Bengtie: My death fueled their madness.

In the past two years, she has not made many friends of her own age, even though many people have shown her goodwill.

She felt it was unnecessary.

The casualty rate of the Cloud Cavalry on patrols is not low; teammates who were fighting side by side one moment may die on the battlefield the next.

Having witnessed the fall of Cangcheng and the departure of her relatives and former school friends, she felt...

It's better to forgo the relationship of ordinary friendship, lest we suffer additional sorrow when we part forever.

My master is different.

My master is very strong and won't easily say goodbye to me forever.

And she... also needs to work hard to catch up with her master and become stronger so that she can stand shoulder to shoulder with him and even protect him.

Just as Jing Liu was thinking this, Qi Zhimu's voice came.

"You want to go to war with me? It's a long way off."

"..."

Although he was used to Qi Zhimu's strictness, Jing Liu still couldn't help but feel disappointed when he heard these words.

During the days her master was away, she never slacked off and became much stronger.

Among the reserve troops of the same period, no one has been able to defeat her to this day.

These achievements would be easily known to her master as a valiant guard, and she thought... he would be satisfied with her growth now.

Qi Zhimu saw through his apprentice's thoughts at a glance, and after pondering for a moment, he didn't dampen her enthusiasm.

"There are not many people who can become Cloud Cavalry Vanguards. Therefore, the scale of the monsters that the Vanguards face far exceeds the number of Cloud Cavalry they lead."

"You have been trained for two years and you know best the ironclad rule that Cloud Knights must fight in formation and must never leave the battle lines to charge on their own."

"The physical constitution and combat strength of the Bu Li people, Winged Creators, and Hui descendants are generally stronger than those of the Immortal Boat people and Fox people, and are almost on par with the Chi Ming people."

"The healing power of some of these evil creatures surpasses that of the three races of the Immortal Ship Alliance."

If the Immortal Boatman activates his Free Body, his regenerative abilities will be enough to make even Bu Liren, who is in a state of madness, unafraid.

However, the cost is too high and is not tolerated by the current laws of the Ten Kings.

"The cost of our injuries is far greater than that of the bountiful creatures, meaning that in the fight against these creatures, we must not reveal any weaknesses."

"Otherwise, any opening could cost you your life, or the life of your comrades."

"The Cloud Cavalry's coordinated attack formation was key to our ability to defeat overwhelming odds, and you did a great job in that. But some things can't be learned through training alone."

"Please enlighten me, Master." Jingliu suppressed his disappointment and listened attentively.

"A killing intent that is not extinguished by fear, a fighting spirit that is not shaken by death."

"Killing intent and fighting spirit..." Jingliu mused.

Qi Zhimu continued, "More than 90% of the Cloud Cavalry are going into battle for the first time, and they can't help but feel fear when faced with the overwhelming horde of undead monsters."

"Therefore, new recruits cannot be directly assigned to the Valiant Guard."

"New recruits must undergo a certain number of small-scale battles under the leadership of other detachment commanders before they are qualified to join the elite guard."

"If you don't have the ability, joining the team will only drag your comrades down and make it harder to keep up with the team."

"In Yaoqing, I believe you have heard of the Qingqiu Guard's reputation. If you want to join the Qingqiu Guard, you must pass a separate examination."

"But for you now, let alone the Qingqiu Guard, you should follow the Dange Guard or the Crane Feather Guard and survive enough battles before talking about anything else."

"You should know..."

Qi Zhimu suddenly stopped speaking.

Jingliu tilted his head, waiting for what would happen next, but was met only with continued silence.

"Why doesn't Master continue?"

"It's nothing. Anyway, you've passed the adult assessment, and you'll definitely be involved in the next small-scale patrol campaign."

"...Understood. What else can I do before going into battle?"

"Of course, the intense training you received in the past is no longer very effective for you; you need to increase the pressure."

Upon hearing the word "boost," an unnatural expression flashed across Jingliu's face.

She could never forget the suffering she endured at her master's hands two years ago.

I wonder if I'll be scolded to the point of fainting by my master again this time...

"...It's all up to Master's arrangement."

Despite lingering fear, Jingliu did not back down.

If I do better, I will eventually gain my master's approval.

The last time her master praised her was during the challenge competition of the Cloud Cavalry Camp tour.

As long as I keep getting stronger, I can kill more evil creatures to repay my master's kindness in nurturing me.

During her master's two-month leave, no matter how hard or tiring it was, she was determined to persevere.

Jingliu was mentally prepared.

only……

When she received the training schedule that Qi Zhimu had prepared for her that night, she couldn't help but tremble.

Carrying a 400-pound load, running 600 miles at a minimum speed of 100 miles per hour, and swinging a sword 10000 times.

The attack precision training requires firing 10 swords within 3 seconds, with 5 swords accurately hitting the weak area.

There's not much change in flexibility training; it's just a matter of continuing to endure hardship.

Later additions included physical training, such as waiting in high or low temperature environments for a specified time, water immersion and airtightness, waterfall impact, and electrical resistance training.

Among the bountiful creatures, some of the winged species can control lightning.

If the body lacks the corresponding resistance, even if the Yunqi standard armor has insulation function, it cannot fully protect the soldiers.

Thus, Jingliu returned to the days two years ago when he constantly complained in his heart, yet had no choice but to grit his teeth and persevere.

During Qi Zhimu's two-year expedition, she rarely trained to the point of fainting from exhaustion.

Now that her master has returned, she was able to fall into a deep, high-quality sleep like a baby on the very second night.

Even the intensive long-distance running training could not be completed. The first failure basically means that all subsequent events that day will not meet the standard.

Throughout the day, Jingliu fainted from exhaustion five times, but continued working after waking up.

The last time, she was knocked unconscious by Qi Zhimu.

In the bathroom, Qi Zhimu was preparing to give his disciple a medicinal bath to strengthen his body, but he was at a loss for what to do.

The girl in front of me has reached marriageable age, is developing well, and is gradually showing her figure. She is no longer as thin as she was two years ago.

Although they were master and disciple, they were still different as men and women.

Now that Jingliu has passed the adulthood test, it is not appropriate for him to take care of everything personally as before.

…Having just returned from a long and bloody battle, I momentarily forgot about this.

"Lord Zhimu, your subordinate and my younger sister apologize for disturbing you."

Just as he was pondering, a familiar voice came from outside the door, accompanied by three rhythmic knocks.

Now there's no need to think about it anymore.

"Come in."

I promised to help Qinghan diagnose his health after the expedition, but before that, I need to ask Mianxue for a favor.

So, before she could even exchange pleasantries, Mianxue was asked by Qi Zhimu to help Jingliu undress and take a medicinal bath.

"Lord Zhimu, you may now administer acupuncture to Jingliu."

The acupuncture point is on the back, which is not a taboo.

The Mianxue sisters were watching from the side, and Qinghan couldn't help but ask a question.

"Lord Zhimu, why is Jingliu so badly injured?"

They could tell at a glance that Jing Liu not only had all the bones in his limbs broken, but also had many injuries caused by blood stasis all over his body.

"Special training allows for better absorption of the medicine's effects and strengthens the body."

"Can I participate in the same training?" Mianxue hesitated for a moment before finally asking.

"You can't; this method will no longer work after a certain age."

"..." A hint of regret flashed in Mianxue's eyes.

"I understand that you want to become stronger. Most of the Cloud Cavalry who survived Cangcheng are like that, but once you've passed the prime age for physical development, there are no shortcuts."

Qi Zhimu sighed softly.