Starting as a Grandmaster, all of my cultivation techniques are at max level.

Everyone stepped through the bronze gate, which was over a hundred feet tall, with a sense of anticipation.

Behind the door was a wide stone corridor. Apart from Xia Jin, who was looking around freely as she walked, the others did not look around. Instead, they felt a strange pressure.

Soon, they walked out of the stone corridor and came into a magnificent hall.

In the very center of the main hall, there are six stone chairs.

Everyone's attention was involuntarily drawn to the six stone chairs.

The six stone chairs varied in size and shape. The smallest was no more than three feet square, while the largest was several tens of feet tall, standing like a small mountain in the very center of the hall.

However, at this moment, these stone chairs were empty, with no one in sight.

"What's going on with these six seats?" Xia Jin stopped and looked at the six stone chairs in front of her with a puzzled expression.

"These are the positions of the six temple masters of my temple." The woman with the white veil explained with some pride when she saw everyone's gaze turn to her. "However, the temple masters do not usually appear here."

Upon hearing this, everyone looked at each other, each pondering their own thoughts.

Six Palace Masters?

There are actually six temple masters within the temple? Indeed, the temple truly lives up to its reputation as the most powerful force in this world...

Xia Jin's gaze swept over the six stone chairs one by one, a thoughtful look flashing in her eyes, but she didn't say anything more.

The women with white veils around them didn't give them much time to look at them and continued walking forward: "Alright, follow me."

After passing through the main hall, the group was quickly led to a side hall.

The side hall was not large, and its furnishings were quite simple. In the center was a long table, and behind the table sat two people.

One fat and one thin.

The fat man sat on the left, with a round face but an unusually serious and unsmiling expression.

The thin man sat on the right, his face gaunt and equally serious, though his eyes were slightly more sinister than the fat man's.

Upon seeing Xia Jin and the others arrive, the fat man suddenly waved his hand.

Immediately afterwards, streaks of light flew out from the table and landed in the hands of each person.

Xia Jin looked down and saw that she had a token in her hand.

The token was no bigger than the palm of your hand, with the two large characters "Temple" engraved on the front.

He flipped the token over and looked at the back.

The back also has only a few simple words: Earth Thirty-Seven.

Xia Jin frowned slightly as she looked at those words.

Earth Thirty-Seven?

What does this mean? Ranking? Number? Or something else?

The others were also looking down at the tokens in their hands, their expressions varied.

At this moment, the thin man spoke up: "Don't look at anything yet! Listen carefully to everything we say from now on. We two are the temple's stewards and instructors, responsible for guiding you new disciples."

Deacon Mentor?

Xia Jin raised an eyebrow, her gaze sweeping over the two men, one fat and one thin. Although their auras were subtle, they were definitely experts above the Creation Realm.

It seems this temple truly harbors hidden talents.

"The tokens in your hands are your identification documents in the temple. The numbers on them are your identification numbers. From this day forward, you will be addressed by your identification numbers within the temple."

He waved his hand again as soon as he finished speaking.

Another streak of light flew out, and each person received a book with a black cover.

The book cover had no design, only four large golden characters: "Temple Rules".

"The temple's rules are recorded here. After you go down, you must study them carefully. The temple has strict rules, so don't blame us for not informing you beforehand if you violate them."

Xia Jin casually flipped through it and saw that it was filled with all sorts of rules and regulations, such as not trespassing into forbidden areas, not engaging in private fights, and so on. In short, there were countless rules.

"Why is this temple still like those closed schools from my previous life? So many rules and regulations!" His eye twitched slightly, and he casually closed the book.

After the thin man finished speaking, he waved his hand and looked at the woman in white who had brought them there: "Take them to their lodgings and settle them in."

The woman nodded slightly, then turned to Xia Jin and the others: "Come with me."

After saying that, she took the lead and walked outside.

The group followed again.

This time, they took even longer.

After a quarter of an hour, they finally arrived at a group of isolated courtyards.

The woman seemed to take good care of Xia Jin and the other two, leading them directly to three courtyards in the same row.

"These are your residences." The woman pointed to the three courtyards, then looked at Xia Jin. "Since the three of you know each other, I've arranged for you to stay together. If there's nothing else, please go back and rest."

After saying that, she turned to leave, but stopped after taking only two steps.

She turned to look at Xia Jin, a strange glint in her cool eyes: "Just a reminder, don't wander around here unless it's absolutely necessary. If anything happens, someone will come and let you know."

After saying that, she turned and left, her white figure quickly disappearing into the distance.

Xia Jin stood there, watching the woman's departing figure, her brows furrowed slightly as she fell into deep thought.

Should we avoid moving around unnecessarily?

Will someone notify me if anything happens?

What on earth is this temple doing?

Jian Wuhen leaned closer, scratched his head, and asked with a puzzled look, "Brother Xia, this temple... it feels really strange. What's with the numbering system, the rules, and the fact that we can't just move around freely? Are we here to cultivate, or to be imprisoned?"

Venerable Miaodi also looked at Xia Jin. Although he did not speak, his slightly cloudy eyes also showed a thoughtful expression.

Xia Jin withdrew her gaze, looked at the token in her hand, then at the black-covered book of precepts, and suddenly chuckled.

"Interesting." He casually slipped the token into his pocket, then looked up at the three courtyards before him. "Since we're here, let's make the best of it. Let's settle in first. As for what this temple is trying to do..."

He paused, a hint of amusement flashing in his eyes: "You'll find out sooner or later."

After saying that, he randomly chose a courtyard, pushed open the door, and went inside.

Jian Wuhen and Venerable Miaodi exchanged a glance, then each chose a courtyard and went inside.

The courtyard gate slowly closed.

This isolated cluster of courtyards has regained its tranquility.

......

Night deepened.

Xia Jin did not choose to rest, but instead sat cross-legged on the stone bench in the courtyard, playing with the token engraved with "Earth Thirty-Seven" in her hand.

Everything I saw and heard today was strange.

The six hall masters who have vanished without a trace, the stewards and instructors, the numbered tokens, the strict rules...

This temple, rather than being a sacred place for cultivation, is more like an... organization.

A mysterious organization with a strict hierarchy and clear rules.

Those who passed the assessment were like newly recruited... newcomers.

"Interesting. Every few centuries, this temple recruits a group of powerful individuals from various continents! However, very few of these recruits are able to return to their original continents!"

"Have the remaining people perished, or have they gone somewhere else?"

Xia Jin rubbed her forehead, feeling somewhat irritated. "It seems the waters of this temple are much deeper than I imagined."