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

"Master, it's you!!!"

The moment Hua Nongying saw Li Hanshan, she was first startled, then delighted, and then overjoyed. But then her heart was filled with a jumble of emotions, a complex and indescribable mix of feelings.

She never expected that Li Hanshan would come to save her.

Li Hanshan didn't reply. He rode his flying sword and soared into the sky with Hua Nongying.

"Damn it!"

Seeing this, Wu Tianxiong was furious. He had long coveted Hua Nongying, but in the past, they were all in similar positions and neither could do anything about the other.

They finally encountered such a rare opportunity to play around with Hua Nongying and use her to further improve their cultivation, but the cooked duck flew away!

"puff!"

Wu Tianxiong was distracted for a moment, and the woman in black seized the opportunity to launch a fierce attack, causing him to spit out another mouthful of blood.

"Let's retreat!"

Wu Tianxiong dared not continue the fight. He activated a talisman to force the woman in black to retreat, and then led many Hehuan Sect disciples to retreat quickly.

"Chase!"

The woman in black was not about to give up and was determined to eliminate Wu Tianxiong.

While giving chase, she glanced in the direction Li Hanshan had gone and extended her divine sense, but only caught a trace of Qi Refining stage aura.

"Qi Refining Period?"

The woman in black frowned, then realized that she had been tricked by the old man.

That guy wasn't at the Foundation Establishment stage at all; he just had a powerful divine sense.

"What a cunning old man."

The woman in black snorted coldly, but ignored Li Hanshan and chased after Wu Tianxiong.

.

The flying sword darted through the dense forest, the wind whistling through it.

Hua Nongying leaned against Li Hanshan's chest, her face as pale as paper. Her body trembled slightly, her body temperature dropped lower and lower, even her eyelashes began to freeze, as if there was a block of ice inside her body that had stood for millennia.

"Owner......"

She looked up, her usually captivating eyes now dull and lifeless, her voice weak as if squeezed from her throat: "Why did you come to save me?"

Li Hanshan said calmly, "Why do you think I'm saving you?"

Hua Nongying's heart sank.

What does that mean? Does it mean he really came to kill her?

She didn't ask any more questions, silently biting her lip, while her mind raced with calculations.

Li Hanshan also stopped talking. While urging his flying sword, he used his divine sense to probe behind him. Only after confirming that no one was chasing him did he breathe a sigh of relief.

He flew dozens of miles with Hua Nongying and found a cave in front of a secluded cliff.

The cave is small, and the entrance is hidden by vines, making it difficult to find without careful searching.

He helped Hua Nongying into the cave and sat her down against a stone wall.

Immediately afterwards, he turned around to deal with the hole entrance.

Hua Nongying watched Li Hanshan's retreating figure, a cold glint flashing in her beautiful eyes. She hesitated, wondering whether to launch a sneak attack.

"That vixen, isn't she going to make a move?"

Li Hanshan deliberately left his back to her, wanting to see if Hua Nongying would take the opportunity to attack him. This would determine whether he would treat her gently or roughly.

Whether he's gentle or rough, this time, he has to win over this vixen.

Behind her, Hua Nongying loosened her slender fingers; she ultimately chose not to make a move.

"puff!"

She spat out a mouthful of blood, which contained tiny shards of ice that fell to the ground with a soft sound.

"Master, I'm not going to live..."

She looked up, her eyes red and brimming with tears, looking utterly pitiful.

Before she finished speaking, frost began to form on her body. A thin layer of ice crystals spread from her fingertips, climbing up her arms, leaving an unnatural bluish-purple tinge on her skin.

Li Hanshan turned around, frowning. "How did you get such serious injuries?"

Hua Nongying bit her lip, a hint of hatred flashing in her eyes: "It's that bitch Liu Ruoxue, she broke through to the Foundation Establishment stage."

"Liu Ruoxue?"

"Another prodigy from the inner sect, she and I have never gotten along." Hua Nongying coughed a few times, spitting out a few mouthfuls of blood. "I was planning to find an opportunity to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage after entering the secret realm, but who knew she would be faster than me. I was no match for her and was severely injured. I barely managed to escape, and then I ran into that beast Wu Tianxiong..."

Li Hanshan asked, "How come so many people are breaking through to the Foundation Establishment stage in the secret realm?"

Hua Nongying smiled wryly: "There are many opportunities in the secret realm. There are rare and precious materials, the flesh and blood of demonic beasts, and disciples from various sects. They are the best treasures."

She paused, a hint of disgust flashing in her eyes: "Like Wu Tianxiong, he drained the essence of several Demonic Sect disciples before breaking through to the Foundation Establishment stage."

As Hua Nongying spoke, she coughed a few more times, her body trembling even more violently, "Master, I'm afraid I can't hold on much longer..."

Her voice grew weaker and weaker, and her body slowly slid down.

Li Hanshan looked at her, his mind clear.

That vixen is putting on an act again.

His yang lines had already opened two petals, and the third petal was half open. Although he couldn't fully perceive her emotions, he could roughly distinguish between truth and falsehood.

Although Hua Nongying was indeed seriously injured at this moment, she was far from being on the verge of death. She was just playing the victim to gain his sympathy.

However, Li Hanshan did not expose her.

He crouched down, put his hand on her shoulder, and said, "Don't talk nonsense, I'll save you."

Hua Nongying shook her head, her eyes filled with despair: "It's no use... Liu Ruoxue has a top-grade ice spirit root. Her attacks are imbued with pure icy power, which has already invaded my meridians. I can't expel it until I reach the Foundation Establishment stage."

She raised her hand, showing Li Hanshan the ice crystals on her fingertips: "Look, the cold has already spread throughout my body. In a few more hours, I will turn into an ice sculpture."

Li Hanshan grabbed her hand and channeled a wisp of spiritual energy into her body.

As expected, Hua Nongying's meridians were filled with a bone-chilling cold, which even slowed down and stagnated the flow of spiritual energy. If it was not expelled in time, at best her cultivation would regress, and at worst her meridians would be completely severed.

"I can help you," Li Hanshan said.

Hua Nongying was stunned: "Master, what...what did you say?"

I said, I can help you get rid of the cold.

Li Hanshan looked at her and said seriously, "Don't forget, I have a pure Yang body. Pure Yang energy is the nemesis of extreme Yin cold energy."

Hua Nongying's expression brightened, but quickly dimmed: "Master, aren't you angry with me? I was preparing to..."

Li Hanshan said calmly, "So what if I blame you? Should I kill you?"

He sighed, "Your death will do me no good. At least you're still somewhat useful alive."

Hua Nongying raised her head, tears streaming down her face: "But... we need to cultivate together, and it requires Master's sacrifice. Master, your cultivation hasn't reached the ninth level yet. If you cultivate with me, your cultivation will..."

"We can't worry about that now."

Li Hanshan interrupted her: "If you don't want to die, listen to me."

Hua Nongying bit her lip, her eyes reddening again, this time seemingly genuinely moved: "Master..."

"Stop talking nonsense."

Li Hanshan leaned down and kissed Hua Nongying's lips.

Hua Nongying trembled, but did not struggle. Instead, she closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around his neck.

Although there were no curtains, the cave became a natural haven of comfort.

Li Hanshan circulated the Yang Scripture, channeling pure Yang energy into Hua Nongying's body. That warm energy was like a gentle current; wherever it passed, the icy coldness melted away like snow in hot water.

Hua Nongying let out a soft, comfortable groan, and a trace of color finally returned to her pale face.

But she didn't notice that while Li Hanshan was channeling pure yang energy, he was also silently drawing upon her own essence.

The third petal of Yangwen began to slowly bloom.

......

One night passed.

Outside the cave, the sky was just beginning to lighten.

Li Hanshan opened his eyes and exhaled a long breath.

He paid a heavy price to help Hua Nongying heal her injuries, but his cultivation level regressed instead of improving, and he also lost a lot of his pure yang energy.

Fortunately, the third petal is about to bloom.

"It should take one or two more times."

Li Hanshan speculated.

"Owner......"

Hua Nongying opened her eyes, her complexion much better than last night, the frost on her body had completely melted, and her wounds had mostly healed.

She looked at Li Hanshan, her eyes filled with gratitude: "Your cultivation level..."

"It's alright, as long as you're healed," Li Hanshan said calmly.

He wasn't worried at all about Hua Nongying attacking him. Although Hua Nongying's injuries had lessened, her strength was far from recovered. If they really fought, she might not be his match.

Hua Nongying lowered her head, her voice filled with guilt: "It's all my fault. If it weren't for saving me, Master wouldn't have expended so much cultivation and pure yang energy..."

Li Hanshan waved his hand: "Let's not talk about that. How's the coldness in your body?"

Hua Nongying examined herself internally and sighed, "I've expelled most of them, but some remain deep within my meridians and can't be completely eradicated."

She paused, then smiled bitterly, "It seems I'm really finished this time. Without dispelling the cold, my cultivation will be difficult to improve, and I'm definitely not going to pass this assessment."

Li Hanshan remained silent.

Hua Nongying raised her head, looked at him, and said resolutely, "But it doesn't matter, Master. Don't worry, even if I don't pass the test, I will still help you become an inner disciple. Once you have a firm foothold in the Hehuan Sect, I will be at ease."

Her tone was sincere, her eyes filled with a mixture of reluctance and relief, as if she were truly making her final arrangements.

Li Hanshan sneered inwardly.

This vixen is quite adept at playing the emotional card.

He didn't expose her, but instead asked, "Didn't you ever think about escaping the Hehuan Sect?"

Hua Nongying was taken aback, then gave a wry smile: "Escape? How can we escape?"

She sighed, her tone full of helplessness: "Master, you may not know this, but all disciples of the Joyful Union Sect below the Golden Core stage must take a poison pill before going out. They have a limited time to return, or they will die from the poison. Moreover, although the world is vast, there are only a few sects for cultivating immortality. It doesn't matter where you go. As for being a rogue cultivator, it's no different from just wasting time and waiting to die. It's better to stay in the Joyful Union Sect."

Li Hanshan frowned: "Aren't there any righteous immortal sects?"

Hua Nongying gave a self-deprecating laugh: "Even if they did, do you think Master would accept a demoness from the Joyous Union Sect?"

Li Hanshan fell silent.

She's right.

During this secret realm assessment, the Hehuan Sect referred to other sects as disciples of the Demonic Sect, but in the eyes of those Demonic Sect disciples, the Hehuan Sect might not be entirely devoid of its own demonic nature.

The righteous immortal sects regard the Hehuan Sect as a venomous snake. If a demoness from the Hehuan Sect were to come to their door, she would be lucky not to be killed on the spot, let alone taken in.

Seeing his silence, Hua Nongying said softly, "Master, you don't need to worry about me. You saved my life, and even if I end up in the outer sect, I will find a way to help you."

Li Hanshan looked at her and slowly said, "I will help you break through to the Foundation Establishment stage."

Hua Nongying suddenly raised her head, her eyes filled with disbelief: "Master, what...what did you say?"

Her expression was completely genuine, and she wasn't pretending at all, because she was genuinely surprised that Li Hanshan, knowing that she had broken through the Foundation Establishment stage and made a vow to eliminate inner demons, was actually going to help her.

Could it be that the owner is love-struck?

Did he develop feelings for her over time?