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

The golden light swirled gently in the sea breeze.

Li Hanshan stood at the edge of the formation, his brows furrowed as he gazed at the black figure outside the light barrier.

The sect leader sat cross-legged on the reef, motionless, as if he had become one with the reef.

But the faint fluctuations of divine sense were like an invisible net, enveloping the entire area, and no movement could escape her perception.

Li Hanshan withdrew his gaze and was about to turn around when the black figure suddenly moved.

The sect leader opened his eyes, and the gaze behind the black veil pierced through the golden light barrier, landing directly on him.

Her voice came through the light shield.

"Li Hanshan, come here."

Li Hanshan's heart skipped a beat. He walked to the edge of the light barrier, clasped his hands in a fist salute through the thin golden screen, and asked, "What are your orders, Master?"

The sect leader stood up, walked slowly to the light barrier, and looked him over through the barrier.

Her deep eyes lingered on him for a moment, as if sensing a change in his aura. After a moment, she nodded slightly.

"Your aura is considerably stronger than it was a month ago." Her voice was calm, revealing neither joy nor anger. "How is the absorption of the Nascent Soul's essence progressing?"

"My Golden Core has reached its pinnacle of perfection, and the purity of my spiritual energy has also reached an unprecedented level." Li Hanshan carefully chose his words, omitting the fact that his divine sense had broken through to the Great Perfection of the Nascent Soul stage. "However, I am still one step away from shattering the Golden Core and forming a Nascent Soul. This step requires even more accumulation."

The sect leader remained silent for a moment, his gaze falling on him as if weighing the truth or falsehood in his words.

Li Hanshan felt a chill run down his spine from her gaze, but he remained outwardly calm, simply standing respectfully with his hands at his sides.

"How much longer?" the sect leader finally asked, his tone calm.

Li Hanshan felt relieved and clasped his hands in a fist salute, saying, "This disciple needs about a month. If I can further refine my divine soul, my chances will be even greater."

The sect leader nodded, turned and walked back to the reef, sitting down again with his back to him. His voice drifted over calmly: "I'm giving you time. In one month, I want to see a Nascent Soul cultivator."

Li Hanshan clasped his hands in a salute again, then turned and walked back into the depths of the formation. The Second Elder had already returned, carrying a grilled fish in his hand, and was sitting on the rocks, tearing off pieces of fish and putting them into his mouth. Seeing his solemn expression, she raised an eyebrow.

"What? Is the sect leader urging you?"

"One month." Li Hanshan sat down next to her.

The Second Elder tore off a piece of fish and handed it to him, saying casually, "One month is enough. Your soul has already reached the Great Perfection of the Nascent Soul stage, and your chances of breaking through to the Nascent Soul stage are greater than any Golden Core cultivator in the world. If you dawdle any longer, it will only arouse the sect leader's suspicion."

Li Hanshan took the fish but didn't eat it. He gazed at the shimmering gold on the distant sea, his eyes suddenly becoming distant.

"I need to do one more thing."

"What is it?"

"I want to push my soul a little higher."

The Second Elder's hand paused. She turned her head, looking at his profile, a hint of disbelief flashing in her beautiful eyes: "Push? Where else do you think you can push him? The Great Perfection of the Nascent Soul stage is already the pinnacle of the Nascent Soul realm; the next level is the Deity Transformation stage. You're only at the Golden Core stage, yet you want to possess the divine sense of a Deity Transformation level..."

"Why not?"

Li Hanshan said calmly.

The Second Elder stared at him for a long while, then suddenly laughed, a laugh tinged with self-mockery and relief. "You really have been hiding something all along."

She casually tossed the fish bones into the sea, clapped her hands, and said, "Fine, I don't care what other tricks you have up your sleeve, just don't betray me."

Li Hanshan nodded and closed his eyes. He didn't explain what a Divine Infant was, and the Second Elder didn't press him for an explanation.

There was an unspoken understanding between them—she wouldn't pry into his secrets, and he wouldn't mistreat her. This understanding was more reliable than any covenant.

After nightfall, Li Hanshan sat cross-legged on the reef and sank his consciousness into the depths of his sea of ​​consciousness.

That long-lost pull was slowly reappearing. He felt a surge of joy—he hadn't entered a dream for a long time since his promise to Luo Li. The intervals between each dream were getting longer, and he had worried that the dream might disappear completely.

But at this moment, that power returned. Though weaker and more distant than before, it was real, like a spider's thread in the darkness, pulling his consciousness toward a certain direction.

He did not resist, allowing his consciousness to be drawn into the depths by that force. Passing through layers of darkness, he heard the familiar sound of flowing water.

slam-la-

The clear river water shimmered with a silvery-white light under the moonlight, the blue stones on the bank remained unchanged, and a thin layer of mist shrouded the distant horizon. Li Hanshan opened his eyes and found himself standing on that familiar riverbank. The blue stones were still there, the river flowed gently, everything was exactly the same as when he first entered the dream.

But this time, several unfamiliar flowers appeared on the grassy bank of the river. The flowers were pale purple, their petals shimmering with a subtle, ethereal light, radiating a soft glow under the moonlight. Li Hanshan had never seen these flowers in his dreams before; they seemed to have just appeared.

"uncle!"

A crisp sound rang out from behind him. Li Hanshan turned around and saw Luo Li standing not far away.

She still looked as beautiful as a painting, dressed in white. But her aura had changed drastically—if the former Luo Li was like a clear spring, crystal clear, then the current Luo Li was like a bottomless lake, calm on the surface but with undercurrents surging beneath.

"Girl, you've gotten stronger again." Li Hanshan looked her over and said sincerely.

Luo Li smiled, walked barefoot across the grass, and stopped in front of him. She tilted her head and examined him for a moment, then her clear eyes suddenly lit up, and her voice was filled with surprise: "Grandpa, your soul... is at the Great Perfection of the Nascent Soul stage?"

"Yes." Li Hanshan nodded, "I've been focusing on refining my spiritual energy and tempering my soul for some time now, and I just broke through a few days ago."

Luo Li's surprise deepened, but then her brows furrowed slightly, as if she were thinking about something. After a moment, she raised her head, a resolute glint flashing in her clear eyes.

"Grandpa, I'll help you break through to the Nascent Soul stage."

Li Hanshan's heart skipped a beat: "Girl, your foundation isn't solid yet. If—"

"It's alright," Luo Li interrupted him, her tone light yet firm. "After I broke through to the Void Refinement stage, my foundation is completely solid. Helping you break through to the Divine Transformation stage only consumes some soul power, which will recover in a few months. But it's different for me. You're stuck at this juncture now. If you miss this opportunity, who knows when the next one will come."

She looked at him, her clear eyes filled with seriousness: "Grandpa, the window of opportunity for forming a Divine Infant is limited. A cultivator at the Great Perfection of the Golden Core stage only has one chance to shatter their core and form a Divine Infant. If they fail to elevate their Divine Soul to the Deity Transformation level before breaking through, they will forever miss the possibility of forming a Divine Infant."

Li Hanshan fell silent.

Of course he knew all this. Luo Li had said that a divine infant needs the support of a Nascent Soul level divine sense; otherwise, at the moment of shattering the core to form the infant, the divine soul cannot withstand the impact of the formation of the nascent soul. At best, the divine soul will be damaged; at worst, the soul will be scattered. This is the most dangerous step, and also the key to forming a divine infant.

"Girl, is your soul power enough?" he asked, voicing his biggest concern.

Luo Li smiled, reached out, and gently grasped his hand. Warm soul power surged from her palm, like a hot spring, slowly flowing into his sea of ​​consciousness. That soul power was terrifyingly pure, each strand containing the unique power of laws of a Void Refinement cultivator. Wherever it passed, his sea of ​​consciousness seemed like the earth touched by a spring breeze, all things reviving and full of vitality.

"Grandpa, can you feel it?" Her voice rang in his mind, tinged with a hint of smugness. "After I broke through to the Void Refinement stage, the quality of my soul power increased more than a hundredfold. It'll be more than enough to help you break through to the Divine Transformation stage."

Li Hanshan closed his eyes, letting the gentle yet powerful force guide his consciousness, guiding it along the path of the Divine Refinement Technique.

This was unlike any of his previous attempts at spiritual refinement. Luo Li's soul power was no longer a trickle, but a raging river, rushing into his sea of ​​consciousness and washing away every tiny corner of his divine sense. The impurities that had settled deep within his sea of ​​consciousness were swept away and dissolved by the soul power, and his divine sense became purer and more solid under this tempering.

The threshold to the Great Perfection of the Nascent Soul stage began to loosen under the impact of this force.

Li Hanshan felt a violent tremor deep within his sea of ​​consciousness, as if something was breaking free from its cocoon. It was a feeling he had never experienced before—his entire sea of ​​consciousness was churning violently, and his divine sense was like ignited oil, bursting forth with dazzling light.

"Grandpa, hold on!" Luo Li's voice rang in his mind, tinged with urgency. "Breakthroughs at the Nascent Soul level are different from before. Don't resist; let your divine sense transform naturally."

Li Hanshan suppressed the turmoil in his heart, allowing his divine sense to continue its ascent under the impact of soul power. The barrier that stood between the Great Perfection of the Nascent Soul stage and the Deity Transformation stage was now shattering at a visible speed. One piece, two pieces, three pieces…

boom!

A muffled rumble echoed from the depths of his consciousness, as if something had exploded. Li Hanshan felt his entire body lighten, and his divine sense, like a wild horse unleashed, expanded wildly in all directions. One thousand zhang, two thousand zhang, three thousand zhang, five thousand zhang, ten thousand zhang…

The coverage area continued to expand to a massive hundreds of miles before gradually stopping.

An unprecedented feeling welled up in Li Hanshan's heart. He could see every corner of the dream world—every ripple of the river, every vein of the grass, every surge of the distant mist, all of which were clearly visible in his perception.

Divine consciousness at the Nascent Soul stage. Successfully achieved.

Li Hanshan opened his eyes, the purple-gold light in them almost tangible, flashing briefly in the night sky. He could feel that the quality of his soul had completely changed. If his soul before was like a rough piece of jade, then his soul now was refined gold, forged through countless trials, solid, pure, and solid, containing a power he had never experienced before.

"Grandpa, congratulations." Luo Li's voice was a little tired, but full of joy.

Li Hanshan turned his head and his heart tightened. Luo Li's face was as pale as paper, her breath was much weaker than before, and even her figure had become somewhat transparent. She stood there, her body swaying slightly, as if she would collapse at any moment.

"Girl, you—" He quickly helped her up.

Luo Li waved her hand and forced a smile: "It's alright, I'll be fine after a few days of rest. Don't worry, sir."

Looking at her pale face, Li Hanshan felt a surge of indescribable bitterness. He opened his mouth, wanting to say thank you, but found those two words too inadequate. She had done so much for him, more than he could ever repay in this lifetime.

"Grandpa, don't look at me like that." Luo Li seemed to sense his emotions and gently patted the back of his hand. "I'll teach you how to condense a divine infant now. Time is running out; the dream is about to end."

As she spoke, she raised her slender fingers and began to write in mid-air. Ancient characters appeared like flowing light, arranging themselves into a profound incantation in the void. The characters shone with a faint golden hue, each one containing a deep and mysterious power of law, captivating the soul just to behold.

"The key to condensing a divine infant lies in the fusion of the divine soul and spiritual power," Luo Li explained as she wrote, her voice weak yet still clear and strong. "The process of forming an ordinary nascent soul involves compressing, condensing, and ultimately hatching the nascent soul from the golden core. But a divine infant is different. A divine infant requires the divine soul to be infused into it while the spiritual power is hatching, allowing the nascent soul and divine soul to become one."

Li Hanshan stared intently, and the golden characters were imprinted into his mind, like a brand etched into the depths of his soul. Every detail, every step, and every dangerous juncture in condensing the divine infant was clearly marked by Luo Li.

"There are three things you need to pay special attention to, sir." Luo Li retracted her fingertips, turned around, looked into his eyes, and said seriously, "First, at the moment of shattering the core and forming the nascent soul, the divine soul must be injected into the nascent soul simultaneously with the spiritual power. It cannot be too early, nor too late. If it's too early, the divine soul will not be able to withstand the impact of the spiritual power; if it's too late, the nascent soul has already taken shape, and the divine soul will not be able to integrate into it."

Li Hanshan nodded and made a firm note of it.

"Secondly, after the Divine Infant is formed, there will be a Heavenly Tribulation. This tribulation lightning is not an ordinary Nascent Soul Tribulation, but a Heavenly Dao lightning specifically targeting the divine soul. Ordinary Nascent Souls do not have this hurdle when forming their bodies, but the Divine Infant is different—the very existence of the Divine Infant violates the common sense of the Heavenly Dao, and the Heavenly Dao will send down a tribulation lightning to try to obliterate it."

Luo Li's gaze turned serious: "The intensity of the Heavenly Tribulation depends on the quality of the Divine Infant. The higher the quality, the stronger the Heavenly Tribulation. Grandpa is a Celestial-grade Golden Core cultivator, so the quality of his Divine Infant is absolutely top-tier. Therefore, the power of that Heavenly Tribulation... will probably not be weak."

Li Hanshan took a deep breath and said in a low voice, "I've got it. What's the third point?"

Luo Li paused for a moment, then slowly spoke: "Thirdly, after the Divine Infant is formed, there will be a 72-hour period of weakness. During these 72 hours, the Nascent Soul has just taken shape, and the fusion between the Divine Soul and the Nascent Soul is not yet fully stable. My combat power will plummet. During this time, someone must protect me and I must not be disturbed, otherwise all my previous efforts will be in vain."

Li Hanshan's heart skipped a beat. The seventy-two-hour period of weakness meant that he would be completely defenseless for the three days following his breakthrough.

"I'll make the arrangements," he said in a deep voice.

Luo Li nodded, about to say something more, when suddenly her body trembled. The surrounding scenery began to blur; the river, the bluestone, and the grass were all disappearing at a visible speed. The boundaries of the dream began to collapse, and the power that held the dream together was rapidly disintegrating.

"Grandpa, the dream is ending." Luo Li's voice became ethereal. "I've already passed on the method of condensing the Divine Infant to you. The rest... is up to you."

She stood in the fading dream, dressed in white, barefoot, and a radiant smile bloomed on her pale face once more.

"Grandpa, you must succeed."

As soon as the words were spoken, the dream shattered like glass.

Li Hanshan opened his eyes, and what came into view was the familiar reef under the golden light. The sea breeze howled, the waves crashed against the shore, and the first rays of dawn were already appearing on the distant horizon. The Second Elder leaned against a rock not far away, arms crossed, eyes closed, seemingly taking a nap.

He sat cross-legged on the spot, the golden characters still slowly circulating in his mind. He had already memorized the method for condensing a divine infant.

"Divine consciousness at the Nascent Soul level, the method for condensing the Divine Infant..." Li Hanshan murmured to himself, finally feeling a sense of relief. "Next, it's time to break through to the Nascent Soul stage."

He stood up and looked at the black figure outside the light barrier. The sect leader was still sitting on the reef, her back to him, as if she hadn't noticed anything. But Li Hanshan could feel that her divine sense had already scanned him many times.

He withdrew his gaze and turned to the Second Elder. The Second Elder seemed to sense his gaze, opened his eyes, and raised an eyebrow.

"What? Ready?"

Li Hanshan nodded and walked towards her.

"Starting tomorrow, you will be my protector."