(Before reading this chapter, it is recommended to rewatch the animated short "Animated Short: A Flash")
Clang clang clang—! (Combat sound effects)
The formation blade collided with the ice sword, producing crisp echoes. Between the blades, the two figures moved as fast as lightning. Every strike and every move was made with full strength and carried personal feelings.
Since they couldn't kill the other party, they would beat the other party to death!
"Stop! Stop fighting! Hurry up and stop!" Stelle stood outside the battlefield and shouted worriedly.
However, the two did not stop because of this.
Jing Yuan looked at the Jingliu before him. In a trance, he seemed to see that graceful figure standing proudly beneath the great hall among thousands of Cloud Knights eight hundred years ago — the night he officially joined the Cloud Knights and formally became Jingliu's disciple:
"Strictly abide by this oath. We Cloud Knights shall be like clouds shading the sky, protecting the Xianzhou, drawing our swords!"
Jingliu's voice was sonorous and powerful. When she said the words "drawing our swords," she became excited for a moment and suddenly drew her sword, slapping the young Jing Yuan in front of her to the ground.
"…Yes! Master!" The young Jing Yuan grimaced in pain but did not dare to show the slightest protest. He learned from Jingliu's example and drew his sword—
"Hm? You dare point your sword at me? You deserve punishment!"
"Frost Repays Resentment!"
Bang!
In reality, Jingliu gripped the greatsword's hilt with both hands and delivered a heavy strike that chopped Jing Yuan away, forcefully interrupting the memory triggered by the scene.
Jing Yuan gripped his formation blade even tighter.
Yes… that was all more than eight hundred years ago. Jingliu… she had already started bullying people eight hundred years ago! This guy!
Jing Yuan's determination became firmer.
Clang—!
The two weapons collided once again, falling into a brief contest of strength. This very scene once again stirred Jing Yuan's memories:
That was the night he had been accepted as Jingliu's disciple.
He held the standard Cloud Knight treasured sword with both hands. Under the moonlight, he repeated the most basic swinging motions again and again. Even though his limbs were already sore and he was drenched in sweat, he did not dare stop.
Because opposite him, Jingliu was leisurely lying on a grandmaster chair drinking chilled fruit juice. A pair of ruby-like eyes carried a teasing look as they stared at him, ready at any moment to use "improper form" as an excuse to beat him up.
Clang—!
After swinging the sword continuously for tens of thousands of times, the young Jing Yuan's body finally reached its limit. His hands could no longer support the weight, and with one slip, the heavy treasured sword fell to the ground with a clang.
"Hah… hah… Master, I-I can't hold on anymore. I-I really can't move." The young Jing Yuan looked at Jingliu with pleading eyes and begged for mercy.
The young Jing Yuan's expression was sincere. He truly had been exhausted all day, and with his already handsome appearance that had shown signs from a young age, any other Cloud Knight instructor would have softened and agreed.
Ah no, even if it were another Cloud Knight instructor… actually, there was no need for a Cloud Knight instructor. Even a normal person would not drag someone out of bed in the middle of the night to practice swordsmanship.
Xianzhou people only have long lifespans, but they still need to eat and sleep normally!
But Jingliu clearly didn't care about any of that. She only gave the pitiful young Jing Yuan a faint glance, then pointed at the treasured sword on the ground. "As a Cloud Knight, one must not let their weapon leave their hand or their posture become lax."
"But Master, I really…"
"Pick up the treasured sword! Pick up the treasured sword! I told you to pick up the treasured sword!!"
"…Yes, Master."
Ding!
Another clash of blade and sword pulled Jing Yuan's thoughts back to reality. For some reason, even though he was indeed slightly weaker than Jingliu in martial strength, it felt as if a flame had been lit in his heart, constantly supplying him with power and reigniting his fighting spirit.
Even his toughness bar became more resilient because of it!
Because Jing Yuan had a vague feeling: this battle might be the last time he could settle his grievances with Jingliu. After this battle, he would never have another chance.
He could not hold back this time!
"Hah—!"
Clang clang clang—!
Another collision of blade and sword. This time, Jingliu seized a tiny flaw in Jing Yuan's movements during the exchange. After narrowly dodging the edge of the formation blade, she raised her sword and brought it down, the blade aimed straight at his back!
Whoosh—!
However, Jing Yuan was clearly no ordinary person. Even after deliberately exposing his back as a flaw, he still promptly turned sideways at the critical moment, letting the sword edge graze past his body. It was in that instant that his own face was clearly reflected on the smooth blade, pulling his thoughts back to the past once more:
...
"Ugh… roar roar roar!"
Flames burned in the ruins. The surrounding buildings gradually collapsed under the devouring flames. Jing Yuan gripped the formation blade in his hand and looked solemnly at a Cloud Knight soldier in front of him… or more accurately, it was no longer a Cloud Knight soldier.
Beneath the silver armor that symbolized Cloud Knight identity, golden branches and leaves protruded from the gaps in the armor. The Cloud Knight's throat still emitted meaningless low roars. Clearly, it had completely fallen into the Mara-Struck State.
"Master, he… he doesn't recognize us anymore!"
Jing Yuan said with a look of shock.
"Graaaah—!"
The Mara-Struck Cloud Knight's eyes went from hollow and dazed to ferocious. It suddenly stared straight at Jingliu and kept muttering: "Jing… liu, roar… sword person… you still owe me money—"
Whoosh—!
A graceful figure suddenly swept past Jing Yuan. With one swift motion, she cleanly eliminated the Mara-Struck Cloud Knight. The speed was so fast that even Jing Yuan could not see it clearly.
Jingliu looked at the Mara-Struck soldier at her feet and sighed softly: "…This is what it means to fall into the Mara-Struck State."
"The Mara-Struck State is the fate of the long-lived species."
"If one day you fall into the Mara-Struck State, I will not show any mercy either."
Jing Yuan: ...
Jing Yuan: ???
Master, didn't you say that backwards?
...
In the blink of an eye, it was eight hundred years later.
"General Jing Yuan, you are Jingliu's only guardian. Please make the decision."
In the hospital, a medic looked at Jingliu on the sickbed and shook his head: "Those who fall into the Mara-Struck State have their six senses inverted and lose all humanity. Do you still want to continue treatment…"
"Just pull the plug." Jing Yuan said with a sorrowful expression: "Jingliu, she is my respected swordsmanship teacher—pfft… cough cough. Letting her die before she completely falls into the Mara-Struck State can be considered repaying her past glory."
The medic nodded as well: "The General is right. Even if treatment continues, the chance of survival is extremely slim and it would only increase the patient's suffering…"
"What?!"
Hearing this, Jing Yuan's expression changed drastically. He looked sharply at the medic: "You just said it would increase her suffering… cough cough, no, what I mean is — she still has a chance of survival?"
The medic looked somewhat puzzled: "Y-Yes, but that's just a rigorous medical way of speaking. In reality, it's a ten-to-zero chance of survival…"
"What?!"
Jing Yuan stared at the medic and said with deep grief: "Is this how the medics of our Luofu treat their patients?"
"You really disappoint me. If it were me, I would spare no effort to save every single patient!"
"Treat her! You must treat her!"