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

In the days that followed, Jiang Nianwei came to the Dan Hall almost every day to ask Li Hanshan for guidance on ancient alchemy methods.

It was said that she was asking for advice, but in reality, she was asking questions and Li Hanshan was answering. He could answer some questions, but not others, so he could only say that the prescriptions were not detailed enough and that he was just reciting from the book.

Even these scattered bits of ancient alchemical knowledge benefited Jiang Nianwei greatly.

Li Hanshan watched from the side, secretly amazed. Jiang Nianwei's mastery of alchemy was indeed profound. There were many things he only had a superficial understanding of, but she could draw inferences from a few words and deduce complete theories. Often, she would understand the logic behind what he had just begun to say.

He was indeed a master of alchemy at the Golden Core stage.

The two of them, one teaching and the other learning, spent almost half a month doing so without realizing it.

On this day, after watching Li Hanshan finish refining the last batch of pills, Jiang Nianwei remained silent for a long time before suddenly standing up and solemnly bowing to Li Hanshan.

Li Hanshan was startled and quickly stepped aside, asking, "Senior, what are you doing?"

"You deserve this bow." Jiang Nianwei straightened up, her eyes filled with emotion. "The ancient alchemy methods have been lost for a long time. I have been searching for them for years, but I have never been able to get started. What I have learned from you these past few days is enough to help me advance further in my alchemy journey."

She took a storage bag from her sleeve and handed it to Li Hanshan: "This is a thank-you gift."

Li Hanshan took the storage bag, scanned it with his divine sense, and was shocked.

Inside, there were 100,000 spirit stones, more than a dozen bottles of high-quality pills, and a third-grade pill furnace.

This gift of gratitude is truly substantial.

"Thank you, senior." He did not refuse and put the storage bag away.

Jiang Nian nodded slightly, turned around and walked into the depths of the Pill Hall to continue her secluded alchemy practice.

Li Hanshan did not linger on Jade Peak and returned to the main peak with the elixirs.

He went to Shuanghua Peak first.

Liu Ruoxue's cave remained as cold as ever. When she saw him arrive, she merely gave him a cold glance, not even bothering to utter the word "get lost."

Li Hanshan was already used to her attitude, so he didn't waste any words and simply placed a jade bottle on the ice jade bed.

"The Nourishing Essence Pill is for strengthening the foundation and cultivating vitality. Your breakthrough was too fast, and your foundation is a bit unstable. Use this to consolidate it."

Liu Ruoxue's gaze fell on the jade bottle, a complex look flashing in her eyes.

"I don't want to," she said coldly.

"what ever."

Li Hanshan turned and left.

As he reached the door, without turning his head, he said, "If you throw it away, I'll bring you some more next time I come. Anyway, I can refine pills now, so I can make as many as you want."

After saying that, he strode away.

Liu Ruoxue watched his figure disappear into the cave entrance, then looked down at the jade bottle, her eyes filled with a mixture of coldness and struggle.

After a long while, she reached out and grasped the jade bottle in her palm.

When Li Hanshan returned to Hua Nongying's cave, he found that there was an extra person inside.

Sparse clouds and a bright moon.

The woman who, before the secret realm assessment, specifically went to the entrance of Hua Nongying's cave to mock her and made Hua Nongying so angry that she almost cried.

At this moment, she was sitting on the stone couch, chatting and laughing with Hua Nongying. The two were very close, Hua Nongying holding a pipe and Yun Shuyue holding a cup of spiritual tea, and the atmosphere seemed quite harmonious.

Li Hanshan paused in his steps.

Hua Nongying saw him and waved with a smile: "Hanlang, you're back. Come, let me introduce you. This is Senior Sister Yun Shuyue, my... old friend."

old friend?

Li Hanshan walked in, his gaze sweeping over the two men, and he already understood a few things.

really.

Yun Shuyue's sarcastic remarks at Hua Nongying's cave entrance were probably all an act. Hua Nongying's pitiful, tearful expression was also an act for him. The purpose, of course, was to make him feel sorry for her and to get him to offer to help her break through to the Foundation Establishment stage.

This vixen's acting skills are truly top-notch.

Yun Shuyue glanced at Li Hanshan a few times, her gaze filled with scrutiny and curiosity.

"You're Li Hanshan? Nongying has mentioned you to me many times."

Li Hanshan sat down next to Hua Nongying and said calmly, "Senior Sister Yun."

Yun Shuyue didn't beat around the bush and spoke directly.

"Junior Brother Li, you're in trouble."

Li Hanshan raised an eyebrow: "What's difficult?"

"Do you remember when you shed your former role as a cultivation vessel and became an inner disciple?"

After a moment's thought, Li Hanshan's heart sank slightly.

It's been almost a year.

"That's right." Yun Shuyue nodded. "According to the rules of the Hehuan Sect, inner disciples who have been promoted from furnace cauldrons will undergo an annual assessment after one year. If they fail the assessment, they will be reverted to their original form and become furnace cauldrons again."

Li Hanshan: "Is this also true for core disciples?"

"Of course, core disciples also belong to the inner sect."

Yun Shuyue nodded, her gaze turning serious: "I've already heard about Wu Tianxiong and Deacon Lu. They'll sabotage this assessment so you won't pass."

Li Hanshan's face darkened.

Annual performance review.

After becoming an inner disciple, he made rapid progress, first breaking through to the Foundation Establishment stage and then becoming a core disciple, almost forgetting about this matter.

Unexpectedly, the knife was still hanging over my head.

"What are the contents of the annual performance review?" he asked.

"Not necessarily." Yun Shuyue shook her head. "The assessment content is jointly determined by the Foreign Affairs Hall and the Internal Affairs Hall, and it's different every time. But one thing is certain—they will definitely set the difficulty to the highest level, so that you won't be able to come back."

Hua Nongying put down her pipe, her expression turning serious: "Hanlang, this is troublesome. Wu Zhanlong is a Golden Core Elder, and he wields considerable influence in the External Affairs Hall. Deacon Lu is also a deacon in the External Affairs Hall. If the two of them join forces, it would be incredibly easy for them to sabotage the assessment."

Li Hanshan remained silent.

Yun Shuyue added, "I came here today on Nongying's behalf to tell you this news. As for how to deal with it, you'll have to figure that out yourself."

She stood up: "I've delivered the message, I'll be going now."

Hua Nongying rose to see him off.

After Yun Shuyue left, Hua Nongying returned to Li Hanshan's side and softly leaned into his arms.

"Hanlang, what should we do?"

Li Hanshan put his arm around her waist, his gaze fixed on the sea of ​​clouds outside the cave, and pondered for a long time.

"We'll meet force with force and water with earth," he said calmly. "They want me to fail the test? They'll have to see if they have the ability."

Hua Nongying raised her head and looked at his sharply defined jawline, a hint of infatuation flashing in her beautiful eyes.

This man, despite being in dire straits, never panicked.

"Hanlang, no matter what happens, I'll always be on your side," she whispered.

Li Hanshan lowered his head and gently kissed her forehead.

"I know."

In the days that followed, Li Hanshan cultivated even more diligently.

During the day, he used the Qi-Nourishing Pill to consolidate his foundation and practiced the Fire Escape Technique and several attack techniques taught to him by Luo Li; at night, he practiced dual cultivation with Hua Nongying and improved his cultivation with the help of the Yang Book Technique; every few days, he would go to Shuanghua Peak to "trade" with Liu Ruoxue, exchanging his pure Yang Qi for her extremely Yin cold Qi.

His cultivation level was increasing at a visible rate.

Having reached the fifth level of Foundation Establishment, he was gradually approaching his peak.

And the date for the annual performance review is getting closer and closer.