Cultivation is Creation

Wu Lihua stood at the far end of the corridor, her purple Core Disciple robes flowing around her. Even at this distance, her beauty was breathtaking; that perfect combination of classical features and otherworldly grace that had first captured his attention all those years ago.

But there was something about her posture, about the way she held herself, that sent warning bells ringing through Wu Kangming's mind.

She was watching them with the focused intensity of a predator studying its prey.

Luo Yichen must have noticed the change in Wu Kangming's expression, because he immediately tensed and began to turn around. "What's—"

The moment Luo Yichen's gaze fell on Wu Lihua, his entire demeanor shifted. His hand moved to the Mirrorwater Blade's hilt, and he stepped directly in front of Wu Kangming in a protective stance that would have been admirable if it wasn't so potentially dangerous.

"You," Luo Yichen said, his voice carrying a level of cold hostility that Wu Kangming had never heard from him before. "You're her, aren't you? The one who broke big brother's engagement and abandoned him when he needed support most."

Wu Lihua tilted her head slightly, her lips curving into a smile that somehow managed to be both beautiful and deeply unsettling. "And you must be the little lost cultivator who's been following my former fiancé around like a devoted puppy. How... touching."

The condescension in her tone was sharp enough to cut, but Luo Yichen didn't back down. If anything, it seemed to strengthen his resolve.

"Stay away from him," Luo Yichen said firmly, his spiritual pressure beginning to rise as he prepared for potential conflict. "You've caused enough damage already. If you think you can just walk back into his life whenever it's convenient for you—"

Wu Lihua's laughter cut through his words. "Oh, little sword cultivator, you have no idea what you're dealing with, do you?"

Her spiritual pressure erupted outward in a wave of overwhelming force.

This wasn't the controlled demonstration of power that most Elemental Realm cultivators used to establish dominance; this was pure, crushing authority designed to drive weaker opponents to their knees.

The air itself seemed to thicken under the weight of her aura, and the temperature in the corridor dropped several degrees.

But Luo Yichen, to his credit, didn't yield an inch. His own spiritual pressure rose to meet hers, the ninth stage of Qi Condensation blazing around him like a silver flame. He couldn't match her raw power, but his determination was absolute.

"I don't care what realm you've reached," he said through gritted teeth, his voice strained but unwavering. "You abandoned big brother when he was at his lowest point. That makes you nothing but a fair-weather cultivator in my eyes, no matter how pretty your robes are."

Wu Kangming saw the dangerous light that flared in Wu Lihua's eyes at those words, and he knew he had to intervene before this escalated beyond control. Luo Yichen's loyalty was admirable, but he was facing someone whose power vastly exceeded his own. And more than that, Wu Kangming still held some hope that the real Wu Lihua, the girl he'd grown up with, was still somewhere beneath this ugly exterior.

"Luo Yichen," Wu Kangming said quietly, placing his hand on his sworn brother's shoulder. "It's alright. Go back to your quarters, and we'll resume training tomorrow morning."

Luo Yichen turned to look at him, confusion and protest clear in his expression. "Big brother, you can't seriously want to talk to her alone. After everything she's done—"

"I can handle this," Wu Kangming interrupted, his tone gentle but firm. "Some conversations need to happen without an audience."

Luo Yichen's jaw worked silently for several moments, his gaze moving back and forth between Wu Kangming and Wu Lihua. Finally, he gave a reluctant nod, though his scowl didn't soften in the slightest.

"Fine," he said, stepping back but keeping his hand on his sword. "But if she tries anything, anything at all, just call for me. I'll be there in seconds."

He shot one final glare at Wu Lihua before turning and walking away, his posture radiating protective anger with every step. Wu Kangming watched him go with a mixture of gratitude and concern. Having someone care that deeply about his wellbeing was both warming and slightly terrifying.

As Luo Yichen disappeared around a corner, Wu Kangming became aware that the other disciples in the corridor had also made themselves scarce. The combination of Wu Lihua's overwhelming spiritual pressure and the obvious tension in the air had driven them away, leaving the two former lovers alone in the stone passageway.

Silence stretched between them like a chasm.

Wu Kangming found himself studying Wu Lihua's face, searching for some trace of the girl he'd once known. Her features were the same, that perfect symmetry and classical beauty that had made her the envy of every female cultivator in their generation.

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But there was something different about her eyes, something cold and calculating that hadn't been there when they were children.

"Or maybe it had been there," he thought with painful honesty, "and I was just too infatuated to see it."

"You look well," Wu Lihua said finally, her voice carrying none of the warmth he remembered. "Pseudo Elemental Realm at our age is quite impressive. I told you that you had more potential than anyone realized."

Wu Kangming felt a bitter laugh building in his chest. "You told me a lot of things. Most of them turned out to be lies."

Her smile didn't waver, but something flickered in her eyes. "Time changes people, Kangming. Surely you've learned that by now. The naive children we were, the promises we made when we didn't understand the world... those things belong to the past."

"Do they?" Wu Kangming stepped closer, his voice dropping to barely above a whisper. "Because I remember a girl who spent hours in her family's herb garden, testing different growing techniques because she wanted to help people through medicine cultivation. I remember someone who used to sneak extra food to the servants' children when she thought no one was looking. I remember a person who believed that true strength came from lifting others up, not stepping on them."

For just a moment, something vulnerable flickered across Wu Lihua's features. Her perfectly composed mask slipped, revealing a flash of pain and longing that made Wu Kangming's heart clench with hope.

But the moment passed quickly, replaced by that same cold calculation.

"That girl was weak," Wu Lihua said, her voice hardening. "That girl believed in fairy tales and happy endings. That girl would have spent her entire life as a minor cultivator in a third-rate clan, never achieving anything of real significance. She's dead, Kangming. I killed her myself."

The words hit Wu Kangming like physical blows. "I don't believe that. I can't believe that. People don't just... change that completely. The person you were, the dreams you had—"

"Were childish fantasies," Wu Lihua interrupted. "Do you want to know what real power feels like? What it means to stand above the masses and shape the world according to your will?"

"I've felt power," Wu Kangming replied, thinking of the moments when his master's techniques flowed through him, when he became a conduit for sword intent that could cut reality itself. "Real power doesn't require you to abandon your humanity."

As he spoke, Wu Kangming noticed something strange happening to her spiritual pressure.

Instead of the steady, controlled force he'd expect from an Elemental Realm cultivator, her aura seemed to be growing stronger and more volatile. It pulsed and writhed around her like a living thing, and there was something almost... hungry about it.

More disturbing still, the aura seemed to be reacting to his emotional state. Every time he felt a pang of loss or betrayal, every moment when his heart ached for what they'd once shared, her power grew more intense.

"What cultivation method is this?" Wu Kangming asked, taking an unconscious step backward.

Wu Lihua's smile widened, taking on a predatory quality. "Something far beyond your understanding. But don't worry, you're going to help me advance it even further."

Her voice began to take on a strange, hypnotic quality. The words seemed to bypass his ears and speak directly to his mind, carrying compulsions and suggestions that made his thoughts feel sluggish and confused.

"You love me, don't you, Kangming?" she continued, her tone becoming almost musical. "You've always loved me, even when I hurt you. Even when I broke our engagement. Even when everyone told you to move on. That love is still there, burning in your heart like an eternal flame."

Wu Kangming tried to shake his head, tried to clear the fog that was settling over his mind, but the words kept coming. Each syllable seemed to wrap around his consciousness like silk threads, binding his will and clouding his judgment.

"Love requires sacrifice," Wu Lihua said, stepping closer until she was almost within arm's reach. "Love requires proving your devotion through action. And I need you to prove your love to me now, Kangming. I need you to show me that you're willing to do anything for our future together."

"Get out of my head," Wu Kangming managed to whisper, his hands rising to clutch at his temples. The hypnotic pressure was overwhelming, like having someone else's thoughts forced into his skull. "Whatever you're doing, stop it."

But Wu Lihua's power continued to grow, fed by his distress and confusion. Her cultivation method was like a parasite, drawing sustenance from his emotional turmoil and using it to strengthen her hold over his mind.

"Don't fight it," she said soothingly. "Fighting only makes it worse. Just accept what you know to be true: you would do anything for me. You would sacrifice anything to make me happy. You would even take your own life if I asked you to."

The words sent a chill through Wu Kangming's soul, but the hypnotic compulsion made it hard to hold onto his horror. Part of his mind was screaming warnings, but another part was nodding along with her suggestions, finding them reasonable and even romantic.

"That's right," Wu Lihua continued, her voice becoming even more seductive. "Love means being willing to do whatever is necessary. And what I need right now, what would make me happier than anything else in the world, is for me to breakthrough to the Stellar Realm. Don't you want that for me? Don't you want me to achieve my full potential?"

Through the haze of mental manipulation, Wu Kangming found himself nodding. Of course he wanted her to succeed. Of course he wanted her to reach the highest levels of cultivation. That was what love meant, wasn't it? Supporting your partner's advancement, no matter the cost?

"Good," Wu Lihua purred. "I knew you still cared. I knew that deep down, you still wanted what was best for me. And what's best for me right now is very simple. All I need you to do is one small thing. One tiny sacrifice to prove your devotion."

The fanatic love in Wu Kangming's eyes was bright and absolute now, burning away all doubt and hesitation. "Anything," he said, his voice barely recognizable as his own. "I'll do anything for you. Just tell me what you need."

Wu Lihua's smile became radiant, though there was something deeply wrong about the joy in her expression. "All I need," she said softly, "is for you to take a life. Kill someone for our love, Kangming. Show me that your feelings are stronger than the moral constraints that hold back lesser cultivators."

A complicated expression crossed Wu Kangming's face as some deeper part of his mind tried to rebel against the suggestion. Taking a life... that wasn't something to be done lightly. Even under the influence of her cultivation method, some fundamental part of his character resisted the idea.

But the hypnotic pressure intensified, washing away his hesitation like a tide erasing footprints from sand.

"Okay," he said finally, the words feeling like they were being pulled from his throat by invisible strings. "Who... who should I kill?"

Wu Lihua's smile widened until it was almost blinding, and when she spoke, her voice carried the triumph of a predator finally closing its trap.

"Ke Yin," she said simply. "Kill Ke Yin for me."