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

After waking up from the dream, Li Hanshan did not rush to get up.

He lay on the stone bed, gazing at the luminous pearl atop the cave, his mind churning with countless thoughts. Luo Li's words, the Blood Slave's words, the Second Elder's words, the Sect Master's words—all these words intertwined, making him feel as if he were standing in the center of a giant maze, surrounded by paths, yet unsure which one was the right one.

"Hanlang, you're awake?"

Hua Nongying's voice rang in my ears, carrying a hint of languor and a touch of concern.

Li Hanshan turned his head and saw Hua Nongying lying on her side beside him, one hand supporting her head and the other resting on his chest, her beautiful eyes filled with tenderness. Yun Shuyue was sleeping behind her, her breathing long and even, still fast asleep.

"Hmm." Li Hanshan sat up.

Hua Nongying sat up as well, her long hair cascading over her shoulders, her red dress half-open, revealing her fair collarbone. She yawned, softly leaning into his arms, her voice sweet and gentle: "Hanlang, did you have that dream again?"

"Um."

"What did you dream about?" Hua Nongying looked up at him curiously.

Li Hanshan didn't answer, but patted her on the back, got up and put on his robe.

"I need to go into seclusion for a while," he said. "During this time, you will all cultivate on your own."

Hua Nongying was taken aback: "Seclusion? You're about to break through to the Nascent Soul stage?"

"It's not a breakthrough, it's about condensing spiritual energy." Li Hanshan shook his head. "There's still a long way to go from the Great Perfection of the Golden Core to the Nascent Soul stage. I need to condense the spiritual energy in my Golden Core to its limit before considering a breakthrough."

Hua Nongying nodded as if she understood, but didn't ask any further questions. She knew Li Hanshan had his own plans, and she didn't need to know so much; she just needed to be by his side when he needed her.

In the days that followed, Li Hanshan devoted all his energy to cultivation.

He opened all the restrictions on his cave dwelling, refusing all visitors, and worked day and night to refine the spiritual energy within his golden core. He fully activated the Yang Ce cultivation technique, and pure Yang energy surged ceaselessly within his pure Yang meridians. Under the cleansing influence of this spiritual energy, the immortal-grade golden core in his dantian grew increasingly bright, and the patterns on its surface became denser and denser.

The process of condensing spiritual energy was tedious and lengthy, but Li Hanshan did not slack off in the slightest. Apart from necessary rest and recovery, he spent all his time cultivating. Hua Nongying and Yun Shuyue took turns protecting him, and Qin Muyue, Leng Yue, and Chu Mengyao would also come to see him occasionally. Seeing that he was focused on his cultivation, they would not disturb him, but would leave after putting down the pills.

He didn't neglect the blood slaves either.

Every few days, he would engage in dual cultivation with the Blood Slave, drawing upon her nascent soul essence to refine his golden core. The Blood Slave's cooperation increased, not because she had resigned herself to her fate, but because she realized that Li Hanshan was indeed healing her injuries. His pure yang energy had a miraculous effect on her injuries; after each dual cultivation session, the hidden injuries within her body would improve by a little, and her cultivation would become more stable.

"Your spiritual power is becoming increasingly pure." Blood Slave leaned against the stone bed, looking at him coldly. "In all my years of life, I've never seen anyone with spiritual power purity at the Great Perfection of the Golden Core stage like you."

Li Hanshan didn't reply, but simply closed his eyes to regulate his breathing.

The Blood Slave didn't care and continued, "However, no matter how much you refine it, it's still just a Golden Core. Without breaking through to the Nascent Soul stage, you'll always be an ant."

Li Hanshan opened his eyes, glanced at her, and said, "What right do you, a prisoner, have to call others ants?"

Blood Slave paused, his face flushed red, but he said nothing more.

The days passed by.

Li Hanshan's spiritual energy condensation progressed more smoothly than he had imagined. The wondrous nature of the Yang Ce cultivation technique, combined with the foundation of the Immortal-grade Golden Core and the assistance of the Blood Slave Nascent Soul's origin, meant that the purity of his spiritual energy was increasing almost every day.

Three months later, his golden core had shrunk by one size, but the purity of his spiritual energy had increased by 10%.

Six months later, the golden core shrank again, and the purity of its spiritual energy increased by 30%.

A year later, the golden core had shrunk from the size of a fist to the size of an egg, but the purity of its spiritual energy had more than doubled. The surface of the golden core was covered with dense, spiderweb-like patterns, and the pressure it emitted was many times stronger than it had been a year ago.

Hua Nongying was both surprised and delighted by his progress: "Hanlang, your aura has become stronger again! You're still only at the Great Perfection of the Golden Core stage, how come you feel so much stronger than you did a year ago?"

Li Hanshan smiled but offered no explanation.

He knew in his heart that this was far from enough. Luo Li had said that there was no absolute perfection in Immortal-grade Golden Cores; they could be refined infinitely. Although he had made considerable progress, he still had a long way to go before reaching the true pinnacle.

Even while cultivating, he did not forget the other women.

Hua Nongying's cultivation had reached the fifth level of the Golden Core stage, Liu Ruoxue was at the peak of the fifth level of the Golden Core stage, and Yun Shuyue was at the fourth level of the Golden Core stage. Although the three women's progress was not as fast as his, they were already top-tier figures in the Hehuan Sect.

He did not neglect the three women, Qin Muyue, Leng Yue, and Chu Mengyao.

Every two weeks, he would cultivate with the three women, using pure Yang energy to help them refine their spiritual power and solidify their foundations. The three women's cultivation levels were also steadily improving: Qin Muyue was at the seventh level of the Golden Core stage, Leng Yue at the eighth level, and Chu Mengyao at the peak of the eighth level, only one step away from the late Golden Core stage.

The days passed quietly in this way, amidst the practice.

One year, two years.

Two years have passed in the blink of an eye.

On this day, Li Hanshan was cultivating in his cave when a communication talisman flew in from outside and hovered in front of him. The talisman burned, and the sect leader's clear, cold voice came from it.

"Li Hanshan, proceed to the sect's main hall immediately."

Li Hanshan opened his eyes, his brows furrowing slightly. The sect leader rarely summoned him; the last time was two years ago, when he took him to hunt down the remnants of the Blood Fiend Sect. He wondered what it was about this time.

He stood up, straightened his robes, and summoned his flying sword, heading 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 leaned against a pillar by the hall's entrance, arms crossed, a faint, enigmatic smile playing on his lips.

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, his gaze sweeping over Li Hanshan, a sinister glint in his eyes. He took out a jade slip from his sleeve, unfolded it, and said in a deep voice, "Sect Master, a letter has arrived from the Sect Master."