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

Deep within the main peak, in a secluded cave shrouded by numerous restrictions, a warm fragrance permeates the air, and gauze curtains hang low.

Xuan Yinzi leaned against a large jade couch, his long hair loose and draped over his shoulders. He was shirtless, revealing his well-defined chest. His features were exquisite, his face delicate, and a faint silver line was visible between his brows. He was like a soft sword hidden in its sheath, seemingly harmless, yet ready to be drawn at any moment to strike.

On either side of the jade couch, seven or eight beautiful female cultivators sat or lay around him, some massaging his shoulders, some peeling spirit fruits and feeding them to his lips, and some quietly resting by his legs with their eyes closed. The air was filled with a sweet, cloying fragrance, mixed with several different spiritual energies, like a pool of hot spring being stirred.

A crimson light suddenly illuminated the cave. Luo Lie appeared at the cave entrance, paused for a moment upon seeing the bed full of beauties, then strode in, his tone tinged with displeasure: "Xuan Yinzi, you certainly know how to enjoy yourself."

Xuan Yinzi opened his eyes, a flash of silver light appearing in his pupils, but it vanished in an instant. He slowly sat up straight, casually patted the hand of a female cultivator beside him, signaling her to step back, and then looked at Luo Lie: "What? Didn't you go to see that old man from the Northern Wilderness today? You're back so soon?" His voice was languidly hoarse, with a slight upward inflection at the end.

This guy never leaves his cave, yet he knows the situation of the Hehuan Sect like the back of his hand.

Luo Lie sat down on the stone bench opposite the jade couch, picked up the spiritual tea on the table and took a sip: "He's at the peak of the Nascent Soul stage."

Xuan Yinzi's brow twitched slightly: "Oh?"

"Moreover, his pure yang fire is extremely powerful." Luo Lie put down his teacup and stared directly at Xuan Yinzi. "My Heavenly Fire Spirit Body is completely impenetrable to his fire shield, it's like... I've met my nemesis."

Luo Lie was clearly reluctant to admit it, but he still told the truth: "The intelligence was correct. That old man is indeed quite capable. I've found out his background."

A playful smile appeared on Xuan Yinzi's lips: "Peak Nascent Soul stage, Pure Yang Holy Body, Pure Yang Fire... Interesting." He tapped his knee lightly with his fingertips. "This junior brother that Ye Shuanghua took in is not a good-for-nothing."

Wang Hao had arrived sometime earlier, still leaning against the stone wall by the door, arms crossed, his moon-white robe spotless. He looked at Xuan Yinzi, his tone as languid as ever: "How do you plan to deal with him?"

Xuan Yinzi tilted his head slightly, his gaze filled with a keen interest as he examined the body: "The Pure Yang Holy Body... if I could absorb a few mouthfuls of it, it might be of great use to my Yin-Yang balance."

His voice wasn't loud, but it caused the air in the cave to freeze slightly for a moment. The female cultivators surrounding him unconsciously held their breath upon hearing this.

Luo Lie chimed in, "Don't talk like he's guaranteed to lose to you. That old man could injure Wang Hao when he was at the seventh level of the Nascent Soul stage, and now that he's at the peak of the Nascent Soul stage, do you think he'll be so easily taken by you?" He paused, his tone slightly annoyed, "Besides, Ye Shuanghua is protecting him fiercely. You can't just snatch him away in front of Ye Shuanghua, can you?"

Xuan Yinzi did not refute, but just smiled and said, "No rush. One day, he will fall into my hands." After he finished speaking, he leaned back on the jade couch, closed his eyes, as if he had already made up his mind about this matter.

Just then, voices came from afar: "Quick, look! Senior Brother Lin has emerged from seclusion!" "Which Senior Brother Lin?" "Lin Luochen! Lin Luochen, at the sixth level of the Nascent Soul stage!" "He's been in seclusion for thirty years, and he's finally emerged! I heard he went straight to the trial grounds to challenge the top three in the Nascent Soul group!" "Let's go, let's go see the excitement!"

Upon hearing the name "Lin Luochen," Wang Hao's lazy smile faded slightly. Luo Lie's expression also became more serious: "Even he has emerged from seclusion... This century-long competition is truly a chaotic mess."

Xuan Yinzi opened his eyes and looked at the streaks of light converging towards the training ground outside the cave. A thoughtful glint flashed in his eyes. He didn't speak, but casually tossed the spiritual fruit in his hand to a female cultivator beside him, then stood up, put on an outer robe, and walked out of the cave.

Meanwhile, in a cave at the southern foot of the main peak, Li Hanshan sat cross-legged, pure Yang energy flowing slowly through his sea of ​​consciousness. The Chongyang primordial embryo had grown to the size of an egg, its golden light swirling with intricate patterns, like a star in the making. But it was still one step away from complete formation—he needed an even purer form of extreme Yin energy to catalyze the embryo's final transformation.

After thinking about it, he decided to go find Zhang Qingxuan.

Zhang Qingxuan cultivates an extremely Yin body, and the purity of her extremely Yin energy far surpasses that of ordinary people. During their last dual cultivation, he could feel that the extremely Yin energy had a significant catalytic effect on his pure Yang primordial embryo. However, last time he didn't understand the method of condensing the double Yang primordial embryo. Now that the embryo has taken shape, if he can use her extremely Yin energy to temper it once more, he will be confident in breaking through that final barrier.

He got up and went to Ye Shuanghua's cave. Ye Shuanghua was wiping the Jinghong Sword. After he explained his purpose, she put down the sword and glanced at him: "You want to cultivate with Senior Sister Zhang?" Her tone was calm, but Li Hanshan noticed that when she said this, her gaze unconsciously avoided his eyes.

"I'm still missing the final step in the cultivation technique I'm practicing," he said truthfully. "Senior Sister Zhang's extremely Yin body is helpful to me."

Ye Shuanghua remained silent for a moment, then sheathed the Jinghong Sword and stood up: "I'll take you to find her."

Zhang Qingxuan's cave dwelling was nestled in a valley shrouded in spiritual mist on the southeast side of the main peak. The three of them passed through the mist and arrived at a courtyard surrounded by green bamboo. Zhang Qingxuan was sitting at a stone table in the courtyard, reading an ancient scroll. Seeing the two of them arrive together, she raised an eyebrow slightly: "Oh? What brings you two here?"

Ye Shuanghua didn't beat around the bush and briefly explained Li Hanshan's situation. After listening, Zhang Qingxuan's gaze fell on those clear eyes, and after a moment, a gentle smile appeared on her lips: "It's rare for you to ask me for a favor; if I don't agree, wouldn't that be unreasonable?"

Ye Shuanghua didn't linger, giving Li Hanshan a few words of advice before turning and leaving. The courtyard gate closed, and the green bamboo rustled in the wind. Zhang Qingxuan turned and walked calmly into the house, her voice drifting from ahead: "Come in."