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

one day one Night.

The yin and yang energies circulated back and forth in the cave for a full day and night.

As dusk settled on the second day, the spirit-gathering array in the center of the cave slowly dimmed. The glow of the array patterns faded layer by layer, and in the darkness, only two breaths, one light and one heavy, remained, gradually returning to calm.

a long time.

The sect leader made the first move.

She propped herself up and sat up, the plain white brocade quilt slipping from her shoulders, revealing a jade-like neck and shoulders. She got off the bed barefoot, walked to the clothes rack beside her, and picked up the plain white dress with unhurried movements, tying each sash meticulously—except for the hand tying the sash, whose fingertips trembled almost imperceptibly.

Dressed neatly and with her hair styled in a bun, she turned around and transformed back into the majestic and awe-inspiring leader of the Hehuan Sect.

"Hmm." She cleared her throat, looking down at the little rascal sprawled on the couch, a look of utter satisfaction on his face, trying to make her tone sound normal. "Your cultivation level... is quite stable."

"I'm glad Master is satisfied." Li Hanshan leaned lazily against the headboard, smiling like a cat that had just stolen some cream.

Sect Leader: "..."

She suddenly regretted believing his nonsense and having practiced his so-called "Qi Transfer Method" with him seven or eight times from beginning to end.

"Ahem." She looked away. "Tomorrow, I have clan affairs to attend to. You—"

"Disciple understands." Li Hanshan readily agreed. "Disciple will depart immediately and will not delay Master's business."

As he spoke, he slowly got up and put on his coat. When he walked to her side, he suddenly stopped, turned his head, and whispered in her ear:

"Master."

"Just now... you didn't actually need to endure it so hard."

"I promise I won't laugh at you."

The sect leader's face flushed red.

"roll."

With a single word, carrying the pressure of a Dao-Merging Great Power, Li Hanshan was sent flying out of the cave, tumbling three times in the air before finally landing steadily on the mountain path.

He dusted off his robes, looked at the cave entrance that had suddenly closed, chuckled twice, turned around, humming a little tune, and strolled down the mountain.

Not long after Li Hanshan descended the mountain, a white streak of light swept in from the north and landed in front of the main peak's mountain path.

Night Frost Splendor.

She had come to the main peak today to report to the sect leader. Her pace was neither fast nor slow, and she happened to bump into Li Hanshan, who was coming down the mountain.

"Senior Sister?" Li Hanshan greeted her with a grin and clasped his hands in a gesture of respect. "What a coincidence!"

"Hmm." Ye Shuanghua nodded, her gaze sweeping over him before she suddenly frowned slightly. "You just came from Master's cave?"

"Yes, Master summoned me to discuss some sect affairs." Li Hanshan said without changing his expression.

Ye Shuanghua remained silent.

She stared at him for a couple of breaths—his clothes were neat, and his hair was tied up. But she was a sword cultivator, and her divine sense was terrifyingly sharp. With just one glance, she noticed two clues: the top button of this little rascal's collar was fastened incorrectly, slightly off-center; and there was a very faint, cool fragrance on his body—it was the calming incense that her master used, unique in the entire Hehuan Sect.

Thinking back to those seven days and seven nights in Shuanghua Cave, and to the increasingly radiant complexion of Master recently... some things don't need to be asked.

"Senior sister?" Li Hanshan felt uneasy under her gaze. "Is there something on my face?"

"No." Ye Shuanghua withdrew her gaze, her tone as indifferent as if nothing had happened. "I'm going to see Master."

After saying that, she turned and stepped onto the mountain path, her white robes fluttering, and went straight into the main peak.

Li Hanshan was left standing there, touching his nose, feeling that his senior sister's gaze was quite meaningful.

-

The Sect Leader's Cave.

The barrier had just opened a crack when Ye Shuanghua stepped inside and immediately saw the figure in pure white behind the jade table.

The sect leader sat upright, her clothes impeccable, her hair perfectly styled, holding a scroll of sect affairs jade slips and reading them. Hearing the noise, she raised her eyes, her expression unchanged:

"Shuanghua has arrived. Please sit."

"Thank you, Master." Ye Shuanghua sat down as instructed, but her gaze quickly swept over the sect leader's face.

Her makeup was impeccable, and her expression was calm. Only her deep, unfathomable eyes were unusually clear at this moment, like a deep pool touched by a spring breeze, the shimmering light not yet fully faded; on her earlobes, a faint blush spread from her jade-like earlobes all the way to the side of her neck, barely half-concealed by her collar.

Ye Shuanghua lowered her eyes, pretending not to see anything.

"Master," she said, taking out a jade slip and presenting it with both hands, "this is the list of names submitted by each peak and hall over the past ten days or so. Please take a look."

The sect leader took it, scanned it with his divine sense, and his eyebrows twitched slightly.

"In the past month, the number of disciples who have come to join us... has tripled?"

"More than that," Ye Shuanghua said. "Ever since Master broke through to the Dao Integration Realm and Hanshan took over as Elder, a large number of disciples from the outer sect, inner sect, and even several vassal sects have come to serve us. Right now, there are over 20,000 registered disciples waiting for placement. The peak masters of each peak have been incredibly busy lately, all vying for people."

She paused, then added:

"Most of these people came for you. But it's undeniable that a significant portion of them were drawn by Han Shan's sword strike and the explosive increase in cultivation levels of the women in Shuanghua Cave after those seven days and seven nights."

"Right now, the entire Hehuan Sect is buzzing with rumors that following Elder Li will allow one's cultivation to ascend to immortality. The rumors are quite detailed and convincing."

The sect leader put down the jade slip and tapped it lightly on the table with his fingertips.

Disciples flocked to him like a tidal wave, and the hearts of the people were with him; this was a great thing.

But what she wanted was never just people's hearts.

"Shuanghua," she suddenly spoke, her voice calm yet sharp, "I have broken through to the Dao Integration stage, and the Immortal Alliance's forces are upon us again—do you think anyone in the Joyful Union Sect dares to oppose me now?"

Ye Shuanghua was taken aback, then realized: "Master means... the Elders' Council?"

"Indeed." The sect leader slowly rose, standing with his hands behind his back in the center of the cave. "Elder Nie Hongyuan has suppressed me from behind for hundreds of years. Troop deployments, resources, personnel—everything depends on the whims of his elders' council. Before, I was at the Refinement stage, and he was at the Dao Integration stage; I accepted that. But now—"

A cold smile curved her lips.

"I too have attained the Dao."

"Just as the Immortal Alliance is besieging the Yin Quan Sect, the sect must send troops. With the army moving, personnel, resources, and defenses will all need to be redeployed—this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I intend to use this battle to gradually wrest the decision-making power over major sect affairs back from the Elders' Council. I want the entire sect to see clearly—who truly calls the shots in the Hehuan Sect today."

Ye Shuanghua's heart stirred slightly upon hearing this, and she rose to reply, "What does Master need me to do?"

"I will convene a general meeting of the entire sect," the sect leader said, "tomorrow."

"In my name, I hereby summon all disciples of the Hehuan Sect—tomorrow at Chenshi (7-9 AM), at the mountain gate square, for a sect-wide assembly. Anyone who fails to attend without a valid reason will be considered a traitor."

"It would be inappropriate for you to issue this summons; it would be beneath me to issue it myself." She paused, then took out a dark black token from her sleeve. The front of the token was engraved with a seven-petaled lotus flower, and the back had only an ancient character for "palm".

"Let Hanshan go."

"Using my sect leader's token, and in my name, I hereby issue this notice."

Ye Shuanghua took the token, paused for a moment, and then understood her master's intention—to have Li Hanshan, the newly appointed elder who had just established his authority with swift and decisive measures, summon the entire sect was itself a resounding slap in the face to the elders' council.

"Yes," she replied, then added, "Master, according to ancestral rules, the sect's grand assembly requires twelve rings of the bell."

"I know." The sect leader nodded. "The Summoning Bell is a treasure of the sect. The number of times the bell tolls varies. Three tolls summon the masses, six tolls summon the peaks, nine tolls summon the halls—only twelve tolls summon all disciples of the entire sect, without exception."

"That bell is a special magical artifact; no one but the sect leader's lineage and the elders can operate it. And I…" She paused, a hint of sarcasm in her voice, "Having ruled the sect for hundreds of years, I have never personally rung that bell. It is the elders who ring it every few years, reminding me who the true master of this sect is."

"This time," she stretched out her hand, a wisp of silver-white law pattern flashing from her fingertip, and pressed it against Ye Shuanghua's brow, "I will teach you a magic technique, which you will then pass on to Hanshan."

"Let him go—to ring the bell for me."

"Twelve sounds, not one less."