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

"Alright, get back to your cultivation now."

Xiao Xuan waved his hand and glared fiercely at Shen Jinghan.

Shen Jinghan admitted that Brother Xia's ability to climb those steps was indeed impressive, truly extraordinary, and certainly worthy of his master's special attention. But was it really necessary to belittle one and praise the other like this?

He is, after all, the master's personal disciple!

Xia Jin looked at Shen Jinghan's tearful expression and smiled slightly, finding it somewhat amusing.

However, he could also see that Xiao Xuan's desire to take him as a disciple was indeed very strong, which was somewhat unexpected.

at this time,

"Ding!"

A crisp system notification sound rang in Xia Jin's mind.

[Congratulations, host, on completing the system task: becoming a formal disciple of the Cloud Academy.]

[Task Evaluation: Excellent.]

[Congratulations, host, you have received the system reward: Yin-Yang Differentiation Technique (Beginner), 60,000 years of cultivation.]

Xia Jin was secretly delighted, but he kept a straight face, because he couldn't reveal the system to anyone.

To outsiders, Xia Jin only seemed to be slightly distracted, without any change in expression.

Xiao Xuan was busy wiping the oil stains off his hands with his sleeve when he seemed to notice Xia Jin's sudden change in mood. He glanced at her suspiciously and then shook his head.

"Alright, come with me now."

With that, he turned around and walked forward.

He took two steps, then stopped, turned around, glared at Shen Jinghan who was still standing there, and said irritably, "What are you still standing here for? Get back to your cultivation! How many times have you practiced that mental cultivation technique today? Don't think I don't know you've been slacking off all day! If you haven't made any progress by tomorrow's inspection, I'll throw you into that deep pool in the back mountain and let you soak for three days and three nights!"

Upon hearing this, Shen Jinghan's face turned pale. Clearly, the words "deep pool in the back mountain" evoked some unspeakable, terrifying memories for him.

"I know, I know, Master, don't be angry, I'll go right away, I'll go right away!" Shen Jinghan shrank his neck and replied repeatedly, taking two quick steps back.

Seeing Shen Jinghan's tense expression, Xia Jin gave him a reassuring look.

Shen Jinghan shook his head with a wry smile, cupped his hands in a gesture of respect to Xia Jin, and said in a low voice, "Brother Xia... Junior Brother, you should go with Master first. Although Master has a bit of an eccentric temper, he is still very good to his disciples. It's just that this kind of kindness is not something that most people can appreciate, so... please bear with him."

After saying that, he turned to leave.

"Wait, Senior Brother Shen!" Xia Jin suddenly called out to him.

"Hmm? What's wrong, Junior Brother Xia? Is there something else you need?" Shen Jinghan looked at Xiao Xuan, who had already walked ten steps away, a hint of doubt flashing in his eyes.

Xia Jin walked up to Shen Jinghan and asked in a low voice, "Brother Shen, I have a question for you... Could you possibly be related to Shen Jinghong of Longyuan City?"

Xia Jin asked this question because the senior brother Shen in front of her, in terms of both name and appearance, was somewhat similar to Shen Jinghan from Longyuan City.

Upon hearing Xia Jin's words, Shen Jinghan's eyes sharpened.

"Junior Brother Xia, have you met my younger brother before?" Shen Jinghan seemed somewhat surprised.

"Yes! I saw him before in Dragon Abyss City." Xia Jin nodded.

"Sigh, this guy, I originally planned to recommend him to join Yunshang Academy, but he was very stubborn. He said that his cultivation philosophy was not in line with Yunshang Academy and he refused to come no matter what!" Shen Jinghan sighed helplessly.

"Alright, enough about him. You go to Master's place now. I need to get back to my cultivation too."

Xia Jin watched Shen Jinghan's departing figure, shook her head slightly, and then followed Xiao Xuan's steps.

Xiao Xuan didn't walk very fast, seemingly waiting for Xia Jin behind him.

Soon, he led Xia Jin to a shrine inside the Taoist temple.

"Offering in the Clouds".

Xia Jin looked up and saw that the four characters were written with vigorous strokes, strong and powerful, exuding a sense of ancient desolation. However, the gold paint on the plaque had almost completely peeled off, and some of the characters were even somewhat blurred.

Xia Jin followed Xiao Xuan, stepped over the threshold, and entered the Hall of Offerings.

The layout here is quite simple.

Besides the offering table placed in the very center,

Below the altar, on the ground, were a few prayer cushions, but these cushions had also been there for some time, as the edges were worn white.

Xiao Xuan walked to the altar and stopped.

He took out three incense sticks from the incense holder on the side of the altar, lit them, turned around, and bowed three times in succession to the three memorial tablets on the altar.

He then straightened up, walked forward, and steadily inserted the three incense sticks in his hand into the incense burner on the offering table.

After Xiao Xuan finished doing all this, he looked at Xia Jin with a serious expression, his previous casual demeanor gone.

"Do you know why I brought you here?" Xiao Xuan asked.

Xia Jin shook his head; he truly didn't know.

"Our faction is small. So small that sometimes I wonder if the incense in this ancestral hall will go out one day."

"However," Xiao Xuan looked at Xia Jin deeply, "I brought you here not to complain to you, but to let you know what the place where you stand and the sky above you really are."

Xia Jin's expression turned serious, knowing that Xiao Xuan was about to get down to business.

"I ask you, have you ever heard about how my Cloud Academy has been divided into two factions since its founding?"

Xia Jin nodded: "I've heard Senior Brother Shen mention some of it, but I don't know the specifics."

"Since its founding, Yunshang Academy has been divided into two factions." Xiao Xuan sat down on the futon next to him and began to explain, "This is not a later split, but rather something that the founding patriarch intended to do at the very beginning of the establishment of the sect."

"The patriarch believed that there are three thousand great paths, all leading to the same destination, but there are different ways to reach the great path. Rather than forcing all disciples onto the same path, it is better to open up two different paths, allowing each disciple to choose their own way and develop their own strengths."

"Therefore, two schools of thought emerged."

Xiao Xuan held up one finger. "The first one is called 'Yun Tian Zheng Xue' (Cloud Heaven Orthodox Learning)."

"Yun Tian Zheng Xue?" Xia Jin's eyes flashed with a sharp light upon hearing this name.

"Yuntian means the heavens above the clouds. Zhengxue means uprightness, practicality, and gradual progress," Xiao Xuan explained. "This school follows the orthodox path of cultivation. It emphasizes a solid foundation and proceeding step by step. Most of the disciples at Yunshan Academy belong to this school."

Xia Jin nodded; this was basically the same as what Shen Jinghan had said.

Xiao Xuan then extended a second finger towards Xia Jin: "And the other sect is called 'Yunyuan Asks the Way'."