Three months into his "apprenticeship" at Frost Pinnacle, Liu Yun understood two immutable truths: Peak Master Su was not human, and she had not chosen him out of mere curiosity.
The Frost Pinnacle itself existed in a state of perpetual winter, separated from the rest of the Azure Cloud Sect by more than just physical distance. Time flowed differently here—faster, more compressed—allowing cultivation progress that would normally take years to be achieved in months.
"Again," Peak Master Su commanded, her white eyes betraying no emotion as Liu Yun picked himself up from the ice floor, blood trickling from his mouth. "The Severing Eternity Strike requires perfect harmony between spiritual intent and physical form."
They stood in the Heart Chamber of the pinnacle—a vast, hollow sphere of ancient ice where gravity and spatial laws seemed optional. Liu Yun had spent eighteen hours without rest attempting to master a single sword strike that the Peak Master had demonstrated just once.
"She teaches you techniques that counter my Devouring Sky Scripture," the emperor observed. "Each stance, each energy manipulation—all designed to seal or sever connections between spirits. She prepares you to contain me... or destroy me."
Liu Yun wiped blood from his lips. "Yet she strengthens my foundation daily with pills and techniques no outer disciple could dream of accessing. Why build me up while preparing for my destruction?"
The emperor had no satisfactory answer, which concerned Liu Yun more than any danger they had faced thus far.
"Your mind wanders," Peak Master Su noted, suddenly appearing behind him. Her slender fingers pressed against his spine, sending excruciating cold through his meridians. "Focus or die. There is no middle path in true cultivation."
Liu Yun channeled spiritual energy to counteract the spreading frost in his channels. "Yes, Master."
When he had first arrived at Frost Pinnacle, he had attempted to maintain the pretense of humility expected from disciples. That façade had lasted less than a day before Peak Master Su's frigid hand had closed around his throat.
"Save your false respect for those foolish enough to value it," she had told him. "I chose you for your ambition and ruthlessness. Pretending otherwise wastes both our time."
Since then, their relationship had been one of brutal efficiency. She pushed him beyond mortal limits daily; he absorbed everything she offered with insatiable hunger. Neither pretended affection or loyalty—there was only the exchange of power for service, knowledge for obedience.
After another six hours of relentless practice, Liu Yun finally executed the Severing Eternity Strike perfectly—his energy blade cutting through the special cultivation dummy and severing not just its physical form but the spiritual connections binding it together.
"Adequate," Peak Master Su acknowledged—the closest thing to praise she ever offered. "Your progress exceeds expectations."
"What comes next?" Liu Yun asked, never satisfied with current achievements.
She regarded him with her unsettling white gaze. "Next, you will tell me the truth about the entity that inhabits the jade pendant merged with your palm."
Liu Yun's expression remained neutral despite his surprise. They had never directly discussed the emperor's presence since the arena incident three months prior.
"Careful," the emperor cautioned. "She reveals her hand at last. What follows will determine whether we continue to use the Azure Cloud Sect or must flee tonight."
"The jade pendant contains a fragment of the Demon Sword Emperor's consciousness," Liu Yun admitted, seeing no benefit in obvious lies. "He provides knowledge of cultivation techniques in exchange for my service in eventually restoring his power."
Peak Master Su nodded, unsurprised. "And what do you know of the Demon Sword Emperor's history?"
"Only what he has told me. He nearly unified the immortal and mortal realms five thousand years ago before being betrayed and defeated by an alliance of immortal sects."
A cold smile played across Peak Master Su's perfect features. "A simplified version of a far more complex truth." She gestured, and the chamber transformed around them, the ice walls becoming transparent to reveal the star-filled night sky. "Sit. It is time you understood the game board upon which you are but a minor piece."
Liu Yun sat cross-legged on the ice floor, which had inexplicably warmed to a comfortable temperature. Peak Master Su remained standing, her white robes and hair floating gently as though underwater.
"Five thousand years ago, the cultivation world was fundamentally different," she began. "The barriers between mortal and immortal realms were thinner, allowing greater interaction between humans and higher beings. The Sword Emperor—not yet called 'Demon'—was indeed a unifying force, but his methods were far more complex than mere conquest."
She waved a hand, and the stars shifted, forming images of ancient battles and soaring palaces among clouds.
"The Six Immortal Sects that opposed him were not defenders of righteousness, but guardians of a system that kept immortal knowledge restricted to a select few. The Sword Emperor sought to democratize cultivation, to make the immortal path accessible to all with the talent to walk it."
"She twists the truth," the emperor growled in Liu Yun's mind. "I sought power for myself alone. Any 'democratization' was merely a tool to build my army."
Liu Yun kept his face impassive. The emperor's denial only confirmed that Peak Master Su's version contained significant truth.
"If he was so noble, why is he remembered as a demon?" Liu Yun asked.
"Because history is written by victors," she replied simply. "But also because, in his quest for universal cultivation, he uncovered and employed methods deemed taboo—techniques that harvested spiritual energy rather than accumulating it slowly. Techniques you now use."
She paced around him, the stars in the vision continuing to shift and dance.
"What the official histories don't record is that after his defeat, the Six Immortal Sects implemented the Heaven's Will Protocol—a massive formation spanning the entire world that restricted spiritual energy absorption to approved methods only. This is why modern cultivation is so slow, so regulated. The very laws of energy within our world were rewritten."
Liu Yun's mind raced with implications. "And you oppose this restriction?"
Peak Master Su's laughter was like ice cracking on a frozen lake. "The Azure Cloud Sect was founded by survivors of the Sword Emperor's inner circle who escaped the purge. For five millennia, we have worked from within the system, appearing to uphold the very restrictions we seek to dismantle."
"Liars and thieves," the emperor snarled. "They claim my legacy while hiding behind respectability. My followers would never have become so... domesticated."
"Yet you teach me techniques designed to control or destroy the emperor's spirit," Liu Yun pointed out.
"Of course." Peak Master Su's expression turned calculating. "The fragment you carry is unstable, corrupted by five thousand years of imprisonment. If restored to power in its current state, it would bring only mindless destruction, not the revolution we seek."
She knelt before Liu Yun, her white eyes inches from his face. He could feel her breath—cold as mountain air—as she spoke.
"I teach you to control the fragment because you must integrate it properly, not be consumed by it. The Demon Sword Emperor's knowledge is invaluable, but his rage would undo everything we have worked toward."
"She means to use you to extract my knowledge, then discard my consciousness," the emperor warned. "Do not trust this creature. She is not even human."
"What are you?" Liu Yun asked directly.
Rather than take offense, Peak Master Su smiled. "Perceptive. I am what remains of a frost spirit who ascended to human form eight thousand years ago. My kind were hunted to extinction during the Spiritual Cleansing that followed the Sword Emperor's defeat."
She stood again, returning to her role as master. "Enough history. Tomorrow, you begin the next phase of your training—practical application. The Azure Cloud Sect has received reports of a rogue immortal in the Eastern Sea who possesses a fragment of the Seven Sacred Blades that were used to defeat the Sword Emperor. You will retrieve this fragment."
"Alone?" Liu Yun raised an eyebrow.
"Of course not. You are valuable but still far too weak for such a task." Her dismissive tone carried no malice, only factual assessment. "You will join a team led by Inner Court Elder Feng."
Liu Yun couldn't hide his surprise. "The same Elder Feng who wanted me executed?"
"Precisely. Consider it an opportunity to establish... working relationships with those who fear you." Her smile was chilling. "Or eliminate them if they prove troublesome. I leave the approach to your discretion."
As he left the Heart Chamber to prepare for the mission, the emperor's presence stirred with uncharacteristic agitation.
"She revealed too much, too easily," he warned. "Either she trusts you implicitly—which is absurd after only three months—or she has told you only what serves her purpose, enough truth to make the lies palatable."
Liu Yun entered his private quarters—a spartan room containing only a meditation platform and a trunk holding the few possessions he had accumulated. "Both our interests align in retrieving this blade fragment. Beyond that, I will form my own judgments."
"You grow dangerously independent," the emperor observed.