However, after only a few days, Qi Zhimu's image in Jingliu's heart became cold and unfeeling once again.
A new item was added to the training regimen: flexibility training.
"Among the Abominations of Abundance that the Cloud Knights must face, there are many races with extremely bizarre forms whose attack angles are unpredictable."
"Whether it is parrying their offensive or striking first, you must be even more unpredictable than they are. The prerequisite is that your body must be flexible enough to contort into incredible positions."
Jingliu had a bad premonition and asked cautiously, "For example...?"
"For example, like this."
As he spoke, Qi Zhimu suddenly turned his back to Jingliu, but in the next second, his upper body eerily rotated 180 degrees.
!!
Jingliu was startled out of her wits.
"Won't the lumbar spine really break?"
"At first it will. Once it has broken enough times, it won't anymore. The younger you are, the easier it is to train. By the time you reach adulthood and the bones are completely set, the difficulty and the pain will skyrocket."
Qi Zhimu did not fail to see the fear in his disciple's eyes, but he had no intention of changing his mind.
"For now, flexibility training and attack precision training will alternate daily. Once you are used to it, we will resume doing both every day."
"This..."
"What, afraid of suffering?"
"I-I am... but I won't back down, Master!"
"Very well. First, complete today's long-distance run and sword-swinging training."
"Yes..."
The sun rose and the sun set.
Screams echoed throughout the entire Martial Arts Field, drowning out all other sounds and spreading intermittently into the distance.
Unfortunately, this delve was far from the hustle and bustle of the world; no matter how miserable the screams, only Qi Zhimu could hear them.
By nightfall, Jingliu was paralyzed on the ground, her slender brows tightly knit into a frown.
Not long ago, her body had been folded into various incredible angles by Qi Zhimu.
Her feet and arms were all eerily bent, her legs were nearly pressed against her back, and the shoulder joints connecting her arms were rotated backward... Overall, the most appropriate term to describe Jingliu's current appearance was: no longer human-shaped.
She was also lying prone on the ground, with her arms extending behind her back to meet her feet, which were also extending behind her back, forming a circle.
Besides this, she was manipulated into other high-difficulty poses... No matter how much she had suffered recently, Jingliu had never asked Qi Zhimu for mercy, but this time, she practiced until she wept and could not help but beg for reprieve.
Yes, she couldn't help it.
Although she wanted to grit her teeth and persevere, once the body's self-protection mechanism sent signals to the brain, her mouth became uncontrollable.
In her blurred consciousness, she caught sight of Qi Zhimu's expressionless face and even began to suspect that her master had sadistic tendencies.
She would faint from the sheer pain, only to wake up again after a while.
Before losing consciousness for the last time, two thoughts flashed through Jingliu's mind.
First: The word 'gentleness' truly no longer existed in the depths of Master's heart.
Second: Since she was in such a miserable state, she probably wouldn't be able to train for a long time... right?
But was that really the case?
Naturally not.
When Jingliu found herself waking up as usual, with no traces of injury on her body and feeling refreshed, her brain was filled with a dozen question marks.
With such heavy injuries, no matter how strong Xianzhou's medical skills were, they couldn't possibly allow a Xianzhou person's regenerative abilities to complete self-healing after just one night's sleep, could they?
Short-Lived Species often said it takes a hundred days to recover from bone and muscle injuries, but for Long-lived Species like the Xianzhou people, it still took several days for broken arms or legs to recover.
If a limb was lost, it would take at least dozens of days to regrow.
Last night, almost every bone in her body had been broken. She thought that even if her master's medical skills were extraordinary, she would need to recuperate for many days at the very least.
But with the current situation... Jingliu sat blankly on the bed, completely in a daze. The thought of asking her master for the specific reason arose, but she immediately dismissed it.
Sigh... forget it.
During this period, she didn't know how many times she felt like she was going to be worked to death, yet she never actually died.
From this, it was evident that Master knew her body better than she did and knew exactly where her limits were.
As a disciple, she only needed to listen to her master and endure the bitter training.
Long-distance running, sword swinging, grueling practice for attack precision and body flexibility... the cycle repeated.
As soon as she completed the current targets, if she remained conscious, new targets would be added immediately, making it impossible for her to finish, with fainting from exhaustion being the only outcome.
During this time, Wind of Evil came to visit Qi Zhimu.
Even with the General's experience and composure, witnessing the scene of Qi Zhimu training his disciple caused the corners of his eyes to twitch uncontrollably.
Finally, seeing him pick up the physically distorted Jingliu to carry her back to the house, the General couldn't help but speak up.
"If your methods were reported to the Department of Terrestrial Surveys, you'd definitely be charged with several crimes..."
Things like intentional harm or abuse would not be an exaggeration.
After all, Jingliu was just a child of Tender Years.
"She is already a member of the Cloud Knights Reserve Army," Qi Zhimu replied indifferently with just a few words.
"..." Wind of Evil was left speechless.
Fine, seeing Qi Zhimu's inhumane way of training his disciple, he had forgotten that he was the one who arranged for Jingliu to enter the reserve army.
Once one became part of the Cloud Knights Reserve Army, except for the Foxians who had poorer recovery abilities, one had to endure no matter how bitter it was.
As long as Xianzhou people and Vidyadhara didn't die, there would be military healers to step in and let you recover as quickly as possible.
However, the Foxians on the Yaoqing Xianzhou had training volumes that were basically identical to the local Xianzhou people and Vidyadhara.
In the unit known as the Qingqiu Guard, the training items for Foxians were even too much for many Vidyadhara who were naturally physically powerful to handle.
"Three days from now is when you will lead the army on the expedition. I have already arranged the military affairs, but..."
"General, feel free to speak plainly."
"There are still a few tough nuts to crack."
"I know. After all, I am not a person of the Yaoqing. It's simple: whoever is defiant will behave after a good beating."
"Mm, it seems you will be able to mingle well with the Yaoqing Cloud Knights." Wind of Evil gave a reassured smile.
The Yaoqing valued martial prowess; there was nothing that couldn't be settled by a duel.
If there was, then it just meant the beating wasn't hard enough... Two days later.
When Jingliu woke up, she found that Qi Zhimu was not training at the Martial Arts Field as usual.
He was clad in Cloud Knight battle armor, holding scissors and directly cutting off his long hair.
"Master, you are...?"
"Expedition against the Abominations. We set out tomorrow."
"Then I..."
"I have entrusted someone to take you to the delve where the Cloud Knight training camp is located. While I am away on the expedition, you will train with the Cloud Knights Reserve Army."
Hearing this, Jingliu was slightly stunned.
Having become accustomed to seeing her master every time she woke up, the sudden change made a trace of reluctance well up in her heart.
"Should the training intensity be maintained or increased?" she asked.
"Control it moderately yourself. The reserve army isn't just about spending days in bitter training; you can also continue your unfinished Academy courses there."
Qi Zhimu put down the scissors and tilted his head to adjust the angle as he shaved his stubble.
"Just passing those Literature and Poetry Classes is enough, but for the course 'Detailed Explanation of the Great Enemy: Abominations of Abundance,' you must achieve a perfect score. Do you understand?"
"I understand, Master. How long will you be gone on this expedition?"
"Unknown. Perhaps six months at the fastest, or over a year at the slowest."
"If all goes well, Master should be able to make it back for my Coming-of-Age Ceremony. I want Master to personally... is that okay?"
"Provided that things go smoothly." Qi Zhimu did not refuse, nor did he give a clear promise.
"As long as Master is willing..." The corners of Jingliu's mouth curled up slightly.