Cultivating in Honkai!

Before going outside, Tesla threw a small case on me. I opened it and found sunglasses.

"The simulation room's location is quite far from here. You'll need it."

"Thank you."

Despite the sun no longer affecting my eyes, I still wore it. She went out first and opened a door, releasing an unprecedented brightness. My eyes remained focused on Tesla's back.

What greeted my sight was an entire military base. I can see a dozen hangars from the distance. There are numerous vehicles and fighter planes parked.

"The Titans are parked underground. On the surface, this base is a military base under the Congress…"

Tesla began to talk. She did not know whether I was listening or not. It looks like she is a natural yapper.

"Does the government know about the honkai?" 

I probed for more answers.

"Around… 1975. That's when we officially cooperated with the US Congress. Schicksal's influence over Europe did not require them to divulge these secrets as much as we did. We needed more funding and money…"

I learned more about Anti-Entropy's in-depth situation with Tesla's explanations. She revealed the fact that Schicksal's strongest Valkyrie and Anti-Entropy cooperated once in the 1950's.

She did not go deeper in these topics, focusing more on Anti-Entropy's capabilities and their list of problems. It sounded like she's not talking to a twelve-year-old, but someone older.

…

Well.

It took some time to arrive at a special gated building. The sun's high up in the sky. It is barely offset by the somewhat cold gusts of wind.

Tesla's complaints came thereafter.

"If it weren't for this damned limitation..!"

I have no clue what she's talking about.

"Ahem. Follow me."

Beep-!

A simple fingerprint scan was all it took to open the gates. An automatic sliding glass door opened. The building's interior has a light colored theme. Aside from the seats and the vending machines, there is nothing else.

I honestly followed her. Tesla's first stop is the vending machine. She did not pay for the drink.

"You can take one if you like."

I nodded.

What are the flavors, hm…

There's the cola equivalent of Coke. There's another equivalent of Fanta. Sprite too?

I ended up taking the Coke equivalent.

Pssh-!

Its taste…

Just like how I remember it.

It took five minutes of walking to arrive in front of a large empty room. Everything is made of white—white tiles, white wall, white ceiling. I can't see where the lights came from, though.

Beep-!

Tesla handed me over a black ring of sorts. I wore it on my ring finger. Immediately, I felt it tighten until it fitted perfectly. I tried to shake it off. The ring did not move.

"Wear it. The ring detects your vitals. I will be watching you fight on the observation deck.

As she pointed to a portion of the white room, some of the white walls turned transparent. A glass wall could be seen.

"As soon as there's an accident, you will be treated by the medical mechs inside. Broken bones can be fully treated in half an hour at most!"

"I understand."

Am I afraid to get hurt? Quite a bit. That's why I mostly kept distance and preferred the use of spells. I abused my flying sword a lot in the town's honkai eruption.

Am I afraid to be incapacitated without knowing my limits? Yes.

I haven't fought with a honkai beast. The zombies are not enough to test my limits. Add to that the breakthrough of three cultivation techniques to Small Success last night…

It's better to get hurt now than in a serious fight later.

Tesla started to walk in front of a white wall that turned into a door. She carried along the silver case I brought with me. The jian's cold and sleek grip rested in my hands.

The wait began, though it wasn't long.

Three minutes later, my surroundings changed drastically. The pure white room started to turn into a starry sky. The ground I am standing on had a snowy ground appear from this room's edges.

From then on, the changes ensued. It made it so that the room is no longer limited in space. The cold air and the fog that formed out of my breaths confirmed it.

This is Siberia.

What came next is the emergence of a four to five meter tall white monster. It has an enlarged torso, thick arms, and no legs. The purple light present on their 'head' looked very menacing. A red crystal served as its eye.

Simultaneously, the operation of [Cloud Seeking Steps] began. Light techniques are essential to control a battle. That's what I learned.

The red crystal on its head glimmered. Moments later, it moved rapidly in one direction—to mine.

My feet are faster. I managed to build up a distance and avoid it.

Rumble-!

The ground shook. Its acceleration exceeded any speeding trucks or cars.

Swoosh-!

Three seconds later, I saw it forcibly halt its charge. 

Three seconds.

That's my time interval.

'...nine dragons rise.'

A flame snake emerged from my left palm. The casting only took two seconds. I rushed towards another direction to avoid the honkai beast's charge. The flame snake separated from my palm and agilely flew towards the huge white monster.

Swoosh-!

Bam-!

A large cloud of flames appeared on the honkai beast's position. The power I used is less than three percent. It is negligible.

My spiritual consciousness spread out. I didn't have time to lay it out before. This is a mistake.

With it, I saw the honkai beast's situation. Its white shell is burnt black. There are several dents on its body. The glimmer appeared in its eyes again. It's not dead yet.

Once it stops, it stays in place for a while.

Then…

That's the time to strike.

*****

Knowing Shi Tian's ability to fly, Tesla tested him with one chariot-class honkai beast. She wanted to see how he would cope with it—whether he would use his "telekinesis" or not.

She was given a surprise instead. 

Shi Tian's experience against honkai beasts is minimal, if not zero. His knowledge came from the game, but it remains unknown how much can be applied in real life.

The chariot, for example.

In-game, it merely shows a red path where it strikes. Avoid it and it's done.

In real life, there is no such thing. Shi Tian had to build up more distance as a result. One mistake and he will be hit by something worse than a speeding car.

"Hm..? He's using it again…"

Tesla zoomed in on the surveillance. She saw curved flames appearing out of nowhere. A closer look shows its appearance as a snake.

Unlike Shi Tian's previous attack, it is bigger. She watched him build up another distance before releasing the flame snake.

Bam-!

Rumble-!

The explosion sent shockwaves. The snow nearby turned into nothing, revealing the dark brown soil.

Most importantly, the chariot that chased after Shi Tian…

It's dead.