My vision is very blurry.
…
It is raining. I can feel myself being drenched in water.
Clap-!
Thunder struck. The brief flash of light illuminated the snowy ground. It is nighttime.
Patter-!
The rain droplets partially melted the snow. My head is facing downwards.
…
It's too heavy.
I can't move. My entire body is dragged by something heavy.
A silhouette walked in front of me. My barely moving shoulders got struck by the white lance.
"...ent the girl to the Overseer. You better not meddle in this affair any longer."
My blurry vision improved. I saw the face of a familiar blonde-haired girl.
Bianka.
The real Kiana Kaslana.
"This is your last chance…"
My vision twisted into a spiral. The next thing I knew, I was sitting inside a white room.
"Huh?"
An IV drip is attached to my right hand. The same heavy feeling afflicted my entire body.
My sight blacked out.
All I can see are the scenes of my entire life. From my birth, childhood, high school, playing games while in college…
...then a pitch black space.
A sense of unease emerged.
My first instinctive reaction is to clutch my chest.
I have a feeling...
I know this place.
But, I can't remember what it was.
In this place without anything, the world loses its meaning.
Patter-!
A drop of golden light rippled across the ground.
I opened my eyes.
"Huff…"
I looked around. I am inside an airplane. Kiana is sleeping on the seat beside mine. Only the sound of air-conditioning remained in this room.
I took out the phone in my pocket.
3:45 AM.
…
It took a few breaths to calm down.
Was it a dream?
In the middle of my confusion, I felt how heavy my body had become. It's as if I went through intensive training.
It's not the first time this has happened. I am aware of my nightmares in the past four months. Every time I have them, my body feels extremely tired.
I used my spiritual consciousness to scan my entire body…
…
It's the same as last time.
Both my Jing (Body) and Shen (Mind) dantians are emptied. Only my Qi (Energy) remained full.
My body started recovering the moment I circulated spiritual qi to these two empty dantians. I quietly casted the [Two Phase Art] to support it.
"What's happening to me…"
Unfortunately, it's not something I can answer. My spiritual consciousness reached the utmost peak of Qi Refining Realm. If I want answers, I need to break through the next realm: Foundation Establishment.
I looked at the sleeping Kiana beside me. She did not wear her sleeping mask this time.
…
She's very cute.
Late stage…
No, she's close to reaching the Peak stage. All she needs to do is to strengthen the three dantians simultaneously. Given our current resources, it will only take two to three months.
I finished that stage in two months. The late second grade spiritual milk and Gift of Tao makes it possible. Once I reach the Foundation Establishment Realm, it should cut that off to a month or so. That's how exaggerated the gap between Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment is.
I need to experiment more with honkai energy. It won't take too long for her to reach the Foundation Establishment Realm.
The relationship between spiritual qi and honkai energy do not conflict in Qi Refining Realm. They exist in different places. Their only similarity is that they affect the physical body.
It is different in Foundation Establishment. Spiritual qi will exist in the body too; the same as spiritual consciousness. It is the integration of three dantians into oneself, turning them into crucial factors (i.e., medicines) for cultivating immortality.
From only refining qi, it turns into three different aspeects: body, mind, and qi cultivation. It is the one I am familiar with.
Qi Refining is the general preparation stage; Foundation Establishment is the specialization stage.
The scene of my nightmares flashed.
Durandal…
Is that my fear? For Kiana to be caught by Otto? To be helpless?
…
Strength.
That's what I need.
Strength to resolve both my internal and external troubles.
The strength to protect precious moments.
Foundation Establishment Realm.
I will break through tomorrow.
*****
Kiana has been troubled by a problem during the last few months.
'Since when did he look good?'
This world is extremely unfair to males. Females have higher chances of being born with honkai resistance and adaptability. One of its perks is its beautifying effect. The honkai damages the body and leads to dozens of illnesses. If your honkai resistance is good enough, however, it serves to enhance the body's overall functions.
That includes lethal face cards.
Even if a girl does not inherit the said honkai adaptability, they will still inherit other physical features.
As such, it led to the surge of girls with lethal face cards. Born in such a world, Kiana is destined to take the path of a bent spaghetti. She already placed one foot in this path before meeting Shi Tian.
The cute girls in social media, the kind girls who helped her, the big sisters who gave her food while being homeless…
Then, she met Shi Tian.
Kiana was absorbed into the role of an older sister. She wanted to take responsibility and take care of the boy with the same circumstances as hers. No normal parents or guardians would leave a child alone in the streets with no money whatsoever.
Unfortunately for her, Shi Tian is not a normal child.
He has maturity far exceeding his peers. The way he tackles problems is not something she can think of. He is also studious, diligent in practice…
If he has a flaw, it would be his awkwardness. Speaking to strangers makes him feel like a hedgehog. He could not hide his composure from Kiana without the Sword Heart.
Things changed.
Shi Tian grew mature after his first minor eruption. He practically became a different person when he gained the Sword Heart.
This series of events turned Kiana into the younger sister. Her being lazy became magnified as a result.
'Hum… Why am I thinking about him again?!'
Sure, he pushed her to become better.
It started with the initiative to learn new techniques. It expanded to cutting her leisure time later on.
Once these four months passed, she transformed from a lazy Tuna to a somewhat diligent Tuna.
Her changes are massive… and she noticed it.
"Listen closely. You will face this level soon."
"...Ah?!"
All of these changes lie on him.
"We'll eat a lot later. I promise. So don't be too dazed, alright?"
"Alright, alright!"
She snapped out of her absent-mindedness. They are currently in a hot spring town in Shenzhou. It is also their first stop after departing from Siberia.
The architecture is vastly different from Siberia. Everyone wore light clothing due to the summer heat. Kiana and Shi Tian stood out due to their long-sleeved clothes.
Qi Refining cultivators can still sweat, but it can be remedied with spells—something they are doing right now.
If not, both of them would have been drenched in sweat.
'Seele. She must like him.'
Kiana is not blind to obvious things. A girl will not hug a boy without any reason. Seele knew him for four months, to boot.
If not for crushes, what else could it be?
It is precisely the reason for her current conflict.
Does she want him to leave her for a different girl?
'No…'