Li Shuang sat cross-legged atop the main cultivation platform of Wuqing Peak, surrounded by rising fog and thin frost.
Her breath was calm and long.
Before her lay a ring of eight spirit stones, pulsing faintly with energy—each one charged to assist her in stepping into the Foundation Establishment stage.
Today was the day.
She had walked through betrayal. Survived the Mirror Cave. Tempered herself through frost and fire.
Now—she would rise.
Not far away, Luo Mingyue sat beside Lin Qingling, watching nervously.
"Master, are you sure Junior Sister is ready?" she asked. "She hasn't even been cultivating the new technique for long."
Lin Qingling didn't take her eyes off Li Shuang."She's more than ready."
"But she's progressing so fast," Mingyue whispered. "Too fast."
Lin Qingling smiled faintly. "That's what the path of ruthlessness is. Once your attachments are severed, your mind clears. What used to take years can be done in months."
"And she's not carrying dead weight anymore."
Luo Mingyue nodded, still a bit worried, but she trusted her master.
They fell silent again, watching the clouds swirl around Li Shuang's meditating form.
Inside her sea of consciousness, Li Shuang's spiritual energy churned like a frozen lake beginning to crack.
The Supreme Forgetting Love Technique reached a key threshold—its second tier:"Heartless, but not cruel. Clear, but not cold."
It was different from other techniques.
Most cultivators at Foundation Establishment would solidify a spiritual core and begin expanding their inner world.
But in the Forgetting Love Technique, the "foundation" was not just spiritual—it was emotional.
You must become unmoved by praise or blame.Joy must not shake your spirit.Sorrow must not cloud your mind.
Only then can your foundation be complete.
Outside, dark clouds began to gather.
Lightning flickered.
Luo Mingyue tensed. "A tribulation?! She's only forming her foundation!"
Lin Qingling's eyes lit up. "She's drawing the ancient tribulation—the Frostheart Bolt."
She sounded almost reverent.
"It only strikes those walking the supreme sword path."
Above, the sky split open.
A streak of pale blue lightning shot down, not burning—but freezing.
It struck Li Shuang dead center.
She didn't scream. She didn't flinch.
Her body glowed with spiritual light.
Frost bloomed over her skin—ice crystals forming beautiful, intricate patterns—yet her meridians remained intact.
Her dantian began to spin.
The energy from the strike didn't destroy her—it refined her.
The Heaven and Earth Furnace in her soul roared to life.
"Frostheart energy detected."
"Refining cultivation foundation..."
Her spiritual power rapidly condensed, forming a glacial-white foundation core within her dantian.
Outside, Lin Qingling stood.
"It's done."
When the light faded and the clouds scattered, Li Shuang slowly opened her eyes.
A faint swirl of cold mist spiraled around her body.
She exhaled once—and the frost vanished.
She rose to her feet.
No celebration. No pride.
Just clarity.
"Congratulations," Lin Qingling said with a smile. "You've formed your foundation."
"Thank you, Master," Li Shuang replied with a bow.
Luo Mingyue rushed forward, eyes wide. "Junior Sister! That lightning strike—are you hurt?"
"I'm fine," Li Shuang said calmly.
She flexed her fingers.
Her body felt weightless. Powerful. As if the chains of the past had finally melted away.
From today onward—
She was no longer a beginner.
She had stepped fully into the world of true cultivation.
Back in the shadows of Lingxu Peak, Ye Zhaozhao's eyes narrowed.
She had sensed the tribulation from afar.
"How did she—" she whispered, fists clenching.
The system chimed:
"Li Shuang has successfully entered Foundation Establishment.Host's advantage is weakening."
"Warning: Luck assimilation has stalled."
Zhaozhao gritted her teeth.
"She's rising too fast. I need to act before it's too late."