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

Inside the cave, the soft glow of the luminous pearl cast a gentle light on the stone walls. Li Hanshan sat cross-legged on the stone couch, examining the jade token in his palm. The token felt warm and smooth to the touch, its surface engraved with intricate patterns.

"What's the story behind this Grade B secret realm?" He looked up at Ye Shuanghua sitting opposite him.

Ye Shuanghua leaned against the stone wall, still dressed in her silver-white outfit, clearly having come straight here after returning from the Nascent Soul group. She raised a hand to rub her temples, her tone tinged with helplessness: "The spiritual energy concentration in a Grade B secret realm is only about half that of a Grade A one, and the quality of the spiritual herbs and mineral veins is also significantly lower. However, since the Fifth Elder gave you the mark of that hidden spiritual vein, that place shouldn't be too bad."

Li Hanshan put the token into his pocket and asked, "Can I bring people in?"

"No." Ye Shuanghua shook her head, her tone decisive. "The array at the entrance to the secret realm recognizes the divine sense imprint in the token, allowing only the person entering. If you try to bring someone else along, you'll be ejected during teleportation, and in severe cases, your meridians may be damaged."

Li Hanshan nodded, not dwelling on the matter. He hadn't really expected to bring anyone in; it was just a casual question. He thought for a moment, then asked, "How long can we stay inside the secret realm?"

"One month," Ye Shuanghua said. "When the time is up, the teleportation array will automatically send you out. If you want to get out earlier, you can crush the secret realm token, but that will end the trial early."

Li Hanshan carefully put away the token and then asked, "In this grand competition secret realm that only happens once every ten years, are there many good things inside?"

Ye Shuanghua pondered for a moment, then spoke frankly: "Not too much. It's only once every ten years, and the resources are meant to be used by the sect to reward its disciples. Most of the high-grade spiritual materials and mines have already been explored many times over, and what's left are mostly scraps. The truly top-quality resources are all in the secret realm of the Centennial Grand Competition. Someone like you, the top Nascent Soul cultivator, could get at least ten times more in the Centennial Grand Competition than you would this time."

Li Hanshan was mentally prepared for this and wasn't too disappointed. During his time at the main sect, he had already figured out its operating rules. The truly valuable resources were controlled by the elders, and ordinary disciples only received what was left over. However, the spiritual vein marked by the Fifth Elder might be an exception.

"We're running a bit short on spirit stones." Li Hanshan didn't mince words and explained the situation. "The spirit stones we brought from the Northern Wilderness are almost used up. Although dual cultivation can improve cultivation level, each breakthrough requires a large number of spirit stones to assist. Relying solely on the circulation of spiritual energy is too slow."

Ye Shuanghua's gaze lingered on his face for a moment. Of course, she knew how much the Nascent Soul stage required for cultivation with spirit stones.

In particular, Li Hanshan's cultivation speed is so rapid that it requires a huge amount of spirit stones to support it. At the speed at which he breaks through to the late stage of the Nascent Soul stage, the number of spirit stones he consumes is at least several times that of an ordinary Nascent Soul cultivator.

In fact, if Li Hanshan hadn't killed many Nascent Soul cultivators and obtained their spoils, he would have run out of spirit stones long ago.

"The disciples of the sect leader's lineage already receive 30% less spirit stones per month than those from the elders' council," Ye Shuanghua's voice carried a hint of coldness. "This time, you took first place in the Nascent Soul group, and their spirit stone reward was clearly reduced." As she said this, she slightly clenched her sleeve. "You are restricted in every way, and you even have to find cultivation resources outside on your own."

Looking at her profile, which held a hint of resentment in the glow of the luminous pearl, Li Hanshan suddenly said, "Senior Sister, you've done a great job taking first place in the Nascent Soul group this time."

Ye Shuanghua was slightly taken aback, then shook her head, her tone carrying a hint of frankness: "This is nothing. The truly powerful Nascent Soul cultivators are all in seclusion preparing for the Centennial Grand Competition."

Li Hanshan raised an eyebrow: "A century-long competition?"

"Hmm," Ye Shuanghua said, "In another ten years, it will be the Hehuan Sect's once-in-a-century sect competition. The rewards for that competition are truly amazing—top-grade spirit stones, sixth-grade pills, high-level cultivation technique jade slips, and even the chance to gain access to the core secret realm of the Myriad Spirits Mountain Range. Those top disciples in the Nascent Soul stage have been focusing their energy on breaking through their bottlenecks these past few years, and none of them want to waste their seclusion time for a once-in-a-decade competition."

She paused, her clear, cool eyes revealing a calm composure that suggested she had seen through the situation: "So the reason we were able to take first place this time wasn't because we were actually stronger than them, but because they didn't care about this competition at all. The Ten-Year Grand Competition was nothing more than a warm-up for them."

Li Hanshan remained silent for a moment, processing the news.

He originally thought that defeating Wang Hao and taking first place in the Nascent Soul group was already a good achievement, but now it seems that the true strength of the Hehuan Sect is far deeper than it appears on the surface. Those disciples who truly stand at the pinnacle don't even bother to participate in the ten-year grand competition.

"However, this gives us a chance to catch our breath." Ye Shuanghua's tone softened slightly, and a faint smile appeared at the corner of her mouth. "The better the sect leader's lineage performs in the past ten years, the more confident they will be when they compete for resources. No matter how much the elders' council suppresses us, they can't go too far on the surface. At least in these ten years, we have more room to maneuver."

Li Hanshan nodded: "Then let's take advantage of these ten years to get everything we can." He looked down at the jade token in his palm, "I'll enter the secret realm first thing tomorrow morning."

Ye Shuanghua didn't say anything more, only reminding him as he stood up: "Although a Grade B secret realm is not as good as a Grade A one, it's not entirely without danger. There are generally no Nascent Soul level demonic beasts inside, but you still need to be careful, the elders might cause trouble."

"I know." Li Hanshan walked to the entrance of the cave, glanced back at her, and said, "Senior Sister, you should rest early too."

Ye Shuanghua didn't answer, only nodded slightly, her gaze falling on the unsheathed Jinghong sword on her lap. Li Hanshan didn't disturb her any further, pushed open the door and walked out of the cave, the stone door closing silently behind him.