Chapter 16

Ningcheng, Peace Street, the residence of the Hu Jiaze branch.

In the center of the residence, in the room of the family head Bai Tengfei, a loud and commanding voice suddenly echoed, full of vigor and authority, startling the guards outside who looked at each other in confusion.

"Bai Xiao, don't be impulsive! No matter what, Hu Gao is still the successor of the Hu family!" The speaker was the Great Elder of the Netherworld, Bai Tengfei.

In front of him stood a slender young man with silver-like long hair, strands of which fell like swords over his shoulders. His face was handsome yet sharp, especially the pointed chin that added a touch of refinement. His complexion, as bright as morning light, had a hint of rosy dawn, with arched eyebrows and bright eyes, making him look so charming that one could almost drool, yet his eyes revealed a resolute and fearless spirit.

This elegant young man was none other than Bai Xiao, who had previously received the essence blood of the Judgement Elder. A popular saying in Ningcheng, "The most beautiful is the sick beauty, who can wield a thousand swords," referred to him. He was a genius of the Hu Jiaze branch, already at the mid-stage of the Body Integration realm by his early twenties, unmatched among his peers. Once, someone was deceived by his frail appearance, leading to the largest massacre in the history of the Combat Academy, where 108 elite disciples were brutally slaughtered in one night.

Bai Xiao himself was severely injured and bedridden for ten years. This time, with the Judgement Elder's appreciation of his talent and the family's secret techniques, not only did he recover, but his realm also reached the late-stage of the Body Integration realm, with a hint of Great Perfection, his sharp aura even surpassing that of the Essence Burst realm Bai Tengfei!

"Family Head, I can't swallow this humiliation. A waste from the Liqing branch, why should he become the family's successor? You don't need to persuade me anymore. If he really has a guardian deity within him, even if I die, it will be worth it!" Bai Xiao said excitedly, ignoring Bai Tengfei's attempts to dissuade him, and turned to rush out the door.

Seeing this, Bai Tengfei, who was just moments ago filled with anger, suddenly changed his expression, revealing a strange smile.

"Lord Family Head, Bai Xiao actually dared to offend you. Should we bring him back?" The guards at the door, with panicked expressions, hurriedly ran into the room to ask. These people were no match for Bai Xiao, and they didn't dare to stop him just now. They were only afraid of being implicated in the family head's anger.

"No need. Send two of the more agile ones to follow him. If anything happens, make sure to bring Bai Xiao back safely," Bai Tengfei said calmly. Although Bai Xiao had always been close to the main branch, he was still a rare talent in cultivation, and it wasn't time to give up on him yet.

At this moment, in the training hall of the ancestral hall, which was separated from Peace Street by a river, the Transmission Elder Hu Feng was earnestly explaining the knowledge of the Essence Art to Hu Gao.

"Once a martial artist has a totem, they have the key to cultivation, able to communicate with the energy of heaven and earth, transforming it into essence energy within their body. Essence energy is the foundation of everything. With essence energy, one can cultivate the Essence Art.

The Essence Art is divided into four major levels: Human, Earth, Heaven, and Divine, each with four sub-levels: Inferior, Middle, Superior, and Supreme. Only the most top-tier forces might possess Divine-level Essence Arts. In a place like Ningcheng, not to mention Divine-level, even Heaven-level Essence Arts are impossible to find. As for Earth-level Essence Arts, our Hu family has some incomplete ones, while other families might only have the lowest Human-level Essence Arts.

Hu Gao, you have just become a martial artist, and it's not yet time to cultivate the Essence Art. The cultivation of the Shadow Condensation realm, in simple terms, is the continuous condensation of the totem, followed by the communication with the energy of heaven and earth, circulating through the body to strengthen the physical form and enhance physical strength.

Currently, you are in the early stage of the Shadow Condensation realm. You can only continue to strengthen your totem to gain more essence energy. Now, I will teach you a secret technique of our Hu family, the 'Essence Return Flow,' which can help you quickly master the technique of converting essence energy."

Hu Gao listened attentively with his eyes half-closed. The meditation last night had left him in a very good mental state, and although he had been standing, he felt no fatigue.

The 'Essence Return Flow' may sound ordinary, but it is not a common technique. In the entire Hu family, only those considered worthy of cultivation can learn it through oral transmission. Although it is not a top-tier secret technique, its effectiveness is significant, greatly benefiting the cultivation of martial artists in the Shadow Condensation realm.

After the explanation, Hu Gao roughly understood the essence of the secret technique. The principle was not complicated: using essence energy to condense the totem, then through the secret technique, quickly utilizing the power of the totem to increase the speed of essence energy conversion, forming a cycle similar to the Daoist concept of the Great Cycle.

Hu Gao began to sit cross-legged and activate the 'Essence Return Flow.' Hu Feng, seeing his quick understanding, smiled in satisfaction. To help Hu Gao break through quickly, he also sat down and directly channeled his own essence energy into Hu Gao's body, acting as a catalyst to accelerate the self-circulation.

At this moment, Bai Xiao, dressed in white, stepped forward, shouting, "Qinggao! Prepare to die!" In Bai Xiao's eyes, Hu Gao was not recognized as the successor!

Even before Bai Xiao approached, Hu Feng had already sensed the impending threat and was prepared. However, he did not expect the person to be from his own Hu family. He removed one hand from Hu Gao's body, and instead of releasing the powerful 'Explosive Fire Roast,' he used the 'Hurricane Scroll' to force back the aggressive Bai Xiao.

Although Hu Feng was only at the early stage of the Essence Burst realm, he was not to be underestimated. A sudden gust of wind, like a dragon playing in water, swirled and directly sent the sword-wielding Bai Xiao flying.

"Bai Xiao, are you mad?" Hu Feng was furious. He did not expect the Hu Jiaze branch to be so reckless, defying even the High Priest, and daring to cause trouble at the ancestral hall, acting without any regard for the law!

"I'm not mad; it's you who are mad. A first-stage Shadow Condensation realm waste, and you actually consider him the family's guardian deity. It's truly ridiculous!" Although Bai Xiao was thrown back, he was not injured. He was even more enraged to find that the Transmission Elder was personally helping Hu Gao cultivate.

"Ridiculous! Family matters are not something a bedridden person like you can understand. If you don't back down, don't blame me for not considering our blood ties." Hu Feng was also enraged. Bai Xiao had caused a major disaster ten years ago, and under the joint pressure of the four major families, the Hu family had to give up a lot of territory. Now, just as they were recovering, he was acting as if he didn't know who he was, truly a fool!

"Because of corrupt people like you in the family, we are left to be bullied! Today, I, Bai Xiao, will risk my life to expose the true face of this so-called successor." Bai Xiao's silver hair flew wildly, his face turning deathly pale, his aura rising continuously. Behind him, a vague image of the fifth-stage totem, the 'White-Capped Crane,' appeared, a characteristic of Essence Burst realm martial artists.

Hu Feng was also surprised by this. Bai Xiao was indeed a genius with boundless potential, but compared to the successor, he still fell short! He became serious, removed his other hand from Hu Gao's body, stood up, and with a thought, summoned his fourth-stage totem, the 'Crimson Blood Fox.'

The battle was about to begin!