Cut From Ice: A Cultivator’s Rebirth

Lin Qingling smiled broadly. "Okay, okay. You've finally said something I like to hear."

"I... I want to help too," Jiang Yi said softly.

Luo Mingyue rolled up his sleeves, looking like he was ready to charge into battle.

Li Shuang was momentarily confused.

At Lingxu Peak, the elders never interfered in conflicts between disciples. She was the eldest sister and bore all responsibilities. If she made a mistake, she was reprimanded harshly. No one shielded her.

But here—here, she had become the one everyone protected.

This shift made her feel a bit disoriented.

She fell silent for a while, then suddenly asked, "Have you ever thought that maybe I lied? That maybe Ye Zhaozhao was telling the truth?"

Lin Qingling's smile widened. "You finally asked that?"

Li Shuang hesitated but said nothing more.

Lin Qingling straightened her posture, her expression turning serious—rare for her."The Supreme Forgetting Love Technique was once one of the greatest arts. Now, only Wuqing Peak retains a few scraps of knowledge about it."

"The founder said: to begin cultivating the Supreme Forgetting Love Technique, one must first experience deep and sincere love. Only when that pure love is shattered can the practitioner be reborn from despair and truly understand the Way of Ruthlessness."

If Li Shuang were truly a treacherous person, how could she have had such deep feelings to begin with? How could she undergo transformation through heartbreak?

She must have poured her heart completely into Lingxu Peak.

And so, when that emotion was betrayed, she fell into utter despair—despair so deep it was like death.

Only by rising from that abyss could she walk this new path.

Lin Qingling sighed quietly.

She had long known the cultivation method's harsh requirements—but in the world of immortal cultivation, how rare was it for someone to genuinely form such deep attachments?

Even she only cared deeply for a few of her disciples.

And if, after giving their whole heart, those disciples were still betrayed—only then might one awaken the Supreme Forgetting Love Technique.

Such conditions were cruel and nearly impossible to meet.

Yet Li Shuang had met them.

How much pain must she have endured?

Lin Qingling dared not imagine.

The room fell into silence.

Luo Mingyue and the others also seemed to realize the weight of it, and an uncomfortable stillness settled over them.

They were outsiders, yes—but they all knew how much Li Shuang had once sacrificed for Lingxu Peak.

And yet, those people had abandoned her so easily.

Were they even worthy of everything she had given?

Li Shuang remained calm.

So that's what it was.

Then perhaps… her downfall had been a blessing in disguise.

The Supreme Forgetting Love Technique flowed gently within her. She understood that Lin Qingling and the others were saddened for her, but she herself no longer felt anything.

Seeing Li Shuang's serene expression, Luo Mingyue felt relieved—but also curious.

"Junior Sister," she asked, "with the Forgetting Love Technique, are you truly free from all emotional disturbance?"

Li Shuang considered it, then shook her head."Anyone who is human will always feel emotions."

Luo Mingyue was surprised. "But the Supreme Forgetting Love Technique is the Way of Ruthlessness. How can it allow emotions?"

Li Shuang's eyes grew thoughtful."The technique clearly states:'The Dao grants its form, and Heaven its shape. Do not let desires harm the body.'"

"The ruthless path only abandons emotions that bring pain. If you no longer suffer joy or sorrow from desire, you will not be hurt."

"To be honest," she continued, "once you cast away the emotions that harm you, the ones that remain are the truly precious ones. Isn't the Way of Ruthlessness also a form of deep affection?"

This was her understanding.

Since entering the path of ruthlessness, the people of Lingxu Peak could no longer stir her emotions.But her love for her deceased mother remained—it had never faded.That, too, proved that the ruthless path did not sever all emotion—only the painful ones.

A flash of light crossed Lin Qingling's eyes.

Though Li Shuang had only just begun this cultivation path, her understanding of it was already profound.

For the first time, Lin Qingling felt an unwavering certainty:

This disciple, reborn from the ashes, would walk farther down the Way of Ruthlessness than anyone before her.

She would shine brighter than she ever had as Lingxu Peak's proudest genius.

Li Shuang—was destined to soar.

Her ten years of silence had only been preparation for her true rise.

"Did I say something wrong?" Li Shuang asked, noticing Lin Qingling's deep thought.

Lin Qingling came back to her senses and smiled."No. Now, you're walking a path that only you can follow. Whether it's right or wrong… Xiaoshuang, you must discover that yourself."

Li Shuang nodded calmly.

Lin Qingling then took out two jade slips and handed them to her.

"What I gave you before was only the introductory formula for the Supreme Forgetting Love Technique, up to the Qi Training stage. This jade slip contains the complete method. As your cultivation grows, the later stages will reveal themselves."

"The second jade slip contains a set of sword techniques. The founder of the sect left behind two great legacies: the Way of Ruthlessness and the method of Sword-Spirit Unity."

"Li Shuang, you're a once-in-a-century genius. You understand the value of a sword spirit."

Li Shuang nodded again.

"The sword spirit is the soul of the sword. The sword is silent, but its spirit can speak. With a spirit, one can bond deeply with the blade and eventually achieve harmony between sword and wielder. At that level, your swordsmanship's power increases dramatically—and defeating stronger opponents becomes easy."

She paused, thinking of the Dragon Roar Sword.

"You've lost Longyin, but the sect founder once said that fate will guide you to your destined sword. A disciple may enter the Sword Pavilion only once in a lifetime. If you miss that chance, you can only use an external sword."

"Without the Sword Pavilion's spiritual nourishment, external swords rarely awaken a spirit. Still, under certain coincidences... it's not impossible."

She offered a comforting smile.

"Master, I already have a sword," Li Shuang said, summoning the Black Abyss Sword into her hand.

"This used to be Ye Zhaozhao's sword," Luo Mingyue said, frowning. "She held it for years and never awakened the spirit. Maybe the sword is defective."

"It's possible," Lin Qingling said seriously. "If the sword spirit can't be awakened, then Black Abyss might not even match ordinary forged swords."

Li Shuang, however, remained calm."It's fine. Black Abyss is a good sword."

After all, any sword that could ignite the Heaven and Earth Furnace wasn't ordinary.

If its spirit had never awakened, it likely wasn't defective.

It probably just never liked Ye Zhaozhao.

Lin Qingling nodded. "Try it. If it doesn't work out, you can let me know."

She pointed at the second jade slip."This sword technique complements the Forgetting Love Technique. The slip can only be unlocked using its spiritual energy. I haven't opened it myself. You'll have to study it alone."

Li Shuang received the jade slips with a respectful bow.

Lin Qingling then handed her a storage pouch. "Today is market day. There are 300 mid-grade spirit stones inside. Go and see if you can find any magic tools suitable for the Qi Training stage."

Li Shuang was startled. "Master… how can I accept your things so casually?"

Lin Qingling blinked, then said, "Your cultivation is still weak. It's normal for a master to help her disciple!"

Then she suddenly thought of something.

She looked at Li Shuang, her expression darkening. "That old man Lingxu… don't tell me… he never gave you anything?"

Li Shuang was silent.

And that silence spoke volumes.