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

After Li Zhan left, the courtyard fell silent again.

Xia Jin sat by the stone table for a while, gazing at the empty stone chair opposite her, seemingly lost in thought.

He sat there, drinking bowl after bowl of wine, until dawn.

"How did the night go by so quickly?"

Xia Jin's wine bowl was empty. He glanced at the nearest wine jar and found it was also empty, so he shook his head.

"Alright, that's enough for today!" Xia Jin rubbed her eyes, stood up, and swayed slightly. "Fine, while it's still light, let's go see what this so-called Yuanling Pool looks like!"

He muttered to himself and walked towards the courtyard gate.

He didn't know how long he walked, but he realized that he hadn't encountered a single person.

There are already few people in the entire Triple Heaven, and there are probably even fewer coming out at this time.

Xia Jin didn't find it boring at all. He walked along, taking in the scenery around him.

"According to what that third senior brother said, the Yuanling Pool should be here."

Xia Jin stood at the entrance of the valley and glanced inside.

The valley was shrouded in mist, which emitted a faint milky white glow, like some kind of visible energy.

He stepped inside.

The fog grew thicker, and an indescribable scent gradually filled the air.

Xia Jin took a deep breath, feeling as if every pore on her body had opened slightly, greedily absorbing the strange energy in the air.

"This Yuanling Pool... seems to have some interesting aspects."

He was thinking, but his steps didn't stop.

However, just as he was about to reach the middle of the valley,

Suddenly, several indistinct silhouettes appeared in the fog ahead.

"Hmm!? Could it be that someone is still cultivating in this Yuanling Pool at this time?" Xia Jin stopped in her tracks, her brows furrowing slightly, but her gaze remained fixed on the front.

Those outlines were moving, and... they were coming in his direction.

When those things finally emerged from the thick fog, they startled Xia Jin.

The figure walking towards Xia Jin was not a real person, but a clay figure.

To be precise, it is a clay figure that is only about one meter tall.

At this moment, three clay figures were carrying a huge ebony log, marching in unison towards Xia Jin.

That ebony log was at least three or four zhang long and thicker than an adult's thigh, looking incredibly heavy. Yet these three little clay figures, each about a meter tall, carried it with unwavering, steady steps.

"What are these things again?" Xia Jin looked at the three clay figures with some surprise.

He subconsciously released his divine sense to investigate, but found nothing.

These three clay figures had no life force, no spiritual energy fluctuations, and not even a trace of residual soul power.

But they were moving nonetheless.

Not only can it move, but it can also carry things, and it can carry them steadily.

This was absolutely the first time Xia Jin had ever seen anything like it. He had seen quite a few strange and unusual things in this world, but this scene truly left him completely baffled.

He stood there, his gaze sweeping over the three clay figures, his brows furrowing deeper and deeper.

Just as he was staring intently at those clay figures,

"Ding-a-ling~"

A clear, ringing bell rang out from the mist ahead.

Then, there was another sound.

"Someone is manipulating these clay figures!?" Xia Jin looked up and gazed in the direction of the bell sound.

Then, another figure appeared in the mist ahead.

He was a middle-aged man who looked to be around forty years old. His hair was tied in a loose topknot, and a string of bells hung from his waist. He had a thin face, slightly high cheekbones, and a neat mustache, which gave him a rather comical appearance.

The man seemed to have noticed Xia Jin as well, and slowed his pace, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.

The three clay figures carrying ebony had stopped at some point and stood quietly by the roadside, as if making way for this person.

The middle-aged man dressed as a Taoist priest walked up to Xia Jin and stopped.

The two were only three or four steps apart.

"Hey buddy, you look a bit unfamiliar."

"Xia Jin is new here. May I ask how to address you, Senior Brother?" Xia Jin had already vaguely guessed that the other party must be a disciple of the Third Heaven, so he nodded to him and asked.

"Xia Jin?" The man's eyes suddenly lit up upon hearing this. "So you're Xia Jin!"

"Yesterday I heard from that drunkard Li Zhan that a new junior brother has arrived in our Third Heaven. He's very generous, and we gave him two jars of fine wine!" The man looked Xia Jin up and down, as if confirming something. "Not bad, not bad. He does seem quite promising."

As he spoke, he took a step closer to Xia Jin and patted her on the shoulder in a very familiar manner.

"Let me introduce myself. My name is Zhou Chu. You can also call me Fifth Senior Brother here."

Zhou Chu.

Fifth Senior Brother.

Xia Jin memorized the name and title, and bowed again, saying, "Xia Jin greets Fifth Senior Brother."

"Oh, don't be so polite." Zhou Chu waved his hand. "We don't have that many rules in the Three Heavens."

"By the way," Zhou Chu suddenly changed the subject, his strikingly bright eyes fixed on Xia Jin, "you're... going to the Yuanling Pool?"

Xia Jin nodded: "That's right. Yesterday, I heard my third senior brother mention the Yuanling Pool, so I thought I'd go and take a look."

"Oh? That drunkard Li Zhan is unusually diligent, even giving directions to a newcomer." Zhou Chu stroked his beard, a half-smile on his face, and said, "But don't believe everything he says. If five out of ten of his statements are true, that's good. The other five are just drunken ramblings."

"By the way, Junior Brother Xia, you shouldn't be in a hurry, right?" Zhou Chu suddenly asked.

Xia Jin was slightly taken aback, then shook her head: "There's no rush."

"That's perfect." Zhou Chu smiled and stroked his mustache. "Sit down and have a chat with your senior brother."

As he spoke, without waiting for Xia Jin's reaction, he pulled out several palm-sized paper figures from his pocket and casually threw them on the ground.

"Get up," Zhou Chu said lazily.

The paper figure fell to the ground, and the soil on the ground began to move.

Moist mud gathered from all directions, layering over the paper figures.

The mud piled up higher and higher, gradually taking shape. In just a few breaths, three mud figures, each about a meter tall, stood lifelike in front of Xia Jin.

They look exactly like the three clay figures who were carrying ebony earlier.

Zhou Chu patted the mud off his hands, stood up, and called out to the three newly made clay figures:

"Go and move the tables and chairs over here."

The three clay figures, having received their orders, ran off quickly with their short, stubby legs.

Xia Jin was dumbfounded.

Not long after,

A series of heavy footsteps came from the mist.

The three mud figures that had run away were now carrying a stone table and two stone chairs, running back at top speed.

They ran to Zhou Chu's side and placed the stone table and chairs down steadily with two "thumps". After placing the things, the three clay figures stood still in place.

Then, their bodies began to break down.

After the mud fell off automatically, the few palm-sized paper figures floated up from the ground and landed back in Zhou Chu's outstretched palm.

Zhou Chu stuffed the paper figure back into his arms, clapped his hands, and gestured with his chin toward Xia Jin.

"Please sit down."

After he finished speaking, he plopped down on one of the stone chairs, leaned back, and crossed his legs.

Xia Jin glanced at him and remained silent for two seconds. Then she walked to another stone chair and sat down.

"Fifth Senior Brother," Xia Jin finally couldn't help but ask, "what kind of technique did you just use?"

He pointed to the puddle of mud on the ground.

"Those clay figures... they clearly have no life force or spiritual energy fluctuations, yet they can move, carry things, run, and even understand commands. This..."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Chu's face revealed a smug look. "Hehehe, it's just some minor Taoist tricks. If there's a chance in the future, I'll teach you!"

"Taoist sect?" Xia Jin narrowed her eyes slightly, her expression becoming somewhat solemn, but she did not pursue the matter further.