Bengtie: My death fueled their madness.

However, just a few days later, Qi Zhimu's image in Jing Liu's heart once again became cold and unapproachable.

A new training program has been added: flexibility training.

"Among the monsters that the Cloud Cavalry will face, there are many races with extremely strange shapes and whose attack angles are difficult to predict."

"Whether you're defending against their attacks or striking first, you have to be more unpredictable than them, provided your body is flexible enough to contort into incredible poses."

Jingliu had a bad feeling and cautiously asked, "For example...?"

"Like this."

As he spoke, Qi Zhimu suddenly turned his back to Jing Liu, but his upper body then strangely rotated 180° in the next second.

"!!"

Jing Liu was startled.

"Won't the lumbar spine break?"

"At first it will be, but it will stop after you break it many times. The younger you are, the easier it is to practice. When you reach adulthood, your bones are fully formed, and the difficulty and pain will increase dramatically."

Qi Zhimu wasn't unaware of the fear in his disciple's eyes, but he had no intention of changing his mind.

"Recently, I've been alternating between flexibility training and attack precision training every day. Once I get used to it, I'll resume daily training."

"this……"

"What, are you afraid of suffering?"

"I'm scared, scared... but I won't back down, Master!"

"Very good, let's finish today's long-distance running and sword practice first."

"Yes……"

Sunrise, sunset.

The screams echoed throughout the training ground, drowning out all other noises, and spread intermittently to a greater distance.

Unfortunately, this secluded paradise is far removed from the hustle and bustle of the world, so no matter how pitiful the cries are, only Qi Zhimu can hear them.

As night fell, Jingliu collapsed to the ground, his delicate brows furrowed into a deep frown.

Not long ago, her body was folded into all sorts of unbelievable angles by Qi Zhimu.

Both feet and arms were bizarrely bent, with the legs almost touching the back, and the shoulder joints connecting the arms rotating backward...

Overall, the most fitting word to describe Kagami's current appearance is: inhuman.

Another example is lying face down with arms extended behind the back, intersecting with legs that are also extended behind the back, forming a circle.

In addition, they were also manipulated into other difficult poses...

No matter how much she had suffered recently, Jing Liu had never begged Qi Zhimu for mercy, but this time, she practiced until she broke down in tears and couldn't help but beg for forgiveness.

Yes, I couldn't help it.

Although she tried to grit her teeth and persevere, once her body's self-protection mechanism reached her brain, her mouth became uncontrollable.

In her hazy state of consciousness, she took in Qi Zhimu's expressionless face and couldn't help but suspect that her master had a tendency towards violence.

The pain was so intense that she fainted, but she would wake up after a while.

Before losing consciousness for the last time, two thoughts flashed through Jingliu's mind.

First: The word "gentleness" has truly disappeared from Master's heart.

Second: She's in such a terrible state that she probably won't be able to train for a long time...?

But is this really the case?

Naturally not.

When Jingliu woke up as usual, with no signs of injury on his body and feeling refreshed, his mind was filled with a jumble of questions.

With such severe injuries, even with the superior medical skills of the Immortal Ship, it's impossible for the Immortal Ship's inhabitants to have the regenerative ability to heal themselves simply by sleeping, right?

Short-lived species often say that it takes a hundred days to recover from a broken bone or tendon, but for long-lived species like the Immortal Boat People, even a broken arm or leg takes many days to heal.

If a limb is lost, it will take at least several dozen days to grow back.

Last night, she realized that most of her bones were broken, and she thought that even though her master was a skilled doctor, she would need to recuperate for at least many days.

But given the current situation...

Jingliu sat blankly on the bed, completely bewildered. He had the thought of asking his master for the specific reason, but he immediately dismissed it.

Sigh... never mind.

During this period of time, I don't know how many times I felt like I was going to work myself to death, but each time I didn't die.

This shows that her master understood her body better than she did and knew where her limits were.

As an apprentice, all you need to do is listen to your master and train hard.

Long-distance running, sword practice, rigorous training in attack precision and body flexibility... a repetitive cycle.

As long as she completes the current targets and remains conscious, new targets will immediately appear, making it impossible for her to complete them, leaving her with only one outcome: exhaustion and fainting.

During this time, Sha Feng came to visit Qi Zhimu.

Even with the general's insight and composure, his eyes couldn't help but twitch as he witnessed Qi Zhimu training his disciple.

Finally, seeing him carry the deformed Jingliu back into the house, he couldn't help but speak.

"If you did that to the Bureau of Earth Balance, you'd definitely get several charges against you..."

Intentional harm or abuse would not be an exaggeration.

No matter what, Kagami Ryu is just a child who is still a child.

"She is already a reserve member of the Cloud Cavalry." Qi Zhimu replied with just a few words.

"..." Sha Feng choked with sobs.

Okay, I was so focused on Qi Zhimu's inhumane training methods that I forgot I was the one who arranged for Jingliu to enter the reserve army.

Once you become a Cloud Rider reserve, you have to endure whatever hardships you face, except for the fox people who have poor recovery abilities.

As long as the people of the Immortal Ship and the Chiming Clan don't die, their accompanying medical personnel will take care of you and help you recover as quickly as possible.

However, the fox people on the Yaoqing Immortal Ship have training levels that are basically the same as those of the locals and the Chiming.

Even within the Qingqiu Guard, the fox-people's training program was too much for many naturally strong and powerful individuals like Chiming.

"Your expedition will begin in three days. I have already made arrangements for the army, but..."

"General, please speak freely."

"There are still a few tough ones."

"I know, but I'm not a Yaoqing person after all. It's simple, anyone who's not convinced will behave after a beating."

"Hmm, it seems you can get along well with Yao Qingyun's cavalry." Sha Feng smiled with relief.

Yao Qing is martial and there is nothing that cannot be resolved by a decisive battle.

If so, then the beating wasn't severe enough.

……

Two days later.

When Jing Liu woke up, he found that Qi Zhimu was not training at the training ground as usual.

He was clad in cloud rider armor and used scissors to cut off his long hair.

"Master, what's wrong...?"

"Inspecting the wicked creatures, we depart tomorrow."

"Then I..."

"I've arranged for someone to take you to the cave where the Cloud Cavalry training camp is located later. While Master is away on campaign, you will train with the Cloud Cavalry reserve army."

Upon hearing this, Jingliu was slightly taken aback.

Having grown accustomed to seeing my master every time I woke up, the sudden change stirred a sense of reluctance within me.

"Should we maintain the current training intensity or increase it?" she asked.

"You should manage it appropriately. The reserve army is not just about hard training and spending your days there. You can continue your unfinished school courses there."

Qi Zhimu put down the scissors, tilted his head back, adjusted the angle, and shaved off the stubble.

"Passing the literature and poetry classes is sufficient, but you must get a perfect score on the course 'Abundant Evil Enemy Explained,' understand?"

"Disciple understands, Master. How long will your expedition last?"

"It's unknown; it could take as little as six months or as long as a year."

"If all goes well, Master should be able to make it to my coming-of-age ceremony. I'd like Master to personally attend... Is that alright?"

"On the premise that everything goes smoothly." Qi Zhimu neither refused nor made any explicit promises.

"As long as Master is willing..." Jingliu's lips curled up slightly.