Chapter 686: The Suddenly Rich Xu Shao, Happy Upgrade

"Pfft, haha, he actually said you need protection. That's hilarious."

On the way back to Tian Shang Di Yi Lou, Xin Gugu kept laughing uncontrollably.

Even Mo Mo and the others couldn't help but chuckle at Xiao Lian's final words.

But Xiao Lian had indeed brought some useful information.

It seemed that among the people Shengong wanted, alchemists were the most sought after.

If one entered the Wangcheng Trial as an alchemist, they could bring two attendants below Zongshi level into the event, and these two guardians wouldn't need trial jade pendants.

"What a shame, it would be great if I could bring a Wangzuo-level attendant."

Xu Xiaoshou pondered that if he could bring Xin Gugu along, the other wouldn't have to cheat from the shadows in Yuanfu; they could openly go and dominate.

He also looked into the situation afterward.

The alchemist assessment wasn't like Tianluo Zhan; they would hold a major competition soon.

The vast Dongtian Wangcheng would only offer ten spots for alchemist trials.

One could imagine how intense the competition would be.

Xu Xiaoshou wasn't entirely confident about the alchemist assessment.

The highest he could refine right now was barely seventh-grade pills like Yuan Court Dan.

Anything above that, like Zongshi-level pills, had unstable results.

He wondered if all the participants in the competition would be Zongshi-level alchemists...

If that were the case, it might be better to pin his hopes on Tianluo Zhan or just directly snatch a trial jade pendant.

After all, for Xu Xiaoshou, innate-level guardians were dispensable.

The group returned to Tian Shang Di Yi Lou to rest.

Xin Gugu went back to interrogate the two night assailants locked in the training room.

Mu Zixi was still regretting that the last match hadn't finished, so she hadn't secured the trial qualification.

She didn't mind much, as she could compete again the next day.

But it wasn't certain for Xu Xiaoshou.

Still, Young Master Xu had a laid-back attitude and didn't care too much. After changing into fresh clothes, he stared out the window at the night for a while before calling Xiao Wanfeng over.

"Go guard the door, and while you're at it, change the door couplet."

"And if you notice anything, don't act rashly. Just ring the wooden bell and come back to the room immediately. No matter how big the issue, don't go out."

Xiao Wanfeng was stunned by what he said.

He had been about to calmly accept this new guard duty, aside from serving tea and water, since Tian Shang Di Yi Lou was understaffed, and he could see that.

But with Xu speaking so seriously, Xiao Wanfeng suddenly felt a bit scared.

"Isn't it just guarding the door? Is it that serious? Who would dare mess with us?"

In Xiao Wanfeng's impression, a place with Mister Si Ren watching over it was safer than Sheng Shen Hall.

"Take this."

Xu Xiaoshou handed him the door couplet with a smile. "Just put it up, and remember what I said."

Xiao Wanfeng took the door couplet in confusion and glanced at it, and his face changed instantly.

"No entry without cause, welcome all guests?"

He was baffled!

This late at night, who could possibly come... Something's off. Could it be that visitors here at midnight aren't just 'people'?

"Does Tian Shang Di Yi Lou have ghosts?"

Xiao Wanfeng's legs started to tremble.

These people around Xu didn't seem afraid, but he was just an ordinary person and terrified of such things.

"What are you thinking?"

Xu Xiaoshou laughed and patted his shoulder, pointing to the door. "Just stand there. Even if someone really appears in front of you, you might not notice. Anyway, go and toughen up your nerves... Following me, you need courage first, or you'll end up scaring yourself to death."

Toughen up...

Xiao Wanfeng's face turned green as he clutched the door couplet, hesitating nervously.

Xu Xiaoshou found it amusing. Xiao Wanfeng was good at everything except being incredibly timid.

He had excellent agility, which he used entirely for evading pursuits, and he might not even realize he was a Jian Zong, completely unwilling to draw his sword against outsiders.

Using hiding the sword as an excuse to avoid killing?

That wouldn't do.

"Go on!"

After assigning the door-guarding task to build courage, Xu Xiaoshou returned to his room.

He had the command token to monitor the entire area, so the young man wouldn't be in any real danger.

Right now, he had his own urgent matter to handle and couldn't stay with Xiao Wanfeng.

"What a huge deal!"

Entering the training room, Xu Xiaoshou locked the door and eagerly jumped onto the large bed Xin Gugu had just moved in. Then, he glanced at the information panel.

"Passive points: 2,241,319."

"Oh my kidneys..."

Two million!!! Xu Xiaoshou's eyes bulged as he rolled back and forth on the bed, covering his mouth to avoid screaming and breaking the sound barrier, which might alert any night assailants.

But the excitement in his heart was unstoppable.

He remembered checking the passive points before the event, and it was only around eight hundred thousand back then. He hadn't paid attention to it since.

Now, it was over two million...

"Did one match contribute over a million passive points?"

Xu Xiaoshou's body tensed on the bed, bouncing with excitement, on the verge of losing control.

"Dreams, realized!"

A single event netting a million passive points... This wasn't a dream; what was it?

Reflecting on the match, Xu Xiaoshou knew the information panel's limit for passive points per instance was "9999."

In the past, even in fierce fights, he'd only triggered that limit a few times.

But today, it happened so many times!

From his flashy entrance to his showy exit, the beginning and end alone earned him a massive amount of attention from the audience.

He believed most of the over a million passive points came from the start and finish of the match.

As for the middle, there was nothing he could do...

Even if someone was shocked by a particular action, they couldn't stay in a constant state of emotional fluctuation and keep providing passive points.

People get numb to it.

So, during the match, even though Xu Xiaoshou was extremely unrestrained and tried hard to draw crowds, the stunned audience rarely hit the "9999" limit again.

But still, each person contributed a few thousand passive points on average.

Tianluo Zhan lasted a while, and during that time, if everyone had a hundred or so emotional shifts toward him, he'd make a fortune!

"As expected, you have to perform where there are lots of people..."

Xu Xiaoshou deeply reflected on this.

Tonight's event solidified his future direction.

"So, how to use two million passive points?" Xu Xiaoshou began to think.

His cultivation was already at the innate peak.

At the end of Tianluo Zhan, when he absorbed a bit of Luo Yin's Taixu power through the breathing method, the pure energy almost made him unable to suppress his realm.

From that, Xu Xiaoshou knew he wasn't far from Zongshi.

He believed that with a key moment, like taking a pill or sucking energy from an enemy, he could break through.

Once he broke through, he could immediately work on the Wangzuo body, and with plenty of passive skills, charge straight to Wangzuo level.

"But something's off!"

Thinking about it, Xu Xiaoshou grimaced.

It seemed two million passive points might not be enough?

"Whatever, the Wangcheng Trial requires innate cultivation, so I have to suppress my realm for now. In this time, I might get a few more million passive points."

"Even if something unexpected happens and I need to break through to Zongshi right away... Reserving a million passive points, even if the system is tricky, should still get me the Wangzuo body, right?"

"So, time to upgrade skills!"

Xu Xiaoshou steadied himself. With such wealth, he couldn't leave it idle.

As the saying goes, investing in yourself is never a loss.

"Upgrade first."

He focused his mind on the skill panel, and the various lists unfolded.

Compared to when he first got the passive system, he now had quite a few passive skills.

Basic passive skills:

Breathing Method (Zongshi Lv.1)

Endless Vitality (Zongshi Lv.1)

Full of Yuan Energy (Zongshi Lv.1)

Extended passive skills:

Strength (Zongshi Lv.1) — Berserk Giant

Rebound (Zongshi Lv.1) — Exploding Stance

Agility (Zongshi Lv.1) — One Step to Heaven

Stealth (Zongshi Lv.1) — Disappear

Perception (Zongshi Lv.1)

Transformation (Zongshi Lv.1)

Sharpness (Innate Lv.1)

Toughness (Innate Lv.1)

Mastery passive skills:

Swordsmanship Mastery (Zongshi Lv.1)

Cooking Mastery (Zongshi Lv.1)

Textile Mastery (Zongshi Lv.1)

State passive skills:

Devour Mountains and Rivers (Zongshi Lv.1)

Special passive skills:

Passive Fist (Charge Value: 0.02)

"So many..."

Xu Xiaoshou looked at them with delight, his eyes quickly drawn to the two "Innate" ones.

"Are you kidding me? I'm a two-million-rich Xu, and I still have innate-level passive skills? What kind of life was I living before, being so thrifty?"

With a wave of his hand, he spent fifty thousand passive points to exchange for a second-tier skill point and directly upgraded "Toughness" to Zongshi level.

But when he saw "Sharpness," Xu Xiaoshou hesitated.

This passive skill was quite special; it wasn't about money but involved his descendants, which was serious.

But then he thought, if Mister Si Ren's concept of "Sword Body" held true and the evolution of "Sharpness" could be controlled, this skill might be even more terrifying than "Strength."

"Worth a try!"

Xu Xiaoshou gritted his teeth. What gave him the confidence to gamble was Luo Yin.

After all, in the Tianluo Zhan final round, he had verified that a holy body was even more formidable than a Zongshi body.

That thing wasn't afraid of "Sharpness"; it feared "Sword Intent."

So, at worst, if he lost the bet, he could just find a girlfriend with a holy body.

An ordinary body? Hah, it wasn't that he looked down on it; he just couldn't intentionally hurt others...

"Toughness (Zongshi Lv.1)."

"Sharpness (Zongshi Lv.1)."

Spending a hundred thousand passive points, he successfully upgraded all his passive skills to Zongshi level.

At that moment, a full sense of accomplishment and relief from his OCD kicked in.

Xu Xiaoshou looked at the skill panel with growing satisfaction.

He felt his own condition.

"Toughness" was still subtle, as it was a hidden passive skill that only showed its effect when triggered by others.

But "Sharpness" was different.

It brought a very clear, direct sensation, and exactly in the worst direction he had imagined!

Clang—

He casually drew an innate spirit sword and slashed it across his arm. His body felt no pain at all; if someone else had done it, it probably wouldn't even trigger a "under attack" notification.

Yet, the spirit sword itself developed a small notch.

It was as if it had been struck by a higher-quality spirit sword; the innate spirit sword couldn't withstand Xu Xiaoshou's Zongshi-level spirit sword at all.

"This damn thing..."

Xu Xiaoshou realized he might have truly become a "Sword Person."

He ran his finger lightly over the floor, and effortlessly, the surface tore open a gash.

"How annoying, this is way too strong!"

"A Zongshi-level 'Sharpness,' a Zongshi-level 'Strength'..."

"A Zongshi sword, a Zongshi body..."

While troubled by his own situation, Xu Xiaoshou couldn't help but worry for his enemies.

His issue could be solved with one holy body girlfriend.

But for his enemies, even if they had a holy body, they might struggle with what they faced.

Most likely, anyone who punched Xu Xiaoshou would not only be rebounded by the Zongshi body but also get sliced in half from that punch...

This was without even considering the boosts from "Jin Zhao White Flame," "Three Days Frozen Calamity," or "Sword Intent."

If everything was added on, he wouldn't even need to attack; just wrapping it around himself would do...

Whoever moves first, dies!

"Speechless."

Xu Xiaoshou was speechless at himself. How could there be such a strong person in the world?

"Spent a hundred thousand passive points, leaving over two million. Draw a lottery?"

He thought again but didn't feel he needed more passive skills right now.

So, awakening was probably the better deal.

Thinking of awakening, his gaze naturally fixed on "Sharpness."

He hadn't dared to upgrade it before because he didn't know about the "holy body girlfriend" option, but now that he was on the "Sword Person" path, he might as well go all the way.

After all, in terms of damage, among all the extended passive skills, probably only "Strength" could somewhat rival "Sharpness."

And "Strength" relied on "Rebound," "Toughness," and other skills to gain those extra attack attributes beyond the Zongshi body.

"Sharpness" didn't need that.

From the moment this passive skill appeared, Xu Xiaoshou knew it was a skill that killed the enemy at a thousand and harmed himself at eight hundred.

But it was absolutely the strongest!

"Awaken!"

As a wealthy man, he didn't hesitate with awakenings.

Exchanging awakening stones at ten thousand passive points each, Xu Xiaoshou directly got ten and used his spiritual sense to bind them to the "Sharpness" skill, tossing them one by one into the awakening pool.

When you have money, spending it loses that thrilling edge.

Just like now, after numerous experiments, knowing the guaranteed minimum awakening rate was about one in ten, Xu Xiaoshou wasn't worried.

Even if he turned into an unlucky guy today and needed twenty or thirty awakening stones, he had to succeed in awakening "Sharpness"!

He, Xu Xiaoshou, wanted to see what kind of awakened skill could rival something like "Berserk Giant."

"Awakening failed."

"Awakening failed."

Throwing the awakening stones without a ripple, after several failures, finally on the eighth try, things changed.