Chapter 6: Provoking Hatred

Xu Xiaoshou trudged along the road, his feet a strange mix of inward and outward turns, pushing forward through the wind and rain.

He had gotten up an hour early to hurry along, but after walking for half the day, he still hadn't made it. "Damn that Huxi Zhifa..."

An old man in a straw hat, leaning on a walking stick, passed by him. He moved slowly, yet stirred up a gust of wind.

Before long, the old man glanced back, seemingly surprised that this young man was progressing even slower than a turtle.

"From the outer courtyard?"

"Young man, aren't you going to the Fengyun Zhengba?"

Xu Xiaoshou's teeth chattered as he stammered, "On... on my way!"

The old man looked at his trembling legs and smiled meaningfully. "Young people shouldn't overdo it!"

Xu Xiaoshou's face darkened, nearly stumbling as he inwardly cursed, "Damn that Lianling Dan..."

The root of all this traced back to the terrifying combination of the "Huxi Zhifa" and "Lianling Dan."

During those three days of preparation, he had endured the strange sensations in his body and absorbed the energy from twenty Lingjing crystals in one go, propelling his cultivation straight to the peak of the four borders.

After repeatedly confirming that this cultivation method had no side effects, Xu Xiaoshou realized the power of the "Huxi Zhifa"—it might absorb slowly, but it took in a massive amount at once.

The more he cultivated, the more addictive it became. Now, he was just one step away from the five borders, so how could he stop?

He steadied his trembling body and thought that with one night left before the competition, how could he waste it?

Time is money, time is life!

So, he took out a Lianling Dan, hesitated for a moment, worried that the medicinal power might not be enough to break through, and emptied his entire lungs before sucking hard on the pill through his nose.

This one breath caused big trouble!

Lingjing crystals were fist-sized and didn't yield much energy, but the Lianling Dan was only as big as a fingernail. With such a forceful inhale, the pill shrank by half!

What did half mean?

Normally, when a Lianling master absorbed a Lianling Dan, ninety-nine percent of the spiritual energy would dissipate, yet even so, it could still multiply cultivation speed several times over.

But the "Huxi Zhifa" absorbed one hundred percent...

By the time Xu Xiaoshou realized something was wrong, an overwhelming wave of sensation, amplified a hundredfold, had already hit him. Who could withstand that?

It wasn't just a sensation anymore—it was like swallowing explosives.

His toes curled, his heart stopped, and Xu Xiaoshou fainted on the spot!

That single inhale was equivalent to an ordinary person taking dozens of Lianling Dan at once—the medicinal power was that intense.

In his coma, forget about breaking through; his cultivation shot directly to the peak of the five borders and nearly reached the six borders.

When he regained consciousness, he felt completely drained, his steps unsteady, his eyes rolling back, and his teeth chattering...

It was as if, in his coma, he had been...

He had only sniffed the pill a little—how infuriating!

Even walking was a struggle, with his left foot pushing the right and the right foot bracing the ground.

If he couldn't keep them together, he'd end up squatting like a duck!

Xu Xiaoshou quickly swallowed the remaining half of the pill and used an ordinary cultivation method to refine it, which finally started to improve his condition.

Though it was a waste, he had no other choice at that moment—the most important thing was to make it to the competition.

A resonant bell rang out, breaking his thoughts.

Xu Xiaoshou bid farewell to the old man and quickened his pace toward Chuyun Tai.

The old man with the straw hat watched him stagger with every step and shook his head, sighing, "Youth is truly wonderful!"

...

At Chuyun Tai, ring number 12.

"Last call!"

"Number 1130, Xu Xiaoshou!"

As everyone craned their necks in anticipation, a sword-carrying young man stumbled in under the blazing sun.

"Here... wait a minute!" His voice was incredibly weak.

In the audience seats, the girl in white, Su Qianqian, pointed excitedly, her big eyes full of thrill. "Brother Little Beast!"

"Is that him?"

Rao Yinyin felt a bit curious, but upon seeing the young man's walking posture, she felt dizzy. "Su, what did you do to him?"

"Huh?"

Su Qianqian was clueless at first, but after glancing twice at Xu Xiaoshou and noticing his gait, her cheeks flushed red. She balled her fists and punched the red-skirted woman in the chest. "Hmph, I'm ignoring you!"

In the distance, Elder Qiao spotted Xu Xiaoshou and breathed a sigh of relief. "Finally here, this kid..."

"Uh, with that walking posture, what kind of mischief has he been up to?"

...

On the ring.

Xu Xiaoshou weakly cupped his fists toward the referee. "Apologies, I was delayed by some matters."

As he finished, he tightened his legs.

The referee: "..."

Your words and that action are really stirring up imaginations, young man!

At that moment, another bell tolled from the horizon.

The referee swept his hand down. "The match begins!"

No sooner had the words left his mouth than the scene erupted.

Someone took advantage of the others being distracted by Xu Xiaoshou and blasted several off the ring, instantly reducing the numbers.

"Looking for death!"

Those who weren't ambushed flew into a rage and clashed with the attacker.

Xu Xiaoshou had just stepped onto the ring, staying near the edge and away from the battlefield. Seeing the numbers dwindle, he panicked.

These were all heads—points for him!

His big money-making plan relied on these points. How could they just fight among themselves?

"Stop!"

A forceful shout, laced with inner energy yet masking weakness, echoed across the ring, making everyone halt.

The crowd was baffled, turning to look at Xu Xiaoshou, wondering why they had been startled into stopping.

What was this guy up to? Just because he was a bit away from the crowd, did he think he could get cocky?

A few people started moving toward him to teach him a lesson.

The referee was stunned too—he hadn't expected this latecomer to have innate power in his voice.

But glancing at his cultivation, five borders? Wait, was he seeing things?

In the audience, the three of them were equally confused. Elder Qiao was frantic, not noticing anything unusual, and grumbled to himself, "What on earth is Xu Xiaoshou trying to do? Isn't he afraid of dying?"

Rao Yinyin turned to the girl. "Your Brother Little Beast has quite the sacrificial spirit, giving up his own spot to help others advance."

Su Qianqian said nothing, gripping the giant sword on her lap tightly, her eyes full of worry.

On the ring, Xu Xiaoshou shouted and immediately felt his legs tremble. He quickly covered them with his robe.

Surveying the surroundings, he noted that the highest cultivation nearby was only eight borders, which probably couldn't break his tough body.

"Lucky, no big shots around, or my money-making plan would be doomed," Xu Xiaoshou thought.

He coughed a few times, drawing everyone's attention, then planted his black sword into the ring, leaning against the barrier's edge, and forced a calm tone.

"Everyone!"

"I've cultivated a supreme divine art, making my physical body incredibly strong. As the saying goes, when you emerge from seclusion, you test your skills..."

"So, no more nonsense—one against a hundred, come on!"

"You're all surrounded by me, Xu Xiaoshou!"

The crowd, who had been halted and were surprised, burst into mocking laughter at his words.

"One against a hundred?"

"Didn't you piss in the morning? Can't see yourself clearly?"

"Don't think I didn't notice your feet shaking and teeth chattering. If it's one against a hundred, what are you afraid of?"

"You, a weakling? Don't overestimate yourself!"

Xu Xiaoshou glanced down at his own feet— "weakling" was spot-on!

This taunt of his had pulled full aggro, with a string of jeers that were hard to bear, even making the referee eager to join in.

But clearly, he was a strict referee and suppressed his urge.

"Received taunt, passive value +42."

"Received taunt, passive value +21."

As the info updated in his mind, Xu Xiaoshou raised an eyebrow. Truly, crowds were his battlefield!

Great taunt!

Keep lashing out at me!

Xu Xiaoshou's fighting spirit soared, envisioning everyone rushing to attack him. He pointed to the black sword beside him. "This is a nine-grade Lingjian—whoever defeats me gets it..."

"Hey, you over there, why are you fighting again? Listen to me!"

"Hey, hey!"

"Over here, look at me!"

Mid-sentence, the crowd dismissed him as crazy and ignored him, diving back into their brawls.

Xu Xiaoshou was furious. He slapped a few approaching guys to the ground.

"Stop it!"

With an angry roar, a faint innate pressure descended again, making everyone feel a chill and halt inexplicably.

They turned, and wow—several people were clutching their faces and kneeling in front of Xu Xiaoshou.

Five borders, six borders, seven borders...

What the hell? How did they end up kneeling?

Everything happened so fast that even those who got slapped were dazed. Wasn't I going to beat him? How did I suddenly get a face full of pain and end up on my knees?

The ones who saw it clearest were the three in the audience.

Rao Yinyin's beautiful eyes showed surprise. "This Xu Xiaoshou's physical body is impressive. With only five borders, he has such speed and power."

Su Qianqian nodded repeatedly. "Exactly!"

The referee was baffled too—just a quick look away, and there was innate energy again. Who was emitting it?!

Scanning around, no innate experts in sight!

As a referee, he felt he needed to curb Xu Xiaoshou's disruptions. "Contestant, don't interfere with the match, or I'll remove you!"

Xu Xiaoshou shot back, "How am I interfering? I'm on the field—I'm a contestant!"

The referee was speechless—you make a good point!

"But the match must continue!" the referee retorted.

Xu Xiaoshou was stumped. "The match is continuing!"

He turned to the crowd, his gaze earnest. "I just want to say..."

"Whoever can break through my defense with their hands gets this nine-grade Lingjian!"

He drew the black sword, channeling spiritual energy, making it glow and radiate sword energy.

I don't believe you won't be tempted.

"Received doubt, passive value +86."

Xu Xiaoshou: "..."

Why doesn't anyone believe me!

He looked at the referee and tossed the sword to him. "You be the witness!"

The referee: ???

Did I agree, and you just throw it at me?

Before the referee could speak, Xu Xiaoshou added, "The referee's duty is to minimize injuries among contestants. There's nothing saying I can't do this on the ring!"

The referee was at a loss for words.

"Agreed!"

"I support Xu Xiaoshou's idea!"

From the crowd, a tall man with seven-border cultivation spoke up, his presence intimidating, though his eyes were fixed on the black sword.

"I agree too!"

"Endorsed!"

The atmosphere shifted in an instant. Dozens of people stared at the nine-grade Lingjian, practically drooling.

The tall man who spoke first looked at Xu Xiaoshou. "You mean it?"

"Absolutely, truer than true gold!" Xu Xiaoshou declared loudly, seeing support.

These people—won't budge without seeing profit. They're all the same!

The three in the audience were dizzy from Xu Xiaoshou's antics. They glanced at the other rings, where fierce battles raged on without end.

But ring 12... it was like an auction house.

Xu Xiaoshou as the host, spouting wild claims, the referee holding the Lingjian like an attendant, and a pack of wolves with greedy eyes.

Rao Yinyin covered her forehead with her hand and sighed, "What a weirdo!"

"Brother Little Beast is amazing!" Su Qianqian clenched her fists.

Elder Qiao was dumbfounded, picking up his dropped jaw.

"This brat, what on earth is he up to!"