But before that, she needs to become stronger.
Master... I will not shrink back.
But you also promised me that you would teach me to slay Abominations and grant me that kind of power.
So, you must, must, must... come back!
We have a promise.
Jingliu quietly watched the approaching ground, burying these monologues deep in her heart.
But she didn't expect that Qi Zhimu's departure would last two years.
For a Long-lived Species, two years is short, but the subjective feeling was like twenty years.
For two years, Jingliu never slacked for a moment because of Qi Zhimu's absence.
The training dummies on the Martial Arts Field were replaced batch after batch; the longsword in her hand was no longer clumsy.
All training in the camp was completed perfectly, and the "Abominations as Arch-enemies" course, which required a full score, was also passed with full marks.
Only in the dead of night, when the day's fatigue surged like a tide and brought sleepiness, would her Master's figure involuntarily occupy her mind.
As a Cloud Knights Reserve Army member, she had no right to view front-line battle reports; all news could only be relayed intermittently through Sleeping Snow.
Sometimes it was smooth progress, sometimes it was the anxiety of a hard-fought battle, and more often, it was a life-and-death thrill.
From the initial panic upon learning her Master was wounded, to later getting used to the long wait, and now... she only had one humble prayer: come back safely.
Even though she knew how luxurious those four words were for the Cloud Knights.
Being away from the main ship for more than half a year is considered an expedition; since the establishment of the Cloud Knights, there has never been a precedent for an Expeditionary Force returning in full.
And three months ago, the Expeditionary Force led by Qi Zhimu lost contact with the Yaoqing Xianzhou.
Yaoqing sent calls day after day, but there was no response.
In five more days, it would be her Coming-of-Age Ceremony.
In the Xianzhou Alliance today, regardless of gender, one can take the Adult Exam upon reaching the age of maturity.
Once passed, the ID card will be stamped with an adult mark.
This meant many things that could not be done before adulthood without special circumstances would no longer be hindered.
For example, leaving the reserve army and officially enlisting in the Cloud Knights to become a glorious soldier.
If possible, Jingliu hoped that her once-in-a-lifetime Hair-binding Ceremony could be officiated by her Master personally.
Even though the current ceremony had been simplified through thousands of years of evolution and was not particularly grand.
The night wind howled, bringing coldness to the space atop the high building.
Jingliu sat on the edge of the rooftop, her legs dangling, looking up at that eternal lonely moon, her fingertips unconsciously rubbing the warm silver moon jade pendant in her palm.
Originally, that was what Qiu Zhiyan gave her, saying it was a protective jade given to her by Qi Zhimu hundreds of years ago.
If she could escape alive, she should show it to him.
She initially planned to return the protective jade to her Master, but he said it was hers now.
"Master..."
A cold crescent moon was reflected in the girl's eyes, along with the emotion called longing.
"Your disciple misses you..."
Five days later, the Cloud Knights training camp assembly square.
Banners obscured the sun, printed with slogans like "Xianzhou Soars" and "Cloud Knights Victorious."
In the vast square, 5,764 reserve army members who had passed the Adult Exam stood in neat rows.
Not many people could pass the assessment at this age, accounting for less than 3% of the total.
On the high platform, a hundred Cloud Knight instructors lined up.
They wore silver armor, their expressions solemn, holding the hair crowns and Hairpins symbolizing adulthood.
The completion of the ceremony meant that these vibrant young people would completely leave the greenhouse and be qualified to don armor and go to battle.
Jingliu was at the end of the line, in the last row of people to receive the ceremony.
But with every passing minute, her heart sank a bit further.
The ceremony for the first hundred was completed.
The ceremony for the first thousand was completed.
The ceremony for five thousand was completed... the clamor of the square gradually died down, leaving only the last batch of recipients.
The instructor in charge of this batch was a solemn-faced, short-haired Foxian woman.
She glanced at the list in her hand, her gaze falling on the red-eyed girl with long blue-white hair, a flash of complexity in her eyes.
The news of the loss of contact with the Expeditionary Force led by Qi Zhimu was no secret in the army.
"Are you ready, Jingliu?"
The last flicker of hope in Jingliu's eyes finally went out with this call.
She stood up and straightened her clothes, her expression returning to its usual coldness and indifference.
Master... I hope you are still well.
She walked slowly toward the high platform, each step firm, crushing that regret under her feet.
Just as she walked to the prayer mat and sat down, about to receive the ceremony.
A sudden disturbance came from the sky, instantly attracting everyone's attention in the square.
A heavily damaged starship broke through the clouds and dived from the sky, hovering steadily above the square.
The hatch opened, and a figure stepped onto a sword and flew down.
A suffocating smell of blood instantly overwhelmed the original freshness of the square.
It wasn't the smell of blood from an ordinary wound, but a murderous aura that had been soaked in a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood for a long time, almost pickled into the marrow.
The sword stopped in front of Jingliu, a pair of feet stepped onto the native soil, and the figure stood tall like a spear.
Whispers echoed through the square.
After seeing who it was, the instructor in charge of the ceremony subconsciously stepped back and bowed solemnly.
Jingliu froze in place, staring at the man whose battle armor was more than half shattered.
Dark red blood stains and residue covered his originally silver-bright armor, with remnants of Abomination flesh and blood faintly visible on it.
The chilling killing intent released from all over his body had not yet been fully retracted.
Under the influence of this aura, the young people waiting for the ceremony around him could hardly help their legs from trembling.
Only Jingliu was unaffected.
It's Master... he's back... Qi Zhimu ignored the terrified or reverent gazes around him and looked straight at Jingliu.
A trace of imperceptible relief flashed in his eyes, which were filled with heavy murderous intent, before being covered by his usual sternness.
"I will take over her Coming-of-Age Ceremony."
Qi Zhimu looked at the Cloud Knight instructor who had stepped aside and took the item from her hand.
Looking at her Master's blood-stained hands, Jingliu's nose couldn't help but feel sour.
Based on the blood and aura, it could be preliminarily judged that it was the blood of Abominations, and it had been there for more than a month.
A possibility surfaced in her mind.
The worry and longing that had been suppressed by reason now completely broke through her calm, turning into an uncontrollable joy.
Jingliu tried to control her emotions, enduring the sourness, to avoid losing her composure in front of so many people.
She was the disciple of Cloud Knight Vanguard Qi Zhimu; she couldn't embarrass her Master.
Taking a deep breath of the bloody air, Jingliu straightened her back.
Qi Zhimu walked behind Jingliu and looked down at her waist-length blue-white hair.
When he left two years ago, her hair was not nearly that long.
He raised his hand.
At this moment, everyone below the stage widened their eyes.
What kind of terrifying hands were those?
His hands were covered with traces of blood residue; those with enough eyesight could even see solidified blood in the crevices of his fingers.
Did this lord rush back without stopping right after finishing a bloody battle?
Qi Zhimu ignored the many gazes and took out an exquisite wooden comb wrapped in silk from his robes.
This was the only clean thing on his body, and also the first thing he bought when he returned to Yaoqing.