Chapter 5: This Cultivation is a Bit Addictive

Xu Xiaoshou glanced at the red interface in his mind.

Passive Points: 148.

"Not enough..."

While it was a significant increase from before, it was still a long way from the 1000 passive points needed to purchase skill points. From what he could tell, he could generate passive points whenever he was attacked, doubted, or ridiculed. However, these only happened during interactions with others. In other words, to gain more passive points, he had to mingle with the crowds and cause trouble! Xu Xiaoshou mumbled to himself, "This is basically forcing me to be a clown. It feels just like being a villain..."

Seeking attention, acting outrageously, and then having someone come along to crush him, becoming a protagonist destined for glory. As he thought about it, Xu Xiaoshou shivered. "This is way too passive!"

Thinking of "passive," he then thought of the "Passive System," the black wheel, and suddenly felt like he was being toyed with by fate. "Forget it, I'd better focus on how to improve my strength in the next three days!"

Although his physical body had reached the Xiantian level, with his current fourth-realm cultivation, he might not win against those high-level cultivation fanatics. Shaking his head, he stopped overthinking, took out the dan bottle Elder Qiao had given him. Inside were three "Lian Ling Dan." These "Lian Ling Dan" were extremely valuable; each one was several times more precious than his twenty spiritual crystals. Was Elder Qiao being that generous? Xu Xiaoshou pondered. He currently had two main cultivation methods. One was the Houtian-level Lian Ling Heart Method he had been practicing before. This thing was extremely slow to cultivate, and even with spiritual crystals, the absorption rate was less than one percent, which was a waste of resources. The second was the "Breathing Method," a basic passive skill given by the system. Although he hadn't upgraded its level, it might have unexpected effects.

"Let's try with spiritual crystals first!"

Xu Xiaoshou put away the dan bottle, took out a spiritual crystal, and then... well, he forgot what to do next. How was he supposed to cultivate? This "Breathing Method" was a passive skill; he didn't even know how to operate it, so how could he absorb spiritual crystals? Could it be... Xu Xiaoshou's face looked strange as an absurd cultivation method popped into his mind.

"Huff..."

He took a deep breath, held the spiritual crystal in his hand, and sucked in a big mouthful.

"Hiss!"

This was an extremely ridiculous idea, but unexpectedly, as he sucked, two streams of dense spiritual energy flew out from the spiritual crystal, like green snakes, rushing into Xu Xiaoshou's wide-open nostrils. As his nostrils flared, Xu Xiaoshou felt as if his soul was being gently caressed by a saintess, and every pore on his body exploded with sensation. A feeling of comfort and elevation rose from the soles of his feet to the top of his head.

"Ah~"

Xu Xiaoshou couldn't help but moan; this feeling was too wonderful, simply the first time in eighteen years! Soon, he came to his senses and couldn't help but shudder. "Damn!"

"Is this cultivating?"

"Is it that intense?"

The spiritual crystal in his hand had shrunk a bit, and Xu Xiaoshou was surprised; just one suck had caused such an obvious change? He checked his qi sea and was immediately shocked. The qi sea was like a vortex, spiritual power surging like tides, wave after wave, with no sign of instability. You have to know, he had just broken through to the fourth realm, and with one suck, his realm was solidified? Xu Xiaoshou was overjoyed; this "Breathing Method" was terrifyingly powerful! No need for active cultivation, no need to operate heart methods, no need for heavenly cycles, no waste of resources, one suck for comfort, one breath for a realm advancement. You deserve to have it!

"This, if I upgrade it to Xiantian level, and with sufficient spiritual energy supply, advancing a realm with one suck wouldn't be a dream!"

Xu Xiaoshou was stunned; this was too strong! After sucking about a dozen times on one spiritual crystal, it completely disappeared into Xu Xiaoshou's nostrils, and at the same time, his realm rose with the tide. The previous heart method had an absorption rate of less than one percent for spiritual crystals, but this "Breathing Method" was frightening; it didn't waste a bit, directly absorbing it perfectly. Correspondingly, Xu Xiaoshou at this time was like a drunk shrimp, sprawled on the bed in a twisted mess, not looking human. This intense cultivation method not only consumed spiritual crystals but also took a toll on the body.

"Hehe..."

Xu Xiaoshou's teeth chattered.

"Help me up, hehe... I can still cultivate..."

With a clatter, the dan bottle fell out of his embrace. Xu Xiaoshou saw this and his body trembled violently.

Three days passed in Xu Xiaoshou's increasingly intense cultivation. Outside Tian Sang Ling Gong's outer court, on Chu Yun Tai, there was a sea of people. This place was originally called Chu Yun Peak; legend has it that the vice-dean of Tian Sang Ling Gong, Sang Lao, forged Chu Yun Peak with fire, burning half of it and casting a platform that could hold ten thousand people, Chu Yun Tai. Chu Yun Tai was recessed in the middle of the peak, surrounded by tiered spectator seats; from above, it looked like a black bowl quietly placed on the peak. At this time, the spectator seats were sparsely occupied because the outer court disciples were basically on Chu Yun Tai. In the void, a sword-bearing elder stood, named Xiao Qixiu, the great elder of Tian Sang Ling Gong's Ling Fa Ge, in charge of all enforcement in the inner and outer courts, with great authority. At this moment, he was the chief judge of the outer court's "Feng Yun Zheng Ba." Xiao Qixiu gazed at the sun to confirm the time, then loudly suppressed all the noise on Chu Yun Tai.

"Quiet!"

Everyone immediately looked at him with burning eyes. Xiao Qixiu calmly pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket and read: "This competition has a total of 1782 registrants, corresponding to your respective Feng Yun Ling numbers."

"The preliminary round is a group elimination tournament, with each group having 100 people, totaling 18 groups, corresponding to 18 arenas." Xiao Qixiu took out a purple array token, infused it with spiritual yuan, and the array token emitted purple light. Below, Chu Yun Tai shook, and slowly, 18 super-large arenas emerged, each covered by a transparent light shield. The people who were originally standing on Chu Yun Tai were immediately pushed to the side by the light shield; these were naturally the newcomers participating in "Feng Yun Zheng Ba" for the first time. The veterans had long since crossed their arms and leaned against the edges of Chu Yun Tai, watching the show with amusement. Eighteen black lights descended from the sky, landing respectively into the 18 arenas. Xiao Qixiu said loudly: "Each arena has a professional referee in charge; when he saves you, that's when you're judged to have failed."

"Here, I advise you all: injuries and deaths are inevitable, but stop at the right moment."

"Moreover, once you're on the arena, be prepared to die. The referee isn't a god; he might be distracted, lost in thought, shocked, or scratching an itch, and in those moments, he can't save you."

Some newcomers panicked upon hearing this; this was a bit different from what they imagined. The referee getting distracted? What kind of joke is this? Can't you be more professional?! The veterans just smiled without speaking; Elder Xiao's cold jokes were as consistent as ever, making people's hearts race on a hot day. Everyone familiar with it knew that the enforcement elders of Ling Fa Ge were extremely strong and cold-blooded; how could they be distracted on the stage? Scratching an itch? Ridiculous! Xiao Qixiu looked at the mostly novice crowd below starting to panic, and the corner of his mouth twitched, his expression changing slightly. That's right! Life is full of surprises; how could you always start in perfect condition? He waved his hand, and from afar came the sound of an ancient bell,

"Dang—"

"Noon has arrived; 'Feng Yun Zheng Ba' begins!"

On arena number 12, the referee looked at the people outside the light shield and said indifferently: "The group match is an elimination format; whoever persists on the arena until the end is the winner."

"The top ten in the group will all receive prizes and advance to the next round; good luck to you all!" He symbolically waved his arm and said coldly: "Now, call out and enter the arena!"

"Number 1101, Zhou Zuo." A slightly short young man trembled and walked over; Liu Zhen behind him instructed: "Take out your token and imprint it on the barrier."

Zhou Zuo did as told and was sucked into the arena.

"Number 1102, Liu Zhen."

Liu Zhen then realized that the two of them had registered together and had consecutive numbers.

"..."

"Number 1120, Chao Xiao San." A young boy walked in with a bitter face, as if going to his execution.

"..."

"Number 1130, Xu Xiaoshou." No response. The referee frowned and called again, "Number 1130, Xu Xiaoshou."

Still no response. The arena inside and outside suddenly became lively.

"Didn't Xu Xiaoshou come out of seclusion?"

"Yeah, I personally went to collect the body that day and saw him; he didn't die!"

"Maybe he overslept?"

"Impossible, I think I just saw him on the road; he was walking a bit strangely."

"Perhaps you saw wrong?"

The referee got angry and shouted loudly: "Number 1130, Xu Xiaoshou?"

Everyone quieted down and looked around, but there was no sign of Xu Xiaoshou. The referee had no choice but to skip him and continue to the next number. If the time came and the person hadn't arrived, there was nothing to be done; it would be treated as a forfeit. Who was this Xu Xiaoshou? He had quite the nerve to be late for "Feng Yun Zheng Ba"!

In the spectator seats. Unlike the other arenas, the spectator seats for arena number 12 had spectators, and there were three of them. A voluptuous woman in a red skirt lounged lazily in her chair, showing off her graceful figure; her red lips glistened as she said: "Su Meimei, is this the little beast brother you wanted me to watch? Did you call him to get up?"

The white-clothed girl beside her blushed and pouted: "Sister Rao, what are you saying!"

"Little beast brother will definitely come; he must have been delayed by something. This is his last match, and I have to watch it." The white-clothed girl Su Qianqian was about fourteen or fifteen years old, just a little loli, but she had a giant sword taller than herself resting on her knees. She gently wiped the giant sword on her knees, her eyes full of memories: "When I first entered the outer court, I was alone and helpless; it was little beast brother who helped me a lot, which allowed me to enter the inner court in a month."

"In a month..." Rao Yin Yin lowered her head and murmured; although she knew Su Qianqian meant no harm, your inadvertent words hurt even more! Far away. Elder Qiao was squatting on his seat, scratching his ears and cheeks, scolding: "Damn Xu Xiaoshou, where did he run off to!"

"Didn't even let me send him off?"

"You're killing me with anxiety!"

Inside the barrier.

"Last call!"

The referee's voice of death fell: "Number 1130, Xu Xiaoshou!"

Ninety-nine people inside the arena plus the referee, and three people outside, all waited with bated breath. Where on earth was Xu Xiaoshou?