Shen Xiang pouted and said, "Didn't you hear what that woman just said? And I already told you, she's my fiancée!"
Xue Xianxian's name was well-known throughout the martial sects of the Chenwu Continent, as she was a True Martial Realm martial artist at the age of just fifteen!
Shen Xiang only found this out recently, realizing he was far behind Xue Xianxian.
"You bastard... How could such an amazing girl agree to marry someone like you?" Zhu Rong shook Shen Xiang with jealousy written all over his face. He clearly wanted to punch Shen Xiang.
Shen Xiang recovered quickly from his injuries. After Elder Dan left, everyone gathered around Shen Xiang, expressing their concern and looking at him with admiration. They even mentioned wanting to seek advice from him in the future.
The only ones who made it to the third trial were Yun Xiaodao, Shen Xiang, and Zhang De. Though they were of different ages, they were good friends. They all hoped that the third trial wouldn't involve fighting each other, as that would be too cruel.
At this moment, Shen Xiang was adjusting his breath, as he still had half an hour of rest time. He was pondering the true identity of Elder Dan.
"Sister Meiyao, Sister Youyou, do you have any insights?" Shen Xiang asked.
"None, but it might not necessarily be someone you know. You need to understand that a woman's heart is hard to predict. Maybe it's because of something like your gaze or some actions that left a bad impression on her, causing her to hold a grudge. Or maybe she genuinely cares about you and wants you to endure hardships in the outer sect to temper yourself," Su Meiyao said.
"This woman is quite powerful, and she has the Fire Spirit! If I'm not mistaken, it's the Purple Moon Fire Spirit," Bai Youyou added.
"Yes, it's definitely the Purple Moon Fire Spirit. There's a legend that the moon once turned purple and shot down a beam of light onto the mortal realm, engulfing the land in purple flames that burned for forty-nine thousand years. After the fire subsided, life emerged in the mortal realm with flowers, trees, and creatures being born. The Purple Moon Fire Spirit, known as the Flame of Life, was also created. But that's a legend from the Purple Moon Realm! Could this woman be from the Purple Moon Realm?" Su Meiyao speculated.
Shen Xiang was astonished to learn that a fire spirit could have such a legendary origin. He began to suspect that Su Meiyao and Bai Youyou had traveled across many worlds before.
"I don't know, but once I marry her, I'll ask her everything," Shen Xiang chuckled.
"Who knows how long it will be before that happens. This woman might already be in the Nirvana Realm, which is the peak of strength in the mortal world," Su Meiyao remarked.
After healing from his injuries, Shen Xiang was surprised to discover that his physical body had become much stronger, and his True Qi had greatly increased. After the intense ordeal he just went through, his True Qi had been compressed, significantly improving its quality.
The rapid progress left Shen Xiang secretly astonished. He began to wonder if Elder Dan truly had no ill intentions and simply wanted to temper him through extreme methods.
"When I enter the inner sect and then join the Tai Dan Academy, I'll be able to enjoy dual benefits!" Shen Xiang decided. His curiosity about Elder Dan was growing, and the only way to interact with her more was to join the Tai Dan Academy since she was the head of that academy.
Shen Xiang, Yun Xiaodao, and Zhang De were led by Zhu Rong to the innermost part of the Taiwu Gate, where they saw numerous courtyards.
"Inner Sect Martial Academy No. 99. Where are we going?" Yun Xiaodao exclaimed as he saw a sign.
"We're heading to the Elders' Courtyard! I went there back in the day." Zhu Rong patted his large belly with a peculiar smile. "The third trial isn't as terrifying as the second one, but it's still quite difficult. However, if you pass, there will be many benefits."
They were going to the Elders' Courtyard, the place where the elders of the Taiwu Gate lived. This made Shen Xiang and the others feel a lot of pressure. Shen Xiang was especially worried that his conflict with Elder Dan would cause the entire elders' group to target him, which would make his life at Taiwu Gate unbearable.
"The head of Taiwu has been in seclusion for many years now, so things are managed by Elder Wu. Elder Dan is rarely seen, and she doesn't give lectures often," Zhu Rong said. "The third trial is overseen by Elder Wu."
Elder Wu was the third most important person in Taiwu Gate. He was known for being kind and approachable, despite being a high-ranking expert. He had earned the love and respect of many disciples. Knowing that he would be overseeing the third trial made Shen Xiang and the others breathe a sigh of relief, as they wouldn't have to deal with the unpredictable Elder Dan.
"So this is the Elders' Courtyard? It's truly different," Yun Xiaodao marveled.
Shen Xiang was also surprised. The Elders' Courtyard wasn't just a place of buildings—it had mountains, rivers, and a vast grassland. Even at night, under the light of the moon and stars, the scenery was beautiful.
"Why couldn't we see these sights from outside? And this place seems bigger than Tianmen City!" Shen Xiang asked in confusion.
"Haha, this is a Mysterious Realm. You can only see it when you're close. From a distance, it's obscured by a special force, so all you see is the area in front of the entrance," said an elderly man who suddenly appeared behind them. He was bald but had long white eyebrows and a long white beard.
Shen Xiang and the others were startled and quickly turned around. The old man smiled warmly, his eyes squinting under his long white eyebrows, giving off a very peaceful aura.
The Mysterious Realm was a type of independent small space, akin to a miniature world. Though this realm was large, it couldn't be seen from the outside, and one could only view it by entering through its portal. How such realms were formed remained a mystery.
Shen Xiang and the others had heard of the legends of Mysterious Realms but didn't expect that Taiwu Gate had one, and that it housed the Elders' Courtyard!
"Elder Wu!" Shen Xiang and the others shouted in unison, bowing in respect to the elderly man.
The elder's name was Wu Kaiming, the person in charge of the safety of Taiwu Gate. He had many responsibilities and was a formidable figure. It was said that in the past, he had single-handedly broken into a demonic sect to rescue his disciple.
"No need to be so formal," Wu Kaiming smiled. "You must be Shen Xiang. Elder Dan just asked me to make things difficult for you, but I refused. I don't want a disciple holding a grudge against me. But I must say, you're quite brave to leave her so frustrated. If her temper were worse, and she had killed you, all we old folks could do would be to give her a superficial scolding."
This statement made Zhu Rong and Yun Xiaodao break out in cold sweats.
Shen Xiang laughed, "Looks like my luck isn't bad. So, she won't bother me anymore, right? Doesn't that mean I've gained a bit of an advantage?"
"That's hard to say. That woman's temper is unpredictable. You'd better not provoke her further, or else... you might suffer a fate worse than death," Wu Kaiming warned with a grin. He seemed quite intrigued by Shen Xiang, especially since Shen Xiang had managed to pass the test even after Elder Dan deliberately made things difficult for him!
"Alright, enough talk. Let's get to the point. The third trial involves hunting demonic beasts within this Mysterious Realm. In three days, each of you must kill three Grade Ten demonic beasts. There are plenty of beasts in here, and their strength matches yours. Once you complete the task, you will have passed the trial," Wu Kaiming explained.