Chapter 16: Great Dark Tribulation Fist

Chapter 17: Physique

Splash!

The audience erupted in thunderous applause, no doubt because the battle had been incredibly thrilling.

Full of twists and turns!

Everyone thought Liu Zhen had Liu Zhen with his relentless "Da An Jie Quan," overwhelming Xu Xiao, but to their surprise, Xu Xiao countered with a single finger strike, turning the tide.

Then, just when "Da An Jie Quan" exploded and Xu Xiao seemed gravely injured with no way out, he cleverly turned the tables. Using the blood to blur his vision, he shifted from defense to offense.

Most crucially, after they both hung in the air, that rapidly spinning wind-fire wheel not only left Liu Zhen questioning his existence, but the follow-up move, "Ling Yang Gua Jiao," which flipped Liu Zhen over, showcased Xu Xiao's exceptional close-combat skills.

As the instigator, Xu Xiao admitted that without his "Strong Constitution," he would have been done for by now.

The hidden force of "Da An Jie Quan" was truly terrifying. Although he had snatched victory from defeat, he was now completely out of fighting shape.

"Do you need to rest?" the referee asked, rushing over.

"Mm." Xu Xiao nodded.

The referee took a deep breath and pointed at Liu Zhen lying beneath Xu Xiao: "He needs it too."

Liu Zhen had already passed out—who knew if it was from the fall or sheer frustration.

Xu Xiao awkwardly got up, finally making space for the Liu Zhen competitor, and staff quickly came to carry him away.

"Won't you go in to recover?" the referee asked.

Xu Xiao glanced at the standing, applauding audience. Are you kidding? How could he go inside now?

He shook his head and turned his attention inward.

"Received encouragement, Passive Value +242."

"Received praise, Passive Value +366."

Notifications kept refreshing, and in the span of half an incense stick's time, the accumulated Passive Value was more than he could earn from two full fights.

Xu Xiao couldn't help but check below:

"Passive Value: 7255."

Tsk tsk!

Ignoring the few points from Di Xin Er, Liu Zhen alone had given him over two thousand.

The rest all came from these enthusiastic audience members during the breaks between matches.

The number was still skyrocketing.

Xu Xiao stopped paying attention and started checking his body.

After "Da An Jie Quan" exploded, he had been severely injured, and everything that followed was sheer willpower keeping him going.

Now that he had relaxed, he basically lost all mobility—even twitching his mouth hurt.

Yet, the preliminary round still had one more fight!

Xu Xiao gritted his teeth, sat cross-legged on the Chu Yun Tai, shifted his body to face away from the audience, and pulled out a bottle of pills. This was the ten-grade healing spirit pill, Chi Jin Dan, that Elder Qiao had given him after the group stage.

Here goes nothing!

Xu Xiao acted as if he were facing death, pinched a Chi Jin Dan, and not daring to inhale deeply, gently sniffed it.

In an instant, it was like he was struck by lightning—his eyes went white, and his body shook like a sieve.

"Gee gee gee..."

The people in the audience were all watching Xu Xiao, and seeing him turn his back and suddenly start trembling, they all craned their necks, full of curiosity.

"What's he doing?"

"Taking a pill? What kind of pill is that—it's got him shaking like crazy!"

"That must be a poison pill—it's terrifying!"

Everyone watched as Xu Xiao, who had been sitting cross-legged, suddenly collapsed on the Chu Yun Tai in a spread-eagle position, like a quivering pile of mud.

"What on earth did he eat to shake like that?"

"This guy must have a vibration attribute..."

Question marks popped up over everyone's heads, and Xu Xiao unconsciously raked in another wave of doubt.

The referee was scared out of his wits. What the hell is going on? We just sent Liu Zhen away, and now you're collapsing too?

Grow up already—give me a break as the referee!

He hurried over with the medical staff, checking Xu Xiao's pulse and pinching his philtrum.

"Gee gee... N-no problem..." Xu Xiao foamed at the mouth.

The referee nearly cursed. Does this look like no problem?

"If you can't hold on, say something—I'll take you for treatment!" The referee tried to press on Xu Xiao's chest to stop the shaking.

Xu Xiao's eyes rolled back as he struggled to sit up, but his whole body was limp. He weakly roared:

"Don't—don't touch me!"

"I'm in a... sensitive state right now, gee gee gee..."

The referee: "..."

He quietly withdrew his hands pressing on Xu Xiao. Maybe he doesn't need me after all...

In the audience, people were buzzing about what was happening. Once Xu Xiao lay down and his face was visible, those who could read lips translated it, and the crowd exploded.

"He's taken some kind of aphrodisiac!"

"Taking that stuff during a match? I'm impressed!"

"Someone get him off stage to cool down!"

"Demand a drug test—Xu Xiao must have used banned substances!"

This wave of translations brought Xu Xiao a ton more Passive Value—from doubt, admiration, mockery, and more...

The medical staff released Xu Xiao's wrist, looking shocked: "He seems fine?"

"Huh?" The referee was puzzled.

"I don't know what pill he took, but its effects are insane. His body is repairing itself rapidly—he's mostly healed."

"Heh!"

"Mostly healed?"

The referee pointed at Xu Xiao's shaking body: "Then what's this?"

The medical staff hesitated: "Enjoying it?"

The referee's face darkened. Enjoying what?

Useless!

After thinking for a moment, the referee pried open Xu Xiao's hand and saw the Chi Jin Dan.

"Just this?"

He raised an eyebrow, casually popped one into his mouth, making the medical staff nearly jump: "You can't eat that!"

"It's fine. If it's poison, it wouldn't have the effect you described, and he wouldn't dare swallow it; if it's a banned substance for the match, I need to detect it right away."

The referee sat cross-legged, circulated his Ling Yuan, and the pill dissolved instantly. His eyes widened.

What the heck?

Is this really Chi Jin Dan?

He looked at the still-shaking Xu Xiao and fell into thought. Are we taking the same thing?

Or maybe he's really got a sensitive constitution?

At that thought, the referee's body twitched, startling the medical staff.

Meanwhile, on the ground nearby, Xu Xiao's shaking gradually subsided. With his experience from the last Refining Spirit Pill, he was handling it much better this time.

And this Chi Jin Dan was a healing pill, after all—the rush of pleasure came quickly and faded just as fast.

No denying it, the breathing method had massive side effects, but its benefits were even greater!

"Seems like I'm mostly recovered, just still a bit sore..." Xu Xiao thought to himself.

The explosive power of "Da An Jie Quan's" hidden force wasn't a joke. Thinking back, it still made his scalp tingle—he had no idea how he'd mustered the courage to tough it out.

Well, toughing it out was his only option anyway...

Xu Xiao waved his arms and legs, forcing himself to look lively. There was still a fight ahead— he couldn't let his body cool down.

The referee watched Xu Xiao hopping around and occasionally twitching, his face full of suspicion.

Is that it?

Xu Xiao bounced back, turned around, and waved to his adoring audience friends to thank them and assure them he was okay. He checked his mental notifications again.

"Passive Value: 10220."

Tsk tsk, up by over three thousand!

That's real love!

Xu Xiao marveled as he walked back to the barrier, one step at a time with the occasional tremor.

Today's total met the target—and even exceeded it.

The referee followed him like a bodyguard and casually asked: "Ready for the next match?"

"Hold on, let me catch my breath—give me a minute!"

Xu Xiao pulled out a spirit crystal and sniffed it occasionally to keep himself at peak condition.

Even so, after that intense battle and just recovering from serious injuries, performing at six or seven tenths of his strength would be impressive.

"Alright!"

The referee chuckled: "Then let's start—it doesn't matter anyway, we're out of time."

Xu Xiao stared at him in shock. Are you a dog?

No time left and you still asked if I wanted to start—just to mess with me?

The referee grinned, infused his Ling Yuan into the array token, and activated the lottery screen, with a victorious smile on his face like he'd won a round.

The screen swirled, and the name settled:

"Wen Chong!"

Xu Xiao gaped at him. Wen Chong? Are you serious?

The referee looked innocent, shrugging as if to say it had nothing to do with him.

At the same time, the audience nearly flipped out—the atmosphere exploded with this name.

"Oh my god, Wen Chong?!"

"This has to be rigged—Xu Xiao's in for it!"

"Yeah, he just survived a life-or-death battle and hasn't even rested, now facing a top contender who was supposed to hold the ring."

"A ring holder?" Some people were excited, while others were clueless, not understanding why everyone suddenly lost it. "Quick, explain—what's going on?"

"You know Ring 2? Wen Chong had bad luck in the group stage, drawn with Chao Qing Teng, so he got overshadowed—one champion, one runner-up."

"Pfft, so what? Xu Xiao's a champion too!"

"Chao Qing Teng, Rank 2, innate expert!"

"Wen Chong, Rank 7, half-step innate!"

"Hiss! That impressive?"

"Heh, and that's not all. No, no, this guy is basically Xu Xiao's nemesis!"

The speaker's tone was teasing, building suspense, and people around him got impatient: "Stop holding back—spill it!"

"You know Liu Zhen, right? The ten-realm powerhouse who nearly obliterated Xu Xiao earlier!"

"Yeah yeah!" The crowd nodded.

"He's Wen Chong's little brother!"

"Hiss!" Everyone sucked in a breath.

"And there's more!" The speaker looked smug and continued: "You know Di Xin Er, the girl Xu Xiao smacked on the head twice with a wooden sword?"