Where's the promised Third Honkai?!!

As if to prove Fu Li's words, the Honkai Energy merely brushed past his body without any extreme reaction.

The rest of the journey was peaceful. Thirty-five minutes later, the train with only one passenger finally arrived at the station.

Fu Li rose from his seat, picked up the Galaxy Bat, and stepped off the train.

A ghostly cold wind howled past, surging into the tunnel depths like a devouring black hole. Above the sunless, pitch-dark platform, the four characters 'Kisaragi Station' glowed with a sinister green light that sent chills down one's spine.

Little AI couldn't help but snark: "If an ordinary person saw this, they'd probably piss their pants on the spot."

Fu Li retorted: "Don't go meddling with other people's personal tastes. I think this station's composition is quite artistic."

"Where's the art?"

"The fact that it's about to benefit me—that's artistic."

"The host is just being pragmatic."

"Call me a plain utilitarian."

Bantering with Little AI, Fu Li followed the signs on the platform. At first, the path was narrow, barely wide enough for one person. After walking a few hundred paces, he saw a dark red figure standing before a locomotive.

A wide robe and hood completely obscured the figure's facial features. Holding a candle in hand, they issued a soul-searching question to the unacquainted visitor.

"What aspect of the Far East do the bishops of Christianity envy the most?"

"They envy that the Far East's sky drops little boys."

Fu Li answered crisply.

In an instant, the eerie atmosphere of Kisaragi Station and the sinister mystery that the hooded figure had brought to Prometheus completely faded. The only thing spreading wildly through her rapidly churning CPU was the word 'cringe'.

So much so that only after the figure turned and gestured for Fu Li to follow did she manage to squeeze out a single word from her throat:

"Huh?"

"Huh what? Follow me, gorgeous!"

Fu Li followed the hooded figure into the massive locomotive.

The interior of the locomotive had clearly been expanded. Sofas, a refrigerator, and other furniture were neatly arranged in a room of at least a hundred square meters. A wall-mounted LCD TV was playing Stephen Chow's classic "Kung Fu." The cozy setup looked no different from an ordinary home.

If there was one difference, it was probably the huge banner overhead with white characters on a red background reading "Future Foundation."

The Arabic numeral 21 in the bottom right corner of the banner had been lightly crossed out with a slash, and above it, the elegant Chinese characters for "18" were written.

Eighteen loan opportunities left?

Fu Li pondered, tapping his fingers on the sofa armrest.

Meanwhile, the mysterious hooded figure of indeterminate gender emerged from another room carrying a cup of fragrant black tea.

Placing the porcelain cup on the coffee table in front of Fu Li, they spoke: "Do you need me to explain the rules?"

The voice was clearly modified—a hoarse, cat-scratching-glass quality that was grating yet carried a strange allure, making it hard to resist.

"No need." Fu Li cut straight to the point: "I want two blades: one Crescent Moon, one Shiranui."

Chapter 10: "Equivalent Exchange"

In the warm yet eerily silent atmosphere, the dark red figure in the hood nodded lightly: "I understand. Please wait a moment."

They turned and walked toward a side room, their silhouette quickly disappearing from Fu Li's sight.

Only then did Prometheus move her lips with slight dissatisfaction: "Can you explain now?"

When those two riddle-talkers were conversing, all that echoed in her head was 'What! What! What! What is all this?!'

Riddlers, get out!

"Of course."

Unlike Little AI, who had been kept in the dark, Fu Li was in a rather good mood.

"The place we're in now is a branch of the Future Foundation set up in the Far East."

He explained: "The Future Foundation is a mid-sized organization with considerable fame on the Honkai side. Every three years, they issue Loan Jade Omens to the outside world in a completely random (self-proclaimed) manner, recording routes to various branches."

"These branches are scattered all over the world. Anyone who can reach a branch using the method recorded on the Omen can have the Foundation fulfill any two requests below B-rank—whether it's asking for weapons, equipment, skills, or simply having them kill an enemy."

Fu Li said this lightly, but in truth, every time the Future Foundation issued a Jade Omen, it sparked fierce battles among many opportunists.

Because these Omens didn't directly tell someone how to get to a branch; they required time to decipher the content.

And needing time naturally gave certain people an opening.

"For example, I heard about this from a Slavic Mercenary who was drunk at a barbecue place next to my table after completing a mission."

Fu Li said leisurely: "In the normal course of history, that guy deciphered the puzzle on the Loan Jade Omen half a year later. He came to this Kisaragi Station and exchanged for a C-rank piece of armor and a skill of the same level from the clerk."

Prometheus was sharp: "The host used the word 'exchange' for that unlucky guy, right."

"Right." The overly soft sofa made Fu Li a bit uncomfortable. He straightened his back and replied: "See the crossed-out 21 on the banner?"

Little AI nodded lightly.

"That records how many people worldwide have already completed a loan deal with the Future Foundation through this method."

"Now it's eighteen. When that number hits zero, the Foundation will gather everyone in this batch together through some means to complete a secret mission assigned by them."

At this point, Fu Li added, "The one whose opportunity I snatched died just like that—someone chopped off their limbs in the middle of the night, wrapped them in white cloth to make a human wind chime, and hung it at the top of Tokyo Tower. Blood dripped onto the observation glass, scaring several ordinary citizens who had gotten up early to visit. The newly appointed Far East Prime Minister flew into a rage over it."

"Whoa, how tragic." The little girl's tone carried not a single ripple.

"Overall, it's a mutual pursuit, really." Fu Li clapped his hands. "No matter what risks lie ahead, at least two C-rank items are already in hand."

Prometheus speculated, "So it seems the Foundation is investing in geniuses without backing ahead of time?"

True big shots wouldn't care about mere two C-rank items, let alone face an unidentified mysterious crisis.

"Maybe there's that consideration. After all, deciphering a Loan Jade Omen isn't easy, and being known to possess one while safely reaching a branch office is another matter entirely."

Saying this, Fu Li suddenly broke into a smile.

His smile was clean, like a breeze sweeping away clouds stretching for thousands of miles, like dawn piercing through thin mist, casting a layer of golden light across his pale face.

But Prometheus shuddered.

Because he said, "You see, even though I don't have a Loan Jade Omen at all, that kind-hearted hooded person still happily traded with me, didn't they?"

No matter who, whether they held a Loan Jade Omen issued by the Future Fund or not.

As long as they were the first to step into a branch office in their region, they became that time's customer.

"...What a thoroughly Social Darwinist organization."

Little AI didn't much like such naked survival of the fittest.

"I don't like it either. I imagine that when someone eventually holds a blade to the Foundation's high-ranking officials' throats, they'll come to hate this rule just as much." Fu Li comforted. "But people, when living under someone else's roof, always have to temporarily reconcile with a world that's neither gentle nor beautiful."

"So what are Crescent Moon and Unknown Fire?"

Prometheus no longer wanted to continue the previous topic.

"First, we need to clarify the combat power levels. For unified measurement, major forces led by Schicksal use Valkyries as a reference, standardizing combat power into D-rank, C-rank, B-rank, A-rank, above that Critical, and above that S-rank."

Fu Li blew on the black tea in his cup.

He used himself as an example: "For instance, before my rebirth, at A-rank, I could crush three B-rank Valkyries in a one-sided fight, hold my ground against five B-rank Valkyries, barely manage against seven, and if the total exceeded ten, I'd turn and run without a second word."

"This theory applies to most battles below S-rank. Breakers and those at S-rank or above aren't included in this consensus."

The premise is that equipment, skills, willpower, and literacy are roughly equal within each rank—after all, even in ancient times, there were classic cases of Ming Dynasty Armored Soldiers chasing down hundreds of refugees with blades, or a dozen Iron Pagoda Cavalry breaking through over a thousand Song Dynasty Xiang Army soldiers.

"D-rank, C-rank, B-rank, A-rank, Critical, S-rank—sounds simple enough." The little girl tilted her head adorably. "But I don't understand, Host, why you suddenly brought this up."

"Because one of the two blades I mentioned, the Demonic Blade · Unknown Fire, is a forbidden skill that lets a watered-down C-rank like me, obtained through a ten-pull gacha, quickly touch the level of an A-rank Valkyrie—a life-burning combat skill that skyrockets combat power in a short time... Mm, I'll write it out in the system panel format you're familiar with."

He took out paper and pen from his backpack and began sketching.

Prometheus leaned in, her Twin Turbos-styled head pressing close to Fu Li's as they both watched what he wrote on the paper.

Chapter 11: "A Collapse Life Overflowing with Grind"

[Name: Demonic Blade · Unknown Fire]

[Rank: C]

[Type: State]

[Effect: Sacrifices the user's life force to resonate with the weapon in hand, transforming cold weapons like swords and blades into a demonic blade's forbidden technique.

When the skill is activated, the user emits a dense crimson aura and vanishes briefly.

Afterward, the user enters a state of unity between man and blade, transforming into the Demonic Blade Unknown Fire, which greatly enhances combat power while gaining a life-draining ability that steals life force from injured targets.

The demonic blade requires the user to continuously supply massive life force to maintain itself, often far exceeding the life force stolen. If the user cannot replenish the consumed life force, it may threaten their own life.

The skill's amplification depends on personal strength and life force vitality. Theoretically, with sufficient supply, the demonic blade can unleash dozens of times the user's normal power, allowing a C-rank Valkyrie's base attributes to briefly touch the lower limit of A-rank.

However, when the user reaches A-rank, the demonic blade's amplification drops sharply; when the user steps into Critical or above, the demonic blade no longer provides any boost.]

Combustion is just a reaction; we mages directly harness combustion itself. What you brought here—no, absolutely not.

Look at this, the breakdown, watch closely... Combustion is just a side effect! In reality, this biological tissue self-ignites because it can't withstand its own intense activity, having nothing to do with fire itself.

Simply put, in the first stage, the user's biological tissue rapidly activates; in the second stage, it uncontrollably accelerates metabolism; in the third stage, it erupts with immense energy.

The essence of the Demonic Blade Unknown Fire isn't fire, but the overclocked life phenomenon itself! — Charlotte Hermes, Research Assistant, Spiral Workshop Affiliate]

After reading the information, Prometheus's expression turned odd. "...Subtly complements the Host."

"Right, right? When I drew the Human Immortal Path, I already planned to come here and exchange for this skill."

Fu Li's eyes lifted, his brows brimming with irrepressible excitement.

"The Demonic Blade · Unknown Fire's power is far beyond C-rank. The reason it's classified here is, secondarily, that the amplification drops off after A-rank, but primarily because it drains the user's life force so ferociously that even the word 'ruthless' can't describe its severity."

He still remembered the temporary teammate who used this move—a girl who looked about his age before the battle, yet afterward even her dazzling white teeth had all fallen out.

Maybe it was also because 'she was a cheap clone created by some medium-sized organization to serve as a disposable bomb,' but such consumption was still shocking.

The strong looked down on it, the weak couldn't afford it—that's why the demonic blade was rated C-rank.

But this only applied to ordinary people with limited lifespans.

The Human Immortal Path's traits gave Fu Li nearly endless life, a squandering of ancestral wealth without regret that let him boldly entrust his future to the blade's edge.

At that point, the demonic blade's extreme advantages became apparent.

Fu Li cheerfully mused to himself: "This is the information advantage a second-playthrough player brings—being able to pick what suits you best within a certain range."

"Gotta say, true." The little girl agreed readily. "Picking up a skill that lets you challenge above your rank just like that sounds like something out of a novel protagonist's playbook."

"Challenge above your rank just like that?" The latter shook his head. "Not necessarily."

"?"

"Prometheus, let me ask you—what do you think is the fundamental reason ability users learn powerful combat skills? Is it to get ahead among their peers, or even to challenge those above their rank?"

"Isn't it?"

"That's part of it, but there's a more important goal." Fu Li raised his index finger, serious. "To avoid getting utterly crushed in battle by someone of a lower rank than you."

"?"

Little AI indicated that this line of thinking was truly beyond its calculations, but Fu Li continued calmly:

"First, let's clear up a misconception. In this world, there's no such nice thing as Gene Locks or cultivation realms where breaking through a level grants you power."

The world of Honkai was different. These people were more like high school students grinding away for ten cold winters.

Only with enough personal foundation could they leap over the dragon's gate—pass the rank assessment—and get into their dream 985/211—earn the corresponding qualification.

Take Schicksal's Valkyries, for example. They had to meet the rank's standards in strength, agility, and all other aspects, then pass an exam before they could call themselves an X-rank Valkyrie.

It wasn't that getting the rank gave them the power; it was that having the power let them earn the rank.

And that's not all. The essence of the college entrance exam is a carp leaping over the dragon gate.

Once you get into your dream university, you don't have to stay as tense as you did through those three years of high school.

What about the Honkai world? Where's its dragon gate?

After C-rank comes B-rank, after B-rank comes A-rank—on and on, endless.