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

Just as Xia Jin stepped into the void gate and left, a beam of light suddenly shot out from the three-zhang-tall stone tablet at the edge of the battle arena.

The light entered the token at Xia Jin's waist, and the original words "Heaven Twenty-Three" instantly transformed into "Heaven Twenty-Two".

Xia Jin glanced down at it, but didn't pay it any mind. To him, it was just a change in a number.

Watching Xia Jin's disappearing figure, Mo Chongshan, who had been kneeling on the ground, seemed to have completely lost his fighting spirit. He lay down on the ground and looked at the starlight that flashed on the battle stage from time to time. After a long time, he finally revealed a crazy smile.

"Hahahaha!! In order to make a name for myself, I lay low for nearly a hundred years after entering this second level. I never expected that I would end up being defeated by a newcomer... I, Mo Chongshan, am not reconciled! I am not reconciled!"

......

On the island where Xia Jin lived, Yin Shixuan was sitting in the pavilion, holding a cup of freshly brewed hot tea in his hands.

However, he didn't taste the tea in his hand; instead, he drifted into a daze. After all, he wasn't very optimistic about Xia Jin's challenge against Mo Chongshan.

"That Mo Chongshan is not someone to be trifled with. I wonder if you, sir, can withstand him. However, I hope that even if you cannot win, you will at least not suffer serious injuries. Otherwise, it wouldn't be a good thing in this Second Heaven!"

"After we finish this cup of tea and rest for a bit, the master should be back by now."

Unexpectedly, before Yin Shixuan could finish speaking, the space in front of him suddenly distorted.

A portal suddenly appeared, and Xia Jin walked out of it.

"Ah!?" Yin Shixuan's hand trembled, and the tea in the cup spilled out. He stared at Xia Jin with wide eyes.

"M-Master? How come you're back so soon?"

Xia Jin raised an eyebrow slightly, then sat down beside Yin Shixuan, looking at him with a raised eyebrow: "What? Are you surprised that I'm back so quickly?"

"No, no!" Yin Shixuan hurriedly waved his hands, but the shock in his eyes was impossible to hide. "I just... I just think your speed is a bit too fast, sir. Although Mo Chongshan is only ranked twenty-second, it is said that his strength is enough to rank in the top fifteen..."

As he spoke, he secretly glanced at Xia Jin, only to find that his master's breathing was steady and he was not injured.

"Hmph!! With that kind of strength, he was able to enter the second level and become a top-tier disciple!?" Xia Jin shook his head, seemingly somewhat disappointed. "I thought I'd find someone I could practice against, but he couldn't even last three moves."

"Three...three moves?!" Yin Shixuan's eyelids twitched violently, and his gaze towards Xia Jin completely changed.

It's probably not that Mo Chongshan is too weak, but rather that our master... is too strong!

While Yin Shixuan was still in shock, Xia Jin spoke again: "Quickly arrange a next opponent for me."

"Next?" Yin Shixuan was taken aback.

Xia Jin poured himself a cup of tea, watching the rising steam, a glint of light flashing in his eyes: "That's right, I will become a disciple of that 'Hun' sect as quickly as possible."

"Hun!" Yin Shixuan gasped.

However, he did not hesitate and nodded: "I will take care of it immediately."

......

When Yin Shixuan met Mr. Gu again.

Mr. Gu was still lying in that armchair, but his face seemed expressionless, blank and lost in thought.

Upon hearing footsteps, Mr. Gu snapped out of his reverie and saw that the person was Yin Shixuan. A complex expression flashed in his small eyes.

"Yin Shixuan?" He sat up, his expression somewhat strange. "Why are you here again, kid?"

Yin Shixuan approached, about to speak, when Mr. Gu preemptively asked, "Wait, let me guess. You're not here again to arrange a duel on behalf of your master, are you?"

"Uh... Mr. Gu, you guessed right!!" Yin Shixuan opened his mouth, but for a moment he didn't know how to answer, so he could only chuckle and say this.

Mr. Gu stared at Yin Shixuan for a long time without saying a word. The entire hall was so quiet that you could hear the wind blowing outside the window.

After a long while, Mr. Gu took a deep breath and said in a complicated tone, "It seems that your master has quite the ambition."

Yin Shixuan chuckled awkwardly and scratched his head: "This is nothing! My master didn't understand the rules here at first. When we first arrived, he wanted me to challenge the top five players."

"Top five?!" Mr. Gu's round face twitched.

He opened his mouth, but found it felt like something was blocking his throat. In the end, he could only wave his hand at Yin Shixuan with a speechless expression.

"Alright, alright, you can go back now. I'll arrange the challenge."

Helpless, Yin Shixuan could only bow and turn to leave.

Once Yin Shixuan's figure had completely disappeared outside the palace gates, Mr. Gu sat back down in his armchair, his expression becoming serious.

"This kid has quite the appetite. However, if we let him keep challenging himself like this, problems will inevitably arise sooner or later!"

He remained silent for a moment, then stood up, abandoning his usual lazy demeanor, straightened his robes, and strode out of the hall.

......

The Second Heaven is vast, and its islands are countless.

At that moment, an old man was sitting on an inconspicuous rock.

The old man's figure blended into the rocks; if you didn't look closely, you would hardly notice that there was anyone there.

Just then, a bulky figure descended from the sky and landed gently on the reef.

It was Mr. Gu.

He stood three steps behind the old man, bowed deeply, and looked extremely respectful.

"grown ups."

The old man didn't turn around or say anything; he just stared quietly at the buoys on the sea.

Mr. Gu wasn't in a hurry; he just bent over and waited patiently.

After waiting for an unknown amount of time, the float finally moved. Without the old man making any move, the fishing line sprang up on its own, and a golden koi was thrown directly onto the shore.

"You're quite lucky today!" The old man put away the golden koi fish, a smile appearing on his face as he looked at Mr. Gu. "So, what brings you here today?"

Mr. Gu straightened up, took a deep breath, and recounted everything that had happened on the battle stage that day.

He explained it in great detail, without omitting any specific details.

The old man remained silent, listening attentively. But when Mr. Gu mentioned the "scorching sun," the old man's hand holding the fishing rod paused slightly.

It was just a very subtle movement, but it did not escape Mr. Gu's eyes.

His pupils contracted slightly.

After a long silence, the old man spoke, his voice carrying a faint hint of amusement:

"Interesting...really interesting."

"Arrange it for him."