Chapter 45: No Future

"Is that how I won?"

Everyone in the audience was left in a daze, even some strong experts from the Nei Yuan feeling completely baffled.

This was probably the most absurd victory in the history of the Wai Yuan.

The loser was utterly bewildered, and the winner was equally confused.

"This first half was going so well—how did it turn strange later?"

"Don't ask; it's just Xu Xiaoshou. Seeing a result like this is normal..."

"Ha ha, I've watched his matches all the way, and if the result isn't bizarre, it wouldn't be Xu Xiaoshou!"

"But, this is the semifinals..."

Some people still couldn't believe it; in previous years, the semifinals were fought to the death, but today it ended so hastily?

"Suspected, Bei Dong Zhi +664."

"Suspected, Bei Dong Zhi +121."

Not just outsiders—Xu Xiaoshou himself was completely stunned.

His victory was largely thanks to Mu Zixi's bite; otherwise, the final outcome might have been uncertain...

If she hadn't taken that greedy bite and pushed him off the stage while he was paralyzed, Xu Xiaoshou might have been done for.

But there were no "ifs"...

He collected himself, walking along with a cheerful response, constantly checking the Bei Dong Zhi surging in his mind from all the doubts.

"Not bad!"

As he entered the waiting area, the barrier cut off external information, but the notifications kept coming.

"Suspected, Bei Dong Zhi +2."

"Suspected, Bei Dong Zhi +2."

Xu Xiaoshou glanced at the two stiff staff members and smiled helplessly.

"March on with the gale, leaving a trail of question marks behind..."

This contestant, who had passively advanced to the finals, went into the changing room, thoroughly washed off all the blood and dirt from his clothes, and returned to the resting chair to meditate.

Xu Xiaoshou took out a Ling Jing, sniffed it, and recalled the battle.

He had to admit, Mu Zixi was strong!

She was another girl who had broadened his combat horizons with her innate, unconventional fighting styles—it was truly eye-opening.

Qing Teng, Mu Zixi...

Well, Zhou Tian counted as half.

Xu Xiaoshou began to anticipate how his strength would transform once he reached Xian Tian.

Perhaps then, he wouldn't be limited by those few Bei Dong Ji in his mind and could freely unleash his power, striking down opponents from all sides.

"Still, it's probably because the time has been too short to gather more powerful Bei Dong Ji..."

Xu Xiaoshou narrowed his eyes; from the moment he got the Bei Dong system, the time had been too brief.

Even if he had frantically earned Bei Dong Zhi during that period, he had only managed to acquire six Bei Dong Ji, barely combining them to reach the finals—it was quite an achievement.

Maybe if he had more time, with increased skill quantity and levels, he wouldn't even need to rely on Xian Tian attributes...

"That makes a lot of sense!" Xu Xiaoshou nodded emphatically.

The two staff members huddled in the corner, whispering, "Here he goes again..."

Xu Xiaoshou's face darkened—these two were really something!

Didn't they know he had "Perception" now?

Hmph!

He turned his back, pulled out a Lian Ling Dan, and took a deep inhale, quickly restoring his state.

Originally, his best plan was to watch Mo Mo's match, but his battle with Mu Zixi had left him quite injured.

"Sheng Sheng Bu Xi" could heal, but it took time, so Xu Xiaoshou simply closed his eyes to rest, undisturbed by outside distractions.

Soon, a staff member woke him.

"The match has started?"

"No."

The staff member pulled a letter from his pocket: "From Qiao Changlao."

Xu Xiaoshou raised an eyebrow—what could be so important that it required a letter?

Well, Qiao Changlao was probably watching the matches, so he couldn't come to the waiting area himself.

This letter must have been delivered as a favor because he was an elder!

Xu Xiaoshou opened the envelope; it only had three big characters on it:

"Feng Yin Shu!"

Whoosh!

Ling Li surged out, burning the paper to ashes, and Xu Xiaoshou fell into thought.

What did it mean—Feng Yin Shu?

Related to the finals against Mo Mo?

Currently, the only thing connected to this was the upcoming final, and without a doubt, his opponent would be Mo Mo...

Come to think of it, no one had ever seen this Wai Yuan senior sister's abilities...

Every opponent was knocked off the stage with just a few palms—was it related to "Feng Yin Shu"?

Was this her Xian Tian attribute power?

But how did it seal? Seal Ling Li?

One letter brought more questions, so Xu Xiaoshou decided not to dwell on it.

If it really sealed Ling Li, it wouldn't affect him much.

In his fights, he hardly used Ling Li except for the four sword moves of "Bai Yun You You."

Even if he lacked Ling Li, he could just pull out a Lian Ling Dan; at most, he'd be stiff for half a second before recovering, no big issue.

"Call me for the final."

He said to the staff member, then closed his eyes again to sense the Jian Yi.

The staff member quickly agreed and sat back down to drink tea.

But before the teacup was lifted, it started trembling, with an inexplicable Jian Yi rising from it, causing tea to spill everywhere.

The two staff members exchanged silent glances.

"Cursed, Bei Dong Zhi +2."

Xu Xiaoshou, meditating with his eyes closed, curved his lips into a slight smile, and suddenly the teacup trembled even more violently.

"Cursed, Bei Dong Zhi +2, +2, +2, +2..."

At the edge of the stage, Mo Mo struck with a palm, sending her burly opponent flying off, and Xiao Qixiu's voice rang out just in time.

The audience erupted in exclamations, everyone wearing an expression of surprise mixed with inevitability.

"Another one knocked off with just her left hand—Senior Sister Mo is really... too strong!"

"Yeah, even in the semifinals, no one could force Senior Sister Mo to use her right hand holding the copper furnace; it's incredible!"

"Speaking of which, what is that small copper furnace? We never see her use it!"

"Who knows? Maybe holding that thing keeps her right hand from moving randomly, giving opponents a bit of hope..."

"Uh... she's just too powerful. I wonder if Xu Xiaoshou can make her use both hands..."

Mo Mo stood on the stage, her white clothes fluttering.

Strictly speaking, her appearance wasn't outstanding; it could even be called ordinary.

But under a series of halos, no one could overlook this woman.

Zhang Xin Xiong's expression shifted; he turned his head and said, "This Mo Mo is very strong. If we were both at Yuan Ting Jing initial stage, I might not beat her."

He paused, then added, "In a prolonged fight."

Liu Zhen was shocked.

Even after Xu Xiaoshou and Mu Zixi's intense battle, Zhang Xin Xiong hadn't commented much, yet he held this plainly looking woman in such high regard...

"So, to fight Senior Sister Mo, you have to end it quickly?"

Zhang Xin Xiong nodded: "Exactly! Each of her attacks carries a special effect that weakens her opponent's abilities—it's quite strange; I can't tell what it is."

"Is that her Xian Tian attribute power?"

"Maybe..."

Liu Zhen fell silent—what kind of special ability was this?

Among Xian Tian experts, the most common awakenings were the five elements, while the more unusual attributes were harder to handle.

Of course, the key was using them effectively; otherwise, it was better to hope for a mainstream five-element power!

Mo Mo was clearly one of those geniuses; her bizarre weakening ability, combined with her agile movements, made her unbeatable in extended fights.

Liu Zhen recalled the preliminary match against Xu Xiaoshou and said, "What about the final, Brother Xiong? What's your take?"

"A Xian Tian physical body..."

Zhang Xin Xiong shook his head, picturing that odd figure with "reverse sword control," and chuckled.

He couldn't figure out how such a person had made it to the finals.

Perhaps there really were "children of luck"!

He slowly shook his head: "Xu Xiaoshou... has no future!"