Shen Xiang nodded and asked, "I understand, Youyou. When will you teach me the demonic arts?"
Bai Youyou shot him a cold glance and replied, "You haven't even fully mastered the Four Symbols Divine Art of your junior sister yet. You're still far from it!"
Currently, Shen Xiang could only use the Azure Dragon Divine Art and parts of the Vermilion Bird Divine Art. The other two—White Tiger Divine Art and Xuanwu Divine Art—were exceptionally difficult to practice and required special conditions.
In the Azure Dragon Divine Art, the Azure Dragon Claw and Azure Dragon Roar were relatively easy to learn, and the Vermilion Bird's Xuan Fire and Vermilion Bird's Fire Wings were as well. Although there were many powerful martial techniques within the Four Symbols Divine Art, they all required reaching a certain level of strength to practice; otherwise, one could fall into madness.
Late at night, in the hidden chamber beneath the ground, sounds of "bang bang" echoed as Shen Xiang practiced his martial arts. He was shirtless, his robust muscles glowing red and emanating wisps of steam. He stood firmly in a horse stance, striking the iron wall nearby. Each punch released waves of scorching air, and the invisible force of his punches struck the iron wall, shaking the ground.
"Not bad, in just one day you've mastered the Fire King Fist, which is one of the more difficult foundational skills of the Vermilion Bird Divine Art. You can take a break now," Su Meiyao said, feeling somewhat tired from watching Shen Xiang practice all day.
Shen Xiang glanced at Su Meiyao's mature and ample chest, grinning, "Sister Meiyao, I'm going to take a shower. Want to join me?"
Su Meiyao's voice was soft and alluring, her gaze filled with seduction. "I'll have to bring my sister along. I'm worried you won't behave yourself."
At the mention of Bai Youyou, Shen Xiang's expression instantly froze. "In that case, never mind."
Su Meiyao chuckled and disappeared into the invisible ring in Shen Xiang's hand. Inside the ring was a small room equipped with everything they needed for daily life, allowing the two women to live quite comfortably.
The next day, Shen Xiang woke up and spat out the "dragon saliva" into a small bottle. He didn't go ahead to water any medicinal herbs but chose to save it for future use.
Shen Xiang initially planned to consult Shen Luzong about alchemy but found out that Shen Luzong had already set off to procure spiritual herbs, leaving behind a considerable amount of spiritual pills and herbs.
With the ready supply of spiritual herbs, Shen Xiang eagerly used them to refine pills, which would also enhance his alchemy experience.
Three days passed, and Shen Xiang finished refining all the spiritual herbs left by Shen Luzong. Since most of the herbs were of low-grade quality, the pills produced were also of low-grade quality. At this point, the Shen family had enough pills to last them for a while.
Over these few days, many young members of the Shen family surrounded Shen Xiang, and he often went to the martial arts arena to spar with them, occasionally offering guidance, which greatly benefited them.
"Xiang'er, are you going to the Martial Arts Competition in the Royal City? The first prize is a top-grade True Essence Pill," Shen Tianhu suddenly appeared at the martial arts arena.
Shen Xiang thought for a moment and replied, "I plan to buy some spiritual herbs from other cities, so I'll join the competition if I have the time!"
At that moment, a young member of the Shen family spoke up, "Since Shen Xiang is participating, we definitely don't stand a chance. But I've heard that many talented individuals are joining this year's competition, including those at the seventh level of the Mortal Martial Realm."
A girl nodded and added, "I've also heard that people from those martial arts sects are coming back."
Shen Xiang had heard about this as well. The Martial Arts Competition in the Royal City was held once every ten years, primarily for participants under twenty. It took place in the largest city of the Southern Martial Kingdom, the Royal City, which was originally made up of four large cities. Over time, as the population grew, the four cities merged into one.
The Royal City was also the capital of the Southern Martial Kingdom, home to both the Apothecary Family and the royal palace, where many powerful families were established, making it a gathering place for experts.
Shen Tianhu nodded and said, "The purpose of the Martial Arts Competition in the Royal City is also to select outstanding individuals for those martial arts sects. You should know that the entire Southern Martial Kingdom is subordinate to those martial arts sects, right?"
Every martial arts family had to pay taxes to the royal palace every year, which the Southern Martial Kingdom then turned over to those martial arts sects. This demonstrated just how powerful those sects were, surpassing the various families of the kingdom.
"Don't think those taxes are paid for nothing. You must know that those martial arts sects protect our safety; otherwise, places like ours would easily fall prey to demonic beasts or other monstrous creatures," Shen Tianhu said, looking up at the sky with a serious tone.
The young members of the Shen family were taken aback. They had previously thought those large sects were mere legends, but now they realized the close ties they had with the secular world.
The Southern Martial Kingdom was vast, with a population of over a billion, yet there were relatively few martial artists and even fewer alchemists. However, given such a large population, it was still possible to find some outstanding martial artists among them. This was why those martial arts sects came to recruit disciples from time to time. The most efficient way to select the best was through competitions among the most powerful young individuals, allowing the strongest few to qualify for entry into the martial arts sects.
Shen Xiang followed Shen Tianhu to the study. As they walked, Shen Xiang sensed that Shen Tianhu had something important to say, as his expression had been very serious the entire way.
Sure enough, once they reached the study, Shen Tianhu said, "Xiang'er, your uncle, Shen Luzong, has gone to the Royal City! Although our Shen family is considered a powerful martial arts family in many people's eyes, if we can't enter the Royal City, we can't be considered a truly strong family. Therefore, our goal moving forward is the Royal City."
Shen Xiang had heard some rumors before, such as the Apothecary Family also having ties to those martial arts families. The Apothecary Family didn't need to pay taxes directly to the royal palace but instead contributed directly to those sects.
"The Xue family has already begun moving to the Royal City! Thanks to Xue Xianxian, the Xue family has formed a relationship with a powerful martial arts sect! We must strive for our own path. If we want to open up a way, it will depend on you and your uncle!" Shen Tianhu placed a hand on Shen Xiang's shoulder, speaking earnestly.
Shen Xiang frowned and asked, "What do I need to do? Join a martial arts sect?"
Shen Tianhu shook his head and replied, "No, even so, our Shen family still wouldn't receive the protection of those large sects. Right now, there's only one way: we need to impress those sects so that they come looking for us! The current strategy is to showcase your alchemical potential."
Shen Xiang's eyes sparkled with determination as he grinned, "I know what to do! I'll pack my things now and head to the Royal City to meet up with my uncle."
Shen Tianhu patted Shen Xiang's shoulder and smiled, "Xiang'er, your stage isn't in this secular world; it's in those martial arts sects where experts gather. That's the real martial arts world!"