Su Mu stood quietly at the side, watching.
Li Shuang remained motionless for a long time, but he wasn't impatient.
Sometimes, enlightenment came in an instant.
Then—
She stirred. Snow slid softly from her body as she moved.
Su Mu's eyes lit up with expectation.
With the wind and snow swirling around her, Li Shuang slowly rose to her feet.
The Black Abyss Sword appeared in her hand. Though its surface was still the same deep black, at this moment a faint halo seemed to ripple across the blade.
Li Shuang gazed at it gently.
With a wave of Su Mu's hand, snow monsters emerged again, filling the snowy mountain.
She did not move.
She stood calmly as they surrounded her until even Su Mu could scarcely see her figure.
A flash of radiant sword light erupted.
In an instant, a colossal lotus bloomed amidst the snow monsters.
The petals fluttered as though fragile and pure, yet every creature touched by them vanished into nothingness.
When the light faded, only one figure remained.
A woman in plain robes stood upon the snow. Her feathered garments carried a faint misty hue, untainted by the blossoms of the mortal world.
Su Mu smiled faintly.
Li Shuang had comprehended her first move.
Amidst the falling snow, she held the Black Abyss Sword, contemplating it quietly.
In that moment, she felt it clearly: a strange resonance had formed between her and the Black Abyss.
It was not a contract.
It was something deeper—an unspoken bond rooted in the soul.
Her relationship with the sword had shifted.
"Does your first move have a name?" Su Mu asked.
Li Shuang shook her head. "I haven't had time to think of one."
In that instant, a memory surfaced—the lotus she had once seen in the Langya Secret Realm, during her Foundation Establishment days.
Amidst a frozen lake, a single lotus bloomed.
Delicate, beautiful, yet lethally dangerous.
It swayed gently in the wind, untouched by worldly dust.
Quietly blooming, its fragrance lingered in its own world.
Forged in extreme cold, it was a miracle born of hardship.
And it was in agony such as this that she herself had been reborn.
The thought of that lotus brought clarity. All her scattered insights converged into one.
Naturally, the sword technique had taken form.
"Think of a name," Su Mu said with a smile. "If your sword art is remembered by future generations, let them know its name."
Li Shuang didn't care for history's judgment, but she agreed a name was needed.
After a pause, she said softly, "Let it be simple and clear—Ice Lotus."
Su Mu chuckled. "It is a bit plain. But… your sword technique is yours alone. The name is yours to choose."
Li Shuang was about to respond when Su Mu raised his hand.
"Time's up. You may leave now."
Before she could react, her vision blurred, and she was transported out of the inheritance space.
Su Mu's voice lingered in her ears.
"Li Shuang, you are the thirty-third generation heir of the Merciless Dao. In today's competition, do not bring shame to its name."
Startled, she froze.
A surge of pure spiritual energy rushed into her body, instantly restoring her to peak condition.
"From this day forward, you are a true disciple of the Merciless Dao. All the energy consumed in the inheritance space will now be replenished."
Li Shuang opened her mouth to ask more, but Su Mu's voice had already faded.
No matter how many times she called out, there was no reply.
Her eyes flickered with light.
This jade slip was truly extraordinary.
The inheritance slips recorded in the classics often contained phantoms that passed on skills, but those shadows could not perceive the outside world.
Yet Su Mu was different. He seemed alive—aware of everything, even of today's competition. That was something no phantom could achieve.
"The thirty-third generation descendant of the Merciless Dao…" Li Shuang murmured.
If she was the thirty-third, then what of the thirty-two before her?
And Su Mu—what place did he hold among them?
The Merciless Dao still concealed countless secrets.
But unraveling them was a matter for the future.
For now, she had only one mission—
To win.
Her opponent today was Ye Zhaozhao, also known as Long Yan.
And with the Black Abyss Sword in hand, she would not lose.
Li Shuang rose and pushed open the door. Sunlight streamed across her face, warm and steady.
The chill of the snowy mountain had already blossomed into something new.
She stepped outside.
Luo Mingyue and the others were already waiting.
Li Shuang smiled faintly. "Let's go."
—
The central martial arena.
For two days in a row, it had been reserved for the same person. This was a first.
But no one was surprised.
Because no duel could rival this one.
Li Shuang—once the sect's brightest genius, whose cultivation supposedly stalled out of jealousy toward Ye Zhaozhao.
Ye Zhaozhao—once an ordinary girl with mixed spiritual roots, until Lingxu Zhenren personally took her in. Since then, she had advanced at a terrifying pace, shattering Li Shuang's record and forming her core in less than ten years.
One fell into silence.
The other soared beyond reason.
Their fates were intertwined like yin and yang—when one flourished, the other waned.
But their conflict went deeper still.
Li Shuang claimed betrayal by Long Yin, discarding her sword in sorrow.
Ye Zhaozhao denied it—yet took Long Yin for herself.
Meanwhile, the proud Li Shuang had accepted the Black Abyss.
The two had, in essence, exchanged blades.
Long Yin had once been invincible in Li Shuang's hands.
What brilliance would it reveal in Ye Zhaozhao's?
The Black Abyss had always seemed dull in Ye Zhaozhao's grip. Would it now blaze with glory in Li Shuang's?
Speculation burned across the sect. No matter where this duel took place, it would draw a crowd.
Placing it at the center of the arena only made sense.
"They're here!"
The crowd parted.
All of Lingxu Peak's disciples arrived together, Ye Zhaozhao at their center, their stance clear.
Ye Zhaozhao cast a glance at Li Shuang, then tilted her head toward Sheng Yuan.
"Senior Brother, who do you hope will win this time?" she asked deliberately.
Sheng Yuan's eyes wavered. He looked at Li Shuang, who now stood surrounded by new disciples, her expression calm and aloof, unwilling to acknowledge him.
Pain lanced through his heart.
He forced a smile, raising his voice.
"Of course, I hope you win, Junior Sister."
As he spoke, his gaze locked firmly on Li Shuang, waiting desperately for her reaction.