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

The back mountain of the Yunyuan lineage.

The sky was gradually darkening, and the dense shade of the surrounding trees made the place appear even darker.

Xiao Xuan was sitting on that blue stone, with a bonfire burning in front of him.

A chicken is roasting over a fire, its skin already golden and crispy, with oil constantly seeping from the meat, emitting a rich aroma.

He squinted, occasionally poking at the campfire with a twig, and even in such a dark environment, the smile on his face was still clearly visible.

"Hmph! I never expected that at my age, I would be able to take on a new disciple!" Xiao Xuan chuckled involuntarily as he smelled the rich fragrance.

In his opinion, Xia Jin's talent might even be stronger than the three disciples he had taken in before.

After accepting Shen Jinghan as his third disciple, he didn't want to take on any more disciples. So, he deliberately made the last step of the mountain climbing steps more difficult. Unexpectedly, Xia Jin managed to complete the climb despite the difficulty.

"If the Yunyuan lineage can flourish under this kid's leadership, I will die without regrets!" Xiao Xuan sighed, then reached out and tore a chicken leg off the roast chicken.

Xiao Xuan was just about to put the chicken leg into his mouth.

suddenly.

He stopped moving.

Xiao Xuan frowned slightly, a hint of doubt flashing in his eyes.

"Junior brother."

He didn't turn around.

"What brings you here today?"

A figure slowly emerged from the shadows of the trees behind them.

Wearing a moon-white robe and a jade belt, he was none other than the Venerable Canglan.

Master Canglan walked to the campfire with his hands behind his back, sat down on another blue stone opposite Xiao Xuan, and glanced at the chicken that was roasted to a golden brown and dripping with oil. His lips twitched slightly.

"Senior Brother Xiao," Canglan Shangren's tone carried a hint of helplessness and envy, "it seems that in our Yunshang Academy, only you live the most comfortable life! If I had known this would happen, I shouldn't have taken this position as Palace Master in the first place!!"

"That won't do," Xiao Xuan replied matter-of-factly, then stuffed the chicken leg into his mouth, taking a big bite. "If you don't become the Palace Master, wouldn't I be the one being roasted over a fire?"

Looking at Xiao Xuan's greasy mouth, Master Canglan could only shake his head helplessly.

"Senior brother, I've come to see you about something."

Xiao Xuan stopped gnawing on the chicken leg, looked up at Canglan Shangren, and seeing that the other party's expression did not seem to be joking, he casually threw the chicken leg bone aside and wiped his hands on his robe.

"What is it?"

Master Canglan took a deep breath and slowly spoke: "The Hall of Wrathful Souls."

"The Hall of Wrathful Souls!?" Upon hearing this term, Xiao Xuan's eyes narrowed slightly.

"That's right!!" Venerable Canglan quickly gave a brief account of the situation in Pingyang County and the Lihun Palace.

Xiao Xuan initially listened casually, but as time went on, his brows furrowed more and more tightly.

"You mean," Xiao Xuan put down the chicken, his gaze sharpening, "that the Wrathful Soul Palace wants to extend its reach into our Yun Gui County?"

"It's not 'wanting'," Master Canglan corrected, "it's already being extended."

"So, based on what you just said, you think... they have someone backing them?"

"That's right. Although this is just my guess, I think it's pretty close to the truth." Venerable Canglan nodded.

Xiao Xuan's brows furrowed into a knot.

The power structure of the five prefectures of Fengyuan Prefecture has remained largely unchanged for thousands of years. Although there are occasional frictions between the major powers, they are all within a controllable range, and none of them can do anything to the others.

If there is an unseen hand secretly pushing the Hall of Wrathful Souls to break this balance, then the schemes of the person behind it are probably not just as simple as targeting Yun Gui County.

"Have you checked?" Xiao Xuan asked after a moment of silence.

"There are no leads at the moment." Venerable Canglan shook his head, a hint of seriousness flashing in his eyes.

Xiao Xuan remained silent for a long time.

"I've already had Elder Su send people to keep an eye on the Wrathful Soul Palace," said Venerable Canglan. "But we don't have enough information right now to make any further judgments. I need more intelligence to see who's playing this game and what their purpose is."

"So what do you want me to do after you've come to me?"

"If necessary, you might need to take action, senior brother! Otherwise, I alone might not be able to stop the person behind the scenes!" Venerable Canglan stared intently at Xiao Xuan.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Xuan nearly choked on the chicken in his mouth and coughed twice.

"Junior brother," Xiao Xuan rolled his eyes, looking at Canglan Shangren with disdain, "aren't you giving me too much credit?"

"Look at me, I've been loafing around here for so many years, eating and drinking every day. It's a miracle my cultivation hasn't regressed. You expect me to actually do anything? My strength now is nothing like it used to be."

After saying that, he gave me a look that said, "Don't count on me."

Master Canglan looked at Xiao Xuan's shameless appearance, his lips twitched, and he remained silent for a long while.

He felt a slight pain in his temples.

"Senior brother."

The Venerable Canglan's tone was filled with deep helplessness.

"There's no one else here. We're brothers, so don't pretend with me."

"Besides, even if others don't understand you, don't I understand you?"

"When you inherited the Yunyuan lineage, I knew that the most unfathomable person in the entire Yunshang Academy was not me, but you. Others only know that you, Xiao Xuan, are lazy and idle, but they don't know that your cultivation has never declined."

Master Canglan continued, "Moreover, you've cultivated that 'Myriad Harmonies Technique' for so many years; you've probably already reached an extremely profound level, haven't you?"

Master Canglan stared intently at Xiao Xuan, as if trying to find some answer on his face.

Xiao Xuan remained silent and did not speak.

"In terms of strength alone," Venerable Canglan continued, "I'm afraid no one in the entire Yunshang Academy can surpass you. Not even me."

"You..." Xiao Xuan shook his head, neither denying nor admitting it.

"The matter of the Hall of Wrathful Souls..."

"I will intervene if necessary."