Originally, Jingliu had come to avoid seeing familiar sights that might trigger her Mara-struck state. And now, here it was—Bailu leading the charge, followed by the Cloud Knights, and Jingliu could feel the Mara flaring up.
She didn't interrupt the scene right away. Instead, she grabbed a nearby Cloud Knight who had rushed over after hearing the commotion.
"You! Is this what you usually do?!"
Her tone was sharp—she couldn't believe what she was seeing.
The once-proud Cloud Knights of the Xianzhou Luofu had turned into this? They had just endured a Stellaron crisis and an assault by a Lord Ravager, and yet here they were, peacefully performing a plaza dance?
The Cloud Knights were finished! Completely finished!
Intense killing intent surged from Jingliu's body. She hadn't come to the Luofu to wreak havoc, she had a secret plan. Her true objective was to eliminate the source of the eternal plague.
But now that she saw the Cloud Knights in this state, it made her question—had she made a mistake?
The Cloud Knight caught in her grasp immediately realized there was a misunderstanding.
"Ah! Actually, it's like this. This isn't just us dancing for fun—this dance is now part of our performance evaluation! Thanks to Mr. Pei Guang, we Cloud Knights have mastered a new ability. When someone is dancing, all nearby Cloud Knights gain a 10% strength boost!"
"This effect has been verified by the General and all Six Charioteers. A pure 10% buff—super strong!"
As he spoke, the Cloud Knight's expression grew reverent.
"And from what everyone's tested, the precision of the dance moves seems to have a slight influence on the strength of the buff. So when we saw Mr. Pei Guang arrive, of course we all wanted to train seriously with him or his companions. A 10% boost! Unconditional 10%!"
It might just be a 10% increase in raw numbers on paper, but on the battlefield, it's anything but simple. In combat, even being just a bit faster, a bit stronger, or reacting just a bit quicker can completely change the outcome of a battle.
Sometimes, it really is those fractions of a second that decide everything.
That 10% boost wasn't just a minor improvement: it could turn an uncertain battle into a guaranteed victory. It could even allow the Cloud Knights to dance right there on the battlefield, giving simultaneous buffs to both General Jing Yuan and his Lighting Lord.
Because the Lighting Lord could also receive the buff, discussions were already spreading across the other five Xianzhou ships. Everyone was considering making Pei Guang's dance a required skill.
Ideally, during any battle, there would always be someone within ten meters providing this stable 10% buff.
Hearing the Cloud Knight's explanation, even Jingliu—no, even her Mara-struck state—almost formed a question mark over her head.
She could understand getting a buff. But an unconditional 10% boost?
What the hell?!
Even with her millennia of experience and her ironclad will, upon hearing this, she couldn't help but let out a strange sound.
"Huh?"
Jingliu asked, "So anyone in the Cloud Knights qualifies?"
The Cloud Knight nodded earnestly. "That's right! After testing by various departments, as long as you're part of the Xianzhou Alliance and your department title has the words 'Cloud Knights,' it works—and the effect is amazing! Any kind of dance is fine too—as long as you're dancing.
But, like I said, we feel that learning directly from our benefactor seems to make it even stronger. Maybe only by 0.1 or 0.2%, but on the battlefield, that tiny boost might make all the difference."
To the Cloud Knights, fighting against the Abominations of Abundance was a life-or-death struggle. Any improvement was worth it.
And not just warriors: even gamers would go to absurd lengths for tiny boosts. Hundreds, even thousands of hours grinding, or spending absurd amounts of money for minimal increases—these things weren't unheard of.
Jingliu paused for a moment, then asked curiously, "What about former Cloud Knights? Do they count?"
The Cloud Knight replied, "Of course! A few retired veterans tested it—retirees count too! I heard some of the various sanctums are considering designating areas specifically for dance practice.
And side effects? Other than needing to be in the Cloud Knights—none. It's been tested by all Six Charioteers! I even heard rumors that our General's aggressive promotion of this may have been inspired by the Reignbow Arbiter Themself. But whatever the reason—if it works, we use it."
The people of Xianzhou were known for their pragmatism: if something worked, it didn't need to be widely promoted.
People would adopt it on their own.
If it weren't for regulations forbidding the use of Cloud Knights for commercial purposes, there'd probably be shops all over the Luofu hanging signs with "Cloud Knights" just to tap into the effect.
Hearing all this, Jingliu was tempted. A 10% strength boost was a deadly temptation to someone like her. But she couldn't figure it out: how could such a significant increase come without any cost?
She thought there was no price to pay, but in truth, the cost had already been paid. Jing Yuan gave his sincerity. The Xianzhou Luofu gave its sincerity. And in return, they gained the favor of the player.
After all, back when Jing Yuan took 300 pulls from Pei Guang just to join the party, Pei Guang nearly set up a shrine for him. And now, various branches of the Xianzhou Alliance were working overtime to deliver any relics or gear that might be useful to the Trailblazer.
Unfortunately, interstellar freight still took time. While individual envoys could arrive quickly, transporting bulk resources was still slow—even more so given that the Xianzhou were a long-lived species.
From their perspective, getting something delivered in a few years was already quite fast.
Jingliu's curiosity had been fully piqued. As she edged closer—stepping within ten meters—her expression changed.
She could feel it.
A real increase in power.
She hesitated, fell silent for a few moments, and then, almost involuntarily, stepped forward.
As the former Sword Master, Jingliu's talent was second to none. And Pei Guang's dances weren't difficult. Though Bailu was leading, Jingliu only had to observe a few times before picking it up.
And so, she joined the dance.
At first, she felt extremely awkward, her whole body stiff. But after following the rhythm a few times, something shifted.
As she participated herself, Jingliu realized that the buff wasn't just to raw strength—it was to her "soft stats" as well.
It sounded mystical, but she could feel her will, her soul, even her intelligence getting a boost.
Yes—most of the Cloud Knights didn't research deeply, so to them it was just a flat 10% boost to everything. But internally, Luofu specialists had already tested the effect and concluded that Pei Guang's aura was absurdly overpowered.
In crude gaming terms, this was a 10% increase to all stats. And if this even extended to cognitive and willpower domains? That was nuts.
But for Jingliu, it was that 10% buff to her spirit and mind that brought her the most peace. After all, her current state was one of forced suppression of the Mara. With that slight edge—and the soothing effect of Pei Guang's coffee—she felt her mind relax like never before.
That moment of relaxation made an involuntary expression of fleeting happiness appear on Jingliu's face.
All living beings, when they experience happiness, naturally reveal a joyful expression, and in that moment, something within Jingliu began to shift as well.
But at the same time, she grew even more lost. Her heart was her sword, her sword her self, and she had severed that self long ago. This return to the Luofu wasn't just about her own goals: she had also wanted to confront her past and emerge with a more resolute heart.
Jingliu understood that this ease was only temporary, but even a brief moment of peace was a rare luxury for someone plagued by the agony of Mara. Within that stillness, she found herself dancing happily with the others.
Even if the peace was fleeting, she cherished it all the more.
One song, then two, then three.
As more and more people joined, the energy kept building. After quite a while, the music finally stopped.
When it did, Bailu excitedly ran over. "Well? Ah Guang, did it look like I learned it properly?"
Pei Guang praised her, "Of course! I think the student has surpassed the master!"
At that moment, not only had Bailu stopped, but everyone nearby also gathered around Pei Guang.
"Benefactor! Didn't expect you to drop by Stargazer Navalia during your shift, huh?"
"Stargazer Navalia is fully operational again now—all thanks to your efforts!"
Because Pei Guang had completely cleared out the enemies during the Stellaron incident, this place had been able to resume normal operations right after things settled.
"Benefactor, would you like to have a meal at our mess hall?"