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

The purple bamboo forest outside the cave on the south slope rustled in the autumn wind, and the edges of the leaves were already tinged with a light golden yellow.

Li Hanshan and several women were entangled in bed, their bodies filled with pure yang energy surging through his meridians like a tidal wave. Each cycle was more intense and turbulent than the last, like a storm brewing and about to break through the final barrier.

He has been in seclusion for three whole months.

Li Hanshan could feel the bottleneck in his dantian, which separated him from the second and third levels of the Nascent Soul realm, becoming thinner and thinner. After eight years of repeated tempering, the meridians that had been repeatedly cleansed by elixirs and dual cultivation had expanded to their limit, and the golden light of the pure Yang primordial spirit surged within them, like a dam filled with water waiting for the final gate to be opened.

On the ninth day at dusk, as the last rays of the setting sun pierced through the gaps in the purple bamboo leaves and fell upon the stone platform, an extremely subtle cracking sound emanated from the depths of Li Hanshan's dantian. The sound was like a taut string finally snapping, or like a thin layer of ice cracking its first fissure under the warm spring sun. Immediately afterward, the pent-up pure yang energy surged into the crack like a flood bursting its banks, completely shattering the barrier of the third level of the Nascent Soul realm from the inside out. Golden light suddenly shone from his body, like a blazing sun, enveloping the entire bamboo forest in a warm, gentle glow. The purple bamboo leaves trembled slightly upon being touched by the light, as if responding to the vibration emanating from the depths of his dantian.

The light lasted for about several dozen breaths, then slowly receded like the receding tide, sinking layer by layer into the depths of Li Hanshan's dantian.

When he opened his eyes, it was already completely dark. Dots of lights lit up among the peaks of the Hehuan Sect, like crushed gems scattered in the night mist. He looked down at his hands, sensing the spiritual energy in his meridians, which was nearly 30% stronger than before, flowing steadily. A suppressed, confident smile appeared on his lips.

He has reached the third level of the Nascent Soul stage.

Thanks to this, the women's cultivation levels also improved. Ye Shuanghua finally broke through from the fourth level of the Nascent Soul stage to the fifth level, while Zhang Qingxuan reached the sixth level of the Nascent Soul stage. Her cultivation level was already higher than Ye Shuanghua's.

Even Shen Ruoxi broke through to the second level of the Nascent Soul stage.

Li Hanshan stood up, stretched his limbs, and felt a warm, comforting sensation emanating from every pore of his body. His Pure Yang Primordial Spirit sat quietly in his dantian, the golden patterns on its surface even denser than before his breakthrough, radiating a heavy and steady pressure. He walked to the edge of the stone platform, gazing at the lights flickering in the night sky towards the main peak. The sense of security he felt was like that of a stone that had been repeatedly polished, smooth to the touch and warm to the touch.

A few days later, Li Hanshan summoned Ye Shuanghua and Zhang Qingxuan and said, "Senior sisters, I have a plan that I need your cooperation with."

Both women looked at him.

Li Hanshan briefly explained his plan. After listening, Ye Shuanghua's brows furrowed slightly, then relaxed, and a very faint smile appeared on her lips: "Okay, we'll do it your way."

After the two had reached an agreement, Li Hanshan left the southern cave first. He deliberately concealed his aura, bypassed several commonly used mountain paths around the main peak, and exited the Hehuan Sect's gate through an almost abandoned old path on the back of Jade Peak. The purple-gold escape light flew silently along the treetops, like a leaf blown by the wind, almost imperceptible in the morning mist.

On the northern slope of the main peak, Yan Qingsong stood on a stone platform outside his cave, gazing at the rising silver light towards the southern slope. Beside him, Huo Yuan sat in a wheelchair, his trousers, which had been hanging loosely below the knees, carefully folded, but his eyes flashed like lit embers: "He's gone out."

Yan Qingsong remained silent, but his gaze was already locked onto the direction of the silver streak of light. He took out a crimson communication talisman from his sleeve, infused it with spiritual power, and the talisman transformed into an extremely thin red thread that shot towards a higher point on the main peak. A moment later, a dark gray streak of light rose from a cave high on the main peak, chasing after the silver streak of light. Closely following behind was an iron-gray figure.

Chu Zi'an landed on the stone steps beside Yan Qingsong, his gaze also fixed on the departing silver light. His voice, though restrained, carried a quiet steadiness: "He went to the Heavenly Fracture Mountains?"

"Probably." Yan Qingsong withdrew his gaze, a cold smile appearing on his lips. "He's been hiding in his cave all these years, finally finding his chance. The Tian Duan Mountains are remote and sparsely populated; even if he made his move there, no one would know who did it."

Chu Zian remained silent for a moment, a resolute glint in his eyes: "Then let's go."

Three streaks of light silently rose from the northern foot of the main peak, following the direction of the silver streak of light, heading towards the depths of the Heavenly Fracture Mountain Range. Yan Qingsong flew at the forefront, his empty right sleeve billowing like a flag in the gale, while Huo Yuan's gaze was fixed on the silver-white figure ahead, a look of hatred on his lips.

The silver-white streak of light slowed down at the edge of the Tian Duan Mountains, landing in a valley hidden by dense forest. Yan Qingsong and Chu Zi'an also landed, the three of them fanning out towards the center of the valley, but stopped abruptly the moment they saw the figure in the valley—Zhang Qingxuan stood with her hands behind her back in the center of the valley, her light blue dress fluttering gently in the mountain breeze, holding no sword, only a slowly spinning emerald jade tablet. Her gaze calmly swept over the three stunned figures, a smile on her face so composed it was infuriating.

Beside her was Ye Shuanghua, who was wearing Li Hanshan's precious robe. Not only was she wearing Li Hanshan's robe, but her aura was exactly the same as Li Hanshan's.

"Senior Brother Yan, Senior Brother Chu, Junior Brother Huo," Zhang Qingxuan said in a moderate voice, "You've been chasing me for so long, thank you for your hard work."

Yan Qingsong's face turned ashen in that instant. He whirled around, scanning his surroundings—there was no purple-gold light, no trace of Li Hanshan's aura, not even a few extra footprints. "Zhang Qingxuan! Ye Shuanghua! Where is Li Hanshan?" His voice was filled with barely suppressed rage, almost squeezed out between clenched teeth.

Zhang Qingxuan put the jade token back into her sleeve, her tone indifferent: "We have no idea where Junior Brother Li went. If you want to chase after him, he's probably too far away to catch up." As she spoke, she stepped aside to clear the valley path, gesturing for them to proceed. "If the three of you wish to spar with us, we are happy to oblige. However—" She paused, her gaze sweeping over the three in turn, "Are you sure you want to fight here?"

Chu Zi'an's gaze lingered on Zhang Qingxuan's face for a moment, then swept over Ye Shuanghua. After a few moments of silence, he spoke, "You two junior sisters have quite the methods. Since Li Hanshan isn't here, let's leave it at that." He turned and left, his iron-gray escape light leaving a straight trail in the twilight. Yan Qingsong stood there, gritting his teeth, his eyes fixed on Zhang Qingxuan and Ye Shuanghua, but in the end, he only let out a cold snort and flew away in Chu Zi'an's direction, his gray escape light carrying a shadow of resentment. As Huo Yuan was being carried away from the valley, he glanced back at the two women, his eyes surging with the same hatred as Yan Qingsong's.

The two women stood in the center of the valley, watching the three streaks of light disappear into the horizon. Only then did Ye Shuanghua take out a silver-white communication talisman from her sleeve and crush it. The talisman transformed into a faint ray of light and shot towards the southeast, like an invisible thread, delivering the message to a place even more distant than the Tian Duan Mountains.

Meanwhile, Li Hanshan had already flown thousands of miles. Following the divine imprint he had left behind years ago, he traversed a range of rolling hills and several artificially concealed barriers, finally landing before a cliff covered in vines. He raised his hand and cast a spell, and the vines on the cliff surface seemed to be parted by an invisible hand, revealing a crack just wide enough for one person to pass through sideways. He squeezed in and walked along the downward-sloping passage for about a hundred steps before the space ahead suddenly opened up. The glow of the luminous pearl in the cave was still as warm as ever, and the air was filled with the mixed scents of several women—spiritual herbs, medicinal fragrance, and a few faint traces of rouge and powder.

The stone chamber deep within the cave, occupied by Hua Nongying, had its door ajar, a sliver of warm yellow candlelight leaking through the crack. Before Li Hanshan even reached the door, it was pushed open a crack from the inside, and a pair of captivating eyes peeked out. They paused for a moment, then curved into crescent moons. Hua Nongying practically pounced out, clinging to him, her arms tightly wrapped around his neck, like a cat that had been on a leash for too long finally seeing its master return.

"You finally decided to come back!" Her voice was muffled in the crook of his shoulder, carrying a suppressed complaint mixed with barely contained joy. "How long has it been? More than a decade! We haven't even seen a shadow of you!" She loosened her grip slightly, looking him up and down, her gaze lingering for a moment on his now completely youthful face, before a forced smile crept onto her lips. "You've gotten younger... and you're even more handsome than before."

Liu Ruoxue stood at the entrance of the stone chamber, dressed in pristine white, her face cold, but the warmth in her eyes clearly contradicted her tone. She looked at him, her lips twitching slightly as if she wanted to say something, but she held back, simply stepping aside to let him pass. Yun Shuyue emerged from another stone chamber, carrying a freshly brewed cup of hot tea. She paused briefly upon seeing Li Hanshan, then quickly stepped forward, handing him the tea without a word.

When Jiang Nianwei emerged from the stone chamber deep within the cave, which had been converted into a pill-making room, a few crumbs of medicinal herbs still clung to her fingertips. Her light green dress shimmered softly in the candlelight. Her gaze lingered on Li Hanshan for a moment before her voice returned to its usual cool tone: "You've arrived? Perfect timing. The batch of pills I've been working on recently is missing a key ingredient. Could you help me see what would be a suitable substitute?" Her tone was indifferent, as if he had merely returned from gathering herbs, rather than having been gone for over a decade.

The Second Elder leaned against the stone wall at the edge of the cave, arms crossed, and gave him a lazy smile: "Oh, you're back? I thought you'd forgotten about us. How's your cultivation progressed?" Her tone was teasing, but the concern in her eyes was undeniable.

Xu Lingxi had also run over at some point. When she saw Li Hanshan, she called out "Grandpa Li," but she was immediately stunned because Li Hanshan was no longer the old man he used to be.

In the past, Li Hanshan needed to maintain the image of an old man because he didn't want to attract attention. Now that his cultivation level has improved, there's no need for him to always present himself as an old man.

Who doesn't want to be young?

"Grandpa Li, how come you look so young?"

Xu Linghu ran over and tugged at his sleeve, looking up at him with bright, sparkling eyes and a smile even more radiant than before.

Li Hanshan patted her head, his gaze sweeping over the familiar faces in the cave. The weight that had been pressing on his heart for so long due to the conflicts within the Hehuan Sect finally lifted. He didn't rush to speak, but simply sat down by the newly lit candle that Hua Nongying had casually lit. Pure Yang energy flowed slowly through his meridians, and the warm yellow candlelight stretched and shortened everyone's shadows, weaving a dense pattern of dark colors on the stone wall.

As night fell, the candles in the stone chamber were extinguished, leaving only the warm glow of the luminous pearl swirling across the cave ceiling. Hua Nongying leaned against him on his left, her fingertips lightly tracing the fabric of his chest, her breathing much more even than before. Liu Ruoxue lay quietly on his right, saying little, her hand always resting on his shoulder. Yun Shuyue and Jiang Nianwei were also not far away, their silhouettes, wrapped in thin blankets, appearing like small hills in the dim light of the luminous pearl, their breathing even and long.

Over the next few days, Li Hanshan didn't rush to leave; he stayed in the cave. During the day, he discussed improvements to the pill formula with Jiang Nianwei, and at night, he took turns engaging in dual cultivation with Hua Nongying, Liu Ruoxue, and the other women. This dual cultivation was more than just pure cultivation; it carried a tender feeling of reunion after a long separation.

After years of refinement, Li Hanshan's pure Yang energy had become several times purer. Each time he had intercourse with the women, they could clearly feel their spiritual power being soaked, nourished, and purified by that warm current. Hua Nongying felt weak all over from the pure Yang energy, Liu Ruoxue's skin was flushed with a thin pink, Yun Shuyue was wrapped in the corner of the quilt and leaned against the stone wall, and Jiang Nianwei's fingertips were still holding Li Hanshan's hand, her breathing long and deep with the feeling of being completely satisfied.

That night, as Hua Nongying finally closed her eyes and fell asleep, and Liu Ruoxue nestled her face into Li Hanshan's shoulder, Yun Shuyue gently sat up from under the thin blanket, her voice soft: "Are you leaving?"

Li Hanshan's palm rested on her back, feeling the slight protrusion of her spine, like a pebble smoothed by the current floating in warm water: "Hmm. I'll take you away."

Yun Shuyue's breath hitched. She remained silent for several moments before finally asking, "Where to?"

"The Joyous Union Sect." Li Hanshan's voice was neither loud nor soft, but extremely confident. "I've made all the preparations. You won't be in danger if you go to the Joyous Union Sect now."

Yun Shuyue didn't ask any more questions. She simply lay back down, snuggling into his arms, her fingers clutching his clothes as if trying to hold onto this promise tightly.

Hua Nongying turned over in her sleep, mumbled something, and then fell into a deep sleep again. Liu Ruoxue was still lying on her side, breathing steadily, but Li Hanshan could feel her fingers tighten slightly in the darkness—a kind of reassuring confirmation that she had been placed in his palm and had not been forgotten. Jiang Nianwei leaned against the stone wall not far away, her long, light green hair falling from the edge of the thin blanket. Her breathing was steady, and her eyes were not open, but her face looked much softer in the dim light of the night-shining pearl.

He only stayed in the cave for seven days. On the morning of the seventh day, he stood on the stone steps at the cave's exit, waiting for the women to emerge one by one. Hua Nongying had changed into a clean red dress, Liu Ruoxue was still in her white dress, Jiang Nianwei carried a storage bag, and Yun Shuyue walked beside her. They stood behind him, no one speaking, but the tacit understanding was enough.

Li Hanshan raised his hand and cast a spell, causing the vines on the cliff to silently retract, concealing the cave entrance once more. A purple-gold light enveloped the group, propelling them into the sky as they sped towards the Hehuan Sect. The wind swept past their ears, carrying the coolness of the still-damp morning dew, gradually swallowing the mountain range behind them into the ever-receding twilight.