrow loosed from a bow!
Bang!
Her forehead made solid, intimate contact with the hard ceiling.
"Ouch..."
Lin Qingyue rubbed her reddening forehead as she tumbled back onto the soft bed.
The pain was sharp, but the excitement burning in her eyes flared even brighter than before.
For a short-legged class like a Priest, this kind of mobility was an epic-level enhancement!
"So this is... the power of Anemo?"
This feeling of controlling and riding the wind was completely different from pure physical strength—it was agile and ingenious.
Should I... try the Elemental Burst?
Lin Qingyue glanced out the window, her eagerness growing.
The legendary Wind's Grand Ode, said to be capable of sweeping up everything...
Reason reined her in at the last second.
This was a residential area. If she unleashed her Elemental Burst here, tomorrow's headline in Yicheng would probably be: SHOCKING! High School Senior, Suspected of Extreme Stress, Wrecks Home and Summons Tornado in Middle of the Night!
Never mind, never mind. I'll save the Elemental Burst for a wide-open field!
"That's about enough."
Lin "Venti" Qingyue glanced at the time.
About ten minutes had passed since she transformed.
She could feel herself struggling to suppress Venti's thoughts.
If she kept this up, she was genuinely afraid she'd end up running downstairs to the plaza to busk for wine money.
"Deactivate state."
The cyan light flashed again. The tight-fitting bard outfit vanished, replaced by her original loose-fitting loungewear.
She cleared her throat and tentatively said, "Hello?"
The voice was cool and clear—her own.
Lin Qingyue let out a long sigh of relief.
Thank goodness, I'm back!