Jingliu brought Jing Yuan straight into a large-scale campaign against the Denizens of Abundance. With both his master and grandmaster overseeing his first real battle, failure would have reflected poorly on their judgment. Yet the young lieutenant exceeded every expectation.
The starskiff carrying their detachment made an emergency landing on an ocean planet swarming with Abominations. A newly emerged strain of long-life species known as the Puppet Octopi had seized control of several Cloud Knights through mental domination and nearly turned the warship into their breeding ground. Jing Yuan was the first to sense the anomaly. He swiftly analyzed the pattern of their mind control and devised a countermeasure. The surviving crew passed the test of identifying friend from foe, repelled the invaders, and returned safely.
His performance confirmed everything Kanzaki had once said about him. Jing Yuan's tactical insight and calm decisions drastically reduced Cloud Knight casualties. When Bai Heng later praised the young man's quick thinking, Jingliu gave a small nod of approval.
Upon their victorious return to the Luofu, Bai Heng headed to the Artisanship Commission to have her custom weapon repaired. There she unexpectedly ran into a short-life species artisan named Yingxing. More than a decade had passed since their last meeting. She invited him to the Qingxin Residence to see Jing Yuan and Jingliu. As it happened, Dan Feng also stopped by that day.
Jingliu paid little attention to Yingxing's somewhat arrogant demeanor. Her thoughts remained on Kanzaki. From the conversation she gathered that Lord Yingyue and her master shared a close relationship—so close that Kanzaki had even been invited to visit the Scalegorge Waterscape. The Vidyadhara rarely welcomed outsiders to that sacred site. The reason, she soon learned, was tied to the Xianzhou's High Elder, Lord Tianfeng. He and Lord Yingyue were personally close. In his active years as the strongest Valiant Guard and the uncrowned Sword Champion of the Cloud Knights, Kanzaki had naturally crossed paths with Lord Tianfeng many times.
War returned like sudden rain. Jingliu grew accustomed to fighting alongside Bai Heng and Jing Yuan. After every successful campaign she would visit the Artisanship Commission to have Yingxing maintain their weapons. The maintenance was always for her disciple and her friend. Her own sword never required it. Years of relentless battle, countless Abominations cut down—yet the blade remained razor-sharp, untouched by wear. When she once asked her master about it, he simply replied that it was a secret of the Tomomu family and told her not to inquire further. She never asked again.
All she needed to know was that with the sword in her hand, it felt as though she fought side by side with Kanzaki himself. No matter when sleep claimed her, she always held that sword.
Time passed in the blink of an eye. By star calendar year 7328, Jing Yuan's military accomplishments had grown even more distinguished. His sharp mind and pragmatic methods often left his superiors both impressed and exasperated. Jingliu rarely commented. She had never been one to cling rigidly to protocol, and she trusted her disciple to handle the consequences of his choices.
The one who truly gave her headaches was Bai Heng. Whenever the foxian pilot took a starskiff into battle, fate seemed determined to either have her swallowed whole by some colossal Abomination or crash-land deep behind enemy lines. Few starskiffs that passed through her hands ever returned intact. People in the Sky-Faring Commission had begun calling her the starskiff killer behind her back. Her jinxed tongue was equally notorious—whatever misfortune she predicted almost always came true. Over time, most Cloud Knights refused to fly with her. Only Jingliu continued to do so without hesitation.
Bai Heng had her strengths, of course. Her luck at staying alive was nothing short of miraculous, and she possessed an uncanny ability to turn dire situations into unexpected advantages.
That year the latest Wardance on the Luofu drew enormous attention. With the previous Sword Champion retired, the title would go to the champion of this cycle. In the tea room of the Qingxin Residence, Bai Heng immediately urged Jingliu to compete.
Jingliu remained silent and glanced at Kanzaki. Seeing no reaction from him, she agreed with little enthusiasm. Even if she won the title, it would not earn her a single extra glance from her master. Since he did not care, she would treat the tournament as nothing more than a diversion.
The Wardance that year became the most talked-about event in recent memory. Opponent after opponent fell before Jingliu's swift, decisive strikes. On the night of the finals she hovered high above the arena, sword in hand, the full moon at her back rendering her figure cold and ethereal. A single streak of sword light, bright as moonlight, descended and split the entire stage in two, defeating her final opponent cleanly.
From that night onward, Jingliu was known by a new title.
Transcendent Flash.
Many began comparing her to the Sword Champions of the other Xianzhou ships. Among the various vessels, the pinnacle of Cloud Knight martial prowess was the Sword Champion, and the pinnacle among Sword Champions was the Alliance's Sword Champion. Opinions varied, yet the title itself was not decided by combat. It had to be personally bestowed by the Marshal. Without the Marshal's word, all speculation remained meaningless.
Jingliu paid no attention to the outside noise. She cared only for Kanzaki's reaction. This time, however, her master—whom she had expected to remain indifferent—spoke four simple words:
"You did well."
Those four words alone kept a faint smile on Jingliu's lips even during later Hunt expeditions. The smile lingered even after she returned. Bai Heng, usually fearless, grew genuinely worried and wondered if her friend had been possessed by a Suiyang. She rushed to the Qingxin Residence to voice her concerns to Kanzaki. Jing Yuan felt the same unease; he had never seen his master smile in all the years he had served as her disciple.
After listening to Bai Heng's worried words and seeing his grand-disciple's complicated expression, Kanzaki fell silent for a long moment.
He knew he had been too harsh with Jingliu, keeping her at arm's length. He also knew he could not continue treating her this way. If he did, she might develop deeper problems—not the mara affliction, but something far more damaging to her state of mind. After the unexpected moment they had shared in the hot spring, when they finally spoke openly, Jingliu had returned to being the steady disciple she once was. Now that she had been honored as Sword Champion, there was no need to keep wearing a cold expression that went against his true feelings.
In his heart, Jingliu had always done well. She had always been his pride.
Kanzaki had long been aware of the flaws in how he conducted himself as a master, yet he had no choice. He could not allow himself to grow too close to her. Otherwise—
He would ruin her.
His gaze lowered to the jade pendant tied to his sleeve. He remained lost in thought.
Bai Heng had grown used to Kanzaki's silences. Like master, like disciple, she thought.
Footsteps approached from behind.
"Dan Feng, Yingxing, you're here. Ah, and Jingliu—did the check-up at the Alchemy Commission go well?"
Seeing Jingliu's calm expression, Bai Heng felt a twinge of guilt. She knew how sharp Jingliu's senses were and wondered whether her earlier words had been overheard. Fortunately, Jingliu simply nodded in greeting and said nothing more.
"Bai Heng, this is for you." Yingxing handed over a recurve bow that looked unremarkable at first glance yet carried a faint glow across its surface.
"This is…?"
"The multi-functional weapon you requested. I'm confident it will meet every need you have."
"As expected of the artisan who earned the title of Zhuming's Furnace Master," Bai Heng said, her eyes curving with amusement. "Full of confidence as always."
Yingxing smiled and produced two more items. Before he could explain, the Array blade in his right hand was suddenly in Jing Yuan's grasp.
"Mm. I can tell at a glance it was made for me. Good brother, I'll treat you to a meal at the Supreme Flavor Pavilion another day."
Jing Yuan ran his hand along the blade, clearly reluctant to let go. Then he asked, "Does it have a name?"
"No. Name it yourself."
"Then let's call it Shihuo Mengshen."
"What does that mean?"
"Fleeting fame and profit are but vain toil for the soul—a sigh for the steed passing through a crevice, a spark from a flint, a body in a dream."
Yingxing's eye twitched slightly. The reason he could never win an argument with Jing Yuan was that the young man relied on refined language and ancient Xianzhou phrasing Yingxing could not easily counter.
"High Elder, this spear is for you."
"For me?" Surprise flickered across Dan Feng's face.
He accepted the spear and examined it closely. His surprise deepened into clear approval.
"Thank you."
Although Yingxing's personality could be arrogant at times, he knew how to read a room. Seeing Jing Yuan's questioning look, he explained, "The Sword Champion's equipment doesn't need my attention. The sword in her hand is far superior to anything I could forge at present. I wonder which Furnace Master's hand it came from?"
"It is an heirloom," Kanzaki answered before Jingliu could speak. "Its origin is untraceable. All that is known is that it was once used by an ancestor."
Jingliu was surprised for quite some time. When her master had first given her the sword, he had told her it was a weapon his mother had used in her lifetime. Yet she naturally did not contradict him in front of the others.