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

The gray sword energy flew out from his fingertips silently, but when it landed on the blood puppet that was being reconstructed, a terrifying scene unfolded.

The blood puppet's body began to slowly melt upon touching the gray sword energy.

That's right, it melted. Not burned to ashes, but as if wiped off the face of the earth, disappearing rapidly and visibly.

In the blink of an eye, a blood puppet that even ordinary Dragon Transformation Realm cultivators couldn't defeat vanished completely.

Seeing the fate of its companion, the remaining blood puppet seemed to show fear for the first time in its numb eyes.

However, his body has not fully recovered yet, so he cannot leave even if he wants to.

Xia Jin glanced at him casually, then unleashed another gray sword aura.

The same silence, the same annihilation.

A moment later, only two faint gray marks remained on the ground, proving that the two blood puppets had once existed.

silence.

A deathly silence.

Mu Qingxue and the other disciples of the Glazed Sword Sect stood there dumbfounded, speechless for a long time.

They weren't unfamiliar with powerful figures; the elders of the Glazed Sword Sect were all experts at the Dragon Transformation Realm, but none of them had ever used the sword technique Xia Jin had just used.

"Senior Brother Xia..." Mu Qingxue was the first to come to her senses, her eyes filled with fervor, "What sword technique...did you just use?"

The others also stared intently at Xia Jin.

"Hmm!? The sword technique you just used." Xia Jin glanced at the group and casually replied, "I just found it randomly on the fifth floor of the Sword Pavilion. I think it's called something like the Wusheng Sword Scripture. If you're interested, you can ask Sect Master Leng for permission to read it after you return to the Glazed Sword Sect."

However, when they heard that the Sword Pavilion had five levels, they all shook their heads at the same time.

"The fifth floor of the Sword Pavilion isn't so easy to enter. Besides the sect leader and a few elders, we only know that Senior Brother Xia can enter the fifth floor by himself." Zhao Lingyun sighed helplessly.

"No wonder the sect leader made an exception to let him join our Glazed Sword Sect and even make him the senior brother." Li Piaoxu looked at Xia Jin with his sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes, and his gaze changed from respect to admiration.

However, Xia Jin did not show any smugness on her face despite the eager gazes of the group.

Instead, his brows furrowed slightly, and his gaze fell on the two faint gray marks on the ground, as if deep in thought.

Blood puppets are something only the new master of the Wrathful Soul Palace knows how to refine, so why are they here? You should know that this is not Pingyang County, where the Wrathful Soul Palace is located, but the border between Fengyuan Prefecture and Guxu Prefecture.

There is only one reason that might explain this.

That's because the new master of the Wrathful Soul Hall had been chasing the thirteen bandits all the way to this vicinity. And it's very likely that he didn't gain any advantage from them!

Mu Qingxue noticed the change in Xia Jin's expression. She walked to Xia Jin's side and asked softly, "Senior Brother Xia, what's wrong? Do you perhaps know the origins of these two men in black robes?"

Xia Jin did not answer immediately, but remained silent for a moment.

When the others heard Mu Qingxue ask such a question, they all quieted down and their eyes all fell on Xia Jin.

"Blood puppets." A glint flashed in Xia Jin's eyes. "These two can no longer be considered human; they are called Blood Puppets."

"Blood Puppet?" Zhao Lingyun frowned, and a hint of doubt flashed in the eyes of the others as well.

"That's right. These blood puppets are impervious to blades and spears, possess immense strength, and feel no pain or fear. If they cannot be killed in one blow, even if they lose an arm or a leg, they can quickly regenerate. They are simply killing machines."

"If I'm not mistaken, these two blood puppets should be related to the Hall of Wrathful Souls."

"The Hall of Wrathful Souls?" Zhao Lingyun and the others exchanged glances, then asked, "Senior Brother Xia, the Hall of Wrathful Souls and our Glazed Sword Sect have always kept to themselves. Why would they do this? Offending our Glazed Sword Sect is not a good thing for the Hall of Wrathful Souls."

Upon hearing this, Xia Jin suddenly smiled.

"Under normal circumstances, perhaps what you said is not wrong."

"However, it seems that the Lord of the Wrathful Soul Hall is seriously injured and not far from here. Otherwise, he wouldn't be so desperate as to intercept our Glazed Sword Sect disciples here."

Mu Qingxue's heart tightened: "Senior Brother Xia means that the Lord of the Wrathful Soul Hall is nearby?"

"Hmm!! Most likely." Xia Jin nodded. "Although blood puppets are powerful, they have a weakness: unless their controllers surpass the Great Power Realm, the distance between them and their controllers will not exceed three hundred miles!"

"Once this area is exceeded, these blood puppets will be unable to move."

"Senior Brother Xia, does that mean that the Lord of the Wrathful Soul Hall is no more than three hundred miles away from here, since those two blood puppets have appeared here?" Zhao Lingyun immediately understood Xia Jin's meaning.

"That's right." Xia Jin's gaze suddenly turned to the distant mountains, a cold glint flashing in her eyes. "That guy wanted to capture you to use as a furnace for healing, so his injuries must be quite severe."

"Senior Brother Xia, we must leave here quickly. Otherwise, if the Lord of the Wrathful Soul Palace discovers us, even if he is severely injured, he is still beyond our ability to handle."

"Let's go!?" Xia Jin withdrew her gaze and said with a smile, "You can go first and continue to the Sword Dao Exchange Meeting. The Wrathful Soul Hall has offended my Glazed Sword Sect so much, how could we not make them pay a price?"

"Huh?!" Mu Qingxue's eyes suddenly widened. "Senior Brother Xia, you don't mean to stay behind alone and face the Wrathful Soul Palace, do you?!"

Although Li Piaoxu and the others did not speak, a hint of anxiety flashed in their eyes.

They were unaware of Xia Jin's true strength. In their eyes, although Xia Jin was powerful, she was at most at the third or fourth level of the Dragon Transformation Realm. Facing a powerful expert at the Great Power Realm level, even a heavily injured True Transformation Realm expert, she would be like an ant trying to shake a tree.

"Don't worry." Xia Jin smiled and waved her hand at their worried expressions. "I'm not that stupid. I won't do anything I'm not sure of. If you dare to stay, I naturally have ways to protect myself."

"But..." Mu Qingxue wanted to say something more.

"No buts. This time, going to the Kendo Exchange Conference is entirely up to me. My word is law!! The Kendo Exchange Conference cannot be attended without a representative from the Glazed Sword Sect. Your task is there, understand?" Xia Jin interrupted her, her tone becoming more serious.

"Besides, you won't be of any help staying here; in fact, you'll only distract me."

Mu Qingxue bit her lip, but finally nodded.

"Then Senior Brother Xia must be careful."

"Senior Brother, take care!" Li Piaoxu and the others exchanged glances and then bowed to Xia Jin before turning and boarding the carriage.

Xia Jin stood in the middle of the road, watching the carriage slowly disappear, and the smile on her face began to fade.

"Lord of the Hall of Wrathful Souls..." he muttered to himself, his eyes gleaming. "Since you've delivered yourself to my doorstep, don't blame me for being impolite. As the only hegemonic force in Pingyang County, you, the new Lord of the Hall, must possess quite a few treasures."

"The fact that these treasures ended up in my hands is the only good thing you've done in your life!!"

"Besides, you should be at your weakest right now." Xia Jin's lips curled into a cold smile. "Opportunity knocks but once."

"Hmm? I almost forgot about you." Xia Jin suddenly frowned, her gaze falling on a withered tree not far from the roadside.

"Alright." Xia Jin stood with her hands behind her back and said calmly, "You've been hiding there for so long, it's time to come out."

The wind whistled, but there was no movement behind the withered tree.

Xia Jin raised an eyebrow slightly, her smile deepening. "What? Do I have to go and invite him myself?"

A surprised exclamation came from behind the dead tree.

Then a rather short figure slowly emerged from behind the withered tree.