Regarding the question of whether one thousand lives are enough to beat Honkai Impact 3rd.

"Alright! I'm really strong, you know. I've broken all your historical records these past few days, Su Qing'an. By the way, don't you have any friends? You haven't even made a record in duo mode." Kiana proudly showed off her achievements and then started complaining about how narrow-minded the boy in front of her was.

"Yeah, I'm bad at the game and I don't have any friends. After we finish duo queue, we can play versus mode." I'm so sorry I don't have any friends, you idiot Na.

"Don't worry, I'll go easy on you." Kiana revealed a swollen, innocent smile.

"Thank you in advance, Miss Kiana."

Su Qing'an had a gentle smile on his face, but in his heart he was thinking about how to use the Still Water Realm to make Kiana doubt her life. In essence, he was just like Kiana, a person who was very unwilling to admit defeat and a bit childish.

20. The sword case is covered in dust, and the caged bird lives a long life.

Serenity was achieved through complete focus, with Su Qing'an perfectly controlling every muscle fiber in his fingers, displaying dazzling and precise manipulations.

Theoretically, this was his first time playing the game, so he lost decisively in his first match against Kiana. However, in the following matches, Kiana gradually began to suspect whether Su Qing'an's previous performance and game records were all intentional.

In the end, with the game being deliberately lost, Su Qing'an defeated Kiana by a narrow margin of just one more win.

We gave the girl the illusion that our skill level was only slightly different, in order to cater to her gaming experience.

Hmm, a tiny fraction, a universe within our fingers.

After the game ended, Su Qing'an opened the instrument case that had been placed on the table in front of Kiana.

This was something Chen Junxuan gave him before he boarded the plane, telling him to open it and look at it when he got back.

However, his first reaction upon returning was not to open the box, but to play games with Kiana.

It's very realistic...

The girl asked with great interest, "Su Qing'an, what's in here? A musical instrument? You can play this too?" Clearly, the frustration of losing the game earlier had vanished without a trace.

"This was left to me by my teacher before he returned to China. Although I don't know what's inside, I don't think it's a musical instrument."

As he spoke, under Kiana's curious gaze, Su Qing'an unflinchingly unzipped his pants.

Inside was a long, narrow wooden box and a letter.

The wooden box is very well made, but due to its age, the surface looks somewhat dull and worn.

"Click." The wooden box was opened, revealing a sword inside.

Unlike Japanese swords, this sword is a double-edged sword. It should be an ancient sword originating from China, measuring three feet one inch and three fingers wide.

Judging from the exquisite craftsmanship of the hilt and scabbard, it was less a weapon of murder and more an art piece kept in a study for decoration and collection.

But then, in a daze, he seemed to smell the bloody scent on the sword, but upon closer inspection, it vanished without a trace. His intuition and understanding of Chen Junxuan told him that this was not an ornament.

This sword can kill.

He drew the ancient sword from its sheath. Although it was old, the blade still exuded a chilling aura. He tentatively ran the blade across the corner of the table, easily slicing off the corner as if slicing through tofu.

"Su Qing'an, what kind of nonsense is this sword your teacher taught you?! This sword has obviously been sharpened!"

“Master Chen is just an ordinary 68-year-old man. Although he is still in good health, he can’t compare to his younger days. Master Chen used to be able to subdue a tiger with one hand, but he probably can’t do that so easily now. It’s quite normal for an old man like him to worry about the safety of his only student and give him an ordinary piece of art that can be used for self-defense.” Su Qing’an replied calmly with an expressionless face.

"Where would you find an ordinary 68-year-old who could take on a tiger single-handedly?! And this sword doesn't look like an ordinary work of art at all! Su Qing'an, are you treating me like an idiot again?!" Kiana exclaimed, somewhat agitated.

"Master Chen has practiced martial arts since childhood. His control over his body and blood has become extraordinary through the years of honing. He claims that he can maintain this fighting power until he is eighty, after which he will not be able to do so."

"Although I only practiced martial arts with him for two weeks, Master Chen should consider me the only successor of the school he created. So this is his parting gift to his successor. And among martial artists, apart from the exchange of martial arts techniques, this is probably the only gift left."

To appease the somewhat agitated white fur, Su Qing'an earnestly explained.

He had actually considered the possibility that Chen Junxuan might be giving him the sword before he even opened the box, but there was no need to hide this from Kiana.

If, four months later, the girl is completely unaware of anything, Su Qing'an's habit of readily drawing his sword to kill assassins might leave her utterly bewildered.

So let's give her the impression that I have some fighting ability.

As for this sword, in terms of hardness and lethality against Honkai Beasts, it is far inferior to Schicksal's weapon. However, at this stage, it is already a good sword that he could not obtain even with his original connections and money.

Teacher Chen has given me a great gift.

In a sense, the behavior of the teachers and students was very harmonious.

The awkwardness of giving gifts in person is the same for everyone.

Su Qing'an opened the letter and read it carefully.

The letter roughly describes the origin of the sword and some life advice. Chen Junxuan in the letter doesn't seem like a decisive martial artist. His rambling words are more in line with his real age, making him seem like an old man in his twilight years.

This sword was used by him when he was young. It was a gift from Chen Junxuan's wife. Chen Junxuan's wife came from an ancient family of sword makers. According to the old man's recollection in his letter, his wife was a very clever and quirky girl when she was young. Although she gave him this excellent sword that could cut through iron like mud and cut hair with a breath, she mischievously gave it a name that did not match Chen Junxuan's style.

The old man wrote smugly in the letter that he didn't actually hate the name, but in order to make his wife feel smug and happy about his prank, he made an indescribable expression so that his wife wouldn't worry that he was too angry, and at the same time give his wife the feeling that the prank had really succeeded.

Therefore, this sword can be considered a token of his love with his wife.

However, after his wife passed away, he never used the sword again. For Chen Junxuan, it was no longer just a sword or a weapon. Whenever he saw the sword, he could clearly recall the little girl who smiled slyly like a little fox.

As time has flowed by, his wife seems to remain by his side, just like this sword.

However, Chen Junxuan still gave it to Su Qing'an.

What Chen Junxuan gave was no longer just a sword, but the happiest and most beautiful period of the old man's life.

So much so that this sword felt so heavy in Su Qing'an's eyes, because it carried too many of humanity's purest emotions.

He said this, seemingly to consider Su Qing'an's feelings, or perhaps it was the old man's true thought.

Even without looking at this sword, I can clearly recall my wife's face. Rather, I simply can't forget such an unparalleled beauty as my wife. This sword, however, was destined to break in battle when it was forged. It's too unfair for this sword to stay by the side of an old man like me who is reluctant to let it be drawn.

When the time comes to draw your sword, don't hesitate to pull it out.

Even if it breaks one day, don't feel guilty; this is the rightful place for a sword.

The old man made this decision, and thus handed the sword box, sealed for many years, to Su Qing'an.

The sword case is covered in dust, and the caged bird lives a long life.

For that old man, every day since his wife left was torture, so he continued on the path of martial arts for ten years without fail, because his life had no meaning otherwise.

"How touching! Why did your teacher's wife die? Isn't that too cruel?" Kiana looked at the ancient sword with sadness as Su Qing'an told her the story in the letter. Before this, she could never have imagined that such a story was hidden inside.

"Teacher Chen didn't mention it, so I didn't feel comfortable asking him directly. Let bygones be bygones." Su Qing'an's feelings were particularly complicated. He knew that the old man was very easygoing, but he didn't expect that after only knowing each other for two weeks, the old man would treat Su Qing'an as his own son and give him such a special gift so readily.

Unbeknownst to him, in those short two weeks of exchanges, the old man had seen through so much of him, so much that Chen Junxuan would regard him as a true disciple.

"Hmm. By the way, what's the name of that poem? Didn't you say the name was engraved on the sword?" Kiana curiously leaned closer to the sword, trying to find any possible inscriptions.

Su Qing'an rubbed the hilt of the sword with his fingertips, and then found it.

Those were three characters written in traditional Chinese characters.

Its name is,

【Calming the Waves】

21. Yuno Sato

2013年12月6日下午3时45分。

"Please enjoy your mocha." With swift and concise movements, the girl placed the coffee on the tray in front of one of the few customers in the coffee shop. Her face was calm and indifferent, not with deliberate arrogance but simply with a blank expression. Even so, it did not diminish the popularity and enthusiasm brought by her exotic hair and eye colors and exquisite face.

In the two weeks since Su Qing'an Coffee Shop finally reopened, the number of customers at the coffee shop has increased significantly.

Most of the popularity was attracted by Kiana, and the rest was thanks to Su Qing'an.

A coffee shop with a mysterious opening date, excellent decor, and a prime location near a college is home to a couple: an underage teenage manager/barista and a silver-haired foreign waitress.

Both of them are exceptionally good-looking.

This is the key point, because no matter what, most humans in the world are attracted to appearances.

So when some bored customer posted photos of the two of them and the coffee shop's address on Twitter, their joy of playing games together and slacking off, which they could legitimately do because there were no other customers, was shattered.

Although Su Qing'an didn't care whether the coffee shop was open or not, he opened it anyway so that Kiana wouldn't feel guilty for eating and drinking for free every day and would find an excuse to pay him. As for whether his childhood dream of becoming a coffee shop owner was a factor in this decision, no one knows.

The store opens at 9:00 AM and closes at 4:30 PM. If necessary, it may stay open for a few hours longer and close earlier.

People online have already complained about the store manager's arbitrary actions.

Only the shop's true regulars know that this little bit of clucking is now considered doing whatever one pleases? For Su Qing'an, this is already considered following the rules.

Well, for example, this girl sitting in the shop. She is wearing the high school uniform of Chiba Academy. Her small face, which she is propping up with her hand, is not exactly beautiful, but just pretty. Her hair, which falls to her waist, is a very light purple. At this moment, her emerald green eyes are looking at Kiana's indifferent face, and the corners of her lips are upturned to reveal a smile.

"I was quite surprised when I first heard that the manager hired a waitress. Hmph, Kiana is just too beautiful no matter how you look at her, no wonder the manager made an exception and hired a waitress," the girl took a sip of her coffee, seemingly remembering something funny, and teased, "By the way, Kiana, did you know that there are people online shipping you and the manager as a couple? Being too good-looking has its troubles, hahaha. By the way, I'm a fan of the manager in women's clothing."

Kiana's face flushed slightly, and her cool expression crumbled. She gritted her teeth and whispered, "Sato Yuno, you better stop this. It's one thing for silly netizens to make jokes online, but why are you joining in? And what's with this 'shop manager cross-dressing faction' thing? If Su Qing'an hears this, your coffee will probably be filled with sugar cubes from now on."

As a rare regular customer of Su Qing'an, Sato Yuno's taste in coffee is obviously quite different from that of ordinary high school girls. After all, this shop is an oddity that even uses pure coffee beans instead of the more popular and cheaper chocolate syrup for ordinary mochas. In addition, with its whimsical opening hours, only a few people come here often.

Sato Yuno disliked coffee with too much sweetness, and sure enough, after hearing Kiana's words, the girl put on a listless expression: "Kiana is really easy to tease. By the way, aren't you even a little bit interested in the shopkeeper's cross-dressing?" In the blink of an eye, Sato Yuno's expression became enthusiastic again.

"Absolutely not interested! I'd rather not have that weird fetish!" For some reason, Kiana's words carried a hint of hesitation and wavering.

However, Sato Yuno, who hadn't noticed, showed a regretful expression upon hearing this, looking like a believer whose mission had failed.

"Okay. Speaking of which, I heard from the shopkeeper that Kiana, you're transferring to Chiba Academy tomorrow, right? Oh, I'm kind of looking forward to it. If you're also a first-year high school student, I hope you can transfer to our class so we can go to and from school together." Sato Yuno, whose mood and thoughts change very quickly, is undoubtedly a very normal girl for her age. At this moment, she seems to be enjoying the fantasy of having a new friend in her class, and she is in a good mood.

"Yuno Sato...which class are you in?" For some reason, Kiana had a bad feeling.

"Class 1, huh? So, are you transferring to Class 1?!" Sato Yuno looked at Kiana with a face full of anticipation.

"Tsk." Kiana's intuition was right after all. She let out a very subtle sound of disdain.

"Did you tsk earlier? Kiana is so mean!" Sato Yuno's hearing was surprisingly good.

"No, that's your misconception. And I really am transferring to Class 1."

Kiana's expressionless, indifferent reply, while casually diverting the girl's attention by telling her the truth, made her feel that her future academy life would not be peaceful, as she looked at the smiling Yuno Sato.

Although Sato Yuno is an honest and naive normal high school girl, Kiana finds it hard to handle her occasional cunning side.

"Alright. Enjoy your coffee. I have to go to work." Kiana turned and left, carrying the tray, as she looked at the new customer at the door.

"Yeah, yeah! Good luck, Kiana." In a cheerful mood, Sato Yuno didn't care about Kiana's coldness at all.

Well, perhaps in Sato Yuno's opinion, this aloofness is actually a plus for that beautiful face.

Even someone as beautiful as her with minimal makeup couldn't outshine Kiana's stunning looks, especially with the added elements of her foreign origin and silver hair. She could already imagine the lively scene of Kiana being surrounded by crowds in class tomorrow.

In some ways, girls sometimes enjoy looking at pretty girls even more than men.

This is especially true in the world of Honkai Impact 3.