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

On this day, Li Hanshan was cultivating in his cave with Hua Nongying when a communication talisman flew in from outside the cave and hovered in front of him.

"Han Lang, who is he?" Hua Nongying opened her eyes.

Li Hanshan took the communication talisman, probed it with his divine sense, and raised an eyebrow slightly.

"The sect leader summons you." He stood up, "saying there are important matters to discuss."

Hua Nongying also stood up, straightened his robes, and said softly, "Go. The sect leader must be looking for you something important."

Li Hanshan nodded and summoned his flying sword, heading towards the sect's main hall.

Inside the main hall, the sect leader sat high on the main seat, dressed in a jet-black dress and her face veiled in black gauze. The First Elder and the Second Elder stood to his left and right, respectively, while the Third Elder's seat remained empty, having been vacant for three years. The three quasi-saintesses—Qin Muyue, Leng Yue, and Chu Mengyao—stood below, each occupying a side, with considerable distance between them.

On the other side of the quasi-saint, Song Qingyun and Ouyang Ming were also present. Song Qingyun's expression was not good; three years had passed, and his cultivation was still stuck at the seventh level of the Golden Core stage, progressing slowly. Ouyang Ming, on the other hand, looked normal; his foundation at the sixth level of the Golden Core stage had become even more solid.

Li Hanshan stepped into the main hall, clasped his hands in greeting, and said, "Disciple Li Hanshan greets Master, and pays respects to the First Elder and Second Elder."

The sect leader nodded slightly, gesturing for him to stand aside.

Li Hanshan stepped between Qin Muyue and Leng Yue. Qin Muyue winked at him, while Leng Yue remained expressionless. Chu Mengyao's gaze lingered on him for a moment before shifting away.

"Everyone is here." The sect leader's voice echoed in the hall, carrying a hint of authority. "I have summoned you here today for only one matter."

She paused, her gaze sweeping over everyone, and said, word by word, "The five-year period is approaching, and the Hehuan Sect needs to select a formal Holy Maiden and Holy Son to send to the main sect."

Upon hearing this, the atmosphere in the hall suddenly froze.

Li Hanshan's heart skipped a beat. The five-year period—the last batch of Holy Sons and Holy Daughters were taken away twenty-five years ago. In another twenty years, the main sect would send people to the Northern Wilderness again. Before that, the Joyful Union Sect had to select official Holy Daughters and Holy Sons to be eligible to participate in the main sect's reception.

"Sect Master, may I ask what the criteria are for this selection?" Song Qingyun spoke first, his voice tinged with urgency.

The sect leader said calmly, "Cultivation, combat strength, potential, and temperament are all indispensable. The specific rules will be announced by the Grand Elder later."

Song Qingyun's face darkened, and he said nothing more.

A flicker of excitement flashed in Qin Muyue's eyes. She had been waiting for this day for a long time. Leng Yue remained expressionless, but a subtle tremor appeared in her silver-gray eyes. Chu Mengyao stood at the very edge, toying with the emerald green bead in her hand, her expression calm and unreadable.

The Grand Elder took out a jade scroll from his sleeve, unfolded it, and said in a deep voice, "The selection will consist of three rounds. The first round is a cultivation test. The second round is a combat strength test. The third round is a trial in a secret realm. The one with the highest overall score across the three rounds will be selected as either a Holy Maiden or a Holy Son."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the crowd: "The selection will officially begin in three months. All qualified disciples may apply."

A murmur rippled through the hall. Eligible disciples—those at the Golden Core stage or above, who had been with the sect for over ten years and had no major transgressions—were considered. The pool of eligible disciples wasn't particularly large, nor was it small. The Joyful Union Sect had at least several dozen Golden Core disciples, plus those old monsters who spent years in seclusion; the competition was fierce.

Li Hanshan stood in the crowd, but he was thinking about something else.

He was the sect leader's personal disciple, and by rights, he shouldn't need to go through a selection process to qualify for the recommendation. But he didn't want to take shortcuts. He wanted to rely on his own strength to become a Holy Son with dignity, and then go to the Central Continent to find Luo Li.

After the meeting, Li Hanshan walked out of the main hall and was about to summon his flying sword to return to his cave when a voice came from behind him.

"Junior Brother Li, please wait."

Li Hanshan turned around and saw Chu Mengyao walking towards him. She wore a long emerald green dress, her long hair was tied up with a jade hairpin, and a few strands of hair fell beside her ears, adding to her gentle beauty. She was still playing with the emerald green bead in her hand, looking at him calmly.

"Saintess Chu, is something the matter?" Li Hanshan stopped in his tracks.

Chu Mengyao walked up to him, remained silent for a moment, and then got straight to the point: "Junior Brother Li, I want to make a deal with you."

"What kind of deal?"

Chu Mengyao took a deep breath, her gaze becoming serious: "I hope you can help me with the Saintess selection three months from now. Don't continue to help Qin Muyue and Leng Yue improve their cultivation, making it impossible for them to compete with me in the selection."

Li Hanshan raised an eyebrow, looking at her with a half-smile: "Saintess Chu, are you asking me to betray them?"

"It's not betrayal, it's a deal." Chu Mengyao's voice was calm, but a barely perceptible hint of tension flashed in her eyes. "As long as you agree, I can give you anything you want. Spirit stones, pills, cultivation techniques, magic treasures—anything I have, I can give you."

Li Hanshan stared at her for a moment, then suddenly smiled.

"Anything?"

Chu Mengyao nodded: "Anything."

Li Hanshan's gaze swept over her, from top to bottom and bottom to top, making no attempt to conceal it. Chu Mengyao felt uncomfortable under his gaze, her brows furrowing slightly, but she did not back away.

"I'm not interested in spirit stones or elixirs," Li Hanshan said slowly. "I have plenty of cultivation techniques and magical treasures. What I'm interested in is..."

He paused, leaned closer, and lowered his voice: "Only your body."

Chu Mengyao's face instantly turned ashen. She stared at Li Hanshan, a flash of anger in her eyes, but she bit her lip and didn't lash out.

"Are you sure?" Her voice was as cold as ice.

Li Hanshan said calmly, "I'm sure. If you agree, I will no longer help them. If you don't agree, then there's nothing more to discuss."

Chu Mengyao remained silent for a long time. Her fingers gripped the emerald green bead tightly, her eyes flashing with struggle, humiliation, and anger, which finally turned into a sigh.

"Okay. I promise you."

Her voice was so low it was almost inaudible, but Li Hanshan heard it clearly.

He nodded, turned around, summoned his flying sword, and flew towards the cave without looking back.

Behind him, Chu Mengyao stood still, watching his figure disappear into the sky, biting her lip, her eyes filled with complex emotions.

"Hanlang, how is it?"

When Li Hanshan returned to his cave, Hua Nongying inquired about the situation.

Li Hanshan recounted the situation.

After hearing Li Hanshan's words, Hua Nongying was first stunned, then burst into laughter, laughing so hard that she almost dropped her pipe.

"Han Lang, that's a ruthless move of yours." She stopped laughing, her beautiful eyes full of mischief. "Qin Muyue, Leng Yue, and Chu Mengyao, three potential saintesses, you're not letting any of them go. Doesn't that mean you've got them all in your pocket?"

Li Hanshan didn't reply, but leaned back on the stone bed, his gaze fixed on the sea of ​​clouds outside the cave, lost in thought.

Hua Nongying leaned closer, softly nestled into his arms, her slender fingers tracing circles on his chest. Her voice was sweet and gentle: "But Hanlang, that woman Chu Mengyao is no simpleton. She agreed so readily today, but she might have other plans in mind. You have to be careful, lest she turn the tables on you."

"I know," Li Hanshan said calmly.

Hua Nongying looked up at his sharply defined profile and suddenly whispered, "Hanlang, do you not like doing this?"

Li Hanshan remained silent for a moment, then sighed.

"What can I do if I don't like it in the Hehuan Sect?" His voice was calm, but it carried an indescribable weariness. "If I don't scheme against others, they will scheme against me. If I don't hold them in my grasp, they will try every means to drain me dry. From the first day I entered the sect, I had no choice."