The sun dipped below the horizon, covering the public training grounds in darkness. You Mei's fists and feet pounded against the training dummy with the vibrations from the Bear Paw martial arts.

Sweat streamed down her face, and her breath was coming in gasps, but she ignored the burning in her muscles. The other disciples stared at her from a distance and gossiped about the new personal disciple, but You Mei shut it all out, focusing only on the rhythm of her strikes.

"They can talk all they want. It doesn't matter. Only strength matters."

As the day gave way to night, the first snowflakes of winter began to fall, gently blanketing the training grounds in a soft, white layer. Each flake was a delicate, crystalline work of art.

You Mei felt her shoulders heaving with the burden of too much exercise and finally stopped. She stood still, staring up at the dark sky filled with white dots, each snowflake drifting down like a silent tear from the clouds.

"Winter has truly arrived."

The world seemed to pause, caught in the quiet beauty of the first snowfall.

Liu Yi approached You Mei from behind, his eyes filled with sorrow. His steps faltered as he neared her.

He was hesitating.

You Mei didn't turn to look at him, her gaze still fixed on the snow-laden sky.

"You Mei," Liu Yi said softly.

She remained silent, the cold air biting at her skin and the snowflakes kissing her cheeks. Her breath formed small clouds in the frigid air.

Liu Yi swallowed hard, struggling to find the right words. "The servant... who was supposed to take care of your mother... she saw blood. Blood staining the window of the backroom."

You Mei's eyes finally shifted, her gaze meeting Liu Yi's.

"Why does she look like that?!" This subordinate of the sect leader could feel a strange coldness seeping inside the pores of his skin.

You Mei's eyes were dull. The light of hope and joy that had been there before was utterly extinguished. In that moment, she understood why her mother had been so obsessed with strength.

Happiness without strength was a very fragile thing, easily shattered by the harsh realities of their cruel world.

"Mother... you knew all along, didn't you? You knew the cost of weakness."

Liu Yi took a deep breath. It had to be said.

"You Meihong is dead."

The words hung in the air, blending with the silence of the falling snow. You Mei's heart felt as if it had been plunged into ice. She wanted to be angry, to rage at this world that took everything away from her, yet she couldn't for some reason.

She closed her eyes, a single tear escaping to join the molten snowflakes on the ground. The night was cold and unforgiving, but it also held a strange, serene beauty.

"Perhaps I am not that different from my mother after all."

You Mei's heart hardened like steel. She was tired of telling herself she would be strong next time. Now, there was only Li An remaining in what she considered family.

"Righteous or demonic, weak or strong... what does it matter if life has no meaning?"

· · ────── ·𖥸· ────── · ·

Li An had just finished her morning meditation when the knock came. "Two days have passed, it was about time."

She opened the door to find a towering figure—a man with broad shoulders and a stern face. His robes were trimmed with red linen, marking him as a Core Formation cultivator. He was clearly not there for a friendly visit by the way his eyes were cold and unyielding.

"Li An, the sect leader demands your presence," he said brusquely.

Li An still had a composed expression. She nodded respectfully. "Of course. Lead the way."

As they walked through the sect's straight roads, Li An kept her steps light and her demeanor subservient.

She needed to navigate this situation carefully. "May I know your name, sir?" she asked with a polite smile.

The man glanced at her, his expression softening just a fraction. "Xiao Cheng."

"No way! I heard the story about Ancestor Xiao fighting against two Nascent Soul cultivators in the past!" Li An's eyes bulged from their sockets. "It is an honor to be escorted by someone of your stature, Senior Xiao Cheng."

Xiao Cheng's posture relaxed slightly. "Reputation is just talk. It's actions that matter."

"Indeed," Li An agreed. "But in my experience, actions often speak louder when backed by a strong reputation. It's reassuring to know the sect leader has such capable subordinates."

Xiao Cheng seemed to consider her words, a hint of pride flickering in his eyes. "You speak well for someone so young."

Li An smiled modestly. "I strive to learn from the best, Senior Xiao Cheng. It's clear you have much to teach, and I have much to learn."

"This disciple is too polite and kind to have committed such a horrible crime. The elders are really blind for thinking Li An is involved." Xiao Cheng had completely forgotten that he, too, had believed she was a helper before.

As they approached the sect leader's residence, the streets became emptier and the air seemed heavier than before. Two guards stood at the door, their long silver spears crossed to prevent entry. Their faces were stern, and their eyes followed every movement of Li An.

Xiao Cheng nodded to the guards, who uncrossed their spears and allowed them to pass. The tension in the air was palpable, and Li An could sense the gravity of the situation inside.

"I am quite curious to see what the enemy will do."

They entered the grand hall, where she had been before. Li An's eyes scanned the room, taking in the serious expressions of the sect leader, the Grand Elder, and several other important greater elders. They seemed to be in a very bad mood.

"Sect Leader, Grand Elder, esteemed elders, you summoned me?" Li An bowed deeply.

The sect leader's eyes bore into her; his expression was unreadable. "Li An, we have much to discuss."

The girl glanced right and saw Elder Jiang kneeling on the floor without the calm she usually had. "I am innocent, Sect Leader! You have to believe me!"

"Shut your mouth, traitor." The Grand Elder was glaring at her with spiritual energy gathered in his fists.

"Calm down, Grand Elder." The sect leader raised his hand to tell him to stop. "Elder Jiang, please explain yourself."

Elder Jiang opened her mouth, but no sound came out. Her eyes darted to Li An, pleading silently for help. However, the girl was as silent as a statue.

"This liar!" Elder Jiang's face twisted as she realised she had been abandoned.

"Li An was in my room during the night of You Meihong's death!" she screamed. "Ning Bing can testify for me!"

The Grand Elder's eyes narrowed. "Bring Ning Bing in," he ordered.

Moments later, Ning Bing was brought into the hall. She glanced nervously around the room before speaking.

"It's true." Her voice was barely above a whisper. "Li An was in Elder Jiang's room that night."

"They're lying! All of them! I was in my room cultivating that night!"

Li An panicked, and her voice rose to a frantic pitch. "Ning Bing only wants to protect her because she is her teacher. She wants to kill me to hide their crimes!"

The elders exchanged glances. They had to consider her words seriously, since it was indeed a bit biased to assume Ning Bing was telling the truth.

Elder Jiang could feel the atmosphere in the room changing, but not in a good way.

"Li An's words are not trustworthy either! She was crippled by my disciple and harbors a tremendous grudge against me!" She complained loudly.

"Fear really makes people foolish." Li An sneered inside her mind.

"How dare you mention your demonic acts as an excuse to protect yourself!" the sect leader roared. "If anything, that should give the elders a reason to end you at once!"

Elder Jiang could feel the despair creeping in as the faces of the elders darkened with rage. "I don't get it! Didn't that demon agree to vouch for me if I gave her the resources she needed every week?"

Meanwhile, the so-called demon was studying the gazes of the elders with the eyes of a falcon searching for prey.

"So what are you going to do? Whoever is backing Elder Jiang, I doubt you can stay silent as your main pawn is taken away." Li An's gaze narrowed. "If they torture her, you know she will open her mouth and tell them everything for revenge."

Her main goal was never the resources from Elder Jiang, but finding the hidden enemy inside the sect. Although she was a greater elder, Elder Jiang did not have enough power to influence the Gentle Sword Sect alone.

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"There's nothing scarier than an unknown enemy while you are exposed." Elder Jiang's downfall was the best example.

But no one spoke up, and only curses against the traitor filled the room.

Li An frowned. "Are they really going to abandon her?"

Just as the sect leader was about to pass judgment upon Elder Jiang, a voice cut through the tension.

"Li An is lying. And I have concrete evidence."

"Found you." Li An let out a half-smile.

The room fell silent, all eyes turning to the one who spoke, the famous Battle Elder. He was staring emotionlessly at Li An. "Bring him in."

One of the guards came inside with a freckled servant boy. She knew who he was—the same boy who brought her bath water the night she reincarnated. The servant looked nervous, his eyes darting around the room as he stood before the gathered elders.

"This is the servant who brought water for Li An's bath that stormy night," the Battle Elder announced. "Tell the truth."

The servant swallowed hard.

"Li An was not in her room that night," he admitted, his gaze fixed on the floor.

"Is this true, Li An?" The sect leader's voice was heavy with suspicion.

Li An clasped her hands together, fidgeting slightly. "It's not true. I was inside my room, cultivating."

"Li An, don't lie to us. Your servant entered the room when he received no reply, and he didn't see you." The Battle Elder seized that moment. "If you were not in your room, then where were you? Your lies suggest you might be the true culprit."

Li An felt the eyes of the elders on her, and she let out a choked sob. Falling to her knees, she allowed tears to stream down her face. Her ghostly pale skin and her trembling body made the girl look like a homeless mortal with frostbite.

"Yes, I lied!" she cried out loud. "But not for the reasons you think. I was blackmailing Elder Jiang, using my crippled arm to get a Spirit pill for You Mei. She has done so much for me, and I wanted to repay her. My conscience is guilty for lying, but my heart is not!"

Elder Jiang looked utterly bamboozled, her mouth opening and closing as she tried to process the torrent of words pouring from Li An. She had never heard bigger bullshit in her life.

The elders, however, were visibly moved by Li An's obvious display of kinship and loyalty.

The Grand Elder wiped a tear from his eye. "Such devotion to a friend..."

The sect leader sighed deeply, and his expression also softened. "Blackmailing is wrong, Li An, but your intentions were noble. You sought to help a friend in need. The true fault lies with the one who crippled you."

He turned to Elder Jiang. "As for you, Elder Jiang, you must pay Li An one Spirit pill as compensation for the harm caused to her."

Elder Jiang's face turned a shade of red. "Harm caused to her? She was the one who caused harm to me!" However, she ended up nodding, knowing she had no other choice.

The sect leader continued. "This judgment stands. Both Li An and Elder Jiang are free to go, but this investigation is not over. Acts of violence and deceit have no place in our sect, and I will not rest until we find You Meihong's murderer."

"Thank you, Sect Leader. Thank you, esteemed elders." Li An bowed deeply, her tears still flowing. "I swear I will make up for my mistakes and continue to serve the sect with all my heart."

As she stood, she caught the eye of the Battle Elder. His gaze was still cold, but there was a hint of admiration there.

"This guy is dangerous." Li An was not afraid of those who underestimated her, but of those who acknowledged her as an equal foe.

He knew she had played them, but he also recognized her cunning and schemes.

Li An was escorted out. The game was far from over, but she had won this round. The snowfall outside was heavier now, and the world was blanketed in white.

"Regardless of the danger, my situation is improving." Li An smiled and gently tapped a crystal snowflake.

· · ────── ·𖥸· ────── · ·

Li An sat cross-legged on the floor, a single lantern casting a soft glow over the space. The air around her was thick with the hum of pure spiritual energy, forming a subtle vibration that resonated through the room.

Before her, the intangible forms of three hexanodes began to take shape, each one an intricate construct of pure spiritual energy. They floated in the air, glowing with a holy, otherworldly yellow light.

"My control of spiritual energy has grown a lot," Li An thought. "I can now create more than one hexanode at the same time."

She focused her energy, guiding it with practiced ease. It coalesced, forming delicate, lattice-like structures that resembled crystalline snowflakes suspended in mid-air.

This process was now even more efficient than quantum locking. The spiritual energy created an electromagnetic field, holding the ephemeral hexanodes in perfect alignment. Each element of the field had to be meticulously balanced, or the entire structure would collapse in less than a second.

"The pure energy from nature is fascinating." Li An's eyes glowed slightly. "Just by staying inside my body, it is slowly nurturing it and repairing my crippled meridians. In a few decades, they would be completely healed."

The act of consuming a pill was much different from keeping pure energy inside the body of a cultivator, because the spiritual energy became impure the moment it circulated through the meridians of a cultivator, vanishing in an instant.

Li An concentrated, weaving the spiritual threads tighter and watching as the hexanodes pulsed with a dimmer light. It meant they were becoming stable, and success was right behind the door. Each of the hexanodes was a masterpiece of spiritual engineering; therefore, there was always the possibility of failure no matter how skilled she was.

Just as she finished forming the final node, a soft knock sounded at the door. Li An's eyes flickered with joy for a moment, but she quickly composed herself. She sensed the presence outside and knew immediately who it was.

"Come in."

The door creaked open and a servant entered, carrying an old, dusty box and a brown bag that emanated the strong, earthy scent of herbs.

The servant was a wiry man with graying hair and a gaunt face. His eyes were sharp, a hint of intelligence gleaming within them. Li An recognized him as the one who always brought the spirit pills and medicinal herbs from Elder Jiang. This was already the third time she had met him.

"Ah, the ever-reliable errand boy. Do they think I am an idiot?"

"Leave it by the door and leave," Li An instructed with a light wave of her hand.

The servant hesitated for a brief moment before complying, placing the box and bag carefully on the floor near the entrance. As he turned to leave, Li An caught a subtle shift in his demeanor. He was studying her, his gaze lingering a fraction too long on the floating pure energy residue.

"Is he just curious, or is there more to it?" she wondered. "He doesn't have the gaze of a servant, but I don't feel spiritual energy from him. Could he be hiding it? A cultivator, perhaps?"

However, Li An dismissed the concern quickly. "As long as the resources keep coming, I don't care if he's a spy. Let him watch. He is limited in what he can do as a mortal servant."

The door closed behind the servant, and Li An returned her focus to the finished hexanodes.

"Aah, extortion is truly the best business out there. I might not be very good at economics, but blackmailing is not hard." Li An reflected on the journey to this moment. It had been arduous, but the rewards were worth every effort.

Her mind drifted back to the duel with Elder Jiang. In order to portray her as a demonic cultivator, whom righteous sects despise, she had purposefully allowed herself to become crippled.

"Elder Jiang was too full of herself." Li An shook her head with a small grin. "Her hot temper is her greatest flaw, and I knew just how to take advantage of it."

Even when hunting a rabbit, the lion uses its full strength. It's something so simple, but it often leads to the deaths of so many people.

Li An had baited her with curses, sharp and cutting words that struck at Elder Jiang's pride.

"All it took was a few well-placed insults. She couldn't resist. She had to retaliate."

She thought about Elder Jiang's powerful attack back then—a blade of sword qi that should have obliterated Li An were it not for Liu Yi.

"The hexanodes were the key. That electromagnetic field was perfect for containing and stabilizing the sword qi."

She had carefully maneuvered herself to let some of the dissipating sword qi enter one of her hexanodes. After all, sword qi was a lesser form of energy compared to pure spiritual energy.

Although the captured sword qi was weak and the resulting explosion wouldn't have been particularly strong, it was more than enough to kill a crippled mortal. It was more than enough to frame Elder Jiang.

The woman was now nothing more than a puppet, dancing to her tune without even realizing it.

Elder Jiang believed that Li An still had hexanodes filled with her sword qi, ready to explode at any moment. The fear of those hexanodes kept her in check, kept her from acting out against Li An directly.

"She is trapped by her own ignorance, and that is the beauty of it. She has no idea that the hexanodes are empty, that I cannot frame her anymore even if she retaliates."

Li An's thoughts turned to the future. She was not naive enough to think that the war was over. The Battle Elder was also an enemy, and he would not give up on the northern forest just because one of his pawns was caught in her net.

"There's also the other three sects. I am sure they won't stay silent."

Those worries would have to be left for later. Li An took a quick bath and decided to go visit You Mei; it had been some time since they last saw each other. However, she had heard gossip about how You Mei spent her time training on public grounds without any rest.

"Poor You Mei. She must be going through a lot." Li An didn't hate You Mei or her mother. She had to kill You Meihong because her being alive harmed her benefits. That was all.

...

The public training grounds were a hive of activity. The sounds of shouts and martial arts moves could be heard all over the place, and the stench of sweaty bodies was a bit overwhelming.

Li An made her way through the crowded area, looking over the trainees until she found You Mei. The girl was striking a training dummy with a fierce expression. Although her movements were swift and precise, the tension in her muscles betrayed the underlying anger.

Li An paused, watching her from a distance. "She's struggling. That fire in her eyes... It's a good sign, but she needs direction."

With a steady breath, Li An approached.

"You Mei," she called out softly.

You Mei stopped mid-strike, turning to see Li An. Her expression softened slightly, but the frustration still simmered beneath the surface. The gloomy atmosphere around her kept all the other people away.

She walked over to Li An with downcast shoulders. You Mei was no different from a tiger licking her wounds after a traumatic battle. Except that in this case, it was a battle with herself.

They sat down on a nearby bench, and the sounds of the training ground faded into the background. For a moment, there was silence between them, each lost in their thoughts.

"I'm sorry," You Mei said finally, her voice barely above a whisper. "I'm sorry for not being as strong as you expected me to be."

Li An reached out, placing a comforting hand on You Mei's shoulder. "Silly You Mei. Power this, power that... everyone is so concerned about strength that they don't stop themselves from thinking about what's their reason for wanting to be strong."

She peered deep into You Mei's eyes, making the latter feel as if she were drowning into the depths of an abyss.

"Changing the sect system, avenging your mother, pursuing immortality... the harsh truth is that if you try to grow strong in order to accomplish all these things, you will end up accomplishing nothing."

Li An let out a deep breath. "There's a limit to what we can do in our lives. If one chooses to pursue a meaning until the end, then one must make sure to do exactly that. Other emotions, events, and relationships should not affect your decision to follow your own path."

You Mei looked up at her with unshed tears glistening in her eyes. "But I feel like I'm letting everyone down. Like I'm not good enough."

"Then accept that fact and work towards changing it." Li An's gaze was stern. "Instead of wallowing in misery, keep moving forward. It might sound harsh, but your tears and misery don't kill the enemy."

Reaching into her robes, Li An pulled out the Spirit pill's carved box from the sect leader and opened it to reveal a single blue sphere. "Here," she said, offering it to You Mei. "Take this."

You Mei's eyes widened in surprise. "Where did you get this?"

Li An stared at her with a raised eyebrow.

"Your teacher didn't tell you?"

"Tell me what?"

"Nevermind." Li An sighed, as if reluctant to speak. "I visited Elder Jiang yesterday. She... gave it to me as compensation for crippling me. A gesture of goodwill, I suppose."

You Mei's expression darkened with rage. She pushed the box away. "No. Your future can't be replaced by something so cheap. How could she think a Spirit pill would make up for what she did?"

"You Mei, I have given up on my own future." Li An pressed it against the other girl's chest. "I have bet everything on yours. Please, take the pill. Get stronger. For both of us."

"Surely you can't refuse me now?"

Tears finally spilled from You Mei's eyes as she looked at Li An, witnessing the depth of her sacrifice and the hope she held for her. With trembling hands, she took the box and held the Spirit pill.

"T-thank you," she whispered, choking slightly while talking. "I won't let you down."

Li An smiled softly and brushed a tear from You Mei's cheek. There was an eerie glow in her eyes. "I know you won't. You are destined for greatness, You Mei. Remember that."

They sat in silence for a while longer, simply enjoying each other's company. If there was one thing Li An missed from the outer space, it was the absence of sound for hundreds of thousands of li. It made her feel insignificant yet important in the vast sea of nothingness.

"I should go back to training." You Mei excused herself. "Thank you for taking some time to visit me."

"It was my pleasure."

You Mei rose to return to the practice grounds, the Spirit pill clutched tightly in her hand. Li An watched her without blinking.

A strange feeling was welling up in her heart, making it sting.

"This is my last gift to you, You Mei. From now on, we will climb our own paths up the mountain."

Li An turned back and walked home amidst a blanket of snow.