Chapter 21: Referee Saves Life

There was no break between the preliminary rounds and the top 64 advancement matches.

However, the incident involving Xu Xiaoshou killing someone had brewed overnight and spread throughout nearly the entire Outer Court.

For most people, their original focus was solely on the big names in the top ten of the Fengyun Bang, but now, Xu Xiaoshou had burst onto the scene as a dark horse.

The next day at noon, the advancement matches began.

Unlike the preliminary rounds, from this point on, the Chu Yun Tai no longer had eighteen smaller stages; instead, there was only one main stage for consecutive battles.

This was something everyone had been eagerly anticipating.

Who could have known how many people were regretting missing the historic moment of the Outer Court's first killing while watching other matches yesterday?

The audience seats were packed with a sea of heads, buzzing with noise.

"Here they come, here they come—after waiting so long, we've finally reached this moment."

"Yeah, who isn't? Yesterday, I went to watch Senior Sister Mo and Senior Brother Zhao's matches because they're both Xiantian realm experts, and I ended up missing the Outer Court's first killing!"

"Ha, then you really missed out. Before the advancement matches, what's there to see with those two? They just one-shot their opponents every time."

"You have no idea—yesterday, Xu Xiaoshou sheathed his sword, and Wen Chong tried to sneak attack from behind, only to get stabbed right in the chest... those scenes with all the twists and turns were incredibly thrilling!"

"Let me tell you, the audience was so shocked that even someone farting in the seats could be heard."

"Wuuu, stop it—do you see my tears of regret?"

Besides these spectators, Xu Peng and Xu Hei were still around.

But after a night of reflection, everyone had toned it down a lot—they mostly just glared at each other whenever Xu Xiaoshou was mentioned, showing their mutual dissatisfaction.

Xiao Qixiu landed on the main stage. This Great Elder Xiao, who had been floating in the void for several days, finally decided to descend to the mortal realm and host the matches on solid ground.

He didn't dare float anymore, fearing that seeing a few more souls ascend to heaven might overwhelm his nerves.

With practiced ease, he pulled a piece of paper from his robe, and the audience seats fell silent at once, everyone listening attentively.

"I believe you've all heard about yesterday's death incident..." Xiao Qixiu's words made everyone's eyes light up.

If it wasn't brought up, it might have been forgotten, but now that it was mentioned, it surely meant there was more to it.

So, had the Ling Fa Ge made a ruling? Would Xu Xiaoshou be banned from the competition?

Xiao Qixiu scanned the surroundings, for the first time not reading directly from the paper. His expression was extremely serious as he said:

"Here, I just want to remind all of you..."

"Perhaps Tian Sang Ling Gong has provided a comfortable environment for your cultivation, but I absolutely do not want it to dull your resolve."

"You will all eventually graduate and venture out, and once you're in the Sheng Shen Continent, life and death are inevitable!"

"Every match is like a hurdle from the outside world—you need to give it your all!"

"But I also hope you can grasp the right balance—this balance is about life and death, morality, and the line in your hearts."

"Cross that line, and you'll break the rules, ultimately suffering the consequences yourself."

"No matter if you're called Xu Xiaoshou or Wen Chong!"

Everyone fell silent.

They were all waiting for a verdict—would Xu Xiaoshou be banned or allowed to compete innocently? No one could guess.

For people like this, speculating about the match results far outweighed any reverence for life.

Yet, Xiao Qixiu chose not to comment on yesterday's events and instead used it to teach a lesson.

Wen Chong's death was precisely because he had crossed that line and brought it upon himself, right?

Whether Xu Xiaoshou had also crossed the line and deliberately struck a fatal blow was still a question.

But any event can only have one outcome.

With Xiao Qixiu saying this, whether Xu Xiaoshou's end would be good or bad was clearly left for time to judge.

On the stage, Great Elder Xiao felt quite satisfied seeing everyone's reaction.

For someone like him, who had killed countless, one death meant nothing and didn't even warrant such a lengthy speech.

But these young people were different—if his words could awaken even a few of them, it would be enough.

Acting bravely or harboring ruthlessness for a moment was pointless and would only plant seeds of disaster for their futures.

Xiao Qixiu felt a sense of emotion in his heart. In the past, he wouldn't have said so much, but things were different now.

After all, he was no longer the blood-soaked killer Xiao Qixiu of old; he was the role model Great Elder of Tian Sang Ling Gong.

"Very good!"

Xiao Qixiu shook the paper and continued, "With that said, let's get to the main topic."

"The top 64 decisive battles officially begin, decided by the lottery light screen. Each pair will compete, with matches not exceeding two quarters of an hour!"

"We'll try to get through as many as possible today—whatever number of victors we end up with, we'll take it, since we have time!"

The audience seats, which had been immersed in a quiet atmosphere, erupted in laughter at Xiao Qixiu's words, and the vibe gradually livened up.

Great Elder Xiao was very pleased with the effect and immediately waved his hand, intending to ignite the excitement fully.

"Now, the matches begi—"

"Wait!" An urgent voice interrupted him.

Everyone was stunned, turning to look at the speaker. Who dared interrupt the chief judge? Were they asking for trouble?

"Xu Xiaoshou?"

"This guy, what's wrong with him!"

"My heavens, Elder Xiao not holding him accountable is already lenient, and he still wants to cause a stir?"

"Here he comes, here he comes—Xu Xiaoshou's here! For those of us who've followed from the group stages, I can tell you, if he doesn't stir things up, he wouldn't be Xu Xiaoshou!"

On the judges' platform, the eighteen black-clad officials sat with solemn expressions, but as soon as Xu Xiaoshou arrived, the twelfth-ranked judge suddenly slumped in his seat.

"Here he is—that's the Xu Xiaoshou I was telling you about."

"Watch closely—this kid is definitely up to something!"

"I've been driven crazy by this guy already. Come on, I'll bet one Ling Jing—even Elder Xiao won't be able to handle him!"

The nearby black-clad officials chuckled, looking surprised.

"Really as troublesome as you say?"

"So, he's just got a Xiantian Roushen plus a Houtian Jianyi—I've seen plenty of geniuses!"

"Yeah, how talented can he be? Can he outshine Su Qianqian from the Inner Court?"

The twelfth judge scooted his chair forward, leaning in as he watched Xu Xiaoshou hurry over to Xiao Qixiu, shaking his head slightly.

"No, no, that's not the main thing—this guy's most terrifying trait is his unpredictability!"

He paused and added, "You never know what earth-shatteringly outrageous thing he'll do next."

In the arena, all eyes were on him.

Xiao Qixiu's face was ominously dark as he watched the bare-chested, anxious young man run up to him, though there was nothing he could do about it.

Players with extremely special circumstances could apply to the chief judge for a match suspension.

This was within the rules of the "Fengyun Zhengba," even if it had never been used before.

"What's going on? If you don't have a good reason, believe me, I'll deal with you right now!"

Xiao Qixiu was already holding back his anger, and Xu Xiaoshou's sudden interruption was infuriating.

"Help me, Judge sir!"

The young man in front of him looked panicked, his face flushed red. As he got closer, Xiao Qixiu could even feel the scorching heat radiating from his body.

Xu Xiaoshou was genuinely panicking!

That old man had given him something unknown, and as soon as that red seed entered his stomach, his body started getting hotter and hotter. A terrifying, scorching aura was spreading, relentlessly invading every part of him.

He had tried meditating by the lake to refine and expel it.

But the more he refined, the worse it got—the thing had actually melted!

That scorching aura had seeped into every cell of his body, burning nonstop.

Xu Xiaoshou felt like he was going to explode.

Even with his Xiantian Roushen, he couldn't withstand this burning—several of his meridians had already snapped, and if it continued, it could be fatal.

He wanted to go to the Ling Yao Ge, but with the "Fengyun Zhengba" underway, the best medical staff and pharmacists were all on site for support.

So, his only option was to come here and borrow some help.

But how could he easily get access to those support staff? And that old man—who knew if he had connections? He couldn't risk exposing him.

So, Xu Xiaoshou decided to play his trump card!

Xiao Qixiu stared coldly at the young man, waiting to hear what nonsense he would spout.

Xu Xiaoshou ripped off his shirt, revealing the reddened, burned flesh beneath, and cried out desperately:

"Judge, save me!"

"I took some drug—requesting a ban from the competition!"

"I need medical staff to check my body, right now, immediately!"