The following days were still filled with studying, but no one in the school looked down on the two sisters anymore. Nangong Xiang, who had mocked them before, didn't even make it into the top hundred!
Luo Qingxue and Lin Xiaoyu excelled in all their other subjects and were now considered model students by their instructor.
One day after school, Instructor Wang called Luo Qingxue and Lin Xiaoyu over, his eyes behind his glasses crinkling into a slit as he smiled: "Student Luo, congratulations!"
"Congratulations?" Luo Qingxue was a little confused, "Instructor, what happened?"
Instructor Wang handed over a hot-stamped envelope, the Federal Elite Academy emblem gleaming faintly in the setting sun: "A special admission letter! The Headmaster personally delivered it."
Luo Qingxue's fingers brushed over the envelope several times before she dared to open it. When she saw the line, "In recognition of your outstanding performance in ability potential and tactical innovation," her eyelashes trembled violently: "But... I clearly didn't make it into the top ten..."
"It's a special channel for holders of the honor badge," Instructor Wang pushed up his glasses. "The review committee has always remembered your performance during the seaside rescue."
Lin Xiaoyu leaned over to look at the admission letter, more excited than the person it was for: "That's amazing! I knew Qingxue was the best!"
"What about Xiaoyu? She has a badge too!" Luo Qingxue wasn't in a hurry to be happy.
Instructor Wang's expression instantly became troubled: "Student Lin, her competition ranking..." He hesitated, implying that it was too low, only 89th.
Luo Qingxue pulled her hand back: "Then I'm not going either."
"Nonsense!" Instructor Wang was so anxious his forehead started to sweat. "The Federal Elite Academy's resources are ten times that of other higher education institutions! There are three S-rank training grounds alone!"
Lin Xiaoyu suddenly jumped up and linked arms with Luo Qingxue: "Instructor, don't worry, the two campuses are only separated by a river!" She shook her friend's arm, "We can still go to the commercial street to eat that strawberry daifuku together on weekends!"
"But morning training, practical combat classes, ability resonance experiments..." Luo Qingxue counted on her fingers, her voice growing more muffled with each count, "We promised to get stronger together..."
The flapping of wings came from outside the window. A mechanical messenger landed on the windowsill, clutching a letter addressed to Lin Xiaoyu. Upon opening it, it was a light blue admission letter—from a Federal Higher Academy. These admission notices still followed the traditional letter format, providing a greater sense of ceremony.
"Look!" Lin Xiaoyu held the admission letter up to Luo Qingxue's eyes and waved it, "I'm going to school too! This higher academy is super famous!"
Instructor Wang seized the opportunity to add: "Credits are transferable between the two schools, and those with excellent performance can apply for a transfer in the second semester."
Luo Qingxue's hand, which had been clutching the corner of the bedsheet, slowly relaxed. She suddenly grabbed her terminal and pulled up a map, drawing a straight line between the two schools with her fingertip: "It only takes twelve minutes by hover-bus."
"I'll send you three hundred messages every day!" Lin Xiaoyu held up three fingers.
"If the cafeteria food is bad, just sneak out and find me."
"Do you want me to keep an eye on the handsome guys at the Federal Elite Academy for you?"
The two girls suddenly burst into laughter, scattering the earlier sadness. When Instructor Wang quietly left, he heard Luo Qingxue checking on her terminal: "Transfer student assessment criteria... A-rank evaluation or top ten in the grade..."
The studies at Tianhui Academy concluded. As the first snow of the winter break fell, Luo Qingxue was leaning against the floor-to-ceiling window of the training room, her fingertips unconsciously drawing stars on the glass. Lin Xiaoyu was sweating profusely in the center of the field, emerald vines dancing around her, but always wilting just as they were about to break through some limit.
"Yun Feng," Luo Qingxue murmured, "Xiaoyu's ability has clearly reached its critical point, why can't she break through?"
The terminal screen lit up, and my text appeared line by line: 【Lin Xiaoyu's ability is a special mutated type; conventional training cannot unleash its full potential. Based on current data analysis, she needs a catalyst—a Star Core.】
"A Star Core?!" Luo Qingxue almost shouted, quickly covering her mouth and glancing at Lin Xiaoyu, who was focused on her training in the distance. She lowered her voice, "That thing is a federally controlled material; even my dad has to file a report to get one!"
I continued to analyze: 【A complete Star Core is indeed difficult to obtain, but Abandoned Star Cores still retain trace amounts of energy. If we can find a fragment that resonates with Xiaoyu's ability...】
Luo Qingxue's eyes lit up: "Abandoned Star Cores are almost depleted of energy, so the control isn't as strict!" She suddenly stood up and ran out without even putting on her training jacket, "I'm going to find my dad!"
Lin Xiaoyu was startled by her sudden movement: "Qingxue? Where are you going?"
"Be right back!" Luo Qingxue waved without looking back, "Keep training! Yun Feng will be watching you!"
The terminal screen promptly popped up: 【Training plan updated: Precision beam control practice, target: Simultaneously bind five moving targets.】
Lin Xiaoyu pouted: "Adding difficulty again..." But she still obediently adjusted her breathing and returned to training.
— — — —
In the Luo family study, Luo Tianxing was reviewing the year-end family report when the door suddenly opened a crack, and a pair of sparkling eyes peered through the gap.
"Dad~" Luo Qingxue drew out the sound, sneaking in like a cat and rubbing against the desk, "Busy?"
Luo Tianxing raised an eyebrow and put down his documents: "Tell me, what do you want now?" He was all too familiar with his daughter's demeanor.
"Well..." Luo Qingxue twirled a strand of hair around her finger, "Do you know about Abandoned Star Cores? The kind whose energy is almost depleted."
Luo Tianxing's expression hardened: "What do you want that for?"
"Research!" Luo Qingxue said confidently, "I'm very interested in the energy structure of Star Control abilities!"
Luo Tianxing narrowed his eyes, tapping his finger on the desk: "Although Abandoned Star Cores have little energy left, they are still controlled items." He paused, "Unless..."
"Unless what?" Luo Qingxue's eyes lit up.
"Unless you can prove that your research has practical value." Luo Tianxing showed a foxy smile, "For example, first analyze the energy structure of that 'Stardust Fragment' in the family's library."
Luo Qingxue's face instantly fell: "Even Grandpa couldn't analyze that fragment!"
"Then there's nothing I can do." Luo Tianxing spread his hands, a smile in his eyes, "Unless..."
"Unless what?!" Luo Qingxue stomped her foot in frustration.
"Unless you promise to spend two hours every day during the winter break studying advanced Star Control techniques with me."
Luo Qingxue's eyes widened: "Didn't you say you'd teach me when I reached A-rank?"
"Special circumstances, special treatment." Luo Tianxing gave her a meaningful look, "After all, any 'research' that can make my daughter so dedicated must be extraordinary, right?"
Luo Qingxue's face flushed, knowing her little scheme had been seen through, but she still insisted: "It's not! I just want to try!"
"Deal?" Luo Tianxing extended his hand.
"Deal!" Luo Qingxue grasped her father's hand, then slyly smiled, "So, when can I get the Star Core?"
Luo Tianxing took a metal box from his drawer and pushed it towards her: "It's been ready for a long time."
"Dad!" Luo Qingxue was both surprised and delighted, "You already guessed?"
"You and that girl Xiaoyu are inseparable. Her ability is stuck at a bottleneck; do you think I wouldn't notice? Your old man here is SS-rank!" Luo Tianxing ruffled his daughter's hair, "But remember, this Star Core only has 0.3% energy left, and it must be used under supervision."
"Got it!" Luo Qingxue hugged the box and ran off, "Thank you, Dad!"
Luo Tianxing watched his daughter's sprinting back, shaking his head and chuckling: "This girl..." Then, his gaze fell on the terminal at the corner of the desk, and he murmured thoughtfully: "Yun Feng... who exactly are you?"
— — — — — — — — — —
In the training room, Lin Xiaoyu had just finished a round of training and was sitting on the ground, panting.
The door was suddenly pushed open, and Luo Qingxue rushed in, clutching the metal box, her cheeks flushed from running: "Xiaoyu! Try this!"
"What is it?" Lin Xiaoyu curiously leaned closer.
Luo Qingxue smiled mysteriously and opened the box—a thumb-sized dark blue crystal lay quietly on the velvet cloth, its surface covered with cracks, yet still emitting a faint starlight.
"This is..." Lin Xiaoyu's pupils constricted slightly, and she felt her heart rate inexplicably quicken.
"A Star Core fragment," Luo Qingxue whispered, "Yun Feng said it might resonate with your ability."
【Don't...】
I was about to warn her, but I was a step too late. Lin Xiaoyu reached out, and the moment her fingertip touched the crystal—
"Buzz!"
A brilliant starlight suddenly erupted, illuminating the entire training room as if a galaxy had poured in!
"Nonsense!"
A furious roar suddenly exploded, and the training room door was violently pushed open. Luo Tianxing's figure swept in like a storm. He raised his hand, and twenty-eight dazzling stars instantly condensed, forming an impenetrable Star Glow Great Array that enveloped Lin Xiaoyu.
"Even a Abandoned Star Core has enough residual energy to kill you several times over!" Luo Tianxing's voice was uncharacteristically shaky with lingering fear.
Luo Qingxue's face was ashen, watching helplessly as Lin Xiaoyu in the array was torn apart by the violent Star Energy—her protective suit ripped apart inch by inch, fine blood marks appeared on her skin, and she was suspended in mid-air as if pulled by an invisible force.
【Warning: Energy runaway, unable to analyze!】 My terminal screen flashed frantically, but I was helpless.
At this moment, a gentle healing light flowed into the array like water. Su Wan's figure appeared at the door, her SS-rank healing ability operating at full power. The warm light enveloped Lin Xiaoyu, forming a delicate balance with the runaway Star Energy.
"Mom! Quickly save Xiaoyu!" Luo Qingxue cried, her voice choked with tears.
"Hold on..." Beads of sweat appeared on Su Wan's forehead, and the healing light repaired Lin Xiaoyu's damaged body like threads of silk.
After a full ten minutes, the last wisp of the Star Core's energy finally dissipated. Luo Tianxing withdrew the Star Array, and Lin Xiaoyu fell like a broken puppet, caught steadily by Su Wan.
The detector emitted urgent "beep, beep" sounds, and Su Wan's eyes widened in surprise: "Ability level... A-rank?!"
"What?!" Luo Qingxue rushed to the detector, "Jumped directly from F- to A-?!"
Even more shocking was the analysis chart on the screen—the waveform representing the ability simultaneously showed sharp, aggressive peaks and soft, healing curves.
"An unknown, new type of ability..." Su Wan gently stroked Lin Xiaoyu's forehead, "Possessing both offensive and healing properties, and both perfectly balanced."
"Isn't that similar to your ability, Mom?" Luo Qingxue's eyes sparkled.
Su Wan shook her head: "My healing light is purely a healing type; my offensive capability relies entirely on rank suppression. But Xiaoyu's..." She pointed to the intertwined energy waveforms on the screen, "Look, the offensive and healing properties can also switch perfectly."
"Then isn't Xiaoyu rich?" Just as Luo Qingxue smiled, her father gave her a smack on the back of the head.
"Still talking!" Luo Tianxing's beard trembled with anger, "If your dad and I hadn't arrived in time, this girl would have..." He couldn't finish, letting out a heavy sigh.
At this moment, Lin Xiaoyu's eyelashes fluttered, and she slowly opened her eyes. Her pupils actually shimmered with a faint starlight, and she spoke weakly: "I... I think I saw the Milky Way..."
Su Wan quickly pressed down on her as she tried to sit up: "Don't move! Your ability has just evolved; you need an adaptation period."
"Evolved?" Lin Xiaoyu looked blankly at her palm, a wisp of starlight flowing down from her hair, condensing into a small ball of light in her palm—the light was both warm like the morning sun and sharp like a sword's edge.
Luo Tianxing looked at Lin Xiaoyu's ability, his expression complex: "This probability of mutation... is probably less than one in a million."
"Is it because of the Star Core?" Luo Qingxue asked softly.
"Not entirely," Su Wan said softly, "The Star Core was just a catalyst. The real reason is..." She gently wiped the sweat from Lin Xiaoyu's forehead, "This child's ability was never 'fluorescence' from the very beginning."
Outside the window, dusk deepened. The moon quietly rose, as if witnessing the birth of a brand new ability.
