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

The First Elder's face was so dark it could drip water. He stared at Li Hanshan, his eyes filled with murderous intent.

"Li Hanshan, you, a mere Golden Core cultivator, dare to contend with this elder?" His voice was forced out through clenched teeth, each word like poison. "You've only been in the sect for a few years! I served the Joyful Union Sect for hundreds of years, risking my life for the sect, while you were still in your mother's womb!"

Li Hanshan's expression remained unchanged as he said neither humbly nor arrogantly, "Elder, this disciple is not arguing with you. This disciple is merely acting according to the sect rules. Whoever captures the spoils of war owns them—this is a rule set by the sect leader, and this disciple dares not disobey it."

"You—" The Grand Elder paused, his face turning even uglier.

Of course he knew the sect rules. But rules are rigid, people are flexible. In the Joyful Union Sect, strength is the rule, and might makes right. Did he, a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, need to follow the rules to take spoils from a Golden Core cultivator?

The problem is, the sect leader is here.

The Grand Elder turned to the Sect Master, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and said, "Sect Master, I disagree. This Nascent Soul cultivator was injured by my joint efforts with the Sect Master; Li Hanshan merely stumbled upon him outside. If we're talking about merit, I should be the one with the greatest contribution. This furnace should rightfully belong to me."

The sect leader stood between the two, her black dress fluttering gently in the wind, her face veiled, obscuring her expression. Her gaze swept back and forth between the Grand Elder and Li Hanshan, and after a moment of silence, she said calmly, "Grand Elder, you say Li Hanshan got away with it? Then I ask you, where were you when that female cultivator escaped?"

The Grand Elder was taken aback.

"You were chasing that Nascent Soul elder in the valley," the sect leader said calmly. "While that female cultivator escaped from the side of the stone hall at incredible speed, if Li Hanshan hadn't stopped her, she would have already fled deep into the Demon Beast Mountain Range. Where would you have found her then?"

The elder opened his mouth, but could not utter a word.

The sect leader continued, "Li Hanshan, with his Golden Core cultivation, withstood a Nascent Soul attack. Although the female cultivator was seriously injured, it was enough to prove his courage and ability. He truly deserved to be the furnace cauldron."

The Grand Elder's face flushed crimson, his chest heaving violently as if a fire were burning within him. He gritted his teeth and said, each word deliberate, "Sect Master, I still refuse to accept this. Li Hanshan is merely a Golden Core cultivator. Give him a Nascent Soul furnace, and he won't be able to use it. I'm different. I'm at the mid-Nascent Soul stage. Give me this furnace, and within ten years I can break through to the late-Nascent Soul stage. Then, the Joyful Union Sect will have one more late-Nascent Soul stage cultivator! Isn't that far more valuable than giving it to a mere Golden Core junior?"

His voice was loud, echoing through the valley and causing the leaves around him to fall in a rustling sound.

Li Hanshan didn't speak, he just looked at the sect leader.

He knew that the final decision on this matter rested with the sect leader. The Grand Elder's words also made sense; a Nascent Soul furnace would indeed be more valuable to a mid-Nascent Soul cultivator than to a Golden Core cultivator. But sect rules were sect rules, and as the sect leader had just said, whoever acquired it kept it.

The sect leader remained silent for a moment before slowly speaking.

"Elder, you're right. Giving you a Nascent Soul furnace will indeed give the Joyful Union Sect another late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator." She paused, then changed the subject, "But Li Hanshan is a Holy Son, a direct disciple of our sect. His cultivation improvement is also related to the future of the sect. If he can break through to the Nascent Soul stage through this, the Joyful Union Sect will have one more Nascent Soul cultivator, and one who is less than two hundred years old."

A nascent soul that is less than two hundred years old.

Li Hanshan entered the Hehuan Sect at the age of one hundred, which is indeed too old.

However, a Nascent Soul cultivator who is less than two hundred years old is too young.

But what does Li Hanshan's breakthrough to the Nascent Soul stage have to do with him?

He had long wished he could kill Li Hanshan!

"Sect Master, I—" The Grand Elder wanted to say something more, but the Sect Master raised his hand to interrupt him.

"There's no need to discuss this further." The sect leader's voice was calm but unquestionable. "Elder, you should return to the flying boat first. The sect still has some matters to attend to."

The Grand Elder stared at the Sect Master for a long while, his eyes burning with rage. He gritted his teeth, but ultimately said nothing more, and turned to fly towards the flying boat.

After walking a few steps, he suddenly stopped and said something without turning his head.

"Li Hanshan, you'd better watch yourself."

As soon as he finished speaking, he transformed into a streak of azure light and disappeared from the flying boat.

Li Hanshan watched his retreating figure, his heart unmoved. The Grand Elder's hostility towards him had been brewing for some time; the two had long since entered into an open hostile relationship.

He is now the Holy Son, the sect leader's personal disciple. No matter how much the Grand Elder hates him, he wouldn't dare to do anything to him openly. As for doing things behind the scenes, he just needs to be careful.

The sect leader watched the Grand Elder leave, then turned around and his gaze fell on the female cultivator lying on the ground.

The female cultivator was immobilized by Li Hanshan's restriction and could only stare intently at the two men with her bloodshot eyes. Blood still clung to the corner of her mouth, and blood was still seeping from the wound on her left shoulder. She looked extremely disheveled, but the hatred in her eyes did not diminish in the slightest.

The sect leader crouched down and placed her hand on the female cultivator's lower abdomen. A surge of black spiritual energy flowed from her palm and entered the female cultivator's body. The female cultivator groaned, her body trembling violently, her expression changing from hatred to pain, and then from pain to fear.

A moment later, the sect leader withdrew his hand and stood up.

"The restriction has been reinforced." She turned to Li Hanshan, took out a jade slip from her sleeve, and handed it to him. "This is the incantation to control the restriction. Take it and study it. Once you've mastered it, this nascent soul will be completely in your hands."

Li Hanshan accepted the jade slip with both hands, clasped his hands in thanks, and said, "Thank you, Master."

The sect leader waved his hand, his tone becoming more serious: "However, you must remember that a Nascent Soul cultivator's cultivation is far superior to yours. Although her dantian is sealed and her spiritual power is restricted, her divine sense and physical strength are still intact. If she fights to the death, you may not be able to suppress her."

She paused, then continued, "Therefore, every year you must bring her to our sect so we can reinforce the restrictions. Otherwise, if the restrictions weaken, she might break free."

Li Hanshan solemnly replied, "This disciple has remembered."

The sect leader nodded, his gaze falling on the female cultivator, and asked calmly, "What's your name?"

The female cultivator bit her lip and remained silent.

The sect leader didn't mind and turned to Li Hanshan: "If she doesn't want to say, then so be it. Just give her a name so it's easy to address her."

Li Hanshan glanced at the female cultivator and said, "Let's call her Blood Slave."

A flash of anger crossed the female cultivator's eyes, but she quickly suppressed it. She knew that from this day forward, she was no longer a cultivator, but a furnace, a slave, a plaything without even a name.

This was far too humiliating for a Nascent Soul cultivator like her!

The sect leader said nothing more and turned to fly towards the flying boat.

Li Hanshan picked up the female cultivator—the Blood Slave—from the ground and threw her onto the flying boat. The Blood Slave slammed heavily onto the deck, letting out a muffled groan, but gritted her teeth and didn't cry out.

The flying boat changed direction and flew towards the Hehuan Sect.

Throughout the journey, the Grand Elder sat at the bow of the ship, his back to everyone, remaining silent. The Sect Master stood at the stern, gazing at the distant sea of ​​clouds, lost in thought. Li Hanshan sat cross-legged on the deck, closing his eyes to regulate his breathing, while calculating his plans for the return journey.

With the Blood Slave as his Nascent Soul furnace, his cultivation speed will advance by leaps and bounds. Although the threshold from the peak of the Golden Core stage to the Nascent Soul stage is extremely solid, with the support of the Nascent Soul origin, he is confident that he can break through the bottleneck within a few years.

Upon returning to the Hehuan Sect, Li Hanshan immediately brought the Blood Slave to his cave dwelling.

Hua Nongying stared wide-eyed at the blood slave lying on the stone bed, covered in blood: "Han Lang, this is... a Nascent Soul?"

"Yes." Li Hanshan nodded. "The Nascent Soul Elder of the Blood Fiend Sect was seriously injured and was knocked unconscious by the Sect Master with a single palm strike."

Hua Nongying gasped, circling the blood slave once, clicking her tongue in amazement: "This is the first time I've ever seen a living Nascent Soul furnace. Han Lang, what do you plan to do with her?"