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

The news that Li Hanshan had brought back a Nascent Soul-level demon beast from the secret realm caused a greater stir within the Hehuan Sect than he had anticipated.

Those inner disciples who had previously looked down on him now looked at him with an undisguised awe. A seventh-level Nascent Soul cultivator slaying a Nascent Soul-level demon beast—although that giant lizard was much weaker than an ordinary Nascent Soul cultivator, the feat spoke for itself; who would dare utter a single word of "fake"?

A few days later, he processed the scales, bones, and essence blood of the demonic beast in batches, exchanging them through Ye Shuanghua's connections for a large amount of spirit stones and several high-grade spiritual herbs. He didn't sell the Nascent Soul Demon Core, but instead stored it deep inside his storage ring, keeping it for future alchemy or as a precaution. He kept some of the remaining high-grade spirit stones for himself, and distributed the rest to Shen Ruoxi, Qin Muyue, Leng Yue, and Chu Mengyao. The women accepted the gifts without hesitation, and their cultivation progressed even faster as a result.

Meanwhile, in the cave at the northern foot of the main peak, the atmosphere was as gloomy as a heavy, oppressive cloud.

Chen Jie leaned against the stone couch, his fingers lightly tapping the armrest, producing a rhythmic, muffled sound. Standing before him were Wu Qingfeng and Chang Sheng; one was pale and not yet fully recovered, the other lowered his head, not daring to speak. Even the glow of the luminous pearls within the cave seemed dimmer than usual.

"He killed that Nascent Soul stage demon beast in the Grade B secret realm." Chen Jie said calmly, but the suppressed coldness made Chang Sheng's back tense slightly. "A Nascent Soul stage seven killing a Nascent Soul stage early stage demon beast, even if that demon beast was accelerated by external forces, is enough to show that his true combat strength far exceeds his apparent cultivation level."

Wu Qingfeng gritted his teeth: "Senior Brother Chen, what exactly is that old man's background? How could someone in the Northern Wilderness, a place with such sparse spiritual energy, possibly possess such combat power?"

"The problem isn't where he comes from." Chen Jie raised his eyes, his gaze falling on the two of them. "The problem is that he's already become a force to be reckoned with. Ye Shuanghua and Zhang Qingxuan are both Nascent Soul cultivators, and the sect leader's lineage now has two Nascent Soul cultivators who are openly active. And that old man in the Core Formation stage... his growth rate is too fast. If we don't suppress him soon, in ten years, he might even dare to compete for a spot in the Nascent Soul group."

Wu Qingfeng pondered for a moment: "Senior Brother Chen, do you mean to take action now?"

"Make our move now?" Chen Jie sneered and shook his head. "He just won first place in the Nascent Soul group at the sect competition, and then killed a Nascent Soul demon beast in front of so many people. If we move against him now, it's like telling the entire Joyful Union Sect that the Elder Council can't afford to lose. What will those neutral disciples think of us?"

Chang Sheng cautiously began, "Then... what does Senior Brother Chen mean...?"

Chen Jie stood up and slowly walked to the window of his cave dwelling. Outside, there were continuous mountain ranges and surging seas of clouds, the twilight painting the sky a dark gold. He stood with his hands behind his back, remained silent for a moment, and then slowly uttered, "The grand competition ten years from now."

Wu Qingfeng and Chang Sheng looked up at the same time, their eyes filled with questions.

"I've received news," Chen Jie turned around, his gaze sweeping over the two faces, his tone carrying a confident composure, "This century-long competition is different from the past. The winner will not only receive top-tier resources within their sect, but will also gain entry to the 'Myriad Spirits Secret Realm.' That secret realm is said to contain relics from ancient times, and even rare and precious materials that can help people break through the bottleneck of the Void Refinement stage. At that time, not only the Hehuan Sect, but also the Tianmo Sect, the Yinquan Sect, and several other first-class sects will send people to participate."

He paused, his gaze turning slightly cold: "These inter-sect secret realm battles are always real, bloody fights. Once inside, there are no rules about 'fellow disciples not killing each other.' As long as it's done cleanly and efficiently, even if Ye Shuanghua wants to investigate, she won't have any evidence. Even Ye Shuanghua..."

At this point, Chen Jie paused, but the meaning behind his words was self-evident.

A glint of light flashed in Wu Qingfeng's eyes: "Senior Brother Chen means that when the centennial competition comes—"

"That's right." Chen Jie sat back down on the stone bed, picked up the now-cold spiritual tea and took a sip. His tone returned to its usual calm and indifferent tone. "Several people from the sect leader's lineage will be participating. That's our best opportunity. In a secret realm without the supervision of fellow disciples or the protection of formations, accidental injury or even accidental killing is a common occurrence."

He put down his teacup and looked at Wu Qingfeng: "These ten years, you should cultivate diligently. When the grand competition comes around, I don't want to see you holding us back."

Wu Qingfeng quickly clasped his hands in a fist salute: "Senior Brother Chen, rest assured, we will definitely not let you down." Chang Sheng also nodded, his voice filled with barely suppressed excitement: "Ten years is just ten years, it will pass in the blink of an eye. That old man's glory will only last for these ten years."

Chen Jie waved his hand, and the two bowed and took their leave. As the stone door closed behind them, the cave fell silent once more. Chen Jie sat alone on the stone couch, tapping his fingers twice on the armrest, his gaze fixed on the darkening sky outside the window, the coldness on his lips never fading.