Chapter 53

Hu Gao has always had little reverence for the so-called truths of history. Whether it's the Four Great Gods or the Ten Great Sages, their real stories are probably buried under the embellishments of later historians, leaving behind only nearly perfect, god-like descriptions.

Although the idea of establishing a unified empire on the continent through the sheer power of a mighty warrior is infinitely appealing, these things are too distant for Hu Gao at the moment. He is merely somewhat curiously hopeful that if one day he also stands at such a peak, how would future historians describe him?

Heh, a scholar who doesn't want to be an emperor isn't a good warrior!

Hu Gao rubbed his head, took a deep breath, and after sorting through the historical materials, refocused his energy on cultivation.

The Shadow Condensation Realm is the first threshold of cultivation. In fact, this realm did not exist in the earliest times. When humans discovered that some mentally powerful warriors could summon their soul essence to condense totems, how to integrate these totems into their own bodies became the most important prerequisite for cultivation.

In this regard, the "Shadow Condensation Technique" revealed to Hu Gao that the grade of the totem is not the only determinant of a warrior's ultimate realm. Two of the Four Great Gods, Li Hu and Wang Zhong, both had pitifully low-grade totems, and they never even tried to have dual totems. The key lies in whether the warrior and the totem have truly merged.

No matter how powerful the totem, if it cannot truly merge with the warrior, it cannot unleash its maximum potential. Even some warriors who obtained powerful mutated totems by chance and created records of transcending their ranks ultimately faded like a fleeting flower, rarely achieving the highest accomplishments. One specific example mentioned is a warrior who possessed a Bloodlight Snake. After obtaining a dual totem in the Spatial Heart Realm, he mysteriously self-destructed in the late stage of the Sky Piercing Realm.

Could having dual totems itself be a hidden danger? Hu Gao couldn't help but wonder. Although this hasn't been clearly manifested in his case, he can feel that the Bloodlight Snake in his qi sea is quite gloomy and does not communicate as well as Xiao Wu. Perhaps there is a mutual repulsion between totems, after all, in the qi sea, one mountain cannot accommodate two tigers.

It seems I also need to try to communicate mentally with the Bloodlight Snake!

In Hu Gao's view, Xiao Wu is a growth-type divine beast. When he was first summoned, he once said he was just Hu Gao's contracted totem. At the time, he didn't think much of it, but now, after careful consideration, the word "contract" implies an equal relationship. This means that although Xiao Wu always calls him "master," he is not truly his totem in the strict sense.

Hu Gao, who has always gotten along wonderfully with Xiao Wu, never realized this. Now, thinking back, he has been so focused on leveling up and showing off that he has even been cultivating and pondering across levels, which is indeed too hasty! Could it be influenced by the bet with Hu Wushuang?

The importance of the Shadow Condensation Realm lies in establishing a symbiotic relationship between the warrior and the totem, solidifying the totem. The key point is in the words of Elder Hu Feng: "Absorb power into the sea, solidify the totem, breathe together, form a mental image, nurture chaos, create the world, and the shadow will naturally form."

This sentence is indeed obscure. According to the examples in the book, the sages Kong Meng once created a record of transcending their rank to defeat a Yuan Burst Realm warrior in the Shadow Condensation Realm. This case was acknowledged by the great god Wang Zhong, who confirmed the possibility. The key lies in the fact that Kong Meng's qi sea and totem had already merged in the Shadow Condensation Realm, forming a vast world within the qi sea, like a second world, thereby maximizing the totem's power.

Hu Gao simply understands this as Kong Meng making the totem reach the physical form of the Transformation Realm in the Shadow Condensation Realm, hence being able to kill a Yuan Burst Realm warrior!

Tsk tsk, what kind of freak is this guy? To actually do such a bizarre thing, cultivating totems in the qi sea? Is that what it means...

Could he also be a穿越者 (穿越者 means someone who has traveled through time or space, often used in the context of a person from the modern world who finds themselves in a historical or fantasy setting) who likes to read cultivation novels? Otherwise, why does the name Kong Meng seem like a tribute to Confucius and Mencius? He is even known as the foremost of the Ten Great Sages, with contributions to the cultivation system that rival those of Yao. This is indeed a surprising coincidence.

Hu Gao put down the book and sighed. Recently, he has been hit with frequent setbacks! There are so many geniuses on this totem continent. Compared to these guys, he seems to be just a frog at the bottom of a well, riding a rocket to level up, thinking he's a genius but actually a waste.

Fortunately, there is Elder Hu Feng to remind him. It would be even better if Qing Lian were here. He doesn't know where she has gone to train. If she knew about the upheaval of the Qing branch, what would she do? This mentally powerful and terrifyingly knowledgeable girl, if she really suddenly realizes her potential, her strength would be unimaginable. The continent would definitely have another genius-level figure.

If Shadow were still around, he would probably know where Qing Lian is. Next time he goes to the ancestral hall, he should really ask someone. Perhaps only he and Qing Lian are left of the Qing branch. This little girl is his first family in this world, and he must find her!

After a moment of preparation, Hu Gao began to calm his mind and clear his thoughts, sitting cross-legged on the bed, hands clasped behind his back, and tried to solidify his totem according to the method in the book.

Unlike the aggressive approach when breaking through realms, this time he began to seriously experience the flow of yuan power in his body, slowly incorporating it into the qi sea. Through inner vision, he could see that the qi sea indeed resembled a chaotic, unformed state, with the yuan power like layers of mist enveloping his two totems.

Hu Gao continuously incorporated more yuan power, feeling the ebb and flow of the yuan power in the qi sea, trying to find the feeling of breathing together, but the Bloodlight Snake was like a block of wood, showing no reaction at all! His fingers were sore, and not even a drop of water came out. What a cold and indifferent guy.

Hu Gao thought for a moment and decided it might be Xiao Wu's fault, so he communicated with him, "Xiao Wu, come out!"

"Why, master? I'm cultivating inside you, it feels so good." Xiao Wu was being a scoundrel.

Sure enough, it was this shameless guy. Hu Gao had no patience to chat with him, so he directly summoned him, pinched his soft little ears, and patted his tender bottom, "Speak, is the Bloodlight Snake in my body being suppressed by you?"

"Master, only the new ones laugh, where do the old ones cry?" Xiao Wu wriggled out of Hu Gao's hand with a comical motion, jumped onto Hu Gao's head, and bounced a few times, "Let you bully me!"

Hu Gao was speechless. This guy, who is always clowning around, is really a headache. "Xiao Wu, be good, go play at Mount Tu for a while. There are your favorite demon cores there."

"Alright, for the sake of the demon cores, I'll let you off." Xiao Wu bounced a few more times and then disappeared in a flash from the room.

What the heck, who is the master here! Hu Gao put his hand on the place Xiao Wu had messed up, straightened his hair, and realized that having dual totems is indeed a significant hidden danger. He thought he had a series of trump cards, but he didn't even know his backyard was on fire...

Hu Gao refocused his mind, absorbed power into the sea, and controlled the mist-like yuan power to touch the Bloodlight Snake in the qi sea. After Xiao Wu left, this guy gradually showed some response, his coiled body slowly uncoiling, and his neck slowly rising.

To Hu Gao's surprise, upon closer inspection, he found that the Bloodlight Snake's skin had become somewhat dull and its eyes somewhat cloudy. Based on his knowledge of snakes from his previous life, this is a sign that the snake is about to shed its skin.

However, Hu Gao was unsure. The characteristics of the totem continent's beast race might not be the same as what he learned in his previous life, and this is just a totem, not a real snake, making it hard to judge.

Hu Gao continued to absorb the energy of heaven and earth, converting it into yuan power. The "breathing together" part was really difficult. Snakes are reptiles and use their lungs to breathe, so they should be able to feel it.

Time flew by, and Hu Gao still had no clue. The Bloodlight Snake eventually fell back into a deep sleep, and he had to stop his cultivation and stand up.

"Whatever, take it slow, this can't be rushed." Hu Gao stood up, thought for a moment, and decided to go to the Northern Branch to find Ji Le. He planned to go to the Longjia Mountains to cultivate in the next two days. Three months is too short, and if he cultivates in the city, he won't be able to surpass Hu Wushuang. He needs to push himself to the limit to unlock his potential.

He asked his way to Ji Le's house and, seeing the white lanterns hanging around the house, remembered that Ji Le's father had died in the rebellion a few days ago. His green hair was quite conspicuous.

However, there was no other way. His body and appearance were given by his parents, and it was up to him to decide what kind of person he would be.

Hu Gao straightened his chest and knocked on the door. After a while, the door opened a crack, and a slightly older man with silver hair peeked out, giving Hu Gao a strange look.

Is this the successor of our Hu family? I heard that the Qing branch only has him left. I didn't expect him to be such a thin young man.

He thought for a moment and asked, "Are you here to see Ji Le?"

Hu Gao nodded. This man, judging by his hair color, seemed to be a core member of the Northern Branch, and somehow guessed that he was here to see Ji Le.

"Hehe, you must be Hu Gao. I'm Ji Le's third brother, Ji Kuai." As he spoke, Ji Kuai pulled the door slightly inward, making way for him, "Come in quickly."

Hu Gao smiled, not being polite, and stepped over the threshold, entering the courtyard of the Northern Branch's family head for the first time.

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