War God Long Ao

'Elixirs?'

Liu Feng's words sparked a realization in Long Ao.

All this time, his life had been nothing but Cultivation and Slaughter, and he had completely forgotten about elixirs.

"Brother Long, I know you're an Alchemist. If you want to raise your strength quickly, you can refine or purchase elixirs."

"I understand."

"Brother Long, while elixirs can help a Martial Artist improve their strength, taking too many will do more harm than good. So, as I always say, your own Cultivation is what's most important."

Nodding, Long Ao didn't stay any longer. He left the auction house, preparing to start refining elixirs.

Long Yili and Duanmu Lin, leading a group of thugs, approached with cold expressions. Speak of the devil. Long Ao was so disgusted by the two of them he didn't even want to spare them a glance.

"Well, well, if it isn't our Great Genius Long?"

"Brother Long, you shouldn't talk like that. Long Ao took second place in the Thunder Tournament, after all. A 'talent' like that is nothing but trash."

"Get lost."

Long Ao completely ignored them. He could clearly sense two Evolutionary Martial Artists among the thugs they had brought this time. Otherwise, Long Yili and Duanmu Lin would have never dared to be so brazen.

"Long Ao, you've offended the Third Prince. Do you really plan on just walking away like this?"

"Idiots. Trash."

"How dare you insult us?"

"Long Yili, Duanmu Lin, I'm truly baffled. How can the absolute scum of the earth like you two still be alive in this world? I feel sorry for your mothers. Sigh."

Seeing the youth's regretful expression, Long Yili and Duanmu Lin flew into a rage. But before they could make a move, Long Ao had already charged forward.

In a flash, before the two could even react, a pair of agonized screams rang out. The two Evolutionary Martial Artists they had brought with them were now corpses.

Long Yili and Duanmu Lin stared at the corpses on the ground, completely dumbfounded. They never imagined he would actually dare to attack, much less that he was powerful enough to kill two Evolutionary Martial Artists in a single move.

"Long Ao, you..."

"Scram."

Long Ao's patience had run out. A powerful Momentum erupted from his body, crashing down on them like a tidal wave. With their meager strength, how could Long Yili and Duanmu Lin possibly withstand Long Ao's oppressive presence?

"Provoke me again, and I'll grant you no mercy."

Watching the youth turn and leave, the expressions on Long Yili and Duanmu Lin's faces were utterly grim. They shared a deep look, a cruel and sinister glint appearing in their eyes simultaneously.

In Thunder City, aside from the Thunder Royal Family, three great families stood preeminent: the Fourth Level Long Family, the Duanmu Family, and the Jiang Family.

Long Ao felt a surge of frustration. For reasons unknown, he had somehow managed to provoke all Four Great Forces of Thunder City. 'Looks like I'm in a pretty dangerous spot.'

Not dwelling on it, Long Ao immediately began cramming knowledge about elixirs. As a prodigy in Alchemy, he managed to skim through information on many different elixirs in just a few short hours.

As he researched, Long Ao discovered numerous elixirs capable of enhancing a Martial Artist's strength, all categorized by Level. Unsurprisingly, High Level elixirs offered a significant boost, whereas Low Level elixirs were far less effective.

Among the many elixirs, Long Ao chose one called the Soaring Dragon Pill.

Based on the information he had gathered, Long Ao now knew that Alchemists were also ranked by level. From lowest to highest, they were: First Level Alchemist, Second Level Alchemist, Third Level Alchemist, Fourth Level Alchemist, Fifth Level Alchemist, Sixth Level Alchemist, Seventh Level Alchemist, Eighth Level Alchemist, Ninth Level Alchemist, King Level Alchemist, Emperor Level Alchemist, Venerable Level Alchemist, Emperor Level Alchemist, and Divine Level Alchemist.

Correspondingly, elixirs also had a ranking system. From lowest to highest, they were: First Level Elixir, Second Level Elixir, Third Level Elixir, Fourth Level Elixir, Fifth Level Elixir, Sixth Level Elixir, Seventh Level Elixir, Eighth Level Elixir, Ninth Level Elixir, King Level Elixir, Emperor Level Elixir, Venerable Level Elixir, Emperor Level Elixir, and Divine Level Elixir.

Reflecting on his current Alchemy skills, Long Ao felt a sense of helplessness. At his current level, he was at best a Ninth Level Alchemist.

But even so, refining the Soaring Dragon Pill was an impossible task for him.

'The Soaring Dragon Pill is an Emperor Level Elixir. How could I possibly succeed in refining it with my current skill?'

With no other options, Long Ao went to the Pill Alliance to see if he could purchase a Soaring Dragon Pill. He was in for a rude awakening. The price was so astronomical that he couldn't afford even a single pill, let alone several.

In the end, Long Ao decided to give up on the elixir for now. He would wait until he could refine the Soaring Dragon Pill himself.

Long Ao had just returned to his inn when he was summoned by the Thunder Royal Family.

Long Ao was no fool. 'I'm in Thunder City,' he reminded himself. 'The consequences of refusing this summons would be dire.'

The Thunder Royal Family was the absolute hegemon of the Thunder Empire, and its position was unshakeable.

「In a pavilion in the rear garden.」

When Long Ao arrived at the pavilion, he found only two people inside. One was a middle-aged man dressed in yellow robes, his face radiating an imposing authority. Long Ao didn't need to guess; he knew at once that this man must be the Emperor of the Thunder Empire, Zhao Mang.

"Long Ao pays his respects to Your Majesty."

Long Ao did not kneel, but Zhao Mang didn't seem to mind. He smiled and said, "Long Ao, come, sit. Let me introduce you. This is the National Protection Hall Master, Gu Bai."

'National Protection Hall Master Gu Bai?'

Long Ao was a little surprised. He knew full well that the Thunder National Protection Hall was on a completely different level than the Nebula National Protection Hall—not just in terms of strength, but also status and prestige.

Without the slightest hesitation, Long Ao plopped down in the pavilion, picked up a teacup from the stone table, took a light sip, and praised, "Good tea."

Seeing Long Ao's complete lack of restraint, both Gu Bai and Zhao Mang seemed a bit surprised. At that moment, Gu Bai spoke up, "Long Ao, you took second place in the Thunder Tournament and entered the Hundred Battles Ranking at seventieth place. I am now formally extending you an invitation to join the Thunder National Protection Hall. I wonder, are you interested?"

If an ordinary person were to receive Gu Bai's invitation, they would be ecstatic. Long Ao, however, remained very calm. He had long guessed that after taking second place in the Thunder Tournament, the Thunder National Protection Hall would certainly invite him.

"Hall Master, I'm sure you both know what happened between me and the Nebula National Protection Hall. To be honest, I no longer trust any National Protection Hall. Therefore, I've decided that from this day forward, I will not join any of them."

Gu Bai and Zhao Mang were, of course, perfectly clear about the matter between Long Ao and the Nebula National Protection Hall. Gu Bai smiled and said, "The Nebula Kingdom was indeed in the wrong. However, Long Ao, I can promise you this: as long as you join the Thunder National Protection Hall, no matter what happens, we will never abandon you. If I break this promise, may heaven strike me down."