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

As dusk fell, candlelight flickered intermittently in the cave at the northern foot of the main peak.

Chen Jie sat in the main seat, holding a cup of spirit tea that had long since gone cold. He didn't drink it, just held it there. Chang Sheng and Wu Qingfeng sat opposite him, both looking rather grim. The atmosphere in the cave was like the sky before a storm—dull and oppressive.

"Two consecutive wins." Chen Jie finally spoke, his voice carrying a deliberately calm tone. "Defeated Wang Hao, defeated Luo Lie. Xuan Yinzi is unwilling to make a move. At this rate, he'll smoothly advance to the finals! By then, it will be too late to stop him."

Chang Sheng cautiously suggested, "Senior Brother Chen, why don't you go?"

Chen Jie shook his head: "If I suppress my cultivation, I can't defeat him, unless..." His eyes flashed: "...I don't suppress my cultivation!"

Not suppressing cultivation? Chang Sheng's eyes lit up. But then he felt it was unlikely: "Senior Brother Chen, the rules are set by the Elders' Council, we can't... change them on the spot, can we?" His voice trailed off, clearly he also felt the suggestion was unrealistic.

Chen Jie put down his teacup and stood up. He walked to the window of his cave dwelling, gazing at the faint outline of the main peak in the twilight, and remained silent for a moment. "Rules are rigid, but people are flexible," he said calmly and confidently. "The rules of the Nascent Soul group elimination tournament already include a supplementary clause stating that 'in special circumstances, the Elders' Council may temporarily adjust the competition format.' That clause was set up to deal with emergencies and is rarely used, but it does exist."

He turned around, his gaze falling on the two of them: "I'm going to see Elder Jiu. The rules must be changed by tomorrow."

.....

"Junior brother, you did a great job today." On the other side, a gentle senior sister welcomed Li Hanshan into his cave.

Zhang Qingxuan!

She came specifically to help Li Hanshan recover. Li Hanshan naturally didn't stand on ceremony and enjoyed the ultimate pleasure of the night, savoring Zhang Qingxuan's tenderness to the fullest.

The following morning, the crowd in the square was even more restless than in the previous days. The disciples who had come to watch the battle were still discussing Li Hanshan's victory over Xuan Yinzi the day before when they suddenly saw a steward from the External Affairs Hall walk out from the high platform, holding a golden jade slip in his hands, and standing solemnly in the center of the platform.

"Silence." The deacon's voice, amplified by spiritual energy, clearly reached the ears of everyone present.

The murmurs in the square quickly subsided, and all eyes were fixed on the scroll of jade. The deacon unfurled the scroll and announced loudly, "Following notification from the Elders' Council, the rules for the Nascent Soul group elimination rounds will be revised as follows: When Nascent Soul cultivators participate in the Nascent Soul group's interception, they will no longer be restricted by their cultivation level. Each Nascent Soul participant can be intercepted by a maximum of one early-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, who will then attack with their true full strength. This revision takes effect immediately."

The moment the words fell, the square fell into a deathly silence, then erupted like a lake tossed with a boulder, bursting into an unprecedentedly violent reaction. Exclamations, doubts, and angry shouts mingled together, like a pot of boiling porridge, steam rising and splashing everywhere.

"What?! Nascent Soul cultivators don't need to suppress their cultivation?!" "Then what can a Core Formation cultivator use to fight?" "In my opinion, this is clearly targeting Senior Brother Li!" "What does the Elders' Council mean by this? Blatantly changing the rules?" "This is outrageous! How can this be called a fair competition?"

Ye Shuanghua abruptly stood up at the edge of the platform, her gaze like two drawn swords, piercing directly at the deacon of the External Affairs Hall. "Wait," her voice was cold yet tinged with barely suppressed anger, "Rules revisions require a vote by all elders of the Elder Council. The Fifth Elder is not in the hall, and the Second Elder is in seclusion; how can this revision stand?"

The steward was forced back half a step by her overwhelming aura at the fourth level of the Nascent Soul realm, fine beads of sweat forming on his forehead. He had no choice but to answer, forcing a smile, "Senior Sister Ye, this revision… was issued by the Ninth Elder in his capacity as acting elder. According to sect rules, the presiding elder has the right to temporarily adjust the competition format under special circumstances." He paused, his voice lowering even further, "Furthermore, to prevent the competition from being delayed, the Ninth Elder added a supplementary rule—if a Nascent Soul cultivator can withstand the full force of a Nascent Soul cultivator for the duration of an incense stick's burning without being defeated, they will be considered to have passed the interception and can directly advance to the finals."

Ye Shuanghua's eyes flickered slightly, suppressing her simmering anger. She remained silent for a moment, then turned her gaze to the side of the platform where the Ninth Elder was located, her voice carrying a restrained coldness: "One incense stick's time. So, if a Nascent Soul cultivator goes all out, a Nascent Soul cultivator only needs to endure for one incense stick's time to win?"

The steward nodded hurriedly, "Exactly. The Ninth Elder said this is already the biggest concession we can make to Nascent Soul cultivators. If they can't even last for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, then it means their strength is indeed insufficient to enter the finals."

The discussions in the square continued, but the tone had clearly shifted. The disciples who had been furious gradually quieted down upon hearing the words "one incense stick's time," replaced by hesitant whispers: "One incense stick's time...it doesn't seem entirely impossible?" "Enduring one incense stick's time and defeating a Nascent Soul cultivator are two completely different things..." "But if it's a third-level Nascent Soul cultivator, can Senior Brother Li really endure one incense stick's time?"

Li Hanshan stood in the shadows of the waiting area. His sixth-level Nascent Soul stage divine sense acted like an invisible net, encompassing every sound and expression on the entire plaza. He remained silent, gazing calmly towards the high platform.

Ye Shuanghua stepped out from the crowd and came to his side, lowering her voice to say, "The 'one incense stick' time limit was a loophole deliberately left by the Ninth Elder. He knew you couldn't possibly defeat a Nascent Soul cultivator, so he gave you a seemingly feasible escape route—as long as you survive for the duration of one incense stick, you'll pass."

Li Hanshan nodded, his gaze still fixed on the steward who was putting away the jade slip: "Who will they send to stop me?"

Ye Shuanghua paused for a moment, her voice lowering even further: "As far as I know, the Ninth Elder has a disciple at the third level of the Nascent Soul stage named Zhao Shoudao. He has been in seclusion for many years and only emerged last month; he should be the one they arranged." She paused, her tone unusually solemn, "Zhao Shoudao's cultivation method is inherited from Chang Sheng's lineage, but his cultivation level is far superior. The total amount and quality of spiritual energy at the third level of the Nascent Soul stage are more than one level higher than at the peak of the Nascent Soul stage. If you cannot finish this quickly, the consumption of your pure Yang energy will increase exponentially. Surviving for even an incense stick's time will likely be very difficult."

Li Hanshan didn't reply. His gaze swept over the bustling crowd in the square, landing on the Foreign Affairs Hall steward who had already put away the jade slip, then across the calm face of the Ninth Elder on the high platform. A faint smile appeared on his lips: "Just one incense stick's time. Let it last until one incense stick's time."

Looking at his profile, Ye Shuanghua could read the unspoken message in the composure between his brows—he wasn't just putting on a brave face; he genuinely believed he could do it. She retracted her original thought of saying, "If you can't hold on, then admit defeat," and instead silently assessed Zhao Shoudao's cultivation level. Ultimately, she simply whispered, "Then hold on for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn."

Behind the platform, Chen Jie leaned against the stone railing, arms crossed, finally revealing his first genuine smile in half a month. He turned to Wu Qingfeng beside him and whispered, "Senior Brother Zhao hasn't used his full strength since emerging from seclusion. This old man is a good opportunity to test his sword."

After modifying the rules, he did not intend to go himself, because his strength was only at the first level of the Nascent Soul stage, and he was not 100% confident. Therefore, he chose to let Zhao Shoudao, who was at the third level of the Nascent Soul stage, go.

Wu Qingfeng nodded, his gaze falling on the waiting area, and the corners of his mouth unconsciously turned up slightly.

Chang Sheng stood at the front of the crowd, watching the golden jade slip being taken away by the steward, his face regaining that confident smile. He turned to the disciple beside him and whispered, "One incense stick? That old man probably won't even last half an incense stick." Several disciples echoed his sentiments, and laughter spread around them.

On the other side of the square, Yu Mengjia stood in the spectator area under the Sixth Elder's command. She watched the figure in cyan robes slowly emerge from the waiting area, her eyes gleaming with growing interest. She turned to a female disciple beside her and whispered, "How long do you think he can last?" The female disciple thought for a moment, "Half an incense stick's time? After all, a Nascent Soul cultivator would be quite remarkable if they could withstand a full-force attack from a third-level Nascent Soul cultivator for even a few dozen breaths."

Yu Mengjia didn't reply, but just watched the blue figure walking towards the arena. Her fingertips gently caressed the emerald green jade token in her sleeve, and the interested smile on her lips never faded.

As noon approached, sunlight streamed through gaps in the clouds, bathing the entire square in a dazzling halo.

On the high platform, the Ninth Elder remained seated beside the main seat, his expression calm. Chen Jie stood in the shadows behind him, like a hunter waiting for his prey to step into a trap. Chang Sheng and Wu Qingfeng stood at the front of the crowd, both with smiles on their lips, their eyes fixed intently on the main arena.

Across the arena, a gray figure slowly walked out from the side of the platform.

He was an ordinary-looking middle-aged man, around forty years old, with a slender build. He wore a faded gray robe and a plain bronze identity token hanging from his waist. His steps were calm and steady, each step landing precisely on the bluestone ground, with the precision of a fine instrument, without any unnecessary movements or leakage of any extra aura.

He stepped onto the arena, and once he stood still, his gaze fell upon Li Hanshan opposite him. Li Hanshan's ordinary face was expressionless; he merely nodded slightly, as if to acknowledge him.

"Zhao Shoudao," he began, his voice neither loud nor soft, as ordinary as his appearance. "Third level of Nascent Soul, twelve hundred years of cultivation, skilled in earth manipulation." He paused. "I will go all out, but I will not take your life. Survive for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, and you will pass. If you cannot, you may simply admit defeat."