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

Li Hanshan was meditating cross-legged in his cave, pure Yang energy slowly circulating in his sea of ​​consciousness along the path of the Chongyang Yuantai. The golden light spot, the size of a pigeon egg, hovered in the center of his sea of ​​consciousness, its surface patterns clearer than a month ago, radiating a warm and stable light. In a few more months, once it was fully formed, he would be able to possess a Nascent Soul level primordial spirit ahead of schedule, despite his peak Nascent Soul cultivation.

Just then, a violent tremor came from the protective barrier outside the cave. A surge of spiritual energy, so hot it seemed to burn through the stone walls, slammed against the barrier from the outside, accompanied by a loud and arrogant voice: "Li Hanshan! Come out!"

Li Hanshan frowned slightly, stood up, and pushed open the stone door. On the bluestone path outside the cave, a crimson figure stood with his hands behind his back, surrounded by scorching flames, the stone slabs beneath his feet slightly blackened by the heat. It was Luo Lie.

Behind him followed a dozen or so disciples who were watching the spectacle. They formed a circle at a distance, some standing on the stone steps on tiptoe to look, and others hovering in mid-air on their swords, whispering among themselves.

"Senior Brother Luo really came!"

"Is he trying to get revenge for Senior Brother Wang?"

"I heard that Senior Brother Li has been away for the past two years. I wonder what his cultivation level is now..."

Luo Lie's gaze fell on Li Hanshan, who had just emerged from the cave. He looked him up and down and sneered, "So you're that old man from the Northern Wilderness? You don't look too old. I heard you defeated Wang Hao? I'll see what you're capable of today." As he spoke, the scorching spiritual power around him suddenly surged, and the flames of his Heavenly Fire Spirit Body leaped and tumbled between his hands like a lit fuse, radiating a suffocatingly high temperature.

Li Hanshan stood calmly at the entrance of the cave: "Senior Brother Luo, the grand competition is just around the corner, why waste time here?"

"A waste of time?" Luo Lie grinned, taking a step forward. "Are you scared?"

Li Hanshan did not answer. He simply stood there, his pure Yang energy circulating quietly within his body, and he clearly sensed the limits of that scorching spiritual energy fluctuation. He said calmly, "I'm not in the mood today."

"Whether you're interested or not is not up to you!" Before Luo Lie finished speaking, he had already sprung into action. A crimson palm print, carrying a scorching wave of air, slammed towards Li Hanshan's face. Wherever the palm print passed, the air was scorched and distorted, emitting a hissing sound.

Li Hanshan stood still, not dodging, but simply raising his hand. Pure Yang energy silently condensed in his palm, transforming into a purple-gold fire shield. The fire shield was as thin as a cicada's wing, yet it precisely blocked Luo Lie's palm print the instant it struck. The moment the crimson flames collided with the purple-gold flames, a blinding burst of light exploded, and waves of heat spread in all directions, causing the spirit bamboo on both sides of the bluestone path to sway violently.

Luo Lie felt a warm and steady power surging from the fire shield. This power, unhurried yet like an insurmountable wall, firmly blocked his full-force palm strike. He tried to increase his spiritual power, but found that his Heavenly Fire Spirit Body was like a nemesis before the purple-gold fire shield. The flames were melted and neutralized by an invisible force the moment they touched the shield, unable to penetrate even an inch.

Li Hanshan didn't even move an inch. He withdrew his hand, and the purple-gold fire shield silently vanished in his palm, like a wisp of mist dispersed by the wind. "Senior Brother Luo, shall we try again?"

Luo Lie's expression changed. He withdrew his hand, staring at Li Hanshan with disbelief in his eyes: "You... peak Nascent Soul stage?"

Upon hearing this, the disciples who were watching immediately erupted in a commotion.

"Peak Nascent Soul stage? Senior Brother Li has broken through to the peak Nascent Soul stage?"

"My God! It's only been a little over two years, right? From the seventh level of the Nascent Soul stage to the peak of the Nascent Soul stage?"

"No wonder he was able to withstand Senior Brother Luo's full-force palm strike..."

Wang Hao, who had been standing on the periphery of the crowd, had arrived sometime earlier. Leaning against the stone railing in the distance, his moon-white robe fluttered gently in the wind. His gaze fell on Li Hanshan, and he narrowed his eyes. He sensed that the restrained yet composed aura emanating from Li Hanshan was indeed far superior to that of the battle years ago. Peak Nascent Soul stage, and with an extremely solid foundation.

Luo Lie gritted his teeth and activated the Heavenly Fire Spirit Body within his body once more, causing crimson flames to rise around him again. "So what if I'm at the peak of the Nascent Soul stage? I'm at the peak of the Nascent Soul stage too!" Just as he was about to attack again, a silver-white sword light descended from the sky, landing precisely between the two of them.

Ye Shuanghua appeared amidst the sword light, her silver-white dress fluttering in the wind. Her Jinghong Sword was still sheathed, but the pressure of a fourth-level Nascent Soul cultivator already pressed down like an invisible mountain. Her gaze fell on Luo Lie, her voice cold: "Luo Lie, sect rules forbid private sparring before the Centennial Grand Competition. Do you think you're just for show?"

Luo Lie's movements abruptly halted. He certainly recognized Ye Shuanghua, the youngest genius disciple of the sect leader's lineage, whose reputation for the Jinghong Sword was known throughout the Hehuan Sect. He gritted his teeth, withdrew the scorching spiritual energy, and took a half-step back: "Senior Sister Ye, I just..." Before he could finish speaking, Ye Shuanghua interrupted him with a glance. She said calmly, "Go back to your cave. Whatever it is, settle it on the arena during the competition."

Luo Lie stared at her for a few moments, then glanced at Li Hanshan, finally letting out a cold snort before turning and striding away. A crimson beam of light shot into the sky and quickly disappeared into the horizon. The disciples who had been watching, seeing there was no more excitement, gradually dispersed, but murmurs of discussion still rose and fell among the crowd.

Ye Shuanghua withdrew her oppressive aura, turned to Li Hanshan, and watched Luo Lie disappear into the distance. She whispered, "He did it on purpose."

Li Hanshan looked in the direction where the crimson light disappeared and nodded: "I know. He was testing my true cultivation level."

Ye Shuanghua glanced at him, a barely perceptible smile appearing at the corner of her lips: "It's good that you could see it. Although Luo Lie seems reckless, he's very meticulous. His outburst today, seemingly to stand up for Wang Hao, was actually an attempt to ascertain your strength before the competition. Your move just now revealed your peak Nascent Soul cultivation. But it's alright, at least you didn't reveal anything more."

Li Hanshan turned around: "Besides Luo Lie and Wang Hao, who else is a genius at the peak of the Nascent Soul stage?"

Ye Shuanghua pondered for a moment: "Among the Nascent Soul generation, the truly top-tier ones are neither Luo Lie nor Wang Hao."

Li Hanshan raised an eyebrow slightly: "Who is that?"

"The Yin-Yang Prince—Xuan Yinzi." When Ye Shuanghua uttered this name, her tone was noticeably more solemn than before. "He is the Second Elder's closed-door disciple. His cultivation method is extremely special, requiring him to simultaneously absorb both Yin and Yang spiritual energy to maintain a balance in his cultivation. Over the years, he has been cultivating a large number of furnaces, both male and female, numbering at least a thousand. These furnaces are kept in his cave, where they are nourished by his spiritual power in rotation using specific cultivation methods, allowing his cultivation speed to far surpass that of others at the same level."

"Thousands of furnaces?" Li Hanshan's heart skipped a beat. Thousands of furnaces, even if each furnace only contributed a wisp of spiritual power, the total amount would be enough to make any Nascent Soul cultivator pale in comparison. Xuan Yinzi's cultivation method was less a matter of talent and more an overwhelming advantage built up through sheer numbers.

Ye Shuanghua continued, "Xuan Yinzi rarely shows himself. His cave dwelling is located in the Second Elder's private forbidden area, and ordinary disciples don't even have the right to approach it. However, his strength is recognized as the strongest among the Nascent Soul generation. He once severely injured a core disciple in the early stage of the Divine Transformation realm when he was at the peak of the Nascent Soul stage. He will definitely participate in this centennial competition, aiming to win first place in the Nascent Soul group in preparation for entering the Myriad Spirits Secret Realm."

After listening, Li Hanshan remained silent for a moment. The difficulty of this century-long competition—competing with Xuan Yinzi, Luo Lie, and Wang Hao—far surpasses that of ten years ago.

Seeing his thoughtful expression, Ye Shuanghua didn't say anything more, only reminding him, "The competition is in two months. Stay home as much as possible and focus on your cultivation." Then she transformed into a streak of silver-white light and left.