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

Liu Ruoxue spoke first.

Her voice was cold and concise as she recounted the events. When she spoke of Deacon Lu being ambushed by the ghosts and the group scattering to break through the encirclement, she paused, her gaze shifting to Deacon Lu, a cold glint flashing in her eyes.

"After breaking through the encirclement, I unexpectedly encountered Li Hanshan. Deacon Lu..."

Just as she was about to continue, Li Hanshan suddenly interrupted her.

"Deacon Lu fought bravely against the enemy, covering our breakout, but he himself was injured by that fake Core Formation Demon. If Deacon Lu hadn't held that demon back, Senior Sister Liu and I probably wouldn't have been able to escape."

Upon hearing this, Steward Lu was taken aback.

He originally thought that Li Hanshan would take the opportunity to expose him, but to his surprise, the old man not only did not kick him when he was down, but also spoke well of him.

Liu Ruoxue frowned and looked at Li Hanshan, her eyes full of confusion.

Li Hanshan didn't look at her and continued, "Later, Senior Sister Liu and I fled all the way and encountered two Foundation Establishment cultivators from the Yinming Sect. Deacon Lu was not there, so we had no choice but to fight to the death. Fortunately, after cultivating with Senior Sister Liu, I broke through to the Foundation Establishment stage, and with her cooperation, we managed to kill those two."

As he spoke, he took out several soul banners, as well as some unique magical artifacts and storage bags from the Yinming Sect, and presented them with both hands.

"These are the soul banners and belongings of those two individuals. Please take a look, Third Elder."

Li Daoshan said.

These words elicited various reactions from those present.

"As expected, he won over Liu Ruoxue!" Deacon Lu's face darkened.

Liu Ruoxue's pretty face turned cold. She hadn't expected that Li Hanshan would not only speak up for Deacon Lu, but also reveal that the two of them had already had a relationship.

After the Third Elder's gaze swept over Li Hanshan and Liu Ruoxue, he seemed to understand something, and then took the Soul Banner and examined it.

At this moment, Deacon Lu spoke up: "Third Elder, what Junior Brother Li said is true. Although I was seriously injured, I saw the traces of battle along the way. Junior Brother Li did indeed fight those two Foundation Establishment cultivators from the Yinming Sect, and he won."

He spoke with such sincerity, as if he had witnessed it firsthand.

Li Hanshan sneered inwardly.

His reason for covering up for Deacon Lu was not out of magnanimity, but rather a choice made after weighing the pros and cons.

Although Deacon Lu is cunning, his biggest enemies right now are Wu Tianxiong and Wu Zhanlong. If he were to make enemies with Deacon Lu as well, he would be surrounded by enemies on three sides, and he would find it impossible to move an inch in the Hehuan Sect.

It would be better to do Deacon Lu a favor.

At least, let him remain neutral for the time being and not join forces with Wu Tianxiong.

As for the future, we'll settle this score when he's strong enough.

Although Deacon Lu resented Li Hanshan for ruining his plans, he was even more afraid that Liu Ruoxue would expose what he had done. Given his status, position, and connections within the sect, although he might not face severe punishment, his future position would certainly be greatly damaged.

Not to mention, this guy also cares about his public reputation.

That's why Deacon Lu spoke up for Li Hanshan.

The Third Elder returned the Soul Banners to Li Hanshan, saying, "These two Soul Banners were obtained from your killing of a Foundation Establishment cultivator from the Yinming Sect. According to the sect's rules, they belong to you. As for other rewards, I will decide on them after reporting to the Sect Master."

"Thank you, Third Elder."

Li Hanshan took the soul banner and stepped aside.

The atmosphere in the square relaxed somewhat. The core disciples looked at Li Hanshan with a mixture of apprehension and curiosity.

How could a centenarian suddenly reach the Foundation Establishment stage so quickly and even kill two Foundation Establishment cultivators?

This strength should not be underestimated.

Just then, a piercing sound rang out.

"I don't believe it!"

The speaker was Wu Tianxiong.

He stepped out from behind Wu Zhanlong, staring intently at Li Hanshan, his face full of disbelief.

"As far as I know, one of those two Foundation Establishment cultivators was in the mid-stage. How could you, a mere old codger who just broke through, possibly have killed them? In my opinion, you clearly used some underhanded methods, or you're simply lying!"

His voice was so loud that everyone present could hear it clearly.

The eyes of many disciples swept back and forth between Li Hanshan and Wu Tianxiong. Some were watching the show, some were gloating, and some were worried for Li Hanshan.

Li Hanshan looked at Wu Tianxiong, a slight smile playing on his lips.

I've been waiting for you.

"Senior Brother Wu doesn't believe me?" he said calmly.

"Of course I don't believe it!" Wu Tianxiong sneered. "If you really have that ability, do you dare to have a match with me?"

Right in the middle.

Li Hanshan looked at the Third Elder: "Third Elder, since Senior Brother Wu does not believe me, I am willing to have a match with him to prove my innocence."

The Third Elder raised an eyebrow and glanced at Wu Zhanlong.

Wu Zhanlong's face darkened, and he was about to speak when the Third Elder nodded first: "Very well, let this elder see your strength."

Wu Zhanlong had to swallow the words that were on the tip of his tongue.

In the square, the crowd automatically stepped back, making way for an open space.

Wu Tianxiong strode to the center of the open space, releasing his Foundation Establishment stage aura without reservation. He stared at Li Hanshan, his eyes filled with contempt.

"Old man, don't say I'm bullying you. I'll give you three moves."

Li Hanshan smiled.

"No need."

Before he finished speaking, he moved.

Hokage Step!

With a flash of fire beneath his feet, Li Hanshan transformed into a blur and instantly appeared in front of Wu Tianxiong.

So fast!

Wu Tianxiong's pupils contracted, and he instinctively tried to back away.

But Li Hanshan was faster.

A fireball condensed at his fingertips, golden light flickering, its temperature terrifyingly high, scorching and distorting the surrounding air.

boom!

The fireball exploded in front of Wu Tianxiong's chest.

Wu Tianxiong groaned, forced back several steps by the blast. A large hole was burned through his robe, revealing the protective spirit armor underneath. The armor shimmered with light, blocking most of the fireball's power, but the scorching heat still penetrated it, causing a burning pain in his chest.

"you!"

He was both shocked and furious, and was about to retaliate when Li Hanshan's second fireball arrived.

Then came the third and the fourth.

Li Hanshan gave him no chance to breathe. Fireballs were fired like a machine gun, each one landing precisely on Wu Tianxiong. Wu Tianxiong was forced into a retreat, unable to mount an effective counterattack.

"How is that possible!"

Wu Tianxiong was utterly horrified.

He was also at the Foundation Establishment stage, but in front of Li Hanshan, he didn't even have a chance to fight back.

That old man is too fast, and the fireballs are too powerful!

Most importantly, this guy actually dared to engage in close-quarters combat!

The surrounding disciples stared in disbelief.

"Senior Brother Wu was actually getting beaten up?"

"That old man's fireballs are incredibly powerful; I can feel the heat even from this far away."

"Didn't he just break through to the Foundation Establishment stage? How come he's so powerful?"

A sinister glint flashed in Deacon Lu's eyes.

In his view, Li Hanshan was so strong that he must have relied on Liu Ruoxue.

Liu Ruoxue possesses a top-grade ice spiritual root, and the primordial yin energy within her body is a great tonic for someone with a pure yang body. Li Hanshan must have absorbed Liu Ruoxue's essence to break through so quickly and possess such formidable combat power.

Thinking of this, a deep hatred resurfaced in Deacon Lu's heart.

Liu Ruoxue was originally his prey!

If it weren't for this old man's interference, he would have been the one to steal Liu Ruoxue's essence!

He's the one who broke through to the Golden Core stage!

But now, all of that has been ruined by Li Hanshan.

Deacon Lu clenched his fists, but his face remained expressionless.

The battle was nearing its end.

Wu Tianxiong was overwhelmed by Li Hanshan's barrage of fireballs, and the light on his protective spirit armor grew dimmer and dimmer, on the verge of shattering.

That's enough.

Wu Zhanlong finally spoke.

With a flick of his sleeve, a golden light shot out, blocking Li Hanshan's fireball.

Li Hanshan stopped and stood calmly, as if he had just stretched his muscles.

Wu Tianxiong, on the other hand, was in a sorry state. His robes were burned to tatters, his hair was singed, his face was ashen, and his eyes were filled with resentment.

"Thank you for your concession."

Li Hanshan said calmly.

Wu Tianxiong stared intently at him, wishing he could devour him alive, but in front of the Third Elder, he dared not act rashly and could only grit his teeth and retreat behind Wu Zhanlong.

The Third Elder looked at Li Hanshan with a hint of appreciation in his eyes.

"Not bad. To have such strength at the second level of Foundation Establishment is truly rare."

He paused, then suddenly said, "Li Hanshan, would you be willing to become my disciple and be my personal student?"