Moonlight Prison

To save Fu Xiuran's face, Su Qing'an did not choose to finish learning within ten minutes.

Even so, not long after he started learning boxing in the community park, Fu Xiuran's complexion visibly darkened.

He consistently taught in a way that was almost deliberately difficult for people.

A boxing stance that usually takes three minutes to learn can be completed by Fu Xiuran in half a minute.

A girl sitting on a bench nearby, holding a kitten, watched this scene, her eyes and brows filled with a smile.

Fu Hua's hair wasn't tied up; some strands that fell loosely over her thighs and onto the cat shimmered in the twilight.

Her fingertips slowly and gently pressed the cat's fur, occasionally brushing a strand of hair behind its ear.

The little girl thought to herself, "So even Daddy can be so childish sometimes."

However, this probably won't pose much of a challenge for Master Su.

Fu Hua had a strange confidence in Su Qing'an; she inexplicably felt that the boy's progress in learning was sufficient to meet Fu Xiuran's demanding requirements.

Just seconds later, Su Qing'an proved her premonition true.

The boy politely slowed down before finishing the same punching stance, his movements appearing quite ordinary due to the extremely restrained power and Martial Intent.

But Fu Xiuran could see many terrifying details.

The error rate is zero.

His muscle memory even instinctively adjusted his boxing stance to the state most suitable for him. Assuming this was an innate talent of the other party, Su Qing'an's martial arts mentor must have felt a tsunami in his heart.

Even when the opponent is at their weakest, a martial artist who has not yet Mind's Eye can only engage in a quick and brief battle. This is because it will not be long before Su Qing'an has completely learned and even sublimated his martial arts, at which point it will be meaningless to fight against him.

Fu Xiuran silent for a moment. He had never expected to stump a Martial Immortal who was already beyond his comprehension with just a set of fist techniques.

Rather than saying this was a way to test how much the other person exceeded his understanding, it naturally contained the meaning of making things difficult for him, but more than that, he hoped to see Su Qing'an's extraordinary abilities.

Only in this way could Fu Xiuran feel more at ease knowing that he was capable of protecting his daughter.

Now it seems that Su Qing'an is indeed very abnormal.

Fu Xiuran could hardly imagine how many terrifying enemies were involved in a war that could leave so many scars on such a being.

Judging from his [hidden] and Martial Intent, enemies of the level he had encountered before were nothing more than dust on the roadside to Su Qing'an; the only concern was whether he would get any extra filth when he reached out to brush them away.

If Su Qing'an himself heard Fu Xiuran's four-word evaluation of him, he would probably refute that definition.

But looking at the world at this moment, he has already reached the pinnacle of martial arts, and even such an arrogant four-word evaluation is well-deserved.

Fu Xiuran took a deep breath, adjusted his physical state, and said to the boy:

"Keep going, don't hold back your learning pace."

You should be able to finish your studies before sunset.

Su Qing'an hesitated for a moment, then nodded in agreement.

So the two of them, almost in sync, demonstrated every move of the Inch Heart Fist in this corner where people occasionally passed by.

While learning the Inch Heart Fist at a rapid pace, Su Qing'an realized that it was completely different from the fist technique that Fu Hua had taught him.

Clearly, Fu Hua later elevated the Inch Heart Fist to another level.

This is to be expected, as the original Inch Heart Fist would not have contained the various techniques of combining Honkai Energy to generate power, and even the details at the pure martial arts level have been completely transformed.

The only remaining evidence that these two styles of boxing originated from the same source is the deliberately preserved outline of the boxing stance and the names of the moves.

A long time.

The final move of the Inch Heart Fist landed gracefully on the reflection of the setting sun.

Fu Xiuran didn't say a word, and simply turned and left.

After staring at each other for a moment, the two couldn't help but smile and then followed the person in front of them.

Fu Xiuran's face was surprisingly not bad. He gazed at the layered and interwoven sea of clouds in the distance, his deep blue eyes showing a smile and a sense of relief.

Now, even the last requirement among all those messy criteria for choosing a son-in-law has been met.

Now I have to find you a little more agreeable, Su Qing'an.

There is still one month before Fu Hua goes to Canghai City to study.

There are approximately seven months left before the Honkai.

Reciting the Sword Heart Technique silently at all times has become a daily routine for Su Qing'an and Fu Hua.

Unlike Fu Hua, who possessed the natural talent to reach the pinnacle, Su Qing'an understood the dangers he would face upon reaching the Taixu realm.

The expanded Honkai Energy cycle will then completely overwhelm his poor Honkai Energy resistance, causing his lifespan to once again become a constraint approaching its limit.

In fact, even the current rate of Honkai Energy erosion has long exceeded the level that this Honkai Energy resistance should be able to withstand.

The [Stigmata] ability can help him achieve a certain balance between the two at this stage, but he cannot guarantee that the [Stigmata] will still be able to do so after entering the Void Realm.

Theoretically, by then the [Stigmata] will enter its final stage, with all abilities unlocked, so it's normal to maintain an optimistic attitude.

However, Su Qing'an subconsciously understood the abnormality of the Taixu Realm. In fact, assuming this was the final stage of the Void Sword Qi, it was only natural that it was completely different from the past.

But the boy no longer cared about any of that. Back in the St. Freya Academy, he still harbored some nostalgia and hope, but now that all of that had vanished, the remaining [Ashes] became the reason that pushed Su Qing'an forward.

Even if lifespan returns to its initial state, or even worse, what then?

Looking back on his several deaths, Su Qing'an never lived to old age. After this incident, his attitude towards his life changed to regard it merely as a consumable that could not be used at will.

It's precious, but it doesn't matter.

The things that are painted with pitch black in one's will contain self-loathing and indifference.

Therefore, he now carelessly uses the Sword Heart Technique to continuously build up his Mind Lake, striving forward towards that future that ordinary people avoid at all costs.

Su Qing'an didn't know if he was qualified to ascend to the Realm of Great Void at this stage.

The divine version of the Void Sword Qi seemed to present no bottlenecks for Su Qing'an, but in reality, its hidden requirements were so severe that it was impossible to master without such rigorous training.

For Su Qing'an, the restart might mean a tragic calamity, but it also represents a possibility of rebirth to some extent.

At least if it weren't for the restart, Su Qing'an would have had absolutely no chance of reaching the final stage.

A pure soul as dazzling as gold is not enough; a will as strong as steel is not enough; a simple and ardent love is not enough.

Only after all these beautiful, powerful, and resilient things have been trampled and shattered to pieces.

Then, in that desolate wasteland, bearing all the sorrow and fate, experiencing all the pain and loneliness, one must still have the courage to stand up alone and pick up everything in such circumstances.

Only those humans who remain true to their original aspirations even at that level are qualified to set foot in the realm of the gods.

Su Qing'an is not qualified.

At least not before, and the fact that Kenshin almost shattered is the best proof of that.

Kenshin's current recovery is all thanks to Fu Hua's redemption.

Su Qing'an gained a chance to catch her breath in that moment of inner peace, which allowed her to overcome the difficulty.

In the long, rhythmic breaths, the boy found a gentle tranquility.

Fragments of memory are like cups of mellow, sweet wine; he tries to gradually immerse himself in them, and then forcefully pulls himself out with willpower.

Through this action time and time again, his will is being honed into greater resilience.

Those most beautiful memories and the sigh of devastation and the crushing weight of time before the restart swirled in my mind.

To make your heart stronger, you must confront the things you hate and don't want to face the most.

Only by completely bidding farewell to the thought of self-escape can one gain stronger willpower.

We must have the courage to face fear, not just be unafraid of death; we must have passion and love, not be purely numb to ourselves; we must accept all possible restarts while also taking every matter seriously.

This is Su Qing'an's requirement for himself; he already understands that he may be starting to become abnormal in some way, or even completely broken.

However, it's impossible for a normal human being to go through all of this and still retain their original aspirations.

Even so, Su Qing'an still hoped that she could preserve the things she wanted to keep.

These are the three elements that confirm the boy's belief that he has not yet surrendered to the gods, to the Honkai, or to fate.

Now, he only meets half of the first requirement.

Su Qing'an's inability to cherish herself is the biggest anomaly in itself.

No one knows what he will become in the future, but at least for now, the flame in his heart is still burning brightly.

From the outside, Su Qing'an simply sat on the sofa with her eyes closed, as if in a light sleep, showing no signs of anything unusual.

This is a meditation technique he learned from Fu Hua. When combined with the Sword Heart Technique, the accumulation speed is faster than the usual silent recitation. Now he has developed it into a technique to torture himself and train his will.

Fu Hua, who was standing nearby, had long since finished her cultivation and was quietly reading a book.

For the girl, the cultivation of the Sword Heart Technique was a smooth and natural process. Her Mind Lake had gradually accumulated to a certain level from nothing, and the speed and smoothness were astonishing. It was estimated that she would soon reach the threshold of still water.

Her ability to control Honkai Energy is also steadily increasing, coupled with the 50,000-year-later version of the Inch Heart Fist that Su Qing'an recently taught her.

At least dealing with Zombie is no longer a problem.

The little girl was holding a fairy tale book; the title could be seen on the cover.

Moonlight Prison

She stared intently at the slightly yellowed pages; it was an old book.

Fu Hua vaguely remembered that this was a story her mother used to read to her to lull her to sleep.

Before opening the book, she only remembered it as a story with a gentle and heartwarming ending, but the ordinary beginning and the full of twists and turns in the middle captivated her.

Only after seeing the ending again did the girl feel as if she had truly read the story once more.

It was such a mundane story with an old-fashioned fantasy style, yet it lingered in my heart for a long time.

It was like a small boat gently rocking in the middle of a lake, its surface rippling with a loneliness unseen by anyone.

Actually, this is a very boring story, and if I had to summarize it, it would be quite simple.

A princess with a notoriously bad temper surprisingly showed a little kindness to a young man.

In the end, she was imprisoned because of her temper and character, and was never allowed to appear outside the moonlight again. She was left alone in the dark and lightless tower, but even so, she still did not repent and cursed the guards who occasionally brought her food all day long.

But because of this unexpected, fleeting moment of tenderness, the princess was saved by this young man.

The boy was willing to pay the price of never being able to appear under the moonlight again in exchange for the princess's freedom.

However, fairy tales are always beautiful, and in the end, both of them gained true freedom.

The princess was also successfully moved and changed her personality.

It's so boring, isn't it?

This is a dull and ordinary story that only children would like.

These stories are perfect for lulling yourself to sleep back then. Since they're mostly sleep-inducing tales you've heard and forgotten, wouldn't something too interesting actually keep you awake?

Fu Hua glanced at Su Qing'an's face and thought.

In fact, I might be like this princess in some ways.

She's certainly not that bad, nor does she have a habit of swearing.

The story simply explains in more detail the reasons that led to the princess's personality; essentially, she was just lacking love.

It was precisely because no one had ever loved her so steadfastly and selflessly before.

That's why the boy's choice was so moving, to the point that it completely changed her previously wicked personality.

Does Fu Hua lack love?

Yes, that's why she felt she had something in common with the princess.

Wasn't what Fu Xiuran gave enough?

Yes and no.

But there are subtle differences in that kind of love. When Su Qing'an is certain that she can do certain things, when her heart involuntarily races occasionally when this person is watching her, those burning emotions shine like a brilliant galaxy.

She thought again, perhaps it was the moment the princess heard the boy's determination to sacrifice himself to regain his freedom.

The feeling was perhaps like the tsunami that surged within me when I first saw Su Qing'an.

It was so turbulent and yet so bewildering and helpless.

Su Qing'an opened his eyes. He noticed the girl's blank pupils and said with some worry:

"What's wrong? Are you tired from practicing the Sword Heart Technique?"

Fu Hua regained her senses and handed over the book she was holding:

"Master Su, would you like to see this?"

The boy smiled as he took the book, putting aside his worries, and said:

"Good."

The Honkai outbreak is still a very, very long way off.