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

The person who arrived was Elder Sun, who had been secretly protecting Xia Jin and the others on Leng Wushuang's orders.

Elder Sun looked at Xia Jin, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.

When did you find me?

"From the very beginning," Xia Jin said calmly, "I knew you had been following us ever since we left the Glazed Sword Sect. Although I don't know which elder of the Glazed Sword Sect you are, it must have been Sect Master Leng's order for you to secretly protect us."

"Nice to meet you. I am Sun Ling, the Fifth Elder of the Glazed Sword Sect. It is indeed remarkable that you were able to detect my secret accomplice from the very beginning." Elder Sun gave Xia Jin a deep look, her tone becoming more solemn. "Previously, the Sect Master had always praised you highly, which made me somewhat skeptical. But after seeing you today, I can see that you are indeed quite capable."

Xia Jin smiled but didn't reply.

Elder Sun walked up to Xia Jin, looked him up and down, and finally his gaze fell on the two faint gray marks.

"The sect leader once told me that you were only at the third level of the Dragon Transformation Realm. But just now, when I saw you make your move, those two blood puppets, which even ordinary Dragon Transformation Realm cultivators couldn't do anything to, were as fragile as paper in front of you."

"Tell me the truth, your true strength is probably far more than just the third level of the Dragon Transformation Realm, isn't it?"

"Elder Sun has a good eye indeed." Xia Jin narrowed his eyes slightly and said calmly, "That's right. In terms of strength, I am indeed more than just the third level of the Dragon Transformation Realm, but in terms of realm, I am still only at the third level of the Dragon Transformation Realm."

"So, in terms of strength, what realm are you at? Fourth level of the Dragon Transformation Realm? Or fifth level?" Elder Sun pressed, a hint of curiosity flashing in his eyes.

Xia Jin shook her head, not wanting to dwell on the matter further: "It's only slightly higher than the third level of the Dragon Transformation Realm..."

"That kid!!" Elder Sun felt a tightness in his chest, and his lips twitched slightly.

A little bit higher?

What kind of answer is that?

However, having lived for so many years, she was naturally a smart person, and seeing that Xia Jin was unwilling to elaborate, she did not press the matter further.

Everyone has their own secrets. Since the sect leader trusts this kid and values ​​him so much, there's no need for her to pry.

"Very well. Since you don't want to talk about it, I won't press you any further." Elder Sun waved her hand, no longer pursuing the topic.

"However, you just said you wanted to stay and deal with the people behind those two blood puppets. I ask you, do you know, if it's true, as you say, that they were ordered by the Lord of the Wrathful Soul Hall, how could you possibly handle him?"

"Take my advice and leave here immediately, pretend you know nothing."

"I will inform the sect leader about this matter and let her handle it."

"That Lord of the Wrathful Soul Palace is not someone to be trifled with. Even though he's injured now, he's still a powerful expert at the Great Power Realm! Do you understand the Great Power Realm? That's not something a Dragon Transformation Realm cultivator can contend with!"

"To be honest, although I am already at the peak of the Dragon Transformation Realm, even so, I can only temporarily avoid the brunt of the attack from the injured one. You are a young man, and although you are exceptionally talented, your cultivation level is still what it is. You must not be reckless."

After she finished speaking, she frowned and looked at Xia Jin, hoping that the young man would listen to her advice.

However, after hearing Elder Sun's words, Xia Jin not only did not show any fear, but instead smiled.

"Elder Sun, you're oversimplifying things."

Elder Sun was taken aback: "What do you mean by that?"

Xia Jin's gaze fell on the two gray marks on the ground. The smile on her lips gradually faded, and her expression turned somewhat cold.

"Do you know that the two blood puppets I just killed weren't as simple as they seemed? These blood puppets had some kind of special connection with their controllers, and the Lord of the Wrathful Soul Hall probably sensed it the moment they were destroyed."

Elder Sun's expression changed instantly.

"What did you say?" Her voice was filled with disbelief.

"What I mean is," Xia Jin raised her head, looking up at the distant sky, "that current Lord of the Wrathful Soul Hall has probably already sensed the destruction of the Blood Puppet and will soon be tracking us here."

Elder Sun's pupils suddenly contracted, and his whole body tensed up.

"Are you telling the truth?"

Xia Jin nodded. "If I'm not mistaken, he should already be on his way. At the speed of a Great Power Realm expert, it probably won't take him long to get here from three hundred miles away."

"What are we still doing here?! Let's go! Let's get out of here!"

Elder Sun could no longer disregard anything else. He grabbed Xia Jin's arm. "Let's leave here immediately before that person from the Hall of Wrathful Souls arrives!"

She grabbed Xia Jin and tried to leave.

However, Xia Jin remained completely still.

She turned around and saw Xia Jin standing there with a smile on her face.

"You...you're still not leaving!?" Elder Sun's face turned somewhat ugly.

"Elder Sun, don't rush," Xia Jin said with a smile, gently brushing away Elder Sun's hand that was gripping his arm. "Leaving just now might have been enough, but..."

He raised his head, looked up at the sky, and a glint of light flashed in his eyes.

"It's probably a bit too late now."

Right after Xia Jin finished speaking, a terrifying aura could be clearly felt rushing towards them from afar.

Elder Sun raised his head and looked in the direction from which the aura was coming.

"This aura... it really is the Lord of the Hall of Wrathful Souls."

The aura grew closer and stronger, like a mountain pressing down on you.

Elder Sun gritted his teeth, turned around abruptly, and stared intently at Xia Jin.

"Hide quickly! I'll lure him to another place! Then you can leave immediately."

Her eyes were firm, showing absolutely no fear.

Although she wasn't familiar with Xia Jin, she was an elder of the Glazed Sword Sect, and Xia Jin was a disciple of the Glazed Sword Sect. Protecting the disciples was the elder's duty.

Looking at Elder Sun's resolute expression, Xia Jin felt a slight stirring in her heart, and a warm feeling welled up inside her.

Although Elder Sun may not be very polite in his words, he is a trustworthy person when it matters.

"Elder Sun, why are you running away?"

Elder Sun was stunned, staring at Xia Jin as if she were a madwoman.

"At a time like this, you're not leaving? You want to stay here?"

Xia Jin raised her head, her eyes showing no fear or nervousness, but rather a hint of eager excitement.

"I say, Elder Sun, do you want to kill the Lord of the Wrathful Soul Hall?"

Elder Sun froze completely.

"What did you say?" She almost thought she'd misheard. "Killed the Lord of the Wrathful Soul Palace? Do you know what you're talking about? That's a Great Power Realm expert! Even injured, he's still a Great Power Realm expert!"

"You, a mere Dragon Transformation Realm brat, actually dare to claim you're going to kill a Great Power Realm expert? Have you gone mad from practicing your cultivation?"

Xia Jin remained unmoved, still smiling at her: "Elder Sun, just tell me, do you want to or not?"

Elder Sun took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.

She stared intently into Xia Jin's eyes, trying to find a trace of panic in them.

But she didn't.

Those eyes held a calm and confident air.

"Are you... confident?" Elder Sun asked tentatively.

Xia Jin nodded. "I never do things I'm not sure about."

Elder Sun remained silent for a moment.

"What do you plan to do?" Elder Sun asked in a deep voice.

Xia Jin smiled, leaned close to Elder Sun's ear, and whispered a few words.

As Elder Sun listened, the expression on his face began to change constantly.

"Are you sure?" She looked up and stared intently at Xia Jin.

Xia Jin nodded, her expression serious: "I'm sure."

Elder Sun gritted his teeth and remained silent for a full five breaths before finally making a final, desperate move.

"Fine!" A ruthless glint flashed in her eyes. "I'll trust you this once! At worst, I'll waste a life-saving trump card!"

"Don't worry, you won't lose anything." Xia Jin revealed a smug smile, then concealed her presence and hid in the shadows.

......

Only five breaths had passed.

A black streak of light streaked across the sky at an astonishing speed, appearing instantly above Elder Sun's head.

The light faded, revealing a figure.

He was a tall man, dressed in a long black robe, with a sinister face and an aura of violence emanating from him.

However, this person's left eye was blind, leaving only a dark eye socket, which gave people a chill.

Furthermore, a fatal penetrating wound still remained in his chest.

Even more bizarrely, a faint gray mist lingered around the wound, as if the mist possessed some kind of special power, constantly eroding the wound and hindering its healing.

The aura of that gray mist was somewhat similar to the annihilation sword energy of his Wusheng Sword Scripture! Although it was far less pure than his annihilation sword energy, their essence was the same.

"This person must be Gui Shu, the master of the Hall of Wrathful Souls!"

"But what exactly happened to this guy's injuries?" Xia Jin looked at the man with some suspicion. "It seems that the leader of the Thirteen Bandits is not a simple character either."