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

Upon returning to the palace, Xia Jin sat cross-legged on the Jade Bed.

After taking a deep breath,

"System, extract the mission reward," Xia Jin silently instructed in her mind.

[Command confirmed. Congratulations, host, for retrieving the mission reward: Demon Heart Crossing (Entry-level), eighty years of cultivation.]

"System, use thirty years of cultivation to deduce the 'Crossing the Demon Heart' technique." Xia Jin glanced at the system panel and saw the number of years required to upgrade the Demon Heart Technique to its Great Perfection.

[Command confirmed. Consuming thirty years of cultivation, initiating the deduction of 'Crossing the Demonic Heart'...]

"In the first year, you obtained the introductory chapter of 'Crossing the Demonic Heart' and began to try to draw out the demonic thoughts within your body. As the first wisp of demonic thought was drawn out, your mind began to be impacted. You guarded your spiritual platform and gradually became proficient in controlling this wisp of demonic thought."

"In the fifth year, your control over demonic thoughts became increasingly proficient, and the efficiency of the 'Demon Heart Crossing' technique significantly improved. You also began to attempt to integrate demonic thoughts into your original martial arts techniques, and you succeeded, directly increasing your strength by 30%."

"In your twentieth year, your control over demonic thoughts has reached a state of perfection, achieving the pinnacle of 'Demonic Heart Crossing.' At this point, when you use 'Demonic Heart Crossing,' your strength can be increased by another 70%."

"In your thirtieth year, after a long period of refinement, you have cultivated 'Demonic Heart Crossing' to an unprecedented level of perfection. The perfected 'Demonic Heart Crossing' has no side effects whatsoever, and after using it, your combat power will double! Furthermore, if you burn your life essence and fight to the death, you can even break through the limitations and reach three times your original combat power!"

"Under normal circumstances, twice the combat power! Under desperate circumstances, it can even reach three times the combat power!?" Xia Jin gasped after opening her eyes.

"Perfect timing to test the effects of this 'Demon Heart Crossing'!"

With a thought, his eyes turned bloodshot, and a dark red six-pointed star pattern faintly appeared between his brows.

"This is... the mark of the demonic heart?" Xia Jin reached out and touched her forehead, a hint of curiosity flashing in her eyes.

"It definitely feels a bit unusual!" Xia Jin walked towards the door, took a deep breath, and then slowly exhaled.

However, even with this simple breathing, under the blessing of the "Demon Heart Crossing," the iron holly outside the Jinwang Palace seemed to be blown by a strong wind, and its leaves began to sway incessantly.

Xia Jin nodded in satisfaction, then dispelled the 'Demon Heart Crossing'. The bloodlust in her eyes receded like a tide, and the six-pointed star mark on her forehead gradually faded and disappeared.

He didn't linger any longer and sat cross-legged back on the cold jade bed.

"System," Xia Jin said in her heart, "use the remaining fifty years of cultivation to deduce the Nine Revolutions Creation Scripture."

[Command confirmed. Consuming fifty years of cultivation, initiating the deduction of the 'Nine Revolutions Creation Scripture'...]

"In the first year, you used the Nine Revolutions Creation Scripture to constantly temper your internal organs, making them several times stronger than before. Moreover, with each breath, a deep thunderous sound emanated from within your body, and each heartbeat was like the beating of a war drum."

"In the tenth year, you successfully broke through the fifth level of the third revolution of the Nine Revolutions Creation Scripture. The true energy of creation accumulated in your body burst through the bottleneck like a river breaking its banks. Your martial arts cultivation successfully broke through from the seventh level of the Grandmaster Realm to the first level of the Free and Unfettered Heaven Realm."

"In the twentieth year, you continued to hone your true essence, nourishing your meridians and acupoints with the power of creation, and successfully broke through the sixth level of the third revolution of the Nine Revolutions Creation Scripture, advancing your martial arts cultivation from the first level of the Free and Unfettered Heaven Realm to the second level of the Free and Unfettered Heaven Realm."

......

"In the fiftieth year, you successfully broke through the eighth level of the third revolution of the Nine Revolutions Creation Scripture, and your martial arts cultivation broke through from the third level of the Free and Unfettered Heaven Realm to the fourth level of the Free and Unfettered Heaven Realm."

[Deduction complete! The Nine Revolutions Creation Scripture has advanced from the fourth level of the third revolution to the eighth level of the third revolution! The host's realm has also increased accordingly!]

"The Realm of Freedom! This is the Realm of Freedom!!!" With a thought, Xia Jin's body began to float directly up from the ground.

Xia Jin looked at her body, which was three feet off the ground, and felt the liquid-like true energy within her body, which was many times stronger than that of a Grandmaster. Her eyes flashed with a sharp light.

"Even before my cultivation level plummeted, I had never reached that level, yet I achieved it in just one month after obtaining the system! At this rate, that Qingyun Sect is utterly posed no threat whatsoever!!"

"System, open the system panel!" Xia Jin silently chanted in her mind.

[Host: Xia Jin]

[Realm: Fourth Level of the Free and Unfettered Heaven Realm]

[Mental Cultivation Method: Nine Revolutions of Creation Scripture (Third Revolution, Eighth Level)]

[Talent: Divine Sense Detection (Intermediate, Range 3,000 meters)]

Martial Arts: Demon Heart Crossing (Great Perfection), Avici Path Three Blades (Great Perfection), Little Li Flying Dagger (Great Perfection), Vajra Indestructible Body (Great Perfection)

Current reward: None

"Excellent! Aside from divine sense probing, almost all of your cultivation techniques have reached perfection!"

After glancing at her current stats, Xia Jin couldn't stop smiling, and then went to sleep contentedly.

The next day, just as he was preparing breakfast, he heard Xia Yu's voice coming from afar outside the palace.

"Big brother! Big brother!" Emperor Xia Yu of the Great Xia Dynasty rushed in, then stared at Xia Jin with excitement.

"What? Is there something on my face?!" Xia Jin looked up, glanced at him helplessly, put down her chopsticks, and pointed to the seat next to her: "Alright, it's early in the morning, sit down and talk."

Xia Yu chuckled and sat down directly next to Xia Jin.

Xia Jin picked up an empty bowl, filled it with warm rice porridge, and handed it over.

Xia Yu quickly took the drink, but didn't bother to drink it, his gaze still fixed on Xia Jin: "Big brother! You've really done something amazing this time! Qin Hu told me that in just one month since you arrived in the capital, you've completely wiped out those remnants of the Demonic Sect!"

"Moreover, Qin Hu told me that you killed three Grandmasters in a single battle, Big Brother! It seems your strength has increased even more than before!"

Xia Jin didn't reply immediately. Instead, he took the hot towel offered by a meek palace maid behind him and wiped his hands and mouth. Then, he waved to the palace maids and eunuchs standing in the hall.

Once everyone else was gone, Xia Jin picked up her teacup and took a small sip.

"These remnants of the demonic cult are nothing more than a minor ailment; eradicating them completely is hardly a problem."

He put down his teacup, looked at Xia Yu, and a glint of light flashed in his eyes. "However, this operation did allow me to learn a secret from them, a... very valuable secret."

Upon hearing this, Xia Yu's eyes flashed with a hint of doubt: "A secret? What secret could make you, elder brother, take it so seriously?"

"A secret realm left behind by the former Azure Lotus Sword Immortal."