Chapter 46: Terrifying Right Hand

Xu Xiaoshou slowly emerged from a state of hazy dreaminess.

From the group stages, he had fought fiercely against the crowd to qualify. In the elimination rounds, he defeated Shi Jing Liu Zhen and Rank Seven Wen Chong. Then, in the advancement stage, he faced the half-Xiantian Zhou Tian Shen and the full Xiantian Chao Qing Teng...

And both of them possessed Houtian Intent Realm abilities!

Furthermore, in the semifinals, there was "Parasite" and "Vampire" Mu Zixi...

The entire Fengyun Zhengba tournament had been a grueling five-stage, six-general battle for him, filled with hardship and bitterness.

Xu Xiaoshou felt he was the most unfortunate person in the world.

Just look at Mo Mo, she had breezed through it all with one hand.

What a painful contrast...

Suddenly, he felt a cool sensation on his face, and Xu Xiaoshou slowly woke to see a staff member wiping his face, which deeply moved him.

"Is it the finals already?"

"Mm."

The staff member gave a curt reply, tossed the cloth back into the basin, and watched Xu Xiaoshou swagger away.

Sigh, what kind of person is this? To be so laid-back that he can fall asleep right before the finals...

"Received admiration, Passive Value +1."

Xu Xiaoshou suddenly turned back, startling the staff member, who quickly held the basin behind them to hide the cloth.

"What are you doing?"

"What do you mean, what am I doing?"

Xu Xiaoshou was confused. He summoned "Cang Ku" and leaped onto it, facing backward relative to the door.

The black sword glided smoothly, its rider looking dashing and elegant.

The staff member: "..."

"Received curse, Passive Value +1."

Why do you have to ride the sword backward? Can't you just ride it normally?

Don't you know that makes people think you're up to no good?

Xu Xiaoshou was both amazed and confused—another random curse?

He always felt that the two staff members in the waiting area were a bit odd, but whatever, this farewell meant he probably wouldn't see them again.

He waved goodbye to these two fools who could only give him "+2" at most.

...

"Received mockery, Passive Value +449."

"Received doubt, Passive Value +224."

"Received admiration, Passive Value +3."

Once out of the waiting area, Xu Xiaoshou perked up again. He held the "Fengyun Order" in one hand and craned his neck, flashing his most sincere smile.

After all, crowds were his battlefield.

Just look at these Passive Values...

Hmm?

Only three instances of admiration?

Heh, you mere mortals who can't even fly—how dare you mock me?

As he thought this, Xu Xiaoshou raised the black sword higher, as if to distance himself from the ordinary folks.

"Received mockery, Passive Value +541."

"Received mockery, Passive Value +623."

Hmm?

Extra gains?

Xu Xiaoshou's eyes lit up, and he raised it another zhang.

"Received mockery, Passive Value +777."

Oh wow...

Again!

"Received mockery, Passive Value +864."

Perfect, keep it coming!

Continue...

"Ow!"

He suddenly felt something hit his head... But this was high in the air—was there some kind of flying mishap?

Xu Xiaoshou looked up.

Xiao Qixiu's face was as dark as storm clouds, his right hand gripping the long sword on his back, his tone eerily calm, as if addressing a dead man.

"Keep flying. Go on, fly even higher."

"Oh, it's the referee, sir!"

Xu Xiaoshou instantly plastered on a smile and dove headfirst into the barrier.

Damn!

That scared the life out of me!

"Ha ha ha, I'm completely impressed by this Xu Xiaoshou!"

The audience doubled over with laughter—one person actually managed to infuriate Elder Xiao this much; no one else could pull that off.

On the other side,

Mo Mo had never left the arena; she had even been meditating right there on the stage, so she had witnessed Xu Xiaoshou's whole escapade.

A smile tugged at her lips. "Xu Xiaoshou, I watched your group stage match. You're very... humorous."

She pondered for a while before settling on that word.

"Received praise, Passive Value +1."

Xu Xiaoshou had been staring at her Tong Lu—or more precisely, at the right hand holding the Tong Lu.

"It's so beautiful!"

This sudden compliment made Mo Mo's cheeks flush; it was the first time anyone had said that to her face.

Just as she wondered if she should return the compliment, she heard Xu Xiaoshou quickly add: "I mean the Tong Lu."

Mo Mo: "..."

Xu Xiaoshou scratched his head, realizing that might not have been the best way to put it.

"Of course, you're beautiful too—it's a different kind of beauty from the Tong Lu."

Mo Mo: "..."

"Received curse, Passive Value +1."

Xu Xiaoshou: ???

What gives? I just complimented you, and you're cursing me?

Heh, women!

He stepped forward, clearly drawn to the Tong Lu, looking like he wanted to touch it but hesitant it might be rude. In the end, he couldn't resist asking: "Can I take a closer look at this thing?"

Mo Mo hesitated but eventually reached out and handed over the Tong Lu.

If it were anyone else, that would be impossible, but this guy...

Well, he had sort of complimented her earlier, so maybe it was fine.

A quick look wouldn't hurt.

With permission granted, Xu Xiaoshou eagerly took hold of Mo Mo's right hand—it felt warm and comforting.

"You..."

Mo Mo jerked back as if electrocuted, leaving the Tong Lu in Xu Xiaoshou's palm.

Xu Xiaoshou stared at her in astonishment, his gaze dropping to her right hand, as if he had just realized what happened.

He quickly apologized: "Sorry, I was too forward. I was just captivated by the Tong Lu—I didn't mean anything else..."

"Whew... It's okay."

Mo Mo let out a breath and waved it off, thinking that this guy seemed so earnest; it probably wasn't intentional.

The audience was baffled by their awkward exchange—so polite?

First compliments, then hand-touching—why not just hold hands and call the match off?

"What's going on? Why hasn't it started?"

"What's the rush? Xu Xiaoshou still has time to rest, and besides, who's to say he can't look at a Tong Lu? If you can't wait, don't watch!"

"What's so interesting about a Tong Lu?"

"Heh, it's the divine artifact that Rank One never lets go of—if I were him, I'd want to see it too!"

Xu Xiaoshou couldn't care less about the outside chatter. He pretended to examine the Tong Lu closely, but his heart was racing.

It was real!

His intuition had been spot-on!

The moment he entered the arena, his "Perception" skill had vaguely detected an extraordinary, terrifying energy within the barrier.

After searching for a while, he zeroed in on Mo Mo's right hand, where she held the Tong Lu.

To get close enough, he had carefully lured her in, and finally succeeded.

In that instant of contact, he clearly sensed that the energy in Mo Mo's right hand was more abundant than her entire body's Ling Yuan combined...

At least ten times more!

And that didn't even account for the energy he couldn't fully probe!

What the hell...

What kind of monstrous thing was this?

Keep in mind, Mo Mo had reached the finals using only her left hand!

Xu Xiaoshou panicked. He realized this opponent was on a completely different level from Chao Qing Teng or Mu Zixi.

He recalled Elder Qiao's letter.

Fengyin Shu...

Don't scare me—it's not sealed with a whole armful of eyes, is it?