Mountain Venerable and Sea Immortal

The blue-green token with cinnabar patterns in my palm felt slightly cool, and a faint spiritual light emanated from it.

Dan Chenzi had previously granted him the token, giving him full access to the Wang family's private alchemy workshop. With this token, he could freely use the forbidden alchemy academy, the Mo family's restrictions, the earth's spiritual roots, and the ancient alchemy furnace without needing further notification or permission. It was the highest level of access to the Wang family's alchemists' forbidden area.

The ancient alchemy furnace of the Mo family in the center of the courtyard is engraved with centuries-old mechanical patterns. It is constantly nourished by the earth veins of Haodu, gathering spiritual energy, locking in qi, stabilizing the fire and condensing the essence. Its grade is far superior to ordinary treasure cauldrons, making it most suitable for refining medicine and strengthening the foundation of the local spiritual energy.

Lin Yan's mind stirred slightly as he recalled the sect's previous mission. Previously, the entire Laoshan sect had gone out of the city to gather herbs in a secluded valley on the outskirts of the city. On the way, they were ambushed by a barrier set up by evil cultivators. Everyone fought desperately to break through the encirclement and managed to preserve all the spiritual herbs.

Even though he held the pill-making token and could use the precious furnace privately, Lin Yan still strictly adhered to the sect rules. He immediately focused his mind and used telepathy to ask Xuan Yang Zhenren for permission.

In an instant, True Person Xuan Yang responded gently through his divine sense. Knowing that the pill workshop in the Wang Clan's forbidden area was of exceptional quality and that the ancient furnace had extremely low losses during the refining process, he immediately agreed, allowing Lin Yan to refine this batch of secluded valley herbs into pills on the spot to replenish the sect's reserves for war.

With the sect leader's tacit approval, Lin Yan no longer hesitated.

He raised his hand and brushed it across his storage ring. A whole batch of spiritual herbs floated out, their bodies plump and full of spiritual energy. They were all essential alchemy ingredients that sects urgently needed, such as the Heart-Cleansing Grass and the Qi-Gathering Flower.

Lin Yan focused his mind and ignited the fire, his fingertips slightly curved, forming the Golden Finger Technique seal.

A wisp of clear and pure innate alchemical fire settled steadily at the bottom of the furnace. In his mind, the alchemical principles of the ancestral alchemy of Ling Xuanzi unfolded layer by layer, with no errors in the proportion of medicinal properties, the timing of refining, and the degree of purification; the ancient water spirit alchemical path within his body flowed slowly, resonating and generating with the spiritual energy of the ancient furnace's earth veins, gently protecting all the medicinal properties and preventing even the slightest loss.

The ancient furnace's intricate patterns shimmered and flowed, locking in spiritual energy and maintaining a constant flame, ensuring the entire alchemy process was extremely stable.

The process involves administering the medicine, nurturing the ingredients, purifying, removing impurities, and condensing the elixir.

The entire alchemy process flowed smoothly and naturally. Ordinary cultivators, when refining complex herbs, were prone to problems such as conflicting medicinal properties and inconsistent quality. However, in Lin Yan's hands, the herbs were categorized and arranged in an orderly manner, with the various medicinal properties complementing and blending together without any errors or omissions.

Two incense sticks later, the alchemy furnace trembled slightly.

The pure and lingering fragrance of the elixir filled the entire alchemy courtyard, and dozens of round and plump pills with regular patterns of cinnabar hung at the bottom of the furnace, all of which were of medium to high quality.

Lin Yan was meticulous, placing all the pills into the sect's exclusive jade bottle, sealing them tightly, keeping not a single one for himself, and intending to return them all to the sect in the future.

After properly handling the sect's important matters, he finally cleared his mind of all distractions and focused on refining his own Dao foundation.

He had long since reached the Great Perfection of Foundation Establishment, but the continuous battles and the rapid surge of his spiritual power had left a trace of impermanence deep within his Dao Foundation, preventing the Water Spirit Foundation Core in his dantian from being completely settled and flawless. Now that the storm had temporarily subsided and he had this precious land at his disposal, it was the perfect opportunity to perfect his Dao Root with the help of alchemical fire and spiritual medicine.

Lin Yan raised his hand again, and his storage ring flashed with spiritual light. Several ancient spiritual herbs that he had treasured throughout his life-and-death experiences slowly fell in front of the furnace.

These spiritual materials are ancient and possess pure and potent medicinal properties, far surpassing all rare varieties found in Haodu City. They are most suitable for cleansing the meridians, removing impurities, and solidifying the foundation of one's Dao.

Concentrate, calm your mind, and return to your inner peace.

In an instant, all three layers of unparalleled alchemy foundation were awakened.

The alchemical principles of Ling Xuanzi, the ancestor of alchemy in Laoshan, unfolded a myriad of ancient methods in his mind, defining the details of the entire furnace's tempering process; the ancient water spirit alchemy flowed throughout his body, resonating with the earth's spiritual energy from the ancient furnace, gently nourishing his meridians and muscles; the golden finger technique at his fingertips condensed the hand seals again, and a wisp of pure and dust-free innate alchemical fire drifted down to the bottom of the furnace.

The golden finger controls fire with perfect precision.

The innate elixir fire is the cultivator's original heart fire, neither volatile nor fierce, best suited for cleansing the true root and settling the foundation of the Dao. Relying on the ancient furnace's ability to stabilize the fire and lock in the spirit, the fire's intensity remains constant, steadily refining the elixir chamber. Lin Yan successively added ancient spiritual herbs, using the principles of alchemy to sift impurities, moistening them with water, and purifying them with true fire, burning away all redundant impurities from the spiritual materials, leaving only the most refined and original ancient medicinal power.

This refining process is solely for the purpose of nourishing the body with ancient medicine, strengthening the foundation with elixir fire, and perfecting the root of the Dao through ancient methods.

The rich and lingering ancient medicinal power transformed into a misty spiritual fog, flowing throughout the body along the ancient furnace's spiritual energy, permeating every limb and bone, and finally converging into the dantian and spiritual palace.

The clear blue Water Spirit Foundation Pill, after undergoing layers of medicinal nourishment and tempering by innate true fire, has completely shed all its killing intent, restlessness, and subtle superficiality.

The elixir is internally concentrated and solid, without flaws or leaks, firmly integrated with the spiritual mansion, meridians, and the foundation of the body, rooted in the rock.

The Foundation Establishment Great Perfection has been achieved, allowing one to fully ascend to the flawless and perfect peak!

He steadily suppressed the barriers of his cultivation realm, avoiding reckless advancement and breaking through the profound gate, thoroughly solidifying and accumulating his foundation. At this moment, his Dao foundation was stable, his spiritual power was pure, and his alchemy was thorough. His basic skills had already firmly established him at the top among his peers in Qilu. He was just waiting for the opportunity of the Taishan Imperial Ruins to bestow upon him the earth veins so that he could break through his foundation, molt his core, and forge the Golden Core Dao Fruit.

After a while, the fire in the furnace went out on its own, the fragrance of the elixir faded, and the ancient furnace returned to tranquility.

During the time Lin Yan was in seclusion refining medicine and perfecting his Dao foundation, the three days of hustle and bustle in Haodu gradually disappeared.

The ambush in the secluded valley of Laoshan, the provocation and private feud by the Hao family members, and the open and covert confrontation between the four major families were all forcibly suppressed by the Dongyi Mountain and Sea Alliance. With the Mount Tai Grand Competition just around the corner, all the major forces knew that the grand event was imminent, so they tacitly withdrew their strength, stopped internal strife, closed their doors to gather strength, and waited for the competition to begin.

The spiritual energy within Qinglao Academy was peaceful and undisturbed by external disturbances. Master Xuanyang removed the layers of protective barriers around the academy and looked at Lin Yan and the other disciples, whose auras were becoming increasingly calm and refined, and revealed a faint smile.

"Today is the last day before the competition. There's no need for intense training. Just calm your mind, regulate your breathing, and conserve your energy," Master Xuanyang said calmly. "Tomorrow morning, we will head to the summit of Mount Tai to participate in the Dongyi Youth Grand Competition."

Chen Dagang stood tall and straight, exuding a powerful aura, his fighting spirit barely concealed: "Sect Leader, I am ready. I will fight with all my might tomorrow!"

Yunxi and Yi'a Shi exchanged a gentle smile, their faces showing more composure and confidence.

Lin Yan stood quietly to one side, his expression calm, but his eyes were clear and resolute. Over the past three days, he had witnessed and remembered Hao Lei's several underhanded schemes, the power struggles among various forces, and the lurking and causing trouble by the evil cultivators.

He knew that tomorrow's competition was not just a simple contest among peers, but a game of strategy among various forces in Qilu, and his only chance to fulfill his alliance with Qingyun Sect and Shuiyue Pavilion.

He was determined to win the top spot.

Master Xuan Yang looked at him and solemnly instructed him: "On the field, act according to your ability, prioritize protecting yourself and your fellow disciples, and let everything else take its natural course."

Although the words were not pressureful, Lin Yan understood the expectation in the sect leader's eyes. He bowed respectfully, his voice steady: "This disciple will certainly not fail in his mission."

At the same time and place, the Hao family's mansion villa had entered a state of final preparation.

The training ground was now silent, devoid of any shouts or battle cries. All the participating disciples sat cross-legged, eyes closed, regulating their breathing, focusing all their energy on building up their peak condition. Hao Qingyue, Hao Jingchuan, and Hao Lie stood solemnly in the main hall.

"The rules for tomorrow's competition are strict. Indiscriminate slaughter is strictly prohibited. The priority is to win and secure a spot in the secret realm." Hao Qingyue looked at Hao Jingchuan and said in a deep voice, "The fate of this competition rests entirely on your shoulders. The glory of the Hao family depends on this one battle."

Hao Jingchuan stood tall and imposing, his fighting spirit restrained yet sharp, his aura domineering: "Father, rest assured, among my peers, none can stop me."

Hao Lei, standing to the side, suppressed his impetuousness and aggression. Although his hatred for Lin Yan had not subsided, he knew that the overall situation was more important. He stopped engaging in any underhanded tactics and focused on adjusting his cultivation state, secretly vowing to face Lin Yan head-on in the competition tomorrow and wash away his shame.

Before long, Hao Lingjun strode into the hall and reported in a low voice: "Patriarch, all forces in the city have settled down. The Wang Clan, the Mo Clan, and all the small and medium-sized sects are preparing for the battle in peace. The competition will definitely be held as scheduled. The Hao Clan has sent word that they will gather together tomorrow morning to go to Mount Tai."

Hao Qingyue ordered in a deep voice: "Everyone rest and recuperate. We will depart promptly at dawn tomorrow!"

Within the Wang family's Wangzhu Garden in Langya, everything was orderly and well-organized.

Wang Jizhou looked through the final list of secret contracts for the available spots, a smile on his face. After two days of planning and maneuvering, the Wang family had already reached private deals with nearly thirty participating cultivators. Even if their own disciples didn't rank highly in the competition, they could still secure a large number of spots in the Emperor Ruins Secret Realm, a sure-fire way to make a profit.

He turned to Wang Jingxing and Wang Shiya and instructed them: "There's no need to fight to the death in tomorrow's competition. Prioritize your own safety and just make sure you advance. Our Wang family's strategy in this competition is to secure a spot through trading and ensuring a stable profit."

The two agreed in unison, already determined to reap the benefits and seek victory through stability.

Inside the Mo Family Ingenious Courtyard in Jimo, Mo Shouchuan finally felt relieved after checking and adjusting each of the well-functioning mechanisms.

The Mohist disciples participating in the competition all maintained a calm demeanor, each equipped with protective mechanisms and barrier-breaking tools. The Mohist sect did not compete for glory or seek empty fame; they only aimed to protect themselves, advance, and enter the secret realm of the Imperial Ruins to explore the ancient craftsmanship heritage, adhering to the sect's core principles and remaining uninvolved in any worldly disputes.

The alliance of small and medium-sized sects such as Danxia Valley and Qingmu Sect, as well as various independent cultivators, all stopped fighting and rested. Everyone calmed down and waited for the start of the competition.

In the afternoon, the Hao Clan stewards visited the residences of various factions, delivering the participation tokens and competition rules to everyone, reiterating the strict competition rules: private killings are strictly prohibited, evil arts and poisons are forbidden, and off-site interference is prohibited. Violators will be immediately disqualified from the competition and permanently removed from the Dongyi Alliance's list.

Strict rules eliminated any侥幸心理 (侥幸心理 refers to a mentality of taking chances or relying on luck), ensuring that this youth competition returned to the right track of competing based on strength.

As the sun sets, its golden-red afterglow spreads across the upturned eaves of Haodu. The streets and alleys are deserted, and the whole world is quietly gathering strength for tomorrow's grand event.

A gentle evening breeze rustled the bamboo, casting swaying shadows. Lin Yan raised his eyes to gaze towards Mount Tai, his mind clear and calm. The innate inner fire within his body flowed slowly, resonating subtly with the earth's energy deep within Mount Tai. The eerie and malevolent aura hidden deep within remained, lingering and elusive.

Since leaving Laoshan and entering Haodu, he has weathered many storms and trials, persevering through each one. Tomorrow's grand competition will be not only the ultimate test of his cultivation, but also a crucial battle for him to fulfill his promise to protect the Dao, safeguard the earth's veins, and shoulder the expectations of his sect.

As night deepened, the bright moon hung in the sky, its gentle light bathing the earth.

Haodu was utterly silent, completely at peace. Only the direction of Mount Tai saw a ceaseless surge of spiritual energy, faintly foreshadowing the grand and turbulent battles that would ensue tomorrow.

Master Xuanyang stood by the window, gazing at the sea of ​​clouds over Mount Tai, his expression serene. He knew that tomorrow's summit would be rife with turmoil and gatherings of geniuses, and that the disciples of Laoshan would ultimately shine in this grand competition.