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

Several days later, Yun Shuyue left the cave. Nourished by the pure Yang energy, her cultivation advanced again, and she was only one step away from the third level of Foundation Establishment. Hua Nongying also gained a lot; her foundation at the fourth level of Foundation Establishment was completely solidified, and she showed a faint trend of moving towards the fifth level of Foundation Establishment.

Hua Nongying leaned lazily against Li Hanshan's chest, her slender fingers tracing circles on his chest. Suddenly, she spoke up: "Hanlang, Senior Sister Yun just secretly asked me when she could break through as quickly as Liu Ruoxue and I."

Li Hanshan looked down at her: "What do you say?"

"I said, just do it a few more times." Hua Nongying chuckled.

What was her answer?

"She blushed and didn't say anything." Hua Nongying raised her head, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "But I can tell she's willing. Hanlang, although Senior Sister Yun is aloof, she's changed a lot since she started following you. She used to have a cold face all the time, but now she smiles occasionally."

Li Hanshan reached out and ruffled her hair: "You certainly know how to speak well of her."

Hua Nongying pursed her lips, then suddenly changed the subject: "By the way, Hanlang, judging by the time, haven't you and that ice block not done 'that' in a long time?"

Li Hanshan thought about it and realized it was true. First, Qin Muyue forcibly dragged him to the Netherworld, and then he spent several days wandering around in the Ghost Realm. After returning, he was busy cultivating with Hua Nongying and Yun Shuyue, so he hadn't been to Liu Ruoxue's place for a while.

"I should go find her." He stood up.

Hua Nongying tugged at his sleeve, stood on tiptoe, and kissed him on the cheek. Then she smiled like a cat that had just stolen some cream: "Go ahead, but remember to be gentle."

Li Hanshan shook his head and summoned his flying sword, heading towards Shuanghua Peak.

Meanwhile, in another cave on the main peak, Qin Muyue was sitting cross-legged on a jade couch.

Several days had passed since she returned to her cave. She changed out of her tattered purple dress and into a moon-white long gown. Her long hair was casually tied into a bun, making her appear less alluring and more aloof. But now, the languid composure on her face had vanished, replaced by gloom and resentment.

She tried every possible method.

Expelling the foreign spiritual power? Useless. That power originating from the Yin patterns wasn't spiritual power at all, but rather some higher-level power of rules, which her spiritual power couldn't even touch.

Searching ancient texts for a solution? To no avail. She scoured every book in her storage bag about restrictions and contracts, but none of the methods matched the dark markings on her abdomen. This thing was of a far higher grade than any restriction she knew, even giving her the feeling that it was impossible to break even at the Nascent Soul stage.

She had secluded herself to break through a bottleneck, hoping the Yin marks would dissipate automatically after reaching the mid-stage of the Golden Core realm? She had indeed broken through a minor realm with the help of pills, reaching the second level of the Golden Core realm. But those damned Yin marks remained firmly entrenched in her lower abdomen, unmoved. Every time her spiritual energy passed through there, it was repelled by an invisible force, utterly unshakeable.

"Damn it!"

Qin Muyue gritted her teeth and slammed her palm on the jade couch. A spiderweb-like crack appeared on the hard jade couch.

She, a quasi-saintess of the Joyful Union Sect and a great cultivator at the second level of the Golden Core stage, had actually been subjected to such an extremely insidious contract by an old man in the Foundation Establishment stage! How could she possibly accept this?

To break this thing, the only option would probably be to seek the help of a Nascent Soul cultivator. The Joyful Union Sect naturally has Nascent Soul cultivators, the strongest being the Sect Master. However, the Sect Master is in seclusion most of the time and would never come out for something as trivial as this. Moreover, if the Sect Master knew that she had been bound by a Foundation Establishment cultivator's contract, could she still retain her position as Saintess?

Besides the sect leader, the first and second elders are also Nascent Soul cultivators, but the first elder is male. If she seeks his help, she is very likely to be sexually exploited by him.

The Second Elder is a woman, but she seems to be away from the sect recently, and she and the other woman are not very close.

"We can't go to them."

Qin Muyue closed her eyes, forcing herself to calm down. Since she couldn't untangle it for the time being, she could only endure it. She refused to believe that she wouldn't be able to untangle this Yin mark once she broke through to the third level of the Golden Core stage, or even the mid-to-late stage.

However, until the truth is revealed, she can only lie low for the time being and maintain a superficial cooperation with Li Hanshan. Although the monthly agreement is humiliating, it is the best option for now compared to being harvested into a dried-up human body or having her golden core explode.

the other side,

Li Hanshan landed on Frostflower Peak on his flying sword. The restrictions at the entrance to his cave seemed to have changed again, with icy blue light swirling on the stone door. This ice block always changes its restrictions every time it comes, but unfortunately, it never seems to stop him.

He raised his hand and knocked on the stone door.

There was no response.

Li Hanshan wasn't in a hurry, so he stood at the door and waited. He knew Liu Ruoxue was definitely inside; she almost never left her cave, either cultivating or suppressing the extremely yin and cold energy within her body.

After a long while, the stone door finally opened a crack. Liu Ruoxue stood at the door, dressed in white, her long hair flowing like a waterfall, her beautiful face still bearing that cold expression that kept everyone at arm's length.

"What are you doing here?" Her voice was as cold as ice.

"A deal," Li Hanshan said succinctly.

Liu Ruoxue glanced at him for a moment, then stepped aside to let him pass. Li Hanshan entered the cave. The ice jade bed was still enveloped in a chilling aura, and the entire cave was as cold as an ice cellar. He sat down beside the ice jade bed, while Liu Ruoxue stood opposite him, arms crossed, coldly watching him.

"I went to the Underworld and met Qin Muyue."

A change finally appeared on Liu Ruoxue's face. It was an extremely complex expression, containing hatred, disgust, and a barely perceptible trace of worry.

Li Hanshan entered the cave: "How is your cultivation progressing?"

Liu Ruoxue didn't answer, but silently released her aura. She was at the peak of the fifth level of Foundation Establishment, only one step away from the sixth. But this one step seemed to have been holding her back for a long time.

Li Hanshan instantly understood. Her extremely cold and yin energy had intensified, making it increasingly difficult for her to suppress, thus slowing down her cultivation speed once again.

"Let's begin," he said bluntly.

Liu Ruoxue did not refuse. She was already used to this kind of transaction—exchanging her body for the harmonization of pure yang energy, in exchange for an improvement in her cultivation. She coldly unbuttoned her clothes, lay down on the icy jade bed surrounded by chilling air, and turned her head away from him.

Li Hanshan leaned down and pressed down on him.

The cave was filled with a chill and heavy breathing.

a few days later.

Foundation Establishment Level 10!

A deep rumble emanated from Li Hanshan's body; the Golden Core Path was beckoning him. Just one more step forward, and he would form his core, joining the ranks of true powerhouses.

But this step is incredibly difficult. The bottleneck between Foundation Establishment and Golden Core is more solid than all the previous bottlenecks combined. He needs more accumulation, a deeper foundation, and—more insights into the Golden Core stage.

Liu Ruoxue also broke through. She reached the sixth level of Foundation Establishment. Under the harmonization of Li Hanshan's pure Yang energy, her extremely Yin cold energy finally became somewhat docile, and the bottleneck that had been blocking her for so long was broken in response.

However, after breaking through, her spiritual power experienced abnormal fluctuations. Although the extreme yin cold energy was suppressed, it was not completely tamed, and instead rebounded violently at the threshold of the sixth level of Foundation Establishment. Her meridians ached faintly under the impact of the cold energy, and even her face turned somewhat pale.

Li Hanshan sensed something was wrong. He probed Liu Ruoxue's body with his divine sense, carefully sensing the violently conflicting cold energy in her meridians. His brows furrowed more and more. This cold energy was too domineering. If it was not channeled in time, it would at least cause her cultivation to regress, and at worst, damage her foundation.

A thought suddenly struck him. Besides controlling the life and death of those with Yin patterns, could the petals in the Yang Pattern Space have other uses?

He channeled a wisp of his divine sense into the Yang Pattern space, touching the flower that belonged to Liu Ruoxue. The flower had already opened its five petals. Li Hanshan tentatively transferred his pure Yang energy through the petals into the Yin Pattern, and the Yin Pattern on Liu Ruoxue's abdomen immediately lit up with a faint golden light.

The next moment, the extremely cold Yin energy within Liu Ruoxue's body gradually subsided. The pure Yang energy flowed through the Yin patterns directly to her dantian, gradually calming and taming the uncontrolled cold energy in her meridians. Not only that, her bottleneck was completely shattered under the impact of this power, and her cultivation level soared straight to the peak of the sixth level of Foundation Establishment.

Liu Ruoxue abruptly raised her head, her icy eyes filled with shock. She sensed the source of that power—the inguinal mark on her abdomen, a mark she had always considered a source of shame. It could actually be used like this?

"What did you do?" Her voice was tinged with surprise and doubt.

Li Hanshan withdrew his divine sense, lost in thought. The Yang-patterned petals could not only control the life and death of those with Yin patterns, but also channel his own spiritual energy into them, helping them break through bottlenecks and suppress injuries. This was a two-way connection, not simply master-slave control.

This discovery deepened his understanding of the Yang Manual. Luo Li had previously stated that the Yang Manual and the Yin Manual were originally one, mutually generating each other. It seemed that the three-petaled flower was merely a starting point; the further one progressed, the more wondrous aspects of the Yang Manual would become.

Looking at Liu Ruoxue's still icy face, which couldn't hide her shock, Li Hanshan said calmly, "It seems our deal can continue for a long time."

Liu Ruoxue turned her head away and stopped speaking. But this time, the hostility in her eyes seemed to have faded slightly.