Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio  Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
âThe battle has endedâ
The judge waved his hand and announced Xu Xiaoshouâs victory in the first battle. As soon as he said this, he saw the lad anxiously rush out of the arena even faster than Di Xinâer had.
The judge was confused. âWhere are you going?â he asked.
âHuh?â
Startled, Xu Xiaoshou turned back around. âIâm going to rest. Isnât there half an hour for candidates to rest and recover?â
Even though this was his first time attending the preliminaries, he had watched the event the last two years and was very familiar with the rules of the competition.
The judge was speechless. Out of all the competitions heâd presided over, heâd never had to deal with a candidate like this.
All of the other candidates would either confidently sit in the arena to rest or wave their hands to signal for their next opponent, yet this candidate wanted to run out of the arena?
Heâd just witnessed this lad engage in a relatively normal battle, which was a rare sight, but now that his battle was over, he was showing his true colors.
âWhy do you have to go out? Canât you rest here?â the judge asked.
âItâs stuffy in here! This lousy place is enveloped by a barrier. Thereâs nothing in here but you and hot air. Of course I have to go out.â
Xu Xiaoshou felt that what he said was natural enough. However, he couldnât ignore the judge now that heâd said something. âLetâs go out together,â he said.
The judge was speechless. âI didnât mean that, darn it!â he thought.
Xiao Qixiu, who was standing in the air, had a smile on his face. He had also noticed Xu Xiaoshou.
More accurately, he had paid special attention to this lad not only because of Xu Xiaoshouâs Innate-stage physical body, but, more importantly, because he wanted to observe Xu Xiaoshouâs sword technique.
Anyone else mightâve been drawn to Xu Xiaoshouâs unconventional words and actions, but not Xiao Qixiu, who had been drawn to his sword techniques and found that they werenât as simple as they appeared as he observed the battle from outside the arena.
âHeâs also learned the White Cloud Sword Technique?â
âDoes that mean he was telling the truth yesterday?â
He and Elder Qiao hadnât managed to find the swordsman after leaving Xu Xiaoshouâs yard.
The swordsman had just achieved the Acquired-stage Sword Will, so he shouldnât have been able to perfectly hide his aura. However, they hadnât been able to find him!
Could it be that Xu Xiaoshou was really that swordsman?
Xiao Qixiu felt that his guess was too ridiculous. Any other person wouldnât be able to hide their aura, but he thought Xu Xiaoshou was really able to fool a serious swordsman like himself right in front of his face?
There was no way!
He turned his gaze to the other arenas. As heâd expected, the other two competitors sent their opponents flying out of the respective arenas at the same time.
Xiao Qixiu took out a piece of paper and marked on it as he said, âMo Mo, Zhao Qingteng, three consecutive victories.â
Xu Xiaoshou heard him say this the moment he left the barrier and was shocked.
So fast? Did they even fight?
However, this was understandable. Only they could win so fast.
They had ranked first and second last year and were both cultivators at the Innate Stage!
He soon stopped caring about the announcement and scanned the spectator seats in hopes of finding Su Qianqian and her friend who had witnessed his battle the other day.
But he didnât find them.
The crowd was too large. A lot of people were passionately waving at him.
âKeep it up, Xu Xiaoshou!â
âHere, Xu Xiaoshou! Iâm here!â
âWooden sword, that wooden sword. Please pat me with it!â
âXu Xiaoshou, I love you! Ahh, heâs looking over! Ahh, Iâm dead!â
Xu Xiaoshou gave up on his search. It was no big deal. He happily waved his hands and expressed his thanks, and Passive Points appeared on the notification panel in his mind.
âGot encouraged. Passive Points +89.â
âGot praised. Passive Points +94.â
âGot a love confession. Passive Points +66.â
Love confession?
Xu Xiaoshou was startled. What had the system mixed up this time?
He felt that this group of people had become even more insane than before the battle. He didnât know what happened, but he felt like heâd heard the word âwooden sword.â
Xu Xiaoshou pulled out his wooden sword and pointed it at the spectators.
âYou want this?â
His calm, challenging tone coupled with his otherworldly appearance and his body, which was no longer scrawny after being enhanced by Strengthen, made the female disciples in the spectator seats go wild.
âGot a love confession. Passive Points +99.â
âGot a love confession. Passive Points +164.â
âGot a love confession. Passive Points +323.â
âGot cursed. Passive Points +2.â
F***!
These people must be mad.
Xu Xiaoshou covered his ears and was nearly scared back into the barrier.
âCalm down. I can win out!â he thought.
âI have to resist this wave of Passive Points. I can do it!â
âXu Xiaoshou, time is up!â
The judgeâs angelic voice finally saved him. Xu Xiaoshou quickly scurried back into the barrier, and his surroundings became peaceful again.
The screen shimmered, then stopped. The judge shouted the name of his next opponent.
âLiu Zhen!â
Liu Zhen, who was covering his ears on the Chuyun Platform, was dumbfounded. ThisâŠ
Zhou Zuo walked over from the side. He had already admitted defeat two consecutive times, so he was elated when he saw this scene.
âDo your best, Senior Liu. Shed your heavy burden. You can teach him a lesson for Boss Wen while youâre at it. That lad is finished. To think that he dared to tease Senior Di.â
Liu Zhen silently walked into the arena.
âSo itâs you!â Xu Xiaoshou chuckled.
âEnemies often encounter each other. Thatâs great. Youâre a pugilist, right?
âI love fighting pugilistsâŠâ he said as he looked at Liu Zhenâs silent expression. His heart suddenly thumped. Did this person also want to admit defeat?
âGiving up before the battle is a great disrespect to your opponent. Running away without battlingâŠâ
Liu Zhenâs expression darkened, and he interrupted Xu Xiaoshou. âI donât intend to admit defeat.â
âThatâs good, thatâs good!
âYouâre a real man! Great!â
Liu Zhen was speechless.
He kept having the feeling that Xu Xiaoshou was putting on an act all to hide his true strength. Reality proved that heâd fooled everyone.
Xu Xiaoshou was no longer Level Five when heâd come out of his seclusion. The boastful words heâd threatened people with were true.
How else could he have risen to the peak of Level Six in such a short time?
Others might not be able to notice his Innate-stage physical body, but Liu Zhen could! He couldnât hide it from him!
Also, his sword technique just nowâŠ
AlsoâŠ
Xu Xiaoshou looked at the notification panel, terrified.
âGot doubted. Passive Points +1.â
âGot doubted. Passive Points +1.â
âGot doubted. Passive Points +1.â
ââŠâ
The constant updates in the notification panel instantly confused him.
âWhatâs going on?â he thought.
The judge?
Liu Zhen?
Thatâs impossibleâŠ
Could there be a fourth person in this barrier?
Xu Xiaoshouâs pupils dilated. âThis is broad daylight! Donât scare me!â he thought.
âJudge, I suspect that something evil has infiltrated the barrier! Hurry and search for it!â Xu Xiaoshou cried loudly.
The judge slapped a hand to his forehead. âItâs over,â he thought. âThis person is acting up again. He only stopped for a little while.â
Xu Xiaoshou almost cried and laughed at the same time. The notification panel hadnât stopped updating, but he couldnât reveal the fact that he had something like the notification panel to the judge.
âItâs true. You have to believe me!â
âThereâs definitely a fourth person in here⊠No, it might not be a person!â Xu Xiaoshou pounced forward.
The judgeâs expression darkened. âGet into position, candidate. Donât come and hug my leg. Please head back and rest!â
âPlease! Head! Back!â
Liu Zhen sighed deeply.
âHeâs still putting on an act!â
âDo you really think Iâm an ordinary man who canât see through you?â
He shook his hands, his gaze landing on the black bag of sand on his forearm. âThis guy is something else. It looks like Iâll have to reveal some of my true powers!â
Boom, boom!
He released all of the black bags of sand on his arms, legs, and abdomen, and they fell down on the ground, causing it to cave in slightly.
Liu Zhenâs cultivation level aura constantly climbed: Level Seven, Level Eight, Level NineâŠ
Level Ten!
The peak of Spiritual Cultivation!
The judge and Xu Xiaoshou looked over at the same time, both dumbfounded. Had this person just been pretending to be weak?
Liu Zhen smiled coldly when he saw the shock in Xu Xiaoshouâs eyes.
âXu Xiaoshou, stop pretending. Iâll use my full powers to defeat you!â
âYour methods are useless against me!â
âWhatâs going on?â Xu Xiaoshou thought, confused. âWhatâs he talking about?â