Cut From Ice: A Cultivator’s Rebirth

Li Shuang stood beneath the waterfall on Wuqing Peak, her robe soaked, her hair plastered to her shoulders.

The cold water pounded her skin like iron needles, but she didn't flinch.

She had been standing there for over two hours.

This was part of a spiritual refinement process Lin Qingling had suggested—tempering the body while clearing the heart.

But for Li Shuang, it was more than that.

The pain of the waterfall reminded her she was alive.

That she had survived.

That she was no longer the girl who once clung to approval.

She drew a deep breath and closed her eyes, her consciousness sinking into her dantian.

The Supreme Forgetting Love Technique circulated silently.

Her spiritual power had reached the peak of Qi Training. The foundation was stable, refined, and on the verge of forming a core.

But that final breakthrough—required more than just accumulation.

It required clarity.

She opened her eyes.

And in the next moment—she stepped forward and entered the Mirror Cave.

The Mirror Cave was an ancient training ground built by the sect's founder.

It reflected a cultivator's inner self—fears, regrets, obsessions, and attachments.

Lin Qingling had warned her:

"If you have even a trace of lingering emotion in your heart, the Mirror Cave will expose it."

"And if you cannot overcome it, you'll remain trapped."

Li Shuang had chosen to enter anyway.

She needed to test her heart.

To prove that the Way of Ruthlessness had truly taken root.

Inside, everything was dark.

Not black—but shimmering, liquid darkness, like standing inside a pool of night.

Then—

The images began to form.

A younger Sheng Yuan, clinging to her sleeve, sobbing, "Senior Sister, don't leave me behind!"

Her master, Lingxu Zhenren, gently placing a sword into her hands and saying, "I believe in you."

Ye Zhaozhao, smiling sweetly, whispering, "Senior Sister, I admire you so much…"

The images twisted.

Now Sheng Yuan was sneering, drawing a sword on her.Her master's voice turned sharp: "You betrayed us!"Zhaozhao's eyes shimmered with false tears: "I didn't mean to hurt you…"

The shadows closed in.

Li Shuang stood at the center.

Still. Silent.

The images were meant to torment her.

To stir regret. Pain. Emotion.

But she did not waver.

"I remember," she said quietly.

"I remember loving them. Trusting them."

Her fingers curled slightly.

"But I no longer do."

The illusions cracked slightly.

The Mirror began to resist, morphing into something deeper.

A snowy cliff.

Her younger self, bleeding, barely able to stand.The Dragon Roar Sword lay nearby, glinting under the moon.

She heard her own voice, weak and shaking:

"Why… why did you betray me?"

It was the most painful version of herself—the moment when everything broke.

Then—Long Yan's voice echoed:

"I never wanted you as my master."

The scene pressed in like a blade.

Her knees almost buckled.

But then—she stepped forward.

"You betrayed me," she said softly, "but I lived."

"You left me behind—but I rose."

She reached out—and shattered the scene with her bare hand.

Everything collapsed into white.

The illusions faded. The darkness receded.

Li Shuang opened her eyes.

She was standing at the end of the cave.

And behind her, every image had turned to dust.

She had passed.

She had no regrets.

Outside the cave, Lin Qingling was waiting with arms crossed.

The moment she sensed the tremor of shattered illusions, she looked up sharply.

Then—she smiled.

"Very good."

She turned to go.

Inside the cave, a faint voice echoed in Li Shuang's mind:

"Negative emotion… neutralized."

"Foundation complete."

"You are ready to ascend."

And Li Shuang, calm and unshaken, walked out beneath the moonlight—one step closer to true power.