Chapter 786: I've Entered the Grandmaster, Have I Thoroughly Explored the Dao?

Xu Xiaoshou stared at the "2" on the info bar and the additional "1," lost in thought for a long while.

He picked up the little white cat beside him.

"Little guy, you've gotten pretty spiritual lately, haven't you? You haven't been sneaking those pills, have you?"

"Received dislike, passive value, 1."

Tan Shen struggled a bit, its four paws flailing as it tried to break free.

But suddenly, as if catching a scent, it sniffed the air eagerly, its face melting into bliss. It nuzzled affectionately against Xu Xiaoshou's wrist, trying to burrow into his chest for a closer sniff.

"Received like, passive value, 1."

Well, I'll be...

Xu Xiaoshou thought to himself, You're really something! I just ascended to Wang Zuo level, and you're already trying to suck my life force?

This won't do!

With that, he tossed it aside and scolded, "Go refine some pills properly and stop sneaking snacks all the time. Don't act like some little demon sucking this and that—you're a... wait, if I remember right, you're female, aren't you?"

"Meow."

Tan Shen curled up pitifully, its paws twitching as it tried to pounce back for another sniff, but Xu Xiaoshou glared it away.

What cat sucks on people like that?

People sucking on cats would make more sense!

Seriously, what kind of mutant creatures am I surrounded by?

"Shao Ye, what was that just now?" Xu Xiaojiji hesitated before speaking up.

The commotion earlier was massive.

That sword hum and the phenomena—he might not have seen a pig in person, but he'd certainly heard it oink.

"Jian Dao Wang Zuo?" he guessed.

"Um." Xu Xiaoshou's expression turned proud, his chin lifting slightly.

Xu Xiaojiji stared at the sharply defined profile in front of him, his gaze drifting down to the Adam's apple, and suddenly found himself swallowing hard without thinking.

"Um?"

Realizing something was off, Xu Xiaojiji mentally slapped himself back to his senses before probing, "Wang Zuo body?"

"Um." Xu Xiaoshou's lips curved up, barely containing his inner joy.

But to Xu Xiaojiji, that smile was absolutely captivating, like melting snow and a fresh spring breeze, leaving him utterly mesmerized.

"Received admiration, passive value, 1."

Xu Xiaoshou jumped back in shock, his face full of alarm: "What are you doing!"

Xu Xiaojiji's eyelids fluttered wildly, his cheeks flushing red as he finally snapped out of it.

"Oh, oh, nothing, nothing..."

He tried to cover up his awkwardness, though inside he was wailing.

Is this even fair? Is Xu the Great Demon King breaking through again?

Sure enough, as soon as he entered Yuan Fu, trouble was bound to follow.

As an innate talent, he could take down Zhan Dao and Tai Xu levels. Now that the Great Demon King has broken through to Zong Shi, he'll probably crush Ban Sheng levels outright, right?

In Xu Xiaojiji's mind, Xu the Great Demon King's power was always beyond normal logic.

Most people might understand "fighting above one's level," but to Xu Xiaojiji, the Great Demon King wasn't just "leaping levels"—he was "leaping entire tiers"!

"I won't talk to you about it; you're getting a bit scary now..."

Xu Xiaoshou stared seriously at the "admiration" on the info bar, shuddered, and thought even Xu Xiaojiji was acting a bit pervy.

He quickly stepped back, creating a spatial barrier between them to keep his precious body untainted.

This upgrade to "Jian Shu Jing Tong" had brought an extraordinary level of Jian Dao experience.

Just as he had anticipated.

At Zong Shi Lv.1, "Jian Shu Jing Tong" barely broke away from basic Jian Dao foundations, forming the outline of the nine great Jian Shu techniques.

But once it reached Wang Zuo level after level ten, it directly infused a massive amount of advanced Jian Shu knowledge into his mind.

"The nine great Jian Shu, the eighteen Jian streams, the three thousand Jian Dao paths..."

Though "Jian Shu Jing Tong" didn't provide the full knowledge systems, it offered a detailed true understanding of Jian Dao instead.

In Xu Xiaoshou's view, at the Zong Shi level of "Jian Shu Jing Tong," it already encompassed the foundations of the above Jian Shu, Jian streams, and Jian Dao paths.

The reason it didn't present those concepts was that they were human summaries based on Jian Dao fundamentals.

What "Jian Shu Jing Tong" gave was the most perfect and detailed core insights!

Xu Xiaoshou hadn't learned abilities from mainstream ancient Jian Xiu systems, but he was certain that if he wanted to, he could imitate them and achieve similar effects.

Just then, a strange clinking sound came from nearby.

Xu Xiaoshou turned to look and saw that Cang Ku had somehow emerged.

It seemed to have completed its evolution and was flipping around wildly, like a fish in hot oil, completely lacking any dignity.

" upgraded?"

Xu Xiaoshou was delighted. With a wave of his hand, the black sword flew into his grasp.

He gripped the hilt, but Cang Ku's blade wriggled like a worm, twisting back and forth. Whenever the tip pointed at its owner, it seemed especially excited.

Xu Xiaoshou: "..."

This sword's annoying habit!

Cang Ku had always been his personal sword.

Though he outwardly complained, deep down he was straightforward about it—Xu Xiaoshou had always hoped for Cang Ku to thrive.

To put it boldly, one day, as Xu Xiaoshou became a Jian Xian, Cang Ku would be his famed sword!

That was his dream.

So, whenever he had time, Xu Xiaoshou used "Guan Jian Shu" to nurture this black sword, trying to help it grow alongside him.

Now, Cang Ku had clearly evolved from a seventh-grade to a sixth-grade Ling Jian.

"You've reached Zong Shi too? You're shaking around like crazy!"

Xu Xiaoshou chuckled and flicked the sword with his finger, but Cang Ku only shook more vigorously, like an irritating little imp.

Xu Xiaoshou: "..."

Behind him, the other two swords had also appeared unnoticed.

The famed sword Yan Mang and the fierce sword You Si Jian.

But these two were much more composed.

Though their blades also shimmered with treasure light, as if greatly nourished, they simply stood planted in the ground, humming softly, unlike Cang Ku's wild antics.

Xu Xiaoshou realized this was probably because of the "Jian Shu Jing Tong" enlightenment, which had drawn them out.

Plus, his final breakthrough to Jian Dao Wang Zuo had allowed the three swords to gain heavenly nourishment as well.

What made a famed sword truly famed was the continuous Jian Dao insights from its successive wielders.

This process was like spirit refiners cultivating spirits or body forgers tempering bodies—it was the growth method for Ling Jian.

Xu Xiaoshou could sense it clearly without even checking.

Beyond the bond with Cang Ku, which was like an extension of himself, his connections with Yan Mang and You Si Jian had become even closer, and they showed greater respect for him.

These two swords were proud by nature.

Clearly, they only acknowledged him more because their owner had grown stronger.

"Alright, all of you, back you go!"

Xu Xiaoshou used "Guan Jian Shu" to give each of the three swords a final boost before sending them away.

He had indeed grown much stronger.

But overall, this was still just the second step after the beginning...

"Passive value: 1,469,462."

He had only used 200,000 passive values to achieve the dual Wang Zuo accomplishments, and it felt spot on.

Xu Xiaoshou truly felt his intuition was right—this wave of passive values had been incredibly satisfying.

After the initial excitement cooled, his mind calmed down too.

He had already upgraded his two strongest passive skills to Wang Zuo level.

Following the usual pattern, the next upgrades probably wouldn't cause such a stir...

"So, which one to upgrade next?"

Xu Xiaoshou pondered.

With so many passive values, he decided to set aside at least 300,000 to 500,000 for draws.

After all, one couldn't stay in their comfort zone forever. Once the essential passive skills were upgraded, he needed to leave room for potential surprises and new directions.

Constant exploration was what he believed in.

Excluding that 300,000 to 500,000, he had about a million passive values left, but dumping it all into the new "Evolution Tree" module of the passive system didn't seem realistic.

The thought of the "Evolution Tree" gave Xu Xiaoshou a headache.

Each evolution required a million passive values.

That was such a rip-off!

He might have over a million passive values now, making him feel like a rich man, but compared to the Evolution Tree's demands, he was like a pauper in the slums!

He decided to ignore it for now.

Because for the time being, "Passive Fist" and "Illusionary Finger" were sufficient.

Once he stirred up another big scene in the crowd and raked in more passive values, he could check out the million-value evolution effects for those special passive skills.

"For now, upgrades it is!"

With his direction set, Xu Xiaoshou thought of the alchemy trial and focused on his mastery-type passive skills.

Without a doubt, his three mastery-type passive skills were top-tier in their fields.

As he grew and continuously engaged with the "Dao," he didn't think "Cooking Mastery" was limited to fire control advantages, or "Textile Mastery" to just array setup and breaking...

Looking beyond that, "Cooking Mastery" enhanced judgment and analysis of living beings' flaws and weaknesses, added sensitivity in alchemy and fire control, and even, upon touching the 'Dao' level, would bring changes...

"Textile Mastery" involved Tian Ji Shu, peeking into the heavenly Dao, interpreting living beings' meridians, and understanding the world's rule mysteries...

All of these were exactly what Xu Xiaoshou needed!

After upgrades, these wouldn't boost physical strength, but they would foster mental growth.

From Zong Shi "touching the Dao," to Wang Zuo "enlightening the Dao," to Zhan Dao "severing the Dao"...

Xu Xiaoshou knew clearly that the path ahead was all about contending for the "Dao."

Whether it was the enemies he'd faced or the big shots he hadn't met yet...

In essence, all conflicts in this world were struggles over the great Dao, battles to seize the Dao.

This "Dao" included the heavenly Dao and personal paths.

For innate to Zong Shi Lv.1 mastery-type passive skills, they didn't involve the 'Dao' much, so their power stayed within human comprehension.

But from Zong Shi to Wang Zuo Lv.1 mastery-type passive skills, they could let Xu Xiaoshou skip "touching the Dao" and directly reach "enlightening the Dao."

That was incredible!

He had to upgrade these two.

So, Xu Xiaoshou gritted his teeth and spent another 200,000 passive values, leveling them up one by one as he'd been waiting for.

"Cooking Mastery (Zong Shi Lv.1)."

"Cooking Mastery (Wang Zuo Lv.1)."

"Textile Mastery (Zong Shi Lv.1)."

"Textile Mastery (Wang Zuo Lv.1)."

After a long period of digestion and settling, and another long period of comprehension and unraveling the Dao, Xu Xiaoshou opened his eyes from his meditative state, feeling as if he had been completely transformed.

"Sword Mastery" allowed him to start understanding the world through Jian Dao.

Now, "Cooking Mastery" and "Textile Mastery" opened new perspectives for him.

"It's settled—the path of flesh pills is inevitable..."

Xu Xiaoshou snapped out of his thoughts with a bitter smile.

After the massive knowledge infusion, he not only gained the ability to make anything edible but also the methods to prepare them!

Things like knife skills, heat control, the use of seasonings like firewood, rice, oil, and salt, and tools like pots and pans...

These basic elements changed entirely when applied to humans, with seasonings becoming high-grade toxic herbs and flowers, and techniques evolving into controlling space or even the world.

Everything took on a whole new flavor!

Xu Xiaoshou's expression twisted.

He found it hard to look at "Cooking Mastery" the same way.

But the "interesting" knowledge in his mind pushed him to try it out.

Xu Xiaoshou suddenly realized that his somewhat eccentric ways of understanding and expressing the world might have been influenced by this.

"Investigating things...?"

He reluctantly labeled this new knowledge that way.

But if that was called "investigating things," then his grasp of concepts like living spirits and dead spirits was perhaps too thorough!

As for "Textile Mastery"...

This skill treated the heavenly Dao as tangible threads, defining the world from that angle.

From human muscle and meridian maps, to leaf veins and tree rings, to the shapes of mountains, rivers, and landscapes outlining the nation's territory...

One vivid two-dimensional image after another, abstracted from the three-dimensional world, pointed straight to the essence of the great Dao!

The ability from "Textile Mastery" was to alter one of those threads, completely changing the outcome.

And finally, when Xu Xiaoshou glimpsed the outline of the river of fate and the river of time, vaguely realizing that these could also be abstracted into threads by "Textile Mastery" to alter outcomes...

It was awe-inspiring!

At that moment, Xu Xiaoshou felt that the knowledge in his mind, if spoken aloud, could shock any Dao realm master, potentially shattering their Wang Zuo Dao realm and forcing them to rebuild.

"For others, entering Zong Shi means starting to touch the Dao."

"For me, entering Zong Shi feels like I've explored the very underwear of the Dao..."

Xu Xiaoshou was in a daze.

This knowledge...

He thought that if he were to elaborate, just the insights from these hours could fill several long novels. He could even become a bard, lecturing enthusiasts on this for years!

It was terrifying.

As Xu Xiaoshou pondered these Dao principles, he nearly fell into Qi deviation.

Because with his enlightenment, he began to wonder what this passive system really was.

Just upgrading could bring such boosts.

If explained through scientific Dao, energy doesn't appear out of nowhere; it only converts equally...

Then, logically, there really was a "system conspiracy theory" in this world!

And the entity providing this knowledge system—how incredibly learned must it be?

It was frightening!

After some thought, Xu Xiaoshou scared himself into a cold sweat.

But this wasn't a world that could be explained by science; anomalies and mysteries were the norm.

He decided to set it aside.

These questions were like humanity's three great philosophical queries—they weren't something at his level could answer.

With a heart full of shock, Xu Xiaoshou hesitated before returning to upgrading his passive skills.

Soon, he fell back into that blissful state.

For the basic passive skills:

"Everlasting Vitality (Wang Zuo Lv.1)."

A ceaseless flow of life force, a surging sea of essence blood energy, an inexhaustible source of vitality...

"Abundant Yuan Qi (Wang Zuo Lv.1)."

An endless, exhaustible supply of spiritual Yuan for sustained combat—no more needing Yuan Court Pills to maintain the vanishing state, and the ability for dozens of heaven-step leaps...

He didn't upgrade "Breathing Method"—it was useless right now!

Though Xu Xiaoshou felt he had suppressed his realm for a long time, strictly speaking, it had been less than a month.

He thought it was slow, but by worldly standards, his cultivation breakthroughs were lightning fast.

At Zong Shi level, "Breathing Method" was sufficient for now.

With limited passive values, he needed to prioritize skills that could quickly boost his combat power and ensure his safety!