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

Several days later, Xia Jin and her entourage's carriage finally entered the territory of the ancient Xuzhou.

The car stopped, and Xia Jin lifted the curtain to look outside. The sight that came into view made him pause slightly in surprise.

Unlike the vast and desolate Fengyuan Prefecture, the mountains and rivers of the ancient Xu Prefecture are even more rugged and unique.

There are many mountains here, and almost every peak visible to the naked eye soars into the clouds. Even on the mountain peaks, several sword lights can be faintly seen moving back and forth.

"Is this the ancient Xuzhou? It is indeed quite different." Xia Jin was secretly surprised when she sensed the faint sword intent emanating from the pedestrians around her.

"Senior Brother Xia, the Taixu Sword Sect is just ahead." Mu Qingxue's voice came from behind.

Xia Jin nodded, her gaze falling on the majestic mountain gate in the distance.

Even from such a distance, Xia Jin could still feel the oppressive aura emanating from him.

"Such powerful sword intent. The Taixu Sword Sect is indeed extraordinary; no wonder they were able to host the Sword Dao Exchange Conference." Xia Jin's eyes narrowed slightly.

Mu Qingxue walked to his side, followed his gaze, and explained softly, "It seems that this is also Senior Brother Xia's first time in Gu Xu Prefecture. Gu Xu Prefecture is different from our Fengyuan Prefecture. Almost all the forces in Gu Xu Prefecture focus on sword cultivation, and Tai Xu Sword Sect is the strongest sword cultivation force among them."

"In terms of foundation and strength, the Taixu Sword Sect is a notch above my Liuli Sword Sect."

"Stronger than the Glazed Sword Sect?" Xia Jin unconsciously rubbed her temples, a vague sense of foreboding creeping into her heart.

Leng Wushuang asked him to lead the Glazed Sword Sect to participate in this sword exchange meeting, and he didn't want to cause any more trouble, otherwise he would be the one to suffer in the end.

Seeing Xia Jin's obviously uncertain expression, Mu Qingxue smiled and said, "Senior Brother Xia, don't worry. The Taixu Sword Sect has always acted with integrity and never deliberately makes things difficult for anyone. Here, everything revolves around the Dao of the Sword."

"Judging by swordsmanship?" Xia Jin raised an eyebrow. "I hope so."

Just as Xia Jin was about to enter the Taixu Sword Sect, she saw a disciple dressed in Taixu Sword Sect attire walk out of the mountain gate.

His gaze fell on the Glazed Sword Sect's mark on the carriage, and a smile immediately appeared on his face as he quickly stepped forward to greet them.

"Are you all fellow Daoists from the Glazed Sword Sect? I am Han Zhao, an inner disciple of the Taixu Sword Sect, and I have been waiting here for quite some time on the orders of my elders."

"Xia Jin from the Glazed Sword Sect has come with her junior sisters to participate in the swordsmanship exchange meeting. We trouble you to show us the way, Brother Han." Seeing that the other party was being polite, Xia Jin nodded to him.

"Huh!? This person is also a disciple of the Glazed Sword Sect? Strange, hasn't the Glazed Sword Sect never recruited male disciples?" Han Zhao's gaze lingered on Xia Jin for a moment before a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes.

The fact that the Glazed Sword Sect only accepts female disciples is common knowledge, not only throughout the Mirage Realm but also in the neighboring states of Fengyuan Prefecture. It's quite rare that this Young Master Xia has come as a disciple of the Glazed Sword Sect.

However, he didn't ask any further questions, and simply smiled in response, gesturing for everyone to follow him: "Please come with me."

The group followed Han Zhao through the mountain gate and soon arrived at a quiet courtyard complex.

He pointed to several adjacent courtyards and said, "These are the accommodations prepared by the sect for fellow Daoists from various factions who come to participate in the exchange meeting. The members of the Glazed Sword Sect will be staying here. Although the furnishings inside are simple, they are quiet and peaceful. I hope you will not find them offensive."

Xia Jin looked around at the surroundings and nodded.

Nestled against green mountains and facing flowing water, this place is indeed a tranquil and pleasant spot. It suits him perfectly; he doesn't like crowds, so it would be best to spend the kendo exchange meeting in peace and quiet.

"If you have nothing else to say, then I'll take my leave!" Han Zhao cupped his hands in greeting to Xia Jin and the others, then turned and disappeared from their sight.

"Junior Sister Mu, it seems you were right. The people of the Taixu Sword Sect are quite good." Xia Jin said with a smile to Mu Qingxue beside him. However, he was somewhat suspicious. Could his premonition just now not be related to the Taixu Sword Sect?

Sure enough, just as Xia Jin was pondering the cause of that ominous premonition, she heard footsteps and laughter from the side.

Xia Jin turned her head and saw a group of people walking out of the neighboring courtyard, just in time to meet them.

The group consisted of about ten men and women, all dressed quite elegantly.

The male disciples were all handsome, while the female disciples were all charming and beautiful. Most striking of all, each of them wore a pink ribbon tied around their waist, embroidered with a blooming peach blossom.

"It's those people from the Hehuan Sword Sect again. They're so annoying. This time they even arranged for us to be next to them!" Mu Qingxue's voice suddenly rang in Xia Jin's ear, her tone filled with undisguised disgust.

"Don't worry, Junior Sister Mu, with Senior Brother Xia here this time, we'll definitely crush them under our feet!!" Li Piaoxu tightened her grip on her longsword, the coldness in her eyes growing stronger.

Xia Jin glanced at the girls around her and found that it wasn't just Mu Qingxue; the other junior sisters from the Glazed Sword Sect behind her also looked grim, their eyes filled with disgust.

"Junior Sister Mu, this Hehuan Sword Sect..." Xia Jin asked softly, "What's their background?"

Mu Qingxue frowned, took a deep breath, and then explained, "Senior Brother Xia, you don't know this. The sword path cultivated by the Hehuan Sword Sect is the path of desire. The disciples in the sect are all half male and half female, and their cultivation emphasizes the harmony of yin and yang and the dual cultivation of men and women."

"Our Glazed Sword Sect has always only accepted female disciples, emphasizing purity of heart and few desires, and proving the Dao through the sword."

"Originally, we two had always kept to ourselves, but since we both participated in this swordsmanship exchange, conflicts naturally arose between us. Since then, every time we clashed at the swordsmanship exchange, the other side would often bring this up, mocking us for being unable to thrive on our own, saying that our Glazed Sword Sect's swordsmanship was incomplete."

Over time, the two sides developed a deep-seated enmity.

After listening, Xia Jin nodded thoughtfully.

"Never mind them, Senior Brother Xia, let's go inside and rest!" Zhao Lingyun, standing behind Xia Jin, withdrew her cold gaze.

However, just as they were about to go in, the people from the Hehuan Sword Sect also saw Mu Qingxue and the others.

The woman in the lead, wearing a pink dress, walked directly towards them with a slight smile on her lips.

"Oh, who do we have here? It's you all from the Glazed Sword Sect." The woman's voice was melodious and pleasant, but her tone carried an inexplicable frivolity. "Long time no see. You all seem as detached as ever... no..."

She suddenly stopped speaking, her gaze falling on Xia Jin, her brows furrowing slightly.

"When did your Glazed Sword Sect start accepting male disciples? Did the sun rise in the west?"