Gladiolus

In Lu Hongdou's limited childhood memories, the most profound scene was an exile.

Yellow sand filled the sky, the sun blazed like fire, and the exiles faced an uncertain future.

Her hometown, a small border town in Donghua Prefecture, was destroyed in a devastating attack by Aberrant Beast when she was five years old.

She didn't have a deep impression of the disaster itself, only remembering being woken up by her parents one night, and then the three of them embarked on a journey of exile. Even more unfortunately, she was separated from her parents during their escape and lost her way alone in the Wasteland.

A five-year-old child walking alone in the Wasteland is practically dead, the only difference being whether she dies sooner or later. But Lu Hongdou is lucky in this respect because she encounters an old man who happens to be traveling through the Wasteland.

Later, Lu Hongdou learned that the old man was no ordinary person, because he had mastered a very unique skill, which he called martial arts.

Because of his martial arts practice, the old man was able to traverse the Wasteland alone; because of his martial arts practice, he was able to avoid the dangers of the Wasteland. And whenever the old man talked about martial arts, his aged face always shone with a divine light.

The old man took Lu Hongdou in and took her to another city, but instead of living in the city center, they settled in a mountain on the outskirts of the city.

For the next few years, Lu Hongdou called the old man "Master" and learned martial arts from him in the mountains.

Practicing martial arts is extremely difficult, far more so than ordinary training.

But perhaps it was her childhood experience of being exiled in the Wasteland that made her strong, or perhaps it was the early separation from her parents that made her mature. Lu Hongdou persevered and diligently practiced martial arts.

During the hottest days of summer, she practiced standing meditation under the scorching sun; during the coldest days of winter, she practiced swordsmanship in the biting wind. She practiced with unwavering dedication and perseverance, and her efforts were rewarded.

Years later, Lu Hongdou displayed exceptional martial arts talent, mastering all the skills the old man had taught her by the age of fourteen, and becoming a gifted martial artist.

But just as she was full of ambition and wanted to ask the old man for advice on the next step in martial arts, his next words poured cold water on her enthusiasm.

"You've pretty much hit rock bottom in your current state."

"The end? What do you mean?" Lu Hongdou didn't understand what the old man was saying at all.

"In other words, your martial arts skills have basically reached their limit. Going forward will only involve learning more techniques, accumulating more practical experience, or developing a stronger body... You can continue to get stronger, but you can no longer achieve a qualitative breakthrough and reach a new level."

The old man spoke calmly, "Martial arts have limits, and those limits are the limits of us mortals. No matter how hard we cultivate, we can never defeat those strange beasts. Even I can only conceal my aura and avoid them when I encounter them."

"Why?" Lu Hongdou still didn't understand.

"There's no why. Just like the cycle of the seasons and the alternation of day and night, this is the law of the world, and it has been so from the very beginning."

The old man's answer was realistic, cold, and powerless.

But Lu Hongdou still didn't believe it.

So, at the age of fourteen, she said goodbye to the old man who had raised her and chose to go down the mountain alone to find a way for martial arts in the world.

This was the first time Lu Hongdou had stepped into a human city since she was five years old.

At first, she was naturally clueless and completely unaccustomed to city life. Although the old man gave her a small sum of money before she left, he himself had never deliberately saved any money, and this amount was barely enough to fill her stomach.

In her first step on the path of martial arts, Lu Hongdou was defeated by the struggle for survival.

She lived in a damp alley with beggars, barely making a living by begging and performing. Because she couldn't bring herself to associate with the thugs on the streets and do petty theft, she was always ostracized and didn't even have a decent place to sleep. She slept next to garbage dumps every day.

Life was difficult, but Lu Hongdou didn't think there was anything wrong with her choice, because her master had always taught her since she was a child that those who practice martial arts must uphold morality, and one of the core tenets of morality is to protect the weak and not to bully the vulnerable.

Fortunately, Lu Hongdou was very adaptable. She quickly found her own rhythm in this difficult life. Relying on her martial arts skills, she occasionally caught thieves, helped some shops keep watch, and deterred the local thugs. Gradually, she began to earn money and integrate into city life.

After that, she began to explore the future path of martial arts. She persisted in practicing martial arts to see if there really was such a "limit" while asking around the streets and alleys to find other martial arts practitioners.

Instead of finding like-minded people, I found some old friends.

--A Aberrant Beast appeared.

This was the first time Yuan had encountered Aberrant Beast in reality since she was five years old, so much so that she didn't immediately realize what the monster in front of her was. It wasn't until the civilians around her began to scream and flee, and the usually bustling streets were filled with panic, that she understood that what was in front of her was Aberrant Beast, also known as the "strange beast" that her master had spoken of.

Can martial arts defeat strange beasts? My master's answer to this question has always been "no."

But Lu Hongdou didn't believe it. Rather, she always remembered that the culprit behind her childhood displacement was the strange beast, so she was unwilling to run away from her enemy.

So she charged at the beast alone, challenging it with the strongest skills she possessed.

The outcome was a crushing defeat.

After being brutally beaten by the beast, Lu Hongdou was covered in blood, with multiple fractures. She was firmly pressed to the rough ground by the beast's thick claws, while the Aberrant Beast's mandibles were already pressed against her throat, about to pierce through her thin skin and take her last breath.

At that critical moment, someone saved her.

The visitor was a "Sky Maiden".

The term "Sky Maiden" was a general term used by the people of Donghua Prefecture during that era to refer to this type of girl, as if they were chosen by heaven to appear as heroes who fought against the Aberrant Beast and protected the safety of every household.

This time was no exception. At the critical moment when Lu Hongdou was on the verge of death, the Sky Maiden appeared and saved her. Then, in less than a minute, she eliminated the monster that had almost killed Lu Hongdou.

The crowd cheered and praised the Sky Maiden who had come to their rescue, but Lu Hongdou, who was lying on the ground, fell silent.

It was partly because her injuries were too severe to speak, and partly because her understanding of martial arts was being challenged for the first time.

An enemy whom one could not defeat with any martial arts technique was no match for the "Sky Maiden." So, what kind of power did the Sky Maiden wield?

No one could tell her the answer.

Regardless of whether the surrounding people knew, even the "Sky Maiden" herself left immediately after defeating the Aberrant Beast. Lu Hongdou had no doubt that even if she hadn't left, she probably wouldn't have answered her question.

She could only carry this question with her as she continued her pursuit of martial arts.

Three years passed in the search, and by the time Lu Hongdou turned seventeen, she still hadn't found the answer she was looking for.

As time went on, her daily training yielded little result, and she finally understood what her master had said back then—because she realized that her martial arts skills could no longer make any qualitative progress.

She left the city and returned to the mountains, where she sorted out her experiences and thoughts over the years and explained them to her master. She felt regretful and even frustrated for the three years of futile efforts she had made.

"When I discovered this fact, I actually felt the same way you did."

After listening to her words, her master, the old man who looked frail and elderly, said, "I also don't believe this fact, which is why I decided to travel all over Donghua Prefecture, cross the Wasteland, and search for a way out for martial arts. I even went to many abandoned cities, hoping to find a more ancient history there."

"Has Master found the answer?" Lu Hongdou was very curious about this.

"No, because martial arts in Donghua Prefecture has never been a highly developed art form. It has had many opportunities to flourish, but ultimately none of them have survived."

The old man shook his head. "The level we have reached now is what the ancients called the 'Acquired Limit,' meaning that no matter how hard we try, we cannot break through this constraint."

"Even the ancients had no solution?" Lu Hongdou's disappointment was palpable.

There really is no other way.

The old man's voice was calm. "But it's not that we haven't made any guesses."

"A conjecture?" Lu Hongdou was very interested in this word.

"Yes, it's a conjecture. Although there's no way to actually realize it, many clues prove that there is indeed a possibility for the future of martial arts."

The old man nodded and said, "And we call this possibility 'momentum'."

"What does that mean? Are you trying to intimidate your opponent with your own imposing presence?"

"No, the so-called 'momentum' is not just a single word, but a collective term for 'qi' (vital energy) and 'shi' (momentum). The progress of martial arts in terms of the physical body is limited by Acquired Limit, but if one masters the power of qi and momentum, one might be able to go much further..."

That day, the old man said a lot.

As if being chased by something, he told Lu Hongdou everything he had seen and heard during his years of wandering in Donghua Prefecture, the historical materials he had collected, and his insights into martial arts, and he didn't sleep all night.

Lu Hongdou wasn't annoyed, because she had a vague premonition of something.

She guessed that this might be the last time she would ever speak with her master.

After a long talk that lasted all night, the old man was exhausted. He was barely breathing and leaned back in his chair, his voice barely audible. But he still managed to hold Lu Hongdou's hand and give her his last words of advice.

"Remember, everything for a martial artist begins with morality. Only with morality can martial arts be called the Way of Martial Arts; without morality, the Way of Martial Arts ceases to exist..."

The next day, as the morning light illuminated the mountains, the old man closed his eyes forever.

Lu Hongdou didn't understand his last words, but that didn't stop her from remembering them.

Then, she chose to become a "Sky Maiden".

Through her conversation with the old man, she realized that simply practicing martial arts would not lead to a solution; the best way was to learn from others and find answers in other ways of power.

The process of becoming a "Sky Maiden" was also exceptionally simple. She simply found the Sky Maiden who had saved her before, expressed her gratitude and longing, and was given a chance to test her aptitude. After the test, she was indeed found to have the talent to become Sky Maiden.

From then on, she rarely used the name "Lu Hongdou" anymore, but instead used her code name as Sky Maiden — Gladiolus.

Or rather, "Sky Maiden" aren't actually called Sky Maiden. The real name these girls are given, the name they themselves accept, should actually be "magical girls."

Martial artist Lu Hongdou becomes the magical girl Gladiolus.

Of course, becoming a magical girl doesn't mean she's given up martial arts; on the contrary, it's precisely because she's become a magical girl that she's become even more devoted to martial arts.

While other magical girls were researching the abilities of Magic Armament, she was researching how to combine Magic Armament with her own martial arts.

While other magical girls were studying how to use Spell Formula, she was researching how to use magic to open up her own energy channels and artificially create "ki".

While other magical girls reached the pinnacle of Blossoming abilities and studied how to maximize their combat power with "Grand Flourishing Blossoming," Gladiolus was researching the essence of "momentum."

This research is inseparable from the power of magical girls and the support of magic. Therefore, Gladiolus eventually gave up her life in the Material Realm and entered the Kingdom, becoming a citizen of the Magic Kingdom.

She became withdrawn and isolated; she became unkempt and indifferent; she became obsessive, believing that "becoming stronger" was enough to replace everything else.

Through this continuous pursuit, Gladiolus finally succeeded.

She not only successfully reproduced the "qi" and "momentum" in the theory, but also combined the two with magic to form her own unique style, becoming a leader in combat power.

But at the same time, Gladiolus also failed.

Because she discovered that her "qi" and "momentum" were less about martial arts and more about applying martial arts principles to magic. This application was highly tied to the magical girl's power, and once she lost her magic, she also lost her "qi" and "momentum".

This is something she cannot accept.

The path she desires after martial arts must be pure and achievable solely through martial arts training. If magic is required to complete the path after martial arts, then it is not martial arts at all, but merely a branch of magical girl cultivation.

Unfortunately, even after joining Magic Kingdom, a magical girl's magical powers are not unlimited. As her term of service becomes too long, or if she becomes injured and loses her fighting ability, even a magical girl who has joined Kingdom may face the situation of being forced to retire.

Gladiolus is undoubtedly one of them.

Unbeknownst to her, she had wasted far too much time on martial arts, and as a result, rarely undertaken any challenging missions.

In other words, she contributed too little to the Magic Kingdom.

Possessing the power of a magical girl but not hunting Aberrant Beast or fighting to protect the Kingdom and the Material Realm, a magical girl like her is very likely to be forced into retirement.

Once she is forced to retire, her "spirit," her "momentum," and everything she controls will vanish like a bubble.

It was under these circumstances that, one day, Gladiolus's boss, a magical girl codenamed Purple Diamond who was in charge of the Finance Institute, found her.

"My dearest Gladiolus, my most capable assistant, I have a way to help you master the magic of the Aberrant Beast, which might be helpful to your research."

She got straight to the point and stated her conditions to Gladiolus.

"Boss, let's get straight to the point. What do you want me to do?"

At this point, years of research and cultivation had long since made Gladiolus forget the hatred she felt for the Aberrant Beast in her childhood. Rather, compared to her current dedication to martial arts, that hatred was no longer worth mentioning.

"I intend to leave the Kingdom and establish my own organization."

To this, Purple Diamond simply smiled, as if she were a girl confiding in a close friend, and softly said, "Let's go help those magical girls and Fairy who are not accepted by the Kingdom, and build a home of our own outside the Kingdom."

"Even magical girls like you, who might be forced to retire soon, can be spared retirement and retain their power if we unite."

"You'll come to help me, right?"