Chapter 117: Mounting Pressure

Hu Mo’s words hit the crowd like a bombshell. For a moment, everyone’s eyes went wide with shock.

"Marshal, how can you say that? We train for a thousand days to be used in a moment of need. Isn't the whole reason we work so hard to cultivate to serve you and defend the Hu family? If you won't let us fight, what is the point of our existence? If the Hu family stands, we stand; if the Hu family falls, we fall!" a large man roared. Soon, the others joined in with the same cry.

Hei Tie stepped forward, his expression unusually grim. He knelt on the ground and bowed his head, saying, "Marshal, if we stand idly by while the Hu family is in danger, how could we ever have the face to practice the battle techniques and arts you have bestowed upon us? Please, strip us of our cultivation and cast us out!"

Hei Tie’s demeanor was resolute. Upon hearing these words, Hu Mo felt a slight tremor in his heart. Hei Tie was always one to be stubborn to the end, and hearing such a rejection from Hu Mo had clearly left him deeply unsettled.

Hu Mo rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming on. After a long silence, he shook his head gently and said, "Hei Tie, I never said I wouldn't let you contribute. It’s just that your current cultivation really isn't enough to be of help. Look for yourselves—just now, all of you attacking together with your formation couldn't even contain me, a level-six Battle King. If I let you go out there, it would be no different from sending you to your deaths. You haven't even mastered the basics of the techniques I gave you, yet you’re so eager to throw your lives away? That would be a complete waste! You should be focusing on how to improve your strength; that is the only thing you need to worry about!"

Hu Mo’s tone was stern. After his words, Hei Tie and the others fell silent. Indeed, as blunt as Hu Mo was, he was telling the truth. If they truly wanted to fight, their current strength was far too humble.

After a long while, Hei Tie stood up, retreated a few paces, then turned to roar at his team, "Did you hear that? From now on, we will train even harder! Everyone, listen well: the training volume is tripled. The last one to reach the Battle King realm will have to crawl around Flame City a hundred times! Do you hear me?"

"Understood!" everyone bellowed in unison. The sheer force of their shout caused the defensive barrier to shatter completely, startling Uncle Fu, who rushed over at high speed.

"You lot, how could the defensive barrier... Oh? Young Master, you are here too." Uncle Fu looked at Hu Mo with surprise, his eyes filled with satisfaction, pride, and even a trace of worship.

"Haha, Uncle Fu, I’m sorry for all the trouble these past few days. I’m afraid the defensive barrier here needs an upgrade. Later, could you please invite a few Slaughter Battle Kings over? I intend to reset the barrier myself," Hu Mo said with a calm tone. In his every movement, there was an aura so unique that even Uncle Fu found it difficult to resist.

Uncle Fu nodded and smiled, "This old servant understands. It will be done perfectly. Haha, it’s good, it’s all so good..."

As Uncle Fu walked away, his once stooped and aged back straightened significantly. Hu Mo sighed inwardly, thinking, *If only I had come a few years earlier. These old people have suffered far too much.*

He turned back to Hei Tie and the others. "Train well. When you reach the Battle King level, you will be my greatest support. By the way, there is one more thing: Lin Nan is already a level-five Rage Battle Master. Don't let her leave you too far behind! Haha..."

Hu Mo laughed heartily and walked away from the training ground, ignoring the stunned looks on their faces.

Hei Tie wore a bitter expression, looking for all the world like a giant, miserable bitter melon—a sight that made the others nearby stifle their laughter.

"What are you laughing at! Get back to training! Damn it, you’re already so far behind and you still have the nerve to laugh! From now on, starting with the Battle Master level, the last person to advance in each tier has to wash the others' underwear for a month! If you’re slacking off, you can just get the hell out of here and go back home to drink your mother's milk! If I don't peel a few layers of skin off you lot, I haven't been doing my job as captain!" Hei Tie roared. The sudden burst of fiery battle energy made everyone turn pale, and within moments, they had all vanished.

Hu Mo had not walked far from the training ground when a beam of light shot toward him.

With a flick of his mind, he caught it between two fingers. He felt a familiar surge of soul power emanating from the beam; a quick scan confirmed it was the work of Cang Ling, containing a message for him.

"I’m taking Xiao Nan to the Black Demon Forest. It will be a long time before we return. My dear disciple, handle the affairs of Flame City yourself. Take care of your health, and don't die on me—your master is still waiting for you to look after him in his old age! No more nonsense, see you later!"

As the light beam vanished, a bitter smile spread across Hu Mo’s face. This master of his was truly something else, dumping such a mess in his lap. He felt like looking up at the sky and screaming, "You can't just do this to people!"

Before he could recover from his frustration, a young man in yellow robes came running toward him like a madman, shouting, "Boss Hu Mo, I’m here!"

Hu Mo’s headache worsened. Just as the man was about to pounce, Hu Mo pointed at the ground; the man’s feet were instantly frozen to the earth, causing him to fall face-first into the dirt.

Hu Mo sighed, looking at the man in yellow robes lying on the ground, and said helplessly, "Huang Sheng, can you stop giving me so much stress? I’m already annoyed enough as it is!"

Huang Sheng struggled to pull his face out of the mud, spat out a mouthful of dirt, and cursed, "What a foul smell. Boss, you didn't pee here, did you?"

"Pah! You’re the one who peed here!" Hu Mo spat, stomping his foot. Huang Sheng was lifted off the ground. Nearby, a dog looking very satisfied with itself was startled and scurried away.

"Ah—" Huang Sheng opened his mouth wide, only to take another bite of the mud that had been tainted by dog urine. Disgusted, he started retching violently.

Hu Mo shook his head and rubbed his forehead. He had to admit, Huang Sheng always managed to provoke him.

After Huang Sheng finished retching, he was met with a stream of cold water, followed by a blast of intense heat that nearly roasted him.

After the ordeal, Hu Mo let out a long breath and said, "Washed and dried. Don't thank me!"

Huang Sheng was truly on the verge of tears. This was bullying, plain and simple. He had rushed over with such enthusiasm, only to be met with imprisonment, a fall, a face-full of dirt, a cold shower, and a fire roast. He wanted to weep aloud to vent his frustration.

"Boss, if you want to change your palate and eat human flesh, I’ll go catch a few for you—there’s no need to eat your own brother. I’m practically cooked," Huang Sheng said, smelling the scent of roasting meat in the air as his skin turned a faint red.

Seeing his pathetic state, Hu Mo couldn't help but scoff, "Stop putting on an act. Your strength might not be much, but at least you have the fire attribute. This bit of heat won't hurt you at all."

Hu Mo ruthlessly exposed his lie, turned around, walked to a small pavilion, and sat on a stone bench.

Huang Sheng followed him with a grin, and after sitting in the breeze for a while, his reddened skin returned to normal. Indeed, the people of the Skyfire Empire were all like this; their attributes were extremely yang, and even those who weren't fire-attribute warriors had a certain resistance to fire-based battle energy.

"Boss, don't you want to know why I came?" Huang Sheng asked excitedly, his tone filled with anticipation.

"Oh? What is it?" Hu Mo replied listlessly.

Huang Sheng’s enthusiasm waned instantly. He asked with a bitter face, "Boss, were you dumped by some woman? You’re so lethargic. I’m talking about real business, something very important!"

Huang Sheng’s eyes were wide as he stared directly at Hu Mo.

Hu Mo glanced at him and nodded slightly. "Go on, I'm listening."

Huang Sheng felt like vomiting blood. He sighed and said, "Our family has begun to split. The recent rise of the Hu family has forced the old fogies in my family to change their strategy. There are now three factions: those pro-Situ, those pro-Hu, and the neutral ones. My plan is progressing rapidly. I believe that as the Hu family grows stronger, the power balance in Flame City will shift significantly. Boss, we might reach our goal sooner than expected!"

Huang Sheng’s face regained its glow; he was clearly very excited about this matter.

Hu Mo looked at him, a flash of joy appearing on his face before it quickly darkened. Huang Sheng caught the expression, frowned, and asked in a low voice, "Boss, did something happen? Is there a complication?"

Huang Sheng had been blinded by joy earlier and hadn't noticed Hu Mo's mood. Now that he had calmed down, he realized something was wrong.

Hu Mo nodded and said, "Yes, a major complication. My master—the one who could kill a person without batting an eye—and my senior sister have both run off."