Third Prince

"Qing Xue?"

A delighted voice rang out, followed by a beautiful woman in a fiery red gown striding over.

"Ruo Lan?"

A smile also appeared on Fang Qingxue's lips.

"Qing Xue, I knew you'd come to take the Immortal Feather Sect's outer sect examination too! Great, I finally have company." Shen Ruolan spoke excitedly.

Fang Xuan knew this woman. She was the Ninth Princess of the reigning Great Li Dynasty, a master at the fifth level of the Body Tempering Realm, the Divine Strength Realm. She possessed excellent talent and was deeply favored by the Great Li emperor.

She and Fang Qingxue were close friends and had met several times before.

She was strikingly beautiful, with a fiery temperament.

"When did you get here?"

"Just arrived."

"I've been here for nearly half a month. If I'd known, I would have come with you. I don't know anyone here, it's been so boring." Shen Ruolan pouted.

"Really? I wonder who spent three straight days wandering around the city and refused to rest."

A teasing voice came from nearby, and then a handsome man stepped out.

He was composed and unruffled, as though he sat upon a golden throne. His bearing was imposing, displaying unfathomably profound strength. He carried the noble, lofty air of imperial royalty, commanding others at will and permitting no defiance.

Fang Qingxue cupped her hands. "Greetings, Third Prince."

The Third Prince, Shen Hao, was a master at the sixth level of the Body Tempering Realm, the Inner Breath Realm.

Shen Hao waved his hand and smiled. "This isn't the Great Li Dynasty. There is no Third Prince here, only Shen Hao. Miss Qing Xue can simply call me Brother Shen. And this is?"

Seeing Shen Hao focus his gaze on him, Fang Xuan cupped his hands. "I am Fang Xuan."

Shen Hao's eyes lit up, and his tone grew more fervent. "The Fang Family truly is a pillar of Great Li. As expected, talents emerge one after another. Brother Fang, the Immortal Feather Sect is not like our homeland. Experts are everywhere here, so we must stick together for warmth."

Shen Hao was quite an interesting man, making no attempt to conceal his intention to recruit him.

But it made sense. Anyone who came to take the Immortal Feather Sect's examination had at least reached the Divine Strength Realm.

Once one's martial arts cultivation reached the Divine Strength Realm, even if they failed the outer sect examination, they could still serve as a commanding general in a dynasty. As a member of the imperial family, Shen Hao naturally did everything he could to recruit them.

Fang Xuan smiled. "That is true, but we should first pass the examination."

"Haha, naturally. Come, let's go together!"

The four of them walked side by side toward the depths of the Immortal Ascension Institute. After turning left and passing through a winding corridor seven or eight li long, with artificial hills and lakes along the way, they suddenly arrived at a vast hall.

The princes, young nobles, and clan descendants who had entered earlier had all gathered in this hall.

The hall stretched three thousand paces in both length and width, enough to hold ten thousand people. Standing inside, one felt especially insignificant. In particular, at the deepest part of the hall stood a pitch-black doorway. Within it, a pair of scarlet eyes seemed to be watching everyone, emanating a fierce, Hegemon Dao, cruel, and bloody aura.

The entire hall seemed like a place built to seal a demon.

Shen Hao explained, "Fang Xuan, do you know how this outer sect examination is conducted?"

Fang Xuan deliberately shook his head. "I ask the Third Prince to enlighten me."

"Just call me Brother Shen. The examination is to defeat a Divine Strength Puppet. Rumor has it that these Divine Strength Puppets possess boundless strength and agile movements. More importantly, their stamina is exceptionally enduring, and their entire bodies are impervious to blades and spears. Their endurance is three to five times greater than that of Divine Strength Realm masters, making them very difficult to defeat." Shen Hao explained.

Fang Qingxue listened attentively as well and asked curiously, "A Divine Strength Puppet?"

Shen Hao said proudly, "I only learned from my imperial father that the prototype of this Divine Strength Puppet is an Underground Demon. They are bloody and savage, immensely powerful. After our Yuhua Sect captures them, their consciousness is erased and they are refined into puppets. They possess infinite Divine Power and their savage nature, making them weapons of slaughter."

Shen Ruolan also whispered, "Qing Xue, be careful during the examination. Many of my imperial brothers returned after failing, trembling with fear. They only said that the Divine Strength Puppets were extremely formidable."

"Mm."

Tap, tap, tap...

As they spoke, several examiners entered, and the atmosphere in the hall immediately became oppressive.

What powerful auras.

Shen Hao's expression turned grave as he whispered, "These examiners are all Divine Transformation Realm masters. They also possess ritual implements bestowed by the immortal sect and refined through Blood Offering Refinement, perhaps even Spirit Items."

Fang Xuan was inwardly astonished. Compared to this place, Dragon Abyss Province was like a beginner's village. He had suddenly entered the main city, and everywhere he looked, there were experts.

The princes, young nobles, and clan descendants all wore grave expressions as well.

Experts at the ninth level of the Body Tempering Realm, Spirit Communication, and the tenth level, Divine Transformation, could serve as provincial governors, National Preceptors, military commanders, or grand marshals in any empire. Not to mention that they possessed ritual implements, even Spirit Items, bestowed by their sect.

The magic treasures of the Eternal Life world were ranked as ritual implements, Spirit Items, treasure items, Dao items, and immortal items.

Possessing boundless Divine Power, even an ordinary ritual implement could unleash terrifying might.

"Very well. Since you have come today to take the examination of my Yuhua Sect, I presume you already know its content. It is a single Divine Strength Puppet. So long as you defeat this Divine Strength Puppet, you will pass the examination and formally become outer sect disciples of my Yuhua Sect. However, I imagine you only know the name Divine Strength Puppet, not what our Yuhua Sect elders used to refine these puppets. I must explain it here, otherwise you may not even know how you died later." One of the examiners spoke coldly.

"The prototype of the Divine Strength Puppet is an Underground Demon. They are bloody and savage, immensely powerful. After our Yuhua Sect captures them, their consciousness is erased and they are refined into puppets. They possess infinite Divine Power and their savage nature, making them vicious weapons of slaughter."

Some examinees who did not know the truth instantly erupted into an uproar, while others turned pale with fright.

"Silence."

A loud shout resounded through the entire hall like the tolling of a massive bell. Everyone felt pain in their eardrums.

Another examiner's expression turned even colder. "Do you perhaps think the immortal path is simply riding cranes in carefree ease, with clouds drifting softly around you? What a joke. The immortal path is a road of no return. To cultivate the body, one must possess a powerful state of mind in order to unlock the brain, cultivate the Mystic Divine Realm, and embark upon the immortal path. Let me tell you first: the immortal path is not about drifting clouds and carefree crane rides. The immortal path is fearlessness of heart, the slaughter of countless demons. Inner demons and Outer Demons alike must be slain. It is a road through thorns and brambles, a road of wielding the sword of Dao with naked truth to cut through illusion and seek one's true self. It is absolutely not peaceful. It is a path of fighting Heaven for one's life. If you fear death, leave now. Rather than die on the path of seeking Dao, you would be better off going home to enjoy wealth and glory."

The examiner's words exposed the bare, cold reality of the immortal path and poured a bucket of cold water over the excited crowd.

"Enough. I have said what needed to be said. Let the examination begin. Who will go first?"

"I will."

"It's him."

The first to step forward was unexpectedly Zhang Yuzhen, son of the Heavenly Martial King of the Great Xu Dynasty, whom they had encountered at the entrance to the Immortal Ascension Institute.

"Qing Xue, do you know him?" Shen Hao asked curiously.