**One Month Later!**
Late at night, on the peak of a tall mountain deep within the forest, a flash of green light flickered. From a distance, it looked like a star had descended onto the mountain peak. To avoid drawing attention to the phenomena caused by his cultivation, Shen Xiang had come to the remote mountain under the pretense of gathering herbs.
Shen Xiang climbed to the peak to absorb more spiritual energy and to feel the wind and thunder in the sky. The clouds churned, and a fierce wind blew. Occasionally, flashes of lightning lit up the sky, striking down onto the peak as if trying to split the mountain in two.
This extraordinary sight was caused by Shen Xiang's cultivation of the Azure Dragon Divine Art. The wind and thunder were results of his day-long cultivation, and the lightning bolts striking his body not only tempered his physique but also allowed him to absorb the powerful lightning energy.
This was an extreme practice. Lightning, one of nature's most destructive forces, would be avoided even by martial artists who had reached the True Martial Realm. But the Azure Dragon Divine Art required the aid of lightning to progress.
The bizarre scene continued late into the night before it finally stopped. Shen Xiang's face, twisted in pain from enduring the strikes, gradually relaxed. His clothes had long been reduced to tatters, and his body bore charred, smoking wounds. However, green light shimmered over the wounds, radiating dense wood-elemental energy that slowly healed them.
"This pain is nothing. I must grow stronger!" Shen Xiang clenched his fists and shouted internally, enduring wave after wave of lightning, gritting his teeth against the agony as the strikes tempered his body.
The divine art truly lived up to its name. Not only did it cause such phenomena, but it allowed him to withstand the lightning, forging his body into something much stronger.
Days passed as Shen Xiang's body endured the repeated strikes of lightning. Finally, he had completed the basic phase of body tempering!
Shen Xiang's eyes snapped open, and two bolts of lightning shot out from his resolute gaze—an awe-inspiring sight.
"A divine art is indeed a divine art. It's incomparable to ordinary martial techniques! In just one month, I've reached the fifth stage of the Mortal Martial Realm!"
Shen Xiang had now reached the fifth stage of the Mortal Martial Realm!
He looked inward at his dantian, where five swirling vortexes of true qi spun. He only needed to grow these vortexes further to control his true qi at will, which marked the essence of the fifth stage.
At sixteen years old, possessing the strength of the fifth stage made him quite the genius!
Shen Xiang glanced at his hands, where red and green true qi swirled. One was fire elemental, and the other was wood elemental, signifying that he had successfully grasped both the Azure Dragon Divine Art and the Vermilion Bird Divine Art.
At this moment, Shen Xiang felt as though he had been reborn. Both his body and his true qi were incredibly powerful, forged through the cultivation of divine arts.
Now, Shen Xiang understood why divine arts were called such—because they could make one ascend to godhood!
"The spiritual energy here is too weak. If you want to make rapid progress, you'll need pills! Now that you can release true qi fire, you can start learning alchemy." Su Meiyao transmitted to him telepathically.
Su Meiyao and Bai Youyou both hoped that Shen Xiang would grow stronger quickly so that they could restore their powers. Being powerless filled them with fear.
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"Hey, isn't this Shen Xiang? The genius alchemist from the Yao family has challenged you to a duel—both in alchemy and combat."
As Shen Xiang stepped through the gates of the Shen family, a young man with a smug expression greeted him.
"A challenge? When did this happen?" Shen Xiang was surprised. He had been away for more than ten days.
The young man sneered, "It seems you didn't know. We thought you were hiding out of fear! It happened ten days ago, after your fiancée caught the eye of the Yao family genius. Now you're in trouble."
Shen Xiang had the urge to punch the guy, but he held back, laughing instead. "Shen Zhenhua, do you remember when I threw you to the ground like a dog when we were kids? Are you here now to see me fail?"
The young man's name was Shen Zhenhua, the son of one of the branch leaders of the Shen family. The Shen family had many branches spread across the Nanwu Kingdom, and these leaders were powerful figures. They only gathered at the Shen family manor for important matters.
Shen Zhenhua's face darkened with anger, but he restrained himself and said mockingly, "Of course, I'm here to see how the Yao family genius crushes you. I can't wait to see how you lose that beautiful fiancée of yours."
With that, Shen Zhenhua left, laughing.
Shen Xiang snorted before heading to find his father. On his way home, he had heard that something had happened in the Shen family, which explained why the branch leaders were returning.
At Tianhu Garden, in a study room.
Shen Xiang rushed in and asked anxiously, "Dad, is it true that Grandpa has stepped down as the clan leader?"
Shen Tianhu's expression was serious as he nodded. "Yes, it's true! Your grandfather has retired. He's probably gone to seek out martial sects. The branch leaders of the Shen family will soon arrive to compete for the clan leader position."
The fact that the Shen family patriarch had stepped down meant that a new clan leader had to be chosen. This would likely lead to a lot of conflict, as it always had. Many would be injured in the struggle for leadership.
Shen Xiang's father would also be competing for the clan leader position, which meant Shen Xiang would inevitably be drawn into the conflict. Without enough strength, it would be extremely dangerous for him.
The position of clan leader in the Shen family was never inherited but was won through competition. In this world where strength reigned supreme, only those who demonstrated formidable power could gain the respect of others. To become the clan leader, one had to prove their strength.
Seeing his father's worried expression, Shen Xiang asked cautiously, "Dad... is it that difficult?"
Shen Tianhu sighed. "It's very difficult. There are several people competing for the position, and I'm particularly concerned about two brothers... But let's not talk about that. The genius from the Yao family has challenged you. Just refuse him."
Refuse? Shen Xiang had never considered backing down since he learned of the challenge. He was now a fifth-stage Mortal Martial Realm warrior and possessed divine arts. His Tai Chi Divine Art allowed him to conceal his true strength, so his father had no idea how much progress he had made.
"Dad, I can't let the Yao family and the Xue family look down on us! I'll accept the challenge!" Shen Xiang's eyes were filled with determination and battle intent. A surge of pure, powerful true qi radiated from him, shocking Shen Tianhu, who realized that his son had undergone a significant transformation.
Shen Tianhu could tell something had changed in his son, but he didn't ask questions. He was just happy to see his son growing stronger.
Shen Tianhu placed a large hand on Shen Xiang's shoulder and laughed. "I support you, son. Show that Yao family genius what it means to face someone stronger!"
Shen Xiang grinned and said, "Dad, can you lend me some money?"
Although Shen Xiang had a powerful father, he was still poor. His father worried that giving him too much would make him wasteful, so he made sure Shen Xiang lived a simple life, which was why the grandson of the clan leader appeared so down-and-out.
Shen Tianhu asked, "What for?"
"I want to buy some herbs to plant," Shen Xiang replied, his eyes gleaming with ideas.
Planting spiritual herbs required experience and care. Typically, only alchemists—mostly elderly men with white hair—grew spiritual herbs, as it was rare for young people to have the patience and knowledge required. Some herbs even took years to mature.
Shen Tianhu was surprised to hear his teenage son talking about growing spiritual herbs, but when he saw the confident light in Shen Xiang's eyes, he reluctantly handed over a storage pouch.
"If you're just playing around, I'll spank you so hard you won't be able to sit for a month," Shen Tianhu said with a sinister smile, making Shen Xiang shudder.
"Three thousand spirit coins! If you can't make this money multiply, don't ask me for money again." Shen Tianhu handed over a specially crafted spirit coin note.
Shen Xiang accepted it with a grin and said, "Don't worry, Dad. I'm going to become the youngest alchemist in the Shen family!"
Shen Tianhu was startled. He knew that his son was no longer the talentless boy he once was, and he couldn't help but feel delighted. If Shen Xiang really became an alchemist, it would greatly strengthen the Shen family, which hadn't produced an alchemist in years.
Shen Tianhu laughed heartily. "Go ahead and cause some trouble. If you don't create something impressive, you're going to get a beating! I'll go inform the Yao family of your decision."
With three thousand spirit coins in hand, Shen Xiang quickly left.
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