Starting with the creation of the Immortal Clan through the compilation of the family genealogy.

Chapter 136 An Unexpected Rejection

Meng Xihong led the way, his demeanor neither humble nor arrogant, followed by Prince Zhenbei Xiao Beichen and his entourage.

A moment later, several streaks of light landed in front of the mountain gate deep in the Yunmeng Great Marsh.

A winding path leads up to the gate, consisting of ninety-nine steps paved with white jade; this is the "Path of Inquiry" of the Tianyan Sect.

Xiao Beichen flipped and leaped off the Cloud-Stepping Qilin, and the Dragon Guards behind him also stopped.

Seeing this, Meng Xihong instructed a disciple beside him, "Take the prince's mount to the spirit beast garden in the back mountain and take good care of it. The other dragon guards can rest at the outer gate for now."

The disciple accepted the order, respectfully took the reins, and led the Cloud-Treading Lin to a secluded spot. The remaining Dragon Guards consciously headed towards the outer gate, leaving only one guard with a deep and imposing aura, who stayed close behind Xiao Beichen.

“Your Highness, this is the Path of Inquiry into One’s Heart.” Meng Xihong pointed to the white jade steps. “The first lesson for disciples entering a sect is to walk this path.”

"I mentioned it casually, but you took it seriously." Xiao Beichen stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze falling on the seemingly ordinary steps. "Very well, I want to see what kind of state of mind this 'Path of Inquiry' can reveal about me."

Before he finished speaking, he had already stepped onto the first step.

With one step, the scene before my eyes suddenly changed.

No longer are the green hills and clear waters, but the northern battlefield of mountains of corpses and seas of blood, with deafening shouts of battle and the cries of the dying all around.

He saw his comrades-in-arms fall one by one in pools of blood, and saw countless people displaced.

The illusion shifted, and he was back in a magnificent imperial palace. His own figure appeared on the dragon throne, with civil and military officials below shouting "Long live the Emperor!" and supreme power within his grasp.

Xiao Beichen remained calm and composed, his heart as firm as a rock.

A general should protect the country and its people, and die a worthy death even if it means being wrapped in a horse's hide.

A ruler should uphold the state and not act for personal gain.

He walked with firm steps, each step deliberate and unhurried, as if strolling leisurely in a garden.

Meng Xihong stood quietly to the side, watching Xiao Beichen's figure, and his opinion of the Prince of Zhenbei rose even higher. The Path of Questioning the Heart tests one's true nature, and to have passed it so easily demonstrates the strength of his will, far exceeding that of ordinary people.

When Xiao Beichen finished climbing the ninety-nine steps, all the illusions around him dissipated. Fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead, and his breathing became slightly rapid, but his eyes were clearer and sharper than before.

He exhaled a long breath and nodded slightly to Meng Xihong.

"Please, Your Highness." Meng Xihong led him through a mountain gate built of huge stones, behind which stood a magnificent palace.

This hall is not ornately decorated; it is constructed entirely of dark blue-black boulders and ironwood, giving it a rugged and simple appearance, and exuding an unadorned and majestic aura.

Above the palace gate, three large characters were carved in a vigorous and elegant style.
Receive and guide the hall.

The hall was very spacious, with no extra decorations except for a few huge load-bearing stone pillars.

Xiao Beichen's dragon guards were sitting cross-legged in a corner of the hall, while a Tianyan Sect disciple stood quietly to the side without saying a word.

Even when resting, the Dragon Guards stood ramrod straight, exuding an aura of fierce discipline typical of elite soldiers.

Xiao Beichen's gaze swept over them, and he nodded to himself.

With neither servility nor arrogance, and with everything arranged properly, the Tianyan Sect's style of doing things had a touch of the swift and decisive nature of the military.

As you pass through the Reception Hall, a series of deep, thunderous roars, accompanied by a surge of masculine energy, echo from the depths of the valley.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

The sounds blended together, as if hundreds of war drums were beating simultaneously, making people tremble.

"Your Highness, please look ahead. That is the outer sect of my Tianyan Sect." Meng Xihong led him deeper into the valley.

Xiao Beichen's pupils suddenly contracted.

A series of loud "thump! thump! thump!" sounds filled the air as hundreds of disciples, shirtless and with their bronze skin gleaming in the sunlight, furiously pounded on specially made black iron stakes.

That wasn't a friendly competition; it was a frenzied process of self-discipline.

Fists collided with iron stakes, producing a thunderous clang; sweat poured down, roars thundered, and a torrent of pure, wild power surged forth.

"Is this your body-refining method?" Xiao Beichen narrowed his eyes.

“Exactly,” Meng Xihong said calmly. “What does Your Highness think?”

Xiao Beichen did not answer. He carefully observed the disciples. Their blood and energy were as vigorous as a furnace, and every punch they threw carried the power to shake mountains.

This raw, masculine energy was so impactful that it gave this royal prince, who was used to seeing ethereal and magical magic, an unprecedented sense of shock.

“Talk is cheap and meaningless.” Xiao Beichen suddenly spoke, his gaze sharpening. “Let my Dragon Guards spar with your sect’s disciples.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the guard behind him, whose aura was as heavy as a mountain, stepped forward.

This man's temples bulged high, indicating that his cultivation had reached the peak of body refinement. His eyes were disdainful, clearly showing that he did not take this group of "martial artists" who only knew brute force seriously.

"Your Highness, I am willing to give it a try." The guard clasped his hands in a fist salute, his voice booming.

Meng Xihong glanced at the guard, then looked at his disciples, and casually pointed.

"Xianghua, come here."

Among the crowd, the most robust disciple stepped forward upon hearing the voice. He replied in a deep voice, "Disciple obeys!" He first respectfully clasped his hands in a fist salute to Meng Xihong, and then walked to the center of the arena, grinning at the guard and revealing two rows of white teeth.

The dragon guard stood expressionless, his eyes sharp as knives. He stood quietly with his feet slightly apart, his whole being like an iron spear rooted to the ground, imposing and unyielding.

Zhang Xianghua shook his neck, making a cracking sound.

Xiao Beichen watched with great interest and made a "start" gesture.

Before he finished speaking, the dragon guard's figure had already disappeared from the spot!

His first move was the royal secret technique, the Dragon Elephant Fist. The wind howled, and there were faint sounds of dragons roaring and elephants howling. It carried the terrifying pressure of a peak body refinement expert and rushed straight towards Zhang Xianghua's face.

Faced with this exquisite boxing technique, Zhang Xianghua neither dodged nor avoided, but instead adopted a stance of direct confrontation, moving with wide, sweeping movements.

"boom!"

The guard's determined punch landed squarely on Zhang Xianghua's chest, producing a dull thud like a giant hammer striking an anvil.

Zhang Xianghua didn't move an inch, but instead grinned, revealing a set of white teeth.

"That's it?"

A crack finally appeared on the Dragon Guard's perpetually icy face. His pupils contracted sharply, and the force of the recoil from his hand made his entire arm go slightly numb.

His punch was powerful enough to shatter stone tablets, yet it didn't even shake the opponent's skin or flesh in the slightest.

In that moment of distraction, Zhang Xianghua seized the opening.

"The Great Sun Furnace Fist·The Red Emperor Linxiao"

The Dragon Guard was a seasoned veteran; though startled, he remained calm, instantly withdrawing his fists to defend himself, unleashing his full inner energy, and crossing his arms to protect himself.

However, the moment the fist made contact with the arm, the look of horror on his face froze completely.

The newly generated "furnace energy" in Zhang Xianghua's fist was so domineering that it instantly ignited and melted through his proud protective aura!
"Crack!"

The overwhelming force surged in like a devastating force, shattering the bones in his entire arm into pieces!

"what--"

The guard let out a scream and was sent flying like a kite with a broken string, crashing heavily ten feet away and losing consciousness on the spot.

The whole place was dead silent.

Xiao Beichen's pupils suddenly shrank to the size of pinpoints. He took a step forward and instantly appeared beside the unconscious guard, reaching out to examine him.

A moment later, he slowly stood up, and the look in his eyes as he looked at Zhang Xianghua had completely changed.

“His meridians are severed, his bones are shattered, and his internal organs are displaced.” Xiao Beichen’s voice was terrifyingly low. “If I hadn’t protected his heart with my dragon energy, he would have been a cripple.”

Zhang Xianghua scratched his head, somewhat embarrassed: "Your Highness, I have already used seven-tenths of my strength."

Xiao Beichen's eye twitched violently.

He gave Zhang Xianghua a deep look, then turned to Meng Xihong and asked, word by word, "Is your 'Furnace Classic' really so domineering?"

"Your Highness witnessed it with your own eyes. In close combat at the same cultivation level, physical refinement might be superior," Meng Xihong said calmly.

Xiao Beichen remained silent for a long time before suddenly speaking: "Meng Xihong, I ask you, do you know what the Xiao royal family cultivates?"

Meng Xihong shook his head.

“My Xiao royal family cultivates ‘Humanity Dragon Qi’,” Xiao Beichen said, his gaze profound.

"This energy originates from the beliefs and national destiny of the hundreds of millions of people of my Great Li. It enables our Emperor to make his words law and command the mountains and rivers. It can suppress villains and intimidate immortal sects, but it is more like a kind of authority and majesty."

He changed the subject, pointing to the unconscious guard on the ground: "The Dragon Guard uses a secret method to draw dragon energy to temper their bodies, making them capable of fighting ordinary cultivators, but dragon energy is ultimately an external force, an aid."

"Faced with those demons and heretics who disrespect imperial authority and believe only in strength, the dragon's energy can subdue their hearts, but it cannot fundamentally grant us the absolute power to withstand their physical forms."

Meng Xihong seemed to be deep in thought.

“But your ‘The Furnace Classic’ can!” Xiao Beichen’s eyes shone with an unprecedented light.

"It can fundamentally transform the mortal body into an indestructible weapon of war! This power is precisely what our Great Li Dynasty lacks most, and what it needs most!"

He stared at Meng Xihong, his voice carrying both authority and immense allure.

"Meng Xihong, you were once a yamen runner in Wufeng County, so you can be considered to have a background in the imperial court. I intend to petition my elder brother, the Emperor, to appoint you as the 'Chief Instructor of Body Refinement in Qingzhou,' grant you the rank of a third-grade military officer, and to incorporate the entire Tianyan Sect into the Demon Suppression Division of our imperial court, giving you preferential treatment in resources and a prestigious position!"

Upon hearing this, the surrounding Tianyan Sect disciples all gasped, their faces filled with ecstasy and excitement.

This practically propelled the Tianyan Sect to instant fame, making it the number one official sect in Qingzhou!

However, amidst all the expectant gazes, Meng Xihong simply smiled.

He met Xiao Beichen's burning gaze and calmly shook his head.

(End of this chapter)