Chapter 34

"Speaking of Xiao Wu, the martial artists in the Battle Academy couldn't figure out my cultivation level before. Was it because of you?"

Xiao Wu nodded and said proudly, "As long as I'm inside you, I can mask your cultivation aura. Only those two levels higher than you can detect your true strength."

Hu Gao was silent for a moment, calculating the benefits of this. Being two levels higher meant that only those at the Burst Essence stage could discern his cultivation level. This might look good on the surface, but it could actually give other martial artists the wrong impression that his cultivation level was very mysterious, which would backfire and prevent him from truly showing off.

"Can you not directly mask it, but instead give others false information about my cultivation level?" Hu Gao said with a sly look.

"Of course, what do you want to do, boss?"

Hu Gao thought for a moment. He was currently in the Ordinary Hall, where the strongest martial artists were at the peak of the Sixth Rank. He decided to adjust his strength to the Fifth Rank. This way, he wouldn't be bothered by small fry and could deceive those stronger than him, achieving two goals at once.

Thus, after a discussion between the two schemers, Hu Gao began his journey of showing off in this foreign world.

It was already bright and early. Hu Gao thought for a moment, summoned Xiao Wu back into his body, and then went out. The harvest from last night was substantial, and it was better to deal with it first. He might as well look for things worth buying, as he still had plenty of gold coins. It was better to invest them than to keep them idle.

"Xiao Wu, we're in the city now. Don't come out again. If you have something to say, just communicate with me mentally," Hu Gao reminded him. If he ran out again when they encountered something delicious, it would definitely cause a disaster. The appearance of a divine beast was too terrifying, and if the news spread, the entire Ning City might be destroyed.

"Sure, boss, don't worry. Once I reach the Second Rank, I should be able to awaken my innate Essence Technique. Then I'll look for a technique to change my form, so others won't recognize me," Xiao Wu obediently hid inside Hu Gao's body. As a totem, he should stay inside Hu Gao.

Early in the morning, the market was already bustling. As the saying goes, the early bird catches the worm, and it seemed that people in this world understood this well.

There were also patrols of guards on the main street of the market, with the character "Wei" written on their chests. It seemed that this area was managed by the Wei family, a mortal enemy of the Hu family.

Hu Gao kept a low profile and scanned the shops along the street. Since he was alone, he was more likely to be deceived, and this was the Wei family's territory, so he just wanted to get a basic understanding of the situation.

The market in the eastern city was not very large, with only about twenty shops. In his previous life, this would be considered a small scale. The items for sale seemed to be basic, more like a small supply point. There were several food stalls, each more luxurious than the last.

Apart from the lack of weapon and equipment shops, there were several alchemy shops, carpentry shops, ingredient shops, and clothing shops. There was even a bookshop selling Essence Techniques. Hu Gao went in and checked the prices, which were slightly higher than those in the Battle Academy, indicating that the Battle Academy was relatively fair.

After searching for a while, he didn't see the legendary auction house. It seemed he would have to ask Jile about the basic situation of Ning City when they met. Otherwise, running around aimlessly like a headless fly would waste a lot of time.

Time was life, and it was especially precious to Hu Gao now. To defeat Hu Wushuang, he had to race against time and quickly improve his strength.

After a not-too-thorough investigation, Hu Gao sold all his harvest to a consignment shop. This shop was interesting; no matter what you sold, they would give you a price and buy it all, though the price was much lower than if you sold it separately.

Hu Gao wanted this easy method. After a brief haggling, he sold everything for over four thousand gold coins, which was a good harvest. Especially the snake gallbladder, which alone sold for a thousand gold coins. He didn't know what important use it had.

As he was about to leave, the boss of the consignment shop suddenly came out. This was a middle-aged man who was extremely fat, with a face as black as charcoal. If he had a crescent moon on his forehead, he would look like the Bao Gong from TV in Hu Gao's previous life.

This man stopped Hu Gao, his eyes gleaming with a sharp light. After a moment, he said, "Little brother, you seem to have many secrets, but I, Fat Head, don't care about that. When you can go to the Dragon Armor Mountains, please come back to my shop. I have something to ask of you."

"Master, I can't see this guy's cultivation level," Xiao Wu reminded him.

Hu Gao was taken aback. Xiao Wu could now see the strength of Burst Essence martial artists. Could this guy, who would be thrown into the furnace if he fell into a coal pile, be a world-class expert? If so, why would he need Hu Gao's help?

Perhaps this guy also had a way to mask his aura. Otherwise, why would he mention Hu Gao's secrets?

Hu Gao didn't want to have much contact with this mysterious person, but he didn't directly refuse. Instead, he nodded and said, "I have a high price."

"That's not a problem. I'll wait for you here next time," the fat boss said, then turned and went back into the shop.

On the way to the Battle Academy, Hu Gao and Xiao Wu discussed for a long time but couldn't figure out where their flaw was. As a descendant of the Hu family, Hu Gao felt it was necessary to let Hu Yinxue know about this strange person in the Wei family's territory. It was not a pleasant thing.

When he entered the Ordinary Hall again, many martial artists began to point and whisper about Hu Gao. Everyone's eyes were on him.

Many of them still had a fighting spirit, not taking Yang Le's warning seriously. Even if they were punished, they wouldn't give up the chance to challenge Hu Gao, especially a few Sixth Rank Condensation Shadow martial artists who were delighted to find that Hu Gao was only at the Fifth Rank.

They were afraid that Hu Gao might have been scared by Wu Qiong yesterday and would no longer accept any challenges. After all, Yang Le's warning was there, and anyone who dared to touch him would face severe consequences.

"Hehe... So these people still want to challenge me. I'm not afraid of you not challenging me. This makes things easier. I'll just wait for you to challenge me."

Hu Gao looked relaxed. He didn't plan to go to the Ten Halls but walked directly toward the martial arts platform, leaving a light remark: "Today, like yesterday, I will only accept four challenges. The four people must offer a stake of at least five thousand gold coins, and they must occupy four martial arts platforms before I arrive, so I don't have to check who wants to challenge me. Of course, if you're afraid of being caught by Yang Le, just watch from the sidelines."

After saying this, Hu Gao ignored the reactions of the crowd, put his hands behind his back, and walked slowly toward the martial arts platform, not in a hurry, giving these students more time.

Hu Gao's words spread throughout the Ordinary Hall in less than two minutes.

The entire Ordinary Hall was in an uproar, and people quickly gathered at the martial arts platforms.

Because of Hu Gao's words, the entire Ordinary Hall was in a frenzy. Almost all the students ran out of their classrooms and rushed to the martial arts platforms.

They couldn't imagine that after yesterday's bloody battle, Hu Gao was still willing to accept challenges. It was too crazy.

No, to be precise, it wasn't that he was accepting challenges, but that he was issuing challenges to everyone in the Ordinary Hall.

Even though he asked for a stake of more than five thousand gold coins and offered nothing himself, no one cared about the stakes. They were all looking forward to the next battle, wondering if Hu Gao would fight as fiercely as yesterday, and if Hu Yinxue would come and put the challengers in solitary confinement.

If that happened, he would be utterly humiliated.

"Hehe... You all want to defeat me and prove your worth, huh?"

Hu Gao quickly arrived at the martial arts platform and saw a crowd of people. He laughed inwardly, letting them be excited now, but they would be shocked later.

After breaking through to the Sixth Rank Condensation Shadow, Hu Gao no longer felt that there was anyone in the Ordinary Hall who could be his opponent. He even wanted to test his strength against the Inner Hall.

Four figures stood on the four martial arts platforms, their clothes somewhat tattered, indicating that they had just gone through a series of challenges and defeated their opponents to stand there.

However, their auras were exceptionally strong. Hu Gao saw that one of them was Wu Yun, and the other three were not much weaker.

"Hu Gao is here, move aside, stay away from him, or Yang Le and the enforcement team will come and arrest us."

"Right, those people were unlucky yesterday. We should be smarter this time."

"Afraid? After these four challenges, I'll challenge him too. I hope Hu Gao can hold out against these four."

"You? Don't think you're so great just because you have a bit of strength. Hu Gao's cultivation level may not be high, but his combat power is not to be underestimated."

As Hu Gao approached the martial arts platform, the students below made way for him, clearing a path to the platform.

Hearing the discussions, Hu Gao found it amusing. It seemed that there were always ignorant onlookers everywhere. Looking at the slightly disheveled four on the platform, they were just clowns. He had lured them into a trap with a small trick, which was quite boring.

However, for the sake of the gold coins, he would deal with these scum all at once today.