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

Time flies, and half a year has passed in the blink of an eye.

Over the past six months, Li Hanshan's life has been regular and fulfilling. He cultivates in his cave during the day, and engages in dual cultivation with Hua Nongying and Yun Shuyue at night. Every few days, he goes to Shuanghua Peak to "trade" with Liu Ruoxue, and occasionally visits Qin Muyue. Apart from cultivation, he spends most of his time in the alchemy room on Biyu Peak, where his alchemy skills have become increasingly refined, and he is now able to consistently produce high-grade pills.

Finally, late one night, six months later, in his cave, Li Hanshan sat cross-legged. The purplish-golden golden core within his dantian slowly rotated, each rotation drawing spiritual energy from the cave towards him. When he had completely refined the last wisp of golden core essence he had collected from Qin Muyue, a deep rumble resounded from his dantian. The surface of the golden core shone brightly, the purplish-gold patterns flowing like living things, and the entire core grew larger.

Golden Core Level 2.

He opened his eyes and exhaled a long breath. To advance from the first to the second level of the Golden Core stage in just six months—such speed, if it were to spread, would be enough to shake the entire Joyful Union Sect.

It should be understood that it usually takes several years or even longer for an ordinary Golden Core cultivator to break through to the next level. There are many like the Third Elder who have been stuck at the peak of the Golden Core stage for decades or even centuries without making any progress. Yet he has only been in the Golden Core stage for half a year, and he has already taken another step forward.

This speed is due to two factors: the wondrous nature of the Yang Ce cultivation technique and Qin Muyue's role as a Golden Core furnace. However, the further one progresses, the greater the accumulation required for breakthroughs becomes; the time needed to reach the third level of the Golden Core stage will likely more than double.

"I need to find a few more Golden Core cultivators," Li Hanshan thought to himself, his gaze sweeping over the corner of the cave. Hua Nongying and Yun Shuyue were sitting side by side on a stone couch, cultivating, their spiritual energy flowing around them, their auras much stronger than they had been half a year ago.

Hua Nongying has broken through to the ninth level of Foundation Establishment, and Yun Shuyue has reached the eighth level. The two women's cultivation speed is astonishing even among the core disciples of the Hehuan Sect. If they were noticed by someone with ulterior motives, they would inevitably cause trouble.

"Nongying, Shuyue," he called out.

The two women opened their eyes simultaneously. Li Hanshan took out two jade slips from his storage bag and handed them to them respectively: "This is a concealment technique, which can hide your true cultivation level. Your cultivation speed is too fast; if you don't conceal it, you'll be targeted sooner or later."

Hua Nongying took the jade slip and probed it with her divine sense. After a moment, her eyes lit up: "This is an ancient technique? Han Lang, you even have such a good thing?"

Li Hanshan didn't explain further, only saying, "Cultivate diligently and don't reveal your true cultivation level to outsiders."

Yun Shuyue nodded solemnly. She was perceptive and naturally understood Li Hanshan's concerns. Since following Li Hanshan, her cultivation had advanced by leaps and bounds, and she had also felt somewhat uneasy. With this concealment technique, she could avoid a lot of trouble.

Li Hanshan took out two more jade slips, intending to have Hua Nongying pass them on to Liu Ruoxue when she had time. Although that ice block was cold-hearted, since she was his person, he would naturally give her what she deserved.

Just then, a communication talisman suddenly emanated from outside the cave. Hua Nongying took the talisman, scanned it with her divine sense, and a look of surprise appeared on her face.

"Hanlang, it's Elder Jiang. She's come to visit you."

Li Hanshan raised an eyebrow. Jiang Nianwei? She rarely took the initiative to visit him; the last time was when she helped him out of a predicament in the Monster Beast Mountain Range. He got up and opened the stone door, and saw Jiang Nianwei standing on the stone platform outside the cave. Today, she was still wearing a light green dress, her face was beautiful, but there was a hint of fatigue between her brows.

"Elder Jiang," Li Hanshan said, bowing with clasped hands.

Jiang Nianwei nodded and said, "Elder Li, I have come today to ask you for guidance on ancient alchemy methods."

Ever since Li Hanshan taught her the ancient alchemy technique, she has addressed him as "Old Li," which is also a form of respect.

"Want to learn about ancient alchemy methods?" Li Hanshan recalled that Jiang Nianwei had learned some basics of ancient alchemy from him in the Alchemy Hall on Jade Peak. At that time, he was reluctant to reveal the source of the formulas and only taught him some basic techniques. Now that he was a Golden Core cultivator and his alchemy skills were vastly different from before, he no longer needed to hide it like he used to.

"Elder Jiang, you're too kind. Please come in."

Hua Nongying tactfully pulled Yun Shuyue to the inner room, leaving the outer room for the two of them. Li Hanshan invited Jiang Nianwei to sit on the stone couch, and then moved a futon to sit opposite her.

"Elder Jiang, have you encountered some kind of problem?"

Jiang Nianwei paused for a moment, then took out a jade box from her storage bag and opened the lid. Inside lay a fist-sized pill, its surface pale gold, but the pill patterns were broken and discontinuous, clearly indicating that it was a failed attempt at refining.

"I'm refining a fifth-grade pill called the Jade Dew Melting Snow Pill." Her voice was a little hoarse. "This pill can cure fire poison, but the formula is incomplete. I've tried many times following the incomplete formula, but I still can't get the pill's patterns to flow through. Yesterday, another batch exploded, almost destroying the pill refinement room."

She raised her head, her usually cold eyes now showing a rare hint of earnestness: "The method of condensing alchemical patterns in your ancient alchemy is completely different from that of modern alchemy. I would like to ask you to help me see if you can complete this incomplete formula."

Li Hanshan took the jade box and carefully examined the incomplete pill. He probed the pill with his divine sense, slowly sensing along the intermittent pill patterns. After a moment, he had a plan. The missing part of this pill formula was precisely the crucial step in the solidification of the pill patterns, and this step was remarkably similar to the "condensation" character in the ancient pill-making method taught to him by Luo Li. The ancient pill-making method emphasized "fire moving with intention," meaning that the solidification of pill patterns did not rely on fixed techniques, but rather on adjusting the heat and the direction of spiritual energy according to the properties of the medicinal materials. The reason why this Jade Dew Melting Snow Pill exploded was precisely because the most crucial step was missing from the incomplete formula—enveloping the fire-based medicinal power with water-based spiritual energy, allowing the two to achieve an extremely subtle balance through fusion.

He put down the pills and explained the intricacies of the process. Jiang Nianwei listened intently, nodding occasionally, her eyes filled with growing surprise. Li Hanshan's mastery of alchemy far exceeded her expectations. The techniques he casually mentioned were ancient methods she had never heard of before, yet they perfectly solved the problems that had troubled her for so long.

"Elder Li, could you please come to the alchemy room and demonstrate?" Jiang Nianwei stood up, her tone somewhat urgent. "After my furnace exploded yesterday, the restrictions on the alchemy room haven't been repaired yet, and we don't have enough medicinal herbs. Why don't we go there now? I'll have someone prepare the herbs, and you can demonstrate it for me."

Li Hanshan naturally wouldn't refuse. The two of them arrived at the Pill Hall on Jade Peak on their flying swords. The pill furnace inside had been rearranged, and several disciples had already brought in the spare medicinal herbs as Jiang Nianwei had instructed. Once the hall door closed, only the two of them remained inside.