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

Although China is currently considered safe, no one can predict what will happen in the next moment.

It might not be a bad thing for him to stay at St. Freya Academy. After all, if he went to live in a peaceful city with such worries, he would be filled with anxiety every day.

"Immortal." Su Qing'an couldn't help but utter the two words.

For the first time, the girl's usually calm and composed mind was disturbed. She stopped and turned to look at Su Qing'an's face, saying, "What did you just say...?"

"The punch you threw at that Emperor-level Honkai Beast was as powerful as an immortal in Chinese legends."

"I always thought that the limit of martial arts was like my teacher Chen Junxuan, but that was the martial arts of killing, and it was only the limit of the martial arts of the human body, not the limit of the martial arts of resisting collapse."

"Your punch was really difficult. I can usually learn a killing technique in five minutes by watching it, but I've been recalling that punch a thousand times over the past month and I've only learned the basics."

As he spoke, the boy threw a punch, his fierce and domineering aura and the complex changes of his strength all contained in that punch. It was undoubtedly the same punch that the girl had thrown when she sent Ganesha flying.

But compared to that punch, something more fundamental is missing.

Methods for controlling Honkai energy.

Without the help of Honkai energy, this punch still cannot escape the cage of humanity.

But this was enough for Fu Hua to understand the authenticity of the information in the investigation more deeply. When she saw the punch the boy threw, she knew that Su Qing'an's martial arts talent was definitely not normal, but now it seems that it may be even more exaggerated than she imagined.

Aside from lacking the integration and control of Honkai energy, this punch had almost completely mastered the techniques she used back then.

"Although I am far from being at the level of an immortal, you can come and learn from me if you have time."

Even though her Honkai energy resistance limits her abilities, Fu Hua doesn't mind mentoring such a convenient "student."

Besides that reason, the sense of déjà vu and familiarity she felt towards the boy was the main factor that led her to say those words.

"Thank you, Fu Hua." Hearing the unexpected reply, Su Qing'an was taken aback for a moment, then expressed her gratitude.

For some reason, the boy's mood, which had been shrouded in mist, seemed to brighten considerably as if it had been illuminated by sunshine.

He himself didn't understand whether it was because it would allow him to hone his martial arts skills to the point of being stronger, or because it gave him a reason to get close to the girl.

47. Testing the Sword (Part 1)

“…It’s Fu Hua,” the girl rubbed her eyes and yawned. She lay on the table that looked like a workbench, seemingly very sleepy. “I remember I sent you a trial sword mission before, specifically asking you to take it.”

She was a petite girl, who looked to be less than 1.5 meters tall. Her black hair was messy, and her rosy eyes were slightly narrowed, making her look listless.

“Miss Changguang, while the dedication of craftsmen is admirable, please remember to balance work and rest. In fact, you just posted this task half an hour ago.”

"Oh, really? I forgot. By the way, who's that boy next to you?" Chang Guang clearly didn't heed Fu Hua's advice, but instead became interested in Su Qing'an.

“This is Su Qing’an, who will soon be enrolling at St. Freya Academy,” Fu Hua replied.

"Oh, oh, oh! Perfect timing for him to spar with you! I have another sword here that I'm testing for the fight against the Honkai."

"It is different from ordinary anti-Honkai weapons. It has a very low requirement for Honkai energy resistance. Theoretically, even with the Honkai energy resistance of a normal male, the body can be kept from turning into a zombie in no more than five minutes of use."

"This technology is now close to maturity, but there are still some risks. Of course, since you can enroll in St. Freya Academy, your Honkai energy resistance is already higher than that of a normal male."

"Let me take a look at your physical data,"

Chang Guang eagerly checked Su Qing'an's medical report. Her eyes swept over the data projected onto the instrument panel, and she exclaimed in surprise:

"Hmph, is this resistance just enough to withstand the collapse concentration in Changkong City? Not too high, not too low. As a test subject, you're quite qualified!"

"You're the first male to use a Honkai energy weapon with such just the right amount of Honkai energy resistance. I'm very interested in that data."

The girl casually ran up to the boy, patted him on the shoulder, and said something that showed a complete lack of emotional intelligence.

She glanced at the [Calming the Waves] sword in Su Qing'an's hand and said, "You brought a broken sword here specifically because you want to reforge and repair it, right?"

"If you help me test the sword, I will personally repair it for you, and I can use most of the materials within my authority."

"How about it? With your Honkai energy resistance, the risk of an accident during the sword test is very low."

"Okay." Su Qing'an nodded in agreement without hesitation.

He had no reason to refuse.

Fu Hua, standing beside her, unconsciously frowned slightly, but remained silent.

“That’s great then,” Changguang said, then turned to complaining, “I haven’t had a chance to sleep at all these past few days because of this sword that can be mass-produced.”

Due to the massive collapse of Changkong City, the Far East Branch, which is closest to this collapse, began to prepare for potential future collapses.

One of the plans is to mass-produce weapons with increased power.

It now appears that this seemingly young swordsmith has already reached the pinnacle of weapon crafting. Only a month after the collapse of Changkong City, she has already made significant progress in this field.

The girl, as the director of the Tenmei Sei 1504 Research Institute, has been active since the Kamakura period and is a legendary swordsmith who has lived for over a thousand years.

Her name is Nagamitsu Nagafune, so she naturally possesses such abilities.

As both a strength and a weakness, she possesses an extraordinary level of concentration, which is primarily manifested in her forging swords and sleeping.

She often forged knives day and night, and even after finishing her work, she didn't sleep between day and night.

If they had arrived any later, it wouldn't have been surprising to find Changguang fast asleep and impossible to wake.

Theresa's assessment of Changguang is quite apt in every sense.

----------

Upon arriving at the sword-testing ground, the two men, each holding a sword, remained silent.

How many important memories did Yu Duchen burn at that time?

Looking at the boy's face, a strange sense of familiarity and nostalgia constantly arose in my heart, but that was all; no memories surfaced.

All that remained in my heart was this faint, elusive emotion.

The girl was like a piece of porcelain riddled with cracks, but her unwavering will allowed her to continue moving forward.

But the weight of the soul is constantly decreasing, and there are very few things left to grasp. Theoretically, when such a person appears, one should be curious, happy, or try to understand and get closer to them.

But her terrifying self-control suppressed all impulses, and the girl remained calm and composed.

The sword she drew was a creation of the Changguang Longship over the past few days, its name and code name being the Composite Sword—Xuanwu.

She tested the sword with Honkai energy, comparing it to the differences of previously mass-produced swords.

After a brief familiarization with their weapons, they were about to draw their swords against each other.

Are you a hua?

The girl's face, exactly the same as the one that had taken root in his memory, made him almost blurt out those words.

His mind was as still as water, he murmured.

Therefore, reason prevailed over impulse.

Even if Hua is Fu Hua, so what? He told himself.

After a journey of fifty thousand years, the seven days of acquaintance seemed so insignificant. The self who broke the promise on the last day must have long been buried and forgotten by the vast and trivial memories.

Moreover, the girl standing opposite seemed unharmed, but both her body and mind were on the verge of collapse.

Having lost most of her memories and gone through many years, Hua was no different from a stranger to Su Qing'an.

But he couldn't help thinking about it.

Compared to her own decision to end it all, Hua, who traveled alone through the long years to reunite with him here, did not break her promise.

He was happy to ignore all those messy and chaotic thoughts.

This might sound selfish to Fu Hua, who has lived a lonely and difficult life, but his first thought after realizing that the girl was Hua was happiness.

Because I can still see her.

In his memory, he watched the girl's sleeping face bathed in moonlight for a very long time in the rain that day.

I once thought I would never see her again.

But now she stands gracefully in front of us, her long, thick eyelashes and beautiful eyes clearly visible.

Even though the reunion felt like the first time they met, the boy was still very happy.

He drew his sword.

Compared to the composite sword Xuanwu that Chang Guang had painstakingly crafted in Fu Hua's hands over a few days, the sword in Fu Hua's hands undoubtedly required far more effort and dedication from Chang Guang.

Anti-Honkai Weapon - Prototype 1.

A strangely constructed sword, unlike the ancient swords of China, it is a heavy sword with a straightforward technological style.

Its weight is several times that of the [Calming the Waves] sword. It not only requires Honkai energy resistance, but also has certain thresholds for physical strength and power. It is extremely difficult to fight normally with such a sword if the strength is less than 15.

With his strength and stamina, it wouldn't be difficult for him to fight with this sword for an extended period of time.

According to Changguang, the sword's enhancements can greatly increase the user's combat power.

If the function was really as she described, he wouldn't have had to change routes when he encountered a tank-class vehicle in Changkong City that day.

At that time, with the sharpness and sheer force of [Calming the Storm], it was impossible to break through the defense of a tank-class Honkai Beast without the addition of Honkai energy.

Controlling Honkai energy requires a huge amount of energy, which means that when he encounters Honkai Beasts, he will only choose to go around them, except for a single Rush-class Honkai Beast.

However, despite being so cautious and taking every step with care, they still encountered an emperor-level opponent.

48. Testing the Sword (Part 2)

A dull tearing sound rang out in the air as the boy swung his heavy sword, unleashing pure violence without any technique.

Using such a heavy sword, the Hokushin Ittō-ryū style he learned from Raiden Mei becomes less meaningful, because the Hokushin Ittō-ryū style, which emphasizes speed and explosiveness, is more suitable for a normal katana.

Moreover, Changguang's purpose in having him test the sword was not to assess his combat ability, but rather the performance of the weapon.

Therefore, it is necessary to avoid deliberately using overly sophisticated techniques to influence judgment.

Fu Hua clearly understood this as well, but without using any techniques, she simply blocked the sword with her composite sword, Xuanwu, which seemed too light compared to a heavy sword.

The powerful attack was like a stream flowing into the ocean, failing to cause the slightest ripple. The strength of martial arts lies in skill and power, and the girl not only far surpassed Su Qing'an in skill, but also completely overwhelmed him in power.

This is only natural. If this is a friendly spar, then it is Fu Hua's guidance to Su Qing'an. Even if they only use the power they can demonstrate, the gap between them is too great.

He was well aware of this, but now was the time to test his skills.

Its purpose is to test the sword's performance and allow Changguang to collect the data she wants; other conditions are secondary.