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

Li Hanshan had some impression of the Red Phoenix Sect.

It is a subordinate sect, established for over eight hundred years, with more than a thousand disciples. They are skilled in weaving spirit silk and offer spirit silk and cinnabar as tribute every year. It is not ranked among the dozen or so subordinate sects under the Hehuan Sect, but it is honest and reliable.

The reason why the Red Phoenix Sect went to such lengths is not hard to guess.

-

Ruan Mianmian is the only daughter of Ruan, the leader of the Hongluan Sect.

The year Wen Yu's body awakened, the news could no longer be kept secret. Several mid-sized sects in the vicinity sent messages to "seek marriage"—ostensibly to seek marriage, but in reality to exploit her for sexual enhancement. The Red Phoenix Sect, a small sect with a thousand or so disciples, could neither refuse nor accept, as it would be pushing its daughter into a pit of fire. Ruan Shi suppressed those invitations, enduring the days in vain, the mother and daughter worrying so much that they didn't sleep for several nights.

Until the news of the Hehuan Sect's "mass ascension to godhood" spread throughout the Central Continent.

As Ruan inquired, she became increasingly alarmed, yet also increasingly intrigued.

Elder Li never took anything for free when helping people break through to the next level; the female cultivators who followed him, including Hua Nongying and Shen Ruoxi, all rose from having no hope of reaching the Nascent Soul stage to becoming powerful Nascent Soul cultivators in the same time. It was said throughout the Central Continent: "Follow him, and you have a chance to reach the Nascent Soul stage, and a chance to reach the Nascent Soul stage."

What's even more valuable is the reputation.

This Elder Li never forced or mistreated anyone. Women who didn't suit his taste or didn't want to stay were politely sent back, even receiving free elixirs and cultivation techniques as a reward. None of the women who followed him suffered any loss or injustice; they all lived glamorous lives.

Ruan held those "marriage proposal" invitations in her hands and thought about them for three whole days and nights.

On the fourth day, she called her daughter to her side, her eyes red with tears, and told her the truth: "Mianmian, I can't protect you forever. Rather than marrying you off to those wolves, I want to... send you to the Hehuan Sect, to Elder Li's side."

"If you don't want to, then pretend I never said anything."

Ruan Mianmian thought of the gazes that clung to her from the nearby sects, and of her mother's sighs that lasted all night long. She shook her head, then nodded.

"Mother, I'm willing to go."

Thus, this scene unfolded in front of the mountain gate.

-

At the mountain gate, a great formation sealed off the area, shrouded in clouds and mist.

A small red flying boat hovered above the clouds, its six or seven people trembling in fear. Faced with the protective array that covered a thousand miles in radius, their meager cultivation was less than that of ants.

Li Hanshan, hidden behind the clouds, scanned the area with his divine sense.

The elderly woman at the head of the group was in the late stage of the Golden Core realm, with white hair, kind eyebrows, and slightly red eyes; her entourage consisted of juniors who were at the Foundation Establishment and Qi Refining stages; behind a blue curtain at the stern of the boat sat a woman at the ninth level of Qi Refining, whose aura was as gentle as jade, which subtly resonated with the Pure Yang Holy Body within him.

Furnace-cauldron physique?

There was no ambush, no hidden tricks, and not even a decent magical artifact could be found on the boat.

Li Hanshan felt relieved and landed. The gatekeepers bowed in unison. He formed hand seals, and his spiritual energy flowed along the complex route—the clouds silently parted, revealing a passage just wide enough for one boat to pass through.

"Come in."

The members of the Red Phoenix Sect cautiously entered the mountain gate, immediately bowing deeply upon landing. The elderly woman at the head of the group presented a scroll of gifts with both hands, her voice trembling:

"Sect Leader Ruan of the Red Phoenix Sect pays respects to Elder Li! Our sect is poor and has nothing to offer. We have heard of your great service in guarding our mountain gate, and the entire Red Phoenix Sect is deeply grateful—we hereby offer our sect's Holy Maiden as a token of our loyalty!"

The curtain was lifted, and a young girl stepped out.

She looked about sixteen or seventeen years old, dressed in a simple dress, with gentle features and a pitiful appearance. However, her eyes were slightly red, and her eyelashes were still damp—clearly she had been crying, but not out of fear, but out of sadness at leaving home.

"A body of warm jade." Li Hanshan saw through it at a glance and understood.

A natural-born furnace physique, top-grade. Although not quite at the Saint-level like Extreme Yin or Profound Yin, it's still one in a million, a perfect match for dual cultivation. No wonder the Red Phoenix Sect has kept it hidden for so many years—this kind of thing in the hands of a small sect is never a blessing, but a source of disaster.

Li Hanshan looked at her, his voice softening:

"Raise your head."

The girl timidly looked up.

"I'm asking you—was it voluntary?"

Madam Ruan's expression changed slightly: "Elder, Mianmian has been like this since she was a child—"

"I wasn't asking you." Li Hanshan raised his hand, his gaze still fixed on the girl's face. "I was asking her."

"If you are unwilling, you may return now. I will not force you, nor will I hold the Red Phoenix Sect accountable. Heaven and earth bear witness to this."

There was complete silence in front of the mountain gate.

Ruan Mianmian stared at him blankly.

Ever since her physique awakened, countless eyes in the sect have been green with envy, and the "marriage proposals" from several nearby sects are stacked up to half a foot high. She originally thought that in this life, she would either be taken by this person or that person, and the best outcome would be to wait in the backyard of some great cultivator until her beauty faded and his love waned.

It wasn't until her mother laid it all out that she thought about it over and over for several nights.

Legend has it that Elder Li is young, powerful, and gentle. Women who follow him all achieve great success, their cultivation levels soaring; those who are unwilling part amicably, even receiving elixirs in return. Could you possibly find another place like this in the Central Continent?

She looked up and finally saw him clearly.

Young, with handsome features and an unfathomable aura. He spoke gently, without a trace of impatience in his eyes—completely unlike the rumored "blue-faced, fanged old demon who exploits the body for sustenance." What Mother had said was true.

Suddenly, her nose stung with tears, and she nodded vigorously.

"willing."

"Mianmian... would be very happy."

Li Hanshan smiled.

"Very well. From this day forward, you belong to me."

He turned to look at Lady Ruan: "Hongluan Zong's loyalty is commendable; this year's tribute will be reduced by 30%."

Madam Ruan bowed deeply in gratitude, and as she rose, she gave her daughter a long, thoughtful look. Ruan Mianmian rushed over, and the mother and daughter embraced for a moment without saying a word.

Then, she turned around and followed Li Hanshan into the mountain gate.

The passage behind them slowly closed, and the clouds returned to their swirling chaos. The small red flying boat turned around and quietly departed—on this journey, the Red Phoenix Sect had gambled everything, and had also sent to the end the best path a mother could offer her daughter.