Honkai Impact 3rd: Catching the Herrscher of Sentience at the Start

Fu Lin nodded. Seems like Kiana knew a bit, so he continued, "Very good. Now, what year B.C. was that?"

"..."

Just as Kiana was basking in the joy of answering correctly, Fu Lin's follow-up question wiped the smile from her face. The sparkle in her eyes dimmed.

"You're doing this on purpose!"

"How could I be? Take a seat. You there—please answer this question."

Fu Lin's mouth twitched. He knew better than to expect too much.

Still, not a bad start. He turned to the student sitting next to Kiana.

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"...In 2717 BC, the first animals mutated by Honkai energy appeared in southern Asia. They existed solely to kill humans.

Ji Xuanyuan also appeared at this time, saving humanity from disaster. She single-handedly wiped out all the Honkai beasts, then disappeared."

The student stood up, eyes gleaming with wisdom. After a moment of thought, they answered without hesitation, fluently and smoothly like flowing water.

"Very well done. This student's answer was thorough and thoughtful. You may sit."

Fu Lin nodded in satisfaction, gesturing for the student to sit down. Then he looked at Kiana, his expression kind and friendly as he asked,

"Kiana, did you remember what that student just said?"

Kiana nodded repeatedly: "Yes, I remember. I remember."

Fu Lin smiled at Kiana and said, "Very good, Kiana. Then repeat the answer just now, please~"

"2717 BC..."

Kiana began to speak. Though her voice still trembled slightly, it was much better than before. She started to explain—stumbling a little, but eventually managed to repeat the answer in full.

Finally, Kiana finished reciting the entire answer. Fu Lin nodded, a satisfied smile on his face. He gently patted Kiana on the shoulder and said, "Very good, keep it up."

Time slowly passed, and finally—the class bell rang...

'Class is finally over.'

"Students, that's it for today's lesson. Dismissed."

With the end of the class, Fu Lin let out a sigh of relief and promptly announced the end of the lesson. He then turned and left the classroom, his steps firm yet light.

Seeing this, the students immediately burst from their seats like freed birds, dashing toward the door and swarming around Fu Lin as if he were a star surrounded by fans.

"Does anyone have any questions?"

Fu Lin stopped and looked around at the Valkyries whose eyes sparkled with golden light, suddenly feeling as if he were surrounded by a pack of hungry wolves.

"Mr. Fu Lin, I really care about my studies—especially history class, which I find a bit difficult. I hope to get some one-on-one tutoring from you."

"Yes, me too. Could you spare some time to help me review?"

"..."

"Mr. Fu Lin, my dorm is quite spacious. Could you maybe come over and tutor me sometime...?"

When Kiana came out of the classroom, she immediately saw Fu Lin surrounded by a dense crowd of valkyries.

Fu Lin looked extremely awkward, as if caught in an embarrassing situation. Kiana couldn't help but curl her lips and almost burst out laughing like a third-rate villain.

But then, something caught the corner of her eye. She saw Mei approaching from not far away, walking with a light yet steady pace.

Kiana skipped over cheerfully, spreading her arms with a bright smile. She hugged Mei tightly and playfully rubbed her cheek against Mei's slender neck, then affectionately called out,

"Mei~ What brings you here?"

Mei's expression became visibly unnatural. She forced a stiff smile and shifted uncomfortably, seemingly unaccustomed to Kiana being so close.

"Mei, do you know? I didn't even have history class today, but Fu Lin dragged me in and made me sit through the entire lesson. It was so evil!"

Kiana, unaware of Mei's resistance, kept chatting cheerfully and complaining about Fu Lin's misdeeds.

Mei nodded slightly, as if responding, but her eyes never left Fu Lin, who was still surrounded by beautiful girls—completely unable to look away.

Watching the charming Valkyries smiling and chatting with Fu Lin, Mei's heart pounded wildly, as if it were about to leap from her throat. Her hands unconsciously clenched into fists.

A strange mix of jealousy and pride welled up in Mei's heart. As expected, Fu Lin was the center of attention no matter where he went.

Mei took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. She looked over at Kiana and found her staring back.

Mei forced a slight smile and nodded.

Kiana seemed to sense something. She squinted her eyes, glancing up and down at Mei, muttering to herself, "Something's off. Very, very off."

"Uh…"

Mei didn't know why, but she suddenly felt like she'd been caught cheating or something—emmm, possibly influenced by this world's version of herself.

Her heart pounded even harder, as if it were going to jump out of her throat. Mei tried to calm down, taking a few deep breaths, but her emotions still wouldn't settle.

"Mei, you look even prettier now!"

Kiana pinched her chin and muttered, feeling that the Mei standing before her seemed different from before.

She wasn't shy anymore. Instead, she looked more confident and mature. Mei's aura had become colder, with a kind of "keep your distance" vibe, but at the same time, her mature charm made her even more dazzling.

"Hehe, Mei, I really like this version of you too!"

Kiana giggled, wiping away the drool at the corner of her mouth while exclaiming, totally enchanted by Mei's mature allure.