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

In the square, just as Zhao Shoudao's gray-robed figure disappeared around the corner of the stone steps, Chang Sheng squeezed out from the crowd, quickly walked to the side of the platform, and approached Chen Jie. He subconsciously lowered his voice, his tone carrying an urgency he himself didn't realize: "Senior Brother Chen, Senior Brother Zhao... he lost."

Chen Jie stood behind the stone railing, his gaze fixed somberly on the arena, remaining silent. Seeing his silence, Chang Sheng took another half-step forward, lowering his voice even further: "Senior brother, that old man has one last elimination match left. He only needs one more win to advance to the finals. Why don't you... go yourself?"

When he said this, his tone carried an almost ingratiating probing tone, as if he was afraid that if he spoke too harshly, he would displease Chen Jie, or as if he was afraid that if he spoke too softly, he would miss the last opportunity.

Chen Jie finally turned around. His narrow eyes fell on Chang Sheng's face. After a long silence, the corners of his mouth twitched slightly, forming a stiff smile: "Are you teaching me how to do things?"

Chang Sheng felt a chill run down his spine and quickly lowered his head: "No, no! Junior brother just—"

"Zhao Shoudao is at the third level of the Nascent Soul stage." Chen Jie interrupted him, his voice carrying a deliberately calm tone, his pace neither fast nor slow, as if speaking to Chang Sheng, or perhaps convincing himself, "He was knocked off the stage in front of the entire sect by a Nascent Soul cultivator, a disgrace to the Ninth Elder. If I go up there, winning would be dishonorable, losing would be humiliating. What do you think, should I win or lose?"

He paused, shifting his gaze from Chang Sheng back to the arena. "Besides, Ye Shuanghua was able to suppress her cultivation level to target the Nascent Soul group, so it's already difficult for the Elders' Council to intervene. If I were to step in now, it would be even more embarrassing for the Ninth Elder."

Chang Sheng opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but found that every word Chen Jie spoke was like a wall, blocking all his words from his throat. In the end, he could only nod awkwardly and take half a step back: "Senior Brother Chen is right... it was junior brother who did not consider it carefully."

Chen Jie didn't look at him again, turning and walking towards the back of the platform. His steps remained composed, but the golden figure in the morning light revealed a crushed resentment. Chang Sheng stood there, watching the figure disappear at the end of the stone steps, then turned to look at the arena. The obsequious expression on his face completely crumbled, replaced by an undisguised unease.

Not far away, Wang Hao had already straightened his robes, retrieved the God-Slaying Spear that had rolled into the cracks in the stone steps, and leaned against a stone pillar, resuming his lazy demeanor, but with an undisguised mockery at the corner of his mouth. He didn't look in the direction Chen Jie had left, but only whispered to Luo Lie beside him, "See, even Chen Jie doesn't dare to go up."

Luo Lie snorted, rubbing his shoulder which was numb from Zhang Qingxuan's pat, and replied irritably, "Of course he wouldn't dare. Zhao Shoudao lost so badly; if he, a mere Nascent Soul cultivator, were to lose, it would be even more humiliating than Zhao Shoudao."

While the two were talking, the referee on the arena had already announced the list of participants for the next match. Li Hanshan's opponent in the fifth elimination round was a Nascent Soul peak disciple named Zhou Qing. Zhou Qing's cultivation was average; he had no special physique and no foundation in the Divine Transformation stage. When Zhou Qing stepped onto the arena, his face was noticeably pale, his eyes flickered, and his fingers gripping the sword hilt trembled slightly. After standing in the center of the arena, he clasped his hands in a fist salute to Li Hanshan, his voice somewhat hoarse: "Senior Brother Li, please give me your guidance."

Li Hanshan stepped onto the arena, his palm condensing a fist-sized ball of pure yang fire, but he didn't rush to attack. He looked at Zhou Qing's slightly pale face, and after a moment, simply raised his hand and gently waved it. The ball of purplish-gold flame traced a gentle arc in the air, landing on the stone slab three inches in front of Zhou Qing's feet, emitting a soft hissing sound. The flame burned on the stone slab for half a breath before extinguishing itself, leaving a faint scorch mark, like a warning that had been deliberately controlled.

Zhou Qing looked down at the scorch mark, then looked up at Li Hanshan. His lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he sheathed his longsword, took a step back, clasped his hands, and said, "I concede." The referee's voice rang out in the square, with a formulaic calmness: "Li Hanshan wins. Five wins in the knockout stage, advancing to the finals."

A cheer, even more enthusiastic than expected, erupted in the square. Those who had been worried that Zhou Qing would hold off Li Hanshan breathed a sigh of relief, while the disciples who had supported Li Hanshan from the beginning clapped and cheered. Someone shouted "Senior Brother Li is mighty!" from the crowd, and soon others echoed him. The scattered shouts merged into a cacophony of sound that reverberated across the South Slope Square for quite some time before gradually subsiding.

Li Hanshan didn't linger on the stage. After stepping down, he went straight back into the shadows of the waiting area. But even after he left, the whispers about him didn't disappear; instead, they grew even more heated among the crowd.

"Five wins out of five matches to advance to the finals! Senior Brother Li is really going to take first place this time!"

"Although Xuan Yinzi is powerful, Senior Brother Li even defeated a third-level Nascent Soul cultivator. Xuan Yinzi can't possibly be stronger than Zhao Shoudao, can he?"

"You can't say that. Xuan Yinzi didn't raise those tens of thousands of furnaces for nothing. His method of winning by sheer quantity is completely different from Zhao Shoudao's method of cultivating through hard work. Who knows how many trump cards he has up his sleeve?"

"Yu Mengjia is no less impressive. She is the Sixth Elder's closed-door disciple. It is said that she found an ancient ruin deep in the Wanling Mountains and obtained an extremely rare secret technique. To this day, no one has ever seen her actually use it."

"So, none of the three finalists this time are pushovers."

"That's much better! It's much more interesting than those one-sided competitions."

The murmurs continued throughout the afternoon, like seeds scattered by the wind, falling into every corner of the Hehuan Sect.

The spirit flag on the main peak plaza fluttered in the evening breeze, its inscription in large golden characters at the center, bearing the names of the three finalists: Li Hanshan, Xuan Yinzi, and Yu Mengjia. A disciple passing under the flag glanced up and whispered to his companion, "All three are at the peak of the Nascent Soul stage; this is truly a once-in-a-century event." "The last century-long competition also had three finalists, but the difference in strength was huge. This time, all three are about equal..." "Senior Brother Li has already fought two tough battles, while Xuan Yinzi and Yu Mengjia have barely participated; the difference in stamina is quite significant."

As night fell, lights began to illuminate the various caves on the main peak. Li Hanshan returned to his cave on the southern slope, sitting cross-legged on a stone couch, his pure Yang energy slowly circulating through his meridians. The radiance of the Chongyang Yuan Tai in his sea of ​​consciousness had recovered considerably compared to the previous night, but it was still far from its peak. The battle with Zhao Shoudao had depleted a great deal of his soul power and spiritual power. Although he had won, the deficiency deep within his body remained, and it could not be fully replenished in a short time.

Just then, two light footsteps sounded outside the cave. The stone door was knocked three times, then opened a crack on its own. A figure in pale blue stepped across the threshold first, her long hair tied up with a jade hairpin, her face beautiful and her aura calm and serene. It was Yu Mengjia.

Behind her followed another young woman, dressed in a light pink dress. She was also quite pretty, but her demeanor lacked Yu Mengjia's composure and was more reserved. The woman followed behind Yu Mengjia, her gaze darting uncomfortably over the furnishings in the cave before quickly returning to the ground in front of her feet, as if unsure where to look.

After entering the cave, Yu Mengjia glanced at Li Hanshan, then at the few remaining embers of spiritual light on the stone bed. A gentle smile appeared on her lips: "It seems I came at the right time. You've just finished practicing your cultivation; it's time to relax." She walked to the futon opposite the stone bed and sat down, her posture casual, as if she were in her own cave.

Li Hanshan opened his eyes and looked at the uninvited visitor in front of him: "Senior Sister Yu? You came to see me, is there something you need?" Yu Mengjia did not rush to answer, but first turned her head to look at the woman still standing at the door behind her, and waved to her: "Qingyao, don't stand so far away, come and sit down." The woman in the pink dress named Qingyao then carefully walked forward and sat down on the stone bench next to Yu Mengjia, with her hands on her knees, sitting upright, and even deliberately keeping her breathing light.

Yu Mengjia looked at Li Hanshan again, her tone light and half-joking: "Junior brother, I'm here today to pay off my gambling debts." Li Hanshan raised an eyebrow: "Gambling debts?" Yu Mengjia nodded, reaching out to pat the shoulder of the woman in the pink dress beside her: "Yesterday, before your match with Zhao Shoudao, I made a bet with Qingyao. I bet you could at least last for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, and Qingyao said you couldn't. In the end, you not only lasted, but you also won. Since she lost, she has to keep her promise—sleep with you for one night."