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

"Hasn't our eldest brother come out yet?"

Inside the Imperial Study, Emperor Xia Yu, his face ashen, stared down at Qin Hu, the Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Qin Hu knelt on one knee, shook his head and said, "Your Majesty, I have just returned from the imperial mausoleum. The Prince... has indeed not yet emerged from seclusion."

Xia Yu slammed his fist heavily on the dragon table, making the entire table shake.

"Two months..." he gritted his teeth, "almost two whole months! Could it be that my brother encountered some difficulties inside? With his strength, he shouldn't..."

"Never mind." Xia Yu took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. "If my elder brother doesn't come out, then we can only try to hold off those Qingyun Sect people for now, and deal with them after my elder brother returns."

A glint of ruthlessness flashed in his eyes: "These bastards, do they really think my Great Xia Dynasty is made of clay? How dare they so brazenly extort tribute from Great Xia!"

Previously, due to Xia Jin's situation and the fact that several factions within the sect were vying for the position of sect leader, the Qingyun Sect had no time for anything else and had no intention of interfering with the Great Xia.

This time, however, the Qingyun Sect specially sent people to demand that the Great Xia give 60% of its national treasury revenue and cede three counties as a training ground for Qingyun Sect disciples.

This is no longer extortion; this is an attempt to destroy the very foundation of the Great Xia!

"Your Majesty," Qin Hu hesitated for a moment, then said in a low voice, "the Qingyun Sect elder Zhao Yuankui who came this time is a Grandmaster Level 2 cultivator, which is not a problem. But the young man accompanying him... is very mysterious."

"Even Elder Zhao of the Qingyun Sect treated him with utmost respect; his background must be extraordinary!"

"Hmph! So what? Whoever he is," a cold glint flashed in Xia Yu's eyes, "on the land of my Great Xia, even dragons must coil up, and tigers must lie low! Since the founding of my Great Xia, I have never yielded an inch!"

Just then, a series of hurried footsteps came from outside the Imperial Study.

A grand eunuch dressed in purple robes hurried in, not bothering to bow, and whispered a few words in Xia Yu's ear.

"Bang!"

Xia Yu suddenly stood up and smashed the teacup beside him to pieces with one palm!

"Your Majesty, what's wrong?" Qin Hu suddenly stood up, his right hand already on the hilt of the Embroidered Spring Blade at his waist, ready to receive Xia Yu's command at any moment.

Xia Yu's face was ashen. After taking a deep breath, he looked at Qin Hu and said, "Those guys from the Qingyun Sect... actually made me sign the treaty in person! They even said something like, 'If you don't arrive before noon, we will consider the Great Xia as an enemy of the Qingyun Sect, and you will bear the consequences!'"

"This is absolutely outrageous!!"

A hint of anger also appeared on Qin Hu's face. "Your Majesty, why don't we just bring in the garrison troops stationed in the capital! Thirty thousand garrison troops, plus three hundred heavy crossbows—even if Zhao Yuankui is a Grandmaster, he might not be able to escape safely!"

The Garrison of the Capital is the strongest army in the Great Xia Dynasty, protecting the capital. It includes many Innate Realm martial artists specially trained by Xia Jin and is equipped with heavy crossbows. A 30,000-strong army could indeed have a chance to capture a Grandmaster Level 2 expert.

Xia Yu remained silent for a moment, a hint of murderous intent flashing in his eyes.

"Good! Qin Hu, immediately order someone to carry my imperial edict and mobilize 30,000 elite troops from the Beijing Garrison to secretly surround Jinghong Manor. Without my signal, they must not make any rash moves."

"As you command!" Qin Hu nodded, turned around and left the imperial study.

After Qin Hu left, Xia Yu glanced at the imperial seal on the table and waved to the eunuch beside him: "Prepare the carriage, let's go to Jinghong Manor."

......

Soon, Yu the Great's dragon chariot stopped in front of the pavilion.

He got out of the car and looked up at the mansion that originally belonged to the Great Xia Dynasty, but now had the blue flag of the Qingyun Sect hanging above the gate. His face immediately darkened.

"Hmph! The Qingyun Sect is truly domineering! Let you jump around a little longer, but you'll have your day to cry later!"

Xia Yu took a deep breath, then put on a calm expression before walking inside.

At this moment, in a pavilion at Jinghong Manor, an old man and a young man were playing chess at a stone table.

The Qingyun Sect elder Zhao Yuankui on the left was about to place his black piece when he seemed to notice Xia Yu entering. He paused slightly, then slowly raised his head after placing the piece, looking at Xia Yu with a half-smile.

"Oh, so our Emperor Xia has finally arrived? We've been waiting here for ages. It seems your Great Xia still doesn't welcome our Qingyun Sect!"

Elder Zhao had a sarcastic expression on his face, showing no respect for Xia Yu whatsoever.

"That's right, did you only realize it now?" Xia Yu's eyes turned cold as he stood with his hands behind his back.

"Are you... courting death?" Elder Zhao's face stiffened, then he looked at Xia Yu with anger.

For so many years, no one has dared to speak to him like this. What is the emperor of a mere third-tier dynasty in the Eastern Region compared to the Qingyun Sect?

"Elder Zhao, it seems your Qingyun Sect's reputation isn't very effective!" The young man beside him glanced at the arrogant Xia Yu, then looked at Zhao Yuankui with a hint of sarcasm on his face.

That's right, the sarcasm was directed at Zhao Yuankui, an elder of the Qingyun Sect.

Zhao Yuankui's face instantly darkened to the point of being dripping with water, but he dared not lose his temper with the young man beside him, after all, he could not afford to offend the other party's status and position.

Since that's the case, he can only vent his pent-up anger on Xia Yu.

"Good! What a Xia Emperor! If we don't teach you a lesson today, do you really think our Qingyun Sect is a paper tiger?!" He crushed the black chess piece in his hand and walked towards Xia Yu step by step. The pressure of the Grandmaster even made Xia Yu take a few steps back.

Xia Yu withstood the pressure, stubbornly maintaining his footing and refusing to yield an inch. "Is that so? Then I'll try and see what you can do to me in this Great Xia! If you have the guts, kill me!! You old fool, do you dare?"

As soon as Xia Yu finished speaking, a group of Imperial Guards dressed in flying fish robes rushed in and instantly surrounded the area. Qin Hu, carrying an embroidered spring knife, stepped forward to block Xia Yu's path.

"Is it done?!" Xia Yu glanced at Qin Hu.

"Rest assured, Your Majesty, everything is ready and awaits your command!" Qin Hu nodded hurriedly.

"Is this what you rely on? A bunch of Innate Realm cultivators and a Grandmaster Realm Level 2!? Hahahaha, in front of me, what difference is there between these people and ants?" Zhao Yuankui's lips curled up slightly, and the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes seemed to turn somewhat sinister at this moment.

"Die!"

His figure transformed into a gentle breeze, his immense true energy, at the second level of the Grandmaster realm, condensed in his right palm, ready to strike Xia Yu's chest. If this palm strike landed, not only would Xia Yu, with his mere second-level Innate Realm cultivation, be severely injured, even by an ordinary Grandmaster.

"Your Majesty, be careful!"

Qin Hu gritted his teeth, his eyelids twitching, and swung his embroidered spring knife forward.

"Thunderbolt Blade Technique! You old devil, today I, Qin Hu, will trade my life for yours!!"

A Grandmaster at the second level of cultivation, directly confronting a Grandmaster at the second level of cultivation!

???

Everyone present was stunned for a moment, and even the young man sitting opposite him had his pupils shrink instantly!

Are there really such amazing people in the world?

"Like a mantis trying to stop a chariot, utterly courting death!"

Zhao Yuankui looked disdainful and casually waved his left sleeve.

"puff--!"

Qin Hu was struck as if by a heavy blow, and his whole body flew backward uncontrollably, crashing onto the artificial rock several meters away.

Qingyun Sect Elder Zhao Yuankui brushed Qin Hu away with a palm strike, and his momentum only slowed slightly, but his deadly right palm still pressed down directly towards Xia Yu's chest!

But at that moment, a long sword unexpectedly appeared between the two.