122: Chapter 122 You must not only defeat him, but also kill him.

"This is precisely why I must personally instruct you."

Xiao Nianyin interrupted her, her tone softening slightly.

"During these three months, I will not only help you comprehend the mysteries of the 'Mirror Heart' and break through the Bottleneck of 'Heavenly Maidens Descent', but even more... I will teach you several techniques from the 'Mystic Maidens Sun-Stealing Art' that align with the path of ice and possess peerless killing power."

The Mystic Maidens Sun-Stealing Art!

Leng Ningshuang's heart shook violently!

The Sect Master was actually willing to teach techniques from the Sect's secret foundational scripture!

Even if it was just a branch compatible with ice, it was absolutely a heaven-sent Opportunity!

"These techniques are domineering and fierce; they must be skillfully fused with the ice-heart of your 'Mystic Ice Heavenly Maiden Art'. They demand extremely high Heart-Nature and Comprehension Ability, so they are not easily passed on."

Xiao Nianyin's voice dropped, carrying a strange rhythm that interwove ice and fire.

"But... in the battle of the Three-Month Agreement, you are only allowed to win, not lose."

"Not only must you win, you must win such that... he has no further chance to entangle, to question, or even... a chance to live."

Only in this way can you help me completely crush the conspiracy of that filthy villain, Xu Ruyu."

"Can you do it?"

Leng Ningshuang felt the powerful, unquestionable will in Xiao Nianyin's words, where coldness and heat coexisted.

Though she felt a flicker of dread at the ruthless requirement of leaving 'no chance to live', thinking of Xu Ruyu's despicable behavior and the crisis the Sect might face, that dread was quickly replaced by a sense of justice and mission.

To be so highly regarded by the Sect Master, to receive personal guidance, and even to be taught secret arts from the 'Mystic Maidens Sun-Stealing Art'—this was not just a massive Opportunity, but a heavy responsibility.

She took a deep breath, suppressing her churning emotions and the slightly restless ice-cold spiritual energy in her body due to excitement, and replied respectfully, her voice firm and decisive:

"Disciple Leng Ningshuang will certainly not fail the Sect Master's high expectations!

Three months from now, I will surely use thunderous momentum to slay this scoundrel, purge the Sect, and uphold our Sect's prestige!"

Xiao Nianyin nodded slightly, a very faint, almost invisible trace of satisfaction flickering across her frozen face.

"Very good."

She spoke no more and began to point out the key points of the seventh layer of the 'Mystic Ice Heavenly Maiden Art' for Leng Ningshuang from the unique perspective of the 'Mystic Maidens Sun-Stealing Art', combined with her own profound understanding of the path of ice and fire, and taught her the first secret art formula that fused the intents of 'Ice Seal' and 'Hidden Fire'.

Inside the secret room, extreme cold ice crystals and a faint, hidden aura of heat beneath the ice layers began to interweave and permeate, enveloping the two of them.

Leng Ningshuang concentrated fully, suppressing all her doubts and stray thoughts, immersing herself in the Sect Master's exquisite guidance.

She did not notice that the moment she closed her eyes to meditate, deep in Xiao Nianyin's gaze, that flash of brilliant gold light flickered again, carrying a nearly cold scrutiny and... calculation.

Inside the bamboo hut on Tingzhu Peak.

Xu Ruyu sat cross-legged on the simple bamboo bed, attempting to circulate his Taixu True Qi to calm his mind, but he was unable to truly enter a state of meditation.

Repeatedly flashing through his mind was that cold voice in the Main Hall this morning, that slamming hall door, and that blurred figure standing in the shadows, keeping everyone at a distance.

And... last night.

That choked sob of 'Ruyu', that question of 'Do you not despise me?', and the warmth and palpitations of their skin-to-skin intimacy.

The two images collided and interwove, making his heart ache as if it were being torn apart.

The soreness in his waist was still clear, and that wisp of ice-blue Qi lay dormant deep within his Qi Sea, as if silently proving that everything last night was not an illusion.

But why, in a single night, had heaven and earth completely changed?

"It seems someone has been abandoned after being used, hiding here and feeling heartbroken?"

A playful voice rang out along with the sound of a door opening, breaking the silence of the bamboo hut.

Madam Qingli strolled in slowly, her aged and hunched figure appearing somewhat blurred in the mottled light of the bamboo shadows.

She sat down unceremoniously on the bamboo chair opposite Xu Ruyu, her cloudy old eyes sizing him up. Especially when she sensed the unusual 'Qi Refining Level 9' fluctuations in his Qi Sea and that familiar wisp of ice-blue Qi deep within, a flash of understanding and complexity crossed her eyes.

"Senior..."

Xu Ruyu forced a twitch of his lips, his smile bitter.

"Alas," Madam Qingli sighed performatively, shaking her head, "it's no wonder. One moment you're in bed in a deathly embrace, and the next, she can coldly kick you out of the house, even..."

She paused, her gaze sweeping over Xu Ruyu's slightly pale face with deep meaning:

"Even harboring Killing Intent. This taste is indeed hard to swallow."

Xu Ruyu's body stiffened slightly, and he abruptly looked up: "Killing Intent? Senior, you..."

"Who did you think that eruption of Killing Intent in the Main Hall this morning was aimed at?" Madam Qingli sneered. "If I hadn't happened to be there and used the power of the heavenly fox tripod to block most of the shockwave for you, do you think you could have walked out of Ningyin Hall unscathed?"

Xu Ruyu's heart sank completely.

As expected...

That terrifying impact that almost crushed him, that piercing Killing Intent that felt tangible... it really was aimed at him.

Crossing the river and tearing down the bridge? Killing the donkey after it has finished its work at the mill? Or... silencing the witness?

Madam Qingli's mocking words echoed in his ears again: "These so-called great experts, once they recover their cultivation, they become heartless, completely losing their human touch..."

Was all of last night's tenderness really just a play that had to be acted out to survive? Now that the play had ended, was she going to personally erase all 'stains', including him, the participant?

In an instant, Xu Ruyu's heart turned ice-cold, and he even felt a flicker of absurd regret—was last night's decision truly a mistake? Had he saved a monster that had lost its humanity, leaving only cold cultivation?

"My silly Ruyu," Madam Qingli said, her voice softening as she saw his eyes instantly dim, "the Cultivation World has always been like this."

"Some people, in order to climb higher, are willing to cut off all emotions and become as cold as stone; some hold great power but view true feelings as poison, avoiding them at all costs."

She looked out at the verdant sea of bamboo outside the window, her tone distant as if speaking of an eternal truth:

"But tell me, if one Cultivates to such a state, attaining longevity and the power to command the clouds and rain, yet cannot do what they want to do or protect the people they want to protect, what meaning is there?"

Xu Ruyu remained silent.

The wind rose in the bamboo forest, and the leaves rustled, just like his chaotic thoughts at this moment.

"But, that is reality." Madam Qingli turned back, her gaze able to pierce through the human heart. "The higher a Cultivator's Realm, the vaster the Laws of heaven and earth they touch, and their own emotions and attachments become more easily assimilated and diluted by that cold and grand 'Dao', becoming more and more... indifferent, less and less like a 'human'."

She gazed at Xu Ruyu, speaking each word with gravity:

"Your Revered Master Xiao Nianyin does not Cultivate the 'Heavenly Charm Mysterious Maiden Heart Sutra', but the 'Mystic Maidens Sun-Stealing Art'."

Xu Ruyu snapped his head up!

"Mystic Maidens Sun-Stealing Art"?!

It was his first time hearing this name!

Didn't all the previous rumors say that Revered Master had consulted the 'Heavenly Charm Mysterious Maiden Heart Sutra'? He had always thought Revered Master cultivated the 'Heavenly Charm Mysterious Maiden Heart Sutra' which focused on charm and desire?