Chapter 6

Xu Xiaoshou was on the road, one foot pigeon-toed, the other duck-footed, braving the wind and rain.

He had woken up an hour earlier to start his journey, but after walking for half a day, he still hadn't arrived. "Damn breathing technique..."

An old man with a straw hat walked past him, leaning on a cane. Though he didn't move quickly, he stirred up a gust of wind.

After a while, the old man turned back, seemingly surprised at how slow the young man was moving.

"From the outer courtyard?"

"Young man, aren't you going to participate in the 'Feng Yun Zhenba'?"

Xu Xiaoshou's teeth chattered as he said, "I, I'm on my way!"

The old man glanced at his legs and smiled meaningfully, "Young people shouldn't go overboard!"

Xu Xiaoshou's face darkened, nearly stumbling and falling. He angrily cursed in his heart, "Damn Spirit Refining Pill..."

All of this stemmed from the terrifying combination of the "Breathing Technique" and the "Spirit Refining Pill."

During the three days of preparation, he had endured the strange sensations, sucking the energy out of twenty spirit crystals, his cultivation rapidly reaching the peak of the Fourth Realm.

After confirming that this cultivation method had no side effects, Xu Xiaoshou realized the power of the "Breathing Technique." Although it absorbed energy slowly, it absorbed a lot at once.

The more he cultivated, the more he became addicted. He was just one step away from the Fifth Realm, and there was no way he could stop.

He restrained his trembling body, thinking that there was still one night before the competition. How could he waste it?

Time is money, time is life!

So he took out the Spirit Refining Pill, hesitated, and fearing that the pill's power might not be enough to break through, he emptied his lungs and inhaled the pill through his nose.

This inhalation caused a major incident!

A spirit crystal, the size of a fist, couldn't absorb much energy, but the Spirit Refining Pill, the size of a fingernail, shrank by half when he inhaled it forcefully!

What did half mean?

Usually, when spirit refiners absorb the Spirit Refining Pill, 99% of the spirit energy dissipates, but even so, it significantly accelerates cultivation.

The "Breathing Technique" absorbed 100%...

By the time Xu Xiaoshou realized something was wrong, the overwhelming sensation had already hit him. Who could withstand it?

It wasn't just a sensation; it was like swallowing an explosive.

His feet stiffened, his heart stopped, and Xu Xiaoshou fainted on the spot!

This one inhalation was equivalent to a normal person taking dozens of Spirit Refining Pills, showing the pill's immense power.

In his unconscious state, Xu Xiaoshou didn't just break through a realm; his cultivation soared to the peak of the Fifth Realm, almost breaking through to the Sixth Realm.

When he regained consciousness, he felt completely drained, his steps unsteady, his eyes rolling, and his teeth chattering...

It was as if he had been...

Clearly, he had just taken a small sniff of the pill, but it was infuriating!

Even while walking, his left foot pushed his right foot, and his right foot supported the ground.

If he didn't keep his legs tight, he would end up sitting like a duck.

Xu Xiaoshou quickly swallowed the remaining half of the pill, using a regular cultivation method to refine it, which improved his condition.

Although it was wasteful, there was no other choice. The most important thing was to be able to participate in the competition.

"Clang—"

A melodious bell broke his thoughts.

Xu Xiaoshou bid farewell to the old man and quickened his pace, heading towards the Outcloud Platform.

The old man watched him stagger and sighed, "Being young is great!"

...

Outcloud Platform, Platform 12.

"Last call!"

"Number 1130, Xu Xiaoshou!"

Everyone was eagerly waiting when a sword-wielding youth stumbled under the scorching sun.

"Here... wait a moment!" His voice was so weak.

In the audience, the white-clad girl, Su Qianqian, pointed excitedly, her big eyes full of excitement, "Brother Xiaoshou!"

"Is it him?"

Rao Yinyin was a bit curious, but seeing the youth's walking posture, she felt dizzy, "Sister Su, what did you do to him?"

"Huh?"

Su Qianqian was confused. After looking at Xu Xiaoshou again and seeing his walking posture, her cheeks turned red, and she punched the red-dressed woman's chest, "Hmph, I'm not talking to you!"

In the distance, Elder Qiao sighed in relief, "He finally made it, this kid..."

"Uh, his walking posture, what did he do?"

...

On the platform.

Xu Xiaoshou weakly saluted the referee, "Sorry, I was delayed."

After saying that, he tightened his legs.

The referee: "..."

Your words and actions, young man, are easily misinterpreted!

At that moment, another bell rang from the sky.

"Clang—"

The referee waved his hand, "The match begins!"

As soon as the words were spoken, the scene erupted.

Someone took advantage of the distraction caused by Xu Xiaoshou and knocked several people off the platform, instantly reducing the number of participants.

"Looking for death!"

Those who weren't ambushed immediately became furious and engaged in a fierce battle with the attackers.

Xu Xiaoshou, who had just entered the platform, stayed at the edge, away from the battlefield. Seeing the number of participants decrease, he became anxious.

This was about the number of kills!

His plan to get rich depended on the number of kills. These people were passive values; how could they fight each other?

"Stop!"

A strong, yet weak, voice echoed across the platform, forcing everyone to stop fighting.

Everyone was stunned, turning to look at Xu Xiaoshou, not knowing why they were intimidated.

What was this guy going to do? Was he feeling overconfident because he was far from everyone else?

A few people were about to come over and beat him up.

The referee was also stunned. He hadn't expected this latecomer to have innate power in his voice?

But when he checked the realm, Fifth Realm? Was he seeing things?

The three people in the audience were also confused. Elder Qiao was anxious, not noticing anything, and was just getting angry, "What is Xu Xiaoshou up to? Is he not afraid of dying?"

Rao Yinyin turned to the girl, "Your Brother Xiaoshou is quite self-sacrificing, giving up his own chances to help others advance?"

Su Qianqian didn't speak, tightly gripping the giant sword on her lap, her eyes full of worry.

On the platform, after shouting, Xu Xiaoshou's legs trembled, and he quickly covered them with his robe.

Looking around, he saw that the highest realm nearby was Eighth Realm, which shouldn't break through his defenses.

"Fortunately, I didn't encounter any experts, or my plan to get rich would have been ruined," Xu Xiaoshou thought.

"Cough, cough!" He cleared his throat, seeing that everyone was paying attention to him. He inserted the black sword into the platform, leaning against the barrier, and said calmly,

"Everyone!"

"I have cultivated an unparalleled divine technique, making my body incredibly strong. When I emerge from seclusion, I must test my skills..."

"So, without further ado, one against a hundred, let's go!"

"You are all surrounded by me, Xu Xiaoshou!"

The crowd, initially surprised, burst into laughter at Xu Xiaoshou's words.

"One against a hundred?"

"Did you forget to urinate this morning? Can't you see yourself?"

"Don't think I can't see your legs trembling and your teeth chattering. If you're not one against a hundred, what are you afraid of?"

"You, a weakling? Don't overestimate yourself!"

"..."

Xu Xiaoshou looked at his trembling legs. Indeed, "weakling" was a fitting term!

His taunts had drawn everyone's attention, and even the referee was tempted to join in.

But he was a fair referee and suppressed his urge to fight.

"Received ridicule, passive value, +42."

"Received ridicule, passive value, +21."

The information in his mind refreshed, and Xu Xiaoshou raised an eyebrow. Indeed, a crowd was his battlefield!

Good taunting!

Please beat me up!

Xu Xiaoshou's fighting spirit was high, imagining everyone rushing to attack him. He pointed to the black sword and said, "This is a Ninth Rank Spirit Sword. Whoever defeats me..."

"Hey, why are they fighting over there? Listen to me!"

"Hey, hey!"

"Here, look at me!"

Halfway through his speech, the crowd thought he was crazy and ignored him, fighting among themselves again.

Xu Xiaoshou was angry and slapped a few people who came over, knocking them to the ground.

"Stop!"

A roar, with a faint innate pressure, made everyone feel a chill. What was happening? Why did they stop again?

Turning around, they saw several people kneeling in front of Xu Xiaoshou, covering their faces.

Fifth Realm, Sixth Realm, Seventh Realm...

What was going on? Why were they kneeling?

Everything happened so fast that even those who were slapped were confused. I came to beat him, but why did I kneel after a slap?

The three people in the audience saw the clearest.

Rao Yinyin's eyes widened in surprise, "Xu Xiaoshou's physical strength is incredible. At Fifth Realm, he has such speed and power."

Su Qianqian nodded, "That's right!"

The referee was also stunned. He had just turned his head, and how did innate pressure appear again? Who was emitting it?

There were no innate experts in sight!

As a referee, he felt the need to stop Xu Xiaoshou from disrupting the match and said coldly,

"Contestant, please do not interfere with the match, or I will remove you!"

Xu Xiaoshou countered, "How am I interfering? I'm also a contestant!"

The referee was speechless. You have a point!

"But the match must continue!" the referee insisted.

Xu Xiaoshou was dumbfounded, "The match is continuing!"

He turned to the crowd, his eyes sincere, "I just want to say..."

"Whoever can break through my defense with their hands will receive this Ninth Rank Spirit Sword!"

He pulled out the black sword, infused it with spirit energy, and the sword glowed with power.

I don't believe you guys aren't tempted.

"Received doubt, passive value, +86."

Xu Xiaoshou: "..."

Why don't they believe me?

He looked at the referee and threw the sword to him, "You be the witness!"

The referee: "???"

Did I agree to this? You just threw the sword at me?

Xu Xiaoshou, before the referee could speak, said, "A referee's duty is to prevent injuries. There's no rule against me doing this on the platform!"

The referee was speechless.

"Good!"

"I agree with Xu Xiaoshou!"

A tall man, at Seventh Realm, spoke up, his eyes fixed on the black sword.

"I agree!"

"Approved!"

The atmosphere changed. Dozens of people stared at the Ninth Rank Spirit Sword, their eyes gleaming with greed.

The tall man looked at Xu Xiaoshou, "Are you serious?"

"Serious, more serious than gold!" Xu Xiaoshou said loudly, seeing that someone agreed with him.

These people were truly motivated by profit, all the same!

The three people in the audience were also confused. They looked at other platforms, where the matches were intense and deadly.

But Platform 12... it was like an auction.

Xu Xiaoshou, the host, was misleading the crowd, the referee held the spirit sword, and the crowd looked like hungry wolves.

Rao Yinyin covered her forehead, sighing, "What a weirdo!"

"Brother Xiaoshou is amazing!" Su Qianqian clenched her fist.

Elder Qiao was stunned, picking up his dropped jaw.

"What is this kid up to!"