After five days, the shop had been completely renovated at no cost, thanks to the efforts of the Danxiang Medicine Shop. With enough medicinal herbs and alchemists, it would soon be ready to open.
The news of Shen Xiang's arrival in Wangcheng attracted the attention of many forces. Shen Xiang had two goals: to develop his alchemy business and to participate in the Wangcheng Martial Arts Conference.
The conference had started accepting registrations long ago, and Shen Xiang had signed up early. Although the event was still over two months away, he learned that disciples from various sects would attend—not to compete, but to observe.
During these days, both Shen Xiang and his uncle, Shen Luzong, had been busy refining pills. They knew that to successfully open the shop, they needed a substantial amount of medicinal pills.
"Uncle, we can't keep going like this. Just the two of us will take forever to prepare," Shen Xiang said, having just finished a batch of marrow cleansing pills using materials sourced from the Danxiang Medicine Shop.
"Do you think it will be quick to open? You need at least five alchemists to sustain operations, and after opening, you'll still need customers. I estimate it will take two or three years to get things running smoothly," Shen Luzong replied, making Shen Xiang anxious. He couldn't afford to wait that long.
If they wanted to recruit alchemists, they would need to offer some precious spiritual herbs. Shen Xiang decided to hurry and mature a batch of them. As he left the alchemy room for the shop, he saw several people inside.
Among them were an old man and four handsome young men, all exuding a unique, pure aura that couldn't be cultivated in the ordinary world.
"You are Shen Xiang?" the old man questioned harshly, his face filled with fury, while the four youths looked at Shen Xiang with arrogance.
Shen Xiang frowned and clenched his fists. "Are you here to cause trouble?"
At that moment, Shen Luzong emerged. Upon seeing the old man, he froze, trembling slightly, clearly terrified.
"You are… you are…" Shen Luzong stammered, shocked to recognize the old man.
"Indeed, I am Shen Furong. I left the Shen family fifty years ago to enter a martial arts sect. I've returned this time to recruit disciples! But I've heard some very bad things," the old man declared.
Shen Xiang's heart raced. The elder responsible for recruitment was an older member of the Shen family, and he seemed displeased with him.
"You dare to be at odds with the Yao family? You should know that the Yao family has helped me greatly in my sect!" Shen Furong glared at Shen Xiang, releasing a wave of true energy that made Shen Xiang feel as if he were being crushed under immense weight.
Shen Luzong's shock faded, replaced by an icy demeanor. "He is a rare talent in the Shen family. You're making things difficult for him for your own selfish reasons! You have no right to call yourself a member of the Shen family!"
Hearing this, Shen Furong paused and scrutinized Shen Luzong, who seemed to possess unknown strength. He sneered, "What talent? A boy like him would be easily surpassed by anyone in my sect. My four disciples would easily outmatch him."
As soon as he finished speaking, Shen Xiang moved like lightning, unleashing a punch filled with azure light, crackling with violent lightning energy toward one of the disciples!
The sudden ferocity of the attack caught the disciple off guard. He staggered back, blood spilling from his mouth, as he struggled to regain his footing.
"Is that all you've got?" Shen Xiang said nonchalantly. He saw through Shen Furong's true intentions—this elder had no loyalty to the Shen family and sought to curry favor with the Yao family by targeting his own kin.
Shen Furong's surprise turned into fury. He had only heard rumors of Shen Xiang's strength, but now he could see it for himself; Shen Xiang had injured one of his disciples with ease.
"Is this the strength of a disciple from a martial arts sect?" Shen Xiang scoffed, his gaze sweeping over the other four disciples, igniting their anger.
"If it weren't for your sneak attack, you wouldn't even be able to touch me!" the injured disciple said, wiping blood from his lips.
"Then let's fight and see!" Shen Xiang challenged, cracking his knuckles in anticipation.
"Let's do it!" the disciple replied, filled with rage. He believed the only way to vent his frustration was through combat.
Shen Furong didn't stop them. Instead, he stepped aside, creating a space for the fight. The disciple charged toward Shen Xiang.
The disciple moved gracefully, his feet barely touching the ground as he launched into a series of rapid kicks, like a dragonfly skimming the water, bringing with it a powerful force.
"Sixth Layer of the Martial Realm!" Shen Xiang assessed the disciple's strength.
Seeing Shen Xiang standing still, the disciple thought he had him intimidated and felt smug. He leaped into the air, delivering a flurry of kicks, each strike accompanied by explosive bursts of true energy, demonstrating a formidable leg technique.
Shen Xiang hadn't expected such an aggressive attack. In that moment, he couldn't evade the onslaught of kicks, and he realized this seemingly fragile youth wielded a remarkably powerful martial technique.
"Thud! Thud!" Shen Xiang's body was hit ten times in quick succession, sending him crashing through a wooden table, shattering it into pieces.
"Humph! You're nothing special!" the disciple scoffed. But as he finished speaking, Shen Xiang sprang back up, brushing himself off as if nothing had happened.
Everyone was stunned, including Shen Furong.
"Just now, I did kick you, but you shouldn't have been able to withstand my powerful true energy. I kicked you ten times, each one packed with immense energy," the disciple said, his face serious.
Shen Xiang smiled lightly. "Your technique is good, but it's still lacking!"
As he spoke, Shen Xiang surged forward like a thunderbolt, his fists striking with the force of a mountain. Each punch resonated explosively, creating a flurry of images as if a raging storm were unleashed upon the disciple. Every punch seemed to morph into a fearsome tiger head, shaking the air with its ferocity.
The rapid-fire punches blurred together, each one an onslaught against the disciple, who quickly activated a protective shield of golden true energy around himself.