Chapter 70

Confirming that the other party really had no intention of giving any substantial reward, Hu Gao didn't want to waste any more time. He turned and walked towards Lin Fei's corpse, then took out a wooden box from his embrace. Without any hesitation, he opened it, and a dense wave of fire elemental energy immediately rushed towards him. It was indeed the Black Fire Lotus.

"Huh, what is this thing? It's emitting a faint black flame, shaped like a lotus. Could this be the Black Fire Lotus? It doesn't look that impressive..."

Zhou Longqi stepped forward, staring intently at the Black Fire Lotus, but his interest quickly waned. He said to the two elders, "They said the Black Fire Lotus is a good thing, and you two said it would be quite helpful to me, but it doesn't seem to have any effect."

The two elders immediately had a black line appear on their foreheads. What kind of feeling do you want from looking at something?

Hu Gao couldn't help but give Zhou Longqi an extra glance. There are always peculiar people, but this year there are particularly many. Wanting a feeling? Does seeing a flower make your hormones surge?

"This is indeed the Black Fire Lotus..."

Hu Gao gave a simple answer, then put the Black Fire Lotus away and turned to search through the five corpses. Unfortunately, to Hu Gao's disappointment, apart from some valuables, he didn't even find a single Wind and Thunder Pearl.

Being from the same Demon-Exorcising Castle, Lin Fei was even one rank higher than Qi Hong, so why was he so poor?

Feeling that staying wouldn't bring any benefits, Hu Gao turned to leave. Zhou Longqi seemed to have a strong background, but Hu Gao had no interest. No matter how strong your background, it has nothing to do with me.

"Hey, buddy, where are you planning to go?"

Seeing Hu Gao about to leave, Zhou Longqi quickly followed.

"Of course, I'm going to the Flame Valley. Why are you following me?"

Hu Gao asked with a faint smile. Although he liked Zhou Longqi's personality, he didn't want to bring a burden along on his way to the Flame Valley.

Zhou Longqi's cultivation wasn't weak, but his combat ability was somewhat disappointing.

"Flame Valley? We're on the same path. I'm also heading to the Flame Valley. How about we travel together?" Zhou Longqi's face lit up with excitement at the mention of the Flame Valley.

"Alright."

Hu Gao sighed helplessly, not wanting to waste any more words, and nodded in agreement. "Sure, let's travel together."

After all, Zhou Longqi had two Ninth Stage Condensation Shadow Realm martial artists protecting him, and it seemed he had companions in the Flame Valley, so he probably wouldn't need Hu Gao's protection.

Sigh, a genius with a Fourth Stage Totem and Eighth Stage Condensation Shadow Realm cultivation, yet still needing protection. Hu Gao thought this guy was truly peculiar.

However, traveling alone was a bit boring, and having Zhou Longqi around could help pass the time.

The two quickly fell into conversation. Zhou Longqi's talkative nature didn't stop, and this allowed Hu Gao to gain a clearer understanding of the Zhou family of Dragon City.

At first, he didn't take the Zhou family seriously, but after hearing Zhou Longqi's words, it seemed the Zhou family was a more powerful force than the Hu family of Ning City. It was said that their family head had reached the Transformation Realm, and the elders and executives in the family had all reached the Burst Essence Realm.

And Zhou Longqi, with his high-stage totem, was just an ordinary direct descendant in the Zhou family, not considered a true genius. According to him, the true young geniuses of the Zhou family, at his age, had either already broken through to the Body Transformation Realm or were on the verge of breaking through.

"These are the true geniuses, probably comparable to Hu Wushuang of the Hu family and Lang Zheng of the Lang family."

Hu Gao clicked his tongue in amazement, thinking of the two geniuses he would face. The guy beside him, who seemed very talented, was just an ordinary descendant in the Zhou family, with many others far surpassing him.

"Hu Gao, how about it, our Zhou family is pretty strong, right? You haven't said where you're from yet."

Zhou Longqi chuckled, but Hu Gao noticed that Zhou Longqi didn't seem to have much sense of belonging to the Zhou family. There was even a hint of disdain and coldness in his eyes.

Hu Gao was momentarily puzzled, but then he shook his head and laughed. "The Zhou family is indeed strong, but you're a bit weak. I thought you were a genius, but you have Eighth Stage Condensation Shadow Realm cultivation at fourteen, yet your combat ability is pitiful."

As he said this, Hu Gao clearly sensed that the two elders behind him paused slightly.

"Ha! I was just too lazy to move. If I had used my full strength, those bandits would have been beaten to a pulp long ago. I wouldn't have needed your help."

Zhou Longqi laughed, trying to appear strong.

But Hu Gao had hit a sore spot. Zhou Longqi had a Fourth Stage Totem and wasn't weak in cultivation. He had always competed with other Zhou family descendants and had plenty of combat experience. However, his totem was always unstable, and he lacked real combat ability. Against a Ninth Stage Condensation Shadow Realm martial artist like Lin Fei, he felt he could punch him down, but he couldn't muster the strength.

Because of his special totem, he was always marginalized in the Zhou family, but once he went outside, he became prey for others. How ironic!

He was good for nothing else, but perhaps he had a significant role to play for the Demon-Exorcising Castle. What a joy!

But his future was uncertain. When would he have the power to control his own destiny?

Like Hu Gao, who could instantly kill a Ninth Stage Condensation Shadow Realm martial artist, how impressive...

Not realizing Zhou Longqi's pain, Hu Gao rolled his eyes and ignored him. Although he was more convinced that Zhou Longqi was hiding his true strength for some reason, it didn't concern him. He didn't waste his brainpower on these matters. After all, Zhou Longqi wasn't his enemy now.

And he suddenly felt that having the unpredictable Zhou Longqi around might not be a good idea... It would be best to part ways when the opportunity arose.

"Hu Gao, in half a month, the Mad Dragon Martial Academy will start recruiting disciples. Will you participate in the assessment?"

Zhou Longqi asked enthusiastically.

"Mad Dragon Martial Academy? Hmm, we'll see. I haven't decided yet."

Hu Gao raised an eyebrow. The Mad Dragon Martial Academy was the largest academy in Longhua Kingdom, similar to a sect. It recruited new disciples in major cities every year, but the threshold was quite high. One had to reach Seventh Stage Condensation Shadow Realm before the age of eighteen to qualify for the assessment. Passing the later assessments would make one a true disciple of the Mad Dragon Martial Academy.

The pass rate was never more than 20%, with a high elimination rate.

Hu Gao didn't know much about the Mad Dragon Martial Academy, and he felt his current life was quite good. He didn't need to change his living environment. He had methods to improve his cultivation quickly, so it didn't matter if he didn't go to the Mad Dragon Martial Academy.

"You haven't decided yet? Ha, I've already decided to go to the Mad Dragon Martial Academy. Although I'm not a genius, I believe my character will help me easily enter the Mad Dragon Martial Academy."

Zhou Longqi seemed very confident.

Hu Gao didn't pay him any more attention. He could sense that Zhou Longqi's personality was genuine, with only a bit of exaggeration in his words. But Hu Gao had no interest in interrupting. He wasn't good at fabricating lies.

So, Hu Gao casually responded to Zhou Longqi's conversation, while Zhou Longqi continued to talk enthusiastically.

"Up ahead is the Flame Valley..."

Finally, after more than half an hour, Hu Gao pointed to a fiery red valley ahead.

The trees around him had become sparse, and the ground was mostly sand and gravel. The temperature in the air had clearly risen, reaching over forty degrees, like a heat wave. The temperature increased as they moved forward.

More and more people were visible around them. Hu Gao now saw hundreds or even thousands of people, and he estimated that those heading to the Flame Valley wouldn't be less than ten thousand. This surprised Hu Gao; he didn't expect the Black Fire Lotus to be so attractive.

In the distance, he could see a fiery red light in the sky, but he couldn't tell what it was.

"Already arrived at the Flame Valley so quickly? They said there are many Black Fire Lotus flowers around the Flame Valley. Why haven't I encountered any yet..."

Zhou Longqi said in surprise.

"Luck is also a form of strength. Someone like you, with strength but no combat ability, naturally won't encounter them."

"I think meeting Brother Hu Gao shows that I have good luck."

"Being able to encounter the Demon-Exorcising Castle's robbery can also be considered good luck. I've encountered it once before, ha ha!"

Hu Gao laughed and walked straight towards the valley.

What? Could Hu Gao also...

This time, it was Zhou Longqi's turn to misunderstand. He thought Hu Gao was also an Awakened, which was why the Demon-Exorcising Castle had targeted him.

Thinking back, it seemed that Hu Gao hadn't used elemental energy when killing Lin Fei and his group, only physical strength.

Could Hu Gao have found another path to strength? Yes! A Body Cultivator, Hu Gao is a Body Cultivator!

The rapid growth of elemental energy could forge a stronger physique! This was the path he should take!

Zhou Longqi's eyes lit up, and he smiled at Hu Gao's back, then followed him.

Hu Gao, thank you!