Chapter 6

One month later!

In the dead of night, atop a high mountain in the forest, a green glow flickered, resembling a star descending upon the peak from a distance. To avoid the unusual phenomena caused by his cultivation being discovered, Shen Xiang came to this remote mountain forest under the pretext of gathering herbs to cultivate.

To absorb more spiritual energy and to sense the wind and thunder in the world, Shen Xiang climbed to the mountain peak. The clouds above the peak churned, and a fierce wind blew, occasionally flashing with lightning that struck the peak as if trying to split it apart. This astonishing phenomenon was caused by Shen Xiang cultivating the Azure Dragon Divine Art. The strong wind and lightning were all summoned by his cultivation throughout the day. The lightning striking his body not only tempered it but also allowed him to absorb the powerful lightning energy.

This action could be considered crazy, as lightning is one of the most destructive natural phenomena, and even powerful martial artists who have reached the True Martial Realm dare not face it casually. However, the Azure Dragon Divine Art required the assistance of heavenly lightning.

This strange scene continued until midnight before it stopped. Shen Xiang's face, which had been contorted with pain, gradually returned to normal. His clothes were already torn to shreds, and there were many charred and smoking wounds on his body. However, a green glow emanated from these wounds, emitting a strong wood attribute aura that healed the injuries.

"What is a little pain? I must become stronger!" Shen Xiang clenched his fists, shouting in his heart, enduring the waves of lightning strikes, gritting his teeth to bear the pain, allowing the lightning to temper his body.

Indeed, it was a divine art. Not only could it cause unusual phenomena, but it also allowed his body to withstand the strikes of lightning, tempering his flesh and making it stronger.

After a few days, Shen Xiang's body had been tempered by the lightning, and he had completed the basic body tempering!

Shen Xiang's eyes snapped open, and two bolts of lightning shot out from his determined eyes, startlingly.

"Divine art is indeed divine art, truly incomparable to ordinary martial arts! In just one month, I have reached the Fifth Level of the Mortal Martial Realm!"

He was now at the Fifth Level of the Mortal Martial Realm!

Shen Xiang internally observed the five true qi vortices in his dantian. As long as they grew a bit more, he could control the true qi at will, which was the true qi realm of the Fifth Level of the Mortal Martial Realm!

At sixteen, he possessed the strength of the Fifth Level of the Mortal Martial Realm, making him a genius!

Shen Xiang looked at the red and green true qi emanating from his hands, one being fire attribute true qi and the other being wood attribute true qi. This indicated that he had initially mastered the Azure Dragon Divine Art and the Vermilion Bird Divine Art.

Shen Xiang felt as if he had been reborn, both his body and true qi were incredibly powerful. After all, the true qi was condensed through the cultivation of divine arts, and his body was tempered by the cultivation of divine arts.

At this moment, Shen Xiang understood why divine arts were called divine arts—they were cultivation methods that could make one become a deity!

"The spiritual energy here is too poor. If you want to make rapid progress, you can only do so through elixirs! Now that you can release true qi fire, you can start learning alchemy." Su Meiyao transmitted her voice to him.

Su Meiyao and Bai Youyou also hoped that Shen Xiang would grow quickly, so they could recover their strength sooner. Their current powerless state made them feel fearful.

...

...

"Hey, isn't this Young Master Shen? The genius alchemist from the Yao family has challenged you, saying he wants to compete in alchemy and martial arts."

As Shen Xiang stepped into the Shen family's gate, he saw a haughty young man speaking to him.

"Challenged? When did this happen?" Shen Xiang was surprised, as he had been away for over ten days.

The young man sneered, "You didn't know? We thought you were hiding out of fear! This happened ten days ago. Who would have thought your fiancée would be favored by the Yao family's genius? Now you're in trouble."

Shen Xiang felt the urge to punch him but held back, smiling, "Shen Zhenhua, do you remember when I threw you to the ground like a dog when we were kids? Are you here to see me humiliated?"

This young man was named Shen Zhenhua, the son of a branch leader of the Shen family. The Shen family had many branches spread throughout the Southern Martial Kingdom, and the leaders of these branches were very powerful, only gathering at the Shen family manor for important matters.

Shen Zhenhua's face was full of anger, but he held back, sneering, "Of course, I'm here to see how you get crushed by the Yao family's genius. I want to see how you lose your beautiful fiancée."

With that, Shen Zhenhua laughed and left.

Shen Xiang grunted and quickly left to find his father. On his way back, he had heard that something had happened to the Shen family, which was why the branch leaders were returning.

In the Heavenly Tiger Garden, in a study.

Shen Xiang rushed in and asked urgently, "Father, is it true that Grandfather has stepped down as the family head?"

Shen Tianhu's expression was serious as he nodded, "It's true! Your grandfather has retired. He should be seeking out martial arts sects. The branch leaders of the Shen family will gradually arrive to compete for the position of family head."

The retirement of the Shen family head meant that a new one would be selected, which could lead to many events. Over the years, the selection of the Shen family head had always been accompanied by many struggles, and injuries were inevitable.

Becoming the head of a martial arts family meant wielding supreme power and possessing abundant resources, which many people would fight to the death to obtain.

Shen Xiang's father would also compete for the position of family head, and Shen Xiang would inevitably be drawn into it. If he lacked strength, it would be very dangerous.

The position of Shen family head was never inherited; it was always obtained through competition. After all, this was a world where strength was paramount, and only by demonstrating formidable strength could one gain the respect of others. Therefore, to become the Shen family head, one had to win through martial prowess.

Seeing Shen Tianhu's serious expression, Shen Xiang asked cautiously, "Father... is it very difficult?"

Shen Tianhu sighed, "Very difficult. Several people will compete with me for the position of family head, including two brothers I am most wary of... But let's not talk about that. The Yao family's genius has challenged you, go and reject him."

Reject? Since learning about the challenge, Shen Xiang had never considered rejecting it. He was now a Fifth Level Mortal Martial Realm martial artist and possessed divine arts. Because he cultivated the Taiji Divine Art, which could conceal his aura, Shen Tianhu had not noticed his son's rapid progress.

"Father, I absolutely cannot let the Xue family and the Yao family underestimate us! I will accept the challenge!" Shen Xiang's gaze was firm, filled with fighting spirit, and a thick, pure true qi surged from his body, causing Shen Tianhu's pupils to constrict in shock. He could tell that his son was no longer the same.

Shen Tianhu could sense that something had happened to his son, but he did not ask further. He was also pleased to see his son grow stronger.

Shen Tianhu placed his large hand on Shen Xiang's shoulder and laughed, "Father supports you. You must show the Yao family genius what it means to have a world beyond his own!"

Shen Xiang chuckled, "Father, can you support me with some money?"

Although Shen Xiang had a powerful father, he himself was very poor. His father had always made him live a simple life to prevent him from becoming a spoiled brat, which was why the grandson of the family head looked rather shabby.

Although Shen Tianhu was powerful, he had spent a lot to enhance his own strength and to help Shen Xiang gather elixirs, so he did not allow Shen Xiang to spend money recklessly.

"For what?"

"I want to buy some spiritual herbs to plant." Shen Xiang said softly, his eyes darting around.

Planting spiritual herbs was a very experience-intensive task that required careful care. Those who planted spiritual herbs were usually alchemists, often old men with white hair. Young people planting spiritual herbs were very rare, as they lacked both experience and patience. Some spiritual herbs took many years to mature.

This was the first time Shen Tianhu had seen a young boy of about ten wanting to plant spiritual herbs. However, seeing the confident light in Shen Xiang's eyes, he reluctantly took out a storage bag.

"If you're just playing around, I'll beat your ass so badly that sitting on a chair will be a nightmare for a month." Shen Tianhu smiled sinisterly, making Shen Xiang shudder.

"Three thousand large spirit coins! If you can't double this amount, don't ask me for money again." Shen Tianhu handed over a specially made spirit coin note.

Shen Xiang took it with a smile, "Don't worry, I'm a man who will become the youngest alchemist in the Shen family!"

Shen Tianhu was startled. He knew that the Shen Xiang before him was no longer the Shen Xiang without a spirit vein. He was secretly delighted, as if that were true, it would make the Shen family even stronger. After all, the Shen family had not produced an alchemist in many years.

Shen Tianhu laughed, "Then go and make some trouble. If you don't come up with something, you'll be in for a beating! I'll respond to the Yao family for you."

Shen Xiang took the three thousand large spirit coins and hurriedly left.

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