False Hope

"Void Sword Qi?!" His father's relic was actually this?

It was the legendary martial art passed down by the immortal Red Kite of Shenzhou, its essence a method developed by the Previous Civilization to modify the human body. It could subtly and gradually refine the entire body into a vessel and conduit for Honkai Energy, simultaneously increasing a normal person's capacity to contain and utilize Honkai Energy while avoiding the associated risks.

Su Qing'an did not know such complicated background lore. He only knew that this was the skill of a Valkyrie he liked very much in the game.

Fu Hua, the immortal who had guarded Shenzhou for five thousand years, was also a Fusion Warrior from the Previous Civilization.

This was fundamentally what Su Qing'an needed most right now, and what suited him best. Only by cultivating this martial art and increasing his resistance to Honkai Energy could he possibly avoid becoming a miserable, zombie-like monster in the not-too-distant future.

Yet after receiving this lifeline, Su Qing'an felt more confusion than joy. Were his parents really dead? Were they really just ordinary archaeologists? If not, then what were their true identities?

And besides, it was too much of a coincidence.

Even using his parents' unknown identities as an explanation, it was still too much of a coincidence.

It felt like playing a game where the developers arranged a guide NPC to help you survive the scripted death at the beginning, then threw you a beginner's gift pack once you truly entered the game—a sugar-coated shell to keep you from quitting.

If he drew a comparison, Kiana was the guide NPC who had brought him to the starting point of the game, while Void Sword Qi was the beginner's gift pack meant to keep him from quitting.

In less than two hours since crossing over, every step he had taken seemed to have been arranged perfectly.

Su Qing'an could already imagine the general route ahead. If he got started with Void Sword Qi and survived the Honkai, then he would probably use his relationship with Kiana to slip into the three-person protagonist group and escape Changkong City.

If he failed to learn it, then everything would be over.

Theoretically, he had already been trapped within a drawn boundary, confined in Changkong City by invisible shackles.

Wait, why would he be trapped in Changkong City?

Because of this world's Su Qing'an's fate?

Why did he feel that something like a World Consciousness definitely existed? Such a fantastical setting was not strange in the world of Honkai Impact 3rd, but what was strange was why he so firmly believed in the World Consciousness's existence.

Even if there truly was a World Consciousness, why did he think it would definitely notice him? Would a human notice an extra speck of dust on themselves?

There were too many uncertainties, too many possibilities. Yet why did he feel as though he had signed a contract that forbade him from deviating from this world's Su Qing'an's future path?

His sharp instincts and that faint sense of incongruity allowed him to grasp the fact closest to the truth.

That unknown existence had tampered with the soul fragments. While granting him a stronger Soul Essence than before and this world's Su Qing'an's memories, it had also made him subconsciously believe without question that he could not leave Changkong City.

For now, he would call that being Lord God. What a maliciously amusing Lord God.

Once the sugar coating had been stripped away, the cannonball inside made his heart turn cold in an instant.

Even without opening Void Sword Qi yet, Su Qing'an had already begun to question whether it was real.

He gradually realized that in this isolated and helpless world, he needed to face every choice with greater care. If he chose wrong, death would likely be waiting for him.

He had understood this before his previous death, but the peaceful sights of Changkong City had made him lower his guard without realizing it.

He forced himself to take a deep breath, trying to disperse the tangled emotions lodged in his chest. Calm down. I have to calm down. Su Qing'an, you have nothing. If you can't even maintain basic composure, then there's no point talking about anything else.

He carefully photographed every page of Void Sword Qi with his phone, then uploaded them to this world's Su Qing'an's social media account and cloud storage.

Even if he could not verify whether it was real, it was still one of the few bargaining chips in his hand. He first needed to guard against the possibility of losing it.

"Let's go downstairs and find Kiana first. It's already been... ten minutes." He glanced at the time on his phone. In those brief ten minutes, Su Qing'an had gone through such a complicated and eventful experience that he felt as if a lifetime had passed.

Slipping his phone into his pocket, Su Qing'an carried the ancient book, pushed open the door, and headed downstairs.

"Boss, were you hiding in your room grinding a dungeon or something?!" Kiana, seated in a chair, shook her braided hair. Her snow-white hair was somewhat dazzling under the reflected sunlight, yet it was still overshadowed by her exquisite face.

In a sense, being good-looking really was powerful. Even in his current state, Su Qing'an felt a flicker of happiness in his heart the instant he saw Kiana.

It came from the combination of her exceptional looks and the peculiar aura around Kiana—a unique personal charm unlike any other.

As long as he stayed by her side, he could not help but feel at ease.

"Kiana, I suspect I went mentally hazy from practicing the peerless martial art my dad left behind. I've recovered now," Su Qing'an said with a perfectly serious expression.

"(▼皿▼＃) Do you think I'm an idiot, Boss?! Only an idiot would believe that kind of nonsense! And why would you even practice something like that?

"You were the one who used to say your dad had chuunibyo syndrome! If you're going to brush me off, at least hurry up and come up with a believable excuse!"

"It would sound more normal if you said you sold your house in Canghai City, spent every last cent at Hoomsland, and got so depressed from not getting anything that you went mentally hazy!"

Kiana vented her irritation through a stream of complaints as she vigorously ruffled Su Qing'an's soft hair.

Su Qing'an did not resist in the slightest, allowing Kiana to furiously knead his head. It was absolutely not because he feared Kiana's monstrous strength; it was simply the magnanimity of an elder.

"Actually, I have chuunibyo syndrome too. I just practiced it casually—who knew I'd lose my memory? In the memories I recovered, it seems that you recently took two months' salary in advance, broke three limited-edition Hooms Coffee Cups, and showed up late to work five times."

"Sigh, I guess I'm still a little mentally hazy. How could Kiana possibly have done those things? It must be a side effect of my training."

With an expressionless face, Su Qing'an confronted her with the facts and mixed threats with inducements. His hair already a complete mess, he revealed a kind smile.

"(*｀･з･)ﾑｯ Boss, don't practice that weird stuff anymore. You really need to cure that chuunibyo syndrome of yours. Look how serious the side effects are—you're even trying to smear my good name now." Kiana silently withdrew her little hands and nodded solemnly, looking completely convinced.

Heh, woman. She said only an idiot would believe it, yet she still fell before the power of money.

"Hahaha, all right, I'm done joking. The ancient book my dad left behind talks about all kinds of mystical nonsense—things like using heaven and earth as one's dantian, controlling Honkai Energy. I wanted to practice it for fun and didn't take it seriously. Who knew it would turn out like this?" As he spoke, Su Qing'an handed the Void Sword Qi in his hand to Kiana.

Honkai Energy!? Why would the boss's dad have something related to the Honkai? Kiana took the ancient book in confusion, flipped through a few pages, then silently handed it back.

"Boss, it's all written in traditional characters. I can't read it (*￣m￣)."

"I know you can't read it. I was just letting you have a look." In his view, for a sixteen-year-old Kiana, being able to speak Shenzhou language and recognize some simplified characters was already quite impressive.

"I tore at a corner of the pages earlier, and they didn't rip. That means the thing your dad left behind is made of something unusual, at least (*｀･з･)ﾑｯ." Kiana lifted her chin proudly.

Su Qing'an nodded in agreement. With Kiana's strength, if she could not tear apart a chunk of iron, that was still understandable. But if she could not tear apart paper, then the material of that paper could only be truly extraordinary.

At the request of many readers, we now offer a VIP membership feature that removes advertisements.

Click to view