After Mo Li's explanation, countless players became hyped.
Various support builds, stacking buffs like crazy, then unleashing explosive damage in a single moment…
They'd already mastered plays like that in Honkai Impact 3.
With Mo Li's little nudge, everyone had an enlightenment moment, logged in, and started checking character skill effects.
Elysia found that playstyle really interesting, too.
But after Mo Li's reminder, everyone also understood: to play like that you first had to level up the characters.
Afterwards Mo Li ran Elysia through a boss once, helped clear her stamina, and then logged off.
Elysia closed her stream soon after.
For a while she didn't stream Genshin again.
Her explanation was simple — "I'm going to train in secret, then give you all a surprise~"
Meanwhile Honkai Impact 3 rolled out its update amid eager anticipation.
New character, new plot, new events.
In this patch Mo Li released all of chapters 20, 21, and 22 at once.
This patch — and even the next one — were designed specifically around Fu Hua.
Many Honkai stories only appeared in comics or visual novels, and Mo Li had no plans to publish new comics or novels.
So those comic-only plots were added as game side-stories instead.
Previously he'd already added several comic plots into the side-stories.
The one he hadn't added yet was the Shenzhou Sword Chronicle.
Mo Li's reason was simple: the Fu Hua shown so far hadn't yet revealed a dazzlingly brilliant personality.
Besides her unusual identity — an immortal, a survivor of the previous epoch, the team's class leader — Fu Hua's other details remained shrouded in mystery.
Releasing the Shenzhou Sword Chronicle now would tug at players' heartstrings — it would be a sharp, emotional blade — but…
Mo Li felt it wasn't sharp enough yet.
Put plainly: Fu Hua's blade hadn't been polished into its sharpest edge.
If players first finished the Herrscher of Sentience storyline, learned more about Fu Hua, saw the five-thousand-year struggle she'd endured against the Honkai to protect Shenzhou…
Then feeding them the Shenzhou Sword Chronicle afterward would hit the hardest.
So Mo Li planned to release that side-story in the next patch.
Heh heh heh…
…
On the day Honkai Impact 3 updated, Elysia and Eden happened to be at the miHoYo studio.
When Kiana started her stream, Elysia popped over to join the fun.
Himeko didn't object to the arrangement — she wasn't particularly into streaming — so if Elysia wanted to go, she could.
As soon as the stream opened, Kiana hadn't even said anything before Elysia waved at the cam.
"Hi~ Surprised to see me~?"
"Ahem… good afternoon everyone, I'm Kiana~" Kiana did a proper intro.
The chat exploded.
[Elysia!!]
[No way—Elysia's in the official miHoYo stream?!]
[Kiana!!]
[No Himeko today??]
They were genuinely surprised.
After the Honkai update, many of Elysia and Eden's fans had checked Bilibili's live stream.
They were a little disappointed that Elysia wasn't streaming herself; seeing her in the official miHoYo room was an unexpected treat.
Reading the chat, Elysia smiled and explained, "Himeko's resting today, so I'm standing in for her~"
"Kiana, start the game already. I've been waiting for this new story forever~"
Kiana nodded. "Me too. I heard the boss said Otto's going to get beaten up in this chapter."
The chat filled with question marks — then with glee.
Finally… Otto would get what's coming to him.
Players suddenly thought miHoYo's boss must really love the players, actually arranging such a scene — they were moved!
…
Kiana logged into the game.
The opening played like always: an animated PV.
[S-Rank Fu Hua Armor — Herrscher of Sentience]
Kiana sat up straight. The viewers in the stream tensed, too.
miHoYo's shorts and PVs never half-assed things — the content and music were always top-tier.
The animation opened with a plaintive xiao (bamboo flute).
A full moon hung in the night sky; the camera drifted down and finally fixed on a graveyard of towering swords.
Night sky, full moon, sword graves… combined with that distant, ancient-sounding xiao…
The scene was spectacular, like something out of an xianxia (immortal swordsman) tale — it made viewers' eyes light up.
Appropriate for Fu Hua, the immortal — the visuals breathed sword-immortal elegance.
Fu Hua's lively voice came in: "Times have changed!"
"We don't have to play other people's parts anymore!"
"We can be ourselves… Yes! Our true selves."
The image faded to black, and a few ink-brush calligraphy lines slowly appeared.
[The cognizer — the source of the souls of all things]
[I — the holder of the cognition of all beings]
The music shifted sharply as the picture changed.
Drums, xiao, and pipa played together, forming a classical melody.
The plucked strings sounded like rain on banana leaves, like flowing high mountains — quick and slow — carrying a killing intent.
It was breathtaking.
Everyone watching the clip was stunned.
They had to praise miHoYo's music team again — insanely talented.
The scene showed Fu Hua sitting regally atop a dais in ornate clothing.
"In the past I tasted failure, I suffered betrayal…"
"And now… I will control everything."
As Fu Hua's voice continued, the music accelerated; the pipa's plucking grew more frantic.
"This is the complete Chi Yuan, the complete Fu Hua, the complete—"
"—I!"
On that final emphatic line the music paused, then heavy beats struck along with the pipa, thudding as if on the audience's chests.
The concept art for the Herrscher of Sentience was fully revealed.
Unlike Fu Hua's previously solemn appearance, the Herrscher's outfit kept ancient Long Kingdom elements but injected a rebellious streak.
Her hairstyle looked haughtier, perfectly matching the tone of her lines.
As the pipa alternated between fast and slow, the PV showed the Herrscher's normal and branching attacks.
"You're pathetically weak!"
The trio of ranged weapons, sword, and whip was dazzling.
The branching attacks were stylish to the extreme, and Fu Hua's lines radiated overflowing confidence.
"Ha ha ha~"
With Fu Hua's excited laugh the entire scene contracted, the whole world seeming to compress into a single sphere that dropped into her hand.
"Void's Grasp!"
Fu Hua intoned, then crushed the little world in her palm…
"Boom!"
Seeing such a lavish ultimate, Kiana's eyes went wide.
Whether it was the domineering "Void's Grasp" or the PV's bombastic ultimate effect, it was unbelievably gorgeous.
"This… this…" Kiana stared at the screen. "This is so cool!!"
"Class leader!! So handsome!!"
Fu Hua, working quietly in the background, heard Kiana shout and felt a little embarrassed.
The chat exploded.
[WTF?? That ultimate effect…]
[miHoYo art and music teams are gods…]
[They went crazy — how are other games supposed to compete?]
[Immortal!! Class leader!! Aaaaaah…]
[Fu Hua the immortal genuinely charms everyone, love it]
[One ultimate and that's it? Are you doing this on purpose so I'll spend money?? I'll top up!!]
[Free-to-play army… sorry, I can't stop myself from buying (crying)]
[miHoYo slaps!!]
Elysia clicked her tongue with admiration. "Oh my… amazing. I wonder if my ultimate will be that flashy."
That casual line was heard by viewers.
[??? Elysia just said what?]
["My ultimate…" Elysia!! Did you and miHoYo collaborate?]
[Elysia! Don't dodge — are you working with miHoYo?]
[AHHHH… want Elysia's character card!!]
Realizing she'd let something slip, Elysia glanced toward where Mo Li was watching and asked what he thought.
Mo Li just smiled and didn't seem to mind.
Elysia grinned mischievously. "Ha~ you caught me~"
"Yep. Mo Li and I agreed he'd use my template to make a character card in the game."
"As for when it'll come out… I don't know, but I can tell you a secret…"
"In Honkai Impact 3, I'm a warrior from the previous civilized era — same as Fu Hua."
Hearing this, the chat went ballistic.
Elysia really was working with Mo Li.
And she was a warrior from the previous epoch…
Would that mean stories from the previous epoch would be added? Or that Elysia had survived to this era like Fu Hua?
Suddenly countless players were filled with anticipation.
Elysia didn't engage the chat much after that — not because she didn't want to, but because she honestly didn't know the details herself.
…
In-game, the Herrscher of Sentience PV finished.
Kiana clicked straight into the main quest.
[Feather of a Thousand Years]
That was the title for Main Chapter 20.
"Of course it's the class leader's story…"
Before the chapter began, there was that familiar play button.
Kiana clicked it. After the loading screen, the scene opened in darkness, then a lively voice.
"Hey, wake up, you've slept too long~"
Two dialogue choices appeared. Kiana chose the top one: [I… who am I?]
The lively voice: "Don't play dumb! Things have changed; your brain's fine."
"Hurry, dig through your memory bank and figure out who you are — we've got work to do~"
"Oh right, I'm your id."
Then a distant voice chimed in: "I'm your superego. Don't worry — you're not schizophrenic or crazy. We're both you."
Two voices, one calling itself the "id," the other the "superego."
Kiana was puzzled by the strange conversation.
"Try to remember, you are—" The id's prompt made Kiana select to recall.
Memories of Fu Hua flashed by.
Everyone watching realized this was Fu Hua's memory.
Superego: "Remember now? They were all you, they once were you~"
Id: "Got it? No time to waste. If your brainwaves get out, he'll find you fast…"
Another choice popped up; Kiana instinctively clicked [Who is 'he'?]
Id: "Otto Apocalypse. Finish reading your memories — he's further back."
Superego: "He's the leader of Schicksal, your old friend, the only one who still knows… that you're alive!"
"A liar… a murderer!"
A narrator explained: Kiana's game viewpoint was Fu Hua's.
She was in a life-support pod; the liquid in it had healed all her injuries.
Fu Hua was now at her peak state.
Seeing this, many players felt a thrill.
Finally, the returning immortal would exact revenge on Otto — it was going to be cathartic, right?
As the story moved forward, the id and superego tried to persuade Fu Hua to break out of the pod and walk out.
When she stepped out, Otto appeared.
"My old friend… you finally woke up~"
Seeing the blond man with that tone of control, many players bristled.
The id and superego voices chimed in.
Superego: "He's Otto Apocalypse."
Id: "Your relationship with him… complicated."
Superego: "He calls himself your friend, but he tricked you."
Otto spoke to Fu Hua: "Aren't you going to say hello? Ah, never mind — you just woke up and still need observation and treatment."
"Although the exams say you're fully recovered, I worry something could go wrong…"
When Fu Hua didn't answer, Otto added, puzzled: "You won't hate me, will you, old friend? Are you… okay? Do you remember me?"
Fu Hua said nothing, but the two voices in her head argued.
Id: "I'd recognize him even if he turned to ash — you should just tell him off!"
Superego: "Let's see what he's after first. We can't attack an unarmed person."
Id: "Huh? This guy can pull out weapons anytime!"
A prompt appeared; Kiana clicked [Why am I here?]
Otto's voice turned serious: "Because I didn't want you to die."
"We've known each other for a long time, old friends. I know your brain injury wouldn't kill you, but I didn't want to waste another twenty years."
"In short, you didn't owe me anything, I shot you, so I brought you back and healed you."
Fu Hua's inner voice spoke again.
Superego: "What a master of whitewashing his evil."
Id: "Kill him!! He brought the Honkai, he ruined everyone at St. Freya, he shows no remorse."
Id: "How can you still trust him? He would betray without hesitation! Remember how he treated you then."
Memory scenes surfaced.
During the War of Destiny, Otto had shot her in the head.
Id: "That pain — let him feel the hurt you felt!"
Superego: "He's the most dangerous person in the world; his scheme must be stopped. Now is the time…"
"He killed Himeko. If not for him, the captain wouldn't have had to pay such a price."
Mentioning Himeko made both the in-game Fu Hua and Kiana watching the story furious.
Superego: "Nothing can stop you now. You can become whole again!"
Id: "Kill him!!"
At that point, countless players trembled with excitement and cried, "miHoYo gets me~~"
The plot of beating Otto up was just too satisfying.
The chat urged on.
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