A storm of Spiritual Power erupted on the Martial Arts Arena, the wild winds making Shen Haoran's robes flap noisily. The crowd below stared at Shen Haoran, who looked like a War God descended to the mortal realm. Their mouths hung wide open, too shocked to speak.
"This... this aura is even stronger than Shen Ling'Er's just now!" a young man said, swallowing hard.
"This is impossible! Isn't he a waste? Isn't he unable to cultivate? How could he have such an aura!"
On the stage, Shen Haoran turned a deaf ear to the surrounding shock and chatter, focusing solely on pouring all the Spiritual Power from his body into the Spirit Testing Stone.
As Shen Haoran's Spiritual Power poured in, the Spirit Testing Stone flared with a brilliant light, so dazzling that the crowd couldn't keep their eyes open. Shen Haoran also felt the stone's temperature rising higher and higher. Assuming this was a normal reaction, he increased the input of his Spiritual Power by another notch.
But the moment that extra bit of Spiritual Power entered the stone, the brilliantly glowing Spirit Testing Stone suddenly dimmed. It reverted to its original pitch-black appearance, showing no indication of Shen Haoran's cultivation level.
Seeing this, the crowd was stunned for a moment before bursting into laughter. "Haha, so it was all just for show! I really thought he was that powerful. You scared me!"
"Sigh, a waste is a waste. Did he really think he could cheat his way through the family assessment?"
"Haha..."
For a moment, the area below the stage buzzed with discussion.
On the stage, Shen Haoran was also stunned. During the process of channeling his Spiritual Power, he suddenly felt the Spirit Testing Stone stop accepting it. He lifted his palm and discovered that cracks had appeared where his hand had been, and they were spreading outward!
"This..." Shen Haoran was confused.
"You fool, this is just a Low Level Spirit Stone. It can handle ordinary Spiritual Power, but how could it possibly withstand Chaotic Spiritual Power, which is a fusion of the Five Elements Attribute?" Elder Yan explained.
"Oh..." Shen Haoran understood. He turned to Old Sir Shen on the stage and said, "Grandfather, this Spirit Testing Stone is broken. Can we get another one?"
"Bullshit! How could a Spirit Testing Stone break so easily? Don't make excuses for your own failure!" someone cursed the moment Shen Haoran finished speaking.
"Exactly! Trying to bluff your way through when you have no strength. The Shen Family doesn't need people like you!" someone else chimed in.
Seeing everyone join in to denounce Shen Haoran, Shen Cheng was overjoyed. 'Hmph, Shen Haoran, you're a complete joke, you know that?'
On the stage, Ge Xiong watched coldly from the side. Next to him, Patriarch Liu of the Liu Family watched Shen Haoran with narrowed eyes and said, "Old Sir Shen, your grandson is quite something!"
"Oh? And what makes you say that?" Old Sir Shen asked with a smile, stroking his beard.
"To remain so utterly calm when something like this happens on such a major occasion, to be so composed in the face of everyone's condemnation, with not a ripple of emotion in his eyes... his mental fortitude is excellent. He's quite something! Moreover, that aura just now didn't seem fake. If I recall correctly, your grandson was still at Spirit Tempering Tier Three half a month ago. The aura he just displayed was at least that of Spirit Tempering Tier Seven. To break through four tiers in just half a month... he's truly remarkable!" Liu Chengfeng said.
"Haha, Patriarch Liu, you have a keen eye indeed!" Old Sir Shen laughed heartily. Then, with a great wave of his hand, he commanded, "Someone, bring a new Spirit Testing Stone!"
Hearing Old Sir Shen's order, a few House Guards immediately went to the storehouse to fetch a replacement. When they tried to move the Spirit Testing Stone Shen Haoran had used, the moment they touched it, the stone crumbled into a pile of fine gravel!
"It... it really shattered..." Seeing the pile of gravel, those who had just insulted Shen Haoran felt their faces burn with shame.
"It probably shattered because it's old and hasn't been maintained, on top of the powerful Spiritual Power impacts from Shen Ling'Er and Shen Cheng just now!" someone offered.
"Right, right, that's very likely!" The crowd agreed with this explanation. They simply refused to believe it was Shen Haoran's doing. People are like that—they can never accept someone who used to be weaker than them suddenly surpassing them!
But Old Sir Shen and the others on the stage didn't think so. They were all old and shrewd. Although the Spirit Testing Stone was a Low Level Spirit Stone, it was a Spirit Stone nonetheless. Spirit Stones only become higher in grade with the passage of time; they don't simply break down. The only thing that could destroy one is an even purer Spirit Stone or Spiritual Power!
Seeing this pile of gravel now, Old Sir Shen's eyes gleamed with excitement! To be able to destroy the Spirit Testing Stone meant that the Spiritual Power in Shen Haoran's body was extremely pure. Could it be that he had an Extreme Attribute Physique? If so, the Shen Family had struck gold!
An Extreme Attribute Physique meant that the Spiritual Attribute within one's body was exceptionally pure! It was common knowledge that Spiritual Power was divided into the five attributes of Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth—the Five Elements. These five attributes both generated and overcame one another, so the Spiritual Power cultivated by an ordinary person could never be completely pure; it would always contain some impurities. But those with an Extreme Attribute Physique were different. The Spiritual Power they condensed was exceptionally pure, without a trace of impurity, and its might was immense. Every person who possessed an Extreme Attribute Physique was destined to become an overlord in the future!
At the thought of Shen Haoran possessing an Extreme Attribute Physique, Old Sir Shen was grinning from ear to ear. Beside him, Ge Xiong's face was filled with jealousy, while Liu Chengfeng was full of envy. Both cupped their fists and offered congratulations, "Congratulations to the Shen Family for gaining such a genius!"
"Haha, excellent! Haoran, you don't need to test anymore. You pass directly!" Old Sir Shen announced with a loud laugh. It seemed he had truly mistaken Haoran for someone with an Extreme Attribute Physique! Though, compared to Shen Haoran's Chaos Divine Body, an Extreme Attribute Physique wasn't even worthy of carrying its shoes!
"Uh... alright," Shen Haoran replied upon hearing the old sir's words.
"Grandfather, I object! Why does he get to pass directly without testing?" Shen Cheng protested, unwilling to accept that Shen Haoran had passed.
Hearing the objection, Old Sir Shen's brow furrowed slightly. "I have my reasons. You don't need to know them." Old Sir Shen had no intention of letting everyone present know that Shen Haoran possessed an "Extreme Attribute" Physique.
"Grandfather, the other brothers and sisters won't agree to this. It's too unfair to them! Without a test, how can we know if Shen Haoran has reached Spirit Tempering Tier Five? You can't show him such favoritism just because he's First Uncle's only son!" Shen Cheng directly dragged all the younger members of the Shen Family into the matter.
Hearing Shen Cheng's words, Old Sir Shen was seething with anger. But just as he was about to erupt, Shen Haoran spoke up, "Then what do you propose?"
"Hmph. Unless you can defeat me, then you'll have proven you have the ability to pass the family assessment!" Shen Cheng said, stepping out from the crowd.
Hearing Shen Cheng's words, Shen Haoran sneered inwardly. 'I've been waiting for you to say that!' Old Sir Shen also calmed down and didn't intervene, seemingly giving his silent approval.
"Fine, I accept your challenge!" Shen Haoran said.
"Hehe! I hope you don't regret this!" Hearing Shen Haoran accept the challenge, Shen Cheng gave a sinister laugh and leaped onto the Martial Arts Arena.
The two faced each other on the Martial Arts Arena, and the atmosphere instantly grew tense.
"Who do you think will win?" someone in the crowd asked in a low voice.
"Isn't that obvious? Of course it'll be Brother Cheng! Brother Cheng genuinely cultivated to Spirit Tempering Tier Seven. Who knows what kind of medicine this Shen Haoran took to reach Spirit Tempering Tier Six in half a month, but he's definitely not as strong as Brother Cheng!" one of Shen Cheng's lackeys said.
"Right, right, that's true. Brother Cheng is the best!"
"Let the match begin!" As Second Master Shen's voice fell, Shen Cheng shot toward Shen Haoran like a sharp arrow. Without a word, he raised his fist and brought it crashing down. The force of the punch stirred up clouds of dust on the arena!
Faced with Shen Cheng's ferocious attack, Shen Haoran simply sidestepped to evade it. After dodging the punch, he didn't counterattack. Instead, he lightly tapped his toes on the ground and retreated backward.
Seeing his punch miss, Shen Cheng immediately pressed forward, his fists flying in an impenetrable, vigorous barrage that looked incredibly powerful.
"Wow, Brother Cheng really is amazing! Shen Haoran doesn't even have a chance to fight back!" Shen Cheng's lackey shouted.
"But have you noticed? Brother Cheng hasn't managed to hit him even once!"
Indeed, despite Shen Cheng's relentless assault, he hadn't even managed to touch the corner of Shen Haoran's robes. Gradually, Shen Cheng grew agitated and yelled, "Shen Haoran, you coward! Is dodging all you know how to do?"
Shen Haoran ignored Shen Cheng's taunts, simply continuing to shift his position to evade the attacks.
"Damn it, let's see you dodge this! Mountain Fall Fist!" Shen Cheng finally lost his patience and unleashed a Martial Skill!
Mountain Fall Fist, a Yellow Tier Lower Grade Martial Skill, was something one could only begin to learn after achieving Great Success in the Shen Family's basic Fist Technique. Once Shen Cheng unleashed the Mountain Fall Fist, he locked his aura onto Shen Haoran. This was a punch Shen Haoran could not dodge.
Shen Cheng's punch was extremely fast, his fist smashing toward Shen Haoran like a falling mountain. The very air beneath his fist seemed to be compressed into a vacuum by the powerful force! Seeing that Shen Haoran had nowhere to run, Shen Cheng revealed a bloodthirsty smile. "Die!"
"Hmph, don't celebrate too early!" Shen Haoran snorted coldly and also raised his fist, throwing a simple, unadorned punch toward Shen Cheng.
BANG! With a muffled explosion, the two fists collided. However, the expected scene of Shen Haoran being sent flying did not occur. Incredibly, Shen Haoran had blocked Shen Cheng's Mountain Fall Fist with nothing but his physical strength!
"This... this is impossible!" Shen Cheng cried out, feeling a numb, aching pain travel up his arm.
"You can't let your guard down during a match!" In the instant Shen Cheng was stunned, Shen Haoran abruptly appeared in front of him and mercilessly drove a fist into his abdomen!
"WAH!" A mouthful of blood sprayed out as Shen Cheng was sent flying backward like a kite with a broken string.
Watching Shen Cheng struggle to get up from the ground, Shen Haoran turned expressionlessly and walked off the Martial Arts Arena.
"No, impossible! I can't possibly lose to a waste like you! I am the Young Clan Leader of the Shen Family! I am the number one genius of the Shen Family!" Lying on the ground, a crazed look appeared on Shen Cheng's face. He then pulled a black Elixir from his robes, stuffed it into his mouth, and swallowed it.