Chapter 15: Muddling Through
The road ahead is still long, and for Hu Gao, the biggest trouble at present is probably Chong Ya Zi. This genius from the Blood Red lineage should be the patriarch's direct descendant, and while teaching him the skills, he's afraid that all his information on cultivation will be firmly grasped by him.
Having the Bloodlight Serpent and Double Totem was Hu Gao's biggest trump card, he naturally didn't want anyone to know. Only the Transmission Elder, whose cultivation boundary was unknown how much higher than his, might be able to directly probe into the totem information within his body, but that was still uncertain.
Because of this uncertainty, Hu Gao repeatedly simulated various situations in his mind and still couldn't figure out which coping strategy to use. With a worried face, he could only keep pacing back and forth in the room to keep his head clear.
After a long time, Hu Gao unconsciously walked to the window and pushed it open with force. He raised his head and gazed up at the endless starry sky of the other world, took a deep breath, and a burst of fresh air rushed in, making him feel refreshed and invigorated instantly.
The sky is devoid of dark clouds that obscure the moon, only a vast expanse of stars like the sands of the Ganges River, clear and visible. This scene and this feeling evoke countless emotions!
One day, I will become strong and won't have to be so stifled like now! Hu Gao was furious, this time he could only gamble again!
After all, Chuan Gong Lao Lao is only slightly better in terms of talent and may not be as knowledgeable as Qing Lian. At that time, just actively releasing the blood light snake that looks a bit like a first-order totem might be enough to bluff through.
Doing so has two other benefits, one is to make the Transmission Elder acknowledge his qualifications, after all, relying on a basic reading material can condense the Totem by oneself, it's not common, let alone he has already advanced to a formal warrior; The second is that because his Totem is only the most basic first-order, it can also make people in the family relax their vigilance, which is really a multi-benefit move.
Hú Gāo thought no more, took advantage of the moonlight, sat cross-legged in his room, eliminated distractions, and gradually adjusted his state, allowing himself to enter a meditative state.
On the second day, just as the sky was getting light, Hu Gao was once again startled awake from his reverie.
Damn it, this time the door opened without a loli, only a detestable big-footed man stood there, and when he saw Hu Gao coming out with his clothes disheveled, his face actually flushed with a faint red glow.
"My name is Red Tiger, I was sent by Master Zhuan Gong to guide you."
Hu Gao swallowed back a mouthful of curses and said gruffly, "Where are we going?"
"Go to Zong Tang's martial arts hall."
"Alright, wait for me at the door for a bit, I'll be right out." Hu Gao closed the door, took a deep breath, and thought to himself that he had to meet his in-laws sooner or later. Although this Red Tiger's appearance was not exactly pleasing to him, he also didn't want to keep them waiting for too long. He quickly tidied himself up in the room, washed his face, and then went out to call out to them as they headed towards the martial arts hall.
Because Qing Gao's residence was in the direct line of descent, it wasn't far from the ancestral hall. The two walked without saying a word for a while before arriving at their destination - the Martial Hall.
At this time, in the martial arts hall's training ground, there was a vast emptiness, with only one person, the Transmission Elder, standing there with his eyes closed, cultivating his spirit, and having a carefree and leisurely appearance.
"I have seen the Transmission Elder." Hu Gao stepped forward politely, cupped his hands and said, with a grasp of propriety that was just right, showing respect but not flattery, after all, he still had the identity of a successor.
"Ah, you're here. Have you finished reading the books I gave you yesterday?" Master Chuang said casually, but in the next moment, his eyes suddenly opened wide, and he stared at Hu Gao with a surge of powerful aura, then retracted his momentum and asked calmly: "Have you already condensed your Totem?"
It seems that after advancing to the realm of condensed shadows, his aura was exposed and had already been discovered by Master Chuan Gong. Hu Gao nodded, "Yesterday, according to the book's instructions, I entered meditation and tried summoning my soul, unexpectedly condensing a Totem."
Chuan Gong Lao Lao waved his hand at Chi Hu, "You retreat first."
After dismissing the unrelated people, Chuan Gong Chang*Feng smiled: "No wonder you have a guardian deity-level spiritual power, and you've actually condensed your totem and advanced a rank so quickly. You're even stronger than me, an old man known as a genius."
"It's just luck. Hu Feng is the real genius who rose to fame with his own strength." Hu Gao gave a slight compliment to Chuan Gong Lao, not being overly humble or arrogant.
"The young master is indeed different from the original Qing Gao, okay, summon your totem and let me take a look. If you can have a sixth-grade or higher totem, I'm sure there's nothing to say on the Unmatched side." Hu Feng knew that the real reason why the tribe leader married his only daughter to Hu Gao was because he understood it in his heart. This mysterious and unpredictable guy was stronger and more powerful in the current situation.
Hu Gao didn't hesitate, and with a flicker of his mind, he summoned the Blood Python, but this time he controlled it with his spiritual energy to make various head-shaking and tail-swinging movements, making it look much sharper than before.
"Impossible!" Transmitted Gong Lao saw the blood light snake, his face revealed an incredible expression, he stared at it carefully, "This... is this the lowest first-order Totem Red Light Snake?"
"According to the records in that book given by the elder, I think it should be." Hu Gao said with a deliberately dejected expression.
The old man's beard was blown back, and he shouted loudly, "I only gave you the 'Totem Origin' to let you take a look at the book and understand some basic knowledge. Who allowed you to condense the totem on your own? Do you even know what a first-class totem means?"
Hu Feng clenched his fists, if it weren't for Hu Gao being a successor, he would have loved to go up and punch him flying, how ridiculous! The guardian deity of the Hu family only has a pitiful first-order Totem, who would believe this? With such strength, he still wants to challenge Hu Wu Shuang in three months? What a fool's dream!
Hu Gao saw Hu Feng's expression, his face sank and he lowered his head, but in his heart, he was overjoyed. It seemed that even if there were differences in their cultivation levels, they couldn't directly see each other's Totem, which was great news for him.
"Huh? That's not right." After a burst of wild thoughts, Hu Feng suddenly felt something was off and circled around Hu Gao several times, repeatedly observing the Blood Light Snake from various angles.
"If it were an ordinary first-order totem, how could you have promoted so quickly? This matter is a bit strange." After looking at it for half a day, Hu Feng still couldn't find anything special about it. In his many years of experience, Hu Gao's condensed totem was undoubtedly the lowest level of a first-order red python totem.
"I've remembered!" Hu Gao shouted, "After I condensed the Totem, I felt like I was struck by something and my mind went blank. When I woke up again, I felt that there was a lot more Heavenly Energy in my body. Could it be that during this period of time, the Guardian Spirit had awakened?"
"Ah, it must be like that." Hu Feng scratched his head and smiled again. "It seems that the Guardian God is indeed divine, knowing that you condensed a Totem after practicing, helping you to advance. In this way, even if you only have a first-stage Totem now, you're not completely useless!"
