Chapter 22: Request for Support

The audience was bewildered. In this day and age, who would actually request to ban themselves from a competition?

Xiao Qixiu's face darkened; he had thought it was something serious.

Drug use?

Nowadays, who doesn't pop a few dan yao pills beforehand to boost themselves? There weren't even rules against using dan yao to restore ling li during a match.

"Nonsense!"

"Get the hell out of here!"

Xiao Qixiu was so angry that his beard was practically bristling, and he looked ready to draw his sword and strike.

Xu Xiaoshou grimaced. "If I hadn't really overdosed on drugs, I wouldn't be coming to you for help. I seriously need assistance!"

His gaze shifted to the back, where a group of people in white robes sat like guardian angels.

Xiao Qixiu furrowed his brow. The young man's urgency seemed genuine, and his body was burning hot...

What on earth was going on?

He knew full well that Xu Xiaoshou had an innate body. What could cause such severe side effects?

"Come here!" Xiao Qixiu placed a hand on his chest, and a terrifying wave of scorching energy surged forth instantly.

Sizzle!

The smell of searing flesh filled the air, and Xiao Qixiu quickly pulled his hand away—he didn't have an innate body.

The audience was stunned.

"Holy crap, what kind of drug did Xu Xiaoshou take that it actually injured Elder Xiao?"

"Is he crazy? He really used drugs and then turned himself in?"

"Probably just like he said, he overdosed and had no other choice. Ha, this is hilarious!"

Xiao Qixiu was shocked too. He hurriedly covered his palm with ling yuan to dispel the burning sensation, but his skin was already a mess of blisters.

He hadn't bothered to protect himself with ling yuan right away, and now he was paying the price.

"Jin Zhao Huo Zhong?"

He muttered to himself, "Sang Lao must be out of his mind. Didn't that thing burn out an innate body before?"

Xu Xiaoshou nearly wet himself in fear, staring at Xiao Qixiu with a face full of shock.

Xiao Qixiu awkwardly rubbed his hand, realizing his mutterings had been overheard. He quickly added, "This stuff is great—it's your opportunity. No problem, no problem at all..."

Xu Xiaoshou felt like he was losing his mind. "What do you mean, no problem? Who just said it burned out an innate body?"

"I said you heard wrong!"

"Heh!"

Xiao Qixiu sighed and patted his shoulder. "Go rest up. Hang in there!"

"Encouraged, passive value +1."

Xu Xiaoshou: ???

This wasn't the answer he wanted! He needed medical personnel!

He didn't want to end up burned out!

Xiao Qixiu ignored him and told him to go squat off to the side. He announced the start of the matches and began drawing lots on his own.

The audience members' expressions were a mix of amusement and confusion. What was going on here?

Xu Xiaoshou claimed he used drugs and wanted to be banned, but the referee brushed him off and wouldn't even provide medical help?

"Ha, this is killing me! This story just proves that you reap what you sow!"

"Poor Xu Xiaoshou, overdosing like this is just tragic!"

"Someone get him a medic—he's turning into braised pork... Ha, I can't hold it in!"

And indeed, Xu Xiaoshou's bare upper body was getting redder and more alarming by the second.

Steam rose from him as he trudged back to the waiting area, feeling depressed.

"How can they be so heartless, not even giving me a medic..."

Xu Xiaoshou pondered to himself. This whole commotion wasn't entirely pointless—at least he'd picked up some key information.

Jin Zhao Huo Zhong, and it had burned out an innate body before!

And then there was...

Sang Lao?

That name sounded familiar somehow...

Based on what Xiao Qixiu had let slip, he probably knew about the Jin Zhao Huo Zhong that Xu Xiaoshou had taken.

And it might even be connected to that damn old man.

That was why Xu Xiaoshou hadn't pushed the issue further.

"They're in on it together..."

Xu Xiaoshou sat cross-legged in meditation, gradually refining and expelling the scorching energy from his body. For now, that was all he could do.

But as he refined it, this terrifying scorching energy was actually seeping into his qi sea bit by bit.

"This won't end up burning my qi sea, will it?"

Xu Xiaoshou felt so wronged—he'd been screwed over by that dead old man for no reason.

Then he recalled what Xiao Qixiu had said at the start about it being an opportunity. Maybe that dead old man wanted him to try refining the so-called "Jin Zhao Huo Zhong"?

What's done was done, so he stopped dwelling on the fact that it had burned out an innate body before. With no one to help, he'd have to handle it himself.

The light curtain on the stage shimmered, and names were finalized, with two people stepping up.

The audience was cheering, the scene was electric, but the excitement was all theirs.

Xu Xiaoshou focused on his cultivation, occasionally pulling out a Chi Jin Dan to sniff it, using the pleasure to offset the pain inside him and repair his injured body.

"Under attack, passive value +1."

"Under attack, passive value +1."

The messages kept popping up in his mind every second. He was constantly being scorched, which might have made him happy under normal circumstances, but now...

Heh, burned out an innate body.

That phrase haunted him like a nightmare, flashing through his mind from time to time.

"Huff, I still have to compete like this—how am I supposed to manage?"

Even with all his efforts to maintain his condition, he was in terrible shape. His meridians were being burned and broken one by one, only to be patched up repeatedly with Chi Jin Dan.

The pain was unimaginable.

"Hmm, maybe I can vent this scorching energy through fighting?"

After who knows how long, a sudden inspiration hit Xu Xiaoshou as he meditated. He jumped to his feet.

This idea might just work!

He looked toward the stage, where several pairs of combatants had already come and gone, but his name hadn't been drawn yet.

Currently on stage was a man in white robes, with a cold demeanor, wielding a Bing He Jian. With one strike, he froze his opponent into an ice sculpture and won the match.

"Chao Qing Teng wins!"

Xu Xiaoshou's eyes lit up at the sight. Ice?

Right now, he desperately wanted that guy to strike him—it would probably feel amazing!

But Chao Qing Teng was a xian tian expert!

That made things a bit nerve-wracking.

The light curtain shifted again, displaying two large names.

"Xu Xiaoshou!"

"Zhang Fu!"

As soon as the announcement was made, the crowd erupted in cheers—this kind of reaction had only happened once before, when the xian tian expert Chao Qing Teng had taken the stage.

"Here he comes, Xu Xiaoshou!"

"Keep your eyes peeled—Xu the punching bag is up!"

"Huh? Why is he called Xu the punching bag?"

"You don't know? Let me tell you, this Xu Xiaoshou..."

In the waiting area, Xu Xiaoshou didn't waste a second and leaped onto the stage, rushing straight to Xiao Qixiu again. He pleaded, "If I beat this guy, will you treat me?"

Xiao Qixiu's face turned black. What kind of competitor was this?

He was the referee, and here you were talking to him like that!

From the referees' seats behind, someone burst out laughing: "Look at this guy—Elder Xiao is already getting annoyed with him so quickly!"

The others joined in the amusement, curiously watching Xu Xiaoshou.

"Get back in position!"

Xiao Qixiu snapped angrily.

Xu Xiaoshou pointed to his neck, where smoke was billowing out.

His eyes were glazing over, but this was the referee—what could he do?

"Look, I'm burned red all over. I'm a competitor—I have the right to demand treatment!"

"Heh, that's on you before the match. Not my problem!"

Xiao Qixiu did want to help treat him, but this stuff was beyond even the best medics—they'd just have to let Xu Xiaoshou tough it out.

Xu Xiaoshou's eyes brightened at the words. "Oh, right, injuries before the match aren't your issue, but if I get hurt during the match, I can get treatment!"

"Um, yeah!" He nodded emphatically, speaking loudly to himself, "And according to the rules, they'd have to restore me to peak condition!"

Xiao Qixiu was at his wit's end. "Get out of here!"

"Zhang Fu!"

"Where's Zhang Fu? Hurry up and get on stage!"