This Is the Ice Pulse Power

"Why don't we call it here for today?" Mei finally set down her spatula after seeing that everyone had arrived.

"..." Xina hesitated for a moment. Seeing that there was not a single plate in the huge kitchen that could hold the dishes, she could only accept Mei's suggestion.

Mei placed the piled-up dishes on the table and began serving everyone rice.

"You two chefs have worked hard today. Let me help."

Fu Hua, who had just changed clothes, stepped forward and began setting the table for everyone.

Xina no longer needed food to replenish her energy, so she had originally only planned to eat a little for appearances' sake, lest she look strange among a group of people devouring their meals.

But that simple thought vanished the instant she saw Fu Hua.

The four words "affecting development" that Fu Hua had muttered earlier echoed repeatedly in her ears!

"..." Xina glanced at Theresa from the corner of her eye, then looked down at her own frail body and silently picked up her bowl and chopsticks, preparing to eat properly.

"Hey, let's raise a toast to Xina!"

As she spoke, Kiana raised the drink in her hand.

"Cheers!"

Seeing this, everyone else picked up their cups as well, leaving only Xina sitting there at a loss with a blank look on her face.

With everyone looking at her with those very... very... special expressions, Xina felt even the hands resting on her thighs begin to tremble.

They... they really are welcoming me...

In the end, Xina's lips curled upward despite herself. Stiffly, she raised her cup and clinked it against everyone else's.

"Even so... thank you all..."

Amid the laughter, Xina muttered in a voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz, then quietly began picking at the food in her bowl.

Nearby, Kiana seemed determined to compete with Bronya at the dinner table. The two rapidly snatched dishes with their chopsticks, piling the food they grabbed into small mountains in their bowls.

In sharp contrast to those two wolfing down food were the very ladylike Fu Hua and Mei beside them.

Although Fu Hua's movements were graceful and proper, Xina somehow felt that the word "ladylike" had nothing to do with Fu Hua.

After dinner, Himeko, full and satisfied, somehow produced a bottle of alcohol from who knew where. Taking advantage of Theresa not noticing her, she popped the cap and began chugging straight from the bottle.

Meanwhile, Kiana and Bronya lay flat and motionless on the living room sofa.

"That was so delicious... Bronya must be in heaven~"

"Burp~ I can't eat anymore. Not another bite."

Having failed to determine a victor in terms of appetite, the two looked at each other and silently made an appointment and oath to battle again next time.

"You two... forget it. I'll go get you some digestive tablets."

Looking at these two "humanoid gluttons," Mei helplessly shook her head and got up to search the cabinet for digestive tablets.

Watching the drunken Himeko chase Theresa around the room, Xina, curled up in one corner of the sofa, wore a thoroughly shocked expression.

At that moment, Fu Hua came over from the kitchen after washing the dishes. She pointed outside. "Want to take a walk and help digest your food?"

"Sure!" Xina did not refuse and followed behind Fu Hua onto the path laid out around the lakeside.

"You seem to have something on your mind!"

After walking for a while, Fu Hua suddenly spoke.

"Huh?!" Xina's expression stiffened as she looked at Fu Hua in surprise.

It was already unfair that you were so strong. How could you be able to read fortunes too?!

Seeing that she seemed to have guessed correctly, Fu Hua's face bloomed with a gentle smile. She walked to the lakeshore and said, "Are you worried about tomorrow's Entrance Exam?"

What exam? What the heck is an Entrance Exam?!

Xina scratched her head in confusion, but verbally went along with her. "Ah, right, right, right. You figured it out. I have absolutely no idea what to expect from that test..."

"You don't actually need to take this test too seriously. Every Valkyrie has different abilities. Tomorrow's test is not only meant to assess your level, but more importantly, to see what your abilities and combat style are like. That will help you understand your own abilities and determine the direction of your future training."

"However, unlike those trainee Valkyries who attended the Preparatory Class, you probably still don't know how to control the Honkai energy in your body and use your abilities, do you?"

Hearing that, Xina nodded as if she understood.

Although she... well... at a time like this, it was better to pretend she didn't know.

"This was probably the academy's oversight, but it's fine. I can teach you now."

"Now?" Xina looked around, thinking Fu Hua was joking with her.

"Yes, right now." Fu Hua reached out and patted Xina's shoulder, reassuring her, "Don't worry. This should be very simple for us. After all, no one understands their own power better than themselves."

Before Xina could ask anything, Fu Hua had already begun teaching her. "First, close your eyes!"

"Okay."

Under Fu Hua's gaze, Xina slowly closed her eyes.

"Now, carefully feel every part of your body. In Shenzhou, this is called the meridians. Within them, you should feel as though something is guiding you. Remember that feeling, follow it, and don't resist..."

Under Fu Hua's guidance, Xina felt it. She sensed two irregular crystals shining with different colors in the boundless darkness.

One light was icy blue, carrying a bone-chilling cold, while the other was a gloomy, eerie bluish purple.

The two colors intertwined, gleaming brilliantly before her eyes.

Xina slowly opened her eyes, smiled at Fu Hua beside her, and said, "I really did feel it."

"Oh! That was much faster than I expected!" Fu Hua nodded, pointed at the calm lake surface, and raised her brows in suggestion. "Come on, try it on the lake!"

"Okay."

As Xina's words fell, an icy-blue laser shot from the tip of her right index finger, freezing a large section of the lake and forming a thick platform of ice.

"Oh, so it's ice-element Honkai energy specialization? And based on its intensity alone, it's already at the level of a B-Rank Valkyrie."

After checking the thickness of the ice, Fu Hua nodded, unaware that Xina was also sighing in relief beside her.

To keep herself from freezing the entire lake with a casual point, Xina had deliberately lowered the power to this almost pitiful level.

It now seemed that she had made the right choice. It was not a good thing for a newcomer with no foundation at all to stand out too much. Otherwise, she would not be able to investigate the secret hidden behind Mei's apparent apathy.

"Now that you've begun to familiarize yourself with your abilities, make sure to perform well in tomorrow's test."

With that, Fu Hua glanced at the sky, turned, and strode back in the direction they had come from. "It's getting late. Let's head back!"

"Okay."