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

The golden beam of light from the Heavenly Mirror dissipated, but the clamor in the square lingered for a long time.

"After the Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment, the Hehuan Sect has never produced another sect leader like that, right?"

"I heard that even when the Sect Master established his foundation in the Heavenly Dao, the phenomena he caused weren't this great!"

"Just who is this old man? How can he achieve Foundation Establishment at the age of one hundred?"

Discussions erupted, and countless gazes fell upon Li Hanshan, some with shock, some with envy, some with jealousy, and some with awe.

On the high platform, the sect leader stood up, a genuine look of approval flashing in his eyes behind the black veil.

"Good." The sect leader uttered only one word, his voice not loud, but it clearly reached the ears of everyone present, "Li Hanshan, you are very good."

The sect leader's praise made the disciples look at Li Hanshan with a hint of envy.

The First Elder's face was so dark it could drip water. He gritted his teeth, staring intently at Li Hanshan, the hatred in his eyes almost tangible.

"It's just that your foundation is good." The First Elder said coldly, "The cultivation of the Golden Core stage relies on the accumulation and quality of spiritual power. No matter how good your foundation is, if your spiritual power is impure, it's still a castle in the air."

He turned around and took out a fist-sized transparent crystal from his sleeve. The surface of the crystal shimmered with a faint spiritual light, and faint colorful patterns could be seen inside.

"These are Five Elements Spirit Stones, used to test the purity of a Golden Core cultivator's spiritual energy." The Grand Elder's voice rose a few decibels, his gaze sweeping across the entire room. "Spiritual energy purity is divided into four levels: low, medium, high, and top-grade. Li Hanshan, do you dare to test yourself in public?"

These words caused another stir in the square.

"The Grand Elder is being relentless!"

"The Foundation Establishment stage of the Heavenly Dao is already astonishing enough; how much higher can the purity of spiritual energy go?"

"Exactly, being able to establish a foundation in the Heavenly Dao is already an immense stroke of luck; the purity of their spiritual energy couldn't possibly be that high, could it?"

Hua Nongying stood in the crowd, her brows furrowed, and whispered to Yun Shuyue, "This old man, when will he ever stop?"

Yun Shuyue shook her head without saying a word, but her eyes were full of worry.

Qin Muyue crossed her arms, a cold smile playing on her lips. She wasn't worried about Li Hanshan; the old man had many secrets. The Grand Elder's attempt to use the purity of spiritual energy to make things difficult for him was likely just asking for trouble.

Leng Yue remained expressionless, but a hint of curiosity flickered in her silver-gray eyes.

The emerald green beads in Chu Mengyao's hand stopped spinning. She looked at Li Hanshan, her eyes thoughtful.

Li Hanshan stood still, looking at the Five Elements Spirit Stone in the Grand Elder's hand, a slight smile playing on his lips.

"Since the Grand Elder wishes to conduct the divination, this disciple will naturally oblige."

He strode to the Five Elements Spirit Stone and placed his hand on the crystal.

Spiritual energy surged from his palm and slowly flowed into the crystal.

The Five Elements Spirit Stones first glowed faintly, then grew brighter and brighter, becoming increasingly dazzling. The colorful patterns inside the crystals seemed to come alive, flowing wildly and radiating multicolored light.

The red fire-attribute spiritual energy was as pure as magma.

The blue water-attribute spiritual energy was as clear as a blue pool.

The golden, metallic spiritual energy was as sharp as a sword.

The azure wood-attribute spiritual energy is full of vitality;

The yellow earth-attribute spiritual energy was as heavy as a mountain.

The five elements of spiritual energy, each refined to the extreme, intertwine within the crystal to create a magnificent picture.

The light on the surface of the spirit stone grew brighter and brighter, eventually transforming into a five-colored pillar of light that shot into the sky, even more dazzling than the golden pillar of light from the Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment earlier.

The square fell silent again.

Everyone stared blankly at the multicolored beam of light, their mouths agape, wide enough to fit an egg.

"Spiritual energy purity...top grade!" The Grand Elder's voice trembled, and he almost dropped the Five Elements Spirit Stone in his hand.

"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!" he shouted. "How could a centenarian like you possess five different elemental powers, each one of them being of the highest purity?"

Li Hanshan withdrew his hand and said calmly, "Elder, you took out these Five Elements Spirit Stones, and you saw the result with your own eyes. If you don't believe me, you can test it yourself."

The Grand Elder paused for a moment.

In the square, the disciples finally came to their senses and erupted into a thunderous clamor.

"Top-grade spiritual energy purity! And it contains all five elements!"

"My God, just what kind of monster is Senior Brother Li?"

"A Foundation Establishment in the Heavenly Dao combined with top-tier Five Elements talent—you couldn't find another like him in the entire Northern Wilderness, could you?"

"No wonder the sect leader wanted to take him as a disciple; who wouldn't want a genius like him?"

Song Qingyun's face was beyond ugly; it looked like he had swallowed a fly. He gritted his teeth, clenched his fists so tightly that his nails dug into his palms.

He had cultivated for decades to reach the seventh level of the Golden Core stage, and even then, his spiritual energy purity was only of the upper grade. How could he accept that Li Hanshan, an old man who had only been in the sect for five years, not only had achieved the Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment but also possessed top-grade spiritual energy purity?

Ouyang Ming stopped waving his folding fan completely. He looked at Li Hanshan with a deep sense of apprehension in his eyes.

On the high platform, the sect leader's eyes were full of satisfaction. She turned to the Grand Elder and said calmly, "Grand Elder, are there any other questions?"

The Grand Elder opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but found himself unable to utter a word. He gritted his teeth, put the Five Elements Spirit Stones back into his sleeve, and coldly snorted, "The first round of testing is over. The second round is a contest of combat strength."

He paused, his gaze sweeping across the entire arena, and raised his voice slightly: "To ensure fairness, the cultivation levels of all participating disciples will be suppressed to the first level of the Golden Core stage. During the competition, no spiritual power exceeding the first level of the Golden Core stage is permitted, nor are the use of magic treasures of grade four or higher, or the use of forbidden techniques. Violators will be disqualified."

Upon hearing this, both Song Qingyun and Ouyang Ming's expressions relaxed.

Suppressing their cultivation to the first level of the Golden Core stage was incredibly good news for them. Although their true cultivation level was high, under the suppression, combat experience and skills became the key to victory. And in this aspect, they believed they were second to none.

A cold smile appeared on Song Qingyun's lips. He had cultivated for decades and had rich combat experience. He could use all kinds of spells at will. Even if his cultivation was suppressed to the first level of the Golden Core stage, he was confident that he could crush Li Hanshan, an old man who had only been in the sect for five years.

Ouyang Ming waved his folding fan, a confident smile on his face. His techniques were unpredictable and varied, and he was absolutely confident at the first level of the Golden Core stage.

Li Hanshan listened to the elder's words without any emotional fluctuation.

Suppressing his cultivation to the first level of the Golden Core stage? His Immortal-grade Golden Core was already far superior to others of the same level, and his Pure Yang Fire had a restraining effect on any spell. Even with his cultivation suppressed, his advantages were still obvious.

"The rules of the competition are as follows," the Grand Elder continued. "Opponents will be determined by drawing lots. The winners will advance, and the losers will be eliminated. The two finalists will enter the final."

The draw proceeded quickly. Li Hanshan drew his first opponent—a core disciple at the fourth level of the Golden Core stage, named Zhou Yuan. This man ranked in the upper-middle tier among the Golden Core disciples of the Hehuan Sect, possessing considerable strength.

Zhou Yuan stood on the dueling platform, looking at Li Hanshan opposite him, his expression somewhat grim. Although he was confident in his own strength, Li Hanshan's performance just now was too astonishing—Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment and Five Elements Supreme Grade—making him quite uneasy.

"Senior Brother Li, please forgive me." Zhou Yuan clasped his hands in a gesture of respect.

Li Hanshan nodded: "Please."

At the Grand Elder's command, Zhou Yuan was the first to attack. He formed hand seals, and a golden sword aura shot out from his fingertips, aiming straight for Li Hanshan's face.

This sword strike was both swift and ruthless. Although it used the spiritual power of a first-level Golden Core cultivator, the sharpness of its sword intent far surpassed that of an ordinary first-level Golden Core cultivator.

Li Hanshan neither dodged nor evaded. He raised his hand, and a purple-gold fireball condensed in his palm, precisely striking the golden sword energy.

boom!

The sword energy was shattered by the fireball, which continued its trajectory towards Zhou Yuan. Zhou Yuan's expression changed drastically, and he hastily conjured a small shield in front of him, but the fireball still forced him to retreat several steps, causing his blood and qi to surge.

"You flatter me," Li Hanshan said calmly, withdrawing his hand.

Zhou Yuan stared at the small shield in his hand, a charred crack now visible on its surface, cold sweat beading on his forehead. He had used all his strength in that sword strike, yet Li Hanshan had shattered it with a casual blow. The difference in skill was simply too great.

"Senior Brother Li is far superior; I concede defeat." Zhou Yuan clasped his hands in a fist salute and jumped off the dueling platform decisively.

A gasp of amazement rippled through the square.

"You won in one move?"

"Senior Brother Zhou is at least at the fourth level of the Golden Core stage, how come he couldn't even withstand a single move?"

"It's not that Senior Brother Zhou is weak, it's that Senior Brother Li is too strong. The power of that fireball doesn't seem like that of a first-level Golden Core cultivator at all!"

Looking at Li Hanshan on the dueling platform, Song Qingyun's disdain gradually turned into seriousness. This old man was more difficult to deal with than he had imagined.

Ouyang Ming stopped folding his fan and looked at Li Hanshan, a thoughtful look flashing in his eyes.

In the following rounds of competition, Li Hanshan dominated the entire competition.