Chapter 82: Unleashing Power

Zhu Rong patted Shen Xiang on the shoulder and said, "Don't worry, this True Qi Dan will be paid for by Little Cloud. In the end, it will still be me selling it to him, haha…"

"Stupid pig, are you implying that Big Brother Shen will definitely lose?" Yun Xiaodao shot Zhu Rong a disdainful glance.

"Well, since it's a bet, you never know. If you win, I'm willing to buy any surplus True Qi Dan you have," Zhu Rong chuckled.

"Not a chance! If I win, I wouldn't even give it to a dog," Yun Xiaodao retorted.

Shen Xiang and Zhang De could only shake their heads in silence. During their meal, they listened to Yun Xiaodao and Zhu Rong bicker, admiring how they could argue while eating without tiring.

Upon returning to the martial academy, Shen Xiang asked, "Strange, why don't I see any female disciples?"

"Taiwu Sect doesn't accept women. It's said that the founder of Taiwu had no interest in women, which led to this ridiculous rule. This has made it difficult for many disciples. Most disciples at Taiwu come with their women; otherwise, they have to fend for themselves…" Yun Xiaodao grinned mischievously, "Big Brother Shen, you wouldn't be planning to stay overnight in the academy every night, would you?"

"Of course not." Shen Xiang realized why Tianmen City was so lively; it turned out that these rich disciples brought their families with them.

"Such an honest guy! I thought only old geezers like Zhang De would stay here honestly," Yun Xiaodao chuckled and then left.

As night fell, Shen Xiang returned to his room. He was refining True Qi Dan, while Su Meiyao and Bai Youyou remained hidden in the ring, afraid of being sensed in this place filled with powerful figures.

"Sister Meiyao, Taiwu Sect doesn't accept female disciples. Why did you let Youlan come? That's just ridiculous," Shen Xiang thought it would be nice to have Cold Youlan around for support in Taiwu Sect.

"Hmph! She left long ago, so why would she remember such trivial matters?" Su Meiyao snorted. Earlier, when Shen Xiang went out, he brought back many different styles of beautiful dresses and some exquisite jewelry for both her and Bai Youyou.

In just a few days, Shen Xiang had integrated well into Taiwu Sect, establishing good relationships with the brothers in the martial academy. He was grateful to be in a harmonious environment, as he didn't want to be surrounded by scheming individuals.

Within Taiwu Sect was a vast square capable of holding hundreds of thousands of people. Every month, elders from the Elder Hall would come here to give lectures, drawing in most disciples. Today, however, marked the annual entrance examination for the inner disciples—an event of great importance. All outer disciples could register for participation.

Shen Xiang, Yun Xiaodao, and Zhang De formed a line, preparing for the first examination. The disciples from the 330th martial academy stood out, as everyone else had to give them space; no one dared provoke them.

"Big Brother Shen, have you heard? Fang Liang was seriously injured by you and won't fully recover for a year and a half. Hehe, the Fang family is out for blood now," Yun Xiaodao laughed.

Shen Xiang could only sigh helplessly. He had gone easy on him; otherwise, he would have truly crippled Fang Liang. He understood that the families here were different from those in the secular world, as they had true martial realm experts backing them!

The first test involved measuring strength; failure to meet the requirements would result in elimination.

The strength test required disciples to punch a formation set against a stone wall. When a disciple punched, a value would be displayed, indicating their strength. Only those who reached a certain threshold could pass.

"This first test is easy; we always pass," Zhang De said confidently.

"The second and third tests are more difficult. I've been eliminated in the second test before, and so has Zhang De; neither of us has ever passed it!" Yun Xiaodao expressed, a hint of despair in his tone.

"What's the second test?" Shen Xiang asked, unaware of the details of the second and third tests.

Yun Xiaodao's eyes flashed with a hint of fear as he explained, "The second test is conducted personally by the Pill Elder. It mainly tests endurance. The third test is a comprehensive evaluation, which varies every year but is always equally challenging."

The Pill Elder was the second strongest figure in Taiwu Sect and the only woman in the sect. It was rumored that she had a higher status than the current sect leader and was in charge of the Pill Institute. No one knew her name; everyone simply referred to her as the Pill Elder.

"It's my turn now. Let's see if I can break my own record again," Yun Xiaodao rolled up his sleeves, eyes gleaming with anticipation.

Shen Xiang stood behind Yun Xiaodao, eager to see his true strength. The threshold to pass was a value exceeding one thousand. Many outer disciples had values around six hundred, with a few hitting seven hundred, but those were rare. It was evident that the outer disciples at Taiwu Sect had a fairly uniform level of strength.

Yun Xiaodao punched the wall, his arm sinking into the water-like formation. When he withdrew his fist, the water settled, revealing a value.

"Two thousand three hundred!"

Upon seeing this number, everyone gasped in shock, as the previous highest record was only one thousand eight hundred!

"Big Brother Shen, it's your turn!" Yun Xiaodao said proudly, patting Shen Xiang's shoulder.

Shen Xiang had gained some fame as an outer disciple, hailing from the secular world and having severely injured Fang Liang in one blow. His relationship with Zhu Rong also contributed to his reputation as an alchemist.

"Give it your all; only by showcasing your true strength will you earn respect! Just don't expose your Yin Yang Divine Veins!" Bai Youyou's voice rang out encouragingly.

Shen Xiang nodded, merging the five elemental True Qi within his dantian into the Qian Kun True Qi. He took a deep breath and unleashed a powerful punch. In that instant, he didn't release any True Qi, leaving everyone puzzled. Without True Qi, his power would surely decrease!

Shen Xiang was using all his might. He was confident that if he struck a mountain with this punch, it would be obliterated, yet the formation on the stone wall remained eerily calm.

He retracted his fist, and the water-like formation displayed a value!

"Four thousand eight hundred!"

When this number appeared, the bustling square fell into an eerie silence, and everyone wore expressions of disbelief. Their first thought was to question the validity of the formation, but considering it had never failed before, they quickly dismissed that idea.

Four thousand eight hundred! This was a figure that even inner disciples struggled to achieve, and it was over double Yun Xiaodao's score!

The elder supervising the test was astonished. As a true martial realm expert, he sensed the immense power behind Shen Xiang's punch but couldn't identify its source.

"Shen Xiang, four thousand eight hundred, you pass!" the elder announced.

As soon as those words left his mouth, the square erupted in chaos. An outer disciple had displayed strength comparable to that of only a few inner disciples, making it utterly unbelievable and hard to comprehend!