Chapter 11

Chapter 11: Why Yes — The Brilliant Little Jingliu

"You sent her snacks?"

Xuleng. All six generals gathered online.

The atmosphere was delicate. Everyone's gaze, to varying degrees, had settled on Jing Yuan — the representative of the Luofu.

Jingliu's existence was simply too significant to the Xianzhou. Cangcheng survivor, Sword Champion of the Xianzhou, holder of thirteen distinguished merits, creator of the Cloud Knights' undefeated legend, and a member of the once-celebrated Cloud Quintet.

Her fall to mara back then had dealt a devastating blow to Xianzhou morale. But fine — you fell to mara, you fell to mara. So why, at this stage, had she suddenly shown up claiming she'd found a way to kill Yaoshi?

That was absurd. You could see that, right?

And upon closer inspection, the clean, coldly austere cell also contained several bags of snacks. She seemed to have been doing rather well lately — there was even a hint of... ease in her expression?

Jing Yuan: "..."

I have no idea!

【Bright Future Chat Group】

Jingliu: "@Wangshu, did you run into enemies today? Why do you keep borrowing my power at regular intervals?"

Were there enemies in Cangcheng during this period?

She couldn't quite remember, though it wasn't implausible. After all, the war hadn't ended by Star Calendar Year 6299 — it would continue all the way until Year 7300 before the large-scale campaigns finally subsided.

Wangshu: "Actually, little Jingliu thinks it looks cool and wants to see it a few more times."

Jingliu: "..."

Wangshu: "..."

Jingliu: "..."

She felt another pang in her chest. Was her past self really like that? Probably. Cangcheng hadn't been destroyed yet, and she really did used to love smiling.

Strangely, the turmoil she felt right now showed no signs of triggering her mara.

Wangshu: "But don't worry, Senior. It's already past nine at night here. Time for bed."

Asta: "Do people really go to bed at nine?"

Wangshu: "Why yes — for instance, this brilliant, early-to-bed little Jingliu right here."

Jingliu: "..."

Asta: "..."

Jingliu: "Get some rest soon. This year won't be peaceful for Cangcheng."

She reminded them, her tone returning to its usual cool detachment.

Besides, getting proper sleep as soon as possible was the only way to enter the consciousness training space.

Regardless of Asta's situation, Wangshu was in the eye of a gathering storm in Cangcheng. He needed to develop at least some basic capacity for self-defense as quickly as possible — even if it was just rudimentary swordsmanship and power control.

As night deepened — the consciousness training space

"Ugh, I knew I'd end up back in here."

Asta pressed her palm to her forehead and sighed. Why couldn't she resist? It was merely Emanator-level combat power. Asta, why can't you control yourself?

Wangshu gazed around the perimeter. "Isn't this great? It's not like we'll be mentally exhausted the next day."

"Round it off and we're living an extra two or three days per month. Over a year, we get a whole extra month compared to everyone else."

Wangshu wasn't actually sure when his sleep duration qualified as sufficient... If left unsupervised, he felt like he could sleep until ten the next morning.

Also, he was starting to look forward to the chat group's second adaptive upgrade. Who knew what interesting features it would unlock.

Asta was silent for a moment, then forced out a... well-you're-not-wrong smile.

"By the way, how was the jianbing guozi?"

"Not as good as I'd imagined. Might've been because it was already cold by the time I ate it at night."

"I'll send you some fresh ones tomorrow when I'm working the stall."

The distant door was pushed open once more. Wangshu and Asta instantly fell silent. Jingliu's figure stepped into the training ground, still dressed in that simple, fitted combat outfit. Her eyes, uncovered by the black silk, were cold and clear as a frozen pool. Her gaze fell first on Wangshu, lingering for a moment, before slowly sweeping across both of them.

"A sword is a weapon of violence. Three feet of green steel, six feet of longsword — regardless of the specifications, the sword was born with one purpose: to kill more effectively."

"I'd very much like to ask — are you truly prepared to take a life?"

Before either could respond, she shifted direction: "But what's done is done. Rehashing these complicated matters now serves no purpose. You two — I don't mind you borrowing my power. Fate brought us together in this group, and that in itself is a connection."

"So as long as you don't give up of your own accord, regardless of your talent, I'm willing to teach you everything I know. I only ask that you don't use this power for evil. That is my bottom line."

Jingliu had quite the addiction to teaching. It was hard to say whether the Cloud Knights' undefeated legend existed precisely because she was always finding ways to drill them and raise their overall combat effectiveness.

Asta didn't understand: "Can't holding a sword be about protection?"

Just like Arlan, just like everyone in the security department — they carried weapons precisely to protect others.

"There's no difference. A sword is a weapon of violence. No matter the purpose, when you drive the pointed end into an enemy, the result is harm. Purpose gives an action meaning, but it doesn't change the nature of the blade."

Protection or war — say what you will. The moment you thrust a sword at someone, it becomes a weapon of violence.

After speaking, Jingliu was quiet for a while. She looked at Wangshu, seemingly waiting for him to weigh in.

Wangshu hesitated for a moment, then smiled brightly. "I don't really understand why doing something has to come with this much philosophical baggage. But if we absolutely have to label swords as instruments of violence, I personally think that's a bit... uncool."

"Senior's sword may be a killing blade, but having learned from your sword, maybe we'll wield it as a saving blade instead. You never know."

He didn't understand why transmigrating had come with the bonus of getting younger, but he was only seventeen now. Still young. Life had barely begun.

So he was full of anticipation for the future.

Jingliu's crimson eyes narrowed slightly. Was this little brat mocking her? Mocking the fact that ever since she fell to mara, there'd been no turning back?

"Draw your sword."

She said nothing more. Cold energy coalesced in her hand, and a crystalline ice blade materialized in an instant.

"While solidifying your fundamentals, practical sparring is equally essential."

She gestured for Wangshu and Asta to attack together. "Show me your aptitude and talent — let me see exactly where you stand."

...Training time flew by...

【Bright Future Chat Group】

Asta: "Being alive... is so hard..."

Jingliu: "Your talent isn't bad. In terms of fine-grained power control, you're above average."

Wangshu: "What about me?! What about me?!"

Jingliu: "You... are more suited to the sword than I was at your stage."

She didn't hold back the praise.

Perhaps their raw talent wasn't vastly different, but Jingliu hadn't been this passionate about the sword in the beginning. After Cangcheng's destruction, all she'd wanted was to survive. After enlisting, all she'd pursued was lethality.

If not for her teacher's guidance, she would never have kept holding this sword, let alone become the Sword Champion. Wangshu was more enthusiastic than she'd been — he had an inexplicable love for the blade, a pure fervor that Jingliu had spent years searching for.

Wangshu: "To be honest, every time I borrow your power, Senior, beyond the strength boost... I can feel a wordless call. As if some legendary weapon is searching for its master. Maybe I'm that one-in-a-million sword prodigy!"

Jingliu: "..."

Asta: "Have you considered it might be a neurological issue? A sudden flood of power causing hyperactive brain activity, producing mirage-like hallucinations? I'd recommend getting checked at a hospital."

Jingliu: "No — there really is a legendary weapon looking for him."

Asta: "?!"

Jingliu: "Propagation remnants. Or a relic closely related to them is resonating."

Jingliu's Propagation power was derived from the remnants of Tayzzyronth. It was power rooted at the source level.

Thinking carefully — in Star Calendar Year 6299, there probably wasn't anyone more suited than Wangshu, who was channeling her power, to become a vessel for that force.

Wangshu: "???"

Jingliu: "Little boy~ maybe you should borrow my power less often. If it actually finds you... nobody knows what might happen."

If Cangcheng ended up being destroyed not by the abomination Rahu, but by a Propagation Swarm Lord's infestation and gnawing... that would truly be a nightmare.