Chapter 37

When Hu Gao saw the three gilded characters "Yipinlou," he was still quite pleased. He had seen this restaurant in the morning and had praised its high standards and unique taste, thinking he would find an opportunity to treat himself here.

But at this moment, as he and Jile entered the extravagantly luxurious hall and waited, Hu Gao quickly felt uncomfortable, and all he wanted to do was curse!

There was not a hint of the aroma of food, only the stench of various smelly men. The opulent decorations were obscured by countless heads, and the worst part was that even speaking required shouting.

"Boss! Bring us a few more Green-Winged Beasts!"

"Boss, where's our wine?"

"Bring us a mature Thunderstorm Beast, seven-tenths cooked, hurry up!"

These martial artists, who cared nothing for elegance, had louder voices than each other, and the food they ordered was no less impressive. Damn, even the Green-Winged Beasts that had nearly killed him yesterday could be eaten casually here. Was this a paradise for food lovers?

Hu Gao couldn't help but probe the strength of the martial artists here, almost scaring him into turning and leaving with Jile. In the entire Yipinlou, almost everyone except the waiters and a few Condensation Shadow Realm martial artists were at least in the Body Thoroughfare Realm, and there were even several Explosion Essence Realm experts.

"How about it? The place I brought you to isn't bad, right!" Jile casually leaned in and loudly said to Hu Gao's ear.

Hu Gao rolled his eyes; how did he end up knowing such an idiot... He had no mood to eat here and turned to leave, but at that moment, someone grabbed his hand.

"What the hell, with so many people, why are you still staying here waiting to starve to death?" Hu Gao thought it was Jile who didn't want to leave and couldn't help but curse.

"As long as I'm here, you won't starve. Follow me."

Hu Gao turned his head and saw it was the fat boss who had tried to befriend him earlier. What was he doing here? He was dazed and was led by the fat boss through twists and turns to a nondescript private room.

"You don't need to worry about your companion; someone will take care of him." The fat boss calmly sat down.

Hu Gao leisurely scanned the room. It was small, with simple walls and no other decorations, completely different from the overall style of Yipinlou. It didn't seem like a place for entertaining guests. "You must be the owner of this place, right?"

"Smart!" The fat boss picked up two ordinary chopsticks and stirred a large bowl of grayish stew-like meat. "Sit down and eat."

Hu Gao sat down indifferently, picked up the chopsticks, and with a few quick movements, picked out several good pieces of meat, put them in his mouth, and chewed. "The taste is excellent, just a bit tough, but still chewy, and the saltiness is just right. What kind of meat is this?"

As soon as he spoke, he felt a burning sensation in his stomach, causing him to bend over in pain, and the chopsticks fell from his hand onto the table.

"I didn't tell you to eat so fast." The fat boss casually picked a smaller piece of meat and slowly ate it, pouring himself a little wine, eating and drinking at the same time, taking a long time to swallow.

"Master, this meat is strange. It might be related to my bloodline. I feel my energy rapidly increasing."

Hu Gao was shocked. He had thought the meat might not be simple, but he never imagined it could be dragon meat... If it were real dragon meat, his body would have exploded. Perhaps it was just a descendant with a small amount of bloodline. Fortunately, Xiao Wu could absorb the massive energy, and Hu Gao only felt a brief pain. Since this was beneficial to Xiao Wu, he might as well eat more.

Thinking this, Hu Gao continued to eat. Although most of the energy from the meat was absorbed by Xiao Wu, the remaining part made Hu Gao feel as if he were bathing in a sea of essence energy, extremely comfortable. After slowly mastering the rhythm of eating, Hu Gao and Xiao Wu cooperated, and they devoured more than half of the large bowl of meat, making the fat boss, who was eating slowly, truly surprised for the first time.

Both of them had given each other a shock, which evened things out. After finishing the last piece of meat, Hu Gao put down his chopsticks and burped. "This meal was good. I owe you a favor."

The fat boss smiled for the first time, his oily black face looking bizarre and eerie. "I didn't expect your secret to be even bigger than I thought. Heh heh, the Hu family producing a monster like you is both a blessing and a curse."

Hu Gao was taken aback. Did the other party guess his identity from his hair color? This mysterious boss seemed to be targeting him.

"Little guy, the Hu family is not as simple as you think. There might be big trouble in the next few days, and then there will be a good show." The fat boss stood up, signaling that it was time to leave.

Hu Gao was confused. "Please explain more clearly."

"Explaining now won't help you. Your strength is still too weak. Knowing too much is just a burden. Your friend should have finished eating by now. I'll see you out."

The fat boss took Hu Gao's hand again, and he felt a severe dizziness. When he regained his senses, he was already standing in the hall of Yipinlou.

"Hu Gao! Where did you go just now? I met some friends and ate with them." Jile saw Hu Gao's surprised face.

Hu Gao was speechless. He realized the fat boss had the ability to communicate with others in the room, which was why he had timed it so accurately. This mysterious guy was becoming increasingly inscrutable. "Maybe the crowd dispersed us. I also ordered some food. Let's go now."

When the two left Yipinlou, it was already dark. After a busy day, Ningcheng finally quieted down. The city was filled with adventurers, who, like the diners in Yipinlou, lived for the moment, never stopping.

After saying goodbye to Jile and returning home, Xiao Wu immediately flew out and landed on Hu Gao's shoulder. "Boss, I feel full of energy. Maybe I can break through again if I go hunting."

"Sure, go ahead, but be careful. If you encounter a late-stage monster, no one can save you." Hu Gao decided to study the Essence Techniques at home first, as he had just memorized them, and now was the best time to digest and understand them thoroughly.

Xiao Wu said, "Boss, don't worry. Don't you know my abilities? I can detect any living thing within two to three thousand meters. If I can't handle it, I'll just run away. And if I hide well, I might even be able to ambush a late-stage monster..."

Hearing this, Hu Gao's eyelids twitched. This little guy was too reckless, daring to target a late-stage monster. But he had come to realize that Xiao Wu's combat strength was indeed terrifying. Even before reaching the peak of the early-stage, he could instantly kill a mid-stage monster, the Poison Flower Snake. Now, he might really be able to ambush a late-stage monster.

Hu Gao sat cross-legged on the bed, closed his eyes, and began to mentally practice the Essence Techniques, each move and technique flowing with grace.

He only practiced in his mind, not physically, and his thoughts moved as fast as lightning. Whenever he found a flaw in a technique, he immediately modified it, without any rules.

"Whoosh..."

Gradually, the air around him began to stir, creating an unreal feeling.

Hu Gao was unaware of this, completely immersed in the practice of the Essence Techniques, unaffected by anything in the outside world.

Around him, the air currents intensified, and the essence energy fluctuations became rapid and active, making the cultivation effect at least five times better than usual.

After half an hour, not only around Hu Gao, but the entire room and the air above the house became increasingly active.

At this moment, Hu Gao felt his thoughts could no longer be restrained, like a clear stream continuously flowing, making his mind clearer and faster...

While practicing the Essence Techniques, Hu Gao found them crude and easily identified their flaws. He had memorized and practiced so many techniques that before long, a new set of techniques was formed in his mind.

"No... I'm not just cultivating essence energy; I'm also cultivating my physical strength. Therefore, during cultivation, I need to learn to control the use of essence energy and physical strength together."

The techniques Hu Gao had deduced were already perfect, with no flaws, but after careful consideration, he shook his head, opening his eyes with dissatisfaction.

"Can physical strength not be combined with essence energy? Both are forms of power, so why can't they be used together?"

A thought flashed in Hu Gao's eyes. He wanted to maximize his strengths. Compared to others, his strength was that his physical body had been refined by the dragon qi of the Five-Clawed Golden Dragon, making his physical strength no less than his essence energy cultivation, which was the reason for his superior strength.

No matter how perfect the techniques, if they lacked sufficient power, they would be useless. Although, with these techniques, he could almost match a regular Seventh-Stage Condensation Shadow Realm martial artist...

While deducing the techniques, Hu Gao thought about how to amplify their power. "Neither essence energy nor physical strength alone has strong offensive power. But what if I combine the two energies?"

Experiment is the only way to test the truth.

Hu Gao stopped practicing the techniques and immediately sought out Xiao Wu in his mind. He found Xiao Wu about ten miles away, still in the outer area of Tushan. He immediately sent a mental message: "Xiao Wu, wait for me. I'll come to you right away."