Chapter 1

"Damn!"

When Xu Xiaoshou opened his eyes again, everything had changed.

What he saw was a ceiling crisscrossed with spider webs, a small wooden table covered in dust, a candle stub that had burned out, and a black sword with a highly spiritual aura...

All of these were completely different from the hospital room.

Xu Xiaoshou tilted his head and recalled that after optimistically battling his illness for three years, he finally collapsed straight away.

The pain was over, and he waved goodbye to the clouds in the sky, but his heart was filled with a bitter taste.

Why were other people's lives so colorful, while his life, apart from nine years of compulsory education, was spent mostly in the hospital?

School and hospital, these two painful terms, had occupied his entire life.

But at this moment...

He looked around at the unfamiliar yet somewhat familiar scene, pinched himself from head to toe, and found no pain.

"Is this a pain-free reincarnation?"

Xu Xiaoshou leaned close to the bronze mirror on the table, and what he saw was a completely renewed yet still handsome face.

The face of an eighteen-year-old boy, pale as if he hadn't been in the sun for a long time, with a high nose that neatly divided a few freckles on his cheeks, and dry, chapped lips.

"Not bad, a bit more tanned and a bit fatter would make it even better, especially these few freckles..."

Xu Xiaoshou smacked his lips, rubbed the dead skin on his lips, and read the memories in his mind, deducing why he was so thin and weak.

This guy was originally an outer disciple of the Tiansang Linggong, but unfortunately, his talent was average. After three years in the Linggong, he had only cultivated to the third realm of the Ten Realms of Spirit Cultivation. To prepare for the "Fengyun Struggle," he decided to enter a closed retreat for a month to break through.

Failure was not an option!

And then he failed...

Xu Xiaoshou shook his head in regret. This guy actually knew he couldn't break through to the fourth realm. Over the past three years, he had endured ridicule and had long since given up on life.

At this moment, he was just using the excuse of a closed retreat to give himself a reason to quit.

Different worlds, different kinds of pain. Xu Xiaoshou suffered physical torment, while this guy suffered mental torment.

Both had equally tragic lives.

"But since I've been given this chance, I won't let these rumors defeat me," Xu Xiaoshou thought to himself. He continued to read the fragmented memories, and his face darkened.

It turned out that the "Fengyun Struggle" was like a final exam, and this guy had been at the bottom for two years. If he lost again this year, he would have to pack his bags and leave the Tiansang Linggong.

No wonder he went into a closed retreat; it seemed he had no choice...

Xu Xiaoshou felt a headache. How could he be given such a huge pressure right away? A final exam? And an elimination system?

As someone who had been through it, he was most afraid of exams, especially when he was not up to the task in terms of both physical and mental strength.

The worst part was that there was no black tech here, so he couldn't cheat...

He was lost in thought, and the memories were almost fully read. With a jolt of his soul, he seemed to fully integrate into this body.

The next second, a black wheel appeared in his mind.

Xu Xiaoshou: "..."

So, the black tech has arrived?

He hurriedly probed his mind, carefully examining the black wheel.

The black wheel was very simple, like something from a street stall, not looking very precious. Xu Xiaoshou seriously doubted whether this black tech was just a facade.

The bottom of the wheel was divided into two sections, one golden and one red.

Interestingly, the golden section took up nearly ninety percent, while the red section was just a tiny corner.

"This is so unfair..."

Xu Xiaoshou silently complained. According to past theories, the compressed red section was often where the good stuff was.

However, the golden section was labeled "Active System," and the red section was labeled "Passive System."

"Active and passive?"

Xu Xiaoshou's face became strange. In a game, active skills were naturally better than passive skills. After all, how could you defeat enemies with just passive skills?

You probably couldn't even kill a wild monster!

Could it be that this black wheel, seeing how pitiful his past life was, expanded the "Active System" area as a reward?

Xu Xiaoshou became excited. It must be like that!

"What a fair wheel, rarely seen!"

He was eager to find something like a "Start" button, but found nothing.

In his mind, there was nothing but this simple wheel.

Could it be that he had to operate it with his hands?

He looked at the shabby black wheel, afraid that he might break it, but it seemed there was no other way, so he had to try.

He looked at the needle on the wheel, which was long and thin, looking frail.

He tried to move the needle with his mind, and the wheel wobbled, showing a tendency to move.

—And then it stopped.

"Stopped?"

The tendency was just a tendency, and the needle remained still. Xu Xiaoshou thought the person who made this wheel was too careless.

It looked shabby, and there was no lubricant, how could it move?

He used a bit more force with his mind, and the needle tilted, but it still felt very stiff, not enough!

Xu Xiaoshou added more force, and the needle tilted even more. He realized it was a bad idea and tried to withdraw the force, but the needle snapped with a "snap"...

Snapped?

Snapped!

Xu Xiaoshou's face turned black. Damn, this wheel wasn't just shabby, it was really shabby!

The needle was originally pointing to the edge of the golden section, and with the snap, it fell into the red section.

Red... Passive System?

Xu Xiaoshou's face turned from black to purple. This was not fair, who made this wheel, such a wicked thing.

He suddenly thought, could it be that the wheel wasn't meant to be moved by the needle, but by the base?

"Um... Not possible, right?"

Xu Xiaoshou blushed, tentatively moving the base. Indeed, it turned smoothly, showing no signs of lack of lubricant.

"This..." Xu Xiaoshou's eyes were lifeless, and his body staggered, falling onto the bed.

The next second, he jumped up, hurriedly trying to use his mind to pick up the broken needle and place it in the golden section before the black wheel reacted.

But as soon as this thought appeared, the black wheel seemed to wake up from his misoperation and disappeared.

A line of text appeared:

"[Passive System] Activated, loading..."

Xu Xiaoshou felt like crying but could only accept the reality.

The text disappeared, and a small red interface appeared. Xu Xiaoshou looked at it with a glimmer of hope.

There was only one section, with a large line of text:

Basic Passive Skill.

The section was familiarly shabby and simple:

Breathing Technique (Acquired Level 1).

Xu Xiaoshou fell off the bed, his already pale face suddenly turning red. This was a surge of anger and frustration.

What the hell, a breathing technique, do I need you to teach me that?

Even a baby knows how to breathe!

Xu Xiaoshou had a bit of hope for the "Passive System," hoping it would have a miraculous reversal and impress him.

But now he was completely disappointed. This was really passive, even for breathing...

What the hell, breathing!

He was so angry that he took a few deep breaths, and suddenly felt the spiritual energy in his body surge.

"What's happening?" Xu Xiaoshou was shocked. He was currently at the third realm of Spirit Cultivation, and there shouldn't be such a surge of spiritual energy unless he was about to break through. Could he be breaking through?

He quickly sat in a meditative position, just as the spiritual energy enveloped his body like a cocoon, a mysterious force rising from his dantian, like a fish returning to the sea, breaking through the constraints.

Invisible waves rippled through the air, even the dust on the table was swept away.

"Breaking... through?"

Xu Xiaoshou was bewildered. The guy couldn't break through after a month of closed retreat, but he broke through just by taking a few deep breaths in anger?

No...

Breathing?

Xu Xiaoshou's eyes lit up, "Breathing Technique?"

Could it be that this "Breathing Technique" was a cultivation method, and each breath he took was absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, converting it for his own use?

"Heaven... I've found a treasure!"

Xu Xiaoshou thought he had gotten a junk system, but this was the best. He carefully interpreted the word "Passive," and had an epiphany.

"Passive breathing?"

"Passive cultivation?"

He focused on his breathing and indeed found that with each breath, a bit of spiritual energy was absorbed into his dantian.

Not much, but enough!

He had already reached a bottleneck, and those few extra breaths of spiritual energy were the final push, making it happen naturally.

Xu Xiaoshou's heart was on fire. Indeed, the best things often exist in the compressed areas.

If he had been given an active cultivation method, he would still have to go through the process of cultivation.

But this "Breathing Technique" even skipped the cultivation process. What did that mean?

Xu Xiaoshou waved his sleeve, flicking his long hair from his forehead, his face radiant.

"I, Xu Xiaoshou, can stand still and be invincible!"

Unfortunately, no one could appreciate his current brilliance, and Xu Xiaoshou felt a bit regretful.

He looked at the red interface again, with a different feeling.

"Breathing Technique (Acquired Level 1)."

His eyes drifted to the suffix, and he muttered unconsciously, "Acquired... Level 1..."

This must mean it can be upgraded, but what is used to upgrade it?

He soon noticed a line of small text at the bottom of the interface, which he had overlooked in his excitement.

"Passive Value: 0."

Xu Xiaoshou rubbed his chin, "Passive Value?"

This must be used to upgrade skills, but how to get it?

On a summer night, always accompanied by cicada and mosquito sounds, Xu Xiaoshou's deep thoughts made the room completely quiet.

He suddenly felt an itch on his forearm and instinctively slapped it. When he raised his hand, he saw spots of blood on his palm.

"Damn mosquitoes!"

Xu Xiaoshou felt the room needed a thorough cleaning, as it hadn't been cleaned for a month. The next second, he suddenly froze, his face showing a mix of amusement and frustration.

In his mind, a message appeared below the red interface:

"Attacked, Passive Value, +1."