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

Half a month passed in the blink of an eye.

Inside the cave, Li Hanshan and Hua Nongying pressed their palms together, fully activating the Yang Ce technique. Golden pure Yang energy and Hua Nongying's spiritual power circulated endlessly within their bodies.

For the past two weeks, the two have hardly left the house.

Hua Nongying used every trick in the book to help Li Hanshan cultivate. She was naturally alluring and skilled in seductive arts, and her wholehearted cooperation allowed Li Hanshan to experience her tenderness to the fullest. Each time they cultivated together, their yang and yin patterns resonated, and both of their cultivation levels steadily improved.

Finally, on this morning, half a month later.

"boom!"

A muffled sound came from Li Hanshan's body, and the spiritual energy in his dantian suddenly surged.

Foundation Building Level Two!

Breakthrough!

"Han Lang, you...you've broken through again?"

Hua Nongying opened her eyes wearily, her beautiful eyes filled with disbelief.

How long has it been?

He broke through the Foundation Establishment stage after returning from Heyang County, and in less than half a month, he broke through another level.

It's important to know that other members of the Hehuan Sect who have reached the Foundation Establishment stage need at least several years of arduous cultivation to advance from the first to the second level. Even those with exceptional talent would need a year or two. Li Hanshan, on the other hand, broke through in just half a month.

"The Foundation Establishment of the Heavenly Dao is truly extraordinary."

While Hua Nongying was amazed, a hint of worry flashed in her eyes.

"Hanlang, there's something I need to remind you of."

Li Hanshan looked at her.

"You'd better not reveal the matter of your Foundation Establishment under the Heavenly Dao," Hua Nongying said seriously. "At least until you have enough strength, don't let too many people know."

Why?

Hua Nongying lowered her voice: "There are quite a few Golden Core demonesses in the Hehuan Sect. If they set their sights on you, you'll be in trouble."

Li Hanshan felt a chill run down his spine.

Hua Nongying is right.

In the Joyful Union Sect, being too outstanding isn't necessarily a good thing. Those Golden Core demonesses are all ruthless and heartless. The fact that the golden-robed elder tried to take away two female disciples who hadn't passed the test in front of everyone is a testament to that.

Although a Foundation Establishment cultivator is a genius and can be valued by the sect, the problem is that he is a hundred years old when he achieves Foundation Establishment. The sect's expectations of him will be lowered, so it's better to keep a low profile.

"I understand." He nodded.

Hua Nongying added, "You can tell people about the two Foundation Establishment cultivators from the Yinming Sect. But keep the matter of the Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment cultivator a secret if you can. Anyway, you're over a hundred years old, so no one will think that way."

Li Hanshan wholeheartedly agreed.

After a period of tenderness, Hua Nongying finally fell into a deep sleep.

Li Hanshan stood up, took out the Soul Banner, and probed it with his divine sense.

Inside the soul banner, Xiao An sat cross-legged, surrounded by yin energy. She had obtained a considerable amount of residual yin soul power from Wang Meng's soul banner and had been refining and absorbing it during this time. Her soul body was much more solid than before, and the aura she emitted was also several times stronger.

Sensing Li Hanshan's divine sense, Xiao An opened her eyes and respectfully said, "Senior."

"How's it going?"

"In a few more days, I should be able to recover to the strength of the third level of Foundation Establishment," Xiao An said.

Li Hanshan nodded.

Xiao An was originally at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, but his strength dropped considerably after being refined into a Yin Soul. If he could recover to the third level of Foundation Establishment, it would be a great help to him.

He withdrew his divine sense and carefully put away the soul banner.

A few more days passed.

On this day, several powerful auras flew in from outside the mountain gate.

Li Hanshan stepped out of the cave and looked into the distance.

Above them, Wu Zhanlong, Jiang Nianwei, and the others were flying towards the main peak. They all looked travel-worn, clearly indicating that their pursuit of the remnants of the Yinming Sect had not been successful.

Wu Zhanlong's face was gloomy, and the pressure from his Golden Core stage cultivation was even more intense than usual. Jiang Nianwei maintained her aloof demeanor, but a hint of weariness lingered between her brows.

Just as Li Hanshan was about to withdraw his gaze, he suddenly sensed an even more terrifying aura descending from the highest point of the main peak.

That aura was vast and unfathomable, far surpassing Wu Zhanlong and Jiang Nianwei by more than one level.

An old man in purple robes flew down from the top of the main peak and landed on the sect square.

"It's the Third Elder."

Hua Nongying said softly.

Third Elder!

She continued to explain, "Not every Golden Core cultivator in the Hehuan Sect can become an elder. Apart from Elder Jiang, who is quite special due to his alchemy skills, other Golden Core cultivators must have the cultivation level of the late Golden Core stage to become an elder."

Li Hanshan asked, "What is the Third Elder's cultivation level?"

Hua Nongying said, "Peak Golden Core stage, only one step away from Nascent Soul."

Good guy!

Peak of the Golden Core stage!

Once you reach the Foundation Establishment stage, the difference in strength between each level becomes enormous, and if you reach the Golden Core stage, the difference is even more astonishing.

"The Third Elder has been at the peak of the Golden Core stage for many years, and he must have encountered a bottleneck. Therefore, he is currently in charge of the Hehuan Sect."

Hua Nong will elaborate on the details.

Meanwhile, on the other side...

The Third Elder landed on the plaza, his gaze sweeping over the returning crowd, his brow furrowing slightly.

"Did the fake pill escape?"

Wu Zhanlong clasped his hands in a fist salute, his tone tinged with resentment: "Reporting to the Third Elder, that scoundrel was extremely cunning. He used a substitution technique, and although I chased him for three days and three nights, he still managed to escape."

The Third Elder remained silent, his gaze fixed on Deacon Lu.

Deacon Lu was pale, his chest was wrapped in bandages, and blood was still seeping out. He was badly injured, and his breathing was extremely weak. Clearly, he had suffered a great loss on this trip.

"Deacon Lu, your injury..."

"I was injured by that fake pill-wielding old demon, but fortunately I survived," Deacon Lu said weakly.

The Third Elder nodded, then suddenly said, "Go and summon everyone who went on this mission."

A disciple immediately took the order and left.

Before long, Li Hanshan and Liu Ruoxue landed on the square one after the other.

Liu Ruoxue was still dressed in white, cold as ice. She glanced at Li Hanshan, then looked away, as if she didn't recognize him.

Li Hanshan didn't mind, and clasped his hands in a salute to the Third Elder: "Disciple Li Hanshan greets the Third Elder."

The Third Elder's gaze fell on him, and he looked him up and down.

That gaze was almost tangible, carrying a penetrating power, as if it wanted to see through Li Hanshan from the inside out.

Li Hanshan's heart tightened, and he quickly concealed his aura.

He used the concealment technique taught to him by the maid Luo Li, which was extremely skillful. As long as there was no direct contact with the other party or their spiritual power, even a Golden Core cultivator would not easily be able to see through his true cultivation level.

He had already revealed his Foundation Establishment cultivation level, so he suppressed his cultivation to the first level of Foundation Establishment.

After a moment, the Third Elder withdrew his gaze and said calmly, "You've only been in the sect for half a year, yet you've already broken through to the Foundation Establishment stage. Your cultivation speed is indeed quite fast."

Li Hanshan's heart tightened.

These three elders seem to know him!

"What? He broke through to the Foundation Establishment stage?"

Deacon Lu was startled, and his heart sank.

Not only him, but the other disciples in the sect square also showed surprise.

"I had a fortuitous encounter in Heyang County and managed to break through to the next level," Li Hanshan said, bowing his head.

"A fortuitous encounter?" The Third Elder smiled faintly. "What kind of fortuitous encounter could allow a centenarian like you to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage?"

Just as Li Hanshan was about to speak, Jiang Nianwei interjected, "Third Elder, let's get down to business first." The Third Elder glanced at Jiang Nianwei and nodded, "Alright."

He looked at Li Hanshan and Liu Ruoxue: "You two, tell me about your experiences in Heyang County from beginning to end."