You asked for healing, but wrote Honkai Impact 3rd?

Eden's gentle, melodious voice carried throughout the entire venue as she opened the booklet, the three of them holding it together to display to the camera.

The quiet scene erupted into heated discussion only after Eden's words faded.

The most dramatic reaction came from the contestants' section.

"Regret? This time it's mainly about emotions—that definitely can't escape youth and growth! Regret always runs through the entirety of life."

"What about love? There are plenty of moving love stories throughout history!"

"Hey hey hey, I already know what to write. Love isn't as touching as family bonds! The tree desires stillness, but the wind won't cease; the child wants to care, but the parents won't wait."

"Idiot, forcing a thematic elevation can get you high scores no matter what."

"Why be so limited? Just go with a fictional setting—I'm a sci-fi master!"

The contestants each shared their insights; this was part of the show's format.

Every contestant had their own dedicated livestream room, broadcasting their creative process.

These ideas were all trivial—anyone could think of these themes, and creation wasn't that simple to pull off.

Better to say them now and try to win over fans in front of the camera.

Even if they lost, they'd still gain fame and exposure.

Su Nian was the only one who didn't share a synopsis, but his dedicated livestream room wasn't lacking in popularity.

Regret as the theme...

Countless knives he'd seen before instantly surfaced in Su Nian's mind.

Was it a calamity across three realms that only killed three clerks of Yong'an Pawnshop?

Or the last embrace in Hotarubi no Mori e?

The speed at which cherry blossoms fall is five centimeters per second...

Or perhaps... a future without a future is not the future I want?

This world has never lacked regret.

But what Su Nian couldn't determine was whether those works had already been born, or had been born but hadn't become popular yet.

At least from the original body's memories, he saw quite a few works that already existed in the original world.

No—there was one thing this world absolutely could not have.

Su Nian thought of a possibility.

Among the contestants' seats, where heated discussion had already erupted, Su Nian was the only one not speaking his insights to the camera; instead, he pulled out his phone to search.

His expression earlier, as if he'd put on a mask of agony, had already been noticed by netizens.

Watching others suffer—isn't that its own kind of fun?

[LOL, bro's a true face-acting master]

[Not necessarily a good writer, but definitely a good actor—a ten-year veteran!]

[What's he searching for? The camera can't see it?]

[Bro's steady, he's the only one who hasn't said anything—could he be starting to plan?]

[Far ahead, far ahead]

"The theme has now been announced. Clearly, the freedom level is high this time. Contestants, do your best~"

"Now, I declare the 10th New Youth Creation Top 32 Qualifiers officially started. Contestants, please find your corresponding rooms according to your numbers and begin creating."

Now, everything had been laid out.

And Su Nian had reached his answer.

This world had the characters from Honkai Impact 3rd, and their experiences were largely similar.

The Heroes of the Previous Civilization who had perished appearing in the same frame as the main storyline characters—how could he dream such a dream?

But indeed, this world showed no trace of Honkai at all.

Since there was no Honkai Energy.

And no company called miHoYo in Shanghai.

Then Su Nian knew what to write!

Honkai Impact 3rd spanned his adolescence and youth; the stories within it were more than enough to get through the round.

At worst, he should be able to bow out gracefully, without ruining his reputation, right?

Su Nian had witnessed this imperfect story step by step toward its conclusion, accompanied by regret.

Once, he'd shed little pearls of tears over [The Last Lesson], foolishly believing Himeko would return as the Herrscher of Flames.

And as he matured, he saw the Thirteen Heroes of Fire and Elysium Everlasting, as if witnessing the glory of the Previous Civilization firsthand.

He'd seen Kiana get domestically abused by Mei, and scrolled through how Kevin had become so obsessed.

He'd quit the game over certain events, and later returned for various reasons.

Even without a perfect memory, this was his youth, what he loved—Su Nian remembered it well.

Su Nian followed the other contestants out of the audience seats and headed toward the rooms the production team had prepared.

According to his predecessor's memories, that would be his workspace for the next week.

Su Nian's number was 13, and the corresponding studio was also number 13.

What a coincidence.

Su Nian thought to himself. He remembered the story of the Thirteen Heroes clearly, having once gone out of his way to learn about the relevant settings and background.

If there was anything to regret... the Thirteen Heroes of Fire were the prime example.

Of these thirteen, which one didn't stir up unresolved feelings?

Let the strongest endure the loneliness of saving the world.

Let the most sincere wear the mask of betrayal.

Let the most compassionate be toyed with by fate.

Let the most elegant have the capital of arrogance stripped away.

Let the most complex be unable to dance on the stage.

Let the most insane discard the meaning of existence.

Let the most enlightened fall into the trap of self-attachment.

Let the most attached lose their sole tether.

Let the most yearning shatter the ideals of the past.

Let the most studious sink into infinity due to life and death.

Let the most innocent wander the dark starry sea.

Let the most humble seal away cherished emotions.

Let the most joyful feel the true essence of pain.

Those thirteen vivid figures still existed in Su Nian's mind.

Su Nian had already decided—no need for excessive hesitation.

He had inherited his predecessor's writing ability; the only difference was his mindset. Now that he had ready-made stories to transcribe, he was no longer constrained.

Starting with these thirteen Heroes, he would recreate their former glory and regrets.

Su Nian would transform into a fan, making the audience of this world feel the pain of being cut!

It was decided. This time, the creation themed around [Regret] would write—

"The Past's Paradise"

Let the unsung ballad be sung once more.

For the stories buried by history, write a new chapter.

A noble and pure soul sets out on a journey.

"Everything... comes from the distant past."

Chapter 3, Regret... What exactly is it?

Without a doubt, writing about the Thirteen Heroes perfectly fit the theme—no one could read it without feeling regret.

Although Su Nian was a fan and loved sharing pain with others—when everyone was in pain, there was no pain—he was still afraid they couldn't handle it if he threw out something too sharp right from the start.

He'd have to slowly test their tolerance.

Start off with a full Honkai Impact 2 underworld reunion? He was even afraid the hate mail would drown him.

The story of the Thirteen Heroes of Fire, though regretful, brought readers more a sense of pity and admiration.

The key point was, this story wasn't considered plagiarism here!

He could write it!

Passion was the beginning of everything.

Their story wasn't limited to Elysium Everlasting, either.

Su Nian had plenty of stories to choose from. If regret was the theme, he could never finish writing them!

He simply couldn't finish!

Not just because it was a coincidence, but because this story was truly brilliant.

This was only the preparation stage—seven days to create, but creation had to be done step by step. One step missed, and everything fell behind.

The story of the Thirteen Heroes and the Previous Civilization was far too long. Even if Su Nian had the text right in front of him to copy, he couldn't finish it in such a short time.

He wanted to show more.

Su Nian picked up his pen and began to outline the plot and main storyline, recording the general content in written form.

He would build it upon the foundation of his own passion, using their stories as the spark.

Throwing himself in completely, recalling their past.

Thirteen vivid lives would be reborn under his pen!

The other sixty-three creators besides Su Nian were no pushovers either.

All contestants were working furiously within their own studios, creating at full throttle.

The creative process was not as the audience imagined—a grand flourish of the pen and a masterpiece appears.

All that existed were creators writhing in agony from writer's block, and the sound of keyboard clacking blending into the environment like background noise.

Even though some contestants had just said in their livestreams that they had already settled on a topic to write about.

They were still at a complete loss now.

They couldn't afford to write so recklessly.

If they wrote the same thing, it would be far too homogeneous. But trying to blaze a new trail was extremely difficult and carried high risks.

In this situation, gamblers were doomed to fail!

Thinking back to the big shots from previous seasons—not to say they were astonishingly brilliant—but by playing it steady and solid, they had still earned plenty of popularity.

At times like this, choosing a tried-and-true topic was the easiest way to guarantee a decent score.

Almost every contestant thought the same, yet they still hesitated as they wrote, then unhesitatingly deleted everything they had just put down.

This process, in such a short time, was a true test for the contestants.

Just watching the contestants create was obviously dull and boring.

Even if a few of them twistedly went crazy in front of the camera, putting smiles on the audience's faces, it was far from enough.

During this time, the hosts and judges remained in place, engaging in some appropriate interactions to keep the show lively.