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

Li Hanshan's days became unusually pleasant.

Wu Zhanlong is dead, Wu Tianxiong is dead, and although Steward Lu is still serving as a steward in the Outer Affairs Hall, he is no longer a threat to Li Hanshan. As for Zhao Yuan, a mere outer sect steward, he doesn't even have the right to act arrogantly in front of Li Hanshan.

Saintess Qin Muyue's life was in his hands. On the surface, she remained the high and mighty Saintess, but in secret, she was forced to "fulfill her promise" every month. Throughout the Hehuan Sect, those who knew his secret were either his women or had their lives in his hands. This feeling was like dancing on the edge of a knife for two years, finally stepping onto flat ground.

Of course, there were still sharp blades on this flat ground. There were the Third Elder's seemingly all-seeing eyes, the Sect Master's insurmountable mountain, and the potential threats within the Hehuan Sect. But at least for now, he had some breathing room.

On this day, Li Hanshan arrived at Qin Muyue's cave on his flying sword.

Qin Muyue's cave dwelling was located even higher on the main peak, several times larger than Hua Nongying's. Several peach trees were planted in front of the cave dwelling, and no one knew what method she used, but the peach blossoms never withered all year round, their pink petals appearing and disappearing in the clouds and mist, which matched her own temperament quite well.

He raised his hand and knocked on the stone door.

A moment later, the stone door burst open. Qin Muyue stood at the doorway, wearing a long purple dress today, her long hair casually tied in a bun, looking less alluring and more languid.

"You're punctual." She stepped aside to make way for her.

Li Hanshan entered the cave. The interior was far more luxurious than Hua Nongying's. Luminous pearls were inlaid on the stone walls, soft animal skin carpets covered the floor, and a faint fragrance, like orchids, filled the air. Qin Muyue sat down opposite him, picked up a cup of spiritual tea, took a sip, and her elegant posture seemed to have completely forgotten what the old man in front of her had been doing just a few days ago.

"Your cultivation has improved again," Qin Muyue said calmly, setting down her teacup.

Li Hanshan did not deny it. After cultivating with Liu Ruoxue, his cultivation had already reached the Great Perfection of Foundation Establishment. The consolidation during this period had made the spiritual energy in his dantian extremely solid, with golden light flowing in his pure yang meridians, and he could attempt to break through to the Core Formation stage at any time. But he always felt that something was still missing, a little bit of understanding of the Golden Core, or a little bit of opportunity.

"That's why I came," Li Hanshan said.

"Once a month, of course I remember." Qin Muyue's tone was calm, as if she were talking about something that had nothing to do with her. She stood up, walked slowly to the stone bed, and turned her back to Li Hanshan.

Li Hanshan didn't waste any words. He walked behind Qin Muyue and put his arm around her waist.

The fragrance of peach blossoms wafted through the cave.

a few days later.

Li Hanshan sat cross-legged on the stone couch, golden light blazing brightly within his Pure Yang Meridian. After absorbing Qin Muyue's essence, his understanding of the Golden Core stage had deepened. The way a Golden Core cultivator circulates spiritual energy is completely different from that of a Foundation Establishment cultivator; it's a qualitative leap. He could feel that the spiritual energy in his dantian was already at its peak, and his Pure Yang Meridian was trembling slightly, as if it were about to undergo a transformation at any moment.

But one final thing is missing—not spiritual power, but the right opportunity. Forming the Golden Core requires drawing upon the power of the Heavenly Dao to compress the liquid spiritual essence into a solid golden core. Furthermore, if he were to form the Golden Core within the Joyful Union Sect, the commotion would undoubtedly reveal his true cultivation level.

We must go outside.

As he was pondering how to leave the sect, a series of urgent knocks suddenly came from outside his cave.

"Grandpa Li! Grandpa Li!"

It was Xu Lingxi's voice.

Li Hanshan and Qin Muyue exchanged a glance, then stood up and opened the stone door. Xu Lingxi stood in the doorway, dressed in a light green dress, her face full of excitement. She grabbed Li Hanshan's sleeve and exclaimed joyfully, "Grandpa Li, I've reached the Great Perfection of Qi Refining! Master said I can attempt to break through to Foundation Establishment at any time!"

Li Hanshan glanced at her, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes. This girl's cultivation speed was truly astonishing; from opening her meridians to now, it had only been a little over a year, and she had already reached the Great Perfection of Qi Refining. Her talent as a person with an Extreme Yin Body was indeed extraordinary.

Keep in mind, she didn't use any of the Hehuan Sect's methods.

"Congratulations," he said sincerely.

Xu Lingxi smiled, her eyes crinkling, then suddenly remembered something. She took out a jade bottle from her storage bag and presented it to Li Hanshan like a treasure: "Grandpa Li, look, my master gave me a Foundation Establishment Pill! She said that with this pill, my chances of establishing my foundation are at least 70%!"

Li Hanshan took the jade bottle and examined it. It was indeed a Foundation Establishment Pill of good quality, top grade, made by Jiang Nianwei. With Xu Lingxi's aptitude, coupled with this Foundation Establishment Pill, establishing her foundation should not be a problem.

But then he thought of something else.

Within the Yangwen Space, golden dewdrops condensed on the petals of those flowers. He had initially used a single drop of dew to draw upon the power of the Heavenly Dao and complete his Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment. Now, Hua Nongying's flower had opened five petals, Liu Ruoxue's flower had opened five petals, Yun Shuyue's flower had opened four petals, and Qin Muyue's flower had opened three petals. Each petal held a single golden dewdrop, totaling more than a dozen drops.

These dewdrops would greatly help him break through to the Golden Core stage, but it should be fine to give one drop to Xu Lingxi.

"Lingxi, come with me." Li Hanshan led Xu Lingxi back to Hua Nongying's cave.

He took a drop of golden dew from his Yang Pattern Space and carefully placed it into a jade bottle. The dew was crystal clear, radiating a soft golden light, and one could feel the immense energy contained within it simply by getting close.

"What is this?" Xu Lingxi asked curiously as she leaned closer.

"Something even better than the Foundation Establishment Pill." Li Hanshan handed her the jade bottle. "Don't tell your master. Just say you broke through on your own. Understand?"

Xu Lingxi took the jade bottle and looked at the crystal-clear dewdrop inside, which emitted a soft golden light. A hint of doubt flashed in her eyes, but it quickly turned into a smile. Although she didn't quite understand what it was, she believed that Grandpa Li wouldn't harm her.

"Yes!" She nodded emphatically and carefully put the jade bottle away.

"Go back quickly, your master should be waiting for you," Li Hanshan said.

Xu Lingxi nodded vigorously, turned around and ran out of the cave. As soon as she summoned her flying sword, it transformed into a streak of emerald light and flew towards Jade Peak at a speed many times faster than before.

Li Hanshan watched the streak of light disappear into the horizon before turning back to his cave.

One day later.

A golden beam of light suddenly shot into the sky from the direction of Jade Peak, dyeing half the sky gold. The beam of light contained a vast power of the Heavenly Dao, and the spiritual energy within a radius of hundreds of miles was frantically converging in that direction, forming a huge vortex of spiritual energy.

Foundation Building of Heavenly Dao!

Li Hanshan stepped out of the cave and gazed at the golden pillar of light shooting straight into the sky atop Jade Peak. A smile appeared on his lips. That girl had indeed succeeded.

Hua Nongying walked to his side, forgetting to smoke her pipe, her beautiful eyes wide with surprise: "Han Lang, that girl... has reached the Foundation Establishment stage?"

"Mm." Li Hanshan nodded.

Hua Nongying remained silent for a long while before murmuring, "This commotion will probably alarm the entire Hehuan Sect."

Li Hanshan remained silent. He knew Hua Nongying was right. The extraordinary phenomena caused by the Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment were enough to shake all the high-ranking members of the Hehuan Sect. The last time he achieved the Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment was outside the Hehuan Sect, without alerting anyone. But this time, Xu Lingxi broke through on Jade Peak, and the golden pillar of light reached straight to the sky; probably everyone in the Hehuan Sect saw it.

"Get ready to watch the show," Li Hanshan said calmly.