Chapter 50

The preliminary rounds of the martial arts competition at the General Hall of the Martial Academy were in full swing. This stage, which had been rather uneventful in previous years, this time sparked the interest of many martial artists. Many sub-halls that were originally conducting evaluations rushed over to the General Hall, forming a grand procession of about a hundred people. Some sub-halls even brought their instructors along to see what was happening.

A few instructors who were on good terms with Yang Le asked what was going on, making the proud and aloof woman somewhat hesitant to speak. The current situation was partly due to her hesitation. Her strong competitive spirit also made her unable to stand Hu Gao's extreme arrogance. While martial artists should remain true to their hearts and be brave and aggressive in their cultivation, someone like Hu Gao, who underestimated all the heroes of the world, should be taught a lesson to truly improve. In Yang Le's view, this competition was the perfect opportunity.

Four martial artists had already surrounded Hu Gao and summoned their totems. Wei Junzi, positioned to the north, summoned a third-stage totem, the Heavenly Tiger Beast, which resembled a flying tiger from a previous era. Though not large, it exuded a formidable aura. Wu Fan, positioned to the south, summoned a second-stage totem, the Nine-Eyed Cat, a small and adorable creature that looked somewhat like a black cat but had extremely fast attack speed. Guo Zongxing, positioned to the west, summoned a third-stage totem, the Long-Tailed Fish, which resembled a crocodile from a previous era, with a large mouth and a long tail. Hu Dehua, positioned to the east, summoned a terrifying sixth-stage totem, the Seven-Colored Bird, a powerful fire-type totem that emitted scorching flames, similar to a phoenix from a previous era.

The crowd was in an uproar. A sixth-stage totem! This was already considered one of the top totems on the continent. It was said that the most talented member of the Hu family in Ningcheng, Hu Wushuang, also had a sixth-stage totem. The Hu family was truly extraordinary; even a branch member who was not well-known had a sixth-stage totem!

Only a few seasoned veterans from the Martial Academy remained unperturbed, as they had already seen Hu Dehua's totem before and were not surprised. This guy was a complete oddball in the Martial Academy, never participating in any activities and even holding back during the competition. This time, placing third was already his best performance, and some even thought he might just stay in the General Hall until he died.

Hu Gao was also taken aback. The Martial Academy was indeed full of oddballs. A fat guy had already surprised him, and now Hu Dehua was another surprise.

He no longer hesitated and summoned his Bloodlight Snake, which he hadn't released in a long time. However, this time there were no cheers, only wild laughter from the crowd!

"Ha ha, who would have thought that the invincible physical cultivator Hu Gao has a pitiful first-stage totem! I wonder if those poor souls who lost to him would want to commit suicide after seeing this!"

"This guy is really funny, using a first-stage totem to challenge four higher-stage totems. Is he out of his mind? Send him home!"

These mocking words made many of the Hu family members in the crowd feel embarrassed, their faces turning red. They had heard many stories about Hu Gao, but they never imagined that a descendant of the guardian deity would only be able to condense a pitiful first-stage totem. Seeing the red elemental energy emanating from Hu Gao, they rubbed their eyes, wondering if it was just a golden disguise...

Wei Junzi couldn't help but burst out laughing when he saw Hu Gao's totem. "What an idiot, bringing out a pitiful red diamond snake to fight four of us."

Guo Zongxing, who had been silent, calmly interrupted Wei Junzi. "You're the real idiot. It's no secret that Hu Gao has a first-stage totem, but everyone who underestimated him has failed, including Guo Desheng! If you really underestimate his totem, we four might be in danger!"

Wu Fan nodded. These were all elites from the four major families, and they immediately calmed down after hearing Guo Zongxing's words. "He's right. This guy wouldn't dare challenge all four of us at once if he didn't have some hidden cards. He might even have a dual totem!"

"Hmph, you guys are just boosting the enemy's morale and demoralizing yourselves. What dual totem? A space heart is something a Condensation Shadow Realm martial artist like Hu Gao could have? I think you're all cowards, just like Wu Yun and Guo Desheng!" Wei Junzi said angrily.

"Enough! Are you here to compete or to argue?" Hu Dehua said sternly, though he didn't want to team up with these three failures, he didn't want to be laughed at by the other halls.

Hu Gao smiled. "Your totems are quite impressive, flying in the sky, walking on the ground, and swimming in the water. None of them are ordinary. Come on, let's see if your high-stage totems are stronger or if my red diamond snake is stronger."

"Heavenly Tiger Beast, attack!" Wei Junzi, impatient, couldn't wait to see Hu Gao's totem injured and lying on the ground, begging for mercy.

The other three didn't hold back either, carefully commanding their totems to attack from all sides. Since it was a group attack, they couldn't take turns; they had to overwhelm Hu Gao to truly be effective.

Facing the attacks from four totems, Hu Gao naturally wouldn't stand still. He quickly moved, charging toward Wei Junzi. The Bloodlight Snake circled above his head, using Hu Gao's speed to accelerate and suddenly collide with the Heavenly Tiger Beast just as it was about to touch it.

"Hu Gao's totem is just like him, charging in foolishly without using any skills. How ridiculous!" The surrounding martial artists couldn't help but comment.

【Heavenly Dance】! Wei Junzi roared, commanding the Heavenly Tiger Beast to flap its wings, its body glowing with yellow elemental energy, like being bathed in the ocean, causing the surrounding air to sizzle. If this hit the red diamond snake, it would surely be shattered!

"No!" Hu Dehua, sensing the danger, quickly shouted and commanded the Seven-Colored Bird to rush over, using 【Fireball Burst】 to spray numerous fireballs directly at the point where the two totems collided.

Wu Fan's Nine-Eyed Cat, known for its speed, also joined in, extending its sharp claws, its strongest attack weapon, and using 【Frenzied Claw】 to grab at Hu Gao's Bloodlight Snake like an eagle catching a chick.

Guo Zongxing's reaction was also quick. His totem rapidly grew larger under the influence of elemental energy, transforming into a semi-physical form, which was already the limit for a Condensation Shadow Realm. The Long-Tailed Fish's body quickly spun, its tail raised high, and with a loud cry from Guo Zongxing, it unleashed 【Nine-Turn Heavy Whip】, striking down at the Bloodlight Snake.

The rapid changes in the scene left the surrounding martial artists in awe. They had never seen a battle involving five totems before, and today they were treated to a spectacle. However, they couldn't imagine how Hu Gao could survive the combined attacks of the totems. Was the guardian deity's descendant really going to die here today?

The instructors standing at a distance also frowned, closely watching the changes in the battle. Many of them were closely aligned with the Hu family, and if Hu Gao were to suffer a major setback in the Martial Academy, the High Priest's anger could be catastrophic, even for the Dean. Especially Yang Le, though she had always disliked Hu Gao, she didn't hate him enough to want him dead. She was ready to summon her totem at any moment.

"Hmph, a grain of sand trying to compete with the moon!" Hu Gao sneered. As the Seven-Colored Bird unleashed its fireballs, the Bloodlight Snake pierced through the Heavenly Tiger Beast's large wing, shattering it. A crackling sound was heard, and the once mighty Heavenly Tiger Beast disintegrated and vanished into the air.

"Ahh!" Wei Junzi let out a terrifying scream, spitting out a mouthful of blood and collapsing like a tree falling.

The situation had suddenly reversed! The martial artists, who had been mocking Hu Gao moments ago, were now speechless, their faces frozen in shock.

Hu Gao turned and punched the Nine-Eyed Cat's claws, sending it flying. The Bloodlight Snake then flew back to his head, barely holding off the powerful whip of the Long-Tailed Fish.

"Trouble!" Wu Fan and Guo Zongxing realized something was wrong. Hu Gao's totem couldn't possibly be a first-stage totem, as they both felt a sense of fear from their totems, a sign of the superior aura of a high-stage totem over a low-stage one. They quickly tried to recall their totems.

The competition was minor, but if their totems were destroyed like Wei Junzi's, it would be irreparable. They would lose their status in their families, and even those they had bullied might seek revenge!

"Ha ha, once out, no going back!" Hu Gao wouldn't let them off. He charged forward, grabbing the Nine-Eyed Cat and using his elemental energy to activate the golden dragon aura, crushing it to pieces!

The Bloodlight Snake, circling above his head, then moved swiftly, charging at the Long-Tailed Fish and wrapping it up.

"No!" Guo Zongxing shouted, rapidly channeling his elemental energy to try to make the Long-Tailed Fish expand and break free from the Bloodlight Snake's grip.

"Don't even think about it!" Hu Gao, having crushed the Nine-Eyed Cat, followed up with a punch to the Long-Tailed Fish, shattering it like glass!