Shen Xiang was not just a young alchemist; he had also entered the fifth level of the Ordinary Martial Realm at a young age. However, he did not let this achievement go to his head, earning the silent approval of some branch leaders and elders of the Shen family.
Shen Xiang looked at a middle-aged man beside Shen Haohai; this was Shen Haohai's brother, Shen Yihan, who was at the seventh level of the Ordinary Martial Realm! He was a refined middle-aged man with a beard, slowly stepping forward without having spoken a word from the beginning.
Shen Xiang was about to fight him, even though he only had the strength of the fifth level of the Ordinary Martial Realm.
The crowd held their breath, unable to believe that such a situation would unfold during the election for the clan leader.
Seeing his nephew defeated, Shen Yihan showed no anger on his face and let out a mocking laugh, "No matter how talented you are, challenging someone at the seventh level of the Ordinary Martial Realm will definitely lead to your defeat."
Shen Yihan had to admit that if given a few more years, Shen Xiang would surely lose, but at this moment, he was confident of a complete victory.
Shen Yihan cultivated a unique ice-type true energy, making him a relatively special figure in the Shen family.
The young geniuses of the Shen family actually dared to challenge an elder at the seventh level of the Ordinary Martial Realm. In the past, anyone who heard such a thing would think it was madness and would surely disbelieve it. However, after witnessing Shen Xiang's impressive skills earlier, the Shen family members present found it hard to make a decision.
Most people believed Shen Xiang would lose. After all, there was a significant age difference between Shen Xiang and Shen Yihan, and Shen Yihan was an expert at the seventh level of the Ordinary Martial Realm, possessing many high-level martial skills and a thick true energy that was not something a young man could defeat.
An imbalanced battle was about to begin, and everyone watched in silence; after this battle, a clan leader would be chosen!
Shen Xiang had practiced the Azure Dragon Divine Skill for two months. With the Yin-Yang Divine Veins, he spent a significant amount of time each day absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to strengthen his true energy. After all, he was simultaneously cultivating five true energy whirlpools of five different attributes, so his true energy was exceptionally rich.
Between the fifth level of the "True Energy Realm" and the seventh level of the "True Qi Realm," there was still the sixth level of the "Spiritual Sense Realm." Spiritual sense is developed through mental cultivation, condensing a special mental force that can manipulate true energy, greatly aiding in controlling true energy and enhancing it. Only with spiritual sense could one cultivate "True Qi Power."
Shen Yihan was at the seventh level of the "True Qi Realm," capable of using powerful Qi techniques that true energy could not compare to. Therefore, he was fully confident he could easily defeat Shen Xiang.
Though Shen Xiang's terrifying martial arts had shocked the crowd, those with some understanding of true energy could see that his true energy was still quite "immature" and far from reaching the "Qi" level. However, it was still incredibly powerful for someone of his level.
Shen Yihan slowly approached Shen Xiang, and with each step, the temperature in the square dropped a degree, icy winds blowing outward. It was evident that Shen Yihan was also on the verge of a breakthrough, his body filled with thick ice-cold true energy.
Shen Xiang was closest to Shen Yihan, feeling the chilling cold most intensely. At this moment, Shen Yihan unleashed a Qi formed from his true energy, a feat only achievable by someone at the seventh level of the Ordinary Martial Realm.
The "Vermilion Bird True Energy" in Shen Xiang's body was fire-type. When stimulated by the cold energy, it immediately burst forth from his dantian, rushing through his limbs and restoring the stiffness in his body with a comforting warmth.
At that moment, Shen Yihan let out a cold laugh and struck out with his palm. A white cold energy instantly flowed from his palm, the oppressive icy Qi clearly visible as it shot straight toward Shen Xiang's head.
Seeing his opponent move, Shen Xiang quickly slid away, his movements resembling a nimble snake as he advanced swiftly. Not only did he dodge the attack, but he also counterattacked.
With agile and profound footwork, Shen Xiang transformed his hands into dragon claws, the intimidating Azure Dragon true energy overflowing from his hands. This was the Azure Dragon Claw technique he had used to defeat Shen Zhenhua earlier. Now he unleashed both claws, and as they manifested as two claws formed from true energy, the crowd held their breath in anticipation.
"Hmph!" Shen Yihan let out a cold, soft snort, and with a clap of his palms, he struck against Shen Xiang's dragon claws. A wave of cold energy erupted, causing Shen Xiang's azure dragon claws to vanish instantly, while thick ice covered his arms. The bone-chilling cold flooded into his entire body, leaving him stiff.
Shen Yihan chuckled coldly, his feet generating frost as he lightly leaped. He swiftly kicked Shen Xiang's face, sending him flying over ten meters.
Shen Xiang fell to the ground, his cheek sliced by sharp ice, leaving several cuts.
The ice covering his arms shattered, but his hands were frozen stiff. He immediately activated the Taiji Divine Skill to absorb the cold energy flowing into his body while allowing the fiery Vermilion Bird true energy to surge into his arms to dispel the cold pain.
At that moment, Shen Xiang realized that there was a significant gap between him and the seventh level of the Ordinary Martial Realm. Despite possessing divine skills, he needed to win.
"Hehe... I have to admit you are a rare genius in the Shen family! But both you and your father are too arrogant!"
Shen Yihan laughed softly, slowly approaching Shen Xiang. He was not in a hurry to kill Shen Xiang; he wanted to humiliate Shen Xiang in front of the many members of the Shen family while showcasing his strength to intimidate them.
Suddenly, Shen Xiang's body sprang up, and he stood up, leaving the crowd shocked. They had thought he was heavily injured by the kick, but he now appeared as if nothing had happened, even surprising Shen Yihan.
Shen Tianhu, watching from the side, also breathed a sigh of relief, focusing on healing his injuries.
Seeing that Shen Xiang was not severely injured, Shen Yihan leaped forward, his movements light and agile, remarkably swift and pleasing to the eye.
As Shen Yihan approached, Shen Xiang felt as though he was in a frigid world, and a large area beneath Shen Yihan's feet was covered with frost.
In mid-air, Shen Yihan delivered a punch, the icy fist strength shaking the air as it struck Shen Xiang's chest. Blood immediately gushed from Shen Xiang's chest but was instantly covered by frost.
"That's the Xuan Ice Qi! A high-level martial skill capable of piercing gold and splitting stone!" Shen Tianhu said gravely.
After being hit, Shen Xiang's figure suddenly flashed, evading the kick aimed at him by Shen Yihan. This caused Shen Yihan's ice-covered foot to crash heavily into the ground, shattering a large area of stone bricks, which were immediately frozen afterward.
"When he uses Qi techniques, he has two weaknesses: one is the tremendous consumption of true energy, and the other is the significant drain on spiritual sense. If he does not use Qi techniques, he won't be able to seriously injure you!" Shen Tianhu explained.
Shen Xiang understood. His goal now was to drag this out!