Bengtie: My death fueled their madness.

There was no relief, no surprise, not even a hint of a satisfied smile appeared on his lips.

He merely glanced at her indifferently, as if it were all perfectly natural, then stood up, turned around, and left.

The cheers around them seemed to become somewhat jarring at that moment.

Jingliu stood on the ruins of the arena, feeling his heart grow colder and colder.

Even just a nod would be fine...

I exceeded all the special training requirements, stood at the very end of the martial arts test, and I... became a valiant guard capable of standing alone.

Why, Master…

Why won't you even look at me?

Jingliu pursed her lower lip, and a layer of indescribable mist rose deep in her eyes, which she then forced back.

Disappointment, grievance, resentment... all sorts of emotions mixed together, weighing heavily on my heart.

As she watched the receding figure, her once straight back slumped almost imperceptibly.

What level of achievement is required to gain the master's approval and stand by his side?

Since her master remained silent, she decided to prove him through her actions.

Since the Cloud Cavalry Guards are not yet important enough to stand by his side, then they should go and kill evil creatures to become stronger.

As long as I kill enough, as long as my sword is fast enough, as long as I am strong enough to surpass my master...

By then, her master should be able to accept her, right?

There is ample time.

Driven by an almost obsessive desire, Jingliu became a tireless blade on the Yaoqing Immortal Ship.

The next two years were two years of heart-pounding anxiety for the Yunqi war dispatcher.

The newly appointed elite guard named Jingliu is so outrageous that even the word "outrageous" is insufficient to describe his behavior.

She participated in all eight major battles that took place over two years.

He participated in eight major battles in a short period of time and won eight major victories.

Considering the martial spirit prevalent in Yaoqing, this record is truly astonishing.

He always charged to the front lines, and every time, his sword fell upon piles of monstrous corpses.

Each time he returned, he did not take a vacation, ignored the victory banquet, and did not even drink a drop of the victory wine. Instead, he applied to lead the unit that was assigned to the combat readiness detachment to go on another expedition.

When Jingliu, exhausted and full of glory, finished the ninth battle and returned to Yaoqing to rest, he found his house empty and he couldn't even contact his master, Yuzhao.

She inquired about the war dispatch and received the following answer:

"Lord Jingliu, Lord Zhimu and his guards led their troops to the Feige Star System yesterday to suppress the chaos caused by the Wingers."

Upon hearing the report, the light in Jingliu's eyes dimmed for a moment.

Two more years passed, and he still hadn't seen his master even once.

This suffocating sense of loss seems to have become some kind of predetermined curse.

While she was fighting a bloody battle, her master was beheading a monster in another place ravaged by evil spirits.

He went to war as soon as she returned victorious.

Just as she was about to rest, he returned to report and then left again.

For four whole years, the battlefield trajectories of the master and apprentice were like two parallel lines, never intersecting once.

At first, Jingliu thought it was just a coincidence, a result of the busy war.

She was not discouraged; instead, she transformed her disappointment into a purer motivation.

Thus, the expedition continued.

……

Winter of the year 6370 in the astrological calendar.

A piece of news that shook the entire Yaoqing military community arrived.

Jingliu led a lone army, and despite being outnumbered, penetrated deep into enemy territory and killed the chief of the Chiseltooth Hunting Group.

Not only that, they also blamed the attack on other hunting groups, causing considerable infighting.

It should be noted that the artifacts and weapons used by the Buli people were mostly based on the genetic wizards of the Chiseltooth Hunting Group.

Even during the most brutal years of the Civil War, no hunting pack dared to attack the Chiseltooth hunting pack.

Attacking this group of genetic wizards would provoke public outrage among the Buli people, and could even lead to a mass attack.

As a result, the Chiseltooth hunting groups were mostly under strict protection, making them extremely difficult to track, which caused countless Cloud Cavalry to return empty-handed.

But now, the head of its Great Nest Father is hanging high on the bow of the Yaoqing Immortal Ship.

This feat is worthy of being recorded in the annals of Yaoqing. Looking at the entire history of Yaoqing, she is the first Yunqi Valiant Guard to kill the Great Nest Father of the Chisel Tooth Hunting Group.

Upon returning from a great victory, Kagami finally caught up—

Qi Zhimu did not go on the expedition and is currently in a period of rest and recuperation.

After the celebration banquet, Jing Liu, slightly drunk, returned home and knocked on Qi Zhimu's study door.

"Master."

She stood before the desk, her posture upright, a hint of cautious anticipation hidden in her eyes.

"I would like to request to cooperate with Master's First Squad in the operation to wipe out the main base of the Vision Flesh next month."

Qi Zhimu didn't even look up.

"No need."

His voice was flat, as always.

Jing Liu's heart sank, and he couldn't help but ask further.

"Why? I'm strong enough now! I've killed the Great Nest Father, I'm no worse than anyone else, and I will never hold my master back!"

Qi Zhimu finally raised his head and looked at her calmly.

"According to the Cloud Cavalry regulations, unless it is a specific super-large-scale battle or an order from a general, the Valiant Guards must lead their own teams and be stationed in their own territory."

"But……"

"No buts."

Jingliu opened his mouth, but the rest of the words got stuck in his throat, and he couldn't say them no matter what.

Regulation?

This kind of excuse might fool new recruits, but that's one thing.

In the Cloud Cavalry Army, there are countless examples of masters and apprentices working together and brothers fighting side by side.

Such an important inspection mission, as long as the guards apply to the general on the grounds that they must ensure that everything goes perfectly, there is a 90% chance that it will be approved.

Master... is it that you are unwilling to fight alongside her?

As Jingliu stepped out of the study, he glanced back at the closed door, a deep sense of resentment welling up inside him.

Even an absurd idea can grow uncontrollably in one's mind.

Back then, her master made her win the martial arts exam... Could it be that this was all for today?

Using her authority to lead troops independently as a pretext, they could legitimately and completely send her away.

But why do we do that?

It can't be just to stay away from her, can it?

"..."

Jingliu's face suddenly froze.

This possibility began to spread in his heart, gradually welling up in his eyes, casting a shadow of darkness over those crimson eyes.

No…it can't be like that…

Master would never do that; she hadn't angered him, nor had she annoyed him.

However, their master always brought Mianxue and Qinghan with him, and although the two sisters clearly had the ability to become elite guards, they never participated in the martial arts tests.

She didn't register in her year, nor in the year five years later.

In this way, he can legitimately continue to be his master's bodyguard...

Thinking of this, the darkness in Jingliu's eyes completely overshadowed his gaze, and his body trembled slightly.

……