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

On the second day after Xia Jin joined the Yunyuan lineage...

At this moment, on Lingxu Peak, the main peak of another branch of Yunshang Academy, the Yuntian branch, something else was happening.

Deep within the main hall, three figures sat in the hall, conversing in hushed tones.

Sitting at the head of the table was Cheng Jiangui, the leader of the Yuntian lineage and also the master of the Yunshang Academy, who was respectfully addressed as "Canglan Shangren" by outsiders.

On either side of Cheng Yuan sat an old man.

The tea in the teacups in front of the three people had gone cold, indicating that they had been talking for quite some time.

"So," Venerable Canglan's gaze swept across the two elders' faces, a rare hint of amusement in his voice, "Senior Brother Xiao has indeed accepted a new disciple?"

"Absolutely true." Elder Su stroked his beard, smiled, and nodded. "I specifically went to confirm this with that kid Shen Jinghan today."

Master Canglan's lips curled slightly upward. "I know Senior Brother Xiao's judgment; ordinary talent simply doesn't catch his eye. Although he has few disciples, none of them are easy to deal with. Now that he has taken on another one, this new disciple must have extraordinary abilities."

"The Palace Master is absolutely right." Elder Wen's voice boomed, its loud tone particularly clear in the spacious hall.

"Although Senior Brother Xiao's lineage is small in number, every single one of them is a dragon among men."

As the two elders praised Xiao Xuan's disciples one after another, the smile on Canglan Shangren's face grew wider and wider.

Although he was the master of Yunshang Academy, his relationship with Xiao Xuan was far beyond that of ordinary fellow disciples.

When he was elected as the Palace Master as the leader of the Yuntian lineage, Xiao Xuan was the first person to stand up and support him.

Xiao Xuan was genuinely happy to accept another disciple.

"Alright, alright, if you keep going, you two are going to exaggerate Senior Brother Xiao's lineage to the heavens." Venerable Canglan waved his hand with a smile, but soon the smile on his face gradually disappeared, and his expression became serious.

"Have you heard about what happened in Pingyang County?"

Elder Su's expression hardened, a cold glint flashing in his eyes: "I've heard about it. Recently, news about Pingyang County has been pouring in like snowflakes; it's hard not to know."

"Tell me about it." Venerable Canglan's gaze fell on Elder Su.

Su Changqing cleared his throat and slowly said, "To put it simply, the situation in Pingyang County can be summed up in four words: upside down. The root of the problem lies with the Hall of Wrathful Souls."

"The Hall of Wrathful Souls." Wen Mingyuan snorted coldly, a hint of disgust flashing in his eyes.

"The Hall of Wrathful Souls was originally the only hegemonic force in Pingyang County. Although its reputation wasn't great, it had maintained a relatively stable structure for many years." Su Changqing's tone became serious as he said this. "But three months ago, everything changed."

"Because of that new Palace Master?" Venerable Canglan frowned.

"Yes." Elder Su nodded. "It's quite strange, actually. The former Hall Master of the Wrathful Soul Hall, He Xiaoxiong, died so suddenly a year ago. It's said that he went into a qi deviation during his seclusion and died suddenly. But there are rumors that his death wasn't that simple, but without conclusive evidence, no one can say for sure. With He Xiaoxiong's death, the position of Hall Master became vacant. According to the rules of the Wrathful Soul Hall, it should be jointly nominated or contested by several Vice Hall Masters."

"But this new Palace Master, Gui Shu, has suddenly appeared out of nowhere."

When this person was mentioned, Elder Su frowned slightly. "This person had almost never appeared on any important occasions before, but on the third day after He Xiaoxiong's death, he used thunderous methods to suppress all opponents and massacred the old forces of the Wrathful Soul Hall."

"It is said that on that night, the headquarters of the Hall of Wrathful Souls was filled with blood, and no fewer than ten high-ranking members of the old faction died at his hands, including two deputy hall masters."

Elder Wen, who had been listening attentively, couldn't help but gasp when he heard this.

When a new dynasty is replaced by a new one, power struggles are inevitable, but it is indeed rare for someone like Gui Shu to uproot the entire old faction right from the start.

"That's not all. After taking power, Gui Shu immediately began a purge of the entire Pingyang County."

"In just three months, all the major and minor forces in Pingyang County have submitted to the Lihun Palace. Those who tried to resist were suppressed by the Lihun Palace with thunderous force, leaving no one alive."

"Hmph! Judging from what you've said, this new Lord of the Wrathful Soul Palace is indeed extremely domineering and ruthless." Venerable Canglan sneered.

"However, it seems that Pingyang County is not enough to satisfy his appetite. I received news a few days ago that people from the Wrathful Soul Hall have begun to appear on the border of our Yun Gui County."

"The Palace Master is right." Elder Su's expression also began to darken. "I think the ambition of this new Palace Master of the Wrathful Soul Palace is not limited to Pingyang County. After he has completely devoured Pingyang County, his next target will probably be our neighboring counties."

"He wouldn't dare!" Elder Wen slammed his hand on the armrest of the large chair, his eyes filled with murderous intent. "If he dares to extend his claws into my Yun Gui County, then don't blame us, the Yun Shang Academy, for being impolite! Does he really think that just because we, the Yun Shang Academy, don't usually manage Yun Gui County, we're easy targets that we can bully?"

"No matter how powerful the Wrathful Soul Hall is, it's just a force confined to a single prefecture. Our Cloud Academy has been stationed in Cloud Return Prefecture for tens of thousands of years; its foundation is far too deep for them to fathom. If they dare to come, I'll be the first to lead my troops to wipe them out!"

Elder Su did not respond, but instead looked at Venerable Canglan.

After a moment of silence, Venerable Canglan slowly spoke: "We cannot take the matter of the Hall of Wrathful Souls lightly, but there is no need to be overly nervous."

His gaze fell on Elder Su. "Elder Su, send people to closely monitor the movements of the Wrathful Soul Hall, especially their activities on the border of Yun Gui County. Notify me immediately if there are any unusual developments."

"Yes." Elder Su stood up, clasped his hands in greeting, and accepted the order.

"Elder Wen." Venerable Canglan looked at Elder Wen beside him.

"Yes, I am." Elder Wen quickly stood up as well.

"The Hall of Wrathful Souls should not make any announcements or take any action beforehand. Yun Gui County is not only home to our forces; let's observe the reactions of others first. But you must be prepared to act at any time if necessary."

"Alright! I understand, Palace Master!!" Elder Wen nodded, a hint of excitement flashing in his eyes.

He had been with the Yuntian lineage for many years. Although his violent temper from his youth had been tempered considerably, he was bored out of his mind. Now that he finally had the chance to stretch his muscles, he wished the people from the Lihun Palace would attack tomorrow so he could single-handedly slaughter them all.

"Alright, I've said everything I needed to say. You can all leave now."

Elder Su and Elder Wen bowed again, then turned and walked out of the hall.

After the two left, the hall fell silent again.

Master Canglan sat alone in the palace master's seat, silent, seemingly lost in thought.

He really felt that something was off about this matter.

While the Wrathful Soul Palace is indeed the only dominant force in Pingyang County, there are still several other powerful forces in Pingyang County that are difficult to deal with. If those forces were to join forces, even the Wrathful Soul Palace would have a hard time taking them down.

Especially considering that the Wrathful Soul Palace was established after the entire old lineage was wiped out, their strength should have been significantly weakened.

But even under these circumstances, it was already incredible that they were able to annex the entire Pingyang Commandery in just three months, and now they immediately set their sights on several neighboring commanderies, such as Yungui Commandery.

The problem may lie with Gui Shu, the new lord of the Hall of Wrathful Souls!

A person who can use swift and decisive methods to wipe out the old faction and suppress Pingyang County is definitely not a brute.

There's someone behind the new master of the Hall of Wrathful Souls.

Master Canglan narrowed his eyes slightly.

The five prefectures of Fengyuan Prefecture—Yun Gui, Pingyang, Tianshui, Cangwu, and Luoxing—each have a dominant power stationed there, checking and balancing each other, maintaining a delicate balance for thousands of years.

"It seems... someone wants to unify the entire Fengyuan Prefecture!!"

Master Canglan stood up from his position as palace master, the chill emanating from him becoming uncontrollable.

"We still need to go see Senior Brother Xiao."