The Gamer who traveled to Honkai: Star Rail

After Pei Guang's group left, disappearing as quickly as they'd arrived, Jing Yuan chuckled to himself. He'd mostly been piecing together clues, and now that everything was organized, all he had to do was wait for the mastermind behind the scenes to reveal themselves.

Until then, it was technically his "rest period"—but with Luofu in such chaos, how could he truly rest? There were many places he needed to visit personally. Before heading out, he contacted the other Xianzhou generals.

After sending out information about the Echo of War featuring the Lord Ravager, Jing Yuan calmly returned to his room to enjoy some tea.

Through official channels, he managed to reach Fu Xuan, letting her handle the inevitable headaches. After all, he was supposed to be "recovering."

Of course, "resting" for Jing Yuan just meant slacking off slightly compared to his usual workload. He still had plenty to do. Once his tasks were wrapped up, he planned to enter the Echo himself to see what Phantylia's shadow was really capable of.

On top of that, he was already thinking about how to maximize the value of the limited slots. Pei Guang had entrusted him with just three slots per week, which sounded like a lot.

But in the grand scheme of the universe? Those slots were incredibly scarce. Especially since this Echo space featured a former Emanator of Destruction. The moment Jing Yuan spread the word, the other Xianzhou factions practically exploded with interest.

After all, the Xianzhou Alliance was already preparing for war against the Antimatter Legion. What better way to boost morale than humiliating a former Lord Ravager before the fighting even started?

This temptation wasn't just limited to the Xianzhou. Every faction in the galaxy that opposed the Legion was thrilled by the news. 

Resources? Negotiable. But the chance to humiliate a former Lord Ravager? Priceless.

Jing Yuan had to admit—even he couldn't resist the temptation. He powered through all his work in just three hours, sent Pei Guang a quick message, and made his way to the Scalegorge Waterscape.

Despite his packed schedule, Jing Yuan was determined to squeeze in this experience. After testing out the Echo of War, he still had to visit the Six Charioteers and even the Underworld Prison. If only he knew how to teleport… but sadly, he didn't.

At the Echo's entrance, Seele was already waiting, ready to act as his guide. They'd fought side by side against Phantylia before. Though they hadn't exchanged many words, they nodded to each other in silent acknowledgment.

And with Seele leading the way, Jing Yuan stepped into the Echo of War.

As Jing Yuan stepped into the Echo of War, he immediately noticed Phantylia lingering within the space. Observing the manifestation shaped by unique energies, he couldn't help but marvel.

"As expected of Ah Guang… to stabilize an Echo space of this caliber. Such a solid structure— even the Lighting Lord can operate freely here."

Jing Yuan was testing the limits of this Echo of War. 

Normally, Echo spaces were special constructs formed under the influence of real-world energies. While they maintained decent stability, overwhelming energy surges could trigger spatial collapses.

However, when Jing Yuan summoned the Lighting Lord, the space remained perfectly intact. There wasn't even a ripple of distortion—Phantylia's shadow didn't flinch, and not even the Lighting Lord's immense power could disrupt the environment.

Of course, this was a player's instance. No one's ever heard of a dungeon collapsing just because a player dealt too much damage. Worst case scenario? You might get banned.

Jing Yuan wasn't here just to mess around; he was conducting an experiment. After a few trials, he confirmed that the Echo was incredibly stable. If even the Lighting Lord couldn't cause any issues, then safety was guaranteed.

"Perfect. Now, let's see how much fight you've got left in you, Phantylia."

His gaze shifted toward the familiar foe. Without hesitation, he directed the Lighting Lord to attack.

Ever since Pei Guang had toyed with the Lighting Lord, it had undergone an enhancement—an upgrade that also happened to be the reason Jing Yuan had been unconscious for a while.

Now, the Lighting Lord wasn't just a trump card for ultimate moves. It had become an extension of Jing Yuan's basic combat style—something he could wield as casually as a standard attack.

Fifteen minutes later, the group chat for Xianzhou's Arbiter-Generals, usually a dead-silent channel, lit up with a single message from Jing Yuan.

It was a photo.

The image was simple: the Lighting Lord holding Phantylia down with a spoon, pinning her face into the ground. Jing Yuan was squatting next to her, striking a "gangster" pose like some street punk showing off a victory.

Beneath the photo, he'd written:

"Comrades, this Echo space enhanced by the player is incredibly fun. Four slots available every week. I encourage everyone in the Alliance to sign up!"

After sending the message, Jing Yuan quickly shot off a few additional texts to Fu Xuan—and then immediately turned off his device.

Meanwhile, in the Divination Commission, Fu Xuan was deep in work when she suddenly felt a sharp pang in her forehead.

"Hm?"

The Third Eye wasn't a natural part of her body. For Xianzhou natives, foreign implants like this often triggered intense rejection responses, causing sharp pain, but Fu Xuan was long accustomed to such discomfort. Knowledge always came with a price. For the sake of the Xianzhou, for her comrades, and to defy destiny itself, a little pain was nothing.

However, this time the pain felt… different. Almost as if the Third Eye was trying to send her a warning.

Fu Xuan frowned. "What's going on?"

She massaged her temples, then took a sip from a drink loaded with sugar. The sweetness helped dull the ache a little.

Seizing the moment, she cast a divination to get some clarity. But as soon as the reading settled, her eyebrows furrowed tightly.

"What the hell? Why does the reading suggest a major upheaval in Luofu? Huh? What's this nonsense? Why does it say the Antimatter Legion will stop at nothing until we're annihilated?"

Honestly, she would've been better off not asking. The more she saw, the worse it got. Just as her head began to throb even more, a new message arrived—one that made her headache spike to unbearable levels.

Fu Xuan received messages from the other five Xianzhou ships. Skipping over the flowery formalities, the core message was simple:

"Looks like Luofu has something interesting! We'd like to share in the experience. We also need to familiarize ourselves with the Lord Ravager's combat style. We're sending our representatives to give the Lord Ravager a couple of slaps—long live the morale of the Cloud Knights!"

"…Huh?"

Staring at the messages, Fu Xuan couldn't shake the feeling that something was seriously off. Phantylia had already been dealt with, so why were these people so eager to come over just to slap the Lord Ravager around?

She double-checked the details. Aside from Yaoqing's delegation, the rest were all civil officials. Their purpose? A group tour to collectively smack Phantylia in the face.

Fu Xuan blinked. "Wait… hasn't Phantylia already been captured by Ah Guang?"

While still trying to process this absurdity, she received another document—this time from Jing Yuan. After skimming through the neatly organized report, Fu Xuan's expression shifted from composed to downright furious.

"General! You… you bastard!!!"

It all made sense now. These messages weren't meant for her—they were for Jing Yuan. But Jing Yuan, ever the lazy strategist, had dumped the responsibility on her. Officially, it was framed as "training" to help her better understand the duties of a general.

In reality, he just didn't feel like dealing with it.

Helplessly, Fu Xuan had no choice but to handle the situation. At the same time, she couldn't help but admire Pei Guang. It had been less than twelve hours since he'd stirred up chaos with the Vidyadhara, and now he was causing a ruckus on the Xianzhou? Truly impressive.

That said, she could clearly see the potential here. This incredibly stable Echo of War was a massive asset for Luofu. The opportunity was right in front of her—whether she could seize it or not depended on her abilities.

She also realized this might be a test from Jing Yuan, to see if she could handle such a high-profile situation.

In reality, though, Fu Xuan was overthinking it. Jing Yuan just wanted to slack off for a few days, leaving her with the headache while he focused on uncovering more hidden threats within Luofu.

Meanwhile, the other Xianzhou generals who saw Jing Yuan's message in the group chat were practically grinding their teeth with envy.

The authenticity of the Lord Ravager was beyond question. And here was Jing Yuan, not only having the Lighting Lord pin Phantylia to the ground with a spoon but also posing for photos while humiliating her. 

The fact that they couldn't join in made them seethe with jealousy.

So, they quickly dispatched envoys, eager for their own people to experience the joy of humiliating the Lord Ravager firsthand.

Thus, this Echo of War—born from March 7th's casual comment and Pei Guang's influence—was destined to become a signature feature of Luofu. With Jing Yuan leading the charge, the mockery of Phantylia had only just begun.

Embarrassing? Who cares? Humiliating the enemy is a surefire way to boost the morale of your own forces. When they eventually faced the Emanators of the Antimatter Legion, they wouldn't just fight—they'd play these recordings mid-battle. Not only would they strike the body, but they'd also shatter the spirit!

After all, there had never been an opportunity to publicly humiliate an enemy Emanator before. Now that they had the chance, they were going to milk it for all it was worth.

As for whether it would truly break the Antimatter Legion's morale—that was a problem for the Legion's foot soldiers to deal with in the future.

At this very moment, aboard the Star Destroyer, Phantylia—who had foolishly thought she'd get some peace and quiet after those people left—found herself staring at the broadcast.

Her smug expression slowly faded. The calm she'd managed to regain was shattered once more.

The laughter of her former comrades filled the room, echoing around her. It was the kind of laughter that made it feel like she wasn't an Emanator of Destruction, but rather an Emanator of Elation.