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

After being rescued from her second qi deviation, Lin Qingyin devoted all her energy to cultivation. She no longer pondered whether the dream was real or not, but prepared to continue her attempt to break through to the peak of the Nascent Soul stage.

Two more years passed. The tenth year in the time array quietly arrived. Li Hanshan sat cross-legged in the center of the quiet room. Pure Yang energy surged through his meridians like a tide. The golden light of the pure Yang primordial spirit in his sea of ​​consciousness had reached its peak. The silver-purple lightning patterns on its surface were as clear as ancient runes that had been repeatedly drawn, as if they were engraved into his bones.

The barrier that stood between the eighth and ninth levels of the Nascent Soul realm finally cracked open from the inside, like ice that had been soaked in spring water for too long. The cracks spread outwards along the surface of the barrier, dense as a spider web, with fine golden light surging at the edges, extending like a lit fuse.

Then—the barrier shattered completely.

Ninth level of the Nascent Soul stage. Li Hanshan opened his eyes. The pure Yang primordial spirit in his dantian shone like a blazing star the moment of breakthrough. Golden light surged from his meridians, enveloping his entire body in a warm glow. He sensed the total amount of spiritual power within his body, which was nearly 50% stronger than before, and he also sensed the meridians and primordial spirit that had been tempered once again by the impact of the breakthrough. A smile, which he couldn't suppress due to his progress in cultivation, appeared on the corner of his mouth.

"Ninth level of the Nascent Soul stage..." he murmured, then stood up and stretched. He was about to complete another cycle of his cultivation to consolidate his newly achieved breakthrough when he sensed a familiar, turbulent surge of energy coming from the direction of the adjacent cave. The heat of that surge was more intense than the previous two, churning more violently within the mist of the spiritual spring, and the frequency of spiritual energy fragments escaping from its mouth and nose was also several times higher.

Li Hanshan frowned. He stood up and shook his head helplessly. Why does Lin Qingyin keep going into qi deviation at the drop of a hat?

As he walked out of the meditation room, he ran into Shen Yun, who was walking from the Spirit Spring Pool. She was somewhat surprised after hearing Li Hanshan's story: "Lin Qingyin has run into trouble again? This is the third time, and it's only been a little over two years since the last one; the intervals are getting shorter and shorter. Although the Lan Yue Sect's cultivation methods are predominantly Yang-based, it shouldn't cause her to suffer from qi deviation so frequently."

"I'll go take a look." Li Hanshan didn't explain further. He sidestepped through the barrier at the entrance of the cave and arrived at the door of the adjacent cave. Using the same method, he tore open a crack in the barrier and slipped inside.

In Lin Qingyin's cave, the disorder of spiritual energy was even more severe than the previous two times. The scorching aura had spread from the outer perimeter of her meridians to the edge of her dantian, surging endlessly at the core of her spiritual energy, like a besieged beast searching for a final breakthrough. Her face was almost transparently pale, and the beads of sweat on her forehead quickly condensed and dissipated like morning dew under the intense heat within her body. Fresh, fine beads of blood oozed from the crack on her lips that she had bitten herself.

Li Hanshan strode over to her and knelt down. Pure Yang energy condensed in his palm into a warm, golden halo that reached towards her dantian. The moment his spiritual power touched the chaotic fluctuations around her meridians, he felt an even more intense and violent backlash surge back along his spiritual energy threads. He was prepared, using a technique he had repeatedly refined in his dreams to stabilize her. Then, like peeling away layers of charred leaves, he stripped away and burned away the impurities that were scorching her foundation, one by one.

This time, it took nearly three hours to completely stabilize her spiritual power. He withdrew his hand, sensing that the meridians in her body, which had been repeatedly burned and repaired, were slowly healing. Just as he was about to lay her flat on the spiritual herb mat as he had done the previous two times and then quietly leave, a hand suddenly grabbed his wrist.

The force was not heavy, but it carried an unmistakable firmness.

Li Hanshan paused. He looked down and saw that Lin Qingyin had opened her eyes at some point. Her eyes, slightly dimmed from her demonic possession, were now fixed on his face, conveying a sense of relief, as if a long-standing problem had finally been solved.

Her lips moved, her voice hoarse: "I knew it...it wasn't a dream."

Her gaze lingered on his face, looking at him intently for a moment before she released his wrist. Her voice, though weak, carried a clarity that made the words exceptionally clear: "You saved me three times. If it weren't for you, I would have exploded and died long ago. I have nothing to repay you with, only myself."

As she spoke, the faint glimmer of light in her eyes, previously clouded by weakness, gradually returned to its steady state, and her voice regained some strength: "I wonder if you, sir, are married? If you are not yet married, I am willing to offer myself to you."

She looked at him, her clear eyes filled with composure, resolve, and a seriousness confirmed by the memories of her three qi deviations. It was as if she were stating an unalterable fact that she had verified through three cycles of reincarnation.

Looking at her, Li Hanshan felt a pang of helplessness. Being targeted by female cultivators at the Northern Wilderness Joyful Union Sect was commonplace for him, and even at the Immortal Alliance, he couldn't escape this fate. He spoke, his voice neither loud nor soft: "I am already married."

Lin Qingyin's gaze flickered slightly, like a candle flame blown by the wind, but quickly regained its composure. She remained silent for a moment, then a stubborn, defiant glint appeared in her eyes: "So what? Isn't it normal for men to have multiple wives and concubines? Besides, you're my savior. We cultivators don't concern ourselves with such formalities; as long as I can be with you, any title is acceptable."

As she spoke, she gently tugged at the edge of his sleeve, her voice softening with sincerity: "Can I meet your wife? I want to tell her in person—I'm not here to steal her place. It's just that you saved me three times. Someone who can save you from danger three times must have an inextricable connection with you."

Li Hanshan looked into the unwavering, stubborn light in her eyes, a light born of the three times he had saved her, and remained silent for a moment before finally stepping aside to let her pass: "Come with me."

When Lin Qingyin stood up, her steps were still a little unsteady. Although her spiritual power had stabilized, the exhaustion from the two consecutive qi deviations had left her much weaker than before. She followed Li Hanshan through the torn rift in the restriction, through the pale golden light curtain at the entrance of the cave, and into the interior of Cave Number Nine. Her gaze slowly wandered around the spacious area that was divided into three parts.

Shen Yun was standing by the spirit spring pool, her deep purple dress fluttering slightly in the mist. Hearing footsteps, she turned around and saw the figure behind Li Hanshan struggling to maintain a steady pace. Her gaze lingered on Lin Qingyin for a moment before shifting to Li Hanshan, a questioning look in her eyes.

"She's awake and says she wants to see you." Li Hanshan didn't explain further and stepped aside to make room behind him.

Lin Qingyin stepped forward and gave Shen Yun a slight bow. Her gaze fell on Shen Yun, and after sizing her up, she showed a hint of surprise; she clearly recognized Shen Yun.

After a moment, she spoke: "Sect Leader Shen, he told me he's already married. Since you've entrusted your life to him, you must trust his character. I won't compete with you for your position—you be the head, I'll be the concubine; as long as I can follow him, any title is fine. I just wanted to tell you in person that I'm truly doing this willingly and won't cause you any trouble."

Shen Yun's brows furrowed slightly at first, then relaxed. She glanced at Li Hanshan, then at Lin Qingyin's eyes, which were unusually clear due to her qi deviation and her earlier words. After a moment, she turned her head slightly, a mischievous smile appearing in her almond-shaped eyes that Li Hanshan had never seen on her face before: "You've got it wrong. My wife isn't me."

Lin Qingyin's eyes flickered slightly, following Shen Yun's gaze to the figure emerging from the meditation room. Shen Qingyue was standing at the edge of the silver-white light screen at the entrance of the meditation room. She had come out of the room after hearing the commotion outside, her light blue dress still bearing traces of spiritual ink left from drawing the talismans. She looked at Lin Qingyin, then at Li Hanshan, a slight blush rising on her face from guessing seven or eight parts of the truth.

Lin Qingyin's gaze lingered on Shen Qingyue for several moments before she turned to Li Hanshan, speaking in a neither loud nor soft voice, "So that's how it is. Then... it's my good fortune. From now on, we're sisters."

As she spoke, she gently extended her hand toward Shen Qingyue.

Shen Qingyue hesitated for a moment, glanced in her mother's direction, then at Li Hanshan, and finally reached out and gently grasped Lin Qingyin's fingers: "Sister Lin... your injury hasn't fully healed yet. Let's sit down and talk."

This scene left Li Hanshan stunned.

No,

How did Shen Qingyue accept it so quickly?