When Lu Ying heard the voice within her heart ask, "So, if I don't have a special physique, I can't cultivate fast?" she clenched her fists.
> "Then... does that make me a waste?"
A pause. Then the voice replied calmly, "In this world, there are countless people who cannot even cultivate. And among those who can, most lack resources or guidance."
> "You are not a waste," the voice continued. "You are someone who hasn't given up. Keep moving forward. If it's your destiny to become a genius, you will be. But even if it's not... you can still surpass those who did give up."
> "Remember why you started cultivating."
Suddenly, a memory surged in her mind—her mother's gentle but sorrowful face. The face of the woman who never stopped supporting her.
> "My mother always looked disappointed... not in me, but in herself, because I couldn't cultivate quickly. She was always my idol."
> "I want to prove that I'm not a waste."
Her emotions surged—and the surrounding frozen energy began to react, transforming into a stream of pure ice qi, which flowed into her body.
Inside her dantian, a brilliant ice energy core began to form. The once chaotic energy was now focused, refined, becoming part of her.
As the transformation reached its peak, Lu Ying slowly opened her eyes—and froze.
Su Yang was kneeling in front of her, his hand resting on her lower abdomen, eyes closed in concentration. His body was pierced with ice spikes, blood trailing down his chest.
Her eyes widened in horror. "Control your qi!" Su Yang groaned.
Startled, she quickly suppressed her cultivation technique. The icy spikes melted, and the freezing aura faded.
> "Are you okay?" she asked in a trembling voice, reaching out to stop the bleeding with shaky hands. Tears welled in her eyes.
Su Yang took a deep breath and gave a faint smile.
> "Don't worry. I already took a healing pill. I'll be fine. Just… give me a moment."
His wounds had already begun to knit together.
Lu Ying wiped her tears and nodded. "I'm sorry… I was trying to awaken my True Ice Qi to prove something, but it's harder to control than I thought."
Su Yang looked at her gently. "What are you trying to prove?"
Lu Ying hesitated, then her voice trembled as she spoke. "My mother… is the sect master. People always compare me to her. They say she's a genius, and I'm... a disappointment."
Tears flowed, but she didn't stop. "Three years ago, a girl came to our sect. She had a special physique. The elders pressured my mother to replace me with her—to adopt her and discard me."
She smiled faintly. "But my mother refused. She always believed in me. She gave me a ring—one that could lead me to this legacy. She said it would help me grow stronger... That ring brought me here."
Su Yang listened silently. Then, with a teasing tone, he said, "Then your mother must be a fool, giving such a legacy to someone who almost got a stranger killed."
> "Don't you dare call my mother a fool!" Lu Ying snapped, anger blazing in her eyes.
Su Yang grinned. "Then stop doubting her judgment. She gave you that ring because she knows you're the right person. Remember—people are like water. They'll try to extinguish the fire inside you. But your mother is the one who keeps that fire burning."
Lu Ying was silent, but her expression softened. Her breathing steadied.
> "You're right," she whispered. "She trusted me. And I won't let her down. I'll carry on this legacy, pass every test—and make my mother proud."
Then, after a pause, Su Yang asked quietly, "Why did you tell me about the legacy room? Weren't you afraid I might take the ring for myself?"
Lu Ying chuckled. "I've been called weak, mocked, used as a tool against my mother… but growing up like that teaches you one thing—how to tell good people from bad."
> "And you, Su Yang… you risked your life to save me, even when you had no reason to. That's enough for me to trust you."
Su Yang didn't respond, but his expression was unreadable.
In that moment, the cold between
them melted—and something warm, fragile, and quietly powerful began to take its place.