A tidal wave of interwoven pink and blue light engulfed Lin Qingyue.
Lin Xiyue, already unfazed by such spectacles, even had the presence of mind to comment, "Huh? The light effects seem a bit more advanced this time. They even have gradients?"
The light faded.
Lin Qingyue looked down, examining her new attire.
The main color was a sacred white, accented with sky-blue ribbons and brilliant gold embroidery. A translucent Vision hung at her waist, rising and falling gently with her breath.
It was undeniably the style of a Deaconess, infinitely more exquisite than her own plain priest's robes.
The skirt was shorter and the cut more form-fitting, clearly designed for ease of movement.
As expected, her pink hair had transformed into Barbara's signature "twin-turbo" pigtails.
Considering the hair color... I feel more like Hyacine now...
Just as she had this thought, the System interface popped up with a ding.
[Host's appearance similarity to the specific character 'Hyacine' has exceeded 70%. Hidden Easter Egg triggered. Reward granted: "Sunny Rainbow Little Ica".]
[Sunny Rainbow Little Ica: When you deal damage with a Skill, there is a chance to summon an adorable phantom of Little Ica. The phantom will charge forward and headbutt an enemy, dealing 50% of your Skill Damage.]
[Note: This Skill cannot trigger simultaneously with Melody Beyond the Strings.]
Lin Qingyue stared at the reward, the corner of her mouth twitching. "This reward... it's so simple, unadorned, and... useless! What Skill Damage do I even have? Smite?"
Her expression remained blank as she reached up to adjust the tight fabric across her chest.
The System's so-called "adaptive version" still only handled size, not tailoring.
The outfit's cut was clearly designed for the Mondstadt idol's petite frame.
As for Lin Qingyue's curves... let's just say the System had an almost obsessive dedication to "faithful reproduction."
"Sis, is this what you meant by 'taking a wilder path'?"
Lin Xiyue circled her sister, her eyes filled with awe.
"This outfit is gorgeous! Way better than your old one. It's so pure yet alluring!"
Her gaze slid down Lin Qingyue's arm, then locked precisely onto the weapon she held.
The dazzling smile that had graced her face just a second ago instantly froze.
"...But."
Lin Xiyue's voice was a little hoarse.
"Isn't this 'magic artifact' of yours a bit... too hardcore?"
Lin Qingyue raised the gun in her hand.
The champagne-gold body gleamed with the cold luster of metal, while sky-blue stripes crisscrossed it like magical circuits. The stock was even intricately carved with the emblem of the Church of Favonius.
It retained the violent aesthetic of an AK-47 but had been completely transformed with a fantasy twist.
Several shimmering crystals were embedded beneath the barrel, and the magazine had been replaced with a container resembling an elemental flask, filled with a transparent liquid.
This thing looked less like a weapon and more like a postmodern art piece.
...Assuming you could ignore the fact that it was an assault rifle.
"Sky AK-47, Magical Modification."
Lin Qingyue hefted it. It was surprisingly light, not at all like a metal object.
"The description says it can convert any magic power into elemental ammunition for long-range, wide-area, high-speed 'Vitality Infusion'."
"Vitality Infusion?"
Lin Xiyue's mouth twitched uncontrollably. She pointed at the gun, feeling her worldview shatter.
"With this? Sis, are you sure you're not just infusing it with peanuts?"
She stared at her sister's holy idol outfit, now paired with this ferocious superweapon, and an utterly absurd thought flooded her mind.
"Didn't we choose Tianshu University to study Ancient Martial Arts and pursue the path of Martial Arts Fusion? And now you pull out this..."
Lin Xiyue felt her composure crumbling. In a tone mimicking a classic movie scene, she said:
"Sis, don't tell me you're planning to point this thing at those old grandmasters who've spent their entire lives mastering fists and swords in Ancient Martial Arts class, and then tell them—"
"'Times have changed, old man'?"
Lin Qingyue: "..."
A scene exploded in her mind.
On the training grounds of the Ancient Martial Arts Academy, a white-haired old professor was explaining the Tai Chi principle of "using softness to overcome hardness."
Then, with a swish, she raised the Sky AK-47 and unleashed a full clip at a training dummy in the distance.
Amidst a storm of flying wood splinters, she met the stunned gazes of everyone present, lowered the gun, and bowed respectfully to the old professor. "Master, your disciple has attained enlightenment. The so-called 'four ounces deflecting a thousand pounds' truly means 'fine wine in luminous cups, enemy cover blown to bits'."
"...It probably won't come to that."
Lin Qingyue shook her head hard, banishing the absurd image from her mind.
"But its power... I have to test it."
Her eyes lit up, gleaming with a mischievous glint that screamed "time to cause some trouble."
"Let's go, Xiyue! To the Advanced Testing Ground!"
-
Tianshu University, Advanced Energy Testing Zone.
This area was exclusively for upperclassmen and faculty. Each testing bay was an independent cubicle equipped with the latest Lingshu-III Smart Target Dummies.
These dummies could withstand attacks below Level 40 and provided real-time data analysis.
Lin Qingyue swiped her access card, and a transparent energy barrier silently rose.
Fifteen meters ahead, three silver-gray target dummies stood motionless, their surfaces shimmering with faint blue energy shields.
"Let's get this straight," Lin Xiyue said, prudently retreating to the observation area with an expression that screamed, I don't know her. "If anyone shows up, I'm telling them you forced me to come."
"So brave," Lin Qingyue retorted, ignoring her as she raised the Sky AK47.
She pressed the stock against her shoulder and wrapped her fingers around the grip.
A strange sense of connection, as if the gun were an extension of her own body, washed over her. It no longer felt like a foreign object but a part of her arm.
Voom—
The crystals on the gun's body pulsed with a faint light. The liquid in the magazine container instantly turned a clear, crystalline blue.
Hydro Elemental Power was being converted into "ammunition."
"Let's start with Hydro, single shot."
Lin Qingyue narrowed her eyes, aimed at the leftmost target dummy, and pulled the trigger.
Plink~
A crisp, almost melodious sound rang out, like a dewdrop striking a wind chime.
No smoke emerged from the muzzle—only a single, intensely condensed blue water bullet shot forth!
The next instant.
DONG!!
A tremendous boom erupted, like a battering ram smashing into a city gate!
The energy shield on the target pile warped violently, and the entire structure was thrown backward by a terrifying impact force.
The holographic screen on the side instantly flashed with a stream of data:
[Hit Type: Physical Impact]
[Primary Element: Water]
[Impact Force: 21.7 Standard Units]
[Destructive Power: Equivalent to a Level 20 Mage's full-power strike!]
[Note: Purely physical impact.]
"This power..." Lin Qingyue herself was stunned. "And there's almost no recoil."
"That's from a single shot?!" Lin Xiyue's voice cracked from behind the barrier. "What if... you fired continuously?"
"My thoughts exactly."
A dangerous curve formed on Lin Qingyue's lips. She raised the gun again, aiming at the undamaged target pile in the center.
This time, she squeezed the trigger and didn't let go.
Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat—!
The crisp, melodious rat-tat-tat sounded like a cheerful piano staccato.
The blue water bullets streaked through the air, forming a straight line of death as they bombarded the target dummy with unimaginable speed and precision!
Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud-thud-thud!
The dull impacts blurred into an indistinguishable roar. The poor middle target dummy swayed violently under the assault, threatening to topple over. Its energy shield flashed from blue to blinding white, emitting a shrill overload alarm!
The side screen's data had turned into a cascading red waterfall!
[Continuous Attack: Duration 3.2 seconds!]
[Number of Hits: 24!]
[Shield Load: 50%... 70%... 90%...]
[WARNING! Shield energy critical! Cease testing immediately!]
[WARNING! WARNING!]
Lin Qingyue released the trigger.
Silence returned to the firing range.
The target dummy slowly stopped swaying. Though its shield hadn't broken, its light had dimmed to a flicker, threatening to extinguish at any moment.
Outside the barrier, Lin Xiyue stood with her mouth agape, her eyes vacant, completely unable to process what she had just witnessed.
"Vitality Infusion..."
"How is this Vitality Infusion?"
"This is clearly salvation!
Physical salvation!"