Chapter 662: What Is the Situation with This Heaven's First Floor?

The next day, as the eastern sky was just beginning to brighten, Xu Xiaoshou winced as he got out of bed. His waist and back ached, as if he had been beaten in his sleep.

It wasn't that he didn't want to sleep; in fact, at this hour, he would normally be immersed in cultivation.

But the wooden bed he slept on last night was truly uncomfortable.

Xu Xiaoshou regretted his decision.

He should have accepted the kindness of the Duojin Merchant House. He would find a moment later to ask Xin Gugu to bring over all the necessary furniture.

"Breaking through so quickly..."

As he finished his sleep with scattered thoughts, Xu Xiaoshou habitually used his spiritual sense to scan his qi sea and muttered to himself.

Calculating the time, it had been over half a month since he entered the Upper Spiritual Realm.

In this half a month, he had used very few elixirs.

However, relying solely on the continuous passive cultivation of the "Breathing Method," even though his qi sea foundation was far superior to that of ordinary people, his cultivation had advanced by leaps and bounds.

"Mid-stage, or late-stage?"

He had broken through too fast before, so Xu Xiaoshou had deliberately slowed down afterward.

But in terms of foundation, although his cultivation had been boosted by the "Three Days of Freezing Calamity," the "Jin Zhao Origin Seed" had forged his roots into something incredibly solid.

There were absolutely no barriers to breakthrough.

As a result, Xu Xiaoshou wasn't even sure if he was currently at the mid-stage or late-stage of the Upper Spiritual Realm.

The only thing he could confirm was that he was just one step away from Innate Perfection.

"At this rate, I'm probably at the legendary... half-step Zongshi level." Xu Xiaoshou chuckled to himself.

At the "half-step Zongshi" level, what he had to watch out for was accidentally oversleeping and directly breaking through to Zongshi cultivation.

If that happened, he might lose his eligibility for the Wangcheng Trial.

As for the first realm of Zongshi, the Tian Xiang Realm...

Honestly, Xu Xiaoshou wasn't worried at all about needing to comprehend the Heavenly Dao.

Throughout his journey, almost every battle he had participated in or witnessed involved manipulating the Great Dao.

Comprehending it was trivial...

With just "Sword Technique Mastery," Xu Xiaoshou figured that once he reached Innate Perfection, he could pick up a sword and break into Tian Xiang with a single thought!

So, the key ultimately came down to passive values.

"Passive values..."

The over ten thousand passive values he currently held were not enough to recklessly push him straight to the Wangzuo Body upon entering the Zongshi realm.

And to guard against future troubles and higher-level opponents...

The Wangzuo Body was absolutely necessary!

Therefore, he had to elevate his strength to the point where he could break into Tian Xiang at any time.

And keep those passive values ready.

That way, the moment he entered Zongshi, Xu Xiaoshou could make any Wangzuo in the world come and never return!

Xu Xiaoshou had once considered breaking through to the Wangzuo Body with his own power, or first mastering "Sword Technique Mastery" and relying on his own insights to reach the Sword Dao Wangzuo level.

But he later realized that approach would not work!

For the former, Elder Sang had left a method in the Bai Yan cultivation jade slip, but the process was extremely difficult—it required a true rebirth through fire.

Frankly, Xu Xiaoshou did not want to endure that suffering.

For the latter, the Sword Dao was too vast and complex.

While he had grasped the foundational Sword Dao from "Sword Technique Mastery," comprehending any one of the three thousand Sword Daos from that foundation and then breaking through to Sword Dao Wangzuo...

It was too hard!

It wasn't impossible, but both paths had a fundamental flaw: they took too much time.

Whether cultivating the Wangzuo Body or comprehending the three thousand Great Daos, neither could be achieved overnight.

One required years of grueling accumulation, the other prolonged seclusion for enlightenment.

With that much time, Xu Xiaoshou would rather just go out and earn passive values.

Then he could casually upgrade his skills—what was the point of all that torment?

Stepping back, from nothing to achieving Zongshi status and Sword Zong level, he had only taken a few months.

If he spent several more months grinding away on his own, it would be better to use that time to earn passive values.

He believed the returns from the two approaches were incomparable.

"Time to make money!"

Xu Xiaoshou leaped up from the wooden bed, quickly freshened up, set his goal firmly, and stepped out of the cultivation room.

As soon as he opened the door, the other two doors swung open at the same time, and Mu Zixi and Mo Mo appeared.

"You two..."

Xu Xiaoshou looked at the perfectly synchronized pair, clearly not coming out for him but for each other, and asked in surprise, "What is going on?"

"We agreed to go out and explore." Mu Zixi tugged at her twin tails, looking full of excitement.

"Breakfast?"

"Sort of, and we will wander around the whole Dongtian Wangcheng while checking out the details of the Wangcheng Trial." Mo Mo was much more composed, unlike Mu Zixi, who seemed to only have fun on her mind.

Since they had left Tian Sang Ling Palace, the group had to secure the Wangcheng Trial spots themselves.

They could not just wait for the trial to start and jump right in.

You had to know, even in the entire Tian Sang Ling Palace, not many people got qualifications.

If they didn't have one, they would just get turned away.

"Go ahead!" Xu Xiaoshou waved them off.

"You're not coming?" Mu Zixi looked disappointed.

If possible, she wanted to go out with her senior brother, not with this Mo Shijie, who had once hurt her senior brother and herself at Tian Xuan Gate.

Even though, at the time, she had been possessed by someone else.

"No, I have things to do."

Xu Xiaoshou shook his head and instructed, "Just be careful not to cause any trouble. If anything happens, contact me right away, got it?" He pulled out the communication bead.

"Don't worry."

Mo Mo nodded.

In this city, besides Hong Yi, she feared no one.

"I'm not talking to you," Xu Xiaoshou turned to his junior sister, "Don't stir up trouble, understand?!"

Mu Zixi's big eyes blinked innocently, her face saying, "How could someone as cute as me cause trouble?"

But secretly...

"Received a curse, passive value, 1, 1, 1, 1..."

"Off you go!"

With the Gray Fog Man as a bodyguard, Xu Xiaoshou was not too worried.

He waved goodbye to the two women and kicked open Xin Gugu's door with a bang.

The poor Xin Gugu had just lain down and was abruptly awakened by the door slamming, looking resentful like a wronged wife.

"What is the situation?" Xu Xiaoshou got straight to the point.

Huddled in his blankets, Xin Gugu yawned, "It is not that fast. Those two have probably already coordinated their story. They claim to be from Sheng Shen Dian Tang and keep demanding we release them, or face the consequences."

"Sheng Shen Dian Tang?" Xu Xiaoshou was surprised.

"Yeah."

Xin Gugu's eyes were lifeless as he said, "It is probably following the usual pattern—when the Jiang clan entered the city, they were probably pressured by Sheng Shen Dian Tang, so now they are pretending to be from there to pressure us."

"But their real intentions are not that."

"Too bad they have disguised themselves and are keeping quiet. For now, we really have no way to make them talk."

"But don't worry, give it two days, and no secret will stay hidden—they will talk whether they want to or not!"

Xin Gugu thumped his chest in assurance.

He was experienced in this sort of thing.

Xu Xiaoshou was not as optimistic.

He already suspected those two were sent by the Jiang clan.

And if they were, as people from a Ban Sheng family, some things might not be so easily spilled, even if these subordinates wanted to.

Especially since it involved the "Tianxia Tongshu"...

"Here is what we will do."

After thinking it over, Xu Xiaoshou said, "I will give you access to the Ta Pearl. When you have free time, stay inside and keep an eye on Jiang Xian's movements. If there is a good opportunity, notify me immediately."

"We are not just sitting ducks. Even if it is a Ban Sheng family, if they want to mess with us, they better be prepared for retaliation!"

Xu Xiaoshou sneered.

"Directly go after Jiang Xian?"

Xin Gugu was wide awake now—his sleepiness vanished. He had his suspicions too, but there was no evidence.

"The heir of a Ban Sheng family is different from underlings—they must have protective talismans or something. If we touch him, we might attract the attention of a Ban Sheng..."

"What is there to fear?"

Xu Xiaoshou glared. Did he fear a Ban Sheng?

With the Gray Fog Man around and the promise from the Eight Venerables, they could capture Jiang Xian without killing him.

It was not like touching him lightly would summon a Ban Sheng's aura!

If a Ban Sheng had that much free time, they might as well be called a "junior accessory"!

"I will keep an eye on Jiang Xian." Xin Gugu agreed.

Honestly, messing with a Ban Sheng heir was something he only dared think about in his head. He never expected Xu Xiaoshou to actually plan it.

"And one more thing."

Xu Xiaoshou thought for a moment and said, "Keep tabs on Liu Lu's recent whereabouts too, and see if you can find a way to contact 'Ye Mao'."

Ye Mao was something Xu Xiaoshou had been waiting for a while.

He thought people from Ye Mao would show up last night.

But those guys were surprisingly patient.

The Xu family, a massive "Ban Sheng family," wanted to cooperate with them, yet they still had not emerged.

Xu Xiaoshou figured Ye Mao was probably starting to investigate his background by now.

What they could dig up did not matter.

Because there was nothing to find.

As long as they showed their face and extended a line...

No matter their intentions or ability to cooperate, Xu Xiaoshou was just waiting for that chance.

Once the line was out, no one could escape.

Cooperation had to happen.

The mess he had set up—they would have to wade through it, whether they wanted to or not!

"Got it." Xin Gugu nodded again.

Even without the Ta Pearl, he could handle watching these two targets and complete the tasks.

"Finally..." Xu Xiaoshou paused as he spoke.

He looked at Xin Gugu, who was bleary-eyed and exhausted, and realized the guy was really worn out.

Lately, all the heavy, tedious, and detailed work had fallen on Xin Gugu—he had handled everything himself.

A dignified Wangzuo had basically become a servant under Xu Xiaoshou.

Thinking about it, Xu Xiaoshou suddenly felt a bit embarrassed.

"We need to recruit more people."

He said firmly to Xin Gugu.

"What?"

Xin Gugu's eyes lit up in an instant, even the crust in his eyes seemed to gleam with gold.

"Recruit more people!"

Xu Xiaoshou nodded: "You have worked hard these past days. I mean the kind of recruitment you are thinking of—to free you from the grunt work and, while we are at it... make some 'money'!"

The sun hung high in the sky.

As the most bustling central district of Dongtian Wangcheng, it was already buzzing with activity from households as the morning sun rose.

Gu Cheng walked out from the back door of Sheng Shen Dian Tang and arrived at the Chao Sheng Square.

He had been assigned by Vice Hall Master Chu Lisheng to seriously pressure the emerging force known as "Tian Shang First Tower."

However, from Sheng Shen Dian Tang to Chao Sheng Square, Gu Cheng's brows remained furrowed the whole way.

Vice Hall Master Chu Lisheng's words still echoed in his mind, leaving him utterly baffled.

"What does it mean to seriously pressure them but also be sincere and not anger them?"

What kind of task was this?

Gu Cheng was confused.

He knew how to pressure people.

No matter the force, even if they had a Zhan Dao protector, relying on Sheng Shen Dian Tang's influence, he could step up and interrogate them directly, uncovering their true purpose for entering the city.

If they resisted with force, he could call for backup to suppress them.

But to seriously pressure them while being sincere and avoiding anger...

Gu Cheng was at a loss: ???

He could not make sense of this task at all.

As he pondered, he noticed that the usually crowded and bustling Chao Sheng Square now had a long, winding line snaking out from the direction of Chao Sheng Tower—which was the target of his mission, "Tian Shang First Tower."

The line had thousands of people, all orderly.

To avoid blocking the flow of people in Chao Sheng Square, they had even set up barriers with several gaps for passage.

"What is going on?" Gu Cheng was puzzled.

With a sweep of his spiritual sense, he saw that at the front of the line, outside the main gate of Tian Shang First Tower, there was a long bench and table. A young man with an inscrutable cultivation sat on the chair.

Beside him, a young Wangzuo was loudly calling out something, maintaining order.

"This?"

Gu Cheng focused and recognized the young man on the chair as his target for this mission.

From the Bei Yu Tai Xiang Xu family, Xu Shao, Xu Desai!

And beside him, the one shouting...

The line murmured with excitement, everyone looking eager and anticipatory.

Gu Cheng did not bother listening and just frowned, stepping over the line to head straight forward.

"Halt!"

Xin Gugu spotted another person trying to cut in line and zipped over to the middle-aged man. "If you want to sign up, go to the back and wait your turn. Even if you are a Wangzuo, you cannot disrupt the order."

"Sign up?"

Gu Cheng was slightly stunned. He was tempted to ignore this and go straight to the main person, but then he remembered the need to be sincere...

He clasped his fists and said seriously, "I am Gu Cheng, and I have important business with Xu Shao. Please..."

"Hurry up and get to the back of the line!"

Xin Gugu waved impatiently, "Everyone has important business... In the end, it is just Wangzuo trying to jump the queue. Remember, to join 'Tian Shang First Tower,' rules come first. Without rules, nothing works—Wangzuo or not, forget it!"

Gu Cheng was dumbfounded.

He quickly explained, "I, Gu Cheng, am not here to join your tower; I just..."

"Not joining?"

Xin Gugu's voice rose sharply, becoming extremely arrogant: "Then why are you wasting my time? Get lost!"

He irritably waved his sleeve. After managing the line all morning, he was already annoyed.

And now, someone like this who did not even know the situation was trying to cut in?

There was another disturbance at the other end of the line, and Xin Gugu muttered a low warning.

"Don't even think about causing trouble, or whether you are Wangzuo or Zhan Dao, we will take you down. Go to the back and wait properly if you want to meet someone—follow the rules!"

With that, he vanished in a flash.

Gu Cheng was completely baffled.

He just wanted to see Xu Shao—why was it so complicated?

Was this Xu Shao some kind of earthly emperor? A young junior, and even he, Gu Cheng, the esteemed envoy of Sheng Shen Dian Tang, could not get an audience?

A surge of anger rose in him, and he considered using his cultivation to force his way through.

But then he thought of being sincere...

Gu Cheng gritted his teeth, suppressed his rage, and patted the shoulder of a young man in the sign-up line nearby, who wore patched clothes and carried a wooden sword upside down.

"Little brother, what is the deal with this Tian Shang First Tower?"