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

Looking at the little girl crying her eyes out, Li Hanshan felt a mix of emotions.

He reached out and ruffled her hair, saying gently, "Silly child, what nonsense are you talking about?"

"But......"

"No buts."

Li Hanshan interrupted him: "I will find a way to handle this myself. You should focus on cultivating with Elder Jiang and improve your cultivation level as soon as possible."

"Grandpa Li, you can kiss me, like last time..."

Xu Lingxi was interrupted halfway through her sentence by a series of light footsteps.

Hua Nongying walked along the mountain path, her red dress like fire, a pipe in her hand, exuding a languid yet alluring charm.

Her gaze swept over Xu Lingxi, a half-smile playing on her lips: "Oh, isn't this Elder Jiang's newly accepted esteemed disciple? What brings you to my humble courtyard?"

Xu Lingxi instinctively tensed up, then straightened her chest and warned earnestly, "Senior Sister Hua, you're not allowed to hurt Grandpa Li! Otherwise, I'll never forgive you!"

Hua Nongying swayed over and affectionately took Li Hanshan's arm: "Little sister, what are you saying? How could I hurt him? He's the one I love~"

Xu Lingxi scoffed, "You're lying, I don't believe you!"

Hua Nongying chuckled and teased, "Little sister, you seem quite concerned about him. But he's got me to take care of him, so you don't need to worry about him~"

"you!"

Xu Lingxi's face flushed red with anger. She stomped her foot, glared fiercely at Hua Nongying, then looked at Li Hanshan, her eyes red-rimmed: "Grandpa Li, wait for me, I will definitely get you out of here!"

After saying that, she turned and left, disappearing at the end of the mountain road in the blink of an eye.

Hua Nongying watched Xu Lingxi's departing figure, chuckled, then turned to Li Hanshan, her tone suddenly becoming serious: "Master, you mustn't touch this little girl."

Li Hanshan raised an eyebrow: "Why?"

Hua Nongying leaned closer: "She is Elder Jiang's precious disciple. Elder Jiang must have placed a restriction on her; anyone who touches her will die. If you don't believe in such superstitions, Master, you are welcome to try, but I have no intention of collecting your corpse."

Li Hanshan felt a chill run down his spine.

He hadn't intended to touch Xu Lingxi, but Hua Nongying's words reminded him that a Golden Core cultivator like Jiang Nianwei could easily take his life with any little trick.

"I see."

He nodded, subtly changing the subject: "Lingxi just told me that a furnace cauldron can be converted into a formal disciple."

Hua Nongying's eyes flickered slightly, but she did not respond.

I want to give it a try.

Li Hanshan looked into her eyes: "I want to become a formal disciple of the Hehuan Sect."

Hua Nongying was silent for a few seconds, then smiled sweetly: "Whatever Master wants to do, this servant will naturally support him with all his might."

She took his arm and walked into the courtyard, saying, "Master, don't worry. I'll take you with me into the secret realm trial for this sect's grand examination. With me by your side, you're sure to succeed."

Li Hanshan's heart stirred.

She actually offered to take him into the secret realm?

"Aren't you aiming for first place? Aren't you worried about dragging me down by taking me with you?" he probed.

Hua Nongying's eyes sparkled, and she chuckled softly, "Master underestimates me. Even with Master by my side, I am confident I can win first place."

He spoke with such confidence, but Li Hanshan sensed something else in his words.

This vixen probably has other plans.

Back in the room, Hua Nongying pulled Li Hanshan to sit on the edge of the bed and said earnestly, "Master, there's still more than a month until the sect's grand exam. During this time, I'll help you improve your cultivation level again."

Li Hanshan looked at her: "You don't want to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage?"

Upon hearing his words, a flicker of joy flashed in Hua Nongying's eyes, but she quickly concealed it. Instead, she sighed, a hint of melancholy in her eyes: "Of course I want to, but Foundation Establishment isn't that easy."

She raised her head, a smile returning to her face: "Don't worry, Master, I'm confident. Even without breaking through to the Foundation Establishment stage, I can still win first place and retain my status as an inner disciple. The most important thing right now is to improve Master's cultivation level so that Master can have greater strength."

Li Hanshan sneered inwardly.

That's a nice way of putting it, but all she wanted was to lower his guard until her charm completely controlled him.

However, this is exactly what he wanted.

"Okay, thank you for your hard work."

He reached out and put his arm around Hua Nongying's waist, then lowered his head and kissed her on the lips.

Hua Nongying let out a soft moan and nestled gently into his arms.

The curtains were drawn, and the candlelight flickered.

In the days that followed, the two practiced cultivation almost every day.

Each time, Li Hanshan would silently draw some of his essence from Hua Nongying's body to accelerate the blooming of the Yang Pattern Flower. At the same time, his cultivation level was also steadily improving.

One day, two days, three days...

A month passed quietly in the midst of cultivation.

Hua Nongying had almost used up her spirit stones, run out of medicinal soup, and had very few pills left. However, Li Hanshan's cultivation had broken through from the seventh level of Qi Refining to the peak of the eighth level, only one step away from the ninth level.

She essentially cultivated herself and then let Li Hanshan absorb the nutrients, using herself to nourish him.

"call!"

Li Hanshan exhaled a long breath and opened his eyes.

His abdomen felt slightly warm, and when he probed into it with his divine sense, he saw that two petals of the golden flower had fully bloomed.

The third film is also half-open.

"Unfortunately, I dare not go too fast."

Li Hanshan thought to himself.

He never dared to absorb too much of the source energy, lest Hua Nongying notice.

"Master, you're getting stronger and stronger~"

Hua Nongying wrapped her arms around his waist from behind, rested her chin on his shoulder, and said in a soft voice, "If this continues, it won't be long before Master surpasses me."

Li Hanshan smiled and said, "It's all thanks to you."

Hua Nongying released her grip, took out a long sword from her storage bag, and handed it to Li Hanshan.

"Master, this is the flying sword I bought for you. Although it's not anything expensive, it's enough for flying and simple combat."

Li Hanshan took the flying sword; its blade was icy cold and gleamed with a faint chilling light.

"What a fine sword!"

He gave a thumbs-up.

Hua Nongying proudly raised her chin: "Of course, I've been choosing for a long time~"

Next, Hua Nongying taught Li Hanshan the art of sword control step by step.

From how to infuse spiritual energy into the flying sword, to how to control its flight, and then to how to perform simple sword techniques, she taught patiently and meticulously, and Li Hanshan learned very quickly.

In just half a day, he was able to fly around the courtyard on his flying sword.

"Master is so clever~"

Hua Nongying clapped and cheered from the side, her eyes full of admiration.

At that moment, a streak of light flashed across the sky and landed outside the courtyard. The newcomer was a young woman with a beautiful face and a cold, aloof demeanor.

"Hua Nongying, come out!"

The woman's voice was as cold as ice.

Hua Nongying came out of the room, and upon seeing who it was, her expression changed slightly. She said coldly, "Yun Shuyue? What are you doing here?"

Yun Shuyue glanced at her, a mocking look on her face: "Oh, still at the Qi Refining Perfection stage? I thought you had already reached the Foundation Establishment stage."

Hua Nongying's face darkened: "What's it to you?"

"Of course it's my business."

Yun Shuyue strolled over leisurely, unleashing her Foundation Establishment stage aura without any concealment: "Didn't you always pride yourself on being a genius? What, you can't even break through to Foundation Establishment? It seems you're nothing special after all."

Hua Nongying bit her lip and remained silent.

Yun Shuyue continued, "I advise you not to go to the sect's grand examination this time. With your cultivation level, you'll only embarrass yourself."

After saying that, she sneered, turned around and left, disappearing into the sky in a flash of light.

Hua Nongying stood there, her shoulders trembling slightly.

Li Hanshan walked to her side and noticed that her eyes were red and tears were welling up, but she was holding them back.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"fine."

Hua Nongying shook her head, her voice choked with emotion: "Master, I... I want to be alone for a while."

She turned and went into the inner room, closing the door behind her.

Li Hanshan looked at the tightly closed door and sneered inwardly, "So, you're waiting for me here?"

Hua Nongying's sadness may not be entirely fake. But Li Hanshan saw through her intentions perfectly well; she simply wanted him to feel sorry for her and make him offer to help her break through to the Foundation Establishment stage.

If it weren't for the girl's reminder, he would have already completely fallen for her and probably would have been hooked.

"Since you want to act, then I'll act with you."

Li Hanshan walked to the door and knocked gently.

"Nongying, open the door."

There was no response.

He knocked again: "I have something to tell you."

A moment later, the door opened.

Hua Nongying stood at the door, her eyes red and her face streaked with tears, looking pitiful.

"Owner……"

She kept her head down, looking pitiful.

Li Hanshan reached out and cupped her face, gently wiping away her tears, and said softly, "Don't be sad. How about I help you break through to the Foundation Establishment stage?"

Hua Nongying suddenly raised her head, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes, but it quickly dimmed again.

She shook her head, her tone firm: "No. Master, your cultivation hasn't reached the ninth level yet. You're about to enter the secret realm; we can't delay."

"But......"

"No buts."

Hua Nongying interrupted him, forcing a smile: "Master, I'm fine. Yun Shuyue is right, I am indeed not as good as her. But that's okay, I will work hard, and one day I will surpass her."

Li Hanshan looked at her and chuckled inwardly.

The acting was good, but unfortunately, I already saw through it.

"Okay, we'll talk about it later."

He sighed, his tone tinged with regret.

Hua Nongying was stunned for a moment, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes.

She opened her mouth as if to say something, but then swallowed it back.

"Master, let's continue our cultivation." She forced a smile.

Li Hanshan nodded: "Okay."

When the two returned to their room, Hua Nongying took the initiative to approach them, behaving more enthusiastically than usual.

But Li Hanshan could clearly sense that her mind was in turmoil, filled with doubt, resentment, and a hint of... anger.

"What's going on? Why isn't he following the script?"

Hua Nongying cursed inwardly.

According to her plan, Li Hanshan was now deeply under the spell of the bewitching magic, so he should feel sorry for her and take the initiative to help her break through to the Foundation Establishment stage. At that time, she could half-heartedly go along with it and thus achieve Foundation Establishment in one fell swoop, breaking free from the shackles of the oath of the inner demon.

But now, Li Hanshan is saying "we'll talk about it later"!

"Could my charm spell have failed? That can't be..."

She was completely baffled, but she didn't show it and continued to play the role of a gentle and considerate little slave girl.

Li Hanshan sensed the doubt and anger in her heart, and the corners of his mouth turned up slightly.

Cool!

This vixen has been scheming against him for so long, and now she's finally getting to taste what it's like to be schemed against.

However, Hua Nongying quickly adjusted her mindset.

"It's alright, the secret realm is the key."

She sneered inwardly, "You think you can escape my grasp by not helping me establish my foundation? Once you're in the secret realm, let's see how you escape then!"