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

Another autumn has arrived.

The purple bamboo forest outside the cave on the southern slope rustled in the wind, and a few withered yellow bamboo leaves swirled and fell onto the stone steps, slightly curled by the morning dew. When Li Hanshan pushed open the stone door, a warm, medicinal fragrance wafted out of the cave, mingling with the cool morning air and condensing into a very thin layer of white mist at the crack in the door.

He stood on the stone platform, stretched his limbs, and let the pure Yang energy circulate through his meridians, emitting a subtle and lingering hum, like a tuned zither string. The pure Yang primordial spirit in his dantian was more solid than it had been half a year ago, the golden patterns on its surface resembling ancient runes repeatedly drawn, each containing refined spiritual power. The alchemy furnace inside the cave still held the dregs of yesterday's batch of foundation-strengthening pills, emitting a faint, bitter, burnt smell—traces left behind when he was trying to improve the pill formula.

For the past eight years, his life has been almost fixed in a repetitive and fulfilling rhythm. Every few days, he would refine a batch of pills, and every so often, Ye Shuanghua, Zhang Qingxuan, and Shen Ruoxi would take turns coming to his cave to cultivate with him.

Even Qin Muyue, Liu Ruoxue, and Leng Yue were not left out. However, when Li Hanshan cultivated with them, it was more about him giving back to them or simply enjoying himself.

All the women were stunning beauties, each with their own unique charm. Doing lovemaking with them was a truly enjoyable experience.

Especially with Liu Ruoxue, that ice block, Li Hanshan felt a sense of accomplishment every time he conquered her.

As for Hua Nongying and the others, Li Hanshan has not gone out in recent years for the sake of safety. He plans to wait until his cultivation level has improved further before going out.

The ancient spiritual herb he had moved into the jade pot space, which was thousands of years old, was used by less than 10%. These spiritual herbs were transformed into pills of increasingly higher grade, and were then refined by the four of them through a cycle of dual cultivation.

Ye Shuanghua's cultivation has improved considerably in the past eight years, and she is only one step away from the fifth level of the Nascent Soul stage. Zhang Qingxuan's extremely Yin body has become more docile under the continuous harmonization of pure Yang energy, and the Yin energy barrier deep within her meridians is loosening inch by inch. Although Shen Ruoxi's cultivation speed is not as fast as the two of them, her foundation has been honed to an exceptionally solid level, like a dam that has been repeatedly reinforced, calmly awaiting the arrival of the high tide.

However, Li Hanshan does not intend to participate in this ten-year competition. He is now the sect leader's personal disciple and the champion of the Nascent Soul group. He no longer needs to prove anything through the ten-year competition, and he is too lazy to compete for the rewards that have been reduced to almost nothing by the elders' council.

That afternoon, Li Hanshan was examining a scroll of array diagrams borrowed from the Scripture Pavilion on a stone platform outside his cave when several streaks of light flew in from the direction of the main peak and landed on the stone steps surrounding the bamboo forest on the southern slope. Leading the group was a young female disciple dressed in a blue outer sect uniform, her cultivation only at the late Foundation Establishment stage, yet her face radiated barely suppressed excitement. Behind her followed three other equally young female disciples, each dressed in the attire of a different peak, clearly having come from various parts of the Joyful Union Sect to witness the spectacle.

"Senior sister, do you think Senior Brother Li will participate in the Ten-Year Grand Competition this time?" The female disciple leading the group walked briskly and spoke in a low voice, but her voice still clearly reached Li Hanshan's ears in the morning breeze.

"Probably not." A female disciple dressed in a light purple inner sect robe shook her head, her tone carrying a carefully verified seriousness. "I heard from the deacon of the External Affairs Hall that Senior Brother Li's name isn't on the registration lists for the Nascent Soul and Deity Transformation groups. He's now the sect leader's personal disciple and doesn't need to rely on the ten-year grand competition to secure resources anymore."

"That's such a pity... I really wanted to see him fight in the ring." Another female disciple muttered softly.

"Have you seen what Senior Brother Li looks like now?" the leader asked in a low voice. "I heard that after he broke through to the Nascent Soul stage, he looked much younger than many of the inner sect senior brothers."

"I caught a glimpse of him from afar when he was struck by the heavenly tribulation in the square last time—" another female disciple chimed in, "but it was too far away to see clearly. I only remember that the golden light was exceptionally bright, illuminating half the sky, and the elders all retreated a great distance. After that, he rarely came out, and I haven't seen him in person even once."

"Being a direct disciple of the sect leader, of course you have to cultivate diligently in your cave." The female disciple in light purple robes spoke with a suppressed envy. "They're different from us; they're aiming to break through to the Void Refinement stage."

Li Hanshan listened to the sounds, not putting down the array diagram in his hand, but his gaze briefly lifted from the scroll. He saw four figures peeking out from below the stone steps, half-hidden by the spiritual mist at the edge of the bamboo forest, like a few small animals hiding behind bushes, curious yet hesitant to get too close. He recognized the female disciple leading the group—she was an outer sect disciple he had met a while ago when he received his monthly allowance at the External Affairs Hall; she had given him a somewhat awkward bow then, her face flushed red.

He didn't greet them, but simply rolled up the array diagram and placed it on his lap, continuing to gaze at the sea of ​​clouds in the direction of the main peak, dyed golden and red by the twilight. But he could hear the female disciples' chatter still continuing, drifting intermittently on the wind: "It's better that he's not participating. I heard that the Ninth Elder's people are determined to make a move on the arena this time..." "Anyway, the sect leader said that Senior Brother Li's matter is her matter. Who dares to make a move?" "But isn't the sect leader in seclusion again..." The voices grew farther and farther away, finally swallowed up by the wind at the edge of the bamboo forest.

Li Hanshan stored the array diagram in his storage ring and stood up. He gazed at the area shrouded in spiritual mist behind the main peak—the place where the sect leader had been in seclusion—which had remained silent for several years. Ye Shuanghua would occasionally go to the edge of the back mountain, stand on the stone steps, and gaze at the spiritual mist, silently waiting for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn before returning. No one knew how long the sect leader's seclusion would last this time, and no one dared to ask.

Just then, a silver-white streak of light landed on the open ground in front of the stone platform. Ye Shuanghua emerged from the light, her silver-white outfit fluttering slightly in the mountain breeze, the Jinghong Sword at her waist gleaming coldly in the twilight. Her gaze lingered for a moment on the spiritual energy flowing around Li Hanshan, her brow slightly raised, her voice carrying a certain certainty: "Peak of the second level of the Nascent Soul stage? You've improved considerably since we last met."

Li Hanshan nodded, sat down on the edge of the stone platform, and patted the spot next to him. Ye Shuanghua didn't hesitate and sat down beside him, her Jinghong Sword resting horizontally on her lap. The distance between them had almost disappeared. She could feel that the flow of spiritual energy in his meridians was indeed fuller and smoother than before, like a ship that had been repeatedly repaired, with its bottom and hull planks becoming denser, and its overall texture elevated to a higher level.

"How much longer?" she asked.

"About a year." Li Hanshan sensed the bottleneck in his dantian that was getting closer and closer to the third level of the Nascent Soul stage. "The effects of that batch of Foundation Strengthening Pills last time were better than I expected. My meridians and dantian are almost ready, and a breakthrough is just a matter of time. Before the next ten-year grand competition, I should be able to break through to the fourth level of the Nascent Soul stage."

The Nascent Soul stage is fast at the beginning and slows down later. Since the goal is to break through to the Void Refinement stage within a hundred years, the first thirty years must be spent reaching the fifth level of the Nascent Soul stage.

Seventy years later, it was washed away again, leaving only five floors.

Ye Shuanghua remained silent for a moment, her gaze fixed on the faint outline of the main peak in the twilight. The night wind swept through the purple bamboo forest on the southern slope, making the silence between them seem thin and long. When she spoke, her voice was softer than before, a gentleness she herself might not even realize beneath its cool tone: "That's perfect. Once you break through, I'll accompany you to the depths of the Heavenly Fracture Mountain Range. There are several high-quality spiritual herbs there, guarded by several mid-stage Nascent Soul demonic beasts. I wasn't confident going alone before. If you break through to the third level of Nascent Soul, the two of us working together should be able to retrieve them."

Li Hanshan looked at her: "You certainly know how to pick your time. I just broke through to a higher level and you're already trying to drag me into work."

Ye Shuanghua's lips twitched slightly, a faint but genuine smile: "Otherwise, why do you think I'm so cooperative during dual cultivation? I have to collect some interest." As she spoke, she stood up, her silver-white robes brushing against the edge of the stone platform in the twilight. After taking a few steps, she added without turning back, "I'll bring some auxiliary ingredients tomorrow night. You can help me see how to improve that batch of pills." Her escape light drew a long arc in the twilight, quickly merging into the outline of the main mountain ridge.

Li Hanshan sat alone on the stone platform, gazing in the direction where the silvery-white light had disappeared. The purple bamboo forest rustled in the twilight, and lights were gradually lighting up on the distant main peak, like ignited stars scattered across the mountainside. He felt the spiritual energy within his body flowing smoothly and abundantly, and the opportunity for a breakthrough was quietly approaching, like a ship sailing with the wind, unhurriedly heading towards its next harbor.

Li Hanshan suppressed the surging thoughts in his heart, closed his eyes, and circulated the pure yang energy through his meridians for a full cycle, allowing his mind to sink back into that calm and gentle rhythm.