190. Reincarnation
"By the way, Kiana, do you practice your 'Sword Heart' every night?" Yun Ling asked, watching Kiana play games with Bronya.
"Don't worry, I practice every night, and I'm almost at the 'Dustless' realm," Kiana said proudly.
"I've only just reached 'Still Water'..." Mei looked somewhat dejected.
"It's alright, Mei. You're only practicing the Taixu Sword Qi to assist your swordsmanship; it's different from Kiana's approach," Yun Ling reassured her.
Mei didn't neglect her original Hokushin Ittō-ryū style because she learned the Taixu Sword Qi. She always used it as a way to improve her understanding of swordsmanship, fundamentally different from Kiana's approach.
"We might need to slightly change our training methods from now on," Yun Ling said to the two.
"Change methods?" Mei and Kiana were somewhat puzzled.
"Yes, since your focuses are different, your cultivation methods naturally need to differ as well."
"First, there's Mei. Your cultivation mainly focuses on physical and spiritual essence. Lin Chaoyu's understanding in this area is far superior to mine, so I hope Mei will learn from her."
"Then there's Kiana. Kiana's path is the same as mine, focusing on improving her sword qi realm to reach the 'divine essence' level. So, she will be learning with me."
"Hmm… if the goals are different, the cultivation methods should indeed differ." Mei nodded.
During the cultivation process, she also noticed that Kiana's improvement in the sword qi realm was very rapid, but her sword form was far inferior to hers.
"I always feel that Yun Ling is very obsessed with improving strength…" Kiana remarked.
"Prevention is better than cure. After all, Honkai exists in this world, and I can't stand seeing scenes of life and death. To protect the beauty around me, power is essential."
"All unfavorable situations in the world stem from the inadequacy of the individuals involved. As long as I'm strong enough, disaster will always lag behind me." Yun Ling stood with his hands on his hips, a hint of pride on his face.
"I agree with Yun Ling's point of view, so good luck to you guys." Bronya took a sip of juice and said casually.
"But I haven't seen you work hard, Bronya!" Kiana rolled her eyes.
"Bronya is a strategist; she uses her brain in battle, unlike the idiot Kiana, who only knows how to brute force." Bronya smiled.
She had already planned her growth path, mastering the modified Heavy Bunny, the Herrscher of Reason core, 'Ascension', the Moon Throne, and even the parameters of various modern weapons.
She wholeheartedly agreed with Yun Ling's point of view; after all, her power alone might not be enough to reverse what might happen in the future.
Kiana's transformation into Herrscher of the Void, Himeko's death in battle, Mei's journey to the World Serpent...
So much was experienced and so much was lost before reaching that less-than-perfect ending.
To nip all suffering in the bud, one must possess the power to reverse everything before it even begins.
Yun Ling's sense of crisis perfectly aligned with her own expectations.
"You're the idiot!" Kiana said angrily.
But training with Yun Ling wouldn't mean they'd have opportunities to be alone?
"Um... Yun Ling, what about me? I'd like to help you a little," Yuna said timidly.
"Yuna, just focus on developing your abilities. I'll give you some direction."
Yun Ling told her about the Wood Release ninjutsu from Naruto, which he had watched in his previous life.
Although the power in the Naruto world was far inferior to that of the Honkai Impact world, they certainly had a method for developing abilities.
Drawing life force from trees, releasing toxins from pollen, or inserting branches into the opponent's body and detonating them inside, turning them into a pincushion.
"I'll try my best!" Yuna said earnestly.
"Hmm, Yuna's the best." Yun Ling patted Yuna's head.
"Try to reach at least B-rank Valkyrie by the June assessment. I asked Teacher Himeko, and after becoming a B-rank Valkyrie, you can apply to the headquarters for a Valkyrie armor set. Your strength will then greatly increase."
"Yun Ling, will you wear one too?" Mei suddenly showed interest.
"How could I! But I don't think Teacher Himeko has ever mentioned armor suitable for men. But even if there isn't, it doesn't matter much; my external strength can make up for that."
Yun Ling shivered. Crossdressing is impossible; it's never going to happen.
"That's a real shame. I wanted to see what you'd look like in women's clothing," Mei said playfully.
"Mei, your idea is dangerous." Yun Ling pinched and rubbed her cheek.
"Ahem, I want to see it too," Kiana said somewhat embarrassedly.
"…Your tastes are really strange." Yun Ling was speechless.
…
"Your Excellency, this is the latest enrollment list for St. Freya Academy." Amber placed a stack of documents in front of Otto.
"Hmm, what is the extent of the damage in Nagazora City?" Otto inquired.
"More than 70% of the residential buildings suffered extensive damage, and the impact on the surrounding areas is still considerable," Amber replied.
"I see. It seems St. Freya Academy will have quite a few new students."
Otto put down his game console and picked up the documents, reading them one by one.
Suddenly, his fingers stopped on a page.
"Kiana Kaslana…I'm really surprised. It's such an unfortunate coincidence that she went there…"
Otto rubbed his temples, feeling a bit troubled.
"It might be manageable elsewhere, but at St. Freya Academy... That's a bit tricky."
Otto shook his head and continued scrolling.
"Raiden Mei... Bronya Zaychik, oh, someone from Anti-Entropy? Theresa is really too kind, even taking in someone from Anti-Entropy... Oh well, let her do as she pleases."
Suddenly, Otto's eyes widened slightly, as if he had discovered something that amused him.
"Yun Ling... the heir of the Yun family of Shenzhou... Hehehe, interesting, truly interesting. Could it be that the 'Sword God Yun Ling' is about to reappear in the world? Or are you going to become my enemy again?"
"But how many times have we met? Three... or four? It seems the memory module of Solium Body needs updating; it can't even remember such a small thing."
Otto chuckled self-deprecatingly.
Suddenly, his gaze became incredibly sharp and profound, and he rose to go to the window.
Gazing at the scenery outside the window, his thoughts began to drift.
So...is reincarnation really possible?
And where are you?
...