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

There was no sadness, no regret, no anger, no remorse.

Only by deeply understanding that this is a past experience of one's own can it remain firmly etched in one's heart as an unshakable fact.

...It cannot be forgotten.

Even though empathy had been extinguished deep within his soul, the boy still tried to recall his entire experience in the Sacred Mark Space through meditation, attempting to restore himself to his original wholeness.

Forcing oneself to recall those negative emotions may seem unnecessary and foolish, but the emotions nurtured by forgetting memories are not only sadness and pain, but also the reasons that allow Su Qing'an to transform into a more resilient and determined person.

Without this difficult process of breaking free from the cocoon, even I would be affected in the same way now.

Such consequences may sound like a change in one's own history, but in reality, there is not much difference.

All Su Qing'an needs to do is lose all empathy and realism for all the pain and sorrow of the past, and he will inevitably become a completely different person.

Therefore, to avoid such consequences, the boy can only recreate the emotions he is entitled to by attaching the empathy that has not been erased.

The final result calmed his somewhat uneasy heart a little, and empathy was slowly resurfacing in that blank area.

Su Qing'an is still the same person she always was.

He opened his eyes, and his gaze toward the outside world became complicated and profound.

incomplete.

The price of resonating and burning the essence of the soul is this incompleteness that almost gradually erases the meaning of Su Qing'an's past.

The power created by fueling emotions is indeed incredible. Using only a tiny fraction of it, it was able to turn the mysterious power of the quantum sea into dust. This can only prove that the special nature of the soul itself has exceeded Su Qing'an's own imagination.

But the price was too high.

Now he can use the relevant memories to empathize and revive the original corresponding emotions, but if more than just these are burned away, things can easily lead to a path of no return where he collapses.

The temporary reduction in the essence of the soul also proves that emotions are merely fuel, and the cost is far more complex than that.

If one burns out all of their soul, completely exceeding the limits of self-healing, the result would likely be the death of both the soul and the body.

And at that time, even if that god is still willing to give Su Qing'an a chance to be reborn, will He still have the ability to revive Su Qing'an's soul?

Everything is unknown.

To avoid such a future, Su Qing'an could only restrain himself.

It was impossible not to use this power. In the perilous pre-civilization, it was quite normal for the Emperor-level Honkai Beasts to be several times stronger than those he had ever seen.

Moreover, there will be a series of Herrschers appearing one after another. With their bodies now limited to a fixed upper limit, they will inevitably experience situations where they are powerless to do so.

Su Qing'an couldn't deceive herself at this moment that she would not use this power, so she could only restrain it to a certain extent.

The boy set three rules for himself.

1. We must not let our feelings for Hua fade away.

2. It cannot burn beyond the soul's self-healing ability.

3. It should only be used when there is no other choice.

After setting these constraints for himself, Su Qing'an breathed a sigh of relief.

From the current perspective alone, exploring this ability is not a bad thing; proper use of it will only make it a powerful tool for future battles.

But its existence is like a Pandora's box haunted by the whispers of the devil, always ready to tempt the boy to open it completely at the most crucial moment.

If things go as the devil wishes, Su Qing'an will be condemned to an endless hell.

However, the development of the soul's essence is unrelated to the Taixu Sword Qi given by the gods. Therefore, as long as Su Qing'an does not raise the banner of admitting defeat to the gods, he will not give up the potential possibilities.

Because this is hope.

The boy sighed and picked up the phone on the table. As the screen unlocked and the information appeared before his eyes, his expression suddenly froze.

...Oh no, there was no news of them returning to China yesterday.

34. Fu Hua's counterattack.

[Master Su, when I was reciting the Sword Heart Mantra today, some of the notes seemed a bit off. Did I pronounce them wrong?]

Two hours later, the girl sent a second message.

【Hmm... Su Qing'an, are you asleep?】

Another hour later, Fu Hua sent a third message.

Then I won't bother you any longer.

【Good night.】

Oh no, oh no, oh no.

The girl's words echoed in his mind, causing a wave of guilt to wash over him. He muttered to himself.

Calm down, Su Qing'an.

Not replying to messages was beyond his control, but falling into a coma was completely unexpected. Before the collapse fully erupted, he had never considered the possibility that he might suddenly lose his mind.

But since it has already happened, the first thing to do is to think about solutions.

Su Qing'an stared at the phone screen, as if facing a formidable enemy.

First, sincerely apologize, and then explain the situation properly.

In fact, neither the young Fu Hua nor the immortal Fu Hua would mind such a small matter, and after an explanation, it would be even less of a problem.

Of course, the former might feel a little awkward, but it will disappear quickly.

However, even Su Qing'an, who knows Fu Hua very well, finds it difficult to remain absolutely clear-headed when caught up in the situation.

The boy looked through the chat history and suddenly remembered that there was something he hadn't had time to do yesterday.

Yesterday, Su Qing'an had prepared some Fu Ling cakes in advance because she thought Fu Hua would not get enough to eat due to her shyness. She had given Xi'er one of the cakes, and the rest were placed in an insulated box. According to the plan, Su Qing'an intended to comfort the girl in front of her and then deliver the cakes to Fu Hua.

But now that time has jumped to the present, the boy who couldn't deliver the late-night snack feels even more frustrated.

It's morning now, I'll prepare a lunchbox for her and send it over later.

Let me reply to Hua's messages one by one now.

The reason why the musical scale of the Sword Heart Mantra seems strange is probably because you have reached the final stage of accumulating the Still Water Realm. At this stage, the Sword Heart Mantra will automatically adjust its details as you recite it repeatedly to achieve a better effect in honing your sword heart.

That should be the general reason; I'll check the details later.

I fell asleep yesterday. The specific reason is a bit complicated; I'll explain it to you when we meet.

Fu Hua's official classes will likely begin tomorrow. Today, books will be distributed, and each class's teacher will be responsible for conveying school rules, regulations, and the timetable. The rest of the time is free for students to explore the campus.

According to her usual schedule, this should be the time to get up and go for a morning run. However, on her first day at this academy, Su Qing'an deduced that, given her personality, she would most likely choose to continue sleeping so as not to disturb her roommates' rest, and wake up at the time when she wanted to be with them.

It's 5:30 in the morning now, and it's normal for female students to sleep until 8 o'clock when they don't have classes.

So it's perfectly normal that she woke up and then went back to sleep, and didn't see the message she sent immediately.

After adding the other person to his "Special Contacts" list and turning the notification sound up to maximum, the boy put his phone aside, picked up the various teaching materials given to him by the principal, and began preparing to give a lesson.

According to the schedule the principal sent him, his first class would be tomorrow afternoon.

Su Qing'an felt that her first normal job was as a teacher, which always seemed a bit strange.

Prior to this, the significance of this position was only that it allowed him to get closer to Fu Hua more reasonably and conveniently; he himself did not immediately realize that this was an experience he had never had before.

Now that he is about to take office, Su Qing'an suddenly realizes that he will soon be facing his students as a teacher.

In fact, in every sense, he did not feel qualified to be a teacher. In terms of ability and teaching experience, in terms of the motivation to educate students and the mindset of a teacher, he was very unqualified.

But on the eve of the impending collapse, the boy had no intention of taking on too much responsibility for a future where strangers would hardly exist.

Su Qing'an may not become an excellent teacher, but he has clear confidence that he can reach the passing grade.

Simply reciting from the book is something that can be done by rote memorization. This level can be solved in just ten minutes. Anything beyond that requires more knowledge reserves and the composure, confidence, and on-the-spot ability to bring it to fruition. These are not difficult for Su Qing'an.

Using pure, high-speed learning ability and a fearless will to become an ordinary teacher doesn't seem like a difficult job at all.

This is especially true for art-related subjects like fine arts.

If Su Qing'an only wanted to earn a salary, he could simply teach a few lessons from the textbook and then take people to sketch in various parts of the academy to get away with many classes.

As a long-established private academy, the academy generally respects students' personal interests and hobbies. Therefore, apart from the necessary subjects, students can choose from other courses that are more leisure-oriented or cultivate their interests.

The reason why the school principal was willing to let Su Qing'an serve as an art teacher was probably because of this: since he was not a teacher of the main courses, there was no need to carefully examine his specific teaching abilities.

There are many people like Su Qing'an who serve as instructors for elective courses, which leads to a rather complex range of courses.

With an excessive number of courses and students having complete freedom to choose, certain elective courses may become particularly popular and always be fully booked.

Some courses, however, are deserted and quiet.

The former's salary will increase to some extent due to the corresponding popularity, but the latter will not have their salary reduced or even be dismissed because there are too few students.

This shows how wealthy this elite academy is; compared to a normal high school, it's more like a university with a slightly restrictive atmosphere.

Su Qing'an possesses many skills.

However, limited by his expressive abilities and the means to carry his cheating scheme, he was forced to apply for a position as an art teacher.

Actually, if it's out of personal interest, teaching kendo, etiquette, or even flower arranging are all good options.

After flipping through a few pages of the book, the boy couldn't help but glance at his silent phone.

He, who usually had a calm and composed expression, rarely showed a troubled look.

……

……

5:30 a.m.

Because it was winter, the outside world was still shrouded in a hazy night. Birds perched on the treetops outside the window chirped softly, and the cold wind rustled through the branches.

In these days, my increasingly keen senses slowly take in all the details of the outside world, making the warmth and tranquility inside the house all the more precious.

The girl rubbed her head against the blanket, then groggily opened her eyes. She instinctively reached out and knocked one of her earphones off, but still heard a sound.

Tick, tick.

The faint sound of water droplets falling seemed to linger in my mind.

Tick, tick.