Chapter 3

On the Star Platform, a fat man was bound like a dumpling in fine-scaled armor; the fat man stood there, with a flame that was extremely disproportionate to his body, like a wick. Unfortunately, the flame didn’t have the decency to grow, and when the fat man tried to show it off, it shrank like a case of impotence, causing everyone to burst into uncontrollable laughter.

The Tian Yao tribe had existed for hundreds of years, and never had such a bizarre and useless battle spirit appeared. A flame that couldn’t even burn a curtain—what good was it? Could it be used in battle to kill enemies? After summoning such a battle spirit, one would still have to use their own Totem Power to nourish it, making it even less useful than ordinary hunters without battle spirits.

Chief Huerle was drenched in cold sweat, looking at Zhou Lu on the platform with eyes full of anger and frustration. He had gone to great lengths to secure this sacrificial spot for Zhou Lu. If the summoning of a battle spirit was successful, Zhou Lu would be assigned to the Tian Yao Elite Pavilion for the tribe’s full resources to cultivate him. But the result—this young man had messed it up.

In the crowd, whispers grew louder and more intense:

"Hey, who is this kid? He summoned such a useless battle spirit, wasting a sacrificial spot."

"Don’t you know him? He’s the grandson of Chief Huerle, the leader of the Thirty-seventh Hunting Ground—Zhou Lu."

"It’s him..."

The person beside him suddenly realized, "No wonder, no wonder. Only this kid could summon such a useless battle spirit. A spoiled brat and a useless battle spirit, they match perfectly."

Everyone around laughed, and one person said with a sneer, "A good-for-nothing. It’s a shame that Chief Huerle went to such lengths to secure a spot for him. What’s the point of giving him an opportunity if he can’t seize it?"

...

On the Star Platform, Grand Elder Ouye Tuji, hearing the mocking comments from below, his expression froze, and his face flushed as if he were being ridiculed for making a foolish mistake.

Grand Elder Ouye Tuji, with his vast knowledge and extensive memory, knew all about the strange phenomena in the wilderness. In his understanding, all ordinary flames have roots and no spiritual power, requiring the burning of other objects to produce energy, and cannot exist independently on a human body.

According to his knowledge, some powerful fire-type beasts have a natural inner core fire that can survive independently after the beast’s death, becoming a spirit flame that can hide and cultivate in secret places. Cultivators can capture and tame these flames by chance.

Additionally, in places with a heavy aura of malevolence, if struck by heavenly lightning, a kind of ghostly flame might be generated.

Furthermore, there are some naturally occurring strange fires in the world, such as the earthy fire that evolves over time from certain hot springs at the center of the earth...

When Zhou Lu first summoned the flame, Grand Elder Ouye Tuji thought it might be one of these strange flames. However, when he saw that the flame couldn’t even burn a curtain, his last bit of hope was dashed.

The spirit flames he knew about, some carried the poison of earthy fire, some were icy cold, and some had the properties of lightning. But no matter which one, they all had immense power and could melt gold and stone with a single touch. If a cultivator could obtain such a spirit flame, they could easily burn metal as if it were wood. Moreover, with Zhou Lu’s ordinary body, he couldn’t possibly tame such a fierce flame, and it would likely consume him entirely.

These legendary spirit flames, if one did not have the cultivation of at least the tenth level of the Totem Heart Sutra, could not be touched.

Apart from these spirit flames, the only other flame that could exist independently but not burn objects was the ghostly flame.

Legend has it that ghostly flames are the lingering will of powerful cultivators or beasts, formed from the dark energy of graveyards, corpses, and other places of death, and can attach to a person’s soul.

Although ghostly flames can be refined into one’s consciousness, bringing clarity of mind, sharpness of thought, and strength of will, they are extremely weak. A powerful beast like the Iron-spined Gray Bear, Urasu, could blow it out with a single breath.

Moreover, when a ghostly flame grows within a person, it can turn into a heart demon. In the nearby Tian Shi tribe, a few years ago, a highly skilled hunter cultivated a ghostly flame, but in the later stages of cultivation, the heart demon caused great difficulties. In the end, he had to disperse more than half of his power to expel the ghostly flame from his body.

Therefore, except for some impatient, weak-willed, and misguided hunters, true cultivators would not bother with ghostly flames.

In this case, Zhou Lu summoning a ghostly flame as his battle spirit was even more humiliating than a failed summoning.

The cost of the ritual was enormous, involving tens of thousands of hunting horses, yet the result was such a useless battle spirit. Grand Elder Ouye Tuji’s face grew increasingly grim. He was ashamed and angry at his impulsive decision and now felt a strong urge to kill.

The ritual had to continue. A nearby official whispered a reminder, "Grand Elder..."

Ouye Tuji’s eyes were sharp, and he coldly snorted, slowly raising his bone staff and speaking loudly:

"Our Tian Yao tribe has tens of thousands of battle-hardened elites and three hundred and one top-tier hunter leaders with Totem Golden Bodies and boundless courage."

"In this year’s ritual, we have successfully produced more than thirty powerful battle spirit hunters. We believe that with strict cultivation in the future, the number of our top-tier hunters will increase significantly. The might of our Tian Yao tribe will surely shake the wilderness."

"May the heavens bless our Tian Yao tribe!" He raised his bone staff to the sky.

The laughter below gradually subsided, and Grand Elder Ouye Tuji used his authority to restore the solemn atmosphere of the ritual. However, when his gaze fell on Zhou Lu, who stood there in a cringing manner, his anger only intensified.

The success of the ritual in summoning a battle spirit depends partly on luck, but it also has a lot to do with one’s cultivation potential, Totem attributes, and even personality.

Grand Elder Ouye Tuji had long heard about Chief Huerle’s grandson, a seemingly simple but devious brat, a coward who bullied the weak and feared the strong, lacking any spirit of a hero and not feeling ashamed of his behavior.

Only such a person could summon such a wretched battle spirit.

If it weren’t for his decent cultivation potential and Chief Huerle’s considerable wealth and efforts, Grand Elder Ouye Tuji would never have allowed such a brat to participate in the ritual. Now, he deeply regretted it.

In principle, anyone who successfully summons a battle spirit should enter the Tian Yao Elite Pavilion and be cultivated with the tribe’s full resources.

Below the Star Platform, countless eyes were fixed on the Grand Elder, whose expression grew increasingly grim.

How could such a scoundrel waste the resources of the Tian Yao Elite Pavilion? How could he bear to see this young man prance around under his nose every day? Even if Chief Huerle had spent a fortune and pulled countless strings, it wouldn’t change his mind.

He had already made one mistake; he couldn’t afford to make another.

With this in mind, Ouye Tuji turned resolutely and coldly ordered Zhou Lu, who was cowering to the side:

"Zhou Lu, given the special nature of your battle spirit, report to the Eagle Wing Cavalry tomorrow."

The Grand Elder, who controlled the military, issued this order, effectively removing Zhou Lu from the Tian Yao Elite Pavilion.

"What? No..."

Chief Huerle, who had been holding out a sliver of hope, was stunned, his hand on his graying hair, his eyes filled with deep disappointment and frustration.

Zhou Lu had indeed summoned a battle spirit, albeit an unsatisfactory one, but he had met the requirement to enter the Tian Yao Elite Pavilion. Why should he be sent away with just a word?

The Tian Yao tribe had forty-five hunting grounds and thirty-seven hunter corps, including the Eagle Wing Cavalry, a renowned and valiant corps. For an ordinary hunter, joining such a corps would be an honor.

However, if Zhou Lu joined such a corps, he would be just an anonymous, nameless soldier, and it would be extremely difficult to accumulate enough military merit to reach the position of a hundred-man commander. That would require risking his life in countless battles, and even then, there might not be a suitable position for promotion.

After three years of elite cultivation in the Tian Yao Pavilion, one would directly receive the treatment of a hundred-man commander.

By being sent away, Zhou Lu would fall far behind his peers.

Looking at the iron-willed, cold-faced Grand Elder on the platform, Huerle’s heart ached, his forehead beaded with sweat. He knew that the Grand Elder was determined, and this outcome was likely beyond his control as a mere hunting ground leader.

Zhou Lu, hearing the order, gaped in shock, his eyes full of委屈, and stammered, "G-Grand Elder, wasn’t I supposed to go to the Tian Yao Pavilion?"

The Grand Elder’s eyes flashed, and he said coolly, "Tian Yao Pavilion? Your battle spirit is quite special. The Tian Yao Pavilion doesn’t have suitable cultivation methods for you. As a noble battle spirit hunter, the tribe hopes you will all become strong quickly. The environment in the Eagle Wing Corps will be more suitable for your growth and training."

Without waiting for Zhou Lu to respond, the Grand Elder turned and left. Seeing his attitude, the mocking and jeering below grew louder.

"Ha, this is the fate of a useless person."

"Hmph, if this brat were allowed into the Tian Yao Pavilion, how could he command respect? The Grand Elder is wise."

Zhou Lu’s face turned red, his heart sinking, and he panted heavily.

He had been looking forward to entering the Tian Yao Pavilion with honor and having the beautiful women in the hunting ground cheer for him. But now, all those dreams were shattered by the Grand Elder’s arbitrary decision. His enthusiasm for the ritual had been in vain.

Looking at the Grand Elder’s retreating back, Zhou Lu stood there for a moment, feeling bitter. He gritted his teeth and muttered, "Not letting me into the Tian Yao Pavilion? If this place won’t nurture me, there are other places that will..."

Zhou Lu patted his stomach, where the flame was hidden in his dantian. He felt that the flame he summoned was not as simple and useless as it seemed. He felt a deep connection with the flame and sensed that it had some extraordinary qualities, though he wasn’t sure if this was just his imagination.

"Will entering the Tian Yao Pavilion definitely make me a top-tier hunter? Hmph, once I discover the abilities of my flame battle spirit, I can still become powerful. Then, I’ll be able to take on ten top-tier hunters with one hand..."

A typical case of wishful thinking.

This ritual wasn’t entirely fruitless. At least, he had a battle spirit, something others might not even have. Thinking of this, Zhou Lu felt happy again, ignoring the jeers around him, and wobbled off the Star Platform.

Zhou Lu was such a person; he could always find a different perspective to make himself happy.