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

On the sect square, cheers rose in waves, one after another, and continued for a long time.

"Holy Son! Senior Brother Li has become the Holy Son!"

"From furnace to holy son in five years, this is simply legendary!"

The disciples were so excited their faces turned red, as if they themselves had been chosen as the Holy Son. Those who had secretly mocked Li Hanshan now shrank back, wishing they could disappear into the ground.

On the high platform, the Grand Elder's face was extremely gloomy, but he had no choice but to continue announcing the results of the Saintess selection.

"The selection of the Holy Maiden, based on the combined results of three rounds of tests—" He paused, gritted his teeth, "First place: Chu Mengyao. Second place: Qin Muyue. Third place: Leng Yue."

Upon hearing this, the cheers in the square subsided slightly, and everyone's attention turned to the three prospective saintesses.

Chu Mengyao stood in the crowd, her emerald green dress fluttering gently in the wind. Her expression was calm, revealing neither joy nor anger.

Qin Muyue stood not far away, her body trembling slightly. A smile played on her lips, but it never reached her eyes. Second place—just one step away. Five years had passed since she last crossed that step, and in the end, she still couldn't make it.

Leng Yue remained expressionless, dressed in a long silver-white dress with her long hair flowing freely. Her silver-gray eyes held no emotion, as if she were neither the chosen nor the rejected. But those who knew her well could notice that she gripped her sword with a tighter grip than usual.

"Holy Maiden Chu Mengyao, Holy Son Li Hanshan." The Grand Elder's voice echoed across the plaza. "From this day forward, they will enjoy the highest privileges of the sect, including the right to enter secret realms for cultivation, access to all sect texts, and command of disciples below the Golden Core stage."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the two of them, a hint of reluctance in his voice: "Three days from now, the sect will open the secret realm for you. You can then cultivate within it until the next time the main sect invites you."

Once again, a murmur of envy arose in the square.

"Secret realm cultivation! That's the most prestigious cultivation ground in the Joyful Union Sect!"

"I heard the spiritual energy concentration inside is ten times that of the outside, and there are all sorts of rare and precious herbs!"

"Senior Brother Li and Senior Sister Chu are really going to soar to great heights this time."

Song Qingyun stood at the edge of the crowd, his face ashen. He had thought that with his strength, even if he couldn't become the Holy Son, he could at least compete for it. But reality slapped him hard in the face—Li Hanshan had seized the position of Holy Son with overwhelming force, and he hadn't even gotten close to second place.

Ouyang Ming remained calm, even bowing to Li Hanshan as a gesture of congratulations. However, a hint of something previously absent—warning—was clearly present in his eyes.

Qin Muyue stood in the crowd and finally put down her pipe. She took a deep breath, and the disappointment in her eyes was gradually replaced by a more determined light.

"I will definitely succeed in five years." Her voice was very soft, so soft that only Leng Yue beside her could hear it.

Leng Yue didn't speak, but just turned her head slightly to glance at her.

Qin Muyue bit her lip and continued, "It happens once every five years, and each person only has three chances. I've used one, so I have two left. Next time, I won't lose again."

After she finished speaking, she turned and walked away from the crowd. Her purple dress fluttered in the wind, and although her back view was still alluring, it carried an indescribable sense of loneliness.

Leng Yue watched her figure disappear into the crowd, remained silent for a moment, and then turned and left as well. She didn't say anything, but there was clearly something more in her silver-gray eyes.

On the high platform, the sect leader stood up, her black dress as dark as ink, her face veiled in black gauze. Her gaze swept across the entire hall, finally landing on Li Hanshan, her eyes filled with satisfaction.

"Li Hanshan, Chu Mengyao, come with me."

The two followed the sect leader across the plaza, up a long stone staircase, and arrived at an ancient stone gate deep in the back mountain. The stone gate was several meters high, entirely dark blue-black, with densely packed runes engraved on its surface, emitting a faint glow.

The sect leader raised his hand and cast a spell, causing the runes on the stone door to light up and emit a buzzing vibration. The stone door slowly opened, revealing a stone staircase leading underground. The walls on both sides of the staircase were inlaid with luminous pearls, emitting a cool white light.

"This is the secret realm of the Hehuan Sect. Only the Holy Sons and Holy Daughters are qualified to enter." The sect leader stepped onto the stone steps first, without turning his head, and said, "The concentration of spiritual energy inside is ten times that outside, and there are also various rare and precious materials and cultivation techniques passed down. You can cultivate inside."

Li Hanshan followed behind the sect leader, secretly marveling. The stone steps stretched downwards, their destination unknown. The spiritual energy in the air grew increasingly dense; with each step descended, the concentration of spiritual energy increased.

Chu Mengyao walked beside him, her emerald green dress shimmering faintly in the cold light of the luminous pearl. She didn't speak, but simply gazed silently at the road ahead.

After walking for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the space ahead suddenly opened up. A huge stone chamber appeared before them, its walls covered with densely packed runes, and its roof inlaid with dozens of fist-sized luminous pearls, illuminating the entire chamber. In the center of the chamber was a pool about ten feet square, but it wasn't filled with water; instead, it contained a spiritual energy so dense it was almost condensed into liquid.

"The Spiritual Energy Pool." The sect leader pointed to the pool, his tone calm. "The spiritual liquid in the pool is a concentrated form of spiritual energy, which is very beneficial to the cultivation of Golden Core cultivators. You can cultivate in the pool, or you can go to the stone chamber next to it to study cultivation techniques."

She paused, her gaze sweeping over the two of them: "Within the secret realm, there are several inheritance chambers containing cultivation insights and manuals left by successive holy sons and daughters. You may explore them on your own, but remember, do not force yourself. Some inheritances require specific aptitude to accept; forcing yourself to comprehend them will only damage your foundation."

"Disciple understands." Li Hanshan and Chu Mengyao clasped their fists in unison.

The sect leader nodded, turned, and walked out of the stone chamber. After taking a few steps, she suddenly stopped and said something without turning her head.

"Li Hanshan, Chu Mengyao, you two are the future hope of the Hehuan Sect. Cultivate diligently and don't let this sect master down."