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

Li Hanshan couldn't help but laugh when he saw Xu Lingxi's nervous expression.

"What, are you afraid of Grandpa Li?"

"No, no..." Xu Lingxi quickly shook her head, her voice barely audible, "I, I'm just nervous..."

"What's there to be nervous about?"

"I'm nervous... I'm nervous. Will Grandpa Li think I... I..." She stammered for a long time, but couldn't get a straight answer.

Li Hanshan sighed and reached out to rub her head: "Silly girl, you're overthinking it. Grandpa Li is helping you because Grandpa Li considers you family. Don't think about those things, relax."

Xu Lingxi took a deep breath, nodded, and the tension in her eyes gradually dissipated.

Li Hanshan had her sit cross-legged on the white jade bed, while he sat behind her. He raised his hands and gently placed them on her back.

Xu Lingxi's body stiffened slightly, then relaxed again.

"Close your eyes and relax your meridians," Li Hanshan said calmly. "I will channel pure Yang energy into your body to guide the circulation of cold energy. The process may be a little uncomfortable, so please bear with it."

"Mmm." Xu Lingxi obediently closed her eyes.

Li Hanshan took a deep breath, and his Pure Yang Meridian quietly began to circulate. A wisp of Pure Yang energy surged from his palm and slowly entered Xu Lingxi's body.

Xu Lingxi groaned softly, her body trembling slightly. That pure yang energy was like a warm current suddenly flowing into the icy wilderness, both comfortable and uncomfortable, to the extremely yin energy within her body.

"Don't be nervous, just follow my guidance." Li Hanshan's voice rang in her ear, his warm breath brushing against her earlobe, making her face turn even redder.

Xu Lingxi bit her lip, trying to relax and let the pure yang energy flow through her body.

Li Hanshan's divine sense probed into Xu Lingxi's body, carefully sensing along her meridians. Five years had passed, and the extreme yin cold energy within her body was several times stronger than before, rampaging through her meridians and constantly eroding her foundation. If it wasn't channeled in time, within a few years, she would be devoured by the cold energy, resulting in either a decline in her cultivation or, in severe cases, the complete rupture of her meridians.

He carefully guided the pure yang energy, gradually gathering and regulating the out-of-control cold energy, guiding it along the correct path. This process required extremely precise control; the slightest carelessness could cause the pure yang energy to burn her meridians.

Xu Lingxi's body grew increasingly hot, and fine beads of sweat appeared on her forehead. Her breathing became rapid, and a blush spread from her cheeks to her neck, even turning her ears bright red.

"Grandpa Li...it's so hot..." Her voice trembled slightly.

"Bear with it," Li Hanshan's voice remained calm. "It'll be over soon."

He pushed his pure Yang energy to its limit, guiding it down Xu Lingxi's meridians to gather all the out-of-control cold energy and guide it back to its proper course. When the last trace of cold energy was tamed, a soft sound came from within Xu Lingxi's body—the bottleneck that had been stuck for so long had finally loosened.

Xu Lingxi trembled, feeling an unprecedented power surge from her dantian, rushing along the newly opened meridians. Her cultivation had broken through, advancing from the mid-Foundation Establishment stage to the late-Foundation Establishment stage in one fell swoop.

"Grandpa Li! I've broken through!" She opened her eyes happily and turned her head to look at Li Hanshan, but because of the big movement, she almost fell out of his arms.

Li Hanshan reached out and supported her shoulder, steadying her: "Don't rush, it's not over yet."

Xu Lingxi sat obediently, closed her eyes, and continued to cooperate with his guidance.

Li Hanshan did not stop. He continued to channel pure Yang energy into Xu Lingxi's body, guiding her newly broken-through cultivation to further consolidate it. However, at the very moment that pure Yang energy and extreme Yin cold energy converged within his body, he suddenly felt the immortal-grade golden core in his dantian tremble violently.

That extremely cold and yin energy was terrifyingly pure, even purer than Liu Ruoxue's. It entered his dantian through his pure yang meridian, colliding violently with the pure yang energy in the immortal-grade golden elixir, unleashing an energy of immense power.

The bottleneck of the mid-stage Golden Core realm shattered under the impact of this energy.

A deep rumble resounded from Li Hanshan's body. The immortal-grade golden core in his dantian spun wildly, its purple-gold light blazing brightly, and the patterns on its surface flowed as if alive. His aura surged, leaping from the peak of the mid-stage of the Golden Core realm to the late-stage in one fell swoop.

That is, the seventh level of the Golden Core.

Li Hanshan opened his eyes, a flash of purple-gold light appearing briefly within them. He looked down at his hands, feeling the power within him that was several times stronger than before, and was both surprised and delighted.

The extreme yin coldness of the extremely yin body is indeed a great tonic.

He hadn't expected that helping Xu Lingxi expel the cold energy would inadvertently lead to his own breakthrough. Although it was only a minor realm, the gap between the Great Perfection of the Golden Core stage and the peak of the ninth level of the Golden Core stage was far greater than any previous minor realm. At this level, he was already practically on the verge of entering the Nascent Soul stage.

"Grandpa Li, you...you've broken through?" Xu Lingxi sensed the change in the aura behind her and turned around in surprise.

"Yes." Li Hanshan nodded. "Thanks to you."

Xu Lingxi blinked, not quite understanding how she had helped him, but seeing Li Hanshan happy made her happy too, her eyes crinkling with laughter.

About half an hour later, Li Hanshan withdrew his hand and exhaled a long breath. The cold energy in Xu Lingxi's body had been completely tamed, and her cultivation had stabilized at the late Foundation Establishment stage.

"Okay," he said.

Xu Lingxi opened her eyes, turned around, hugged his waist tightly, buried her face in his chest, and said in a choked voice, "Grandpa Li, thank you..."

Li Hanshan patted her on the back and said gently, "Why are you being so polite with Grandpa Li?"

Xu Lingxi raised her head, her eyes red-rimmed, yet her smile was radiant. She released her grip, stood up, and twirled in place, her emerald green dress fluttering gently in the candlelight.

"I broke through! I finally broke through!" She jumped for joy like a child.

The door to the quiet room was pushed open, and Jiang Nianwei walked in. She looked at Xu Lingxi's smiling face, then glanced at Li Hanshan, a complex emotion flashing in her eyes.

"Thank you very much, Elder Li." She clasped her hands in thanks. "Lingxi is a girl who has been well taken care of by you."

Li Hanshan waved his hand: "Elder Jiang, you're too kind. I watched Lingxi grow up, so helping her is what I should do."

Jiang Nianwei nodded without saying anything more. She walked to Xu Lingxi's side, reached out and tidied her disheveled hair, her eyes full of affection.

Li Hanshan didn't linger on Jade Peak. He returned to the main peak on his flying sword, in a good mood the whole way. Seventh level of the Golden Core stage—that's already the late stage of the Golden Core realm. If things continue like this, he might even reach the Nascent Soul stage.

By then, he will have enough strength to establish himself in Central Continent.

The flying sword landed in front of the cave. Just as Li Hanshan was about to go in, a red figure flew down from the sky and landed in front of him.

Second Elder.

She wore a long red dress today, her long hair casually tied in a bun, making her appear less dignified and more relaxed. A smile graced her beautiful face, indicating she was in a good mood.

"Li Hanshan, this elder has something to discuss with you." She got straight to the point, her tone leaving no room for refusal.

Li Hanshan felt a slight chill and clasped his hands in greeting, saying, "Second Elder, please speak."

The Second Elder didn't beat around the bush and said directly, "This elder wants to borrow some of your pure Yang power."

Borrowing the power of pure Yang?

Li Hanshan frowned, instinctively wanting to refuse. Pure Yang power was his foundation; lending it out would damage it. Moreover, the Second Elder was a mid-Nascent Soul cultivator; if she harbored any ill intentions, he wouldn't even have a chance to resist.

"Can I refuse?" he asked tentatively.

The Second Elder shook his head, his tone calm yet unequivocal: "No."

Li Hanshan's heart sank.

The Second Elder seemed to sense his worry, smiled, and said, "Don't worry, I've already spoken to the Sect Master. He won't drain you dry; he'll just borrow a little. It won't affect your foundation."

Does the sect leader know?

Li Hanshan felt somewhat relieved. The Second Elder's words reassured him considerably. After all, the Sect Master was his master; he wouldn't just stand by and watch the Second Elder drain him dry.

"Then...where to?" he asked.

The second elder turned and flew towards his cave, saying without looking back, "Follow me."

Li Hanshan gritted his teeth and followed on his flying sword.