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

The interior of the Hall of Merit is more spacious than it appears from the outside.

The dome, suspended over ten zhang high, was constructed using spatial expansion techniques, large enough to accommodate thousands of people conducting business simultaneously without feeling crowded. The light inside the hall is provided by hundreds of luminous pearls embedded in the dome, their warm, even glow bathing the entire hall in a daylight-like glow. The floor is paved with a single piece of bluish-white jade, polished smooth as a mirror, reflecting the moving figures and floating spiritual runes above.

In the center of the hall, more than ten long tables were lined up in a row. Behind each table sat a steward dressed in the uniform robes of the Immortal Alliance, who was checking the jade slips and lists handed over by the cultivators who came to apply for merit.

Deep within the main hall stood a slightly elevated table, behind which sat an elderly man in a gray-blue robe. His face was thin, and his eyes were slightly lowered, like an old pine tree that had stood silently in the wind for many years. He did not deliberately release any pressure, but simply sitting there made the air within a radius of several feet seem more stagnant than in other areas.

Li Hanshan sensed the other party's cultivation level—the peak of the Void Refinement stage, and one that had been immersed in this realm for an extremely long time. The old man's aura was like a lake that had been pressed flat, seemingly calm on the surface, but beneath it lay a vast power capable of overturning the entire hall and the dock outside.

He didn't dare to probe any further and immediately withdrew his divine sense, afraid that the other party would notice something amiss.

Shen Yun slowed her pace and lowered her voice to Li Hanshan and Shen Qingyue, saying, "That is Elder Xu of the Biluo Sect. He has always been in charge of the Hall of Merit. The merit reviews of the major sects of the Immortal Alliance must ultimately be signed and confirmed by him. He is upright and impartial."

She paused for a moment, "The Biluo Sect has always treated small and medium-sized sects with an official and impartial attitude. They will not deliberately make things difficult for them, nor will they give them any special treatment."

Li Hanshan followed Shen Yun to the waiting area on the side of the main hall. The line ahead was moving forward in an orderly fashion, with a sect completing their procedures and leaving through the side door of the hall every so often.

When it was his turn, Shen Yun handed over the neatly arranged list of merits. The surface of the jade slip shimmered with a warm spiritual light, and the edges were stamped with the sect leader's seal of the Purple Thunder Pavilion and the garrison mark of the Array Base Island.

The steward took the jade slip and channeled his spiritual energy into it. The words on the jade slip were projected onto a flowing light screen above the table. His gaze swept over the entries one by one. At first, his expression remained normal, but as the numbers on the light screen continued to scroll, his eyebrows began to furrow slightly.

When the last line of numbers stabilized at the end of the light screen, he paused noticeably, looked up at Shen Yun again, and said with a suppressed seriousness in his voice: "Purple Thunder Pavilion, total merit points: 3,704,200."

The words weren't spoken loudly, yet they rippled silently through the hall like a pebble thrown into still water. The cultivators queuing nearby turned their heads in unison, their gazes filled with a mixture of surprise and scrutiny.

"Three million seven hundred thousand? How many demonic beasts did the Purple Thunder Pavilion slay this time?"

"I heard they were attacked by several sea beasts at the Void Refinement level, and they actually held on?"

"They not only held on, but look at those merit points, they're almost on par with those major sects."

Whispers rippled through the hall like waves of wheat rippling in the wind.

Li Hanshan noticed several gazes falling on him from different directions; some were curious, some scrutinizing, and a few were tinged with jealousy.

But none of those gazes lingered on him for long; most quickly looked away and returned to their own lists of achievements.

Elder Xu stood up from the desk at the back of the hall. His movements were neither fast nor slow, as natural and unhurried as an old tree stretching its branches. When he walked to the desk where the merits of the Purple Thunder Pavilion were being processed, the stewards around him stopped what they were doing, and the cultivators who were queuing up also subconsciously quieted down their chatter.

Elder Xu's gaze fell on the list of merits being projected. After a moment of silence, he read through the list from beginning to end, then nodded slightly: "The Purple Thunder Pavilion's merits this time are indeed considerable. The contribution of slaying two Void Refinement demonic beasts is an outstanding achievement in recent beast tides."

His gaze shifted to Shen Yun, and his eyes, as calm as a deep pool, brightened slightly when they caught sight of the aura flowing around her. "Sect Leader Shen, you've broken through to the Void Refinement stage?"

Shen Yun clasped her hands in a respectful but composed manner: "Reporting to Elder Xu, I crossed that threshold by chance during the beast tide and have now stabilized my cultivation level."

Xu Yuanzhou nodded, his gaze lingering for a moment on the endless flow of dark purple lightning around her, as if confirming the stability of that realm.

After a moment, he withdrew his gaze and took out a palm-sized silver-white token from his sleeve, placing it on the table. The token was engraved with an ancient character "仙" (immortal), with fine runes flowing along its edges, exuding a calm aura completely different from ordinary tokens.

He pushed the token toward Shen Yun: "Since Sect Master Shen has broken through to the Void Refinement stage, according to the rules of the Immortal Alliance, she can be granted the position of Elder. The holder of this token enjoys priority access in all cities and islands of the Immortal Alliance, can mobilize a certain amount of regular resources, and is also qualified to participate in the high-level decision-making meetings of the Immortal Alliance."

Shen Yun's gaze fell on the token. She reached out and took it. When she held it, she could feel the Void Refinement level spiritual energy imprint contained in the token resonating with the spiritual energy in her body.

She carefully put it away and solemnly said, "Thank you, Elder Xu."

Elder Xu continued, "There are three levels of elders in the Immortal Alliance. You are currently at the first level, and you only have the right to participate in general affairs. Once you accumulate more merits or make greater contributions to the Immortal Alliance, you can be promoted to the second level."

"Disciple understands." Shen Yun nodded, then said, "Elder Xu, disciple wishes to apply to enter the core immortal island for cultivation. This beast tide consumed a large amount of spiritual energy, and the Purple Thunder Pavilion's talismanic inheritance also needs time to settle. If I could enter the immortal island to comprehend it for a period of time, it would greatly help my subsequent improvement."

Xu Yuanzhou's gaze lingered on her face for a moment, then he nodded slightly: "With the merits you've accumulated this time, you're certainly qualified to apply for a spot on a core immortal island."

Shen Yun said, "Elder Xu, I need two spots. Besides myself, there is another disciple from the Purple Thunder Pavilion who also performed outstandingly in this beast tide. I would like to bring him along to the core immortal island for cultivation."

Xu Yuanzhou glanced at Shen Yun, his gaze carrying a kind of insight honed by the passage of time. He didn't answer immediately, but instead reread the last few lines of the merit list—it did indeed mark the performance of an elder surnamed Li from the Purple Thunder Pavilion in defending the island and supporting the battle.

After a moment, he said, "Of course. In addition, according to the rules of the Immortal Alliance, the quota for an elder to enter the core immortal island for cultivation is not counted in the regular quota."

He paused for a moment, then said, "In other words, as a newly appointed elder, you already have one spot to enter the core immortal island. The two spots you've applied for are for other people."

Shen Yun was slightly taken aback, then a genuine smile appeared on her face: "Elder Xu means—my own spot doesn't count towards the merit exchange quota?"

"Not bad." Xu Yuanzhou nodded. "Elders have their own treatment. Of your two spots, one is for that Elder surnamed Li, and the other can be reserved for other disciples of the Purple Thunder Pavilion. The core immortal island can only accommodate a maximum of one hundred people at a time, so bringing two people in won't violate the rules."

He placed another jade talisman on the table. "The quota has been recorded. The next opening will be in two months. Go back and prepare well, and make sure you have all the necessary cultivation resources. Each opening of the core immortal island lasts for five years, and you cannot leave before then. So, prepare everything you need for cultivation in advance: pills, spirit stones, cultivation manuals, jade slips."

Shen Yun accepted the second jade talisman and thanked her solemnly. She could feel that the quota marks contained in these two jade talismans were already bound to her Elder Token.

Xu Yuanzhou waved his hand, indicating that they could leave. Shen Yun did not delay any longer, and led Li Hanshan and Shen Qingyue through the side door of the hall, and along a blue stone corridor shaded by spirit trees into another building adjacent to the Hall of Merit.