Chapter 237: Have Time to Watch Fireworks Together

Drip...

Droplets of bright red blood trickled down the ring blade. After gripping this transformed form of A-Jie, Xu Xiaoshou was completely stunned.

"Knife?"

Wasn't A-Jie supposed to be a baby?

Could its attacks involve more than just fists?

Or perhaps, that was only one of A-Jie's countless forms, and it could change into any shape when needed?

Xu Xiaoshou was startled by his own idea.

In that case, this treasure from "Sha Lu Jiao," the boundary suppressor, was essentially a deadly weapon!

No wonder...

No wonder Elder Qiao and the dean had only shown surprise at his other treasures, but pure shock when they saw A-Jie.

With a mental command, the oversized blade in his hand shrank instantly, turning back into an iron ball, which Xu Xiaoshou tucked back into his embrace.

He looked toward Zhang Xin Xiong, whose head had been severed from his body.

There was no doubt that, even with his incredibly strong recovery ability, such a complete dismemberment left no chance of survival.

That massive head rolled across the ground a few times, its eyes wide with shock, offering nothing else remarkable.

Death with eyes wide open!

"This..."

Zhao Xi Dong stood frozen in place.

Though it was a life-and-death arena, if there had been even a sliver of opportunity, he would have tried to intervene as the referee.

But that ring blade had caught everyone completely off guard.

With a single sweep, it had sealed the fate. How could this be undone?

Zhang Xin Xiong probably never imagined he'd die like this, even in his final moments!

"Grandmaster..."

"He had clearly broken through to the grandmaster realm... What was that knife? A famous sword? A famous blade?"

Zhao Xi Dong stared at the silent Xu Xiaoshou, feeling the atmosphere weigh on him so heavily that he couldn't utter another word.

After a moment of silence, the onlookers erupted in chaos.

"Are you kidding me!"

"What the hell? Zhang Xin Xiong got totally crushed? Was his Ancestral Bear Bloodline watered down or something, making him that fragile?"

"Fragile? No, it was that knife! That knife was terrifying!"

"But... I still can't believe Zhang Xin Xiong is dead just like that? Where exactly is Xu Xiaoshou's strength? I really couldn't tell!"

At that, everyone fell quiet.

Yeah, where exactly was Xu Xiaoshou's strength?

In terms of cultivation or physical body, Zhang Xin Xiong hadn't been inferior to him at all.

Even that knife that appeared at the end—something like a treasure—everyone knew Zhang Xin Xiong must have had one too, he just hadn't used it.

Yet, despite all that...

He was dead!

This match, which everyone had seen as a foregone conclusion, really did end without suspense, overwhelmingly forcing the opponent into defeat without even landing a single blow.

Just with the roles reversed!

"Under suspicion, passive value: 65."

"Under admiration, passive value: 33."

"Under fear, passive value: 21."

"Huff."

Xu Xiaoshou slowly descended from the stage. He seemed to have fully adapted to the rules of this world, feeling no discomfort at all.

For someone who was constantly plotting his death, no matter how they died, it didn't seem excessive to him.

The only regret was that he hadn't killed Zhang Xin Xiong with his own hands.

He paused for a moment, making everyone around him panic. Xu Xiaoshou suddenly turned back: "In a life-and-death arena, killing someone should be fine, right?"

Only then did Zhao Xi Dong snap out of it: "Xu Xiaoshou wins!"

"Clean up, please." Xu Xiaoshou dashed back onto the stage, gave the order, and headed straight to the pool of blood, where he fished out a ring.

"Almost forgot about that."

Zhao Xi Dong: "..."

But in a life-and-death arena, once you're on the stage, even your life belongs to your opponent, so a ring is nothing.

With the spatial ring now under new ownership, Xu Xiaoshou didn't hesitate any longer and bounded away.

Though Zhang Xin Xiong was strong, ever since he'd broken through at Tian Xuan Men, Xu Xiaoshou had realized the man was no longer a match for him.

He was very satisfied with his various passive skills.

These things might just be ordinary innate or grandmaster spirit techniques on their own, but when combined...

Tsk, tsk, he was basically unbeatable at the same level!

The only potential threat—a breakthrough during battle—had been wiped out by the powerful A-Jie.

This meant that from now on... he could take down grandmasters!

As Xu Xiaoshou made his way, the crowd parted to let him through. Midway, the young man suddenly stopped.

Lan Xin Zi looked at the smiling youth and felt her legs go weak, collapsing to the ground with a thud.

The crowd quickly spread out, forming a circle around the two, enclosing them completely.

Another scene unfolding?

Would it be another challenge for a life-and-death arena?

Xu Xiaoshou watched the constantly updating "fear" and "anticipation" notifications and couldn't help but chuckle. No matter the world, busybodies were never in short supply!

Lan Xin Zi's lips had turned pale, and she was completely speechless. Xu Xiaoshou realized the woman was utterly broken.

He didn't linger, bending down to pat her head with a smile.

"Don't be afraid. Let's watch fireworks together sometime."

With that, he strode away.

"Ah—"

A frenzied, piercing scream echoed behind him.

What his "perception" showed was a group of onlookers with horrified expressions, surrounding the limp woman in the middle, who had lost her mind.

"Under fear, passive value: 76."

High in the sky.

Ye Xiao Tian's face was flushed with anger, his eyes fixed dead on the old man in the straw hat before him.

"Why did you stop me?!"

Sang Lao smiled and said, "Let the younger generation handle their own affairs. You're already graying—keep worrying like this, and you might go bald."

"Zhang Xin Xiong couldn't die! The Zhang family isn't like the Wen family or the Chao family—they're an ambitious clan trying to dominate Tiansang County. They..."

"Can't be provoked?" Sang Lao teased.

Ye Xiao Tian hesitated, then sighed: "It's not that we can't provoke them, but there's no need. I could have stepped in and resolved this easily."

"You've oversimplified things." Sang Lao shrugged.

"Or maybe you're overcomplicating it!"

"No, you're the one who's thought it too simple!"

Ye Xiao Tian turned away, unwilling to argue further. After a moment of silence, he said: "This teaching method of yours will only harm Xu Xiaoshou."

Sang Lao stroked his hat and shook his head, his gaze drifting toward some distant, unknown place.

"Not enough!"

"At this level, the sword hasn't even been sharpened yet. How can it kill?"

Kill... Ye Xiao Tian's eyes narrowed. Kill what? Why kill?

If it was killing that Sang Lao mentioned, could it be the ordinary kind he was thinking of?

"What exactly are you up to?"

Ye Xiao Tian asked directly. He'd long sensed that Sang Lao's apprenticeship wasn't straightforward.

This guy didn't seem to intend to guide Xu Xiaoshou on the right path at all. Instead, he was letting him explore all sorts of unconventional routes.

Even in terms of mindset, he was gradually honing him into a cold-blooded killer.

Like Chao Shu back then, and Zhang Xin Xiong today...

Forcing growth like this would do more harm than good!

Ye Xiao Tian looked at Sang Lao, but Sang Lao didn't turn back. Once Xu Xiaoshou had vanished from view below, he adjusted his hat.

"Someone's calling me. I'm heading out."