Chapter 785: Passive Skill Upgrade The Sect of the Double Kings, Xu Xiao Shou

Xiao Lian was gone.

She took the one hundred thousand servings of Chi Jin Ye that Xu Shao had given her, leaving behind a maddeningly frustrating message.

"If there's an alchemy trial, why suppress your cultivation..."

Xu Xiaoshou calmed his mind.

After thinking for a long time, he finally understood the final logic behind suppressing his cultivation.

Breaking through to Zongshi early versus becoming a Zongshi during the trial near the neighboring Wang City—these were two entirely different concepts.

At the very least, with his current progress, he could fully exploit the information gap to perfectly separate his identities as "Xu Shao Xu Desai" and "Sheng Nu Xu Xiaoshou."

And this information gap was not even at its most obvious point yet.

Because Sheng Nu Xu Xiaoshou's abilities had already been fully displayed to the world.

But for Xu Shao, only a small fraction of the power from the Tianluo Zhan had been shown so far.

Right at this moment, as Xu Xiaoshou broke through to Zongshi, his most prominent passive skills had not yet fully upgraded.

To outsiders, the leap from Xiantian peak to Zongshi Tianxiang might only differ in terms of "enlightenment."

But for Xu Xiaoshou, it was different.

His Xiantian and Zongshi states were worlds apart, like heaven and earth!

"So, now it's time to amplify this gap even further..."

Xu Xiaoshou thought to himself, then flashed into the Yuanfu.

Before entering,

He had assessed his overall combat strength—without considering A Jie, Sheng Xue, or external forces from Sheng Xue—he could barely withstand a Wangzuo, but killing one would be a stretch.

But after coming out, he believed that any Wangzuo, unless they had reached Daojing perfection,

Would be no match at all!

In the Yuanfu world, life energy flourished abundantly.

The white cat Tan Shen had grown plumper, darting among the thirty thousand Dan Ding, enjoying the blessings of 007.

Xu Xiaojiji worked diligently, organizing and calculating the batches of Chi Jin Ye that Tan Shen had refined, placing them in their proper spots.

Perhaps because the work was too simple, or maybe out of sheer boredom,

The block mountains that Xu Xiaojiji stacked were extraordinarily neat, with sharp edges and no distortions, as if he were subjecting each box of Chi Jin Ye to the strictest military training.

When Xu Xiaoshou first entered the Yuanfu world, he could still see Xu Xiaojiji stacking the last of the medicinal mountains, then wandering aimlessly among the thirty thousand Dan Ding.

Gradually,

While comparing,

He adjusted the positions of the Dan Ding one by one.

At this point, more than half of the thirty thousand Dan Ding had been arranged into neat rows, looking pleasing to the eye.

Tan Shen moved too quickly and accidentally knocked over one of the Dan Ding in the formation, prompting Xu Xiaojiji to frown and scold,

"Be careful! So careless—is that what a ghost beast is? Do you even understand symmetry and aesthetics? You silly cat..."

The last sentence was muttered under his breath.

Clearly, after spending this time together in the Yuanfu world, the two had developed a rather harmonious way of interacting.

Xu Xiaojiji would scold, and Tan Shen would just scamper off...

Xu Xiaojiji would rearrange the Dan Ding, and Tan Shen would knock them over again...

Xu Xiaoshou, upon entering the Yuanfu world, was speechless for a moment.

He never imagined that such a fine place as Yuanfu could actually cultivate obsessive-compulsive tendencies in Xu Xiaojiji.

"Is it really that boring..." Xu Xiaoshou wondered doubtfully.

At that moment, Xu Xiaojiji in the Dan Ding formation noticed someone had entered the Yuanfu world. He didn't pay much attention at first, thinking it was a prisoner, but when he turned and saw it was the great demon king Xu, his eyes lit up.

"Shou Ye..." He stepped forward.

But Xu Xiaoshou waved him off: "It's nothing, you two carry on with your work. I'll handle my own stuff."

With that, he vanished in a flash to a secluded corner, drawing a spatial barrier to separate them and keep Tan Shen from causing chaos.

Xu Xiaojiji's excited expression froze, and he immediately looked teary-eyed.

"What about the promise to let me take a break after reciting that Dao De Jing? You forgot it in the blink of an eye?"

"Heh, men!"

"Passive value: 1,669,477."

In the quiet depths of the Yuanfu, Xu Xiaoshou gazed at this 1.6 million passive value and grinned.

Setting aside the one million passive value that the dog system had swindled from him,

Apart from awakening "Zhi Jie Force Field" last time due to a crisis,

He had accumulated this massive passive value precisely to double, and double again, his combat strength right after becoming a Zongshi.

"So, who will be the first lucky one to get flipped?"

Xu Xiaoshou rubbed his hands together and began scanning through his info panel like an emperor selecting consorts, his eyes gleaming greedily over each passive skill row.

Soon, his gaze locked on one.

"Qiang Zhuang (Zongshi Lv.1)."

Without a doubt, Qiang Zhuang had been with him the longest and had seen the most frontline action.

As the strongest single-target passive skill, the first card to flip should go to...

No question about it!

He casually threw in one hundred thousand passive value, and Xu Xiaoshou's eyes rolled back as he savored the long-forgotten sensations of twitching and spasms in his body.

It was a process of cells rapidly dividing and growing, with muscle and bone density skyrocketing.

If he could look inside his body, it would be like being struck by a tribulation lightning, then breaking and reforming, with cells reborn from the flames.

"Uh!"

He let out a muffled groan.

The upgrade to Zongshi level was not very noticeable for hidden passive skills like "Yin Ni" and "Ganshou."

But for a visible passive skill like "Qiang Zhuang," the Zongshi-tier effects were already incredibly powerful.

Each level up was like another transformation.

Xu Xiaoshou had forgotten the precautions from his earlier upgrades: you could not rush these things; they had to be done gradually.

But now, this straight ten-level jump from Zongshi to Wangzuo was sheer agony.

"Arghhh—"

Finally, unable to hold back the pain, Xu Xiaoshou let out a piercing scream from his throat.

The cry echoed through the air.

The Yuanfu was usually peaceful.

Xu Xiaojiji knew that the great demon king entering meant trouble, but hearing this pig-like slaughter scream left him baffled.

Had the demon king decided not to torment others and started tormenting himself instead?

Tan Shen also stopped in its tracks.

The Yuanfu was filled with the fragrant aura of life spiritual imprints and elixirs.

But from where Xu Xiaoshou was secluded, a foul stench suddenly wafted out...

"What is he doing?"

Xiao Wanfeng and Tan Shen both looked over, filled with endless curiosity and shock. "Is he... relieving himself in the Yuanfu?!"

The screaming lasted for a good half an hour.

"Sizzle—"

Then, black, foul substances erupted from his pores like a spray, instantly staining Xu Xiaoshou's clothes pitch black.

Once he regained his senses, Xu Xiaoshou was shocked.

He had thought his Zongshi body was already invincible, but enduring this upgrade pain made him realize he still had impurities!

And from just ten levels, from Zongshi Lv.1 to Wangzuo Lv.1, so much... impurities?

"Impressive!"

He sighed deeply, took a breath, and nearly gagged, his face turning green.

He quickly stripped off his clothes.

Thinking about it, he probably would not wear them again anyway, so he burned them to ashes on the spot.

Then, with a shake of his body, the black impurity clumps fell away from his skin, and he used white flames to incinerate them completely.

Feeling unclean, he decided to give himself a thorough purification with the white flames.

"Using fire for a bath..."

This was definitely cleaner than water.

Not only were the impurities burned away, but Xu Xiaoshou nearly singed his own hair in the process.

After that, he poured a bucket of cold water from his ring over himself, completing this full physical transformation.

As he marveled and touched his body, Xu Xiaoshou could clearly feel that the world seemed shorter.

No—it was him who had grown taller...

The power of "Ganshou" allowed him to observe areas like a god, so he could see himself without a mirror.

He noticed that after the physical transformation, not only had his height increased by several centimeters, but his previous slender appearance had vanished completely.

What he saw was pure "aesthetic" art!

A body with perfect golden proportions, coiled arm muscles, defined abs,... long and refined legs, and crystal-clear jade feet...

"Pah!"

Xu Xiaoshou spat at his own wandering thoughts and slapped himself.

What am I doing?

Am I actually craving my own body? Have I gone mad?

Xu Xiaoshou was utterly astonished!

It was not just that his precious body was now crystal clear and jade-like, with a faint rosy glow and a subtle fragrance.

His looks had also leaped to a whole new level.

Before, he was at best an ordinary handsome young man; what attracted people was his abilities and inner qualities.

But now, he felt that just this face alone could conquer the world.

This handsomeness was unbeatable!

In the Lingjing Realm, Xu Xiaoshou had not seen many stunningly handsome men, but Fu Xing should count as one.

He had been a bit jealous before... something he had not wanted to admit, but now he could.

At this moment, he felt that even without his face, the majestic and pure aura from his enhanced precious body could crush all other men!

This was probably a capability only a Sheng Ti could have, right?

Xu Xiaoshou ran his hands over himself.

Then, hesitating, he pulled out a set of clothes, wanting to put them on since being naked was not appropriate.

But suddenly, he felt that this cheap outfit, worth only a few thousand Lingjing, did not quite match his body anymore.

So, he stopped mid-motion...

"Qiang Zhuang (Wangzuo Lv.1)."

After glancing deeply at his info panel and confirming he had reached the max level and could not go further, and that all these physical changes were indeed from the Wangzuo body, Xu Xiaoshou let out a long breath and put on the clothes.

"Sorry to make you suffer..."

He patted his abs and pinched his chest, comforting his body: "Once we leave the Yuanfu, I'll buy you a set of Bao Yi as a reward. Only Bao Yi is a perfect match for a Bao Ti."

The effects of "Qiang Zhuang" at Wangzuo level were shockingly powerful.

Xu Xiaoshou had never imagined that a visible passive skill could produce such dramatic, visible results upon upgrading.

But then he thought,

"Wangzuo body..."

People often said ancient sword cultivators were rare, but perhaps because he was in the East Domain, Xu Xiaoshou occasionally encountered some brilliant ones, so he did not think much of it.

However, a "Wangzuo body" like this—aside from Sang Lao, he had not seen anyone else with it.

He had seen a Sheng Ti or two before.

But they had it through bloodline inheritance, talent, and innate destiny.

Cultivating a Wangzuo body afterward—Xu Xiaoshou felt this difficulty could rival how the first Sheng Ti came to be!

At that moment, he could not help but wonder:

"The Wangzuo rank has a huge span—those at Daojing are called Wangzuo body, those who Zhan Dao are theoretically called Zun Zuo, and then there is Tai Xu body."

"Will the passive skill upgrades treat it as a general 'Wangzuo Lv.19,' or categorize it separately?"

Xu Xiaoshou's heart raced.

If it followed the system's previous patterns, then the next time he broke through Wangzuo, his body could directly reach Ban Sheng level.

Ban Sheng... that was a height where he could thoroughly beat Ai Cangsheng!

"Calm down, calm down."

Xu Xiaoshou took deep breaths, pressed his hands down, and sank his energy into his dantian to steady himself.

But the next second, he lost it, covering his mouth and chuckling sneakily.

Just upgrading to a Wangzuo body had brought such immense power.

And this was only the beginning!

"Damn, with over a million passive value, even if I use it all to upgrade passive skills, it's enough to let me, Xu Xiaoshou, reach a level that crushes Wangzuo!"

The benefits of hoarding passive value were showing now.

With a huge stash of capital, Xu Xiaoshou started the second round of flipping cards.

"Jian Shu Jing Tong!"

Without a doubt, a Wangzuo body was only truly formidable when paired with a Jian Dao Wangzuo!

Qiang Fei and Jian Fei were both his favorites.

Xu Xiaoshou had never dared to dream of this before; he doubted even others had.

But after seeing "Qiang Zhuang" reach Wangzuo level and truly manifest a Wangzuo body, he felt he was about to make history.

A Zongshi Tianxiang realm, externally enhanced with a Wangzuo body and Jian Dao Wangzuo.

—Double Wang of Zongshi!

Either suppress your cultivation or explode wildly.

At that moment, flushed with excitement from the powerful visions in his mind, Xu Xiaoshou fiercely threw in one hundred thousand passive value. After exchanging for ten third-tier skill points in the mall...

He carefully upgraded his "Jian Shu Jing Tong" by one level.

"Buzz!"

It felt like his skull had been struck hard, with a flood of knowledge rushing in, causing splitting pain.

But Xu Xiaoshou instantly entered a state of enlightenment, blocking out the pain and passively comprehending.

Soon, the knowledge influx paused, and he added another skill point.

This cycle repeated ten times!

"Jian Shu Jing Tong (Zongshi Lv.1)."

"Jian Shu Jing Tong (Wangzuo Lv.1)."

When he opened his eyes again, Xu Xiaoshou's gaze burst with sharp light.

That light gathered invisibly in the void, transforming into a solid, transparent sword beam that instantly shattered the void.

"Clang—"

The Yuanfu world trembled violently, with cracks spreading across the void, turning into tiny ethereal swords.

Xu Xiaojiji was startled again.

He looked up in amazement, catching a glimpse of the human-like shock in Tan Shen's eyes.

"Again?"

This phenomenon was even more exaggerated than the earlier screams.

The Yuanfu world was experiencing heavenly anomalies for the first time!

Dao Wen stones seemed to be recording something, or perhaps perfecting it, as Dao Yun overflowed.

Spatial rules seemed to sense something and began evolving and deducing, making Dao Ze visible.

In an instant,

Countless swords of heaven and earth converged, forming a scene of swords from all directions paying homage.

In this barren and wild Yuanfu land, a supreme sword king emerged.

The spatial barrier shattered, and a figure of unparalleled elegance appeared in mid-air—black hair flying, overlooking all directions.

Xu Xiaojiji was completely mesmerized.

That figure truly embodied what it meant to have sword-like brows, star-like eyes, and a radiant countenance.

His eyes held a subtle gaze, disregarding gods and Buddhas, proud and aloof like a heavenly ruler.

His body was enveloped in Dao Yun and treasure glow, radiant and flowing.

His aura was like a saint descending, untouched by dust.

His essence was like a sword hidden in a deep sheath, ready to soar.

Xu Xiaojiji was utterly stunned; for a moment, he even thought this person was Xu, the great demon king, until he realized there was only one human in the Yuanfu, and he was Xu, the great demon king...

He tentatively called out: "Shou... Shou Ye?"

After speaking, he felt ashamed, as if his crude words were unworthy.

"Received admiration, passive value, 2."

Xu Xiaoshou hovered in mid-air for a long time.

He turned his head, wanting to say something cool like "What is it?"

But then he thought, showing off to Xu Xiaojiji was pointless.

So, he descended, unable to contain his joy, and said with delight, "Xu Xiaojiji, don't I look more handsome now?"

Xu Xiaojiji: ???

Shut up!

Stop talking!

You're ruining your own image, damn it!

"Received dislike, passive value, 1."

"Received affirmation, passive value, 1."