Mirror Flowers, Moonlit Reflection

[Thousand Stars]? If I could learn that, could I cosplay as the Night Squire?

Such a thought subconsciously arose in Su Qing'an's mind, but he immediately suppressed it.

In a world like this, there's not much room left for us to think about these things.

Hua was going to teach her something that was definitely not easy to learn. When she heard the name [Thousand Stars], Su Qing'an knew that it was definitely not something easy to learn.

Fu Hua continued:

"Well, if you can learn it, I'll also teach you a set of martial arts techniques centered around [Thousand Stars]."

"Actually, it wouldn't be impossible to teach you this martial art directly, but without [Thousand Stars]'s cooperation, the unique characteristics of this martial art cannot be brought into play, so teaching it wouldn't be very meaningful."

"But no matter how much you talk, it's better to demonstrate it first."

After the girl said this, she took action.

In a fraction of a second, her entire body transformed into a bizarre and wondrous realm.

The wind is blowing, the light is sweeping.

To the naked eye, one could only see inexplicable swirling air currents twisting and tangling around the girl's body, but could not discern the faint radiance within.

Besides that, there's a sense of disconnect.

At that moment, Su Qing'an's keen intuition told him that the girl was in a completely different time and space from his own.

It was something strange and unusual, mysterious and incomparably powerful.

"This is [Thousand Stars]." Her clear voice was ethereal, as if she were floating on clouds. The girl's fingertips lightly touched his forehead, and the cool touch made him dazed.

When was it?

The girl's terrifying speed, exceeding his own retinal and nerve reflexes, was something he hadn't fully grasped yet.

But then Su Qing'an discovered something even more shocking: the two of them were no longer in the center of the training field.

Su Qing'an had the training ground wall behind him. He subconsciously took a step back but found there was nowhere left to retreat.

The girl's fingertips touched his forehead. Her beautiful face held a faint smile, like a captivating lock that bound him completely, leaving him nowhere to escape.

Unlike the brilliance of all colors in the spectrum that vanished into nothingness, and the distorted winds that dissipated, the girl emerged from another realm. She seemed to have returned to this world that felt more real. Her voice was no longer ethereal but carried with it clear breaths, falling into Su Qing'an's ears, somewhat cloying.

"Soon, right?" she said.

"It's a speed that's completely impossible to react to," Su Qing'an admitted frankly.

If I had to use a word to describe it, it would be... like light.

In this state, even Fu Hua's own [Time Cutter] is just an ordinary sword strike, unable to even touch the hem of her clothes.

With the amplification of [Thousand Stars], she personally explained to Su Qing'an what speed is power.

She also told Su Qing'an something: if he could really learn this, he would definitely become stronger.

He could even use this brief step to reach a level he had previously been unable to access.

"Want to learn?" Fu Hua asked.

"Mmm." Su Qing'an nodded obediently.

"Then I'll teach you," she replied, her words full of seriousness and certainty.

Thus began the long and arduous training.

Su Qing'an began chasing a light he might never catch in his lifetime, reaching out his hand again and again to the moon reflected in the lake.

The girl stood behind him, accompanying him through his repeated futile efforts, and witnessing Su Qing'an's unwavering and pure will despite such setbacks.

[Thousand Stars] is not a skill that normal people can learn. To put it bluntly, no one except Fu Hua herself has ever learned this ability.

[Thousand Stars] is never a gentle gift prepared for the weak; it is the crown of the strong, and those without certain qualifications do not even have the ability to touch it.

If you had to describe how difficult it was for Su Qing'an to learn [Thousand Stars], it would be like playing StarCraft with your eyes closed and becoming the world's number one.

If Su Qing'an were a cat, then this cat is now forcing itself to learn how to breathe underwater through its mouth and nose.

See, this is such a nonsensical thing.

Even Tom the cat in the comedy cartoon suffers from being submerged in water, let alone Su Qing'an?

Honkai Energy doesn't like him; rather, it hates him, just like the Artificial Stigmata that was transplanted that day. That utterly resistant attitude almost killed Su Qing'an.

Even the Honkai Energy controlled by the Void Sword Qi would involuntarily choose to harm him.

Therefore, he bleeds when he uses [Time Cutter].

Using [Thousand Stars] will result in death.

Afternoon of April 28, 2014.

Unlike a normal training room.

Accompanied by flashing red lights, mechanical electronic sounds filled the room.

"Warning, warning, student number 6276 has been forcibly removed from the virtual environment."

The boy, dressed in special clothing, stepped out of the forcibly opened Virtual Pod. Even though his senses had just been Honkai Energy, his control over the State of Still Water still made his steps steady.

"Take a rest," the girl said with a worried expression, her brow furrowing as she looked at his pale face.

A week has passed since that day, and [Thousand Stars]'s training has all been put into virtual battle scenarios due to Su Qing'an's terrible Honkai Energy adaptability.

Normally, entering a virtual scene like this, where no combat needs to be arranged, only a device the size of a helmet is needed. However, because this skill requires extremely high precision, if Su Qing'an could gain some experience in manipulating Artificial Stigmata using such a device, it would be meaningless on [Thousand Stars].

Therefore, Fu Hua applied for Virtual Pod and a set of equipment to enhance the sense of motion for Su Qing'an. According to her idea, if she could use [Thousand Stars] 100% in it, then the real-world training could begin.

The realism within has become incredibly close to reality thanks to advancements in technology, including the perception of pain.

The principle behind [Thousand Stars] is to use Honkai Energy to form a small circulation within the body and then create a large circulation around the body that resonates with it, thereby greatly enhancing physical abilities.

What is needed is constant and close contact between Honkai Energy and the physical body.

For Fu Hua, Honkai Energy can flow naturally within her body, and she does not reject Honkai Energy from the outside world.

Therefore, [Thousand Stars] is just a slightly complicated and difficult technique for her.

Even so, her safe usage time is only a brief eight seconds.

The rapid flow of Honkai Energy within the body will inevitably cause some damage to the physical form, but precise control can make this damage virtually negligible.

Beyond this time, the Honkai Energy cycle inside and outside the body will become increasingly unstable, and the minor damage accumulated in the previous eight seconds will expand to a point that cannot be ignored.

If the time exceeds the fixed duration for too long, it may even cause irreversible and fatal damage.

In just one week, Su Qing'an had been eroded and killed a total of seventy-eight times by the chaotic Honkai Energy the inside out and from the outside in.

After his seventeenth death, he finally managed to construct two cycles, one inside his body and one around his body. However, in the next second, Su Qing'an died before he could even use a complete [Thousand Stars] technique.

The dozens of deaths that followed were all the same; it seemed that his limit was only this extent.

Each time he is killed in the virtual environment, the Virtual Pod that detects his body will forcibly eject him.

The result was the same this time.

Even someone like Fu Hua, who is used to intense training, had absolutely nothing to say about Su Qing'an's training over the past week.

Sometimes she really wanted him to rest for a bit; he'd be fine in no time.

Looking into those eyes, at the stubbornness that transcended all suffering, the girl could only remain silent.

It reminds me of my original self...

For some reason, Fu Hua suddenly felt that stopping Su Qing'an would be like denying her distant past self.

That naive yet stubborn Hua was rejected.

"One time is enough, let's do it again, hua." His voice was a little hoarse.

When he suffers pain in the virtual scene, Su Qing'an in reality will subconsciously let out a roar to vent his emotions, causing his throat to become increasingly hoarse.

In fact, at the moment of defeat, Fu Hua, who was outside, could have forced Su Qing'an to escape, preventing him from suffering unnecessary pain before death.

However, he rejected the suggestion himself. With a will that gradually overcame the pain, Su Qing'an found something elusive in the irregular erosion fluctuations of Honkai Energy amidst repeated deaths.

It was utterly illusory, like a hazy reflection in a mirror or the moon's reflection in water.

But if he could seize it, he would have hope beyond his limits.

Yes, it's possible to use [Thousand Stars].