Chapter Fifty-Four: Cultivation, Desperate Cultivation!

“Ah Fu, tell me in detail everything that has happened these past few days.” Hu Yihu took a sip of tea, settling comfortably into the wicker chair. Having just returned from a long journey, he could finally relax.

Old Fu approached, bending slightly at the waist, and recounted all that had transpired. Hu Yihu listened with closed eyes, his expression calm and indifferent as Fu delivered his report.

But when he heard what Hu Mo had done at the Huang residence, Hu Yihu suddenly slapped the table, shattering the sandalwood surface. Startled, Old Fu thought Hu Yihu was about to vent his anger at Hu Mo and prepared to speak in his defense, but Hu Yihu burst out laughing. “Excellent! Well done! That old wretch from the Huang family has always deserved a tongue-lashing and a beating. Before the Emperor, he’s slandered me more times than I can count. Mo’er truly vented my frustrations for me!”

Seeing Hu Yihu laughing so hard that his eyes nearly shut, Old Fu felt greatly relieved. He smiled faintly, thinking to himself, “The Marshal’s temperament has changed quite a bit.”

“By the way, Ah Fu, what news from Lin Xiong? Any progress on that last matter?” Hu Yihu’s tone suddenly grew serious, his gaze fixed intently on Fu.

Old Fu managed a wry smile. “To answer the Marshal, there’s still no leads. Too many factions in Flame City are targeting our Hu family. If we were to eliminate them all, we’d have to wipe out at least half the city’s powers.”

“Half the factions, is it?” Hu Yihu mused. After a long pause, he suddenly laughed. “Who would have thought our Hu family would become the target of all? Still, if we slaughter half the city, that would be the end of us.”

“Marshal, don’t say that. Though their numbers are many, they’re still no match for the Hu family. Those people are constantly scheming against one another; there’s no such thing as absolute friendship among them, only absolute interests. They wouldn’t do anything to harm their own interests. Now that the young master is growing rapidly, the Hu family’s resurgence is only a matter of time!” Old Fu’s voice was full of conviction—he had the utmost confidence in Hu Mo.

Hu Yihu chuckled, patting Fu on the shoulder. “Ah Fu, you have even more faith in Mo’er than I do! I heard that brat from the Huang family has recovered as well. Could this have something to do with Mo’er?”

“There is something peculiar about it,” Old Fu replied, frowning in puzzlement. “According to the young soldiers of the Fire God Army, when the young master went in, that brat from the Huang family was barely clinging to life. By the time he came out, the boy was suddenly cured. Some of them looked back and saw the young master performing acupuncture on him, so it seems likely he was the one who healed him. But that makes it all the more mysterious. It’s one thing for the young master to hide his strength, but since when did he possess such medical skill? That boy’s illness couldn’t be cured by any of the four great doctors of Flame City, yet the young master managed it. And as far as I know, he’s never studied medicine.”

Old Fu poured out all his doubts, his old face a picture of confusion.

Hu Yihu sighed softly, saying, “Perhaps we’ve truly neglected him, or perhaps we know too little about him. We’ve guessed before that some peerless master must have taught Mo’er, and such masters are often versed in many arts—including medicine. What we need to watch out for now are the schemes of those factions—we must make sure Mo’er comes to no harm!”

His tone turned icy. The teacup in his hand began to steam, and soon the tea had evaporated entirely, the violent aura of fire filling the hall.

“Kill—!” A sudden roar arose, and, as if from nowhere, a rain of bodies fell from the sky—over a dozen people plummeting to the ground.

“Not enough! Again!” On the open ground, Hu Mo stood facing the wind, exuding an air of utter dominance.

This was the triple training intensity that Hu Mo had spoken of: battle, ceaseless battle—only through combat could one truly grow stronger. This was the philosophy he had brought from the Star Battalion.

Though each round pitted a dozen or more against Hu Mo alone, the force of their attacks remained consistent. Hu Mo could feel with certainty that his current self was incomparable to who he had once been.

Each punch he threw was explosive, flooding his body with a sense of exhilarating power. He could no longer deny it: he had truly reached the realm of Battle King.

Just over a month—barely more than a month—and he had advanced from the third tier of battle energy to the Battle King level. It was unimaginable to anyone. The Star Battalion warriors were left stunned; for the first time, they realized the man they had once disdained was far mightier than they could have dreamed.

Black Iron and Lin Nan had already been beaten bloody and now sat off to the side, tending their wounds. Hu Mo had paid them special attention—he refused to stop until flesh had met blood.

Yet neither of them held any resentment; on the contrary, their fighting spirit was only stoked higher by Hu Mo’s relentless beatings. After so many bouts, even Hu Mo’s attitude toward Lin Nan had softened.

Lin Nan had a stubbornness that Hu Mo admired. Though Lin Nan’s earth attribute countered Hu Mo’s fire, Hu Mo’s sheer power was vastly superior, so Lin Nan was always at a disadvantage.

Time and again, Lin Nan was sent flying, only to climb up and charge in again, repeating the cycle. In the end, Hu Mo could hardly bear to hit him any harder—after all, his handsome face was already glowing red from the blows.

Black Iron, tough as ever, recovered with a speed that bordered on the monstrous. No sooner had he sat down to heal than he was up again, itching for another round with Hu Mo.

“No! You’re too weak—again!” Hu Mo shouted, repeatedly performing the Fire God Transformation, perfecting the techniques it spawned.

He did not use the Water God Transformation—it was too conspicuous. On the continent of battle, possessing both water and fire attributes was unheard of and would cause a sensation. Besides, everyone should keep some cards hidden for safety’s sake; Hu Mo was not foolish enough to reveal all his secrets.

Hu Mo’s blows seemed to inject the warriors with new life, driving them to hurl themselves at him with everything they had. Their energies flowed together in a curious way; though it looked like a dozen men attacking one, the keen-eyed could see their strength was being channeled through a formation, merging into a single, formidable force.

With another thunderous boom, the charging warriors were sent flying by Hu Mo once more, landing in a heap.

Hu Mo’s main focus was on training the Soul-Devouring Earthfiend Squad, whose combat abilities still lagged behind the Bloodthirsty Skymarshal Squad. That was precisely why Hu Mo was so ruthless with them—in other words, he was beating them within an inch of their lives.

The Bloodthirsty Skymarshal Squad was not having it easy either; Hu Mo was wringing every drop of sweat and blood out of them. Their task was simple: to run endlessly around Flame City.

It must be known that the temperature around Flame City could reach as high as fifty degrees. To keep running under such conditions was an exercise in sheer endurance—one that would make any onlooker gasp.

Yet not one of them was willing to give up. These were the elite among the one hundred and eight, proud to a fault. Even if it cost them every last ounce of strength, they would push through—this was the battle to which they had staked their entire lives.

Already, the sweat of thirty-five men had left a faint trail on the ground. No matter how much sweat poured, it meant nothing to them.

Again and again, they pushed themselves to their limits—only to break through, time after time. By the end of the afternoon, these elite warriors were trained to the point of collapse.

At dusk, Hu Mo stood before them, surveying their sorry state, and said with a smile, “Brothers, did today’s training satisfy you?”

That wicked grin sent a chill through every man present. But for all their dread, their admiration for Hu Mo only deepened.

Though they were all exhausted, Hu Mo stood before them as energetic as ever—a fact alone enough to inspire awe.

“You all trained hard today—everyone could see that. Well done. You haven’t let me down,” Hu Mo said, his tone suddenly gentle and approving.

At his rare praise, smiles broke across their faces. After all the scolding they’d endured during this hellish training, even a single compliment from Hu Mo was enough to lift their spirits.

“But this is only the beginning—the road ahead is still long!”

“Bloodthirsty Skymarshal Squad, your task for the next half month is endless physical training. I want every one of you to meet my standards. After half a month, you’ll truly begin formation training.”

“Soul-Devouring Earthfiend Squad, you will continue small-group combat drills. Of course, you’re welcome to challenge me whenever I have time—I’ll never refuse. You, too, have half a month. The Earthfiend Formation is even more demanding than the Skymarshal Formation; you’ll need to give more sweat and effort, so I hope you’re prepared.”

“Every day from now on, except for important business, I’ll be training alongside you. So don’t even think about slacking off—otherwise, the consequences will be dire. Let’s say, for now… whoever slacks off, their entire squad will have to run three laps around Flame City, barking like dogs as they go.”

Hu Mo grinned at them, his simple glance sending chills down their spines. They couldn’t help but smile wryly—an easy life was clearly a crime in the days to come.