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

"And you are...?"

Xia Jin stared at the old man with a solemn expression. With his current level of cultivation, there were very few, if any, people whose true nature he couldn't see through. But this seemingly disheveled old man was like an abyss in Xia Jin's eyes; he couldn't detect any trace of the other's presence.

"You want to know who I am? If fate allows, you will have the chance to find out in the future!" The old man smiled and glanced at Xia Jin, then casually swung his fishing rod.

"What?" Xia Jin's expression changed. He felt as if a thin, transparent thread had been wrapped around his waist. Then, an irresistible force pulled him towards one of the islands.

"Who was that old man just now? He actually managed to leave me with no chance to resist! He must be at least a realm higher than me to do that!" Feeling the fierce wind whistling past her ears, Xia Jin couldn't help but feel a little horrified.

"Could it be one of the temple's masters?!" A thought suddenly popped into Xia Jin's mind, but he quickly shook his head. "It's unlikely. The temple's master wouldn't be so casual..."

He didn't think for long, because he had already landed on an island.

The island is quite large, and a palace stands in the center. Although it is not large, it is several times larger than the Jinwang Palace in the Great Xia Imperial Palace.

Xia Jin had barely landed when a scholar-like figure rushed out and bowed to him.

"My name is Yin Shixuan, greetings, Your Excellency!"

"Hmm? This person knows me?" Xia Jin frowned as she looked at the respectful person in front of her.

He had only just arrived at the second level of this temple, so how could anyone recognize him?

However, before he could even ask, Yin Shixuan had already stood beside Xia Jin and gestured for him to enter: "My lord, please go inside and rest. I can answer all your questions."

"Lead the way!!" Xia Jin glanced back in the direction of the old man, then followed Yin Shixuan toward the palace not far away.

"My lord, please have some tea." Yin Shixuan poured a cup of tea and handed it to Xia Jin.

"This is 'Cloud and Mist Spirit Tea,' a specialty of the Second Heaven, which is very helpful in stabilizing the soul."

Xia Jin picked up the teacup, but instead of drinking it, she closed her eyes and carefully smelled the aroma of the tea.

After a moment, he slowly spoke: "I have a few questions I'd like to ask you!"

"Please ask away, my lord!" Yin Shixuan nodded, his expression becoming serious.

"First question, what kind of place is this island?"

Yin Shixuan smiled and said, "This is the Lord's residence on the second level of the Divine Palace. The entire palace, including the island beneath your feet, belongs to the Lord."

Xia Jin opened her eyes, a glint of light flashing in them.

"So, each of these islands is inhabited by a disciple ranked as Heaven?"

Yin Shixuan nodded: "That's right. Apart from the largest island in the very center, each Heavenly-ranked disciple has their own independent island, and a follower like myself."

"Followers?" Xia Jin's gaze swept over Yin Shixuan.

Yin Shixuan nodded and said frankly, "I was once an elder of the first level of the Divine Temple, but I suffered an accident during an assessment, which caused me to fail. By chance, I was noticed by the higher-ups of the Divine Temple and entered the second level as a follower."

"The second question is, how does one advance to the 'Hun' rank as a disciple?"

Upon hearing this, Yin Shixuan's expression changed.

He looked at Xia Jin, a hint of shock flashing in his eyes.

"Sir, you..."

Yin Shixuan took a deep breath, and the shock on his face gradually turned into a bitter smile.

"My lord, you've only just ascended to the second level of the Heavenly Realm and become a Heavenly Disciple. Why are you already eyeing the Hun Disciple position? You should know that countless Heavenly Disciples have toiled in the second level of the Heavenly Realm for hundreds or even thousands of years, yet they still wouldn't dare to dream of that position..."

Xia Jin looked at him expressionlessly: "You only need to answer my questions."

Yin Shixuan felt a chill run down his spine when that gaze swept over him. He quickly composed himself and said solemnly, "My lord, please forgive me. I misspoke."

"To be promoted to the 'Hun' rank is extremely difficult; it's no exaggeration to say it's as difficult as ascending to heaven."

"But first, you must defeat the twenty-two top-ranked disciples ahead of you and become the number one among them!"

Xia Jin raised an eyebrow, but wasn't too surprised; this was to be expected!

"And then what? After becoming number one, what else do you need to do?"

Yin Shixuan took a deep breath, a solemn expression on his face.

"Then... you have to succumb to demonic possession! Enter the demon's lair and endure the demonic possession!"

Right after Yin Shixuan finished speaking,

[Ding! Key information 'Demon's Den' detected... Information matching in progress... Match successful!]

[Trigger Quest: Defeat everyone, become the top disciple of the Temple, and safely spend ten days in the Demon Cave.]

[Reward: 15,000 years of cultivation, +2 fragments of the Eastern Emperor Bell]

The system notification that suddenly sounded in her mind made Xia Jin's expression change slightly.

He never expected that he would trigger a system task here again.

Moreover, the rewards even included fragments of the Eastern Emperor Bell!

Two pieces still!

Xia Jin clenched her fists tightly, her pupils dilating in shock.

When Yin Shixuan saw Xia Jin suddenly fall silent and her expression become somewhat serious, he thought he had said something wrong, so he quickly lowered his head and didn't dare to breathe.

After a long while, Xia Jin slowly exhaled, raised his head, and stared intently at Yin Shixuan:

"What do you mean by 'becoming a demon'?"

Yin Shixuan felt the pressure in that gaze and quickly explained:

"My lord, within these two heavens, there is a demonic cave that the Grand Palace Master acquired from an unknown source."

"To become a disciple of the Hun clan, one must enter that demonic cave and stay there for ten days and ten nights. The demonic energy inside must enter the body, but one must remain conscious at all times and not let the demonic energy corrupt one's mind."

"Let demonic energy enter the body?" Xia Jin frowned. "What's the purpose of doing that?"

Yin Shixuan shook his head with a wry smile: "My lord, you've stumped me. With my lowly status, how could I possibly know such a secret? Not to mention me, even the best among the top disciples might not know the reason behind it."

Xia Jin fell into deep thought.

This temple really does things in a mysterious way!