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

Within the barrier, there was a deathly silence.

The sect leader's gaze fell on Li Hanshan's face, and in those unfathomable eyes, something that others could not understand surged.

There is a desire.

Be on guard.

There was also a hint of expectation that she herself was unwilling to admit.

For centuries. Stuck at the peak of the Void Refinement stage for centuries, that barrier as thin as a cicada's wing yet as hard as an iron wall. She tried seclusion, she tried searching ancient sites, she tried using elixirs, she tried everything she could. But she just couldn't take that step. And today, a disciple who had only been a disciple for a few decades stood before her, saying he could help her cross that threshold.

"What treasure?"

"What method?"

Li Hanshan shook his head: "There are too many people here, and walls have eyes. Master, please allow me to speak to you privately later."

The sect leader stared at him for a full five breaths. During those five breaths, you could hear a pin drop within the barrier. The seven elders' gazes darted back and forth between the two, each with their own thoughts, but none dared to interrupt.

Then, the sect leader who had been in charge of the Hehuan Sect for hundreds of years slowly nodded in front of the seven elders.

"good."

One word.

There were no questions, no interrogations, and no haggling.

The expressions on the faces of the seven elders all changed.

"Sect Leader! Think it over!" The Third Elder was the first to speak. This Third Elder had a thin face and was usually taciturn, but when he did speak, he always hit the nail on the head. "Whether this boy's words are true or false is still unknown! Besides, how can we easily believe such a boast as 'helping the Sect Leader break through to the Dao Integration Realm'?!"

"I second that," the Fourth Elder added. "Even if such a treasure truly exists, it should be jointly controlled by the Elder Council. How can it be…?"

"Shared control?" Ye Shuanghua sneered. "Fourth Elder, that's something Junior Brother Hanshan risked his life to obtain. Why should we share control?"

"Just because he's a disciple of the sect!" The Third Elder retorted, "It's the long-standing rule that sect disciples must hand over any valuable treasures they acquire to the sect treasury!"

"That's right," the Sixth Elder chimed in. "Disciples of the sect are nurtured by the sect, and everything they gain should belong to the sect—it's only natural!"

"It's only natural?" Li Hanshan laughed. "Sixth Elder, when I destroyed the Heavenly Demon Sect, how many people and how many swords did the sect send?"

The Sixth Elder choked.

"Third Elder, regarding this rule of 'handing over to the sect treasury'," Li Hanshan's smile faded slightly, "why haven't the elders mentioned it to me, a disciple 'born as a furnace', before?"

The Third Elder choked.

"Enough." The sect leader raised his hand, silencing the argument. "Once I say 'yes,' there's no going back."

"However—" Her gaze swept over the elders, "Since this concerns my breakthrough, it is a matter of great importance. I will be in seclusion in the quiet chamber at the back of the mountain, assisted by Li Hanshan. Do any of you elders have any objections?"

"have."

The Third Elder slowly took a step forward.

"The sect leader's breakthrough is the most important event in our Joyful Union Sect, and everyone in the Elder Council is doing their utmost to ensure it."

"But—" His voice suddenly turned cold, his gaze like needles piercing Li Hanshan, "This boy's suspicion of 'secretly colluding with the Immortal Alliance' has not yet been cleared! Let him enter the back mountain, into the meditation room, to personally assist the sect leader in his breakthrough—what if he harbors ulterior motives, what if he is a pawn of the Immortal Alliance, and the sect leader is in seclusion, his life hanging by a thread, who will bear that responsibility?!"

"In my opinion, if the sect leader wishes to rely on this young man, that's fine. But this young man must not set foot inside the gates of my Joyful Union Sect!"

"The breakthrough point will be located outside the mountain gate! The sect leader should condescend to leave seclusion and find a secret place outside the mountain—a place where we can both borrow his power and guard against his unpredictable actions! A perfect solution!"

As soon as he finished speaking, several elders nodded in agreement.

"The Third Elder's words are mature and prudent."

"Outside the mountain gate, a protective array provides remote support, allowing for both offense and defense—it's a safe bet!"

That's exactly right!

The Third Elder stroked his long beard, adopting an earnest expression as if he were acting entirely for the sect's benefit: "Sect Leader, I'm doing this for your own good. This boy's origins are unknown, and his intentions are unpredictable. What if…"

"Enough!" Ye Shuanghua interrupted coldly. "Our master doesn't need your help. With your cultivation level, you should worry about yourselves!"

The Third Elder lowered his eyelids: "Nephew Ye, you can't see into someone's heart."

Ye Shuanghua was about to speak again when Li Hanshan raised his hand to stop her and gently shook his head at her.

The sect leader's gaze gradually turned cold.

Li Hanshan stood aside, a cold smile playing on his lips.

What a fine Third Elder.

Breakthrough outside the mountain gate?

It looks safe, but it's actually extremely vicious.

Breaking through to the Dao Integration Realm—what a momentous event! The treasure Li Hanshan spoke of was, of course, fabricated. In reality, he intended to use himself to help the sect leader; this treasure was himself.

Breaking through to the Dao Integration stage takes anywhere from ten days to half a month, or even several months. During the breakthrough, one's aura soars to the heavens. Can this be concealed from lower-level cultivators, or from the three Dao Integration cultivators of the Immortal Alliance?

How terrifying is the speed of a cultivator who has reached the Dao Integration Realm? If they were to exert their full power, it would take them no more than half a month to travel from any place in the Central Continent to the Joyful Union Sect!

At that time, the sect leader was at a critical juncture in his breakthrough when three Dao Integration Realm experts from the Immortal Alliance arrived together—without a mountain-protecting formation and without the sect's foundation, what could they use to stop him?

This means that Li Hanshan is to lead the sect leader to become a live target outside the mountain gate!

What's even more insidious is that, whether this condition succeeds or fails, the blame will be firmly pinned on him—if it succeeds, it will be credited to the Elders' Council for their "maturity and prudence"; if it fails, it will be irrefutable evidence of Li Hanshan's "ulterior motives."

Advancing means death, retreating also means death.

"I disagree."

The sect leader's voice was as cold as ice.

"Sect Leader!" The Third Elder wanted to argue again.

"I say, I disagree." The sect leader spoke each word clearly, his aura slowly rising, causing the elders present to gasp for breath. "Do I have to defer to the elders' approval before I can go into seclusion to break through? Was my position as sect leader appointed by the elders' council, or by the ancestors of the Joyful Union Sect?!"

"Was it bestowed by our ancestors?" the Third Elder replied sarcastically. "Sect Leader, is there another rule passed down from our ancestors—that a joint signature from six or more members of the Elder Council is sufficient to prohibit the Sect Leader's orders?"

The sect leader's pupils contracted.

The faces of the elders were a mixture of pale and ashen.

But just then—

An indescribable aura slowly pressed in from the direction of the back mountain.

The aura wasn't violent; it could even be described as peaceful. Yet, the moment it appeared, the entire world seemed to shrink by a third. Within the barrier, everyone's spiritual energy circulation stalled.

In a daze, everyone even had the illusion that what was standing behind them was not a person, but the entire back mountain, the foundation of the Hehuan Sect for tens of thousands of years, pressing down heavily.

A figure had appeared ten feet behind them, seemingly out of nowhere.

White hair like snow, dressed in hemp clothing and straw sandals, standing with his hands behind his back.

Grand Elder, Nie Hongyuan.

The only Dao-Merging cultivator in the Hehuan Sect, and the head of the Elder Council.

"Sect Leader," Nie Hongyuan spoke, his voice aged and unhurried, "I've sat in the back mountain for a thousand years, and originally had no intention of concerning myself with these mundane affairs."

"But—" He raised his eyes, his cloudy eyes revealing an all-knowing indifference, "the sect's rules, established thousands of years ago, cannot be allowed to rot in our generation."

"The elders' decision is not a coup, it's simply following the rules."

"What the sect leader wants to do, we can do. But what the Third Elder said must also be done—the breakthrough site should be located outside the mountain gate. This is the will of the entire Elder Council."

He paused, then added one last sentence, his tone leaving no room for argument:

"This is my bottom line."

The sect leader stared intently at him. Anger surged in her unfathomable eyes, only to be gradually suppressed. She clenched her hands tightly in her sleeves, the clenching sound echoing. But what was a peak-stage Void Refinement cultivator compared to someone who had achieved Dao Integration? This was the mountain the Elder Council had been pressing down on the sect leader for a thousand years. And also the mountain that had been pressing down on the entire Joyful Union Sect for hundreds, even thousands of years.

All the elders bowed their heads in unison: "We will obey the Grand Elder's decree."

A few breaths later, the sect leader, who was at the peak of the Void Refinement stage, slowly closed his eyes.

When he opened his eyes again, the anger in his voice had completely vanished, leaving only a deep, unfathomable calm.

The hands inside the sleeves were clenched so tightly they made a cracking sound.

But eventually, it slowly loosened up.

"……good."

"According to the Elders' Council."

Nie Hongyuan gave him a deep look, but said nothing more.

The meaning in his gaze was complex and hard to describe—there was the pleasure of suppressing the sect leader, the scrutiny of Li Hanshan, and a trace of expectation that even he himself had not noticed.

After he finished speaking, he slowly turned around, and for the first time his gaze fell on Li Hanshan.

Those murky eyes scrutinized him from head to toe, inch by inch, as if examining an object or a prey.

After a while, the Grand Elder of the Dao suddenly grinned and smiled.

"Refining Void, he killed that old bastard from the Heavenly Demon Sect with a single sword strike."

"OK."

"Kid, you're pretty good."

He patted Li Hanshan on the shoulder—the movement was very light, as light as a falling leaf.

But Li Hanshan clearly felt an extremely cold aura travel along that withered hand, circulate within his body, and then slowly recede.

That was a test to see what he was capable of.

Although Li Hanshan did not resist the other party, he also did not allow the other party to discover much.

He stood with his hands at his sides, his smile undiminished, and respectfully cupped his hands in greeting: "Elder, you flatter me. This disciple is humbled."

Only in the depths of her lowered eyelids did a trace of icy chill flash.

Whether being "remembered" by a Daoist master in the Hehuan Sect is a blessing or a curse remains to be seen.

"I'll remember you."