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

The atmosphere at the Hehuan Sect lately is quite different from usual.

The once quiet mountain paths are now filled with groups of disciples discussing amongst themselves. The protective lights of the various peaks and halls flicker frequently as senior brothers and sisters who have been in seclusion for many years emerge one after another, like a swarm of bees bursting from their hive. On the main peak plaza, new faces appear almost every day—most of them bearing the pallor characteristic of years of seclusion, yet their auras growing ever more composed and profound.

"Have you heard? Senior Brother Luo Lie, under the Second Elder, has emerged from seclusion."

"Luo Lie? Is that the Luo Lie with the Heavenly Fire Spirit Body?"

"Who else could it be but him? It's said he secluded himself deep within the Ten Thousand Spirits Mountains for eight years, and upon emerging, he immediately reached the peak of the Nascent Soul stage, and moreover..."

The disciple who had spoken lowered his voice, glancing around as if to make sure no one was overhearing before continuing, "It's said that his Heavenly Fire Spirit Body has been fully activated in the past eight years, and the flames he releases are far stronger than those of an ordinary peak Nascent Soul cultivator. Some say his current combat strength is already approaching that of a Deity Transformation cultivator."

"Hiss—wouldn't that make him even more powerful than Senior Brother Wang Hao?"

"It's hard to say. Senior Brother Wang Hao possesses the Xuanhuang Divine Body, and his Heavenly Fire Spirit Body is no less formidable. If the two were to fight, the outcome is truly uncertain."

The murmurs of conversation drifted through the mountain path, like dandelion seeds scattered by the wind, landing in every corner. News of Luo Lie's emergence from seclusion quickly spread throughout the main peak, even prompting inner disciples who rarely paid attention to sect affairs to ask questions. But what most people were discussing was another name—Li Hanshan. That old man from the Northern Wilderness branch sect had disappeared for nearly two years after defeating Wang Hao in the competition. Some said he went out to train, others said he was secretly suppressed by the elders, and still others said he was afraid and hid, afraid to face anyone.

The first thing Luo Lie did after emerging from seclusion was not to collect his monthly allowance or to pay his respects to the Third Elder, but to head straight for the purple bamboo forest on the northern slope of the main peak. His steps were swift and powerful, leaving fine scorch marks on his feet with his scorching spiritual energy. Disciples along the way gave way, and onlookers followed him with curious gazes.

But he found nothing. The stone door to the cave, hidden by purple bamboo, was tightly shut, with a few withered leaves lying in front of it, clearly indicating that the owner was not there. Luo Lie stood at the cave entrance, his brows furrowed: "Wang Hao isn't here?" He turned to an inner disciple who happened to be passing by, his voice carrying an undeniable air of authority, "Where did he go?"

The disciple was forced back half a step by the scorching aura emanating from him, and hurriedly said, "Senior Brother Wang is over at the training ground. I heard he's going to spar with a Nascent Soul stage demon beast today, and a lot of people are going to watch..."

"A Nascent Soul-Transforming Demonic Beast?" A hint of surprise flashed in Luo Lie's eyes, then a smile spread across his lips. "Interesting." He didn't ask any more questions, turned around, and strode towards the training ground, his pace quickening considerably from when he arrived. Several more groups of disciples followed him along the way, clearly having heard the news and come to see the excitement.

The training ground was located in a valley reinforced with arrays on the west side of the main peak. The surrounding stone walls were covered with dense defensive array patterns, enough to withstand the impact of a Nascent Soul cultivator. A large number of disciples had already gathered at the valley entrance, a dense mass of them. Some stood on the stone steps, tiptoeing to look, while others simply hovered in mid-air on their swords. In the clearing in the center of the crowd, a moon-white figure stood in the middle of the valley, his spiritual energy flowing like a tide around him—it was Wang Hao.

Several dozen feet away opposite him, a colossal beast covered in dark blue scales crouched low, emitting a deep roar. The beast resembled a tiger, but possessed a pair of fleshy wings folded along its back. A single horn atop its head gleamed with a cold, eerie blue light, and its four claws dug deep into the ground, creating deep cracks in the rocks beneath its feet. The oppressive aura of an early-stage Nascent Soul cultivator emanated from its body, causing the onlookers to unconsciously lower their breathing.

Wang Hao stood with his hands behind his back, his moon-white robe fluttering slightly in the wind, a signature lazy smile on his face, as if waiting for a disobedient domestic animal to quiet down on its own. "Ready?" he spoke, his voice soft but clear to everyone present. "Then I'm coming."

Before he finished speaking, his figure had already vanished from the spot. The Nascent Soul beast reacted extremely quickly, its fleshy wings suddenly unfurling, and a beam of dark blue light condensed on its single horn, hurtling forward. But Wang Hao was faster than that beam of light; his figure appeared to the beast's left, striking its ribs with a palm. The instant his palm struck, a burst of golden spiritual energy exploded from his palm, carrying the unique, all-encompassing power of the Xuanhuang Divine Body, sending the beast's massive body slid several feet to the side, its claws carving four deep furrows into the ground.

A gasp erupted from the disciples. "He repelled a Nascent Soul stage demon beast with a single palm strike!" "Senior Brother Wang's palm strike is even stronger than before!" "A Nascent Soul stage demon beast couldn't withstand one of his palm strikes? This is outrageous!" Wang Hao didn't stop there. His second palm strike followed immediately, landing precisely on the demon beast's ribs. The demon beast roared in pain, and the dark blue light pillar on its horn condensed again, this time even thicker. But Wang Hao swayed and dodged the direct hit, his third palm already striking the back of its neck.

Just then, a crimson streak of fire descended from the sky, landing precisely on the other side of the demonic beast. As the fire subsided, Luo Lie appeared, his body wreathed in scorching flames, and he slammed his fist into the beast's shoulder blade. The full force of his Heavenly Fire Spirit Body's attack, imbued with scorching spiritual energy capable of melting metal, caused the beast's scales to hiss and quickly turn charred black. The beast let out a deafening scream, its massive body losing balance under the simultaneous attack, staggering several steps to the side before barely regaining its footing.

The disciples at the valley entrance gasped again, this time louder and more excited: "Senior Brother Luo Lie is here too!" "The two of them joined forces and repelled the demonic beast with a single move!" "Heavenly Fire Spirit Body plus Profound Yellow Divine Body, who can withstand that?"

Luo Lie withdrew his fist, turned to look at Wang Hao, the scorching aura still pulsating around him, a triumphant smile on his lips: "Wang Hao, you certainly know how to have fun, sparring with a Nascent Soul demon beast without even inviting me."

Wang Hao stood with his palms closed, his moon-white robe spotless. He looked at Luo Lie, who had suddenly appeared, and raised an eyebrow slightly: "You've emerged from seclusion?"

His gaze swept over the still-pulsating, scorching spiritual energy surrounding Luo Lie, his tone carrying a hint of assessment, "The Heavenly Fire Spirit Body is fully activated? Not bad. However—" He glanced at the demonic beast that was now lowering its body again, warily sizing up the two of them, "This is my prey, what are you doing taking it?"

Luo Lie chuckled and glanced at the demonic beast. Having been struck repeatedly by the two, the beast was clearly showing signs of retreating, slowly backing away with a low growl emanating from its throat. Luo Lie didn't pursue, turning his gaze to Wang Hao's face: "I heard you lost to an old man from the Northern Wilderness? A seventh-level Nascent Soul cultivator injured you?"

Wang Hao's smile faded slightly, but his tone remained calm: "That sword strike was indeed somewhat unexpected."

"Unexpected?" Luo Lie took a step forward, the scorching aura drawing even closer. "You, Wang Hao, were actually caught off guard by an old man from the Northern Wilderness? Who would believe that? Is that old man still in the Hehuan Sect? What level has his cultivation reached?"

Wang Hao didn't answer immediately. He looked at Luo Lie's face, which was filled with fighting spirit, and remained silent for a moment before slowly speaking: "I will win back what I lost. You don't need to worry about him." He spoke softly, but it carried an undeniable certainty in Luo Lie's ears. Luo Lie stared at him for a few moments, seemingly not expecting him to say that.

"You don't want me to get involved?" Luo Lie scoffed. "I won't listen! I'm going to go and meet that old man right now."

After saying that, Luo Lie suddenly transformed into a streak of fiery red light and rushed towards Li Hanshan's cave.

"Is Senior Brother Luo going to challenge Senior Brother Li?"

"Quick, let's catch up."

The other disciples of the Hehuan Sect perked up and followed suit.