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

The flying boat cut through the clouds and sped towards the direction of the Hehuan Sect.

Standing on the ship's railing, Li Hanshan gazed at the land beneath his feet gradually returning to its lush green expanse, still pondering his conversation with Ye Shuanghua. The secrets of the ancient medicine could not be revealed, and the remnant array sealing the unknown entity was even more forbidden.

As he was thinking, three streaks of light suddenly rose up not far ahead, flying towards him in a triangular formation. The three streaks of light were extremely fast, shimmering with iridescent light, clearly indicating that the newcomers were highly skilled. Ye Shuanghua frowned slightly, but did not slow down. The silver flying boat maintained its original speed, heading straight towards the three streaks of light.

The two sides passed each other through the clouds. Just as the flying boat was about to pass by, a golden palm print suddenly shot out from the three streaks of light, carrying a gentle yet powerful spiritual force, and accurately struck the bow of the flying boat.

Ye Shuanghua didn't even lift her eyelids. She raised her hand, and a silver-white sword light shot out from her fingertips, cleaving the golden palm print in two. The palm print shattered into countless golden fragments, gleaming in the sunlight, before dissipating in the wind.

The three streaks of light stopped. The light dissipated, revealing three figures. The leader, dressed in a golden robe, had a handsome face, narrow eyes, and a cyan core disciple token hanging from his waist. He exuded the undisguised pressure of a third-level Nascent Soul cultivator, causing the surrounding air to slightly distort. Behind him stood two Nascent Soul peak-level followers, one on his left and one on his right, like two statues.

"Junior Sister Ye, long time no see." The man in the golden robe spoke, his voice carrying a hint of laziness. His gaze swept over Ye Shuanghua, and the corners of his mouth turned up slightly. "I heard you recently took in an old man from the Northern Wilderness as your junior brother on behalf of your master? Tsk tsk, the sect leader's lineage doesn't even bother to be selective when accepting people. What kind of talent can come from a place like the Northern Wilderness with its thin spiritual energy? Don't let him hold your senior sister back."

Ye Shuanghua stood at the bow of the ship, her expression unchanged, her voice as cold as ever: "Chen Jie, you blocked my way just to spout this nonsense?"

Chen Jie's smile remained unchanged as he took a step forward, unleashing the pressure of a third-level Nascent Soul cultivator towards the flying boat: "Junior Sister, what are you saying? Senior Brother just wanted to catch up. After all, it's been quite a few years since we last met. Back then, my cultivation was inferior to Senior Sister's, but now..." He deliberately dragged out the last syllable, his eyes carrying a hint of provocation, "Now I also want to see if Junior Sister has made any progress over the years."

He uttered polite words, but his hands didn't stop. Before he finished speaking, a second golden palm print had already been unleashed. This palm print was even more ferocious than the previous one, containing pure and profound spiritual energy, carrying a subtle yet powerful force—clearly, he was serious.

Ye Shuanghua remained motionless. She merely raised her hand, drawing the Jinghong Sword half an inch from its sheath. A silver-white sword light shot out from the gap in the scabbard, colliding with the golden palm print.

The moment the sword light collided with the palm print, there was no loud sound, only a low, muffled thud. The golden palm print, like an ice block pierced by a red-hot iron rod, cracked open from the middle, and then spread to both sides along that crack. The entire palm print disintegrated and shattered at a speed visible to the naked eye, eventually turning into countless golden specks of light, not even worthy of approaching the flying boat.

Chen Jie's smile froze. His gaze fell on Ye Shuanghua, and a genuine shock flashed in his narrow eyes. He sensed the pressure contained in that sword light—far stronger than before. That suppressive force clearly exceeded the scope of the third level of the Nascent Soul stage.

"You've broken through to the fourth level of the Nascent Soul stage?" His voice carried a hint of barely suppressed bitterness.

Ye Shuanghua did not answer, but slowly sheathed the Jinghong Sword, her cold gaze falling on him: "Want to reminisce?"

Chen Jie's face turned pale, then flushed. He stood frozen for a few moments before finally taking a half-step back and making way for him. But his gaze passed over Ye Shuanghua's shoulder and landed on Li Hanshan behind the flying boat. His narrow eyes held scrutiny and coldness, which ultimately turned into a meaningful, cold smile.

"So you're from the Northern Wilderness?" he asked, his voice low but carrying undisguised contempt. "Nascent Soul Level 3? Tsk, the sect leader's lineage really has no one left, they're taking in any kind of trash. Senior Sister Ye can protect you for a while, but not forever. The Grand Competition is just around the corner, so—don't die on the stage."

As he finished speaking, his gaze swept over Li Hanshan like a blade, then he turned and transformed into a golden streak of light, flying towards the Hehuan Sect with his two followers, disappearing into the clouds in the blink of an eye.

The flying boat restarted, piercing through the clouds and heading towards the Hehuan Sect's mountain gate. Li Hanshan stood on the ship's side, gazing calmly at the direction Chen Jie had disappeared. But the words "Don't die on the arena" he had just heard were like a thorn in his heart. He had only been at the Hehuan Sect for a little over a year, and first Chang Sheng was causing him trouble, and now there was Chen Jie, a third-level Nascent Soul cultivator. He hadn't even started the competition yet, and he was already being watched.

Ye Shuanghua's voice came from the bow of the ship, carrying a rare seriousness: "Chen Jie is the eldest disciple of the Ninth Elder. The Ninth Elder is one of the core figures of the Elder Council. Chen Jie has been trying to break through the bottleneck of the fourth level of the Nascent Soul stage for the past few years, but unfortunately he has not succeeded. Now that he sees that I have broken through first, he must be dissatisfied. I'm afraid he will find an opportunity to cause trouble on the arena in the future."

Li Hanshan was silent for a moment, then walked to her side and whispered, "Senior Sister, I have a request."

Ye Shuanghua tilted her head to look at him: "What request?"

Li Hanshan looked directly into her eyes, his expression frank: "Senior Sister, you've seen it too, Chen Jie has his eye on me. And he's probably not the only disciple on the Elders' Council side. My current cultivation level is indeed insufficient; if they find an opportunity, I'm afraid I won't even be able to protect myself. Therefore—I would like to request that Senior Sister engage in dual cultivation with me once a month."

Ye Shuanghua paused slightly. She didn't answer immediately, her clear, cold eyes fixed on Li Hanshan's face, as if trying to discern how much of his words were genuine concern and how much were driven by selfish motives to get closer.

"Once a month is too frequent," she finally said, her tone flat.

"Then once every three months," Li Hanshan said without backing down. "It can't be less than that. I really need your help right now."

Ye Shuanghua stared at him for a long while before finally looking away. A faint blush rose to her ears, and a barely perceptible tremor appeared on her usually aloof and expressionless face. She didn't give a direct answer, but simply whispered, "We'll see."

The flying boat passed through the protective array of the Hehuan Sect and slowly landed on the open ground at the southern foot of the main peak. The two disembarked. Ye Shuanghua put away her magical artifact and, without turning her head, said, "The herbs have been gathered. You handle the Transformation Pill yourself. If you encounter any difficulties, send me a message talisman." With that, she transformed into a streak of silver-white light and flew towards the higher reaches of the main peak, disappearing into the clouds in the blink of an eye.

Li Hanshan watched her figure disappear into the horizon before turning away and walking towards his cave.