Honkai Impact

Ling Feng shook his head slightly and said, "But I don't think she was lying. This kind of thing can be investigated very easily. I'll ask Tesla later and we'll know!"

"Who cares if it's getting stronger? I'll just kick it away!"

Kiana crossed her arms over her chest, looking completely unconcerned. It was just a Honkai Beast, after all. Easy peasy!

Not long after, Charlotte and Tifa left. No one knew what cooperation terms they had reached with the Principal, but Charlotte seemed quite happy when she left...

The afternoon was for the Valkyries' practical class, which was essentially physical and combat training. Teachers were responsible for instructing combat techniques and methods, while the Valkyries trained with each other, learning and mastering new skills!

As for Valkyrie skills, there weren't many, but they were enough. Moreover, different skills required different Valkyrie Armors to be used, which limited their application. Unless a Valkyrie could adapt to multiple Valkyrie Armors!

"Boom..."

In the training ground, Yuqi was once again defeated by Kiana...

"Damn it, she's... so strong..." Yuqi looked incredibly unwilling to accept it...

"Hahahaha, I told you, I'm the strongest! Yuqi, you need to train more before coming back, hahahaha..."

Kiana looked smug. Back when she was a C-rank Valkyrie, this girl used to seek her out for training, and usually ended up getting beaten. Now, the tables had turned!

On the other side, Mei had also successfully defeated two B-rank Valkyries, and she was still using a two-star Universal Katana...

"Mei, you're so strong..."

"Yeah, it feels like the gap between us and you is getting wider!"

These two didn't seem resentful because they couldn't beat Mei before, and now they couldn't beat her even more...

"It's nothing, I was just lucky!"

Mei bowed slightly as a gesture of politeness, then sheathed her katana. She hadn't even used her Stigmata yet, but she had already defeated the two of them. It seemed her basic combat power had also improved quite a bit...

Perhaps it was due to the four-star Stigmata, but in their sparring matches, Kiana and Mei often had an overwhelming advantage. Even if their basic combat powers were similar, with the boost from the Stigmata, they could usually crush their opponents!

Unknowingly, Mei and Kiana had already become the top tier in the class. Well, Fu Hua didn't count...

Chapter 24: A Meeting with Tesla!

"Damn it, if it weren't for the Stigmata, Kiana wouldn't be my opponent!"

During dinner time, in the academy cafeteria, Yuqi was still feeling down. It wasn't because she was upset about losing to Kiana, but because she was annoyed by Kiana's smug look. She had won by relying on the Stigmata, yet she was acting so proud!

"Alright, alright, don't be angry. There's nothing that can be done about four-star Stigmata..." Baizhi seemed more composed, but it would be a lie to say she wasn't envious...

"I'm just really annoyed..."

Yuqi pouted dejectedly and asked, "Baizhi, can you find a way to have Ling Feng imprint four-star Stigmata on us too? Currently, among the students in the academy, he's the only one who can imprint four-star Stigmata!"

"That might be a bit difficult. He's part of Team 233, and Kiana is the captain of Team 233. Do you think Kiana would agree?" Baizhi thought the probability was low. No, very low!

"That's true..."

Yuqi nodded in agreement, then said, "Then... then let's just go find Ling Feng directly? Even though he's an assistant, he wouldn't always be with Kiana, right? We can find him when Ling Feng is alone and try to get him to imprint Stigmata on us!"

"A way..."

Baizhi pondered for a moment, then a flash of inspiration struck her, and she smiled, "I have an idea. If I'm not mistaken, Ling Feng and Kiana have that kind of relationship. So, as long as we..."

Baizhi leaned close to Yuqi's ear and whispered...

Yuqi: "..."

"Eh... This... Isn't this a bit too much? And... this is so embarrassing..." Yuqi seemed to resist this method...

Baizhi shrugged indifferently, "Then it's up to you. Anyway, this is the only method I can think of that has the highest chance of success..."

Yuqi: "..."

After the afternoon classes ended, Ling Feng didn't go back with Mei and the others. Instead, he went to find Tesla...

"The conditions that Charlotte and the others proposed are as I've described. Theresa also agreed, after all, she's short on money!"

Tesla roughly described the cooperation terms between the two parties. Simply put, Charlotte's company would sponsor the academy, but the academy would have to assist Charlotte in testing new equipment, as well as a team slot in the future ranking competition!

"I can understand testing equipment, but why does she want a slot in the ranking competition?"

Ling Feng had been here for several days and knew about the ranking competition. Simply put, it was a competition to determine the combat strength of the Valkyries in the academy. It was held annually, but it required participants to be current students. Graduated Valkyries were not allowed to participate!

"Who cares about that? What about you? Did you just come to me to ask about this?"

Tesla was still lying on her chair as usual, her legs propped up on the desk, and a playful smile on her face!

"It's also for something else!"

Ling Feng sat down opposite Tesla and said, "Charlotte talked to me a lot at noon, and one point that I'm concerned about is, are the Honkai Beasts constantly getting stronger?"

"Hmm... From the data of the past ten years, Honkai Beasts have indeed been getting stronger!"

Tesla manipulated the keyboard with one hand, opening a set of data for Ling Feng. "Look, this is the frequency of Honkai appearances and the strength of Honkai Beasts over the past decade. Although the data may not be complete, it can basically serve as a reference. Every year, the Honkai Beasts are getting stronger, and their numbers are increasing. This doesn't seem like good news..."

"It seems that humanity really needs to keep getting stronger..."

Alright, Ling Feng knew Charlotte wasn't joking. The Honkai Beasts were truly getting stronger. If humanity didn't progress, it would become increasingly difficult to fight against Honkai, ultimately leading to extinction!

"Leave these issues to the researchers at Schicksal and Anti-Entropy. Our current task is just to train Valkyries for St. Freya Academy." Tesla had already known that the Honkai Beasts were getting stronger, so she was very calm about it!

"Tesla, have you ever thought about creating weapons comparable to Stigmata?" Ling Feng suddenly asked!

"Hm?"

Tesla paused for a moment, then chuckled, "That... might be a bit difficult. Humans can't even analyze what Stigmata are yet, let alone create them. The leap is too great!"

"Heh, hey, did you forget who I am?"

Ling Feng also smiled and said, "If I tell you the principles and materials for creating Stigmata, do you have the confidence to make them?"

"Eh... You... you really know?"

Tesla dropped her playful expression, her gaze becoming serious. "Don't underestimate me. I was one of the top ten genius girls back then. As long as you tell me the principles and materials, I'm sure I can make them!"

"Then why didn't you ask me before?"

Ling Feng looked at Tesla slightly, curious why she never brought it up herself!

"Isn't it because I was too embarrassed to ask?"

Tesla laughed, "After all, you said your memory is incomplete. And if I asked directly, wouldn't you suspect my motives? You might even think we saved you just for the knowledge you possess? While we did have that thought, I didn't like it, because I knew you'd tell me eventually!"

"Are you that confident?"

Faced with Tesla's confidence, Ling Feng felt a bit helpless...

"Yes, of course!"

Tesla nodded affirmatively. "Don't ask me why I'm confident. It's simple: intuition!"

"Alright, I'm convinced..."

Ling Feng sighed helplessly and smiled. "Then I'll tell you the truth. In my era, Stigmata were known as God-Slaying Armors. There were eighteen of them in total. The core devices of these eighteen God-Slaying Armors were actually the cores of eighteen Judgment-class Honkai Beasts. This was the most crucial and important material, bar none!"

"Judgment-class Honkai Beast cores... So that's how it is..."

Tesla's eyes lit up, and she nodded thoughtfully. "I did suspect it was Honkai Beast cores, but I never expected... it would be Judgment-class Honkai Beasts, and eighteen of them! Your previous civilization was too powerful, wasn't it?"

"No matter how strong they were, they're gone now. I'll get to the point!"

Ling Feng didn't want to bicker with Tesla anymore and continued, "Furthermore, God-Slaying Armors weren't chosen by Valkyries; they were custom-made for them. The moment a God-Slaying Armor was manufactured, its owner was already decided. This is because the core of the God-Slaying Armor would establish a connection with the user, allowing the Valkyrie to obtain the power of the Judgment-class Honkai Beast within the God-Slaying Armor. Strictly speaking, a God-Slaying Armor can also be seen as a Honkai Beast, just with its original consciousness replaced by artificial intelligence..."

Chapter 25: Fingerprint Scan? I Think I've Seen This Somewhere Before?

After discussing Stigmata manufacturing with Tesla, Ling Feng slowly walked back towards the apartment. It seemed they had talked for quite a while, and the sky had already darkened...

"I should hurry back..."

He was a bit hungry and wanted to get back for dinner. Speaking of which, he had roast duck last night; he wondered if it would be all vegetarian again today...

Ling Feng quickened his pace towards the apartment. But as he passed by the pond, two figures suddenly darted out from the side...

"Ling Feng, can we talk?"

Taking a closer look, he realized they were people he knew – Yuqi and Baizhi from his class...

"Uh... Is it going to take long? I'm in a hurry to get back for dinner..."

Ling Feng knew Yuqi was Kiana's rival, so he wasn't very keen on agreeing...

"It won't take long, just follow us..."

Baizhi smiled, and then, along with Yuqi, they each took Ling Feng's arm and slowly pulled him towards the woods...

Ling Feng: "..." Why... do I have a bad feeling about this...

In the woods, Yuqi and Ling Feng stood facing each other...

"Ling Feng, do you know why I want to become a Valkyrie?"

Yuqi spoke first...

"I don't know, and I don't want to know. Also, can you get to the point quickly?" Ling Feng really didn't want to waste any more time with Yuqi...

Yuqi: "..."

"I have my own goals. My mother was also a Valkyrie, but she died at the hands of a Honkai Beast. Therefore, I want to become a Valkyrie and eradicate Honkai, eradicate all Honkai!" Yuqi looked at Ling Feng silently, her eyes filled with determination!

Ling Feng: "..." Another one of those tropes? I've seen this kind of thing so many times... I bet Yuqi is going to ask me to imprint Stigmata for her next...

She's telling her tragic backstory to gain sympathy, just like some talent shows. Either they had a childhood illness, or their parents died, or some sudden misfortune befell them in pursuit of their dreams, making it hard for the judges not to give them high scores!

Conversely, if you don't have some sob story, you're too embarrassed to even step on that stage. It's not a place to compete in talent, but a place to compete in misery!

"Uh... So, what do you want to say?"

Ling Feng was prepared. If Yuqi asked, he would agree. After all, she was also a B-rank Valkyrie and had her own dreams, just like his lovely students back then!

"I..."

Yuqi paused, then grabbed Ling Feng's right hand and said, "I want to say, for the sake of power, I'll resort to any means!"

As she spoke, Yuqi directly grabbed Ling Feng's right hand and pressed it against her chest. Ling Feng then felt something soft in his grasp, and what it was was self-evident...

"???"

Ling Feng was completely bewildered. Wait... why aren't you following the script?

"Ling Feng!"

Yuqi looked up at Ling Feng and said seriously, "Now that your fingerprints are on my clothes, if you don't help me imprint Stigmata, I'll tell Kiana and Mei that you groped me. Of course, if... if you're willing to help me imprint Stigmata, I won't say anything, and... next time, it can be like this too..."

Ling Feng: "..." This girl is a real beast. But why does this whole situation feel so familiar?

Ling Feng pulled out his right hand and then pressed hard on another side of Yuqi again...

Yuqi: "..."

"Ahhhhhh..."

Yuqi recoiled sharply, her face flushing slightly. "You... you... what do you want to do? Let me tell you, this is the limit. Anything more is absolutely impossible!"

"Uh... sorry, sorry, occupational hazard..."

Ling Feng put on an apologetic expression, then lightly slapped his right hand with his left, and chuckled, "I understand what you're getting at, but you're a bit... well, you've gone a little too far. Even if you had come to me properly and explained, I wouldn't have refused to imprint Stigmata for you. But you actually used this method to threaten me, which made me a little unhappy. So, that last touch was a punishment, and I also got your fingerprints on the other side."

Yuqi: "You..."

Yuqi was about to say something, but suddenly realized... Wait... did she just do something foolish...

"So, are you willing to imprint for me then?"

Putting aside other issues for now, Yuqi's main concern was still the Stigmata!

"Of course, it's a simple matter!"

Ling Feng nodded slightly. Although it was passive, Ling Feng felt this exchange was totally worth it. Aside from being a bit small, the feel was actually quite good...

"However..."

Ling Feng continued with a smile, "My method of imprinting Stigmata is different from the usual way, so you need to be mentally prepared. Also... don't say too much in front of Mei and Kiana. While I don't really care that much, I don't want to anger them, okay?"