Beside the campfire, Huo Yuhao sensed Long Xingyu leave and froze for a moment.
Why had Long Xingyu run off? Did he think Huo Yuhao wouldn't notice?
To be safe, Huo Yuhao immediately released his first Soul Skill, Spiritual Detection, and swept it over the surrounding area.
After a full sweep, he finally confirmed that Long Xingyu was indeed gone. As for where he had gone, Huo Yuhao had no idea.
"Yuhao, Long Xingyu really has left. I can't find him either."
Just then, the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm in Huo Yuhao's Sea of Consciousness chimed in:
"He doesn't think that because he's a Divine Seal Knight, we can't detect him, does he?"
"That's probably it."
Hearing that, Huo Yuhao shook his head helplessly.
Although Long Xingyu was a Divine Seal Knight, Huo Yuhao didn't dare let his spiritual power get too close for fear of being discovered.
But his spiritual power had been keeping track of Long Xingyu's Spiritual Energy fluctuations and aura all along. It was precisely because Huo Yuhao's spiritual power could no longer sense Long Xingyu's aura that he realized the man had left.
Huo Yuhao didn't feel much about Long Xingyu's departure. He was already deeply grateful to have been able to leave Imperial Dragon Pass with Long Xingyu's help.
Perhaps Long Xingyu had left after seeing that Huo Yuhao could live independently and wasn't in danger.
After all, Huo Yuhao had noticed the impatient look on Long Xingyu's face long ago, as they traveled.
It was just as well that Long Xingyu had left. Huo Yuhao would have more freedom too.
Just then, the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm spoke again:
"Yuhao, is Long Xingyu jealous of you? Otherwise, why would he leave you to fend for yourself?"
"Probably not. Although he thought I was a burden, he didn't look obviously disgusted. If he really wanted to leave me to fend for myself, perhaps he would have let me go on my own as soon as we left Imperial Dragon Pass."
Huo Yuhao answered as he roasted the fresh meat.
"Forget it. Never mind him. You should still keep your distance from him in the future. There might be something wrong with his head."
"Mm!"
Huo Yuhao nodded. He thought so too.
After a simple dinner, Huo Yuhao took out the map Long Xingyu had given him and compared it with the one he had prepared. Only after finding nothing wrong with it did he breathe a sigh of relief.
Given his current location, he only needed to continue southwest for another two or three thousand li to reach the Holy City.
But the closer he got to the Holy City, the more magical beasts he would encounter. He didn't want his chances for real combat to end so soon.
Huo Yuhao studied the map carefully and decided to head due south toward Exorcist Pass, following the Demon Defense Mountain Range. Once he was halfway there, he would change direction and head for the Holy City.
The Demon Defense Mountain Range marked the border between human and Demon Clan territory. Magical beasts were plentiful there, and members of the Demon Clan could be encountered from time to time, making it just right for his combat training.
With his spiritual power and the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm keeping watch, he had nothing to fear as long as the Demon Clan wasn't above the Fifth Tier.
Having made up his mind, Huo Yuhao replanned his route. Apart from passing through a few small towns to resupply, he would spend the rest of the journey in the Demon Defense Mountain Range.
If he had the chance, he also wanted to see whether he could cultivate Necromancy.
And so, Huo Yuhao began meditating and cultivating at the campsite.
Over the past half year, his Internal Spiritual Power had reached 1,345 points, while his External Spiritual Power had reached 253 points. Added together, they came to 1,598 points.
With that much Spiritual Energy, he could already be considered a seventh-level, Fourth Tier knight.
However, during his nightly meditation over the past few days since leaving the Far North, he had discovered that his Internal Spiritual Power was increasing more and more slowly.
Even if he cultivated all night, he could only gain two or three points of Internal Spiritual Power. If he didn't cultivate, he couldn't gain even a single point.
And the farther south he went, the slower his cultivation became.
Huo Yuhao wasn't worried about this. It was just as well, since he could now temper his Internal Spiritual Power.
Early the next morning, before setting off, Huo Yuhao used his spiritual power to sweep the surrounding area once more, but still found no sign of Long Xingyu.
So Huo Yuhao hesitated no longer and headed south toward the Demon Defense Mountain Range, following his new route.
The Demon Defense Mountain Range stretched 1,600 kilometers from north to south. It was an important barrier on the eastern side of the Temple Alliance, with steep, treacherous terrain that was easy to defend and hard to attack.
At first, Huo Yuhao thought he would run into the Demon Clan, but after traveling along the mountain range for several days and killing many fourth- and fifth-level magical beasts, he still hadn't encountered any members of the Demon Clan.
In these battles, he not only used his knightly abilities but also wove magic throughout the fighting, allowing him to use the two professions in combination.
If the magical beasts he killed had any valuable parts, he would find a town and sell them for gold coins to buy food, seasonings, and the like.
Besides, he only used standard-issue equipment, which was far too ordinary. For a Fourth-Order Grand Knight like him, such equipment really wasn't very suitable.
And so, over two or three months, Huo Yuhao traveled south through the Demon Defense Mountain Range and killed hundreds of magical beasts. Once he had learned to use both professions proficiently, he changed direction and headed west toward the Holy City.
After those two or three months of fighting and killing, he was completely transformed, with a faint scent of blood and killing intent about him.
Although he didn't know his exact age, he had finally grown past 1.6 meters tall, and he looked a little more mature.
In particular, because he had an Ice Spirit Physique, he had an ethereal, icy air about him that made others seem unable to approach.
After three months of real combat, his Internal Spiritual Power had also passed 1,400 points. At his cultivation speed, he might break through to the Fifth Tier within a year.
"Yuhao, this Holy City covers quite an area! It's almost as big as Mingdu. Its buildings just aren't as tall!"
"And there are quite a few powerful people here. Although they don't measure up to Long Xingyu, they're still extremely powerful."
Huo Yuhao had just walked through the gates of the Holy City when the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm in his Sea of Consciousness couldn't help crying out in surprise.
"Haha, Brother Sky Dream, the Holy City is the largest city on the Holy Demon Continent, after all. Of course it covers a lot of ground. As for the height of the buildings..."
"Mm... The two worlds are rather different. In Douluo Continent's future, Soul Tools became increasingly widespread, so technology grew more and more advanced. But on the Holy Demon Continent, the focus is still mainly on primitive, real combat."
Huo Yuhao answered the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm.
He was also wondering whether he could make equipment suitable for ordinary people to use, something like Soul Tools, except powered by Spiritual Energy instead.
If that really didn't work, he could also create sealed Milk Bottles, so ordinary people could enjoy the benefits of technological development too.
Unfortunately, he hadn't had time to learn about alchemy in this world yet, and his cultivation was relatively low. Otherwise, he really did want to give it a try.
After entering the Holy City, Huo Yuhao followed the map's guidance and first took a look at its three major landmarks: the Temple Alliance Auction House, the Alliance Executive Government, and the Temple Alliance Grand Trial Grounds.
Only afterward did he head to the Knight Temple's headquarters in the Holy City to report in.