Am I the only cultivator in this cultivation group?

The July Demon Cave is located in a large valley deep within the July Mountains.

This place is surrounded by mountains and dense forests. With green hills and clear waters, the spiritual energy here is much richer than that of the outside world, which is why it was named "July Demon Cave".

The entrance to the demon cave is located halfway up the mountain, shrouded in a layer of mist. If an ordinary mortal were to stumble upon it by chance, they would only find the mountain path difficult to traverse due to the heavy fog, and would have no idea that a demon cave was hidden in the valley.

There are two paths to capture demons in the Demon Cave in July.

Firstly, there is a cave entrance examination held once every ten years. Those who pass the special examination can officially enter the cave.

Secondly, one must reach the stage of transcending worldly concerns through cultivation.

Once you pass this hurdle, you've truly embarked on the path of cultivation and can directly enter the cave.

Today, Li Hu, relying on this second point, walked straight to the entrance of the July Demon Cave with his head held high.

He walked with a lighter pace than usual.

Dust-free gate!

He had waited far too many years for those three words.

After more than a hundred years of arduous cultivation, enduring countless cold stares and the passage of time, I am finally able to step into the July Demon Cave with my righteous cultivation.

He had already begun to plan how to gain a foothold after entering the cave, how to collect his salary as soon as possible, how to repay the pangolin's kindness, and how to cultivate step by step to the Spirit Origin Realm to completely change his fate as a "mountain demon".

To his surprise, just as he reached the door, the hedgehog demon guarding the gate brandished his long sword and stopped him without any politeness.

"Where did this wild monster come from? Get out of the way! Didn't you see what it says above?"

The hedgehog demon pointed its knife at the top of its head.

A large plaque hangs prominently above it—"July Demon Cave".

The most outrageous thing is that there was a circle of colored lights around the plaque, with the lights flashing and making the entrance to the cave look rather tacky.

This is a new trick that the Demon Cave has come up with in recent years in order to "keep up with the times." It is said that the cave master felt that the storefronts of those shops in the human world were too bright, and that his own dignified Demon Cave could not appear too shabby.

"See that?" the hedgehog demon said, chin raised. "The July Demon Cave!"

Li Hu looked up, nodded, and smiled, "Of course I know this is the July Demon Cave. I have already entered the Transcendent Realm and have come here today to enter the cave."

"You? Tuochenguan?"

The hedgehog demon looked him up and down, its eyes full of disbelief, and clicked its tongue twice.

But after glancing at it a few times, his expression changed again.

"That's true."

He then toned down his previous dismissive attitude and waved his hand, saying, "You wait here, I'll go inform them."

"Thank you for your trouble." Li Hu nodded.

Before long, the hedgehog demon led a toad demon over.

The toad demon swaggered around, his shoulders slumped, his eyelids half-closed, looking as if he had just woken up. He kept his head down, playing on his phone, and only when he got closer did he slowly raise one eye and scan Li Hu from head to toe.

"You, want to enter the July Demon Cave?"

"Indeed, I am Li Hu," Li Hu replied immediately.

"A fox is a fox, no need to give your name, no one cares," the toad spirit said lazily. "Since your cultivation has reached this level, then come in with me."

After saying that, he waved his hand, turned around, and left.

Li Hu hurriedly followed.

After walking a few steps, he suddenly remembered something and quickly asked, "Senior, is the pangolin in the cave today?"

He never forgot that pangolin.

Today, I came to the Demon Cave of July not only to seek a better future, but also to find the other party and repay the debt of gratitude in person.

"What pangolin?"

The toad demon replied without turning its head, "There are no pangolin demons in my July Demon Cave."

"what?"

Li Hu was taken aback, then murmured, "Could it be a wild demon from the neighborhood...? It seems I can only repay him properly when I meet him again in the future."

He sighed softly and had no choice but to continue following the toad spirit into the cave.

Along the way, the toad spirit tried to extract a lot of information from him.

Li Hu was unguarded, answering whatever the other asked without hesitation or concealment. When the toad spirit heard that it had taken him a full 170 years to reach the Transcendental Realm, it couldn't help but glance at him again.

However, he didn't actually say anything.

Seeing this, Li Hu felt a sense of smugness.

He guessed that the toad spirit was probably stunned by his own perseverance.

After all, no matter what, he has now truly embarked on the path of cultivation. From now on, wherever he goes, he can hold his head high and is no longer comparable to a wild fox in the mountains.

Unfortunately, Li Hu was clearly wrong.

The toad was thinking that he had lived for over 170 years and barely made it to the Transcendental Realm, so his talent was incredibly poor.

Moreover, he kept asking questions and didn't understand anything, clearly indicating that he was an old, secluded demon who had been cultivating in the mountains for a long time and was completely ignorant of human relationships.

This kind of demon poses no threat and has no future.

It's best to handle it carefully.

The two demons walked all the way to the north side of the July Demon Cave and came to an open valley.

Rows of wooden houses stood in the valley, the ground piled high with firewood, the air thick with the smell of cooking fires and pungent cooking fumes. The aroma of cooking pots, the stench of meat, and the smell of firewood mingled together, making one wrinkle their nose in frustration.

The toad spirit finally stopped and casually tossed a token to Li Hu.

"We've arrived. You'll be staying here from now on. 1700."

Li Hu took a look and saw that it indeed said "One Thousand Seven Hundred".

Number 1700.

Just by looking at the number, you can tell how many demons were piled up before it.

"You live here?"

Li Hu looked around, his nose twitched slightly, and he looked somewhat dazed.

He has a keen sense of smell and detected it immediately.

This place... is clearly a kitchen.

"That's right, what else?" The toad spirit glanced at him, then casually tossed him an iron brush and pointed to ten large, dark pots not far away. "Before tonight, scrub those ten pots clean. The King doesn't like the smell of leftover food in the pots."

Li Hu looked down at the iron brush in his hand, then at the ten large cauldrons, and finally couldn't help but speak up: "But I've already transcended the mortal realm..."

He paused, then added earnestly, "I can do more."

"Transcending the dust?"

The toad demon scoffed as if it had heard a joke, then suddenly roared at the top of its lungs, "Everyone inside, get out here!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than chaos erupted inside the wooden house.

Several little demons hurriedly ran out.

Li Hu looked up and was immediately stunned.

Those little demons were all at the Transcendental Realm!

"See that?" The toad spirit yawned, glancing at him sideways. "In this place, there are tons of people from the 'Transcendent Realm'. You shouldn't think too much about it; just finish washing the pot first."

As he spoke, he tossed over a pill and a string of copper coins.

"This is your salary for this month: one Qi and Blood Pill and a string of copper coins. Keep it safe and don't lose it."

"Oh……"

Li Hu caught the pill, looked down and saw that it was a low-grade Qi and Blood Pill.

That newly risen sense of pride was suddenly punctured as if someone had quietly poked a hole in it.

It turns out... after all the hard work and cultivation I've put in for over a hundred years, I'm still just an ordinary little demon.

After giving his instructions, the toad spirit left.

The other lesser demons also dispersed, and none of them came over to pay any attention to Li Hu, the newcomer.

Only one chubby seal spirit moved over, smiling as he said, "Brother, I am 1601, you can just call me Zhang Gou, seal spirit."