Over the past two years, she hadn't made many friends her own age, even though many people had shown her kindness.
She felt it was unnecessary.
The casualty rate for the Cloud Knights on expeditions was not low; teammates fighting side-by-side one moment could be dead on the battlefield the next.
Having personally witnessed the fall of Azure City and seen relatives and former Academy friends depart, she felt... ordinary friendships were better left unformed, to avoid adding to the sorrow of eternal parting.
Her Master was different.
Master was very strong; he would not easily part from her forever.
And she... also had to work hard to catch up to her Master, becoming stronger so she could stand by his side, or even protect him.
Just as Jingliu thought of this, Qi Zhimu's voice drifted over.
"You want to go on an expedition with me? It's far too early for that."
"..."
Though she was used to Qi Zhimu's strictness, hearing these words, Jingliu couldn't help but feel disappointed.
During the days her Master was away, she had never slackened and had grown much stronger.
Among the reserve forces of the same period, no one had been able to defeat her so far.
As a Vanguard, her Master could easily learn of these achievements. She had thought... he would be satisfied with her growth by now.
Qi Zhimu saw through his disciple's thoughts at a glance. After considering for a moment, he decided not to dampen her enthusiasm.
"There are not many who can become Cloud Knight Vanguards. Therefore, the scale of Abominations a Vanguard faces far exceeds the number of Cloud Knights they lead."
"You have been trained for two years and know best the iron rule that Cloud Knights must fight in coordination when entering battle; one must never break formation to charge alone."
"The Borisin, Wing-Makers, and Serpent Descendants—the constitutions and combat power of such Abominations are generally stronger than those of the Xianzhou people and Foxians, almost on par with the Vidyadhara."
"The healing abilities of some of these Abominations surpass all three major races of the Xianzhou Alliance."
If a Xianzhou person were to activate The Self-Actualization Aspect, their regenerative abilities would not even fear a Borisin in a state of lunar madness.
But the cost is too great, and it is not permitted by the current Laws of the Ten-Lords Commission.
"The price we pay for being injured is much higher than that of the Abominations of Abundance, which means that when fighting them, you must not show any openings."
"Otherwise, any flaw could cost you your life, or the life of the comrade beside you."
"The Cloud Knights' coordinated battle formations are the key to our ability to defeat many with few. You have done well in this regard, but some things cannot grow through training alone."
"Please enlighten me, Master." Jingliu suppressed her disappointment and listened intently.
"A killing intent that is not extinguished by fear, and a fighting spirit that is not shaken by death."
"Killing intent and fighting spirit..." Jingliu said thoughtfully.
Qi Zhimu continued, "More than ninety percent of Cloud Knights, when they first go into battle and face the overwhelming surge of immortal Abominations, inevitably feel fear in their hearts."
"Because of this, new recruits are not allowed to be directly assigned under a Vanguard's command."
"New recruits must be led by commanders of other detachments and experience a certain number of small-scale battles before they are qualified to enter a Vanguard's unit."
"Without that strength, joining a unit would instead drag down your comrades, as your coordination wouldn't keep up with the team."
"In Yaoqing, I believe you have also heard of the fame of the Qingqiu Guard. To join the Qingqiu Guard, one must pass a separate, independent assessment."
"However, as you are now, let alone the Qingqiu Guard, survive enough times on the battlefield with the Troop or the Heyu Guard before talking about anything else."
"You should know..."
Qi Zhimu suddenly stopped speaking.
Jingliu tilted her head, waiting for him to continue, but only met with a sustained silence.
"Why did Master stop speaking?"
"It's nothing. In short, you have passed the adulthood assessment. You will certainly not be left out of the next small-scale expeditionary battle."
"...I understand. Before we head out to battle, what else can I do?"
"Naturally, there is something. Special training at your previous intensity no longer has much effect on you; we need to increase the pressure."
Hearing the words 'increase the pressure', an unnatural expression flashed across Jingliu's face.
She could not forget the hardships she had suffered at her Master's hands two years ago.
She wondered if this time, she would still be trained until she fainted... "...I will follow Master's arrangements."
Despite her lingering fears, Jingliu did not back down.
As long as she did better, she would one day earn her Master's recognition.
The last time her Master had praised her was during the Cloud Knight camp's tour challenge.
As long as she kept becoming stronger, she could kill more Abominations to repay her Master's kindness in raising her.
During her Master's two-month leave, no matter how hard or tiring it was, she would persevere to the end.
Jingliu prepared herself mentally.
However... when she received the training schedule Qi Zhimu had drawn up for her that night, her whole body couldn't help but tremble.
Carrying a weight of four hundred catties, run six hundred miles at a minimum speed of one hundred miles per hour, and swing the sword ten thousand times.
Attack precision training: must strike ten times within three seconds, with five strikes accurately hitting weak point areas.
Flexibility training hadn't changed much, it was just more of the same suffering.
New physical tempering exercises were added: staying in high or low-temperature environments for a specified time, breath-holding while submerged in water, enduring the impact of waterfalls, and specialized electrical resistance training.
Among the Wing-Makers species of the Abominations of Abundance, some could manipulate lightning.
If the body lacked the corresponding resistance, even though the standard Cloud Knight armor had insulation functions, it could not fully protect the soldiers.
Thus, Jingliu returned to the days of constantly complaining in secret while having to grit her teeth and persevere.
During the two years Qi Zhimu was on his expedition, she had rarely trained until she fainted from exhaustion.
Now that her Master had returned, on only the second night, her vision went black, and she fell into a high-quality, infant-like sleep.
She hadn't even finished the enhanced long-distance running training. Failing the first task basically meant that all subsequent items for the day would not meet the standard.
Throughout the day, Jingliu fainted five times from exhaustion, only to wake up and continue.
And the last time, she was knocked out by Qi Zhimu.
In the bathroom, Qi Zhimu was preparing to perform a medicinal bath for body tempering for his disciple, but he found himself in a bit of a dilemma.
The girl before him had reached the Age of hair-pinning; her development was not poor, her figure was gradually showing, and she was no longer as small and thin as she was two years ago.
Though they were master and disciple, there was ultimately a difference between men and women.
Since Jingliu had passed her adulthood assessment, it was no longer appropriate to personally care for her every need as he had before... Having just returned from a long, bloody war, he had momentarily forgotten this point.
"Lord Zhimu, my younger sister and I are here to disturb you."
As he was pondering, a familiar voice came from outside the door, accompanied by three rhythmic knocks.
Now there was no need to think anymore.
"Come in."
He had promised years ago to help diagnose Clear Cold's body after returning from the expedition, but before that, he had to ask Sleeping Snow for a favor.
Thus, before she even had time to exchange pleasantries, Sleeping Snow was asked by Qi Zhimu to help undress Jingliu for the medicinal bath.
"Lord Zhimu, you may now administer the needles to Jingliu."
The needle placement was on the back, so it wasn't particularly taboo.
The sisters, Sleeping Snow and Clear Cold, watched from the side, and Clear Cold couldn't help but ask.
"Lord Zhimu, why is Jingliu so badly injured?"
They could tell at a glance that not only were the bones in Jingliu's limbs all broken, but there were also multiple injuries of stagnant blood and qi throughout her body.
"Special training allows for better absorption of medicinal power and strengthens the physique."
"Can I also participate in the same training?" Sleeping Snow hesitated for a moment before speaking up.
"You cannot. This method is no longer effective once one passes a certain age."
"..." A flash of regret crossed Sleeping Snow's eyes.
"I understand your desire to become stronger. Most Cloud Knights who survived Azure City feel the same, but once you've passed the optimal age for body shaping, there are no shortcuts to speak of."
Qi Zhimu sighed softly.