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

Inside the secret stone chamber, the spiritual liquid in the spiritual pool glowed faintly, illuminating the entire chamber as if it were a fairyland.

In the pool, Li Hanshan and Chu Mengyao had already entered a two-in-one mode.

The sect does not force the holy son and holy daughter to engage in dual cultivation.

But Li Hanshan naturally wouldn't be polite to Chu Mengyao.

"Junior Brother Li, I've broken through." Chu Mengyao opened her eyes, her voice filled with joy.

In the past six months, her cultivation level has broken through from the fourth level of the Golden Core stage to the fifth level, a speed that even she herself finds incredible.

Li Hanshan nodded without speaking. He knew why Chu Mengyao was able to break through so quickly—not because of her exceptional talent, but because of the wondrous nature of the Yang Scripture. Each time they cultivated together, her golden core essence would become even purer under the tempering of pure Yang energy, and her cultivation bottleneck would loosen accordingly.

For the past six months, the two have been practicing together almost every day.

"Let's do it again." Chu Mengyao bit her lip and moved closer.

Li Hanshan did not refuse. He reached out and put his arm around her waist, pulling her into his embrace. Chu Mengyao's body was as warm and smooth as jade, and her spiritual energy was as gentle as water, intertwining with his pure yang energy to form a perfect yin-yang cycle.

Inside the stone chamber, the spiritual liquid surged and fireflies flickered.

After an unknown amount of time, the two of them trembled simultaneously. Chu Mengyao's golden core essence was once again tempered by pure yang energy, and her cultivation advanced slightly. She leaned against Li Hanshan's chest, her eyes closed, her breathing long and even.

Six months later, Li Hanshan left the secret realm for the first time.

Inside Hua Nongying's cave, the candlelight flickered. The three women were already waiting inside, and when they saw him enter, Hua Nongying was the first to rush towards him.

"Hanlang, you've finally come out!" She wrapped her arms around his neck, clinging to him, and said sweetly, "I've missed you so much in half a year."

Yun Shuyue stood to the side, a slight smile on her cool face, without saying a word.

Liu Ruoxue also came, which was rare for her. She sat in the corner of the stone bed, still with that aloof demeanor, but her gaze lingered on Li Hanshan for a moment.

Li Hanshan embraced Hua Nongying and sat down on the stone couch.

"How is your cultivation level?" he asked.

Hua Nongying proudly raised her chin: "Foundation Establishment Great Perfection, just one step away from Core Formation."

Yun Shuyue said, "Peak of Foundation Establishment."

Liu Ruoxue coldly replied, "Foundation Establishment Great Perfection."

Li Hanshan nodded in satisfaction. The three women had all made considerable progress, especially Hua Nongying and Liu Ruoxue, who had already reached the threshold of the Golden Core stage.

"Tonight, I'll help you break through." He didn't waste any words and got straight to the point.

The three women exchanged glances, but none of them spoke; they simply moved closer to him in silence.

That night, the cave was filled with boundless spring colors.

Li Hanshan channeled pure Yang energy into the three women's bodies, using the wondrous power of the Yang Scripture to help them temper their foundations and break through their cultivation bottlenecks. In Hua Nongying's dantian, spiritual energy began to slowly condense, moving towards the Golden Core stage; Liu Ruoxue's extremely Yin cold energy became incredibly docile under the harmonization of pure Yang energy, and her cultivation bottleneck loosened; Yun Shuyue's Xuan Shui Technique also resonated miraculously with pure Yang energy, greatly improving the quality of her spiritual power.

As dawn broke, Li Hanshan withdrew his hand and exhaled a long breath. The three women were all fast asleep, their breathing deep and even, their faces flushed with contentment. He did not sleep; he sat cross-legged on the stone bed, closing his eyes to regulate his breathing.

In the days that followed, Li Hanshan would leave the secret realm every half month to cultivate with the three women. In Hua Nongying's dantian, spiritual energy accumulated more and more, and the prototype of the golden core gradually condensed; Liu Ruoxue's extremely yin cold energy was completely tamed under the harmonization of pure yang energy, and her cultivation bottleneck loosened more and more; although Yun Shuyue's progress was slightly slower, she was also steadily moving towards the Great Perfection of Foundation Establishment.

Two months later, late one night.

Hua Nongying sat cross-legged in her cave, her spiritual energy surging around her, her red robes fluttering even without wind. In her dantian, the condensed spiritual energy that had been gathering for so long finally reached its critical point and began to collapse rapidly. From a misty state to a liquid state, from a liquid state to a solid state, the gate to the Golden Core was slowly pushed open.

A golden beam of light shot up from the cave and into the sky.

Although the pillar of light wasn't as dazzling as the Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment stage, it was still enough for cultivators within a radius of dozens of miles to feel the pressure of the Golden Core stage. On the five peaks of the Hehuan Sect, countless gazes were cast in that direction.

"Someone has reached the Core Formation stage!"

"It's Hua Nongying! Senior Sister Hua has reached the Core Formation stage!"

"My God, how old is she? She's not even thirty and she's already at the Core Formation stage?"

A murmur of discussion arose. Outside Hua Nongying's cave, a large number of disciples quickly gathered to watch the spectacle. Some were envious, some jealous, and some sighed with emotion.

Inside the cave, Hua Nongying opened her eyes, a glint of light flashing in them. She looked down at her hands, feeling the power within her that was completely different from that of a Foundation Establishment cultivator, and a bright smile appeared on her lips.

"Hanlang, I've reached the Core Formation stage!" She threw herself into Li Hanshan's arms, weeping with joy.

Li Hanshan patted her on the back and said gently, "Congratulations."

Hua Nongying looked up, kissed him on the cheek, and smiled with her eyes crinkling.

However, this is just the beginning.

Half a month later, a golden pillar of light also shot out from Liu Ruoxue's cave. That pillar of light was even more powerful than Hua Nongying's, carrying a bone-chilling cold that shook the snow off the summit of Shuanghua Peak. The phenomena of a person with an extremely Yin constitution forming a golden core were far more astonishing than those of an ordinary golden core.

Another month passed, and Yun Shuyue successfully formed her core. Her beam of light was gentle and warm, like a clear stream soaring into the sky, perfectly complementing her Profound Water Technique.

Within three months, the three women successively formed their cores, causing a stir throughout the entire Hehuan Sect.

"Hua Nongying, Liu Ruoxue, and Yun Shuyue, all three of them have reached the Core Formation stage!"

"How is that possible? They were only at the early Foundation Establishment stage a few years ago, how could they have reached Core Formation so quickly?"

"Are you stupid? They're all Li Shengzi's people. Who is Li Shengzi? He's a Foundation Establishment cultivator, a top-tier cultivator of the Five Elements. With his help, forming a Core Formation will be a piece of cake!"

"That's true... It's a pity that Li Shengzi doesn't think much of me, otherwise I would also like to..."

"What are you thinking? With your looks, do you think Li Shengzi would even be interested in you?"

Discussions spread throughout the sect. Those bewitching women who had once looked down on Li Hanshan were now all tempted. A man who could make the women around him form their Core Formation one after another in just a few years was simply a walking treasure trove.

Soon, people began to loiter outside Li Hanshan's cave.

The first to arrive was a voluptuous enchantress with a seductive face. Standing at the cave entrance, she struck a flirtatious pose, her voice alluring and seductive: "Holy Son Li, I am a core disciple of Crimson Fire Peak. I have long admired you, Holy Son. Would you do me the honor of sharing a drink with me?"

Hua Nongying opened the stone door, leaned against the doorframe, twirled her pipe between her fingers, looked the demoness up and down, and sneered, "You? You haven't even formed your Golden Core yet, and you dare to show your face in front of Han Lang? Go back and cultivate for a few more years."

The demoness turned pale and retreated sheepishly.

The second to arrive were a pair of sisters who looked somewhat alike and were both at the late Foundation Establishment stage. They stood at the entrance of the cave, bowed in unison, and said in clear voices, "Holy Son Li, we, the two sisters, are willing to serve you, only asking for your guidance in cultivation."

Hua Nongying didn't even open the door this time, and lazily said through the stone door, "Han Lang said he doesn't accept Foundation Establishment cultivators. Come and line up again when you reach Core Formation."

The two sisters looked at each other, then left dejectedly.

In the days that followed, more and more people came, including core disciples, inner disciples, and even a few outer sect elders. Hua Nongying turned them all away, her attitude growing increasingly impatient.

"Hanlang, you're famous now." Hua Nongying returned to her cave and leaned against Li Hanshan, saying sourly, "Every woman in the entire Hehuan Sect wants to get into your bed."

Li Hanshan said calmly, "Let them think about it."

Hua Nongying chuckled and poked his chest: "You're not even a little bit tempted? Those vixens aren't bad looking at all."

Li Hanshan glanced at her: "Do you think I'm that kind of person?"

Hua Nongying pursed her lips and didn't reply. Of course she knew he wasn't. This old man seemed philandering, but he was actually very picky. If someone wasn't interested in him, he wouldn't touch them even if they were offered to him.

Yun Shuyue sat to the side, took a sip of tea, and said softly, "Nongying, don't be jealous. If Junior Brother Li really wanted it, he would have taken it long ago. Why wait until now?"

Hua Nongying snorted and said nothing more.

Li Hanshan leaned against the stone couch, his eyes closed, but his mind was preoccupied with another matter. Although the three women's cultivation levels were still at the early Golden Core stage after they formed their cores, they had at least stepped into the threshold of the Golden Core realm. With these three, plus Qin Muyue, Leng Yue, and Chu Mengyao, he could draw benefits from six female Golden Core cultivators, and his cultivation speed should be able to recover somewhat.

But not enough.

After reaching the Golden Core stage, each subsequent level more than doubles one's strength. In other words, the amount of accumulation required to advance to each level is equal to the sum of all previous levels. Even with six female Golden Core cultivators, it would still take some time for them to break through to the next level.

"Let's take it slow," he sighed, suppressing those thoughts.