Chapter 7

The clamor of the night's revelry had completely faded away in the dark tide of the night, leaving only the faint wisps of smoke from the remnants of the bonfires on the square.

At dawn, the sky was still dark, and the cool wind made the felt tents rustle. Chuerle, with a face full of melancholy, slowly approached Zhou Lu's tent.

Chuerle touched his graying hair, his brows knitted tightly. He had too many regrets in his heart:

Zhou Lu had also summoned a battle soul, so why could others enter the Heavenly Demon Pavilion while Zhou Lu could not?

Last night, Chuerle, knowing it was hopeless, still went to see the Great Elder in secret, filled with indignation and a last glimmer of hope. The Great Elder, however, showed no mercy and coldly rebuked him.

Chuerle's face turned red from the scolding, and his last hope was shattered.

Without entering the Heavenly Demon Pavilion, it would be extremely difficult to obtain cultivation resources. The path of cultivation was long, and without those spiritual medicines or secret manuals, one would have almost no chance of becoming a top-tier hunter.

Last night, Meng Tian publicly returned the tokens to Zhou Lu and his companion, and Chuerle saw it clearly. At that moment, his heart tightened. He didn't know how his grandson managed to persist after such a blow.

Chuerle gently lifted the tent flap, and a warm current of air rushed out, dispelling the night's chill. By the faint light of the fireplace, he saw the plump Zhou Lu lying on his side on the fur, snoring loudly. The heart of the hunting ground leader ached.

Who could understand his grandson better than he did?

Everyone thought Zhou Lu was a coward who feared death and lacked the resolve to become a hero, but Chuerle knew that Zhou Lu simply despised the spirit of heroism that sacrificed life for honor. Was he timid? When Zhou Lu was seven, he dared to sneak into a tent guarded by nine fierce hunting dogs and throw a warm package of feces into the home of a hunter who called him a little rascal. At nine, he sneaked to the tent of a proud girl who looked down on him to spy on her bathing...

Everyone thought Zhou Lu was full of mischief and a true little rascal, but Chuerle knew that Zhou Lu just used somewhat despicable means to get what he wanted... Moreover, Zhou Lu was never despicable to his family. If any of his relatives were bullied, Zhou Lu would fight to the death for them.

All of Zhou Lu's abnormal behavior was simply because he lived too genuinely and freely, seeing everything that went against his nature as foolish.

Thinking of this, Chuerle smiled bitterly.

He knew that his grandson sometimes used despicable means, which could be quite troublesome. Perhaps, it would be good for him to experience some hardships and trials, so he might realize that life doesn't always go according to one's wishes.

But then Chuerle thought, when the sky brightened, Zhou Lu would report to the Eagle Wing Cavalry. The Eagle Wing Cavalry was responsible for guarding the tribe's border—the West Mines. The West Mines, known for their abundant black gold, were always coveted by the poor bandits.

The harsh conditions there were far beyond what someone used to the hunting ground life could imagine.

He didn't know how those seasoned, rough hunters would bully Zhou Lu, or how many trials he would endure.

And the Great Elder's order was unchangeable.

Thinking of this, Chuerle felt an uncontrollable sadness.

By the faint light, Chuerle gazed deeply at his snoring grandson. He was full of concern. This was the first time Zhou Lu was leaving the hunting ground to live a different life. He didn't know if Zhou Lu could take care of himself in such harsh conditions, or if he would become thinner...

Zhou Lu, lying there, seemed to be having a dream, mumbling something, and then flipped over, his whole body turning to lie on his back, snoring soundly.

On his side, where he had been hugging with his arm, three gnawed-clean sheep leg bones were placed side by side, with tooth marks still visible.

Chuerle's eyes suddenly widened, and he felt both amused and exasperated, his face showing a hateful expression:

This little rascal, he didn't have enough knives, so how did he get so many roasted sheep legs? Wasn't he afraid of overeating? I was worried he couldn't take care of himself, and I was afraid he would get thinner...

Chuerle angrily lifted the tent flap and stepped out into the cool air. Suddenly, he chuckled. He knew it was time to let go of his overprotective feelings. His grandson's survival skills were much stronger than he imagined.

...

Zhou Lu was extremely tired from the night's activities, so he slept very deeply.

After returning last night, he kept experimenting with the pale purple flame.

Once the primal energy vortex in his dantian formed and could run continuously without relying on the flame, Zhou Lu tried to move the flame out of the dantian to test if it had other magical abilities.

Later, Zhou Lu was pleasantly surprised to find that the flame was very interested in anything with energy and would rush over to burn it fiercely.

The hidden ailments and dark injuries in his body caused by energy accumulation, as well as the residual effects of the spiritual medicines he had taken, were all refined by the flame with irresistible force. After refinement, they turned into the purest primal energy, like a thin mist, gradually merging into his meridians.

Zhou Lu excitedly circulated his energy, absorbing the energy for his own use. After repeated cultivation, he suddenly opened his eyes, exhaled a turbid breath, and saw stars in front of his eyes, feeling elated.

Just by burning the accumulated energy, Zhou Lu had slowly advanced from the initial stage of the fourth level of the Totem Heart Sutra to the middle stage of the fourth level.

Such progress, in Zhou Lu's original view, would have taken at least two to three years.

Zhou Lu suddenly realized that he had found a treasure this time.

If the flame could burn and refine anything with energy for his absorption, wouldn't he be rich in the future? Whether it was herbs, demon cores, failed pills, or energy-containing minerals, he could stuff them all into his stomach and become full, wouldn't his cultivation speed be several times faster than others?

Thinking of this, Zhou Lu sat there, feeling very pleased:

"Hmph, what's so great about summoning a demon beast battle soul? Looking down on me, I'll make you all know my strength sooner or later."

"The Heavenly Demon List in six months? There's still half a year, how do you know I won't touch that list?"

"Girls, get ready to cheer for me!"

Zhou Lu was so excited that he was exhausted. After countless experiments, he found that the flame was also somewhat weak, lying listlessly in his dantian.

It seemed that burning the accumulated energy also required effort and energy.

Later, after burning more accumulated energy, the whole flame flickered, as if it could go out at any moment.

At this point, Zhou Lu was terrified. He had only focused on making the flame burn energy, but how would the flame replenish its own strength? Would it die from burning too much without any subsequent energy?

Zhou Lu was afraid and dared not continue the experiment. He nervously lay down on the fur, forcing himself to sleep, letting the flame rest.

That night, Zhou Lu fell asleep with a mouthful of drool. In his dream, he was very impressive, and many beautiful girls threw themselves at him. The softness of their bodies pressing against his chest and back was very comfortable.

And Tuke Chui, who usually looked down on him, was kneeling at his feet, smiling and bowing, allowing him to step on one foot without complaint.

"Ha ha..."

Zhou Lu woke up laughing, suddenly opening his eyes and realizing it was already bright outside. He rubbed his sleepy eyes, shivered, and suddenly realized something was wrong.

The Great Elder had personally ordered him to report to the Eagle Wing Cavalry today.

Military orders were like mountains, and the Great Elder's word was an unchallengeable military order in the tribe. If he missed the report, would he be beheaded?

No longer sleepy, Zhou Lu rolled off the fur and rushed out, untied a chestnut horse from outside the tent, and galloped towards the Eagle Wing Cavalry camp, fifteen miles away.

It was early morning, and groups of hunters were preparing to enter the wilderness, their strong horses snorting, their nostrils exhaling white mist in the morning air. Bright weapons and hard bows hung on the sides of the horses, and more hunters were riding in from the distance.

There were also teams of bald, bare-chested men, carrying large axes, shouting in unison as they walked in groups to the dense forest to cut trees.

By the river, dozens of large boats carried over a thousand hunters downstream, and giant nets were cast into the water, where large fish leaped.

In the large training ground, the combat hunters rode their iron horses, their weapons clashing, and had already started their arduous training early in the morning.

Looking out over the wilderness, the grand and busy scene was awe-inspiring, giving the morning a vibrant vitality.

When a large tribe with millions of people acted for survival, the energy it released was astonishing. Even the strongest hunter was just a particle in this vast energy.

Zhou Lu galloped, deeply breathing the cold morning air. He suddenly felt a surge of emotion, feeling as if he had already merged into this grand and vast picture.

Because of the Great Elder's order, from today on, he could no longer idle in the hunting ground. He would become a blood-and-iron warrior, integrating into a glorious and brave combat hunter team to start his combat hunter life.

Zhou Lu had long heard of the glorious reputation of the Eagle Wing Cavalry, that the combat hunters there were all seasoned veterans who had been baptized by blood and had come out of countless fierce battles. Young hunters who wanted to join such a hunter team had to pass extremely strict and cruel tests.

Zhou Lu was a battle soul hunter who had participated in the sacrifice, otherwise, he would not have been assigned to such a brave cavalry.

Zhou Lu rode with the wind in his ears, having come out of the shadow of the sacrifice, his heart full of excitement for the new combat life ahead.

"Will there be big-chested girls there?"

Zhou Lu realized he was getting distracted, wiped his mouth, and whipped the horse, galloping even faster.

In less than half an hour, he arrived at the temporary camp of the Eagle Wing Cavalry, nestled in a hill.

This was just a temporary camp. A sturdy and heavy centurion shouted loudly, and over a hundred combat hunters emerged from their tents, slung their long knives, and mounted their hunting horses, ready to set out. The hunters all had a seasoned and fierce air, their eyes inadvertently revealing a chilling killing intent, and the hill was filled with a blood-and-iron atmosphere.

Zhou Lu looked at those fierce men with envy and hurriedly dismounted.

A soldier with a long knife ran over, listened to Zhou Lu's purpose, took his reins, and led him to a large tent.

The soldier went in to report and soon came out, looking at Zhou Lu with a strange expression, half-smiling and half-serious, and asked, "You're Zhou Lu? Go in, Hunter Meng Yan is waiting for you."

Zhou Lu smiled and nodded at the soldier, carefully slipping into the large tent. Inside, a broad and heavy redwood table stood behind which the tall and imposing Hunter Meng Yan was holding a sharp dagger, cutting juicy cooked beef and putting it in his mouth.

Chewing the beef, Meng Yan frowned and looked at Zhou Lu, who had just entered the tent. He wanted to see what the laughingstock that the Great Elder had suddenly decided to send to his elite cavalry looked like.

"Hunter Meng Yan, I am Zhou Lu, a wandering hunter from the Thirty-seventh Hunting Ground. The Great Elder ordered me to report to you today and join the Eagle Wing Cavalry!"

Zhou Lu quickly put on a brave and spirited demeanor, stood up straight, and saluted by placing his hands on his right shoulder.

"Hmm, a fat guy?"

Meng Yan's chewing paused, and he was extremely displeased: "Damn, a fat guy dares to walk into my elite cavalry? Dares to stand with my fierce and strong hunter warriors?"

Swallowing a few bites of beef, he wiped his mouth and leaned back, squinting his eyes and asked:

"You're Zhou Lu? I heard you were among those who entered the sacrificial tower during the Heavenly Demon Festival last night? And you summoned a flame battle soul?"

Zhou Lu felt a bit guilty. He could sense the hostility in the hunter leader's voice, but this person was the one who would control his fate from now on. Zhou Lu smiled and nodded, bowing and responding, "Yes, Hunter Leader."

Meng Yan nodded, playing with the dagger in his hand, and continued to ask, "Since you summoned a battle soul, why didn't you go to the Heavenly Demon Pavilion but came to report to our Eagle Wing Cavalry?"

"Damn, I can't say that it's because the Great Elder thought my battle soul was too useless and kicked me out," Zhou Lu thought bitterly, smiling and said, "I guess the elders wanted me to get more training."

"Training?"

Meng Yan's face was half-smiling, leaning forward from behind the table, and asked with a hint of suspicion, "I heard you have a grandfather who is a hunting ground leader? Is it Chuerle from the Thirty-seventh Hunting Ground...?"

"Yes, Hunter Leader."

Zhou Lu cursed inwardly: "You clearly already know everything about me, why ask in such a sarcastic way?"

Although he cursed inwardly, he didn't show it on his face. Zhou Lu tried to smile and said, "When I left, my grandfather asked me to greet you."

"Greet me?"

Meng Yan's anger flared up, and he slapped the table in front of him, the force of which sent the plate of cooked beef flying to the ground, rolling far away. He roared almost like a beast:

"I don't care who your father or grandfather is, and I don't care what kind of power you have behind you. I only know that a useless person who failed the sacrifice, trying to be shoved into our team, will not get any good treatment from me."

"Finally, it's out."

Zhou Lu's heart ached, and he instinctively stood straight, shouting loudly, "Yes, Hunter Leader, I'm sorry, Hunter Leader."

Meng Yan's finger almost touched Zhou Lu's nose across the table:

"Listen to me, our team does not tolerate freeloaders. Here, I might send you to the front lines to fight the Blood Savages first. Remember, this is not your Thirty-seventh Hunting Ground. This is the Eagle Wing Cavalry, the strongest combat force of the Heavenly Demon Tribe, composed entirely of heroes!"

Meng Yan's roar made the tent tremble, and it could be heard clearly from far outside.

Zhou Lu stood at the lower end, his body trembling, feeling very unhappy.

Who did I offend? I couldn't enter the Heavenly Demon Pavilion, and now even the Eagle Wing Cavalry is no good. With this hunter leader's fiery temper, the days ahead will be tough.