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

A few days later, Li Hanshan entered the dream again.

He wasn't quite sure how these dreams came about. The intervals between them varied, usually occurring once every month or so, with the longest interval being three months. He hadn't yet figured out the specific pattern.

Along the riverbank, the blue stones remain unchanged, and the water flows gently.

But this time, Luo Li was not there.

Li Hanshan waited for a long time, but she still didn't appear.

"The girl said she was going into seclusion, could she really be going into seclusion?"

As he was thinking, the air in front of him suddenly rippled, and Luo Li stumbled out.

"Girl! What's wrong?"

Li Hanshan was startled and quickly stepped forward to support her.

"It's okay, it's okay~"

Luo Li waved her hand: "I was so engrossed in my cultivation that I almost missed your dream, but luckily I made it in time."

Looking at her exhausted appearance, Li Hanshan felt a pang of sadness in his heart.

"Girl, you don't need to come every time. Cultivation is the most important thing."

"That won't do."

Luo Li shook her head and said seriously, "What if Grandpa gets into danger? I have to come and check on him."

She sat down on a rock next to Li Hanshan and asked, "Grandpa, how have things been lately?"

Li Hanshan recounted in detail what had happened in the past few days.

After listening, Luo Li frowned and pondered for a moment before saying, "In that case, I'll go participate in the secret realm trial first. But be careful, that demoness definitely has a backup plan or some kind of killing move against me."

Li Hanshan nodded: "I know."

"Oh, right."

Luo Li suddenly remembered something, and her eyes lit up: "Grandpa, I'll teach you another sword control technique. This sword technique is extremely powerful. After you learn it, fighting opponents of higher levels will be no problem."

"Fighting a level above your own?"

Li Hanshan was overjoyed.

He is currently at the peak of the eighth level of Qi Refining. If he can fight opponents of higher levels, he can contend with those at the ninth or tenth level of Qi Refining.

"Um!"

Luo Li nodded, then extended her slender fingers and began to write in mid-air.

Ancient characters emerged one by one, spreading out in the void like flowing light.

"This sword is called the Flowing Light Sword Technique. It is no ordinary sword. It is a lineage of ancient fast swords."

She said softly, "The sword is drawn without leaving a trace; life and death are decided in the blink of an eye. I do not seek fierceness and dominance, but only cultivate 'absolute speed'."

Li Hanshan stared intently, and saw that the seal script was arranged in the shape of a sword's trajectory:

The first move draws in energy to form a sharp edge, condensing light three inches from the sword tip;

The sword moves like a streak of light across the sky; the steps follow the body's turn, and the sword moves with the body.

When sheathing the sword, the spiritual light returned to its sheath, leaving not a trace of residual power.

The essence of the swordplay can be summarized in the six words: "instantaneous arrival, breaking through the void, and leaving no trace".

"This sword has no fixed moves; speed is its only advantage. Driven by divine sense, if used properly, it can even sever a Foundation Establishment cultivator from Qi Refining. Among those of the same realm, no one can withstand your second strike."

As Luo Li finished speaking, the countless seal characters suddenly transformed into a beam of clear light, which surged directly into Li Hanshan's sea of ​​consciousness.

In an instant, the principles, techniques, and power of swordsmanship were all imprinted deep within his soul.

"Girl, that's amazing!"

Li Hanshan exclaimed that this saved him the trouble of burying himself in memorization.

"Sir, this is something I figured out after having many dreams. Your dream is quite mysterious."

At this point, she looked longingly at the old man and said, "I hope I can meet him someday."

"Girl, if I survive, I will come to find you, no matter how far I travel," Li Hanshan promised.

Luo Li's eyes lit up, and a shallow dimple appeared on her cheek. She replied crisply, "It's a deal! When you come to find me, I'll take you back to our Yao Guang Sect and make you our junior brother~"

Junior brother?

Li Hanshan choked, his lips twitching violently.

This old man, in the end, still has to enter the mountain gate and call her senior sister.

However, the Yao Guang Sect that the girl just mentioned should be her sect. Li Hanshan secretly made a note of it. If he could survive, he would be able to find out its location and go there.

Seeing his bewildered expression, Luo Li couldn't help but chuckle, her eyes crinkling into crescent moons.

"What, you don't want to? Well... how about I make you my fellow disciple?"

As she spoke, she reached out and gently tugged at his sleeve, her tone light yet earnest: "Alright, sir, while there's still time, I'll continue to help you refine your spirit."

"Um!"

Li Hanshan hesitated for a moment, but still agreed.

The upcoming sect examination is a matter of life and death, and cannot be lost.

His absence would be a bigger problem; once Hua Nongying entered the secret realm, Zhao Yuan would definitely come to kill him. Li Hanshan would rather face the backup plan and killing move that Hua Nongying had prepared for him than confront Zhao Yuan.

He had ways to counter Hua Nongying, but if Zhao Yuan, a Foundation Establishment cultivator, attacked, he would be powerless to retaliate.

Therefore, Luo Li once again used a method equivalent to dual cultivation of spirit and soul to help Li Hanshan refine his spirit.

After cultivating for an unknown amount of time, Luo Li released her grip and let out a long breath.

"alright."

Her voice carried a hint of weariness: "Grandpa, your spiritual sense should be at the Foundation Establishment stage by now. Be careful once you enter the secret realm. If you encounter danger, run away. Don't be reckless."

As soon as she finished speaking, the dream shattered like glass.

"Master, wake up, it's time to go~"

Hua Nongying's voice rang in my ears, tinged with urgency.

Li Hanshan opened his eyes and found that the sky outside the window was just beginning to brighten. Hua Nongying was already dressed and standing by the bed looking at him.

"What time is it?" he asked.

"It's already dawn. Master, you've slept for two more days. The sect's grand exam is about to begin, we need to hurry over there."

As Hua Nongying spoke, she helped Li Hanshan with his clothes. Li Hanshan got up, dressed, and followed Hua Nongying out of the courtyard.

Hua Nongying summoned her flying sword, carrying him soaring into the sky towards the sect's plaza.

The mountain breeze howled through the morning, causing Li Hanshan's robes to flutter loudly. From the air, the Hehuan Sect's mountain gate appeared majestic and imposing.

Before long, the two landed on the sect's plaza.

Hundreds of disciples had already gathered in the square, mostly inner disciples, with a few being the best of the outer disciples. They were huddled together in twos and threes, some looking nervous, others confident.

Li Hanshan glanced at them and found that most of these inner disciples were at the seventh to ninth level of Qi Refining, while some had extremely deep auras and should be at the Great Perfection of Qi Refining.

As for Foundation Establishment, that's for the core disciples of the Hehuan Sect.

People like Zhao Yuan, who are older and have reached the Foundation Establishment stage, will be assigned some positions within the sect, which may seem to give them some power, but in reality, their status is not as high as that of the core disciples.

"Senior Sister Hua is here!"

"Who is that old man next to Senior Sister Hua? He looks so old."

"You don't know? That's Senior Sister Hua's furnace, a hundred-year-old innate pure yang holy body."

"A furnace? What's a furnace doing here?"

Whispers rose and fell.

Li Hanshan remained expressionless as he and Hua Nongying walked through the crowd, preparing to find an inner sect elder or steward to apply for the assessment.

Yun Shuyue stood on the outer perimeter, her demeanor aloof and cold. Her gaze swept over Hua Nongying, and a mocking smile appeared on her lips.

Hua Nongying pretended not to see it, linking her arm with Li Hanshan's, her expression indifferent.

"Senior Sister Hua hasn't broken through to the Foundation Establishment stage yet. If she doesn't get into the top three in this assessment, she'll be demoted to an outer disciple."

"Maybe she's planning to break through after entering the secret realm? Isn't this the kind of thing that happens every time there's an inner sect exam, with people vying for the first-place reward?"

"It's quite rare for a furnace cauldron to survive for so long in Senior Sister Hua's hands. This old man must have some special skills."

More and more people are paying attention to the flowers and shadows.

Li Hanshan listened to their discussion and gained a deeper understanding of the cruelty of the Hehuan Sect.

In this sect, it's hard for disciples to just lie down. If you dare to slack off, the sect will deal with you, constantly demoting you until you become a furnace cauldron.

"Hey, isn't this the old man who runs the furnace?"

A shrill sound rang out.

Li Hanshan turned his head and found Zhao Yuanzheng standing not far away, with several outer disciples beside him, Sun Ze among them.

The one who just spoke was Sun Ze.

This guy seems to have latched onto Zhao Yuan's coattails and become Zhao Yuan's lackey.

Li Hanshan ignored them and walked straight to the registration area in the center of the square.

"Oh, you've got quite a temper, haven't you?"

Sun Ze said sarcastically, "You're not thinking of taking the inner sect exam, are you? Don't dream about it. You can't even become an outer sect disciple, and you want to become an inner sect disciple?"

Before he could finish speaking, Hua Nongying suddenly made her move, shooting out a handful of silver needles.

Zhao Yuan never expected that Hua Nongying would dare to make a move here. Even though he was a Foundation Establishment cultivator, he was a beat too slow to act.

"ah...!"

Zhao Yuan blocked most of the silver needles, but one still pierced Sun Ze's shoulder. Black energy emanated from the wound, causing him to scream in agony.

The silver needle was clearly poisoned.

Zhao Yuan struck repeatedly, sealing Sun Ze's pressure points, and looked at Hua Nongying with a grim expression: "Hua Nongying, how dare you cause trouble here!"

Li Hanshan was also somewhat surprised; this demoness was truly audacious.

This style of doing things, however, is inexplicably to his liking.

For a moment, he was moved. No matter what this vixen was up to, he still appreciated her protection.

Li Hanshan secretly decided that after he controlled Hua Nongying through the Yang pattern, he would treat her better and let her know that he was actually a very good master.

Hua Nongying coldly said, "This mere outer disciple has provoked me time and time again. I'm already being very lenient by not killing him!"

Zhao Yuan paused. "You mean you're not going to kill him? If it weren't for Zhao Yuan blocking him, Sun Ze would have been meeting his ancestors long ago."

Zhao Yuan snorted coldly and pointed at Li Hanshan: "Let this matter drop, but what right does a mere furnace cauldron have to be here?"

Li Hanshan said loudly, "I'm here to apply for the assessment."

"Apply for what? An outer disciple?"

Zhao Yuan scoffed, "Then you'll have to pay a ransom of ten thousand spirit stones first. Can you, a mere furnace vessel, afford that?"

Li Hanshan shook his head: "I will not apply to become an outer disciple."

Zhao Yuan was taken aback: "Then what do you want to apply for?"

"Inner disciple."

Li Hanshan's voice wasn't loud, but it was like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, creating ripples.

"What? An inner disciple?"

"Is he insane? A mere furnace vessel wants to become an inner disciple?"

The square erupted in a flurry of whispers. In an instant, countless eyes were fixed on Li Hanshan.