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

The scent of herbs under the thatched hut had not yet dissipated when the sect leader sat cross-legged in a corner, meditating. Her complexion was much better than it had been seven days ago. Her veil had long been lost in the storm, and her exquisite face now had a touch of color, with most of the fatigue between her brows gone.

She opened her eyes when Li Hanshan entered the shed.

"Master, I have an idea I'd like to discuss with you." Li Hanshan sat cross-legged opposite her, his expression sincere and his tone solemn.

The sect leader glanced at him: "Speak."

"I recently obtained a body-refining technique that requires a large amount of demon beast blood essence to temper the body. I'm thinking that if I refine the demon beast blood essence into pills and consume them, and then cultivate with Master, we might be able to kill two birds with one stone—both helping me temper my physique and helping Master more thoroughly repair his nascent soul foundation."

Li Hanshan spoke these words with a calm expression, as if he were stating a perfectly reasonable cultivation plan.

However, the sect leader still keenly noticed the fleeting expectation deep in his eyes.

The sect leader stared at him for a long while, his deep eyes revealing no emotion: "You certainly know how to make excuses."

"Master, I'm serious," Li Hanshan said earnestly. "The first stage of the Nine Revolutions Golden Body Technique requires a vast amount of vital energy. If I were to cultivate it alone, I fear it would take me months to even begin to grasp it. But with your assistance, Master, I can achieve twice the result with half the effort, and you can also use my pure Yang energy to thoroughly cleanse the residual hidden injuries within my Nascent Soul. It's a win-win situation."

The sect leader remained silent for a moment, seemingly weighing the pros and cons.

Li Hanshan could feel her divine sense scanning him several times, as if trying to confirm whether he harbored any ulterior motives. Finally, she spoke calmly, "Is there enough demon beast blood?"

"Uncle Liu still has a few pieces of fourth-tier sea beast meat, enough to refine the ointment needed for the first stage." Li Hanshan had already planned it out. He had been saving those few pieces of meat and was reluctant to use them all, just waiting for this day.

The sect leader said nothing more. She stood up, walked to the innermost corner of the thatched hut, and lay down on a low couch covered with dry straw. Her movements were swift and decisive, without the slightest hesitation.

But when she unbuttoned her clothes, Li Hanshan still noticed the faint blush at the base of her ears.

Li Hanshan's heart stirred slightly. He quickly walked back to the stone pot, took out a piece of meat from a fourth-order sea beast, and used pure yang fire to quickly refine it into a bowl of deep red, thick ointment.

He carried the medicine to the low couch and scooped up a spoonful for himself. The moment the ointment entered his stomach, a surge of powerful qi and blood exploded within him, like molten iron rushing into his limbs and bones.

Without pausing, he leaned down and pressed down on her.

The sect leader groaned, his lower abdomen tightened slightly, and his fingers gripped the dry grass beneath him.

Li Hanshan did not rush to act. Instead, he slowly channeled pure Yang energy into her body. Once her breathing stabilized, he injected the spiritual power from the nascent soul and the newly acquired blood and energy into the circulation of the Yang Book technique.

That night, the two cultivated for a full two hours.

When the cycle ended, Li Hanshan got up from the sect leader, sat cross-legged to the side, and closed his eyes to sense the changes in his body.

A hint of surprise flashed in his eyes—the vital energy in the bowl of ointment had been completely absorbed into his meridians through the circulation of the Yang Ce technique. The circulation route of the first revolution of the Nine Revolutions Golden Body Technique had completed a full cycle within his body. Although there were no obvious changes in his muscles, bones, and flesh, he could feel that his physical body was more robust than before.

"The Yang Ce technique can actually be used like this..." he thought to himself.

He had originally thought that the Yang Book Technique could only be used to replenish spiritual energy and temper the soul, but he never expected that even body-refining techniques could be integrated into this cycle. The pure Yang energy in the divine infant acted as a catalyst, increasing the conversion efficiency of blood and qi power several times over.

The sect leader also seemed to have made some gains. The remaining hidden injuries on the surface of her nascent soul had faded under the cleansing effect of Li Hanshan's pure Yang energy, and her aura had become more stable than before. Although it wasn't obvious, it was indeed effective.

"It works." The sect leader opened her eyes, bowed her head to fasten her clothes, and said this in a calm tone, then said no more. But she did not say "come again tomorrow" or "this is the end," but left the choice to Li Hanshan.

Li Hanshan naturally didn't let this opportunity slip by.

The next morning, he carried a bowl of freshly made medicinal ointment into the thatched hut. The sect leader was meditating on a low couch. Seeing him enter, he raised an eyebrow slightly: "What is it?"

"Master, I find this cultivation method very effective." Li Hanshan sat down beside her with a calm expression. "Moreover, I've discovered that the cumulative effect of the medicine is even better if we practice it continuously. Why don't we strike while the iron is hot and do it a few more times?"

The sect leader glanced at him, said nothing, and simply lay down on his side.

Li Hanshan put down the medicine bowl and leaned down to press down on it.

They practiced twice that day.

Once at dawn, once at dusk. Each time, subtle changes occurred to Li Hanshan's physical body—the first stage of his cultivation slowly took shape in his meridians, his muscle fibers became tighter, and a faint golden luster emanated from his bones. Meanwhile, the sect leader's nascent soul condition continued to improve; the healed cracks became smoother under the repeated nourishment of pure yang energy, and even her spiritual energy circulation became much smoother than before.

On the third day, Li Hanshan came again. This time, he carried a bowl of medicine into the thatched hut, his steps light and his expression expectant.

Before he could even put the medicine bowl down properly, the sect leader spoke up, "Why are you here again?"

Li Hanshan moved a rock and sat down on the low couch, placing the medicine bowl aside. His face was earnest: "Master, I just want you to recover quickly. Look, it's only been two days, and your nascent soul injury has faded so much. If it continues a few more times, it might be completely healed. I'm only thinking of you."

The sect leader stared at his face, which seemed to say "I'm doing this for your own good," for a long while, then suddenly his lips twitched, and he uttered a few words with a half-smile: "I think you're just lusting after my body."

Li Hanshan was taken aback.

He opened his mouth, wanting to explain, but found that the sect leader's deep eyes held a rare mischievous glint, as if he were watching him suffer a setback.

He paused for a moment, then decided to drop the pretense and coughed lightly, saying, "This disciple is indeed greedy, but this disciple also genuinely wants to help Master recover. These two things are not contradictory."

The sect leader stared at him for a few moments, then turned her head away, a faint blush rising to her ears. She lay down on her side, her back to him, her voice muffled by the hay: "If you're going to come, hurry up. Don't waste time."

Li Hanshan chuckled inwardly, put down the medicine bowl, and leaned down to press his lips against it.

This time, the sect leader didn't freeze as she had before. Instead, she turned her head slightly, revealing half of her face, softly illuminated by the morning light. Li Hanshan felt a surge of warmth in his heart and leaned down to kiss her lips.

"Ugh..." The sect leader groaned, his fingers unconsciously gripping the robe on his shoulder before slowly letting go.

The Yang Ce technique was activated once more, and the spiritual energy within the two bodies merged and flowed like streams converging into a great river, surging together with the newly refined blood and qi. The pure yang energy within the divine infant gently enveloped every tiny crack on the surface of the sect leader's nascent soul, and those minute marks, barely visible to the naked eye, became increasingly smooth under repeated washing. Even the faint tension between the sect leader's brows gradually faded away.

Her body gradually softened from its initial stiffness. Although she did not actively respond, she no longer resisted. She simply closed her eyes, buried her face in his shoulder, and breathed lightly and heavily as it brushed against his skin.

After an unknown amount of time, Li Hanshan felt that the newly formed power within his body had become more solid, and the sect leader's aura had finally stabilized completely.

In just three days, there were seven sessions of dual cultivation.

Li Hanshan had already mastered the first stage of the Nine Revolutions Golden Body Technique. Although he was still far from the true "first stage" realm, he could feel that his physical strength had increased by at least 20-30%. The most significant change was his resistance to blows—he tried to use his spiritual power to make a cut on his arm, which used to leave a shallow wound, but now only left a white mark that disappeared in the blink of an eye.

"It really works." Li Hanshan stretched his muscles and felt the new power within his body, his heart filled with satisfaction.

That night, he leaned against a pillar of the thatched hut, closing his eyes to regulate his breathing. The sect leader lay on a low couch, facing him sideways, breathing evenly, seemingly already asleep. Moonlight filtered through the gaps in the roof, casting soft shadows on her slightly turned face.

"I'll try the fifth stage of the technique again tomorrow," Li Hanshan thought to himself, just as he was about to drift off to sleep. Suddenly, he heard the sect leader say in the darkness, "Next time, make less ointment. It's too greasy."

Li Hanshan paused for a moment, then smiled silently.

"good."