Chapter 52 - 27: Enlightenment on the Snow Mountain

Night.

Li Shuang opened the Inheritance Space once again. A trace of anticipation lingered in her eyes. Senior Su had said that the next time she entered the Inheritance Space, he would teach her the first stance of the Heartless Sword Technique. Li Shuang was also deeply curious about the majesty of this legendary Cultivation Technique cultivated by the Founding Ancestor.

This time, upon entering the Inheritance Space, Li Shuang was slightly surprised. The scenery was no longer an unvarying, pure white void.

A piercing chill washed over her the moment she stepped inside. The place she found herself in was astonishingly the summit of the Snow Mountain! Looking at this familiar scene, Li Shuang couldn’t help but feel a wave of daze.

Su Mu’s calm voice rang out. "This is a scene drawn from the depths of your memories. Li Shuang, it was in this place that you encountered the greatest upheaval of your life, and relying on that intense emotion, you successfully entered the Heartless Dao. Today, you shall also grasp the basics of the Heartless Sword Technique’s first stance here.

"This place is both where you Entered Dao and the site of your Nirvana. The most wondrous part is that you possess an Ice Spirit Root, and this place happens to be a world of ice and snow. This is the cultivation ground heaven has chosen for you."

Li Shuang nodded. Her state of mind was peaceful as the Supreme Forget Emotion Technique flowed slowly within her. The environment was freezing, yet waves of warmth continuously emanated from her Dantian. If she hadn’t cultivated the Supreme Forget Emotion Technique, seeing this scene again after narrowly escaping death would have inevitably pierced her heart anew. But now, she only felt a profound sense of tranquility. Those images were still vivid in her mind.

She had been here, fighting Snow Monsters to protect Ye Zhaozhao. She had been here, staying behind to fend off the pursuing Snow Monsters alone. She had been here, clinging to her last shred of hope as she sent a message to the person she trusted most, only to be stung until she was covered in bruises. She had been here, betrayed by the Sword Spirit she had personally nurtured, hovering on the brink of death. These events should have been agonizingly painful, but she could no longer recall those intense emotions.

She only remembered that it was here the Heaven and Earth Melting Furnace emerged. She only remembered that it was here she gained a new lease on life. This was her end, and also her beginning! The fact that this Inheritance Space could extract the Snow Mountain scene from her memories and replicate it exactly was an astonishing ability. Li Shuang suspected that even her master, who had safeguarded the Jade Scroll all this time, probably didn’t know the Inheritance Jade Scroll possessed such profound mysteries. After all, she was the only person in a thousand years to have entered the Heartless Dao, making her the sole individual capable of truly unlocking this space.

"I will teach you the principles of the Heartless Sword Technique right here," Su Mu said with a smile.

Everyone who entered the Heartless Dao had their own place of enlightenment, and Li Shuang’s place of enlightenment was right here! Five days would be enough for her to complete a transformation.

Su Mu waved his hand. Numerous Snow Monsters suddenly appeared on the previously empty Snow Mountain. A sword materialized in Su Mu’s hand. Li Shuang noticed that previously, Su Mu had used an Iron Sword. But now, he was surprisingly using a wooden sword.

In terms of sharpness, an Iron Sword naturally far surpassed a wooden sword. The last time they met, he had restrained his Sword Dao Cultivation to a level below the formation of a Sword Domain; at that time, he used an Iron Sword. This time, Li Shuang could clearly feel the aura of a Sword Domain radiating from him. Su Mu had released a portion of his Sword Dao Cultivation, yet his weapon had become a wooden sword.

She wondered, "Is the Great Dao... ultimately the path of utter simplicity?"

Li Shuang grew thoughtful but didn’t voice her musings. A glimmer of appreciation flashed across Su Mu’s eyes. Li Shuang was indeed a Sword Dao genius; she could glean insights on her own without needing explicit guidance. A disciple like this was likely what every master dreamed of having.

The Snow Monsters surged forward. Holding the wooden sword, Su Mu actively charged to meet them as he softly said, "Li Shuang, watch closely.

"The Supreme Forget Emotion is not without emotion.

"The Supreme Without Desire is not severing desire."

Su Mu chanted softly. Although it was a wooden sword, it bloomed with unmatched sharpness in that moment. A row of Snow Monsters collapsed.

"To forget emotion is not to be without emotion. It is to forget the self. Look at this Snow Mountain—every snowflake, every wisp of wind has its own momentum. Only by forgetting the self can one blend into heaven and earth, and only then can one move in accordance with the momentum of the Dao."

Su Mu’s figure became ethereal in that instant. He seemed to have become the snow, the wind, and the Snow Mountain itself.

Li Shuang watched, entirely captivated. She had never seen such exquisite Swordsmanship from Su Mu. His Swordsmanship lacked rigid sword moves and wasn’t bound by various Sword Dao theories. He was directly... comprehending the Dao! This Swordsmanship, even at the rudimentary stage, was already an act of Dao comprehension! The Heartless Sword Technique! It was truly terrifying.

"Taiyi Three Pure Ones. Spirit Platform Clarity Body Light. Abandon the Mortal World’s Three Thousand Tribulations. Flying into Void Purity," Su Mu chanted. Every word that fell caused Snow Monsters to drop to the ground. By the time he finished chanting, all the Snow Monsters had fallen and faded into nothingness.

Su Mu sheathed his sword, his face un-flushed and his breathing steady, his expression completely peaceful. "Li Shuang, have you understood anything?"

Li Shuang nodded thoughtfully. "Does the Heartless Sword Technique... lack concrete sword moves?"

The appreciation in Su Mu’s eyes deepened as he spoke softly, "Throughout history, the Heartless Dao has had quite a few inheritors. Each person possessed their own unique set of Swordsmanship. These were the techniques they realized during moments of epiphany in desperate situations—the techniques most suited for themselves. Since you have already entered the Heartless Dao, you should also have your own Heartless Sword Technique. It is just that... you have not obtained the General Formulas and don’t know how to condense your comprehensions into actual Swordsmanship.

"Now, I will pass the General Formulas to you. Ponder them carefully in this Snow Mountain. The Heartless Sword Technique is Swordsmanship for Entering Dao; with your current level, you should be able to comprehend the first stance."

Li Shuang nodded.

"Sit cross-legged," Su Mu instructed.

Li Shuang sat down.

Su Mu slowly recited the incantation, "Concentrating on the Dantian and Focusing Thoughts. Mortal Dust Memories Appear in Eyes. Xuan Gate Gathering Spirit and Transforming into Qi..."

Li Shuang closed her eyes, listening quietly. These General Formulas merely taught a technique for wielding the sword. The true focus lay in comprehending heaven, earth, and nature, and then creating one’s own Heartless Sword Way.

Back then, the Founding Ancestor also had a Sword Dao that belonged to him. What about herself? She wondered, "What is my Sword Dao?"

Memories of the mortal world surfaced before Li Shuang one by one. In her childhood, her father had mysteriously vanished on the day her mother gave birth. Her mother raised her all alone, transforming the Heaven and Earth Melting Furnace into a jade carving for her to wear constantly. Later on, as a mere child, she struggled to survive in this man-eating world. Even later, after untold hardships, she arrived here. It was Master Lingxu who gave her the first helping hand she had ever received from a stranger.

And then came her fifteen years of pouring out her heart and soul. There was also her decade of sinking into pain and despair.

These experiences all turned into nourishment, making her Spirit Platform even more lucid and her Dao heart even more pristine. The Supreme Forget Emotion was not without emotion. Being human meant possessing emotion. If one severed emotion, how could they be considered human? All benevolent emotions were the fuel for her growth. All malevolent emotions could no longer taint her clear heart.

Heavy snow fluttered down in thick flurries. Li Shuang remained seated there without moving. Soon, her entire body was buried, turning her into a snowman. Li Shuang... still did not move.