I'll make you the furnace and the cauldron, so you can refine Yin and Yang and prove the Great

The sect leader's words left Li Hanshan completely stunned.

The Northern Wilderness. The land beneath their feet is called the Northern Wilderness. Not north, not a specific direction, but the name of this entire continent.

"Master, you mean..." he tentatively began, "that the place we are in is the Northern Wilderness?"

"Of course," the sect leader said calmly. "The Joyful Union Sect, the Heavenly Demon Sect, the Blood Fiend Sect, the Yinming Sect, and those righteous remnants clinging to life—this land we live on has been called the Northern Wilderness since ancient times. The Northern Wilderness Sword Sect is called the Northern Wilderness Sword Sect because it was once the strongest sword cultivator sect on this land."

Li Hanshan's mind was in complete chaos.

He had always thought that the Northern Wilderness Sword Sect was named so because it was located in the northern wilderness. But now it seemed that wasn't the case at all. The Northern Wilderness was the name of this continent.

"What about the main sect?" he asked, suppressing his shock. "Where is the main sect located?"

The sect leader stood up and slowly walked to the center of the main hall. She raised her hand and released a beam of spiritual light, which condensed into a huge map in the air. The map marked mountains, rivers, cities, and sects, but it was unlike any map Li Hanshan had ever seen—it was enormous, unbelievably large.

"This is the entire world." The sect leader pointed to a vast continent at the very center of the map, his tone calm. "This is called Central Continent. It is the center of the entire world, and also the place where spiritual veins converge. The area of ​​Central Continent is hundreds of times larger than that of Northern Wilderness."

Li Hanshan gasped.

Hundreds of times larger? He thought the Northern Wilderness was big enough, but he didn't expect the Central Continent to be even bigger, ridiculously so.

"The Central Continent is the truly prosperous place in the cultivation world." The sect leader's finger moved slowly across the map. "There are countless sects, powerful figures above the Nascent Soul stage, the Righteous Path Alliance, the Demonic Path Supreme, the Demon Emperor, and the Ghost Emperor—all forces are intertwined, and powerful figures are as numerous as clouds. In the Northern Wilderness, Nascent Soul cultivators can roam freely. But in the Central Continent, Nascent Soul cultivators are as numerous as hairs on a cow, and even the Nascent Soul stage is not considered a powerful figure."

Li Hanshan was terrified.

He had thought that the Nascent Soul stage was already the pinnacle of existence, but he hadn't expected that in the Central Continent, Nascent Soul cultivators were as numerous as hairs on a cow, and even the Deity Transformation stage was nothing special. What other realms were above the Deity Transformation stage?

"Master, what lies beyond the Nascent Soul stage?" he couldn't help but ask.

The sect leader glanced at him and said calmly, "You'll know when you reach the Nascent Soul stage. Knowing too much now won't do you any good."

Li Hanshan clasped his hands in a fist salute: "Disciple understands."

The sect leader nodded and continued, "The main sect is located in the Central Continent. The main sect of the Joyful Union Sect is a branch of a major power in the Central Continent. Thousands of years ago, an elder of the main sect came to the Northern Wilderness and established the Joyful Union Sect in order to cultivate talents in the Northern Wilderness and provide fresh blood for the main sect."

"Transferring talent?" Li Hanshan frowned. "So, the Holy Maiden and the Holy Son..."

"That's right." The sect leader nodded. "The Holy Maidens and Holy Sons are those who have been chosen and are qualified to go to the main sect. Every thirty years, the main sect will send someone to the Northern Wilderness to guide them and take away a group of Holy Maidens and Holy Sons. After they arrive at the main sect, their aptitude will be reassessed, and resources will be allocated according to their aptitude so that they can enter different branches to cultivate."

Li Hanshan suddenly realized something.

No wonder Qin Muyue, Leng Yue, and Chu Mengyao were fighting tooth and nail for her. Becoming a Holy Maiden wasn't just about status and resources; more importantly, it was about having the chance to go to the Central Continent, to that true holy land of cultivation.

"Master, do we have a chance to go to Central Continent?" he asked.

The sect leader glanced at him, a meaningful smile appearing on his lips: "Of course. You are now my personal disciple, your status no less than that of the Holy Maiden and Holy Son. As long as your cultivation and aptitude are sufficient, you will have a chance to be selected when the main sect sends people."

Li Hanshan felt a surge of warmth in his heart, but quickly calmed down.

"Master, is becoming a Holy Maiden or Holy Son the only path to Central Continent?"

The sect leader shook his head: "No. There is another path—break through to the Nascent Soul stage and then cross the Endless Sea on your own."

"The Endless Sea?"

"Between the Central Continent and the Northern Wilderness lies a boundless ocean called the Endless Sea." The sect leader pointed to the vast sea on the map that separated the Central Continent and the Northern Wilderness, his tone becoming solemn. "The Endless Sea is teeming with demonic beasts and sea monsters. Even Nascent Soul cultivators dare not venture deep into it lightly. A slight misstep will lead to their demise."

She paused, then looked at Li Hanshan: "If you can break through to the Nascent Soul stage, with the strength of a Nascent Soul cultivator, you'll have a better chance of crossing the Endless Sea. But the path to Nascent Soul is incredibly difficult. In the thousands of years of the Northern Wilderness, only a handful of cultivators have managed to break through to the Nascent Soul stage. Therefore, for the vast majority of people, being chosen and guided by the main sect is their only hope of reaching the Central Continent."

Li Hanshan was silent for a moment, then asked, "Master, have you ever been to Zhongzhou?"

The sect leader shook his head, a hint of melancholy flashing in his eyes: "No. Although I am the sect leader of the Joyful Union Sect, my aptitude is not good enough for the main sect. Thirty years ago, when the main sect sent people, I was evaluated once and was judged to have 'mediocre aptitude and not worth cultivating'."

Li Hanshan's heart skipped a beat.

The sect leader is a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, already a top-tier existence in the Northern Wilderness. Yet, in the eyes of the main sect, he's merely considered "mediocre"? Just how high must the main sect's standards be?

She looked at Li Hanshan with a scrutinizing gaze: "I can't see through your aptitude. But the fact that you were able to cultivate from a mortal to a Golden Core cultivator in just two years is a potential and speed that even I am ashamed of. Perhaps, you are the one with the most hope."

Li Hanshan clasped his hands in a fist and said, "This disciple will certainly work hard and live up to Master's high expectations."

The sect leader nodded slightly and turned to walk deeper into the main hall.

"Come with me, I'll take you to see the portrait of the patriarch."