Chapter 95: Surrounded

Before settling back into the large bathtub, Xu Xiaoshou swore that this time he absolutely wouldn't deviate from his path and would properly master the Lian Dan Shu refining technique.

Since the fingernail-sized "compressed fire seed" was impossible to control, he had no choice but to settle for the next best option: using a fireball for refining.

With a clench of his hand, a spherical flame appeared, and Xu Xiaoshou directed it under the three-legged bathtub.

In just a few breaths, the milky-white bathtub began to glow red-hot, with the temperature rising extremely quickly.

Recalling how Sang Lao had casually tossed in herbs with such extravagance, Xu Xiaoshou mimicked the motion, grabbing a handful from his ring and throwing them toward the bathtub.

"Sizzle!"

Before they even hit the air, the handful of herbs turned entirely to ash. Not a drop of essence liquid remained—nothing but dust.

Xu Xiaoshou: "..."

As expected, the temperature was too high.

This was a flame that could burn even Ling Jing spiritual crystals directly into gas.

And clearly, he didn't have Sang Lao's skill to perfectly separate and position the herbs, so he'd have to do it one stalk at a time!

Focusing his intent, Xu Xiaoshou manipulated the flame to retract and compress it within a controllable range.

One stalk of herb flew in...

Sizzle!

"Still not working?"

Xu Xiaoshou paused and didn't continue. He wasn't an impulsive person, and although he had plenty of herbs, wasting them like this was inefficient—he needed to summarize his approach.

Hmm...

There wasn't much to summarize—it was just that the flame's temperature was still too high.

"How can I cool it down?"

Xu Xiaoshou stroked his chin, his brows furrowed tightly. Suddenly, inspiration struck.

If the temperature was too high, why not use the "Hu Xi Zhi Fa breathing method" to absorb it?

"Smart!"

He clapped his fists together, realizing the feasibility of this idea. The "Hu Xi Zhi Fa's" absorption technique wasn't just for cultivation!

As his pores dilated, heat was instantly drawn into his body, making the spherical flame under the large bathtub look less ferocious.

Xu Xiaoshou felt a surge of warmth, his whole body breaking out in sweat, but he could still handle it.

Compared to refining the "Jin Zhao Huo Zhong Ember Illumination Fire Seed," this temperature didn't even trigger the information panel's "under attack" notification.

Another stalk of herb flew into the bathtub.

This time, it landed perfectly, suspended by Ling Yuan spiritual energy inside, but it didn't last even a second before it perished.

"Uh..."

Xu Xiaoshou stopped, realizing this method was unstable.

If the heat energy absorbed into his body couldn't maintain a consistent amount, the spherical flame's temperature would keep fluctuating wildly, making refining impossible.

But with no other options, Xu Xiaoshou had to keep trying.

"Practice makes perfect!"

Refining was a precise craft, and as that old man had said, going through this process should help him gain more accurate control over his own power.

He casually grabbed another stalk of herb, but before throwing it, the information panel suddenly refreshed:

"Surrounded, passive value +1."

Xu Xiaoshou: "???"

Surrounded?

He froze for a moment, glancing around—nobody there!

Wait, outside?

Had someone surrounded the Ling Zang Ge Spirit Treasury Pavilion?

He thought of the masked person from yesterday, and his heart raced. Could it be that, in broad daylight, someone was trying to storm the Ling Zang Ge?

How had they broken into the Tian Sang Ling Gong?

Xu Xiaoshou quickly put away the herb and formed two spherical flames with a wave of his hand, the "Xiao Huo Qiu Zhi Shu Small Fireball Technique" ready to go. He stealthily moved to the window and peeked out.

"Damn!"

"So many people!"

Xu Xiaoshou was shocked.

As far as he could see, a considerable number of black-clad individuals had the Ling Zang Ge completely encircled, layer upon layer, with no gaps.

Wait...

Black-clad?

Weren't these the enforcement personnel from Ling Fa Ge Spirit Law Pavilion?

Xu Xiaoshou was puzzled. He opened the window and suddenly spotted the leader emerging from the crowd...

He looked familiar.

Wasn't this the referee from the group stage the other day?

Xu Xiaoshou widened his eyes, rubbed them, and looked again. At that exact moment, the other's gaze locked onto him.

"It's you?"

"It's you?"

They spoke in unison!

Zhao Xidong was completely stunned, his entire battle plan blanking out in an instant.

Xu Xiaoshou?

How could it be him?

This didn't make sense—how had this guy gotten into the Ling Zang Ge?

And wasn't he still an outer court disciple? More like, how dared he sneak into the inner court?

And... those earlier explosions, were they related to him?

Impossible!

Just a mere Xu Xiaoshou...

"Under suspicion, passive value +1."

"Under suspicion, passive value +1."

"Under mockery, passive value +1."

"..."

Xu Xiaoshou chuckled to himself. He just stood there at the window, silent, but inwardly urging them on.

Go ahead, let your imaginations run wild.

I may not know what you're thinking, but I won't stop you from pondering.

Thinking is the ladder of human progress!

As Zhao Xidong stared at the silent young man, he recalled how this guy had killed Feng Kong and Shao Yi, along with those mysterious accidents in the matches...

Could it really be him?

Not just Zhao Xidong—even the enforcement personnel present were all baffled.

After all, hardly anyone here didn't know Xu Xiaoshou. It wasn't just because of his bizarre performance in the "Feng Yun Zheng Ba Wind and Cloud Dominance," but more importantly, in last night's encirclement battle...

This guy was the only one with Houtian acquired realm cultivation who had jumped right into the storm's center!

"Under suspicion, passive value +169."

"Under suspicion, passive value +112."

"Under suspicion, passive value +84."

"..."

Amazing!

Xu Xiaoshou clenched his fist at the window. Just from this quick glance, his passive value was about to break through the 6,000 mark.

Zhao Xidong couldn't hold back any longer and asked, "Were those explosions you caused?"

"Mm." Xu Xiaoshou nodded, propping his elbow on the windowsill and resting his chin in his hand as he glanced at the crowd. "Don't worry, the Ling Zang Ge is fine. You can all disperse now."

"???"

Everyone was stunned by his words. If he hadn't said that, it might have been okay, but now they were even more anxious!

"Under suspicion, passive value +266."

Xu Xiaoshou chuckled again. For some reason, no one ever believed him when he told the truth, so he didn't even need to lie anymore.

"How did you end up in the Ling Zang Ge, and on the third floor at that?"

Zhao Xidong was furious. "This isn't a place you should be! As an outer court disciple, sneaking into the inner court is already a huge offense, and you actually dared to break into the Ling Zang Ge?"

"Sang Lao called me here," Xu Xiaoshou replied.

"Under suspicion, passive value +266."

Everyone's first instinct was disbelief, but when they thought of Sang Lao's heroic rescue yesterday, it suddenly seemed plausible.

No matter—it was another passive value gain.

"What did Sang Lao call you here for?" Zhao Xidong asked curiously.

"Refining."

"Under suspicion, passive value +267."

Xu Xiaoshou grinned. He noticed another enforcement personnel arriving, joining the ranks contributing to his passive value.

Zhao Xidong was so angry he laughed. Refining?

I must have lost my mind to believe you were called here by Sang Lao!

Refining was something a nine-realm guy like you could touch?

You don't even have innate attributes—what are you refining with?

Firewood?

Ridiculous!