star calendar year 6363, autumn.
Yaoqing Xianzhou.
Inside the Cloud Knights' personal attack precision special training ground, a graceful figure was undergoing high-intensity training unimaginable to ordinary people.
Jingliu held her breath and concentrated; the longsword in her hand was so fast that even afterimages were hard to capture, and the sharp sounds of tearing air formed a continuous sheet of noise.
Ten flashes of sword light flickered out almost simultaneously, sweeping across ten high-speed moving Abominations simulation targets.
The lights representing precision hits lit up ten times in succession, and the numbers on the timer finally froze at 0.18 seconds.
0.18 seconds, ten hits out of ten.
This was the third time she had broken her own record today, but she felt it was not enough.
Jingliu wiped the fine beads of sweat from her forehead, recalling the indifferent look her Master had given her not long ago, a gaze devoid of expectation.
"Adjust the gravity multiplier to five times."
She issued the command to the control center.
The gravity within the training ground intensified rapidly, invisible pressure weighing down like a mountain, causing even the floor to emit an overburdened creaking sound.
Jingliu lowered her shoulders slightly, struggling to adapt to the sudden increase in load.
Simply meeting the targets set by her Master would never earn her a single look of approval.
She had to constantly surpass her former self, breaking records time and again.
Only then could she catch up to his back more quickly... In the days that followed, Jingliu was no different from a tireless automaton.
With her current constitution, it was indeed enough to support such high-intensity special training.
At dawn, she would sweat profusely in the Martial Arts Field, the weight of the Star-Iron Sand increasing daily from a thousand catties to the limit of two thousand.
At noon, she would swing her sword against the current under a giant waterfall, the terrifying water pressure battering every inch of her skin, yet unable to make her posture waver in the slightest.
In the evening, she would weave through the agility training ground with ghostly movement, various hidden attacks and traps unable to even touch the corner of her clothes.
One month later, she completed all the targets set by Qi Zhimu ahead of schedule.
A month and a half later, she doubled the intensity of all training programs.
On the day the three-month period expired, she stood before the giant waterfall that had been split in half by a single sword strike, her expression dazed.
After a long while, Jingliu sheathed her sword, feeling the marvelous aura flowing within her body.
That was the True Qi cultivated through the elixir organ that her Master had once mentioned.
Whether it be fists or weapons, as long as they were infused with True Qi, their destructive power would increase geometrically.
She also finally experienced the world of difference between Sword Control with Qi and Sword Control with Divine Sense.
With Sword Control with Qi, she could now manipulate 681 flying swords, and she was not limited to the famous weapons forged by the craftsmen of the Department of Craftsmanship.
Not only ordinary blades, but even wooden swords could be used.
A deeply impressionable scene from her youth surfaced in her mind.
That year she challenged her Master, and the scene of him controlling swords to step onto the stage remained branded in her Remembrance.
Only now did she understand how much technical depth was in that seemingly showy move.
A Xianzhou person who had failed to cultivate True Qi through their elixir organ could never possibly control a wooden sword.
"All targets have been exceeded."
A very slight curve hooked the corner of Jingliu's mouth; she could not wait to see the surprised expression on her Master's face, even if only for an instant.
As long as her reflection could be seen in those eyes that were always as calm as an unruffled well, all the hard work would be worth it.
Filled with anticipation, Jingliu piloted her starship and sped home, pushing the speed limit.
Unfortunately, due to some force majeure, the civil and military airspace within the Delve were under temporary control, and starships were temporarily prohibited from flying.
Jingliu didn't mind much, as her running speed on land was just as swift.
However, when she leapt onto the courtyard wall, her expression suddenly froze.
In the courtyard, fallen ginkgo leaves covered the ground.
In the corridor not far away, two figures were embracing tightly.
It was Master and Senior Sleeping Snow... Qi Zhimu had his back to the courtyard gate, his tall frame leaning forward slightly, his face buried deep in Sleeping Snow's neck.
Sleeping Snow's arms were wrapped around his waist, her whole body almost hanging on him, her body trembling slightly as if she were enduring something, yet also as if she were catering to something.
The scene of such intimacy made Jingliu's heart skip several beats, and a faint, sharp pain began to bloom.
The joy of her successful training and improved strength, which she had been so eager to share with her Master, faded rapidly before this image.
As expected, not only Clear Cold, but even Sleeping Snow... She instinctively wanted to turn and leave, but her feet seemed rooted to the spot, imprisoning her.
She saw Sleeping Snow tilt her chin up slightly, her usually plain face flushed with a faint red, her expression dazed, looking like a completely different person from her usual self.
Jingliu forgot to breathe for a moment, and only when her clenched lips tasted blood did she force herself to calm down.
But a certain inexplicable longing in her heart refused to go away.
She wanted... she wanted to switch places with Sleeping Snow... Reason ultimately triumphed over impulse; through years of special training, Jingliu's will had long since been tempered to be quite strong.
She held her breath and quietly retreated from the courtyard wall, circled to the starship parking area, and silently entered the house through the back door.
After an unknown amount of time, Qi Zhimu and Sleeping Snow also returned indoors.
The flush on Sleeping Snow's face had not yet completely faded, and her body seemed somewhat soft from the intimacy, her steps unsteady and her breathing uneven.
Qi Zhimu, however, looked as usual, showing no sign of anything out of the ordinary.
Jingliu adjusted her expression and went forward to meet them, pretending she had just returned.
"...Master, I'm back."
She tried her best to make her voice sound normal.
Qi Zhimu's gaze fell upon her.
"Mm."
A single, flat word, devoid of emotion.
Jingliu's heart tightened as she reported, "Master, I have completed all the training targets, and I've doubled them all!"
Qi Zhimu nodded, then immediately moved his gaze away from her.
"I see."
His tone was still flat, and he didn't even ask a single question about the process.
"Since you've finished, you will formally practice with me tomorrow."
After saying that, Qi Zhimu walked straight into his room.
"..." Jingliu's gaze was slightly chaotic.
No approval, no surprise, not even a "well done."
She turned her head to look at Sleeping Snow, who followed behind.
Sleeping Snow turned her face away somewhat unnaturally. "I shall prepare dinner tonight."
She then turned and headed toward the kitchen, leaving Jingliu standing there blankly.
She had worked so hard, she had clearly done even better... Why did her Master's attitude toward her remain unchanged?
While toward Sleeping Snow and Clear Cold, he was... Jingliu looked down at her shadow, her eyes stinging slightly.
But soon, she let out a breath, forcefully pushing back that trace of grievance in her heart... It didn't matter.
As long as she was still by her Master's side, as long as she could keep becoming stronger, one day, she would also get what she wanted.
Although her Master was strict, he was by no means a heartless person.
It was just that she hadn't earned her Master's approval yet... It must be that.
It was reasonable when she thought about it; after all, she was her Master's only disciple, so his requirements for her were naturally higher than for others.