Chapter 17: Physical Constitution

Thunderous applause erupted from the stands. Without a doubt, this battle was incredibly exciting.

Full of twists and turns!

It was initially thought that Liu Zhen's "Great Dark Calamity Fist" would overwhelm Xu Xiaoshou with its continuous onslaught, but to everyone's surprise, Xu Xiaoshou used a single finger-blade to break through the attack, turning the tide.

It was then believed that after the Dark Calamity explosion, Xu Xiaoshou would be critically wounded and beyond recovery. Unexpectedly, he turned the tables with a clever ploy, spitting blood to obscure his opponent's vision and turning a passive situation into an active one.

Crucially, after both combatants were airborne, the swiftly spinning "Wind-Fire Wheel" not only left Liu Zhen disoriented but also led to the "Antelope Horn" maneuver, which saw Xu Xiaoshou flip Liu Zhen, showcasing Xu Xiaoshou's exceptional close-quarters combat skills.

However, Xu Xiaoshou, the one behind all these moves, stated that without "Strength," he would have essentially been finished.

The hidden power of the "Great Dark Calamity Fist" was truly terrifying. Although he had turned the tide and won, Xu Xiaoshou had completely lost his combat capability at this point.

"Do you need a rest?" the referee asked, running over.

"Yes," Xu Xiaoshou nodded.

The referee took a deep breath and pointed at Liu Zhen, who was still beneath Xu Xiaoshou. "He needs one too," he said.

Liu Zhen had already passed out by then, whether from the fall or sheer anger was unclear.

Xu Xiaoshou awkwardly got up, finally freeing Liu Zhen. Staff members immediately came forward and carried Liu Zhen away.

"Aren't you going in to recover?" the referee asked.

Xu Xiaoshou glanced at the standing ovation from the audience. "Are you kidding? How could I go in now?" he thought.

He shook his head, shifting his attention to the messages in his mind.

"Received 'Encouraged' Passive Points: +242.""Received 'Praised' Passive Points: +366."

The messages refreshed continuously. In the span of about fifteen minutes, the accumulated Passive Points surpassed what he would earn from even two consecutive matches.

Xu Xiaoshou couldn't help but peek at his current total:"Passive Points: 7,255."

Wow!

Ignoring the few points contributed by Di Xin'er, Liu Zhen alone had given him over two thousand points. All the rest came from these enthusiastic audience members during the breaks between the two matches.

This number was still rising rapidly.

Xu Xiaoshou stopped focusing on the points and instead examined his own body.

After the Dark Calamity explosion, he was severely injured; his subsequent actions were powered purely by sheer willpower.

Now that he relaxed, he had practically lost all mobility; even a slight twitch of his mouth caused pain.

However, there was still one more breakout match!

Xu Xiaoshou gritted his teeth, sat upright on the Cloud Ascent Platform, and shifted his body to face away from the audience.

He took out a bottle of pills. These were the Grade 10 healing spiritual pills, the Crimson Gold Pills, that Elder Qiao had given him after the group stage.

Time to go all out!

Xu Xiaoshou, looking as if he was going to his death, picked up a Crimson Gold Pill. He didn't dare inhale deeply, instead taking a gentle sniff.

Instantly, he felt as if struck by lightning, his eyes rolled back, and his body trembled like a sieve.

He began to make strange, sputtering sounds.

Everyone in the stands was watching Xu Xiaoshou. Seeing him suddenly turn his back and start trembling, they all craned their necks, filled with curiosity.

"What's he doing?""Taking pills? What kind of pill is that, so potent?""It must be a poison pill, that's terrifying!"

Everyone watched as Xu Xiaoshou's previously cross-legged body collapsed, sprawling in an 'X' shape on the Cloud Ascent Platform, like a trembling pile of jelly.

"What did he eat to shake like that?""Is this guy some kind of vibration-attribute practitioner..."

Question marks instantly appeared above everyone's heads. Xu Xiaoshou had unknowingly reaped a massive wave of 'Suspicion' points.

The referee was thoroughly alarmed. "What on earth is happening? I just sent Liu Zhen away, and now you're collapsing too? You're a grown man, can't you give this referee a break!"

He quickly ran over with medical staff, checking Xu Xiaoshou's pulse while pinching his philtrum.

"Gurgle, gurgle... I'm... I'm fine..." Xu Xiaoshou sputtered, foam at his mouth.

The referee almost cursed. "Does this look like 'fine'?"

"If you can't hold on, just say the word, and I'll take you for treatment!" The referee tried to press down on his chest to stop the trembling.

Xu Xiaoshou's eyes rolled back again. He struggled to sit up, but his body was completely limp. He weakly roared:"Don't... don't touch me!""I'm... sensitive right now," he sputtered, "gurgle, gurgle..."

Referee: "..."

He silently withdrew his hands from Xu Xiaoshou. Perhaps, he didn't need him after all...

In the stands, everyone gasped at what was happening. When Xu Xiaoshou lay down, his face became visible, and someone who could read lips translated his words, causing an uproar.

"He must have taken an aphrodisiac!""Taking that stuff during a match, I'm impressed!""Someone, get him off there and let him release some steam!""Strongly demand drug testing! Xu Xiaoshou must have taken banned substances!"

This round of interpretation brought Xu Xiaoshou countless Passive Points, including 'Suspicion,' 'Admiration,' and 'Mockery.'

The medical staff released Xu Xiaoshou's wrist, a look of astonishment on their faces. "He seems to be truly fine?"

"Hmm?" the referee responded, puzzled.

"I don't know what kind of pill he took, but its medicinal properties are terrifying. His body is rapidly recovering; he's almost completely healed."

"Heh heh!""Almost completely healed?"

The referee pointed at Xu Xiaoshou's trembling body. "Then what's *this*?"

The medical staff hesitantly suggested, "Comfort?"

The referee's face darkened. "Comfort, my foot! Unreliable!"

He thought for a moment, then pulled Xu Xiaoshou's hand open and saw the Crimson Gold Pill.

"Is this it?"

He raised an eyebrow, casually took out a pill, and popped it into his mouth. The medical staff nearly jumped, crying, "You can't eat that!"

"It's fine. If it were poison, it wouldn't have the effect you described, and he wouldn't dare swallow it. And if he's taking banned substances during the match, that's something I need to detect immediately."

The referee sat cross-legged. As his spiritual energy circulated, the pill dissolved, and his eyes immediately snapped open.

"What in the world? Is this really a Crimson Gold Pill?"

He looked at the still-trembling Xu Xiaoshou and fell into deep thought. "Are we eating the same thing? Or rather, could it be that he truly has a sensitive constitution?"

At that thought, the referee's body twitched, startling the medical staff.

On the ground nearby, Xu Xiaoshou's trembling continued for a while before gradually subsiding. With the experience from the last time he refined a spiritual pill, he was actually much better this time.

Moreover, the Crimson Gold Pill was a healing medicine after all; the intense sensation was brief, coming and going quickly.

It must be said that while the Breathing Technique had significant side effects, its efficacy was even greater!

"I seem to have recovered almost completely, though it still hurts..." Xu Xiaoshou thought to himself.

The explosive force of the "Great Dark Calamity Fist's" hidden power was no joke. Even now, thinking back to it made his scalp tingle. He truly didn't know how he had the courage to stubbornly hold on then.

Well, apart from holding on stubbornly, there seemed to be no other way...

Xu Xiaoshou waved his arms and kicked his legs, forcing himself to appear lively. There was still another battle, and his body couldn't afford to get cold.

The referee looked at Xu Xiaoshou, who was bouncing around with occasional twitches, a suspicious expression on his face.

"That's it? He's done?"

Xu Xiaoshou bounced back around, waving his thanks to his adoring audience, signaling that he appreciated their concern. He then checked his mind again.

"Passive Points: 10,220."

Wow, an increase of over three thousand!

"This is true love!"

Xu Xiaoshou exclaimed in surprise as he took shaky steps back into the barrier.

Today's quota had been met, even exceeded.

The referee followed him like a personal bodyguard, seemingly asking casually, "Ready to start the next match?"

"Not yet, I need to regulate my breathing a bit more. Give me some time!"

Xu Xiaoshou took out a spiritual crystal and sniffed it occasionally, trying to maintain his peak condition.

Even so, having just gone through a major battle and barely recovered from severe injuries, it would be impressive if he could exert sixty or seventy percent of his strength.

"Alright!" The referee chuckled. "Then let's start. There's no time anyway."

Xu Xiaoshou stared at the referee in shock. "You're a dog, aren't you! You ask me if I'm ready when there's no time left, just to mess with me?"

The referee chuckled, injecting spiritual energy into the array token to activate the draw screen, a victorious smile on his face, as if he had gained an upper hand.

The screen rotated, and a name appeared:"Wen Chong!"

Xu Xiaoshou stared, dumbfounded. "Wen Chong? You've got to be kidding me!"

The referee wore an innocent expression, shrugging his hands as if to say, "It has nothing to do with me."

At the same time, the audience stands nearly exploded. The atmosphere was instantly ignited by that name.

"My heavens, Wen Chong?!""This must be rigged! Xu Xiaoshou is so unlucky, he's been set up!""Yeah, he just went through a life-and-death battle, and before he could even rest properly, he's up against a formidable expert who was supposed to be waiting in the final round."

"Formidable expert who was supposed to be waiting?" Some were excited, while others were only vaguely aware, not understanding why everyone had suddenly erupted. "Quick, tell us, what's going on?"

"You know about Arena #2, right? Boss Wen had bad luck; he was grouped with Chao Qingteng in the group stage. He was suppressed, resulting in one champion and one runner-up."

"Pfft, what's so special about that? Xu Xiaoshou is also a champion!"

"Chao Qingteng, rank two, Innate Master!""Boss Wen, rank seven, half-step Innate!"

"Hiss! That amazing?"

"Heh heh, you think that's it? No, no, no, this guy is practically Xu Xiaoshou's natural enemy!"

The speaker's tone was teasing, keeping everyone on the edge of their seats. People nearby quickly grew impatient: "Stop holding back, tell us!"

"You know Liu Zhen, right? That powerful Tenth Realm master who almost finished Xu Xiaoshou off just now!"

"Uh-huh!" Everyone nodded.

"He's Wen Chong's subordinate!"

"Gasp!" Everyone gasped.

"That's not all!" The person continued, looking pleased. "You know Di Xin'er, right? The girl whose head Xu Xiaoshou tapped twice with a wooden sword!"

"Uh-huh!"

"She's Wen Chong's goddess!" The speaker dropped the bombshell.

"Holy cow!""Unbelievable!""Xu Xiaoshou is completely done for!"