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

In the following years, Li Hanshan's life became as regular as if it were wound up.

He cultivated during the day and practiced dual cultivation at night, occasionally going to Jade Peak to refine pills, and sometimes entering dreams to meet Luo Li. Luo Li would help him refine his spirit each time, and his spiritual sense climbed steadily from the early Nascent Soul stage, finally breaking through to the mid-Nascent Soul stage in the fourth year. The boundaries of his dreams became increasingly stable under the reinforcement of his spiritual sense, extending from one month to three months, meaning he could spend three months with Luo Li in his dreams each time.

Time flies by in our busy lives, and three years have passed in the blink of an eye.

On this day, the sect square was once again decorated with lanterns and colorful decorations, and the selection of the Holy Maiden, which takes place every five years, was held as scheduled.

Standing on the high platform, Li Hanshan looked down at the dense crowd below, his heart filled with mixed emotions. The last time he stood here, he was a disciple participating in the selection. This time, he was observing the ceremony as the Holy Son.

The selection results were largely as expected. Qin Muyue won by a landslide and became the new Holy Maiden.

The moment she received the Holy Maiden Token from the sect leader, Li Hanshan saw her eyes redden. This enchantress had waited for this day for far too many years. From her first failure in the selection, to her second defeat, and finally her third success—she had used up two of her three chances, and finally seized the opportunity on the last one.

Qin Muyue turned around, her gaze searching through the crowd before finally settling on Li Hanshan. She smiled at him, a smile devoid of her usual allure and scheming, replaced only by a pure, heartfelt joy.

Leng Yue stood in the crowd, dressed in a long silver-white dress, her face expressionless. She had lost again, but she wasn't as dejected as before. Her cultivation had reached the seventh level of the Golden Core stage, one level higher than Qin Muyue, but she still fell short in the overall selection score by a little.

I'm not as skilled as them, there's nothing to say. There will be another chance in five years.

Chu Mengyao stood in the Saintess's seat, watching Qin Muyue accept the token, her expression calm. She and Qin Muyue had been vying for power for so many years; now, both were Saintess, and neither could gain the upper hand. This balance was, for her, the best possible outcome.

After the selection, Li Hanshan returned to his cave dwelling, where Hua Nongying was leaning against a stone couch smoking. Seeing him enter, she put down her pipe and said sourly, "Hanlang, that vixen Qin Muyue has become a saintess; she'll probably be even more smug now."

Li Hanshan sat down beside her and said, "You will be a saintess in the future!"

The flowers and shadows reveal longing.

Days went on.

Five years, then another five years.

Li Hanshan has been a member of the sect for almost fifteen years.

Over the past fifteen years, his cultivation level has steadily increased. With the help of the wondrous Yang Ce technique and the combined efforts of the six women, he finally broke through to the tenth level of the Golden Core realm in the dead of night during the fifteenth year.

The tenth level of the Golden Core stage, also known as the peak of the Golden Core stage.

The immortal-grade golden core in his dantian had grown to the size of a pigeon egg, its purplish-gold light dazzling and its dense, ever-flowing patterns like a living thing. The pure yang fire within the golden core burned fiercely, its heat penetrating the dantian and warming his limbs and bones.

Li Hanshan opened his eyes and exhaled a long breath of stale air. The stale air was purplish-gold in color, condensed in the air and did not dissipate until it slowly dissipated after a while.

Peak of the Golden Core stage.

From the moment he embarked on the path of cultivation until now, only a little over a decade has passed. This speed is unprecedented in the cultivation world of the Northern Wilderness. Moreover, his current lifespan far exceeds that of ordinary Golden Core cultivators—the lifespan of a Celestial-grade Golden Core cultivator is already several times longer than that of an ordinary Golden Core cultivator, and at the peak of his Golden Core state, he can live for at least another thousand years.

"The Yang Ce Technique is truly heaven-defying."

Li Hanshan sighed inwardly. Without Yang Ce, even if he were a Golden Core cultivator of Immortal Rank, it would take him at least a hundred or two hundred years to reach the peak of the Golden Core stage. But with Yang Ce and the cooperation of the women, his cultivation speed was like a cheat code, soaring forward at an unstoppable pace.

The girls' progress was equally astonishing.

Hua Nongying has already reached the fourth level of the Golden Core stage, just one step away from the mid-stage. Liu Ruoxue is at the peak of the fourth level of the Golden Core stage, slightly ahead of Hua Nongying. Yun Shuyue is at the third level of the Golden Core stage; although her progress is slower, her foundation is incredibly solid.

Qin Muyue is at the sixth level of the Golden Core stage, Leng Yue at the seventh level, and Chu Mengyao at the seventh level. All three are Saintesses, enjoying the sect's top-tier resources. With the aid of Li Hanshan's pure Yang energy, their cultivation speed far surpasses their peers. Those disciples who participated in the selection with them back then are now mostly still hovering around the third or fourth level of the Golden Core stage, while they have already left them far behind.

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

The talisman burned, and the sect leader's cold voice rang out: "Li Hanshan, proceed to the sect's main hall immediately."

Li Hanshan frowned and stood up. The sect leader rarely summoned him; the last time was during the selection of the Holy Maiden. He wondered what it was about this time.

He summoned his flying sword and flew towards the sect's main hall.

Inside the main hall, the sect leader sat high on the throne, dressed in a jet-black dress and her face veiled in black gauze. The First Elder stood below, his aged face bearing a solemn expression. The Second Elder was also present, but she did not stand with the First Elder; instead, she leaned against a pillar by the hall's entrance, arms crossed, looking on with amusement.

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.

"Elder, you speak," the sect leader said.

The Grand Elder stepped forward, took out a jade slip from his sleeve, unfolded it, and said in a deep voice, "I have been tracking the remnants of the Blood Fiend Sect for many years, and recently I have finally discovered their hiding place."

Remnants of the Blood Fiend Sect.

Li Hanshan's heart stirred. The Blood Fiend Sect had been destroyed for over a decade, but its remnants had never been completely eradicated. Some of the escaped Golden Core and Foundation Establishment disciples had joined the Yinming Sect, some had hidden in deep mountains and forests, and others had changed their names and blended into the mortal realm. The Joyful Union Sect and the Heavenly Demon Sect had been pursuing them relentlessly, but with little success.

"Where is it located?" the sect leader asked.

The Grand Elder pointed to the map on the jade slip and said, "Deep within the Demon Beast Mountain Range lies an extremely secluded valley. The terrain there is treacherous, easy to defend and difficult to attack, and it is also concealed by an array. If I hadn't accidentally discovered it while tracking a Golden Core cultivator from the Blood Fiend Sect, I would never have been able to find it."

"How many people are there?" the sect leader asked again.

The Grand Elder said in a deep voice, "My preliminary investigation shows that there are at least a hundred people inside, with no fewer than ten Golden Core cultivators. Most importantly—there is one Nascent Soul cultivator."

Nascent Soul!

Li Hanshan's heart skipped a beat. When the Blood Fiend Sect was destroyed, the sect leader and several Nascent Soul elders were besieged by the allied forces; some died, and others fled. He thought that all the Nascent Soul members of the Blood Fiend Sect were dead, but he didn't expect that there was still one hiding in the Demon Beast Mountain Range.

"What level of cultivation?" The sect leader's voice remained calm.

"Early Nascent Soul stage," the Grand Elder said. "His aura is unstable; he must have been seriously injured in that great battle years ago and hasn't recovered yet."

The sect leader remained silent for a moment, then stood up.

"I will go myself." She paused, her gaze sweeping over the First Elder and Li Hanshan. "First Elder, Li Hanshan, you will accompany me. Second Elder, you will stay behind to guard the sect."

The Grand Elder clasped his hands in a fist salute: "Yes."

Li Hanshan clasped his hands in acceptance of the order, but some doubts lingered in his heart. It was normal for the sect leader to bring the Grand Elder along; the Grand Elder was a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator with formidable combat power. But why bring him? Although he was at the peak of the Golden Core stage, he was still no match for a Nascent Soul cultivator.

The Second Elder seemed to sense his confusion, leaning against a pillar with a meaningful smile on his lips.

"What, scared?" she transmitted her voice to Li Hanshan. "Don't worry, the sect leader won't let you die. Taking you there is probably so you can keep watch outside and catch those small fry who try to escape."

Li Hanshan glanced at her but did not respond.

The sect leader stepped out of the main hall and summoned a small flying boat. The flying boat was entirely black, with dense array patterns engraved on its hull, emitting a faint spiritual light. She jumped onto the flying boat first, followed closely by the Grand Elder, and Li Hanshan also jumped on.

The flying boat transformed into a black streak of light and flew towards the direction of the Monster Mountain Range.