Chapter 429: Xu Xiaoshou I'm Not Right

"Wow, what is the meaning of this Xu Xiaoshou?"

As the star of the first half, even though Xu Xiaoshou had just taken out his ten-pin *Lian Dan Shi* badge, he was still the center of everyone's attention.

No matter how much they anticipated, when Xu Xiaoshou took out a bathtub and slammed it onto the ground, everyone was dumbfounded.

"A bathtub?"

"Is he going to perform... boiling water?"

"This is a fight, I tell you. I always thought with Xu Xiaoshou's temperament, there's no way he'd waste so many words with Senior Long Dan."

"This guy holding back until now to make a move—I'm already impressed!"

"Violent Xu Xiaoshou, online and ready to beat someone?"

Everyone knew very well that among the elders present, hardly any could match Xu Xiaoshou.

Even though Long Dan was a six-pin *Lian Dan Shi*, when it came to combat strength, he probably couldn't handle an ordinary Upper Spirit Realm expert.

*Lian Dan Shi* just didn't fight.

"That's not what I mean."

Xu Xiaoshou waved his hands at the crowd and quickly explained, "I'm just refining pills too. What are you all thinking?"

"Suspected, passive points: 886."

"Xu Xiaoshou, are you kidding us? Who the hell brings out a bathtub for refining pills? Come clean—are you planning to treat Senior Long Dan like a rose in boiling water and cook him?"

This remark left Xu Xiaoshou stunned, while Long Dan on the side was so furious that his beard nearly flew off.

"Who, who is slandering me? Step forward!"

In an instant, everyone ducked their heads, but they couldn't suppress their laughter, bursting into chuckles.

Xu Xiaoshou shook his head. These guys were really too mischievous.

Had they been suppressed by him so harshly before that they were rebounding now, each one turning into a weirdo?

How could they find joy in mocking others?

With a flick of his finger, Xu Xiaoshou said no more and shot a compressed fire seed under the cauldron. Instantly, the bathtub began to glow red-hot.

"Is he really refining pills?"

"Suspected, passive points: 885."

Though the way he ignited the fire was different from ordinary methods, faint traces of a *Lian Dan Shi*'s technique could still be seen.

Long Dan stared in astonishment.

Being close, he could clearly feel the domineering nature of the flame.

If it came to battle, he might not be sensitive, but with this rapidly spinning compressed fire seed, he saw through its intricacies at a glance.

"Using such a sturdy bath... uh, cauldron for refining, and such a domineering flame."

"Is this Xu Xiaoshou really a ten-pin?"

Long Dan sized up Xu Xiaoshou, suddenly realizing something.

"Of course, it's because this flame is too domineering to control properly, so it's not suitable for refining pills."

A hint of greed flashed in his eyes.

This flame was excellent.

If he had it, even if his cultivation limited his control, he would surely handle it better than Xu Xiaoshou.

Combined with his various *Lian Dan* techniques for repeated containment, he might even use this flame to elevate the quality of his pills.

At the very least, it would surpass those two old fools.

Long Dan glanced sideways at Chen Qi and Li Mingji.

As expected, those two old guys understood too. Staring at the flame under Xu Xiaoshou's cauldron, their eyes burned with desire.

"Kid, what's the name of this fire of yours?"

Chen Qi couldn't help but ask.

Xu Xiaoshou glanced at him, spotting the six-pin badge at a glance, and paused.

Another look revealed another six-pin on the other side.

"This..."

In the time it took to come out of the barrier, two more six-pin experts had appeared?

He suddenly laughed.

The level of this competition was ridiculously high.

Three six-pin experts, and here he was in the middle, like a weakling about to be crushed.

Sighing, Xu Xiaoshou didn't get discouraged and replied,

"Seniors, don't even think about it. You can't take this flame from me."

"First, you can't kill me, and second, this thing requires an innate physical body to barely cultivate."

"You might covet it, but your strength doesn't match up. Even if I gave it to you, you couldn't handle it."

The three of them twitched their mouths simultaneously.

This...

Everyone has some dignity, you know. How could you just blurt out the truth like that?

"Cursed, passive points: 3."

"Good one."

The crowd below burst into laughter.

They could all see that Xu Xiaoshou's flame was no ordinary thing, but some matters were better left unsaid.

Xu Xiaoshou...

This guy had no fear at all.

Tearing down the facade and speaking bluntly—he was a tough one!

"Having strength really makes a difference. He speaks way more boldly than us."

"But this sarcasm is spot-on. Even if it's given for free, they couldn't swallow it. Ouch, that stings."

"Admired, passive points: 464."

The cauldron was hot enough.

Xu Xiaoshou suddenly grabbed a handful of herbs and threw them in all at once.

"Holy crap!"

Everyone jumped, but they saw Xu Xiaoshou multitasking with what seemed like a casual throw, directly refining and separating the spiritual medicines inside the large bathtub.

His fluid movements left everyone dumbfounded.

"Something's off. Is this the technique of a ten-pin?"

"Xu Xiaoshou is multitasking—more like over a dozen tasks at once? Damn, his mental power is that insane too?"

"Is this even fair?"

"He's so strong in combat, and now his *Lian Dan* methods..."

Everyone realized the situation was getting out of control again.

One second they were criticizing Xu Xiaoshou for wasting resources, the next they were captivated by his godly skills.

Even with three six-pin *Lian Dan Shi* nearby, Xu Xiaoshou was like a flamboyant show-off without a care, his every flashy move drawing all eyes to him.

"Spotlighted, passive points: 677."

"Seniors."

Xu Xiaoshou looked at the three six-pin *Lian Dan Shi*.

These old timers had been so absorbed by his actions that they'd forgotten their own refining. He couldn't help but remind them,

"There's only a quarter of an hour for this refining session. Aren't you going to start?"

"I'd love to see your performances!"

Performance...

The three felt their throats go dry.

Their techniques were just standard *Lian Dan* methods; at best, the pills they refined were of different grades. What performance was there to speak of?

In contrast, Xu Xiaoshou was like a circus act.

With his bathtub, divided spirit control, and this special flame...

"Show-off!"

Long Dan snorted coldly, waved his hand, and a wheel of bright white flame ignited under his black cauldron.

"Trivial tricks."

Chen Qi turned away with a smirk, no longer paying attention, and began nurturing his own pills.

"False pretenses!"

Li Mingji scoffed lightly, but before he could turn, Xu Xiaoshou's voice drifted over.

"Oh, what a strong vinegar smell. What's going on? Did someone flip a vinegar jar while cooking during the refining break?"

The three twitched their mouths simultaneously, their hands trembling, nearly causing the flames to burn them.

"Cursed, passive points: 3."

"Hahaha."

The crowd below laughed out loud.

The spectators suddenly realized that if you weren't facing Xu Xiaoshou as an opponent but just watching his competitions as a bystander, the process was incredibly entertaining!

"This guy is crazy. Is there anyone or anything in the world he isn't afraid of?"

"Three six-pin experts, and he offends them all at once. Does he even want to survive? He's probably going to be blacklisted!"

"Blacklisted... not necessarily."

"Look at Xu Xiaoshou's various trump cards. Who knows, he might have some terrifying background."

"Isn't he just a minor outer court disciple from *Tian Sang Ling Gong*?"

"How could an ordinary disciple have so many hidden moves? And doesn't this flame look familiar to you?"

"Uh, I don't recognize it."

The crowd murmured.

But the younger ones dominated the discussion, while the older *Lian Dan Shi* were mostly inside the barrier's protective shield. The heads of various families and forces didn't recognize Xu Xiaoshou's flame very well.

Even if some had a vague memory, it was fuzzy.

Shou Ye stared at Xu Xiaoshou's compressed fire seed, lost in thought.

This domineering, scorching energy reminded him of a past event.

"*Wu Xiu* · *Chi Jiao Hand*?"

Before he became a red robe, when he was still in white, he had participated in a mission in the Central Domain.

The mission was to take down the largest branch of a secret organization.

They succeeded, but the branch leader at the end escaped using a pair of withered, blackened hands, cutting a path through the white robes and fleeing the Central Domain, never to be found.

The scorching energy on Xu Xiaoshou was somewhat similar.

But...

"There are plenty of strange fires and exotic flames in the world; it might not be that."

"At least, *Bai Ku* is full of this scorching energy. Maybe *Tian Sang Ling Gong* has some inheritance like that."

Shou Ye shook his head and stopped thinking about it.

He watched Xu Xiaoshou refine pills.

But after his initial big moves, the guy did nothing else.

Once the medicine liquid stage began, it was like he became a different person.

Xu Xiaoshou started to get bored.

He just glanced around, barely paying attention to the cauldron.

Shou Ye's eyelid twitched.

Honestly, this evening banquet had shown him that the world was full of wonders.

A "talent" like Xu Xiaoshou was a first for him.

"What trick is this kid up to now?"

The crowd below was also unaccustomed to Xu Xiaoshou's sudden quietness, but soon, the unique refining techniques of the three six-pin *Lian Dan Shi* drew their attention.

Xu Xiaoshou was no exception. His eyes wandered, but his "perception" was fixed on the three's refining steps, as if he were memorizing them by force.

"Though there are three chances to refine, for others, the essence, energy, and spirit are crucial. So, these three will definitely go all out from the start to outdo each other."

Xu Xiaoshou pondered.

He had his own plan.

Even if he upgraded "Culinary Mastery" to master level now, the highest-grade *Dan Fang* he had was still "*Xing Li Dan*."

*Xing Li Dan* was a top seven-pin healing pill.

It was precious in the outside world, but here, it was only fit to carry shoes for six-pin pills.

If Xu Xiaoshou refined that, he'd lose for sure.

So, how could he win this competition?

"Gurgle..."

The liquid in front of him boiled.

Others might not have seen what pill he was refining due to the simultaneous processing, but Xu Xiaoshou knew clearly—this furnace of *Lian Ling Dan* was just a transitional one.

He planned to waste this first round's time and focus entirely on memorizing the *Dan Fang*!

Yes, memorizing!

And memorizing three at once!

If others knew Xu Xiaoshou's idea, they'd probably be shocked to death.

But with "Culinary Mastery" giving him understanding of nearly all herbs and absolute control over heat, plus "Perception"'s super memory and scene recall, he felt this wasn't too difficult.

He turned his head slightly, and the spiritual medicines in the three six-pin *Lian Dan Shi*'s hands came into view.

"*Huo Li Flower*, innate grade. Judging by the stem and rough hairs, it's about eighteen years and six months old. Fire attribute, slightly astringent taste, dispels cold and removes yin. Paired with '*Han Bing Lian Zi*,' it can brew '*Bing Huo Liu Li Soup*'... wait, wrong track."

"Off track. This old Long has some good stuff."

Xu Xiaoshou tried to cut off his thoughts and continue observing.

"This one is '*Quan Yuan Deng Xing Ye*,' top innate spiritual medicine. With those '*Xing Ban Qi Wen*,' it should be about six years old."

"Impressive. At six years, it should exude '*Xing Yuan Xian*.' That's a great thing—sweet and nutritious. How could someone pick this herb? What a waste!"

"Then there's '*Wu Ye Wen*,' '*Que Ming Zi*'..."

The more Xu Xiaoshou looked, the more excited he got.

These were all strange varieties that existed only in his mind and were rarely seen in daily life.

Today, because of the six-pin pill refining, they all appeared.

"What's this..."

Suddenly, Xu Xiaoshou's gaze fixed.

He finally found the obstacle.

He could identify most spiritual medicines and their properties, but with "Culinary Mastery" at a low level, if some rare master-grade herbs appeared, he really couldn't recognize them all.

"No, I have to memorize this now—it must succeed!"

Xu Xiaoshou sighed softly, his eyes showing interest.

This was a bold attempt.

Copying a *Dan Fang* on the spot—if successful, his future value would be immeasurable!

"Passive points: 228,800."

He glanced at the info bar below.

That striking number almost made Xu Xiaoshou exclaim again.

"Stay calm. I've seen amounts like this before."

Xu Xiaoshou composed himself and looked at the *Yuan Fu* red interface's skill description.

"Culinary Mastery (Innate Lv.3)."

This was a super passive skill for combat, refining pills, and fire control.

In the past, he couldn't upgrade it not because he didn't want to, but because he lacked passive points and had to prioritize essential skills.

Now...

"You've been waiting so long without an upgrade. Now's your time to shine."

Without hesitation, he slapped on the skill points.

Eight second-tier points cost just forty thousand passive points—more than enough!

"Culinary Mastery (Innate Lv.4)."

"Culinary Mastery (Master Lv.1)."

As the last line popped up in the info bar, Xu Xiaoshou's whole body convulsed.

His brain twitched, his elbow clutched his chest, and he swayed in front of the bathtub, struggling to withstand the waves of knowledge crashing into his mind.

"Careless."

"I had enough points, but I forgot my brain isn't trained to handle an eight-level upgrade at once."

"Giggle..."

Xu Xiaoshou's figure staggered in front of the cauldron, eyes rolling back, startling everyone.

"What's going on?"

"Is he about to unleash some big move?"

Everyone tensed up, and for a moment, even the six-pin *Lian Dan Shi*'s techniques seemed less important—self-preservation came first.

Seeing Xu Xiaoshou like he was losing control, if he really collapsed and the fire seed exploded, this place might end up with three six-pin corpses.

Long Dan, being closest, was the first to notice Xu Xiaoshou's state and nearly jumped away in fright.

"Wake up!"

"What are you doing, kid? This is refining time—control your flame!"

He instinctively reached for his spiritual token to open the protective shield.

But Chen Qi glanced over and mocked, "Old Long, are you scared of this little thing? You're getting more timid with age."

Long Dan was furious: "Don't just stand there talking. Come over and see this kid's flame yourself!"

"Heh."

Chen Qi chuckled: "Are you joking? I'm refining pills. Old Li, you go check what's wrong with this kid."

Li Mingji glanced at Xu Xiaoshou's cauldron and silently gripped his spiritual token.

He suddenly regretted not opening his protective shield earlier.

Refining on this side with a ticking time bomb—how unsettling!

Shi Ti froze completely.

From the moment Xu Xiaoshou made his move, he hadn't relaxed.

Now, seeing the kid like this, he couldn't help but transmit a message: "Snap out of it, boy! We're refining pills—focus for me!"

Shi Ti was on high alert.

If Xu Xiaoshou showed any sign of furnace explosion, even the slightest, he'd immediately protect the six-pin *Lian Dan Shi* nearby.

Their lives were precious.

"No... it's fine..."

Xu Xiaoshou finally recovered from the flood of knowledge and let out a relieved breath.

Then he pulled out a can of *Chi Jin Liquid*, sniffed it.

"Hiss!"

"Mmm ah..."

The comfortable groan echoed over the quiet ruins, leaving everyone dumbfounded.

"What is this Xu Xiaoshou here for? Is he brewing soup?"

"In such an important setting, was that a cramp just now?"

"And what's this pill? For refreshing the mind? Oh my god, that sound... I want some too."

"Hmm? You're acting suspicious!"

"Don't misunderstand. I mean, I want to take a sniff too."

"Hmm? Sniff?"

"Questioned, passive points: 664."

"Despised, passive points: 232."

With master-level Culinary Mastery...

Xu Xiaoshou calmed down and flipped through the knowledge in his mind, growing stiffer by the second.

He shifted his gaze back to the field.

"*Mo Yuan Li Liquid*, from the grass herb family, mild and tasteless, can neutralize '*Yan Se Poison*'..."

"*Zhu Zhu Grass*, from the red vine family, ice attribute, absorbs fire under high heat, very fishy smell..."

"Then '*Luo Yi Hua Jing*,' '*Pin Ci Hong Ji*'..."

All master-grade spiritual medicines!

He could recognize them all now!

This was normal!

But...

Xu Xiaoshou turned his head and looked at Long Dan.

"Human, human race, about eighty-nine years and seven months old, meat quality a bit tough, can be enhanced with '*Li Zi*,' remove fishiness with '*Xiang Su*,' the humerus is smelly and inedible, but the bones can be used in soup for medicine..."

"I'm not right!"

Xu Xiaoshou was shocked by himself.

He forcibly suppressed the reflexive thoughts, stopping them from going down that inhumane path, and turned his gaze again, landing on Fu Yin Hong in the distance.

"Human, human race, about twenty-one years and six months old, meat quality fresh and juicy, chewy, can be enhanced with..."

Fu Yin Hong blinked, not understanding why Xu Xiaoshou was staring at her while refining.

"Holy crap!"

Xu Xiaoshou swayed, nearly blacking out and falling on the spot.

He had long considered that using "Culinary Mastery" for refining pills might lead astray, but he never imagined that after upgrading, it would blaze a whole new deviant path!

Was this pushing him, Xu Xiaoshou, to gallop down the road of "meat pills" without looking back?

Xu Xiaoshou took a deep breath, trying to calm his racing heart.

After leveling up a few times before, he had felt "Culinary Mastery" might not be just for vegetarians, but today, entering the true realm of meat-and-veggie mastery, he was truly enlightened.

Who could have guessed that the first "meat" insight it fed back would be "human, human race, meat quality a bit tough"...

Could I actually refine Old Long Dan?

Long Dan suddenly felt a chill on his back.

He turned his head and saw Xu Xiaoshou's gaze, like he was eyeing prey, and jumped in fright.

"Xu Xiaoshou, aren't you refining? What are you doing?"

"Brewing soup?"

And indeed, the out-of-control bathtub kept gurgling, like boiling medicine.

"Human, human race, meat quality a bit tough..."

The information popped up again, like a pop-up ad, and Xu Xiaoshou painfully closed his eyes.

"Let me have a moment..."

He clutched his forehead and squatted down on the spot.

Too shocking.

This wave was too intense!

Xu Xiaoshou felt his teeth ache.

Now, he couldn't look at anyone straight.

Things like "meat quality loose," "tendon meat tough," "bones chewy"... all sorts of meat-and-veggie combinations, spicy or tomato-flavored—as soon as he glanced, his mind filled with endless possibilities.

Xu Xiaoshou felt like he was breaking down.

His refining style was already quirky enough, and now the steering wheel was locked, completely off the tracks and irretrievable.

"This is too messed up!"

He recalled the "Culinary Mastery" illusion he had experienced.

Back then, a "*Jiu Huan Shen Jie*" and a "*Hei Shen Fu*" sketched a scene of "the world as a furnace, all things refinable."

Now, it seemed that illusion wasn't exaggerated at all!

Not only could all things be refined, but at this rate...

All things could be eaten!

"I'm done."

Everyone stared blankly at Xu Xiaoshou squatting there, their eyes full of pity.

"See, Xu Xiaoshou is hit hard."

"This guy shouldn't have gone on stage if he couldn't handle it. A ten-pin squeezed between three six-pin experts—now he's forgotten his techniques!"

"Heh, I think he's even forgotten his *Dan Fang*. I was looking forward to him throwing in those herbs all at once, but now..."

"Oh no, Xu Xiaoshou's done. I'm out."

"Shut up!" Xu Xiaoshou suddenly shouted on stage. As soon as he spoke, his cauldron shook.

With a boom, the entire pot of liquid turned to ash.

Shi Ti jumped up, but was held down by Shou Ye, whose eyes lit up.

"Don't worry, it's not a big problem."

"Boom boom..."

This delay affected the nearby furnaces.

Even Long Dan wasn't spared—his exploded directly.

The old man's face turned green, and he exploded in rage.

"Boom boom boom!"

Like a chain reaction, Chen Qi and Li Mingji gritted their teeth, trying to steady themselves, but ultimately failed, and the scene turned chaotic.

"Boom boom boom boom boom..."

It was like stepping on buried landmines one by one. The ruins erupted in thunderous booms, smoke everywhere.

Anyone who hadn't activated their protective shield lost their pills without exception.

The crowd below froze.

Xu Xiaoshou was stunned too.

He had only meant to shut up those noisy people below because he was too annoyed.

That's all.

"Sorry, I was just a bit distracted..."

Long Dan was about to explode.

You get distracted, and you do it here? We don't just get distracted—we get terrified!

He blew his beard and glared, roaring, "Xu Xiaoshou, this is refining! Can you shut up for me?"

"Oh."

Xu Xiaoshou blinked innocently.

"Okay, I'll try."

"But if you're worried about disturbance, how about you stop being so stubborn and just open the protective shield?"