Monarch of Eternal Frost

Chapter 5: Sword Art Beneath the Ice

The spiraling staircase plunged deep into the earth, winding downward like the spine of an ancient beast buried beneath the valley. Lin Tian's footsteps echoed as he descended, each step growing colder, heavier—as if the very air was testing his resolve.

He reached the bottom after what felt like hours, arriving at a vast cavern lit by glowing ice crystals embedded in the ceiling. The walls were carved with unfamiliar ancient runes—yet somehow, Lin Tian could feel their meaning.

> "Sword… Ice… Dao…"

At the heart of the cavern stood an enormous platform of frozen jade. At its center floated a crystalline sword, suspended upright in the air. It radiated an oppressive cold, yet it wasn't hostile.

Instead, it felt… majestic.

Above it, words burned in blue fire:

> "Only one who walks the path of Sword and Ice may inherit the Absolute Sword Art."

Lin Tian approached cautiously. The cold intensified the closer he got, biting into his skin, chilling his bones—but the Martial Dual Furnace within him flared, balancing the frost with vital heat.

> Sword and Ice… that's me.

He stepped onto the platform.

The moment his foot touched the jade, a tremor shook the entire cavern. The floating sword flashed and shattered into countless shards of ice—but instead of falling, they spiraled around him like stars in orbit.

Then—

Whoosh!

The shards slammed into his body.

---

Vision.

Lin Tian stood in a snowy void, facing a towering phantom wielding a simple iron sword. The figure moved slowly—then struck.

A single step. A clean horizontal slash.

Boom.

The void cracked.

One swing split mountains. One slash froze time.

Lin Tian fell to one knee, coughing blood. His soul trembled.

> "This… is the Absolute Sword Art?"

The phantom's voice thundered in his mind.

> "Only those with an unshakable sword heart may grasp it. Can you endure the pain of perfection? Can you master the basics until they pierce the heavens?"

Lin Tian gritted his teeth.

> "I can."

The phantom moved again.

One thrust.

One cleave.

One upward arc.

Each strike shook Lin Tian's spirit, pushing his mind to the brink. But he watched. He memorized.

> One sword. Infinite precision.

No wasted movement. No ornament. Just—cut.

---

When he awoke, the cavern was silent.

All the ice shards were gone. In his hand rested a new blade—light blue in color, forged from pure froststeel, engraved with barely visible sword runes.

> [You have obtained: Frostbite Sword (Low Heaven-Grade Weapon)]

[You have comprehended the First Form of Absolute Sword Art: "Clear Cut."]

Lin Tian stood up, his aura calm but deep as a lake beneath ice.

His cultivation hadn't increased—but his killing intent was sharper, more refined. His sword intent had been born.

And that changed everything.

---

Outside the valley…

A squad of armored disciples from the Sky Sword Sect arrived at the valley's edge. They saw blood. Frozen corpses. Shattered weapons.

One of them knelt and inspected the tracks. "He went underground…"

A girl in white robes and long black hair appeared beside him. Her eyes scanned the area with an unreadable expression.

> "He survived again…"

It was Qin Shuang, the Ice Jade Princess—one of the top inner disciples of the sect and the daughter of its third elder. She had once seen Lin Tian spar during his entry test and sensed something strange about him.

Now, she was certain.

> He's not ordinary. Han Yi has made an enemy he doesn't understand.

She turned away. "Withdraw. Tell no one he lives."

The others looked confused. But they obeyed.

---

Deep underground...

Lin Tian sheathed his new sword. The Frostbite Sword hummed faintly, as if eager to taste blood.

> "Han Yi... you tried to bury me".

His eyes gleamed like polished ice.

> "Now I'll return the favor."

He turned and vanished into the frost-lit tunnel.

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