Chapter 2: Path of Indifference

Li Shuang had been accompanied by the Dragon Roar Sword for ten years. She had poured all her effort into nurturing this treasure sword. To prevent Long Yan from feeling enslaved, she hadn’t even signed a strict Sword Spirit contract with him.

She thought their trust had long transcended any contract. Yet now, the Sword Spirit she trusted most had manipulated the treasure sword and thrust it straight into her Dantian.

Blood trickled from the corners of Li Shuang’s lips. She looked at Long Yan in bewilderment. "Why..."

Knowing that Li Shuang was doomed to die, Long Yan gritted his teeth and declared, "As long as you die, I can choose a new master! The master I want has only ever been Ye Zhaozhao! Li Shuang, just die in peace."

Li Shuang let out a violent cough, and blood burst from her wound. Then, she suddenly began to laugh.

Long Yan’s desired master was Ye Zhaozhao. Her master’s desired disciple was also Ye Zhaozhao. Her junior brothers only had Ye Zhaozhao in their hearts. Li Shuang herself was actually completely superfluous. She had treated everyone with absolute sincerity, yet now, not a single person returned that sincerity. She had always taken pride in being Master Lingxu’s disciple, working hard to fulfill her duties as the eldest senior sister and valuing their sect’s bonds above all else.

Who could have imagined that the affection they had cultivated over so many years would become so fragile after Ye Zhaozhao’s arrival? They didn’t even have a shred of trust in her. Forget it. She no longer cared for such bonds between master and disciple.

On Li Shuang’s chest, a jade carving shaped like a Melting Furnace was faintly shimmering with light. Li Shuang was completely oblivious to this change. Hovering on the brink of death, her mind was incredibly clear.

These people had all abandoned her. The Sword Spirit was right beside her, waiting for her to die.

"I really don’t want to give them what they want!" she thought.

Suddenly, an incantation surfaced with utmost clarity in Li Shuang’s mind. "Supreme Forget Emotion Technique!"

According to rumors, this Cultivation Technique was practiced by the founding patriarch of the Sword Sect. However, following the patriarch’s Ascension, not a single person had successfully initiated into it for a thousand years.

By now, many disciples believed that the so-called technique of the founding patriarch was nothing but a rumor, and that it was impossible to successfully cultivate it. Everyone in the Sword Sect had long switched to other Cultivation Techniques. Only the lineage of Lin Qingling, the Peak Master of Heartless Peak, still held fast to the patriarch’s wishes, pondering over the Secret Technique day and night.

To get more people to attempt this Cultivation Technique, Lin Qingling would grab any disciple she could find and force them to memorize the incantation. In fact, a majority of the Sword Sect had been caught by her at some point. Li Shuang was among those who had been forced to memorize it.

Strangely enough, she had never paid much attention to the Supreme Forget Emotion Technique. Yet at this very moment, every word and sentence of the Cultivation Technique surfaced in her mind with unparalleled clarity.

Li Shuang subconsciously murmured aloud.

"The Dao endows the appearance."

"Heaven endows the form."

"Do not let likes and dislikes internally harm the body."

Everything that she couldn’t understand or see through in the past suddenly became incredibly clear in this instant.

Amidst her murmurs, a pure white light slowly emerged from her Dantian. Shockingly, the fatal wound on Li Shuang’s Dantian was slowly healing at a visible rate.

Long Yan’s expression changed. What was going on? Zhaozhao had instructed him to deliver the final blow when Li Shuang was in her deepest despair. He had seized the opportunity and dealt a fatal sword thrust. Originally, Li Shuang should have been left with nothing to do but wait for death. So why was her wound beginning to heal now?

Gritting his teeth, Long Yan manipulated the Dragon Roar Sword and thrust it toward Li Shuang’s Dantian once more. However, the jade carving on Li Shuang’s chest emitted a dazzling burst of light. The Dragon Roar Sword was sent flying, and Long Yan was uncontrollably sucked back into the blade, finding himself completely immobilized.

Li Shuang was already fully immersed in a brand new world. She looked up at the sky. The world was incredibly vast; she was meant to soar freely, so why bind herself? In an instant, some kind of shackle was completely broken.

"Heaven and earth are born with me, and all creation is one with me," Li Shuang said softly.

An incredibly pure surge of energy flooded into her Dantian. A detached smile appeared on Li Shuang’s lips.

The Sword Sect’s Supreme Secret Technique, the Supreme Forget Emotion Technique! She had actually initiated into it at this very moment.

Only after truly crossing the threshold did Li Shuang realize that the title of Supreme Secret Technique was well-deserved! The various profound mysteries of this Cultivation Technique far surpassed the Mirror Heart Technique she had previously practiced.

Her original Power had completely dissipated, and the Nascent Soul she had previously condensed was discarded by Li Shuang without hesitation. Her Cultivation dropped all the way back to the Qi Cultivation Stage. However, a brand new, incredibly pure stream of Spiritual Power slowly emerged from her Dantian. Under the miraculous effects of the Supreme Forget Emotion Technique, the fatal wound in her Dantian was completely and unknowingly healed.

Li Shuang sat up cross-legged and circulated the Cultivation Technique a few times. She felt her mind become incredibly clear, and her entire being felt indescribably light and lucid. Despite only being at the Qi Cultivation Stage, when she closed her eyes, she felt absolute control over every part of her body. Even the Pure Energy she inhaled and the Muddy Qi she exhaled with every breath seemed exceptionally distinct.

Suddenly, Li Shuang froze. In this lucid state, she unexpectedly discovered a slowly rotating Melting Furnace in her Sea of Consciousness, though she had no idea when it appeared.

This Melting Furnace...

Li Shuang’s pupils shrank, and she subconsciously reached for her chest. Before her mother died of illness, she had given her a jade carving shaped like a Melting Furnace. She had treasured this jade carving dearly and always kept it close to her body. But now, the jade carving was gone. Instead, an identical Melting Furnace had appeared in her mind.

Li Shuang hesitated for a moment before slowly extending her consciousness toward it. The next moment, a message surfaced in her mind:

"Heaven and Earth Melting Furnace (Unopened): Destruction before creation; the Melting Furnace descends."

Destruction before creation? Li Shuang’s pupils sharply contracted. She wondered, "Could it be that because I walked through the Ghost Gate, I accidentally unlocked this Heaven and Earth Melting Furnace?"

Thinking carefully, the Spiritual Power she had newly cultivated was still very weak, while Long Yan was a Sword Spirit she had painstakingly nurtured. Her meager Spiritual Power wasn’t enough to block Long Yan’s attack. It seemed... the jade carving had emitted light and blocked Long Yan’s strike for her.

Was her mother... protecting her?

Just as Li Shuang was thinking this, another line of description appeared: "The Melting Furnace’s current unlocking progress is 0%. Insert Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures to increase progress. Once the progress reaches 100%, the Melting Furnace can be opened."

Inserting Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures could unlock the Melting Furnace?

Li Shuang’s expression grew solemn. Setting aside the fact that this Melting Furnace was definitely no ordinary object, even if it had no use at all, it was something left to her by her mother, and she was determined to open it! How could her mother, a mere mortal, possess such a treasure? What profound meaning did her mother have in giving it to her? There were too many hidden secrets within.

However... Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures? Li Shuang let out a bitter smile. She had been going on missions all these years, but a portion of the things she earned had been used on the Dragon Roar Sword, and the rest had been given to her junior brothers and sisters. Now, she didn’t have a single bit of inventory left.

Fortunately, from now on, she would never be dragged down by these so-called emotional bonds again. The world was vast, and she was free to roam. Li Shuang would only be Li Shuang from this day forward.

In the Sword Sect.

At the exact moment Li Shuang switched to cultivating the Supreme Forget Emotion Technique, Lin Qingling, the Peak Master of Heartless Peak, abruptly opened her eyes. A flash of pleasant surprise swept across the depths of her gaze. This was...

To confirm her sensing, she moved her hand slightly, and a Jade Scroll instantly appeared in her palm. The Jade Scroll, which had always remained silent, was now shimmering with a faint light. Lin Qingling was so excited that her voice trembled.

"The Supreme Forget Emotion Technique! Someone has actually initiated into the Supreme Forget Emotion Technique! However, the light of the sensing jade slip is weak; this person is probably not within the sect right now. Could it be a disciple who is currently out on a mission?"