Chapter 22

As the middle-aged beautiful woman slowly walked in, Shen Xiang inexplicably broke out in a cold sweat, as if he had lost all his strength and could not move. At that moment, he was like a rabbit, completely seen through by the middle-aged beautiful woman.

Shen Xiang knew that this middle-aged beautiful woman was a very formidable person. He quickly calmed down, silently activating the Taiji Divine Art,收敛 his aura, and concealing the Yin-Yang Divine Vein within his body. After all, Su Meiyao and Bai Youyou had said that the matter of the Yin-Yang Divine Vein must not be revealed.

The middle-aged beautiful woman frowned, a hint of surprise flashing in her beautiful eyes. Since she entered, Shen Xiang had remained calm and composed, looking at her as if she were an ordinary person. She was very confident in her beauty and figure, and the fact that a young man in his prime had not been captivated by her beauty left her somewhat puzzled.

"Xianxian, your fiancé is indeed not simple! He's much better than that so-called genius from the Yao family!" the middle-aged beautiful woman said lightly, her voice carrying a hint of authority, indicating that she was someone who often gave orders.

"Little brother Shen Xiang, I have met the senior. Could it be that you are Xianxian's master?" Shen Xiang bowed respectfully.

The middle-aged beautiful woman smiled at him, and Shen Xiang almost lost his soul to her indescribably beautiful smile. But he had seen his share of storms and quickly regained his composure. This self-control earned her silent admiration.

"That's right. Now you can rest assured to entrust your little wife to me, right?" The middle-aged beautiful woman's voice was very gentle, unlike her previous authoritative tone, and it carried a mysterious tenderness.

Xue Xianxian let out a sigh of relief, then took out a few paper packets and handed them to Shen Xiang, biting her lower lip and looking a bit sad.

"I'm going with my master. You must come and find me soon!" Xue Xianxian said softly, lowering her head.

Shen Xiang didn't expect it to happen so quickly. He also felt a bit reluctant, pinching Xue Xianxian's cheek and saying gently, "Cheer up. We will meet again in the future. I will definitely come and find you."

At this moment, the middle-aged beautiful woman said, "Little brother, it's best to have the strength of the Ninth Level of the Mortal Martial Realm before you seek out those martial arts sects. If you want to find Xianxian, go and inquire about me. I think it shouldn't be too difficult!"

Then she said to Xianxian, "Come on, little girl. This boy is much more capable than you think. Your worries about him were unnecessary."

Shen Xiang and Xue Xianxian embraced deeply for a moment, then he saw them off as they walked out of the hall. The middle-aged beautiful woman took Xue Xianxian and soared into the sky, disappearing into the distance in an instant.

After seeing them go, Shen Xiang muttered, "Pretending to be profound, why not just tell me where you are? I have to go and inquire!"

"This woman is very strong. She is the Empress of the Divine Armament Heaven, and it is said that the Vermilion Bird Divine Armament of the Four Symbols Divine Armaments is in her hands. It's a good thing your little wife has been taken as her disciple," Su Meiyao said.

Divine Armament Heaven? Shen Xiang had never heard of it. Just as he was about to ask, Bai Youyou said, "This woman is very powerful, on par with us! After all, she is the leader of one of the eight major orthodox sects of the Chenwu Continent. I didn't expect her to come here to take on disciples."

At this point, Shen Xiang remembered that Su Meiyao and Bai Youyou had once mentioned that the Chenwu Continent was one of the myriad continents in the Mortal Martial World. On the Chenwu Continent, there were eight orthodox martial arts sects, and the leader of each sect was a powerful figure, one of the top experts in the Mortal Martial World.

"Originally, the Divine Armament Heaven was just a sect, but it later developed into a nation, mainly relying on the forging of weapons to become powerful! And that woman is the Empress of the Divine Armament Heaven," Su Meiyao said.

Learning that Xue Xianxian's master was such a formidable person, Shen Xiang was happy for her and felt more at ease.

Xue Xianxian was gone, and Shen Xiang felt a deep sense of loss. He held the six medicinal ingredients she had bought and continued to refine the Bone Washing Pill.

Three days passed quickly, and by now Shen Xiang had successfully refined four batches of Bone Washing Pills, with only one failure. He was very satisfied with this. On this day, the banquet for the new clan leader of the Shen family began, and some invited families sent representatives to attend. What many were looking forward to was the competition between Shen Xiang and Yao Tianhua.

The banquet gathered people from many families. They came not only to attend the banquet but also to socialize with the young disciples of other families, so it wasn't boring.

The banquet was held in the square at night. The square was very lively, with hundreds of tables, each with rich dishes and fine wine.

Originally, the invited guests were the leaders of various families, but since their relationships with the Shen family were not very good, they did not come themselves, only sending representatives. Only the leaders of families with very close ties to the Shen family would attend in person.

In the large square of the Shen family's manor, the young disciples of over a hundred martial arts families from the Southern Wu Kingdom gathered, and the most watched were Yao Tianhua and Shen Xiang.

The news that Shen Xiang could refine the Body Tempering Pill had already spread, and tonight Shen Xiang would compete in pill refining with Yao Tianhua, and there would be a high-stakes bet. Thinking of this, everyone was very excited. They didn't care who won or lost; they only cared about the process.

Halfway through the banquet, someone finally couldn't hold back and shouted, "Clan Leader Shen, when will your son's competition with the Yao family begin? We've been waiting for a long time. Are you going to have the competition or not?"

This person's shout was followed by others joining in.

"Originally, I planned to arrange some matches to liven up the atmosphere. Since everyone has waited so long, let's start now! Let the two young men compete," Shen Tianhu's voice echoed across the square, and it immediately fell silent.

In the middle of the square, a square platform had been set up. Several elders flew over from all directions, and Shen Xiang also walked up.

Shen Xiang was wearing a tight black outfit, suitable for the competition, while Yao Tianhua's attire was very eye-catching, dressed in a luxurious golden robe, with a sword adorned with gems on the scabbard and hilt, looking like an emperor, and his arrogant demeanor made many people feel annoyed.

"Yao Tianhua, are you ready with your bet? A competition like this needs a bet to make it interesting," Shen Xiang said indifferently.

"Whatever bet you propose, the Yao family can match it!" Yao Tianhua said coldly.

"Ha ha, my bet represents only myself, not the entire Shen family! I didn't expect that a young alchemist like you would still need the support of your entire family to come up with a bet," Shen Xiang laughed, which made Yao Tianhua's face change.

Without the support of the Yao family, Yao Tianhua himself could not come up with a bet that could match the Thousand-Year Blood Spirit Grass.

"Shen family's young master, stop talking nonsense. Show your bet. Tianhua is representing the entire Yao family, so the Yao family's support is nothing to worry about. You are you, and he is he," an elder at the bottom said impatiently. He was the elder who had come with Yao Tianhua from the Yao family.