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

"Xiao An, let's go."

It's time to go to the Hehuan Sect.

"Um!"

Xiao An nodded.

Li Hanshan summoned his flying sword and flew towards the location of the Hehuan Sect.

Fearing another encounter with a demonic cultivator like Granny Yin, he was extremely cautious throughout the journey, trying not to reveal his presence and not flying too high. He would also use his divine sense to probe and change course as soon as he sensed anything amiss.

As a result, Li Hanshan avoided many potential dangers.

Several months later, after a long and arduous journey, Li Hanshan finally approached the Hehuan Sect.

"Central Continent is too big."

Li Hanshan sighed inwardly.

It took him several months just to get there.

What puzzled him was that he hadn't had a single dream since the mysterious woman cleaved his dream in two.

This made Li Hanshan somewhat worried.

Could it be that this ability has been lost?

He would be at a huge loss then, how could he ever see Luo Li in his dreams again?

Regardless, let's get to the Hehuan Sect first.

Given the current situation in Zhongzhou, it's too difficult for independent cultivators to survive. Unless they hide and don't show themselves, they are too easily targeted.

Even if a cultivator can hide for ten or a hundred years, once those demons discover them, they're finished.

In particular, Li Hanshan possesses the Pure Yang Holy Body. Therefore, for him, going to the Hehuan Sect is still the only option.

"Senior, we're almost there." Xiao An pointed south, where the outline of a continuous, verdant mountain range had already appeared on the horizon.

Li Hanshan nodded and flew towards the Hehuan Sect.

As they drew closer, the Hehuan Sect came into view.

Standing on his flying sword, Li Hanshan gazed at the towering peak rising from the ground ahead. Even though he was used to grand scenes, he was still shaken by the sight before him.

It was the largest mountain he had ever seen in his life.

The main peak soars into the clouds, its summit completely hidden above the clouds, estimated to be tens of thousands of feet high.

The mountain resembled a colossal pillar reaching to the heavens and the earth, its entire body covered in a layer of pale purple spiritual light—the aura of a protective array that enveloped the entire mountain peak completely.

At the foot of the mountain, several visible spiritual energy veins extend out, like the outstretched spine of a giant dragon, winding their way into the distant earth. Where these spiritual veins converge, the spiritual energy is so dense that it almost solidifies, condensing into a thin layer of spiritual mist on the mountain's surface that never dissipates, appearing from afar like a misty, ethereal aura.

Dragon Spine Spirit Vein.

The name came to mind for Li Hanshan.

He had heard Shen Qingyue say that the Hehuan Sect occupied the Dragon Spine Spirit Vein, one of the five major spiritual veins of the Tianyuan Continent, and the richness of its spiritual energy was far beyond that of ordinary sects.

Now that I've seen it with my own eyes, I know that the name "Dragon's Backbone" is well-deserved.

There are nine mountain ranges surrounding the main peak, like stars surrounding the moon, protecting it.

Those nine golden veins extending from the main peak truly resembled the spine of a giant dragon lying prostrate on the earth. The abundant spiritual energy surged continuously from the depths of the earth veins, gathered at the foot of the main peak, and then climbed up the mountainside, nourishing every inch of the entire sect's land.

"Such rich spiritual energy..." Xiao An's voice came from the soul banner, filled with amazement, "Senior, this is more than a hundred times stronger than the spiritual veins of our Northern Wilderness."

"Hmm." Li Hanshan responded, suppressing the shock in his heart, and urged his flying sword to continue forward.

But he soon discovered a problem—he couldn't fly up to the main peak at all.

When he was still hundreds of miles from the main peak, he felt an invisible resistance coming from ahead, like an invisible wall stretching between heaven and earth. Although the resistance was gentle, it was extremely tough. His flying sword was bounced back when it hit it, and he couldn't even find a crack to break through.

He tried several more times, even using his Nascent Soul level divine sense to perceive the structure of the resistance, only to find that it was not an ordinary restriction at all, but the core law of the entire mountain-protecting formation—without a token recognized by the Hehuan Sect, no one could get even half a step closer to the main peak.

He could only fall.

The mountain gate is located in a wide valley, with sheer cliffs on both sides. At the entrance of the valley stand two giant white jade pillars, each a hundred feet tall, covered with densely engraved runes.

Outside the mountain gate, a long line of people had already gathered. Various spirit boats, flying birds, and escape lights converged outside the mountain gate, and the cultivators stood or sat, waiting to enter in turn.

Most of them were Golden Core cultivators or Nascent Soul cultivators, but occasionally one could see a few figures with exceptionally profound auras, radiating the pressure of Nascent Soul cultivators.

Among these people, some looked respectful, some were arrogant, and some walked quickly with their heads down; clearly, they were of different statuses and positions.

Li Hanshan lagged behind in the queue, silently observing the long line ahead. The flow of people was slow, moving forward only a small distance every so often. He counted; there were at least a hundred people still ahead of him in line.

Fortunately, he was a disciple of the Northern Wilderness branch of the Hehuan Sect, and in principle, he could enter directly with his branch token. However, being new to the area and unfamiliar with the rules, cutting in line would only cause him trouble.

So he obediently stood at the end of the line and slowly moved forward with the flow of people.

By the time it was his turn, it was already dark. The disciple on duty by the mountain gate was a handsome young man, wearing the distinctive blue robe of the outer sect of the Hehuan Sect, with a bronze token hanging from his waist, indicating a cultivation level of approximately late-stage Golden Core. He looked up at Li Hanshan, his gaze sweeping over his weathered old face and wrinkled robes, his brows furrowing almost imperceptibly.

"Identity token."

Li Hanshan took out the Holy Son Token of the Northern Wilderness Branch and handed it over.

The disciple on duty took the token, examined it closely, then glanced at Li Hanshan, a slight smirk playing on his lips. He didn't let them pass immediately, but instead beckoned to another disciple behind him, lowering his voice to say, "Take a look at this one, from the Northern Wilderness branch."

The companion, a round-faced young man, leaned closer to examine the mark on the token, then sized Li Hanshan up and down before scoffing, "The Northern Wilderness? The one with spiritual energy so thin it's practically nonexistent? Only at the second level of the Nascent Soul stage at such an old age? He must have toiled his whole life just to finally get to this point?"

The disciple who had been on duty earlier chuckled, his tone slightly dismissive: "Indeed, in our Central Continent, there are geniuses who have reached the Nascent Soul stage in their early twenties. Look at our inner sect's Senior Sister Ye, she reached the Deity Transformation stage before she was even a hundred years old. This old man probably spent his whole life in a branch sect and that's all he amounted to. If he came to the main sect, he probably wouldn't even be able to get into the outer sect."

The two talked amongst themselves, oblivious to everyone else, their voices just loud enough for Li Hanshan and the other cultivators in line to hear. Curious glances drifted from the surrounding crowd, while whispers rippled through the room. A few younger disciples' voices floated over from behind: "So old and only at the early Nascent Soul stage…" "Reaching the Nascent Soul stage in a poor place like the Northern Wilderness is truly remarkable." "Tsk tsk, what a waste of his life."

Li Hanshan remained expressionless, simply standing quietly in front of the mountain gate and waiting.

He'd heard these words countless times in the Northern Wilderness, and had long since developed an impenetrable thick skin. However, a chill emanated from Xiao An within the Soul Banner, as if he couldn't resist the urge to come out and teach those arrogant fools a lesson.

"Don't move." Li Hanshan suppressed her with his divine sense.

About half an hour later, the disciple on duty slowly returned, followed by a middle-aged man in a gray robe. The middle-aged man had an ordinary face, his aura was about late Nascent Soul stage, and he had a silver token hanging at his waist with the character "外" (Wai) engraved on it—the manager of the External Affairs Hall.

"You're Li Hanshan from the Northern Wilderness branch?" The middle-aged man walked up to him, his tone somewhat formulaic and indifferent. "My name is Chen Tong, manager of the External Affairs Hall. I've checked your identity token; it's genuine. However, disciples from branch sects all need to undergo a aptitude test before being officially registered in the main sect's roster. Follow me."

After Chen Tong finished speaking, he turned and walked towards the inside of the mountain gate.

Li Hanshan followed behind him, and after passing through the mountain gate, the scenery on both sides of the bluestone avenue made him stop again.

The rich spiritual energy rushed towards me like a tangible mist. Every breath felt like drinking spiritual tea. The spiritual energy seeped into my pores and flowed automatically along my meridians. I didn’t even need to actively practice any techniques as it slowly nourished my dantian.

This bluestone avenue is about ten zhang wide, with various spiritual plants and flowers planted on both sides. The air is filled with the refreshing fragrance of herbs and the aroma of earth. In the distance, layers of palaces and pavilions can be vaguely seen, hidden in the clouds. Occasionally, a few streaks of light flash across the sky at an astonishing speed.

"Stop looking around," Chen Tong said without turning his head. "You'll have time to look around later. Get through the test first."

Li Hanshan withdrew his gaze and quickened his pace to catch up.