Chapter 380: I Say, Let There Be Wind

As night fell, the small estate continued to ring with incessant explosions, as if some eccentric doctor were conducting experiments on chemical potions.

Inside the room.

Xu Xiaoshou set down the Qingming Yan Gang fragments in his hand with a hint of frustration.

"Still not working!"

The difficulty of crafting a blank array disk was clearly beyond what Xu Xiaoshou had anticipated.

This thing, with the skill level of an innate-grade Ling Zhen master, was simply impossible to create.

In the realm of Ling Zhen, these free-form array disks that allowed for self-made and self-sealed spiritual techniques were far too complex.

You basically couldn't even get started without reaching Zongshi level!

Xu Xiaoshou's current "Textile Mastery" was only at innate lv.6, though it gave him the potential to manipulate most Ling Zhen arrays.

And with the precise knowledge in his mind, given enough time, he might even figure out Zongshi-level arrays.

But a blank array disk...

No good!

"It'll probably take reaching Zongshi level to access that kind of knowledge!"

Xu Xiaoshou glanced at the Qingming Yan Gang fragments on the table.

His "Textile Technique" was created out of thin air, but Ling Zhen relied on physical objects.

There were certainly some similarities between the two.

But honestly, working with abstract concepts versus tangible operations had a huge difference.

At least for now, Xu Xiaoshou couldn't transfer his abstract Ling Zhen onto a physical form.

Even after trying hundreds of times, he still felt like something was missing as he tried to break through that barrier.

"A threshold?"

Maybe this was the threshold between innate and Zongshi levels!

For others, this obstacle might trap them for a lifetime.

But for Xu Xiaoshou, it was just a matter of 25,000 passive points.

The problem was, he was flat broke right now!

"Damn it..."

He let out a helpless groan and stopped struggling.

This was just wasting time with no results.

The priority was to get some passive points!

He pushed open the door and stepped into the courtyard, where night had already settled unnoticed.

After breathing in some fresh air, Xu Xiaoshou didn't bother with any preparations—he simply cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted.

"Enemy attack!"

His piercing cry lasted less than a second before two figures streaked down from the sky.

Mu Zixi landed swiftly on the roof tiles, her twin tails flicking as she unleashed a violent wood-attribute aura.

Xin Gugu was even more on edge, like a startled bird—he'd been suspecting all along that the Zhang Fu people wouldn't let them off so easily and might be tailing them undetected.

This "enemy attack" call confirmed his fears in an instant!

"Bring it on!"

A golden light was the first to fly out, followed by a blood mist that shot through the air and ensnared the golden staff in the void.

A domain unfolded, enveloping the entire estate!

"You dare come here? Neither of you is getting away!"

The two charged in aggressively, only to see Xu Xiaoshou in the courtyard... stretching?

Mu Zixi: ...

"Received curse, passive value, 1."

Xin Gugu: ???

"Received suspicion, passive value, 1."

Xu Xiaoshou stretched lazily.

"You're here?"

He pulled out an invitation in his hand and waved it. "Come on, I'll take you to a great place—free food and drinks!"

Xin Gugu's momentum faltered. "Xu Xiaoshou, where's the enemy?"

"They ran off."

Xu Xiaoshou's expression was indifferent.

He didn't feel like calling people one by one or explaining himself, so he just said lightly, "I only held up one finger, and Zhang Taiying fled like a beaten dog!"

Xin Gugu: ...

I don't believe you for a second!

"Received suspicion, passive value, 1."

"So, no enemy?"

"Heh." Xu Xiaoshou patted his shoulder without saying more, turning back to his junior sister.

"There's a banquet. Are you going? It's from that handsome guy who tried to hit on you the other day—he gave me the invitation."

"Who knows, you might turn from an ugly duckling into..."

"Ah!" Mu Zixi kicked at him immediately, glaring fiercely.

"Into what ugly duckling?"

"You're the ugly duckling!"

"Received curse, passive value, 1, 1, 1, 1..."

"Heh, I'm the ugly duckling, I'm the ugly duckling..."

Xu Xiaoshou shrank back sheepishly. "You're a phoenix, okay!"

The young girl tossed her head arrogantly. "You know what? I actually... really am a phoenix!"

Xu Xiaoshou looked at her serious expression and reached out to pinch her cheek.

"Tsk tsk, give you an inch and you'll take a mile!"

"How about I get you a candle so you can perform a shadow play, like a peacock spreading its feathers?"

Mu Zixi: ...

Even though she had no idea what nonsense Xu Xiaoshou was spouting, her instincts told her he was definitely mocking her!

How annoying!

"What do you mean by that?" Mu Zixi's eyes flashed with anger.

"Nothing!" Xu Xiaoshou spread his hands. "If an ugly duckling doesn't cover itself up and light a candle for a shadow, who would think it's a phoenix?"

"You really think staring in a mirror will make you grow?"

Mu Zixi didn't hear anything else—just that word.

She glanced down at her small feet, and veins bulged on her forehead.

"Xu, Xiao, Shou!"

Charge!

In an instant, greenery surged through the courtyard as Xu Xiaoshou took to the air, dodging repeatedly.

"Don't get carried away!"

"If we're landscaping, there's no need to be so violent..."

Xu Xiaoshou said "don't" with his mouth, but his face was full of mischief.

He flew around, picking spots, and kept chattering.

"Yeah, yeah, a few big trees over by that rockery!"

"This pond works too—I'll fly a loop, and you surround it..."

"Xin Gugu?"

"Move! We can make a spirit-gathering array here—don't block the way!"

"Junior sister, you plant the trees first—I'll cast the spell later!"

Mu Zixi watched Xu Xiaoshou darting around and realized she couldn't keep up with his speed at all.

Every tree sprouted right behind his backside, but not a single one hit him—not even a graze!

Had he gotten stronger again?

"Received curse, passive value, 1, 1, 1, 1..."

Xin Gugu watched the two fooling around in the courtyard, and in the blink of an eye, the place was lush with greenery.

He felt like he was just in the way standing there...

"Oh well."

With a turn, he dispersed the domain.

"I've worried about your life and lost sleep over it, but here you are, playing around with others."

Xin Gugu felt a sense of misplaced loyalty, sighed in bitterness, and turned to leave.

"Don't go yet!"

Xu Xiaoshou panicked as he saw the person about to leave. "You haven't seen me cast the spell!"

He pointed a finger at Mu Zixi's direction.

"Bind!"

Dozens of spiritual needles shot out like meteors across the night sky, wrapping around her in her surprised gaze.

"A trapping array?"

Once truly bound by the needles, feeling the strange restraining force, Mu Zixi's face changed.

"A Ling Zhen?"

"When did Xu Xiaoshou learn Ling Zhen?"

She lifted her little head, her eyes full of disbelief.

"Received suspicion, passive value, 1."

Xin Gugu paused, also spotting Xu Xiaoshou's new ability.

"Those... spiritual needles? What are they?"

Seeing Mu Zixi immobilized with just a word from Xu Xiaoshou, Xin Gugu was utterly shocked.

But without being caught in the spiritual threads, no one could understand the power of this "Textile Technique."

Xu Xiaoshou ignored him and smiled faintly in the air.

"Watch closely—your brother is about to cast a spell!"

Under the starry sky, Xu Xiaoshou raised his eyes, and thousands of swords materialized behind him out of nowhere.

These swords weren't useful for drawing arrays, but...

In the shocked gazes of the two, Xu Xiaoshou waved his hand again.

Instantly, hundreds of spiritual needle shadows darted about like elves, leaping through the courtyard and tracing a crystalline network of vitality under the starlight.

Xu Xiaoshou withdrew his hand, secretly swallowed a Lian Ling Dan, smirked, and stood with his hands behind his back.

The full moon behind him cast his silhouette in a mysterious light, with the thousands of swords making him look extraordinarily ethereal.

"I command—let there be wind!"

Xu Xiaoshou flicked his sleeve, and the courtyard's network lit up brightly.

As if summoning gods or Buddhas, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth gathered wildly at his word, making his clothes flutter wildly in the gust.

In that moment, not only was Mu Zixi mesmerized, but even Xin Gugu was lost in the sight.

"Received admiration, passive value, 2."