Chapter 2: The Way of the Emotionless
For ten long years, she wandered the martial path like a lone traveler chasing the echo of a dragon’s roar. Li Shuang dedicated her spirit to perfecting her sword, yet she never forced Long Yan into the strict bond of the Sword Spirit pact. She feared that such a tie would trap him like a prisoner in iron chains. She believed that a true connection ran deeper than any written oath.
Now, the very Sword Spirit she had trusted and nurtured had turned its fierce edge against her. It plunged straight into her dantian, and a thin stream of crimson escaped her lips. Her eyes fixed on Long Yan in disbelief. “Why?” she whispered.
Long Yan knew she was near death. His voice was cold and sharp as a winter wind. “Your death frees me to choose a new Master. I have always longed for Ye Zhao Zhao. Li Shuang, accept your fate.”
Li Shuang coughed as fresh blood scattered like petals in a storm. Yet, in that critical moment, she laughed.
Long Yan’s heart burned for Ye Zhao Zhao. Her own Master had cherished Ye Zhao Zhao, and even her Junior Brothers had eyes only for him. She, Li Shuang, had been nothing more than a fading shadow—loyal, yet unreturned.
For years, she had proudly walked the path as True Immortal Ling Xu’s disciple, bearing the weight of being the Eldest Senior Sister and clinging to the sect’s bond as if it were life itself. But with a single breath from Ye Zhao Zhao, that once-strong bond crumbled like dust in the wind.
They had never truly trusted her.
[How could I have been so blind?]
So be it. Fragile ties were not worth her sorrow.
A jade pendant, carved with the ancient sigil of the furnace, pulsed softly against her chest. Yet now, Li Shuang felt no warmth from it. As death loomed, her mind cleared like mist lifting from a quiet mountain stream. They had all abandoned her—even her trusted Sword Spirit now awaited her final breath with eager malice. She would not let them have their dark victory so easily!
At that moment, an ancient incantation, buried deep in time, filled her thoughts: Grand Supreme Emotionless Art.
Legends spoke of this technique, born from the founding ancestor of the Sword Sect. Even a thousand years after his rise, no one had mastered it. Many thought it was a myth. Only Master Lin Ling Ling on Emotionless Peak clung to the old ways, waiting for its secrets to be revealed.
Li Shuang had once forced these words into memory, never believing in their power. Now every syllable shone clear in her mind. She murmured softly:
“The Dao aligns with form.”
“Heaven aligns with shape.”
“One must remain untouched by desire.”
Words that once lay hidden now sparkled like dewdrops at dawn. As she spoke, pure white light rose gently from her wounded dantian, and her fatal injury began to mend as if healed by the breath of the heavens. Long Yan stared in shock. What magic was this?
Ye Zhao Zhao had commanded him to strike when Li Shuang was at her weakest. He had struck without mercy. By all rights, she should have perished. Yet her wound sealed before his eyes.
With gritted teeth, Long Yan forced his Dragon’s Roar to strike her once more, aiming for her vulnerable dantian. But then, the jade pendant around Li Shuang’s neck blazed brilliantly. It deflected Dragon’s Roar as if it were a gentle breeze, drawing Long Yan back into its fierce embrace, leaving him trapped and helpless.
Li Shuang had stepped into a realm beyond her old world. She lifted her gaze to the endless sky. The heavens stretched vast and free. [Why have I allowed myself to be confined?] In that moment, something inside her shattered. The chains that bound her soul broke like fragile glass.
“Heaven and Earth were born with me; all creation shares my essence,” she whispered.
A surge of pure, boundless energy burst from her dantian. A gentle smile, as calm as a quiet lake, touched her lips. At last, Li Shuang had embraced the Sword Sect’s ultimate secret—the Grand Supreme Emotionless Art!
Now, she truly understood the supreme art. Its subtle power was unlike anything she had known, even more profound than the Mirror Heart Method. Her old martial cultivation lay in ruins; the precious nascent soul she had nurtured was now discarded like withered leaves. Her inner strength returned to the simple state of the Energy Refining Stage. Yet within her dantian, fresh and purer energy began to rise. Through the wondrous power of the Grand Supreme Emotionless Art, even the deep wound in her dantian healed quietly, as if touched by a gentle rain.
Sitting cross-legged, Li Shuang guided the energy through her channels. A clarity like a mountain stream filled her mind. Her body felt light as drifting mist, as if she had freed herself from the world’s burdens. Though she was still at the Energy Refining Stage, every fiber of her being shone with clarity when she closed her eyes. She sensed each breath—pure and impure—with perfect understanding.
Then, Li Shuang paused.
In this state of pristine awareness, she sensed something unusual. Deep within her mind, an image began to form—a slowly spinning furnace. Her eyes narrowed. Instinctively, she reached for her chest. Before her mother left the mortal world, she had given Li Shuang a jade carving shaped like a furnace. Li Shuang had treasured it, wearing it close to her heart.
But now, the jade carving had vanished…
In its place, in her mind’s eye, an image of an identical furnace appeared. After a brief moment of hesitation, she sent her consciousness toward this vision. In an instant, clear words echoed inside her:
“Heaven and Earth Furnace (Unawakened): From destruction comes creation; thus, the furnace reveals itself.”
Destruction before creation? Li Shuang’s eyes narrowed even more. Had her near-death encounter awakened this mysterious Heaven and Earth Furnace? She knew her newfound strength was still fragile. Yet Long Yan—the Sword Spirit she had painstakingly honed—was immensely powerful. Alone, her slender thread of strength could not have defied his deadly blow.
It seemed that the jade furnace had shone its protective glow, shielding her. Was her mother still watching over her?
[Could it be that fate has not yet forsaken me?]
As another truth appeared in her mind, it read:
“Furnace activation: 0%. Offer rare treasures of heaven and earth to advance. Upon reaching 100%, the furnace will awaken completely.”
Rare treasures of heaven and earth? Li Shuang’s face grew serious. This furnace was extraordinary. Even if its purpose was hidden in mystery, her mother had entrusted it to her. She would unlock its secrets! Yet her mother was only a mortal woman. How had she come by such a divine relic? Why had she given it to Li Shuang? So many mysteries lay hidden behind this inheritance.
Rare treasures of heaven and earth… A bitter smile curled on Li Shuang’s lips. Over the years, she had spent nearly all her rewards to refine the Dragon’s Roar Sword, giving the rest to her junior sect disciples. Now, she had nothing left. But it mattered little.
From this moment on, no emotion would bind her. Beneath endless skies and over vast seas, she would wander free. Li Shuang would finally become her true self.
…
Within the Sword Sect, as Li Shuang began her journey into the Grand Supreme Emotionless Art, on Emotionless Peak, Master Lin Qing Ling suddenly opened her eyes. A flicker of astonishment danced in her gaze. To confirm her feeling, she waved her hand lightly, and a jade slip appeared in her palm. The jade slip, silent for so long, now glimmered faintly. Lin Qing Ling’s voice trembled with excitement.
“The Grand Supreme Emotionless Art… someone has finally stepped onto this path! Yet, the jade slip’s light is weak. This disciple may no longer reside within our sect. Could it be… one who has long wandered afar?”
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