Chapter 475: The Embarrassed Saint

“You, finally came?”

As the aged voice echoed, Xu Xiaoshou felt a jolt to his spirit.

The scene before his eyes finally sharpened again.

Yet, despite the vast expanse of white, he couldn’t pinpoint the source of the voice, no matter how hard he tried.

Even with his "perception" extended widely, he found nothing.

“An old man.”

“A voice I’ve never heard before.”

“That means he’s a stranger.”

“So, why has he targeted me?”

“And from the way he’s speaking, this person must have ignored everyone else and been waiting specifically for me…”

From that single voice, Xu Xiaoshou quickly deduced all this information.

He was panicking.

Absolutely panicking right now!

What kind of powerhouse could pull someone’s consciousness into another world like this, right in front of a Zhan Dao expert, without anyone noticing?

Taixu?

Bansheng?

Xu Xiaoshou didn’t dare think further.

He was afraid that if he did, he wouldn’t even have the courage to talk to the other person.

Calming his mind slightly, he straightened the body formed by his consciousness and clasped his hands behind his back, showing no sign of nervousness.

He stared straight ahead, his gaze unfocused, unsure what he was looking at.

Imitating the other person’s tone, Xu Xiaoshou said calmly and slowly:

“You, finally appeared.”

Even if he didn’t fully understand the situation, he couldn’t cede the initiative—that was his principle.

His consciousness was already under control, meaning his life and death might be entirely in the other person’s hands.

In a situation like this, if he showed any weakness in the conversation, he might not even realize how he was being manipulated.

The other person fell silent for a moment, clearly caught off guard by Xu Xiaoshou’s way of speaking.

“You don’t seem surprised?”

The response came as a voice tinged with slight surprise.

Xu Xiaoshou smiled faintly.

“Surprised?”

“What is there to be surprised about?”

The discomfort from his consciousness body seemed to fade, and Xu Xiaoshou felt he could move again.

He tentatively took a small step forward and actually walked.

So, he strolled lightly while saying, “Ever since that famous sword appeared by my side, I knew something was off. That’s obvious.”

“Never mind that Bai Ku has only been around for a few years, and for four swords to show up here is already a surprise.”

“Now, one famous sword and another of the four swords appearing in the same place.”

“Fine, I’ll reluctantly call that a coincidence.”

“But this coincidence is just too far-fetched.”

Recalling Yu Zhiwen’s words, Xu Xiaoshou organized his thoughts and spoke steadily, making his words more convincing.

“Far-fetched?”

The other side seemed genuinely drawn in by Xu Xiaoshou’s words and asked with interest, “How so?”

Xu Xiaoshou stopped in his tracks, a confident expression on his face.

Getting the other person to follow his rhythm was perfect.

He waved his hand and said, “I deliberately tried something small—I wanted to let others touch the famous sword first to see if there was anything strange.”

He paused abruptly and raised an eyebrow.

“Sure enough, there was nothing strange!”

A scoff came from the other side.

Clearly, first there was something strange, then there wasn’t—his contradictory words perfectly revealed Xu Xiaoshou’s inner panic.

“Little one, you must be flustered. Don’t pretend anymore. I can even hear your heartbeat.”

“Received curse, passive value, 1.”

Xu Xiaoshou shook his head calmly.

“A racing heartbeat is a normal reaction for anyone in this environment.”

“But you seem to have missed my point…”

“Nothing strange is the strangest part!” Xu Xiaoshou stated firmly.

“Oh?”

The other person sounded intrigued. “Explain yourself. Go on.”

“Received suspicion, passive value, 1.”

Watching the information panel gradually return to normal, Xu Xiaoshou felt a bit relieved.

But he didn’t dare let his guard down and continued to feign composure, speaking even more slowly.

“If I’m not mistaken, you can see everything happening outside?”

The other side confirmed with a yes.

Seeing that the person was even more hooked, Xu Xiaoshou smiled in relief. “So, your setup is clever, but the flaws are too obvious.”

“A sword that even ghost beasts and Zhan Dao experts couldn’t pull out, and I, someone who’s never even seen it before, can draw it easily?”

“Even if it’s a famous sword choosing its master, that’s just too foolish!”

“Would it ignore those truly exceptional sword Dao talents out there and pick someone like me?” Xu Xiaoshou sneered.

“Maybe you are the one fated…”

The other side started to speak, but Xu Xiaoshou cut him off rudely.

“In your mind, you probably think I’d believe that others can’t draw the sword but I can, so I must be the chosen one, right?”

“But you’re assuming too much!”

“If it were someone else, they might be that naive.”

“But I, Zhou Tian Can, am not that shallow. What you think others are thinking isn’t necessarily all there is to it.”

“So, you’ve fallen short.”

Xu Xiaoshou lifted his chin slightly with a touch of arrogance.

“Received curse, passive value, 1.”

Clearly, that message came because the other person was annoyed at being interrupted.

But it also made the other side fall silent.

The silence didn’t last long. Just as Xu Xiaoshou was waiting for the person to start panicking, another question came.

“You’re not called Xu Xiaoshou?”

Xu Xiaoshou felt his heart skip a beat.

Oh right!

This guy could see and hear everything outside the famous sword, so he must have heard Gu Qing Er call my name?

Damn it!

I let my guard down!

This mix of truth and lies in our conversation is full of holes.

Xu Xiaoshou was extremely frustrated.

But the tension was really affecting his judgment, making him overlook small details.

“Xu Xiaoshou?”

“Hah, so you’ve fallen short too!”

“Just because someone calls me by a name, does that make it my real name?”

“Or even, is the name I’m giving you now my true one?”

Even though his heart was racing, Xu Xiaoshou kept a calm expression.

In psychological games, he wasn’t afraid of anyone.

“Received curse, passive value, 1.”

“Received suspicion, passive value, 1.”

“What a sharp-tongued little one!”

The other side chuckled. “I truly didn’t choose wrong.”

Xu Xiaoshou’s face stiffened.

He realized the other person didn’t want to keep going with this rhythm.

Sure enough, the next sentence shifted the topic.

“You said you noticed something was off, so why did you let me bring you in?”

Here it comes!

The key moment!

Though his mind was in turmoil, Xu Xiaoshou was prepared.

“Bring?”

He chuckled. “Is that really bringing me? Can’t you see I came in on purpose to meet you?”

Seeing that message, Xu Xiaoshou knew he had completely disrupted the other side’s plan.

Even if they had their own rhythm before, they were now doubting his actions a bit.

Not much, but that doubt, if it built up, could crush anyone at a critical moment!

“Believed it?”

“Haha, so you’ve fallen short!”

Xu Xiaoshou burst out laughing suddenly.

“Received curse, passive value, 1.”

The other person was clearly even angrier.

After seeing that message, Xu Xiaoshou immediately stopped laughing, lowered his head, and spoke in a serious tone.

“But I really did want to come in and see you!”

This back-and-forth was bound to shake the other person, even if they were completely sure at first.

Xu Xiaoshou couldn’t see the other side, but that’s exactly what the information panel was for.

He had used this method before to gauge Feng Kong and Shao Yi’s thoughts from afar.

Sure enough!

“Received scrutiny, passive value, 1.”

The other side showed no other emotions now.

Just scrutiny.

Xu Xiaoshou was a bit surprised.

That wasn’t quite right!

Why had they suddenly stopped with messages like “suspicion” or “disdain”?

Could it be…

Xu Xiaoshou’s pupils shrank. Could this great one have detected the existence of the information panel?

This made Xu Xiaoshou’s scalp tingle.

“Little one, are you trying to figure me out?”

The voice from the other side carried a hint of anger.

Xu Xiaoshou didn’t know where the slip-up was, but he was certain that even if this person was incredibly powerful, they couldn’t see the information panel that only he could observe.

So…

He slowly looked up, his eyes playful.

“I can even say for sure that you’ve realized I’ve been secretly gauging your attitude and reactions through your responses.”

“That’s why you’re not showing any emotions now, afraid I’ll pick up more information.”

“Am I right?”

Saying things that leave others speechless!

At that moment, Xu Xiaoshou was extremely confident.

Because he saw the message that suddenly popped up on the information panel.

Indeed, this old guy hadn’t actually seen the information panel.

He had just sharply noticed that Xu Xiaoshou had some way to read emotions through conversations, allowing him to keep suppressing the other side.

But Xu Xiaoshou wasn’t worried.

Because even without the information panel, many people in reality could do something similar.

In three words: high emotional intelligence!

In two words: smart!

“You’re very smart.”

After a silence of over ten breaths, the other side suddenly praised, “I never expected that besides your quick tongue, your mind is also so… mature.”

He paused, and as Xu Xiaoshou felt a flicker of delight, the voice smiled.

“Very good. I really didn’t misjudge you!”

“This…”

Xu Xiaoshou was stunned.

How could this guy still not be angry after being pushed around like this?

In fact, the more he was challenged, the happier he seemed?

This was twisted!

“No.”

Xu Xiaoshou suddenly woke up.

He had been treating this person as an enemy all along, so his words were all about suppressing them.

But from the other side’s perspective, it might not be that absolute.

Maybe this old guy didn’t bring him in for something bad, but to…

Offer some opportunity?

Like taking him as a disciple or something?

Only then would they see his ability to handle them as a positive trait!

“I let my guard down…”

Xu Xiaoshou regretted showing off his skills too much.

Being targeted by Sang Lao was already a hassle.

Now, being noticed by such a great one and personally invited in…

Was this just to give him an opportunity?

No such thing as a free lunch—this basic truth was obvious!

Especially in this self-serving world!

This old guy definitely had ulterior motives!

The other side was still laughing, a joyful laugh from the heart that made Xu Xiaoshou uneasy.

But he didn’t dare interrupt.

The less said, the better.

Honestly, at this point, Xu Xiaoshou didn’t know if what he’d said was helping or hurting.

“You’re very smart, beyond what I imagined.”

The aged voice finished laughing and spoke emotionlessly, “Since you’re so smart, guess why I invited you here.”

Xu Xiaoshou’s eyes darkened.

Why?

Who knows what you’re up to!

If I knew, would I have dripped that blood?

I’d have run far away!

But he didn’t show his thoughts.

Since he’d already played the smart card this far, and he didn’t know if more talking would help, he’d just go all in and look for a way out.

Xu Xiaoshou got serious.

He carefully recalled the events that had happened.

From the fight with the white skeleton, to the white beast tide, to the famous sword emerging.

The business part could be ignored.

Then the famous sword rejected others but favored him, leading to the blood oath…

Honestly, tracing this path, Xu Xiaoshou couldn’t see anything harmful to him.

So, was this old guy actually well-intentioned?

What a joke!

It was just an illusion the other side wanted him to have.

Anyone who thought that was a fool!

“The famous sword is your gift to me.”

Xu Xiaoshou said confidently, “I don’t know how you made it appear or guided it to me, but that’s what you’re giving me.”

The other side was a bit surprised.

After a pause, they rarely explained, “I’m too far away to manipulate a famous sword like that.”

“But…”

The voice seemed to regain some confidence in the conversation, “This sword is something I buried over a hundred years ago!”

Too far away.

Xu Xiaoshou first noted that casually revealed key information.

If even someone like this said they were too far, it probably wasn’t just spatial distance.

At least, it had to be across several small worlds or more.

But the next part shocked him even more.

“Over a hundred years?”

“You mean you buried this sword over a hundred years ago?”

The aged voice grew even more confident.

Xu Xiaoshou was stunned.

“So, you set this up over a hundred years ago and calculated that I’d come?”

What kind of nonsense was this?

This was like a god!

Calculating so precisely over a hundred years?

“Exactly!”

The other side affirmed without hesitation, “My setup waits for the fated one, and you just happened to meet certain conditions.”

Xu Xiaoshou was completely shocked.

He thought Sang Lao’s schemes were terrifying enough.

After all, he hadn’t escaped that old man’s plans from the start.

But compared to this, that was nothing!

Over a hundred years?

Waiting so precisely?

Even if it wasn’t specifically for him, how did they preserve the setup perfectly through a hundred years of changes in heaven and earth?

A hundred years was enough for the Eighth Sword Immortal to fall twice!

“How did you pick me…?”

Xu Xiaoshou desperately swallowed his last teary “huh”.

He felt like he’d stepped into a much larger game.

The players were probably among the top in the world.

A hundred years—terrifying!

“You’re not smart enough? You should know how I picked you.” The voice added a hint of teasing.

Xu Xiaoshou almost cried.

I have no idea!

Right now, I just want you to let me go. I’m sorry for that impulsive blood drop, okay?

I shouldn’t have tainted your famous sword!

“Then I’ll guess?”

Even though his heart was full of bitterness, Xu Xiaoshou looked up, his face full of confidence.

“Received expectation, passive value, 1.”

Xu Xiaoshou smiled bitterly and lowered his head.

Staring at the vast white, scorching world before him, he steadied his heart and said:

“First, the famous sword is fire-based, so either it’s my sword Dao talent, or my Zongshi body, or maybe my cultivation technique…”

Jinzhao Tianfen!

The scorching, intense aura in this small world was too similar to Jinzhao Tianfen.

But even stronger!

Just standing there being scorched made Xu Xiaoshou feel like he was about to collapse.

His consciousness body was probably only holding up because the other side had protected him.

He continued, “And there are people with better sword Dao talent than me—you saw that—so you picked me because of my fire attributes!”

There was a brief silence.

Xu Xiaoshou waited for a response.

“Go on.”

The voice didn’t confirm or deny.

But even for someone like this, hiding their emotions perfectly, a slip would show—and the information panel caught it.

Surprise.

That meant he was right!

Xu Xiaoshou felt more assured.

He asked a bit curiously, “Do you know someone called Sang Lao?”

The other side seemed taken aback.

“Is this person important to your reasoning?”

“Yes.”

“I don’t know him.”

A straightforward reply.

Xu Xiaoshou breathed a sigh of relief.

Someone of this level had no reason to lie.

If they said they didn’t know, then they really didn’t.

So, being targeted was just an accident?

A coincidence…

“Why give me the famous sword?” Xu Xiaoshou asked.

“You guess.”

The other side was clearly hooked, even more interested in his accurate deductions.

Xu Xiaoshou was speechless.

But he had no choice and grabbed the information he had to keep going.

“The famous sword…”

“If it’s because of my fire attributes that you’re giving me something, why does it have to be a famous sword? Couldn’t it be something else?”

“Theoretically, famous swords lean more toward sword attributes.”

“If you wanted something that suits me better, shouldn’t it be a fire-based treasure of the same level?”

“But it’s not!”

“So, giving only the famous sword and nothing else is just because the famous sword is here, and you can manipulate it from afar?”

“That’s it!”

Xu Xiaoshou suddenly had a realization.

He thought of the information the old guy had let slip earlier.

“I’m too far away.”

Those four words meant nothing if not thought about, but in this context…

Being too far away meant they couldn’t come.

Yet, they still went to great lengths to make Yanzhuo appear from afar, just to give it to him?

Who in the world was that generous?

If you said the famous sword might harm him, Xu Xiaoshou would’ve been relieved.

But this was a genuine famous sword from the twenty-one, original and harmless.

So…

“Delivering a treasure from afar?”

Xu Xiaoshou sensed something off.

If you ignored their unequal statuses, this situation was like someone asking for a favor in the mortal world.

Slowly looking up, Xu Xiaoshou said uncertainly, “You’re giving me the sword because you want me to help you?”

“Cough—”

“Pfft!”

A suppressed sputtering sound came, like the person was drinking tea.

Xu Xiaoshou was baffled.

Were they seriously drinking tea right now?

From the situation, he’d hit the mark!

He glanced at the information panel.

Xu Xiaoshou: “…”

That was confirmation!

“Little one…”

“Why not come out and meet face-to-face?” Xu Xiaoshou boldly interrupted again.

If they needed something from him, he had the upper hand!

Asking to meet wasn’t too much, right?

The vast white world fell silent after his words.

Xu Xiaoshou didn’t wait long before a figure slowly emerged from the distant horizon.

The intense, scorching aura rushed over like a blazing sun crashing down, impossible to look at directly.

Even with his eyes wide and “perception” fully extended, Xu Xiaoshou couldn’t make out the old man’s form clearly.

But just from the visible, immense heavenly Dao power…

Xu Xiaoshou was certain.

This person surpassed anyone he’d ever seen.

“Taixu power, with a hint beyond the heavenly Dao—if not mistaken, Shengli!”

“So, at least a Taixu realm peak expert…”

“No!”

Xu Xiaoshou snapped to attention.

He was here only as a consciousness body.

So, how could this be the other person’s true form?

And they’d said, “I’m too far away,” which confirmed this wasn’t their real body!

“Bansheng!”

“Or even beyond Bansheng!”

Xu Xiaoshou was terrified.

How had he been targeted by a Sheng realm expert?

“Little one…”

“I’m truly impressed by you!”

As the old man advanced, the light around him gradually receded. Just as Xu Xiaoshou was about to see his true appearance…

Suddenly!

“Received scrutiny, passive value, 1.”

Xu Xiaoshou was startled.

Scrutiny—this had always been a sensitive term, usually triggered when he was being watched secretly.

But the old man was already out in the open, so why scrutiny now?

A void crack appeared, and surging sword intent poured out.

That sword intent carried the power of heaven’s collapse; even a single thread felt like a mountain crushing down, shattering the small world.

Boom—

Loud rumbles echoed.

Xu Xiaoshou’s consciousness body nearly collapsed on the spot.

“What’s happening?”

Before he could think, a cry of alarm came from afar.

“Oh no, Shengshen Hall!”

The old man froze, not even taking another step toward the cracking sky.

The next second, without any explanation, he pointed urgently, and a white light shot into Xu Xiaoshou’s forehead.

At the same time, the white small world shattered completely.

Xu Xiaoshou absorbed the energy, his head spinning, almost blacking out.

He felt like he was hallucinating.

He saw the person he’d guessed was a Sheng expert scrambling away in panic under that heaven-falling sword intent, without even maintaining his form.

A Sheng expert acting so pathetically?

Xu Xiaoshou was dumbfounded.

He rubbed his eyes and looked again, but the old man had vanished.

As the small world collapsed, his consciousness returned.

Vaguely, Xu Xiaoshou still heard the clanking of chains accompanying the old man’s frantic escape.

“That was… the sound of chains?”