Tohsaka Rei—yes, that was Tohsaka Rin’s daughter. Or perhaps she was Lin Luo’s daughter. As for why she bore the surname Tohsaka instead of Lin, that was indeed a question. After all, women in the Eleventh Continent usually took their husband’s surname upon marriage, and their children followed suit. Conversely, if a woman had a child before marriage, the child’s surname was entirely at the mother’s whim.

It was abundantly clear from this fact that, at least around the time the child was conceived, Tohsaka Rin’s mood index must have been rather low.

Thus, Lin Luo didn't fuss over the child's surname. To him, matters that ordinary families considered vital were quite trivial. As long as the child wasn't named something ridiculous like ‘Kitty Cat’ or ‘Doggy Dog,’ he didn't care if she was called Tohsaka Rei, Misaka Rei, or even Sonojouji Rei.

...If she had actually been named Sonojouji Rei, that would have been quite comical...

Because Tohsaka Rei suddenly burst into loud sobs, the question of how she managed to fall from the sky remained unanswered even after they arrived at the Sky City. Lin Luo was even severely lectured by Tohsaka Rin, who insisted the child only cried because he pressed her with his incessant questioning.

Lin Luo had strong opinions about Tohsaka Rin’s completely illogical blame, but regrettably, based on the current situation, his standing in Rin’s heart was clearly lower than Rei’s. So, with self-awareness, he wisely kept silent, accepting all the fault as his own.

However, his silence didn't mean he would willingly accept the blame. From his perspective, he firmly believed that this troublesome child, Tohsaka Rei, was likely the cunning and inwardly scheming type.

Upon returning to the Sky City, two girls, appearing about five or six years old, rushed to greet them. After a shy salutation to the group, they immediately led Tohsaka Rei away to play elsewhere.

“Those two girls look a little familiar...” Lin Luo murmured, frowning as he watched the backs of the two children retreating.

“They are Long Wanxuan’s daughters, you idiot!” Tohsaka Rin scoffed at his poor memory without hesitation.

“Oh, right!” Lin Luo smacked his forehead, finally remembering. Long Wanxuan indeed had two daughters. He recalled their names sounded something like Ding Dong and Ling Long, but time had passed too long for him; unless he intentionally delved into his memory banks, recalling them instantly was difficult.

“Speaking of which, they’ve grown so much. I remember them being about the same size as Xiao Rei the last time I saw them,” Lin Luo remarked with an aged air.

“Nonsense. Everyone grows up,” Rin snorted.

Lin Luo glanced at her. He felt strangely puzzled; he wondered what had set her off today, or perhaps she was experiencing premature menopause, given how sharply she spoke.

“This is the Sky City. It’s far more magnificent than I imagined,” Kaguya exclaimed after observing the various wonders and sights within the floating metropolis for a while.

“Indeed. Shall I take you on a tour?” Lin Luo said solemnly, completely unconcerned that Tohsaka Rin was nearby trying to curry favor with Kaguya. In truth, his intention was serious: given Rin's current 'Fierce Tigress' disposition, he felt immense pressure.

When women become mothers, it can sometimes be truly tragic for men.

“No need, I prefer to explore alone the first time,” Kaguya smiled faintly and walked forward.

Watching Kaguya’s receding back, Lin Luo turned his gaze back only to see Tohsaka Rin’s displeased expression. With a sharp toss of her hair, she marched into the main hall of the Sky City.

Lin Luo broke into a sweat and hurried to follow her inside.

“Only you? Where are the others?” Lin Luo suddenly asked after walking a short distance. The Sky City was certainly not empty—apart from the three hundred maids, he was referring to the Hostesses.

He could sense only Tohsaka Rin’s aura as a Hostess throughout the entire city.

“They are in the separate dimension,” Tohsaka Rin replied without turning back as she walked. “You know, the last time you tried to contact us, all of us, except Mikoto, were cultivating in the separate dimension. We only knew how much trouble you were in when Mikoto reached out. We had to interrupt our seclusion—that was a huge loss. So, the day we returned, everyone except me, including Yi Wen and the others, immediately re-entered the dimension.”

“I see.” Lin Luo instantly understood, then inquired, “Tell me more about the Heart of the World.”

As they talked, they arrived in the living room. As soon as they were seated, maids promptly brought tea and pastries. Tohsaka Rin took a few sips of black tea before saying, “We’ve only scratched the surface of the Heart of the World’s power. Setting aside other aspects, even that seemingly invincible combat technique is, according to Mikoto, just the tip of the iceberg.”

“The tip of the iceberg?” Lin Luo was startled. “If I remember correctly, the highest level attainable with the Heart of the World is Huaxin (Heart Transformation). Even though you haven't reached it, Mikoto has attained that highest realm. Are you saying even that is just the tip of the iceberg?”

“Yes,” Tohsaka Rin nodded. “I don’t know the specifics since I haven't reached Huaxin, but Mikoto was very serious when she told us that; she wouldn't lie about it. Moreover... she also told us that since reaching Huaxin, strange images occasionally flash through her mind.”

At this point, Tohsaka Rin’s expression grew subtly serious.

“Strange images?”

“It’s hard to describe in words. See for yourself.” As she spoke, Tohsaka Rin tapped the air beside her, instantly manifesting a light mirror. “This is the form Mikoto materialized using her power to show everything she saw. Don’t be too shocked after watching.”

Lin Luo looked into the light mirror. Within it, clouds and mist swirled, revealing faint mountain ranges—it resembled a view photographed from high altitude looking down. At first, he paid it little mind, but as the perspective slowly zoomed out and pulled away, the scenery shifted from mountains to a planet, then from the planet to a cosmos, and from the cosmos to a world. When the zooming continued to pull further back, his expression inevitably grew solemn.

This ceaseless outward zooming continued for almost ten minutes, until Lin Luo could no longer discern what he was looking at. Then, a figure suddenly appeared in the frame. It was at this moment that the distant zooming finally stopped, but what followed was the most shocking event.

The figure in the frame suddenly struck out with a palm, and in an instant, everything previously seen—the mountains, the planet, the cosmos, the world—vanished into smoke... Just one palm strike, a single blow, and nothing remained!

Whoosh!

Lin Luo violently pushed himself up from the sofa, his knees slamming into the coffee table. The table shook, and the cups resting upon it immediately tipped over, clattering onto the floor. Lin Luo, however, remained completely oblivious, still staring at the light mirror, his face ashen, wearing an expression of utter disbelief.

“Well, quite a shock, wasn’t it?” Tohsaka Rin seemed to have fully anticipated his reaction and was not surprised in the slightest.

Lin Luo remained silent, staring blankly for a long time. Only after Tohsaka Rin retracted the light mirror did he sit back down, take a deep breath, and say in a heavy tone, “This is more than a shock; it’s... sensational!”

It was no wonder Lin Luo was so stunned, for what he had just witnessed was truly extraordinary.

Although the light mirror appeared somewhat blurry, his eyesight was sharp, and he clearly saw that the shifting scenery during the zoom-out was, in fact, the perspective of exiting a world. The initial ascent seemed like a warm-up, flying upward, but every subsequent change in scenery represented a process of jumping worlds.

Tian Dao had once mentioned that worlds were multifaceted. The known worlds were divided into five types: Minor Thousand Worlds, Great Thousand Worlds, Unmeasured Worlds, Infinite Worlds, and the most mysterious Outer Heaven World.

Three thousand Minor Thousand Worlds formed one Great Thousand World; three thousand Great Thousand Worlds formed one Primal World; and countless Primal Worlds combined to form an Infinite World.

For instance, the time-space they currently inhabited was located within the Infinite World.

However!

If his guess was correct, the view displayed in the light mirror showed the figure exiting the Infinite World, and then that person unleashed a single palm strike, causing the entire Infinite World to vanish!

Was such a thing possible?

Lin Luo dared not believe it.

If a Minor Thousand World, a Great Thousand World, or even a Primal World were annihilated by a single blow, he wouldn't find it strange. But the Infinite World... that was truly endless; to be wiped out by one strike seemed utterly fantastical!

“Did you... tell Yao Yao about this?” Lin Luo asked, his voice slightly dry.

Tohsaka Rin nodded. “Of course. When we saw that image, we were nearly scared to death and went to find Yao Yao immediately.”

“And what did she say?”

“Well... her expression was much better controlled than yours, but I swear, in my entire life, I probably won't see that look of shock she had back then again.”

Tohsaka Rin gave a wry smile, then continued, “And besides that, she said one more thing.”

“What was it?”

“She said: I cannot do that. Even at my peak, I couldn't accomplish something like this!”

So, it was true...

Hearing those words, Lin Luo couldn't help but close his eyes.

Yao Yao’s peak state, theoretically, was the Outer Heaven realm. Yet, even at that level, she couldn't annihilate the Infinite World with a single palm strike. But... the figure in the light mirror managed it!

And it looked... effortless!

Who could that person be?

And what was their connection to the Heart of the World? (To be continued) RQ