Shen Xiang sat cross-legged on the ground, focusing his spiritual energy as he waited for the divine meridians to merge into his body.
Bai Youyou and Su Meiyao pressed their delicate hands on Shen Xiang's abdomen, their hands emitting mist—black from Bai Youyou's supreme Yin divine meridian and white from Su Meiyao's supreme Yang divine meridian. The sight was truly mystical.
Inside Shen Xiang's body, a black and white energy resembling airflow began to circulate through his muscles, bones, and meridians. His meridians gradually expanded, and his bones and muscles were strengthened. After countless cycles, the black and white energy eventually converged in his dantian, forming a Taiji Yin-Yang diagram. This was the Yin-Yang Divine Meridian!
When Su Meiyao and Bai Youyou saw that Shen Xiang had successfully merged the supreme Yin and Yang meridians, they were both astonished and thrilled. Initially, they thought it would be difficult to combine the two meridians, and they had merely been experimenting on Shen Xiang. But to their surprise, it succeeded.
The two women slowly retreated, watching Shen Xiang, who was now surrounded by a mist of black and white energy. They exchanged glances, their eyes filled with complex emotions and surprise. In their knowledge, no one had ever possessed both Yin and Yang divine meridians. They realized that this young man before them, with proper guidance, could become an unparalleled powerhouse.
Shen Xiang opened his eyes, feeling an unprecedented sense of comfort. He also felt as though he had grown stronger.
"So, this is a divine meridian! It feels amazing. Can I now enter the True Martial Realm?" Shen Xiang asked excitedly, a mischievous grin appearing on his face, a stark contrast to his previous innocent and honest demeanor. This shift made the two beauties a little concerned.
In the martial world, the Mortal Martial Realm is the initial stage, divided into ten levels: Qi Refining, Body Tempering, Martial Body, Meridian Opening, True Qi, Spiritual Awareness, True Gang, Divine Power, True Form, and Grand Perfection.
Above the Mortal Martial Realm is the True Martial Realm, a level many martial artists dream of reaching. Reaching this stage grants one the power to move mountains and oceans, along with a lifespan of a thousand years.
Shen Xiang had been stuck at the third level, the Martial Body stage, unable to break through to the fourth, Meridian Opening stage.
"Only the True Martial Realm? That would be an insult to the divine meridians," Bai Youyou snorted coldly in disdain.
Su Meiyao, with a serious expression, said, "Now that you possess the Yin-Yang Divine Meridian, you must broaden your horizons. The power in this world is limitless, and there are many different worlds out there. The Chenwu Continent you're on is merely a small piece of the mortal world!"
"Remember our contract. You must help us regain our peak strength. This is no easy task!"
Shen Xiang nodded heavily, "As long as I'm alive, I'll fulfill the contract and help both of you regain your peak power."
Bai Youyou, satisfied, said, "The quickest way to help us recover is through pills—very high-grade pills, of course. Once we regain our strength, our contract will be complete, and we'll seek revenge on our enemies."
Shen Xiang felt a bit disappointed. If these two peerless beauties could stay by his side forever, it would be the greatest pleasure.
Su Meiyao took a ring from her beautiful hair and tossed it to Shen Xiang. "Drop your blood on it to bind it to you. It's just like using a storage pouch. Put us inside, and then you can climb out of here! We can't stay here long; this place is frequented by giant beasts."
After binding the ring with his blood, Shen Xiang instantly connected with it. The space inside was small, about the size of a single room. In Shen Xiang's imagination, a legendary storage ring should have a vast, ocean-like space.
A storage artifact that can hold living beings! Shen Xiang was amazed. Ordinary storage bags were already rare, passed down from the sects on immortal mountains, let alone a storage artifact that could hold living creatures.
Following Su Meiyao's instructions, Shen Xiang placed the two women into the storage ring. After wearing the ring, it became invisible on his finger, further surprising Shen Xiang.
He then took out the pill his father had given him, consumed it to regain strength, and began climbing the cliff to escape the death-filled abyss. For him, this was a huge challenge.
Climbing the cliff was extremely frustrating for Shen Xiang. He couldn't see anything in the black deathly mist, making the task even harder.
After a day and night of hard climbing, Shen Xiang finally made it to the top. He had initially thought it was an impossible task, but thanks to the divine meridians, he absorbed a lot of spiritual energy during the climb, which cleared his fatigue and kept him full of vigor.
Once he reached the top, Shen Xiang began his journey home.
He couldn't see Bai Youyou and Su Meiyao inside the ring, but he could sense their presence.
"Big sisters, when will you teach me the divine and demonic techniques?" Shen Xiang asked eagerly, his curiosity about those techniques growing.
"Your body is too weak right now; you can't train in my demonic arts," Bai Youyou's cold voice came from the ring.
Su Meiyao added, "You can start training in my divine techniques anytime. Once you return to your residence, I'll also teach you pill refining."
Shen Xiang was overjoyed and began running swiftly.
In the southern part of Nanwu Kingdom, there was a prosperous and large city called Wohu City, with a population of a million. It was also home to a famous martial family, the Shen family!
The Shen family had a history spanning thousands of years and still maintained great power and deep roots. Their wealth rivaled that of nations, and their estate alone covered thousands of acres, filled with gardens, courtyards, and water features. It was said that anyone trying to sneak into the Shen family's estate would easily get lost inside.
In Tianhu Courtyard, the residence of Shen Tianhu, Shen Xiang's father, the atmosphere was one of calm authority.
"Father, I'm back!" Shen Xiang shouted as he rushed into the study, knowing that his father would be there.
Shen Tianhu laughed heartily, "You rascal, you're finally back! Do you know there's a little beauty waiting for you? Do you remember the little girl from the Xue family? She's your fiancée."
Shen Xiang frowned, and a memory of a beautiful, delicate girl appeared in his mind. It was from when he was five or six years old.
"Father… are you talking about Xue Xianxian?" Shen Xiang asked. Xue Xianxian was a prodigious girl from the Xue family. She had lived at the Shen family's estate for some time when she was younger, and during that time, she and Shen Xiang had played together, leading to their engagement.
Shen Tianhu nodded, "Yes, that's right. That little girl arrived at the estate just after you left. She's been demanding to see you."
As Shen Tianhu finished speaking, he looked out the window with a smile. Shen Xiang followed his gaze and saw a tall, graceful girl walking toward the courtyard.
The girl had long hair draped over her shoulders and wore white clothes, adorned with a golden hair ornament. Her entire appearance was like that of a fairy, and Shen Xiang couldn't help but be stunned. The girl was only fourteen or fifteen years old, with snow-white skin and delicate, stunning features that were hard to look away from.
The girl spotted Shen Xiang through the window, and her beautiful face lit up with joy. She called out sweetly, "Brother Xiang!"
Her voice was soft and melodic, captivating anyone who heard it. Shen Xiang admitted that although this girl was still in her early years, her temperament and beauty could rival the two beauties in his ring. And she wasn't even fully matured yet.
Swallowing nervously, Shen Xiang laughed awkwardly, "Girls really do change as they grow! Who would've thought that little girl would turn into such a fairy."
This girl was Xue Xianxian, the prodigy of the Xue family.
"She's my fiancée!" Shen Xiang shouted excitedly in his heart.
In the past, Shen Xiang had felt a bit insecure about his engagement due to his lack of a spiritual meridian. But now, with his Yin-Yang divine meridians, he was confident that reaching the pinnacle of martial arts was no longer a distant dream.
Xue Xianxian smiled shyly, her cheeks dimpling with a cute blush that made Shen Xiang lose focus again.
Shen Tianhu laughed heartily and patted Shen Xiang on the shoulder. "You two should catch up."
Shen Xiang grinned, quickly leaving the study and taking Xue Xianxian's soft, delicate hand, leading her away from his father's sight, just like they used to sneak away when they were children.
As he walked with this little fairy by his side, many young men in the Shen family looked on with envy.
"Xianxian, how long will you stay at the Shen estate?" Shen Xiang asked with a playful smile as he gently touched the cute dimple on her cheek.
X
ue Xianxian pursed her lips and smiled. "I'll be leaving soon. I came just to see you. I've been cultivating in the Immortal Sword Sect, and I'll be joining the inner sect soon."
Shen Xiang's heart skipped a beat when he heard the words "Immortal Sword Sect." This was a famous sect in the Chenwu Continent, with an existence far beyond that of the Shen family. Even though Shen Xiang had never heard of the inner workings of the Immortal Sword Sect, he knew it was a legendary and powerful place.
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