Chapter 117: Am I This Strong?

In the Inner Courtyard, in an unnamed secluded grove.

"Darling, just calm down, will you?"

"I really didn't mean to stand you up; I had a mission in the afternoon... Yes, exactly, I went out to chase down that enemy!"

"Didn't... catch him..."

Zhao Xidong awkwardly touched his nose, blaming it all on that annoying Xu Xiaoshou—if it weren't for him, none of this mess would have happened!

He pulled the charming woman in front of him into his arms.

"See, I'm making it up to you now. Look how beautiful the night is; an evening rendezvous is way better than an afternoon one!"

"I really haven't gone after any other women. In my heart, there's only you!"

"Don't be mad, okay?"

He gazed at her deeply, his handsome face reflecting the image of the beauty who was gradually cooling off in his eyes.

"Fine, I swear!"

A finger pressed against his lips, and a soft voice rang out, "Don't!"

Zhao Xidong shook his head and gently moved her finger away, speaking with deep affection, "I will."

What a perfect opportunity—how could he let it slip?

"Mmm-hmm!" The woman covered her chin with a small fist, letting out a shy hum through her nose, as if she already knew what he was about to say.

Zhao Xidong raised three fingers, his gaze never leaving the beauty, and declared with passion, "I, Zhao Xidong, swear that in this life, I will love only Mimi Darling. If this is false, may I be struck by lightning!"

A sudden boom echoed in the void, followed by a flash of white light.

Zhao Xidong: ???

"This... you..." The woman stared at him in disbelief, her hand clutching her chest as she backed away step by step, then covered her face and fled.

"Darling, come back! That's not lightning—that's sword qi!" Zhao Xidong cried out in despair.

But the beauty was gone, not looking back.

"It's Innate Sword Qi..."

Zhao Xidong's heart shattered. He pointed furiously at the sky and roared, "Su Qianqian, that's the sixth one! You keep ruining people's romances—you'll meet a bad end!"

With that, he leaped into the air, not toward where the woman had run, but toward the source of the sword qi.

Not far from the grove, the woman had been jogging for a while and slowed down, but no one followed. She seemed to understand what had happened.

She looked up at the sky, where the cold moonlight spilled down, and two lines of clear tears streamed down her face.

"In the end, I'm the one shouldering everything alone..."

That night, the stars filled the sky, and many young couples and minor nobles still wandered through the Inner Courtyard.

Xu Xiaoshou's sword pierced through the night, instantly drawing everyone's attention as winds and clouds converged.

People were stealthily approaching from the surroundings.

Yuan Tou's eyes darted around nervously, feeling a sense of urgency.

He considered intervening to finish off Xu Xiaoshou, but seeing Chao Shu forming seals with one arm missing, he held back his impulse.

That seal looked familiar...

"Ice Room Catastrophe?!" he thought in shock.

This was one of the rare techniques from the Thirty-Three Competitors tournament that had actually killed someone!

Yuan Tou had no idea what had happened inside the ice crystal barrier, but seeing Chao Shu forced into such a state, he felt a twinge of respect for Xu Xiaoshou.

"Given time, he'll be someone to watch... What a pity..."

Crack, crack—

Xu Xiaoshou felt a strong wave of nausea again.

This guy was like sticky candy; he was making good use of ice abilities in the most disgusting way, completely restricting Xu Xiaoshou's movements.

A massive ice block, over ten zhang in diameter, quickly formed around him as seals were made, turning into a spherical ice prison that trapped Xu Xiaoshou inside.

"Ice Room Catastrophe!" Chao Shu snarled, his face twisted in rage.

The prison slowly lifted into the air, suspending Xu Xiaoshou, and then dozens of sharp ice spears appeared densely outside.

Xu Xiaoshou's expression darkened; those spear tips were all pointed at him. He could guess what was coming next without even thinking!

"Get me out of here!"

The compressed fire seed he had boldly swallowed earlier to endure the pain now became his lifeline, hovering in his qi sea and warding off some of the external chill.

But it was only partially effective; he still couldn't stop the frost from slowing his movements!

And if that fire seed exploded by accident, it would mean instant death.

"There's no time—this guy's control is too disgusting!"

Xu Xiaoshou clenched his fists, covering his entire body with "Sharp Light."

"Attack!" Chao Shu bellowed.

Thirty-six Profound Ice Spears crisscrossed and stabbed through, instantly turning Xu Xiaoshou into a pincushion.

Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle...

Blood sprayed everywhere, making Yuan Tou, who was watching from outside, feel a chill run down his spine.

This technique had pierced an opponent to death during the Thirty-Three Competitors tournament.

It all happened in a few breaths; the victim didn't even have time to surrender before dying on the spot!

Onlookers had started gathering, thinking it was just a minor scuffle, but seeing this scene in the void, they were stunned.

"Holy crap, what the... Someone get help—this is insane!"

"Are they out of their minds? This is even wilder than Su Qianqian's 'One Sword Breaks the Black Shark' this morning. They're really going all out!"

"Is that one-armed guy Chao Shu? Oh my god, who did he mess with to end up like that?"

"Who did he mess with? Look closely—that's 'Ice Room Catastrophe.' The one who provoked him is probably already dead; he's just mutilating the body!"

"Feifei, don't look—girls shouldn't see this stuff."

"How could I not? Missing this would be such a loss!"

"No, I mean... not watching would be a huge loss, you know? Silly."

"Under attack, Passive Value +108."

"Under attack, Passive Value +108."

"Under worry, Passive Value +14."

"Under mourning, Passive Value +6."

Xu Xiaoshou was surprised. On the surface, he looked like a bloodied mess, but honestly, the damage from those ice spears was nothing compared to the earlier "Ice Dragon's Breath."

His Innate Body was the first line of defense, absorbing most of the impact;

"Sharp Light" was the second, coating him like iron skin;

"Rebound" was the third, blocking any direct piercings and preventing a fatal blow;

"Endless Vitality" was the fourth, constantly healing his wounds...

"Am I really this strong?"

Xu Xiaoshou realized that aside from effects like the chilling penetration from before, these so-called powerful physical attacks were basically just tickling him now...

Useless!

His fifth defense, "Full of Yuan Energy," had already restored more than half of his spiritual yuan. He slipped out two more compressed fire seeds with his hands, melting the ice pillars holding his arms.

Covering his groin, Xu Xiaoshou said with disdain:

"Just this?"

Chao Shu was trembling with fury, but he was utterly helpless.

He was out of spiritual yuan!

The earlier "Ice Dragon's Breath," which should have sealed the fight, had drained him dry. Managing to use "Ice Room Catastrophe" was already impressive.

But his ultimate move had no effect at all—what the hell was going on?

Was this guy really just an Innate Body?

Yuan Tou must have misled me!

The power of the ice spears weakened, barely able to pierce his skin anymore, and Xu Xiaoshou regained his mobility.

Crack!

He twisted his neck, his eyes narrowing into those of a wild beast, and his voice dropped low: "My turn!"

Everyone watched in shock as he pulled out a massive bathtub taller than a person and smashed it into the "Ice Prison"!

One hit, and ice shards flew everywhere!

Xu Xiaoshou... burst out of the cage!

Chao Shu swallowed hard, sensing danger. He instinctively looked toward Yuan Tou, his eyes pleading silently: Save me!

Xu Xiaoshou gave no one time to react. He hurled the small bathtub, and Chao Shu turned to flee, quickly swallowing a pill to dodge.

A rush of sword qi erupted from Chao Shu, holding him in place for just a moment.

This move was something Xu Xiaoshou had learned by imitating the masked man's control over the Nine Great Elders.

He had nearly mastered "All Things Are Swords: Man as Sword," testing it on Mu Zixi and Mo Mo, and that night, the masked man had given him the final insight!

With the force of a cauldron, he blasted half of Chao Shu into the sky. As the crowd gasped, they saw the black sword hidden under the bathtub, moving even faster, reversing course...

It pierced straight through Chao Shu and dragged him back to Xu Xiaoshou!

Yuan Tou's pupils shrank; he could no longer stay put.

"Stop!"

"Stop!"

The second "Stop" came from far away, sounding like someone rushing over.

Chao Shu panicked. He was already mentally broken from the fight, ignoring the pain of the black sword through him, and stammered, "You can't kill in the Inner Courtyard!"

Xu Xiaoshou just laughed.

He responded with a mocking "Heh-heh," ignoring the shouts from outside the fight.

In the void, he moved two compressed fire seeds to his fingertips, then carefully drew out the one in his qi sea.

His strongest burst for now: Three-Finger Seed Technique!

Sidestepping "Hidden Bitterness's" backlash, Xu Xiaoshou struck out, dispersing all "Sharp Light" from his right hand and slamming it into Chao Shu's chest!

The black sword, carried by momentum, passed through Chao Shu's abdomen and embedded in the ground.

Under Xu Xiaoshou's precise control, he imprinted the three compressed fire seeds into Chao Shu's chest. With a "Rebound" push, he sent him soaring into the sky.

Yuan Tou hesitated in his attempt to save him, his mind reeling in disbelief that Xu Xiaoshou would dare kill with enforcers on the way.

Zhao Xidong, even farther away, arrived too late; he only saw two bloodied figures and missed the killer entirely.

All the onlookers tilted their heads skyward, watching Chao Shu's face grow more terrified...

Xu Xiaoshou lowered his eyelids, taking a deep breath, his heart far from calm.

He always hated killing.

But tonight...

Light a cannon as a tribute to those who tried to kill me!

Boom!

A shattering roar echoed in the void, obliterating even the air in that instant.

At that moment, even disciples in the Outer Courtyard, far away, looked up toward the explosion that rivaled the afternoon's.

Zhou Tiancan stood in a rugged courtyard, having waited for Xu Xiaoshou for a while. He planned to tell him about the threat as soon as he returned.

The boom caught his attention. He touched his knife and muttered to himself:

"Another cannon salute— that makes three, I think..."

"Spirit Palace must be celebrating something big today!"

Back in the Inner Courtyard battlefield.

Xu Xiaoshou composed himself, glancing at the blood on his clothes with a frown, then turned to Yuan Tou nearby.

He didn't know who this guy was, but he knew Yuan Tou had come with the "cannon."

Though he'd stayed far back and hidden well, Xu Xiaoshou's "Perception" had projected every move in his mind.

It was because of Yuan Tou's watch that Xu Xiaoshou hadn't chosen to retreat at the start.

"Full of Yuan Energy" had restored a bit more of his spiritual yuan from the Embers...

Xu Xiaoshou stared fixedly at Yuan Tou, then raised an eyebrow in contempt, his voice sinking like the abyss:

"Want to kill me? You can try!"