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

Even after the combat skills competition ended, the discussions in the square continued for a long time.

"Senior Brother Li is too strong; even Senior Brother Song is no match for him!"

"Senior Brother Song's defeat in this battle was not unjust. Senior Brother Li's fireballs were too terrifying. Although we are both at the first level of the Golden Core stage, the quality of his spiritual energy is far superior to ours."

"With the Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment combined with the Five Elements Supreme Grade, how could it not be powerful?"

The disciples chattered amongst themselves, their gazes towards Li Hanshan now filled with a newfound reverence.

Song Qingyun stood in the crowd, his face ashen. He had cultivated for decades and always ranked among the top Golden Core disciples of the Hehuan Sect, and had never suffered such humiliation.

Moreover, Li Hanshan not only won, but won overwhelmingly. From beginning to end, he was almost powerless to fight back. This feeling was worse than being killed.

Ouyang Ming stood not far away, looking at Song Qingyun's ashen face, a barely perceptible smile appearing on his lips. He fanned himself with his folding fan, his tone indifferent: "Senior Brother Song, victory and defeat are common in war, no need to worry too much. We'll have another chance in five years."

Song Qingyun gave him a cold look but didn't say anything.

On the high platform, the Grand Elder's gaze swept across the crowd, finally landing on Li Hanshan. His face was so gloomy it could drip water, yet he had no choice but to announce the result.

"In the second round of combat strength competition, the first place went to Li Hanshan, the second place to Song Qingyun, and the third place to Ouyang Ming."

His voice was flat, revealing no emotion, but a deep sense of apprehension flashed in his cloudy old eyes.

Li Hanshan stood calmly below the arena. Hua Nongying and Yun Shuyue squeezed through the crowd, and Hua Nongying grabbed his arm, her eyes crinkling with laughter.

"Hanlang, you're amazing! Even Song Qingyun is no match for you!"

Although Yun Shuyue didn't speak, the joy and pride in her eyes were unmistakable.

Li Hanshan smiled and was about to speak when the Grand Elder's voice rang out again.

"The third round, the trial in the secret realm."

The murmurs in the square gradually subsided, and everyone's attention was focused on the Grand Elder.

The Grand Elder took out a jade slip from his sleeve, unfolded it, and said in a deep voice, "The Secret Realm Trial will begin in three days. All participating disciples will enter the Secret Realm to search for a spiritual herb called 'Mystic Ice Flower.' The one who finds the most within three days will win."

He paused, his gaze sweeping across the entire area, and his voice rose a few decibels: "The secret realm is extremely dangerous. Not only are there demonic beasts, but also various restrictions and traps. Life and death are uncertain; each is left to fate."

Upon hearing this, a collective gasp of astonishment erupted across the square.

"Life or death? This is serious!"

"I've heard that there are third-tier demonic beasts in that secret realm, and even beings at the peak of the Golden Core stage!"

"Finding the Mystic Ice Flower within three days is just too difficult."

Li Hanshan listened to these discussions, but his heart remained calm.

The trial in the secret realm was just another experience for him. With Xiao An and the little beast by his side, the pure yang fire protecting him, and the Nascent Soul level divine sense guiding him, he was absolutely confident.

Three days later, the entrance to the secret realm.

Deep within the back mountains of the Hehuan Sect, an ancient teleportation array stands silently in the valley. The array is covered with densely packed runes, emitting a faint spiritual light, with arcs of electricity occasionally leaping between them.

The Grand Elder stood before the teleportation array, his gaze sweeping over the twenty-odd disciples who had participated in the selection. He said in a deep voice, "Within the secret realm, killing each other is forbidden. However, if you encounter demonic beasts or restrictions, your fate is in the hands of heaven. Remember, your mission is to find the Mystic Ice Flower, not to fight each other."

He paused, his tone becoming stern: "The teleportation array will automatically activate in three days. Anyone still in the secret realm at that time will bear the consequences."

"Yes!" the disciples replied in unison.

The Grand Elder nodded, raised his hand and cast a spell. The runes on the teleportation array lit up simultaneously, bursting forth with a dazzling light. When the light dissipated, Li Hanshan found himself standing in a vast, desolate forest.

Ancient trees reached for the sky, vines entwined, and the air was filled with the damp scent of earth. In the distance, the howls of several demonic beasts echoed through the dense forest. He took a deep breath and unleashed his full divine sense. His Nascent Soul level divine sense spread outwards like a tidal wave, taking in everything within a radius of hundreds of miles.

The Mystic Ice Flower is a rare medicinal herb that grows in extremely cold places. It is pure white, with petals that resemble ice crystals and emit a faint chill. This herb is extremely rare and usually grows in ice caves or on the peaks of snow-capped mountains.

Li Hanshan's Nascent Soul level divine sense swept across the secret realm and quickly discovered the traces of the Xuanbing Flower.

Hundreds of miles away, in an ice cave, three mysterious ice flowers grew quietly on the ice wall, their petals adorned with glistening ice beads, emanating a faint chill. Deeper within the ice cave, there were many more.

"Xiao An," Li Hanshan said in a low voice.

A flash of black light appeared within the soul banner, and Xiao An's figure emerged from it. After more than three years of cultivation, her cultivation had reached the sixth level of the Golden Core stage, and her soul body was so solid that it was almost indistinguishable from a real person, emanating a profound and vast aura.

"Senior, what are your orders?" Xiao An asked respectfully.

"You stay here and guard the place. If any other disciples approach, stop them," Li Hanshan said. "I'm going to get the Xuanbing Flower."

"Yes."

Li Hanshan rode on fiery clouds, flying towards the ice cave. His speed was extremely fast, and wherever he passed, demonic beasts retreated. His Nascent Soul level divine sense allowed him to sense danger in advance, easily avoiding the territories of those third-tier demonic beasts.

In less than an hour, he arrived at the ice cave.

The entrance to the ice cave was covered by a thick layer of ice, with only a narrow gap through which one could enter. Li Hanshan raised his hand, and pure yang fire condensed in his palm, melting the ice to create a large enough opening before he crawled inside.

The interior of the ice cave was colder than he had imagined, with a biting chill permeating the air. He braved the cold and walked deeper into the cave, seeing more and more mysterious ice flowers along the way.

One, two, three... He carefully picked the Xuanbing flowers and placed them in the jade box. Deep inside the ice cave, more and more Xuanbing flowers appeared, some even growing to the size of a washbasin, their petals shimmering with a faint icy blue light.

"It's out." Li Hanshan was secretly delighted.

He picked along the way, and in just half a day, he harvested more than thirty Xuanbing flowers. Including those deep in the ice cave, the total number exceeded fifty.

Meanwhile, other disciples in the secret realm were also searching for the Mystic Ice Flower.

Song Qingyun stood atop a snow-capped mountain, scanning his surroundings with his divine sense, but only found two blossoms. His expression was grim, but he gritted his teeth and continued searching deeper into the mountains.

Ouyang Ming found three flowers on the bank of a glacier, but he was not satisfied and continued searching.

Qin Muyue, Leng Yue, and Chu Mengyao each found a few flowers, but not many. Although there were quite a few Xuanbing flowers in the secret realm, they were extremely scattered, making it difficult to find more.

No one knew that Li Hanshan had already found more than fifty flowers. His Nascent Soul level divine sense was practically a cheat code in this secret realm; as long as the Xuanbing Flower appeared within the range of his divine sense, it had nowhere to hide.

The next day, Li Hanshan found more than thirty Xuanbing flowers.

On the third day, more than twenty more flowers were found.

In three days, he found a total of 108 Mystic Ice Flowers. This number was several times that of all the other people combined.

When the teleportation array lit up and all the disciples were teleported out of the secret realm, the Grand Elder began to count the Xuanbing Flowers that each person had found.

"Song Qingyun, five flowers."

"Ouyang Ming, four flowers."

"Qin Muyue, three flowers."

"Cold moon, four blossoms."

"Chu Mengyao, three flowers."

With each name the Grand Elder read out, his expression grew increasingly grim. These people didn't possess many Xuanbing Flowers; together they had no more than twenty or so. And Li Hanshan's name hadn't even been called yet.

"Li Hanshan..." The Grand Elder glanced at the jade box that Li Hanshan handed over, opened the lid, and was stunned.

Inside the jade box, one hundred and eight Xuanbing flowers were neatly arranged, each one intact, with glistening ice beads still clinging to its petals.

"One hundred and eight flowers!" The elder's voice trembled.

The square was deathly silent.

Everyone stared blankly at the jade box, their mouths agape, wide enough to fit an egg.

"One hundred and eight flowers? How is that possible!"

"How did he find so many in just three days?"

"Did he pick all the Mystic Ice Flowers in the entire secret realm?"

A torrent of voices surged forth, a mixture of shock, envy, and jealousy, creating a frenzy in the square.

Song Qingyun's face was beyond ugly; it looked like he had lost his father. Five flowers versus one hundred and eight flowers—the gap was beyond what effort could bridge.

On the high platform, the sect leader's eyes were filled with satisfaction. She turned to the Grand Elder and said calmly, "Grand Elder, all three rounds of testing are over. It's time to announce the results."

Although extremely reluctant, the Grand Elder had no choice but to announce: "Based on the combined results of the three rounds of tests, first place goes to Li Hanshan. Second place to Song Qingyun. Third place to Ouyang Ming."

He paused, gritted his teeth, and continued, "According to the sect rules, the one with the highest overall score will be selected as the Holy Son. Therefore, the Holy Son selected this time is—Li Hanshan!"

A thunderous roar of cheers erupted in the square.

"Holy Son! Senior Brother Li has become the Holy Son!"

"Heavens! He's only been in the sect for five years, and he's already a Holy Son!"

"From mortal to Golden Core cultivator in five years, from furnace to holy son—this is simply legendary!"