Night, Luo Qingxue's room.
Under the warm yellow light, Lin Xiaoyu sat on the bed in loose pajamas, her cheeks slightly flushed, her fingers nervously twisting the hem of her clothes.
"Qingxue..." she whispered, "I feel strange."
"Strange where?" Luo Qingxue tilted her head to look at her, then gave a mischievous smile, "Could it be that after your ability evolved, your body became more sensitive?"
"You, you don't talk nonsense!" Lin Xiaoyu's ear tips were bright red. She grabbed a pillow and threw it over, "I'm talking about my ability! My ability feels different!"
Luo Qingxue caught the pillow with a laugh and casually poked the terminal on the bedside table: "Hey, pervert Senior, how's the parsing coming along?"
I reluctantly typed a line of text on the screen: 【Can't you two be serious? I'm parsing ability data.】
"You've been parsing for ages and still no results!" Luo Qingxue pouted, poking the tablet with her finger, "I think you just want to see Lin Xiaoyu in her pajamas a few more times!"
【My dear young lady, I'm just an energy body right now, I don't even have a physical form. What difference does it make if I see her?】
"Aha, you can see her after all!"
Me: ...
This Miss Luo always has a different focus.
Lin Xiaoyu quickly smoothed things over: "Alright, alright, stop messing around. Let Cloud Maple Senior focus on parsing!"
Luo Qingxue narrowed her eyes: "Oh, Lin Xiaoyu, you're acting weird, aren't you? So protective of him? He's an ability inside me, not a real person, you know?"
"I, I'm not!" Lin Xiaoyu waved her hands frantically, but a wisp of Star Power uncontrollably spilled from her palm, bursting like a small firework with a 'pop', startling both of them.
"...It seems the ability is still unstable." Luo Qingxue finally dropped her playful expression and looked seriously at the terminal, "Yun Feng, do you have a conclusion?"
I quickly organized the data and displayed it on the screen: 【Initial parsing complete. Lin Xiaoyu's ability belongs to a variant of the Star Power system, possessing tidal-like fluctuation characteristics, capable of switching between attack and healing at will.】
"What should it be called then?" Lin Xiaoyu asked curiously.
I thought for a moment and typed out a name: Star Tide.
"Star Tide?" Lin Xiaoyu whispered the name, her eyes gradually brightening, "Like the tide of stars... so beautiful!"
Luo Qingxue raised an eyebrow: "Oh, pervert Senior is quite good at naming things, isn't he?"
【...Go to bed early if you have nothing to do.】 I decisively turned off the screen, refusing to be teased further.
"Pfft!" Lin Xiaoyu couldn't help but laugh, "Cloud Maple Senior ran away because of you."
Luo Qingxue gave a triumphant hum and flopped onto the bed: "Forget him! Sleep, sleep!"
Lin Xiaoyu also lay down, looking at the ceiling, and whispered: "Qingxue, thank you."
"Thank me for what?"
"Thank you for... always being there for me."
Luo Qingxue was silent for a moment, then reached out and turned off the light, muttering softly in the dark: "Idiot, we're friends."
Outside the window, starlight scattered, and on Lin Xiaoyu's fingertips, a faint glow quietly circulated, like the tide of stars, gentle and firm.
The next day, Lin Xiaoyu went to register her new type of ability accompanied by Luo Tianxing and Su Wan. This was a federal regulation; all newly appearing abilities had to be registered. Luo Qingxue was left alone, bored, venting in the training hall.
Luo Qingxue delivered a fierce whip kick to the training dummy, and the metal frame groaned under the strain. She wiped the sweat from her forehead and called out into the air: "Hey, Yun Feng!"
The terminal screen flickered, and I responded helplessly: Here.
"Why is my ability name so ugly? 'Parser', it sounds like an old scholar in a library!" She poked the screen angrily, "Look how nice Lin Xiaoyu's 'Star Tide' sounds!"
I was silent for two seconds, then a line of text slowly appeared on the screen: 【...Do you know what an SSS-rank Parser means?】
"Isn't it just being able to analyze abilities!" Luo Qingxue pouted, casually conjuring a miniature star to spin on her fingertip, "It's not as cool as my dad's Star Control."
The lights in the training hall suddenly dimmed for a moment. I brought up a holographic projection, displaying an encrypted file directly in front of her: 【Existing SSS-rank ability users in the Federation: 3 people. Strategic value assessment: Equivalent to an interstellar fleet.】
Luo Qingxue's fingers froze mid-air.
The projection continued to switch, showing detailed data for the Parser: 【Ability 1: Complete parsing of SSS-rank and below abilities. Ability 2: Reverse deduction of ability evolution paths. Ability 3: Can simulate and replicate other ability origins. Ability 4: Unlike other abilities, the Parser ability can theoretically reach Z-rank!】
"Th-this exaggerated?" Her voice trembled slightly.
I slowly typed the last line: 【If your parents knew you were a Parser, the Luo family would directly be promoted to a core family of the Federation. The gap between SS and SSS rank is not about power, but a fundamental difference.】
A strange silence fell over the training hall. Luo Qingxue slowly squatted down, hugging her knees, and whispered: "So... I'm actually more powerful than Mom and Dad?"
The door was suddenly pushed open, and Luo Tianxing rushed in, his face ashen: "Qingxue! Just got news..." His voice abruptly stopped as he stared intently at the SSS-rank data projection floating in the air. Su Wan followed closely behind, her healing light instinctively glowing in her hand. When they saw the content of the projection, the expressions of the two SS-rank powerhouses froze.
Damn it! I was so focused on explaining to Luo Qingxue that I didn't notice her parents arriving!
"This is..." Luo Tianxing's voice was hoarse, "The complete data... of the Parser?"
I quickly shut down the projection, but it was already too late. Luo Qingxue stood up stiffly, her lips trembling slightly: "Dad, Mom, I..."
Su Wan suddenly lunged forward and hugged her daughter, her trembling hand stroking her long hair: "No wonder... no wonder you could help Lin Xiaoyu awaken..." Her tears fell on her daughter's shoulder, "My silly child!"
Luo Tianxing took a deep breath, then suddenly knelt on one knee, his right hand pressed to his left chest—this was the Luo family's most solemn etiquette. When he looked up again, his eyes were filled with tears: "Qingxue, from today onwards, you are not just my daughter..."
"But also the future hope of the Luo family."
Inside the Luo family villa, the heavy curtains were fully drawn, and the entire study was enveloped in a soft energy barrier. The butler had already dismissed all irrelevant personnel, leaving only Luo Tianxing, Su Wan, Luo Qingxue, and Lin Xiaoyu.
Luo Qingxue took a deep breath and tapped on the terminal: "Yun Feng, do you want to tell them or should I?"
I was silent for a moment, then typed a line on the screen: 【Mr. Luo, Ms. Su, it's our first formal meeting. I am Yun Feng.】
Su Wan's eyes widened slightly: "Indeed... I just felt that the ability name 'Parser' sounded familiar." She reached out and pressed her hand to her daughter's forehead, the SS-rank healing light flowing, trying to probe the essence of the ability.
【Ms. Su, you won't be able to detect me.】 I continued typing, 【In fact, even I don't know what my current form of existence is.】
Luo Tianxing, however, didn't dwell on the issue too much. He leaned against the desk, arms crossed, a faint smile on his lips: "So, inside my daughter Qingxue... lives a man?"
"Dad!" Luo Qingxue's face instantly flushed red. She grabbed a throw pillow and threw it at him.
Su Wan unceremoniously pinched her husband's ear: "Is that how you talk?"
"Ow, ow, ow! Wife, I was wrong!" The dignified head of the Luo family immediately begged for mercy, rubbing his reddened ear, but his gaze remained sharp, "But speaking of which, who is dominant between you and Qingxue now?"
I carefully considered my wording: 【Currently, I am in symbiosis with Qingxue's ability and do not affect her autonomous will.】
Lin Xiaoyu quietly added from the side: "Cloud Maple Senior has always helped us train, and my ability evolution was also guided by him..."
Su Wan and Luo Tianxing exchanged glances, both showing shock in their eyes. SSS-rank... that was an existence at the pinnacle of the entire Federation. Even SS-rank powerhouses like them understood what that meant.
【Please keep this confidential for now.】 I continued typing, 【My ability has not yet fully awakened. Premature exposure might attract unnecessary trouble.】
Luo Tianxing's playful expression subsided, and he nodded solemnly: "Don't worry, only the four of us will know about this." He looked at his daughter, his eyes sparkling with pride and anticipation, "The reappearance of an SSS-rank ability... This will be the true opportunity for my Luo family to rise."
Su Wan gently held her daughter's hand: "Qingxue, from today onwards, the family will fully support your training." She paused, then glanced at the terminal again, "Of course... we will also respect 'Yun Feng's' guidance."
Luo Qingxue lowered her head a little shyly, but quickly looked up again, her eyes shining with determination: "Dad, Mom, I will work hard!"
Outside the window, the night deepened, but the future of the Luo family was completely illuminated at this moment.
Luo Tianxing almost emptied the family's treasure vault. Boxes of energy fluid filled the corners of the training ground, and the most precious energy essence fluid was stored in a special safe, only to be used when Luo Qingxue and Lin Xiaoyu's training reached a bottleneck.
The last week before the end of the winter break, the Luo family's underground training ground was brightly lit.
"This is too exaggerated..." Lin Xiaoyu muttered softly, looking at the room full of resources.
"You'll get used to it." Luo Qingxue shrugged, "My dad really went all out this time."
【Prepare to begin today's training.】 My voice sounded directly in Luo Qingxue's mind.
"Ah!" Luo Qingxue jolted, almost dropping the energy bottle in her hand, "Yun Feng?! You, how can you talk directly in my head?!"
Lin Xiaoyu looked confused: "Qingxue? What's wrong?"
【The mental link is successful.】 I explained, 【However, currently I can only establish this connection with you; others still need to use the terminal.】
Luo Qingxue rubbed her temples, her expression odd: "This feels so strange... it's like someone's typing on a keyboard in my head."
Lin Xiaoyu leaned closer curiously: "What did Cloud Maple Senior say?"
"He said he can now talk directly inside my head." Luo Qingxue pouted, "He also said it's time to start training."
Lin Xiaoyu immediately showed a strange expression, "Then if you two whisper, I won't know?"
..."
In the training ground, holographic projections simulated three A-rank ability users—'Lei Ting Power', 'Ice Queen', and 'Shadow Assassin'.
【Today's goal is to parse A-rank abilities.】 My voice echoed in Luo Qingxue's consciousness, 【While we can't fully mimic them yet, we can find countermeasures.】
Luo Qingxue took a deep breath, Star Power flowing around her. As she gazed at the first projection, intricate energy streams appeared in her pupils—that was my parsing ability at work. Inside the training ground, a dark blue data torrent surged deep within Luo Qingxue's pupils, and countless tiny light points reconstructed the ability model of 'Lei Ting Control' in her vision.
"So that's it..." she murmured softly, her voice trembling with sudden enlightenment, "Lei Ting Power doesn't spread in a straight line, but diffuses in a network along ionized trajectories... Each release requires reconstructing the ionized channel, which is the cause of that 0.3-second gap."
【Essence insight correct.】 My consciousness stirred ripples of admiration in her mind, 【What you see is not just superficial weaknesses, but structural flaws in the ability's origin.】
The energy fluid bottle in Lin Xiaoyu's hand suddenly slipped, bouncing on the shock-absorbing floor. Her eyes widened as she stared at her friend's profile—Luo Qingxue's whites of her eyes were completely occupied by dark blue data streams, and her irises had transformed into a constantly reassembling star chart.
After six continuous hours of high-intensity parsing, Luo Qingxue stumbled and knelt on the ground. Sweat condensed into tiny salt crystals on her training suit, but a victorious arc curved on her lips. "Three A-ranks..." she gasped, holding up three fingers, "From energy circuit construction to neural transmission delay... I saw through all of it."
【Parsing progress is ahead of schedule.】 I offered encouragement, 【At this rate, we should be able to complete the full deconstruction of A-rank abilities next semester.】
"What about S-rank?" she pressed in her consciousness, her mental tendrils still trembling slightly from over-parsing.
【It requires breaking through dimensional cognitive barriers.】 I guided her to recall her recent parsing experience, 【Just as you can now see through the 'ionized skeleton' of Lei Ting Power, S-rank requires you to directly observe the 'particle entanglement' of an ability...】
"Qingxue?!" Lin Xiaoyu suddenly rushed over and cupped her face, "Your left eye... your pupil has turned into a fractal structure!"
Luo Qingxue then realized her abnormal state and quickly closed her eyes to adjust her breathing. When she opened her eyes again, she found Lin Xiaoyu staring at her with a mix of fear and admiration.
"Uh..." She awkwardly tugged at the collar of her soaked training suit, "I was conducting... uh... deep tactical deduction?"
【I suggest controlling visual anomalies during your next parsing session.】 I reminded her helplessly.