Chapter 32: Signature

"Startled, Passive Points +1."

Xu Xiaoshou shot up, looking around. He found himself in the waiting area, covering his face, and aggrievedly asked a staff member, "Why did you hit me?"

The staff member looked innocent, large question marks gradually appearing on his face.

Xu Xiaoshou glanced at his hand. "Huh, no elixir bottle?"

"It's time for your match!" the staff member said indifferently.

Only then did Xu Xiaoshou distinguish between reality and his dream. He sheepishly walked out of the waiting area.

"Xu Xiaoshou, you can do it!""Xu Xiaoshou, hang in there!""Xu Xiaoshou, champion!"

As soon as he stepped out, the audience's cheers startled him. Xu Xiaoshou saw almost everyone standing and cheering wildly. He was momentarily stunned. Although he had received cheers before, there had also been plenty of boos. Why was everyone so enthusiastic today? And he hadn't even slept well...

Unbeknownst to him, after consecutively defeating Wen Chong, ranked seventh, and Zhou Tianshen, ranked fourth, in recent days, his Post-natal Sword Will and Innate Physique had made him a favorite to win the championship.

"Encouraged, Passive Points +442.""Cheered, Passive Points +665.""..."

His mind was flooded with messages again. Xu Xiaoshou waved cheerfully, slowly making his way towards the arena.

"Passive Points: 44820.""Passive Points: 45611.""Passive Points: 46002."

Xu Xiaoshou's eyes crinkled with a smile. Although the process of refining the "Emberfire Seed" last night had been painful, in the final few hours, it had shone brightly, contributing nearly twenty thousand Passive Points. Now, his Passive Points were still soaring.

"Xu Xiaoshou, hurry up!"

Xiao Qixiu's exasperated voice reached him. Xu Xiaoshou immediately quickened his pace and entered the barrier, his ears instantly clearing. He roughly understood why the "Wind and Cloud Hegemony" competition had a barrier.

Across from him was a very pretty girl in a pale yellow dress. Her hair wasn't fluffy, and she had a pair of phoenix eyes. She held a soft bone whip, which she cracked on the ground with each energetic step, full of vitality. This was Li Cenjing, a Spirit Refining Realm Level 10 cultivator.

Xu Xiaoshou intended to speak as usual, but the young girl beat him to it, saying slyly, "Cowardice before battle is a great taboo against the enemy; to flee without fighting..."

"Um, what comes next..." She slapped her forehead. "Never mind." Li Cenjing coiled her soft bone whip and said, "Xu Xiaoshou, I've watched your matches, you're amazing!"

"Can I get your autograph later?"

"Admired, Passive Points +1."

Xu Xiaoshou rubbed his head, feeling a little embarrassed. He hadn't expected his opponent to be a fan. He quickly suppressed the sarcastic remark that almost slipped out and nodded in agreement. Li Cenjing's small face immediately beamed with joy, and she giggled.

Xiao Qixiu emotionlessly waved his hand. "Match start!"

To show generosity, Xu Xiaoshou gestured for his opponent to make the first move. Unexpectedly, Li Cenjing raised both hands and blinked her large eyes.

"I forfeit!"

Xu Xiaoshou's face darkened. She just stole my line, and now she forfeits? What kind of fan are you? Don't you know I need Passive Points the most?

Seeing his changed expression, Li Cenjing quickly explained, "Zhang Fu is still lying in the Elixir Pavilion, he can't even fight in the ranking matches. I'm not fighting you; I want to fight in the ranking matches!"

"Match over! Xu Xiaoshou wins!"

Xiao Qixiu hadn't even finished drinking his water before hastily raising his hand again.

The audience immediately started murmuring. They hadn't expected someone to forfeit at the round of sixteen, especially since it meant giving up the subsequent rewards.

"Boring, why didn't they fight properly? I wanted to see Xu Xiaoshou perform!"

"I think Li Cenjing is smart. She's only at Level 10, she definitely can't beat Xu Xiaoshou at Level 7. It's good to save her strength for the later ranking matches."

"Pfft, listen to the nonsense you're spouting..."

After forfeiting, Li Cenjing took small, quick steps to Xu Xiaoshou, handed him a spirit pen, and excitedly said, "Autograph!"

Xu Xiaoshou sighed mentally. *Hold it in, she's a fan!*

"Where should I sign?" Xu Xiaoshou asked gently.

Li Cenjing generously held out her hand, her slender fingers like green onions, palm facing up. "Here!" She subtly glanced towards the audience. The spectators seemed to be going wild, but inside the barrier, the two of them couldn't hear a sound.

Outside, a woman in the front row roared furiously, "Li Cenjing, stop right there! Xu Xiaoshou is mine!"

"Nyah nyah nyah!" Li Cenjing secretly made a face at her friend, looking smug. *Hmph, that's what you get for not cultivating properly. Now you can only be jealous of me from the stands.*

Xu Xiaoshou wasn't shy. He took her hand; it was soft, delicate, and very warm. He quickly signed a few strokes and said, "Don't ever forfeit again, no matter who you're against. It's a huge loss."

"Oh, it's not a loss."

Li Cenjing was, after all, a blossoming girl of sixteen or seventeen. Having her hand held publicly, no matter how thick-skinned she usually was, she couldn't help but blush. The tingling sensation on her hand made her want to withdraw it, but she forced herself to endure, responding in a voice as faint as a mosquito's hum, "Thank you!"

As soon as the autograph was finished, the young girl turned and ran off as if fleeing. Xu Xiaoshou immediately called out, "Hey, your spirit pen..."

The girl didn't look back. "It's a gift for you!"

Xu Xiaoshou glanced at Xiao Qixiu. The middle-aged man was shaking his head incessantly, his eyes filled with memories and emotion, and he surprisingly didn't urge Xu Xiaoshou to leave. Xu Xiaoshou could only put the spirit pen into his ring.

Outside, the girl in the front row went wild seeing this scene. Her eyes bloodshot, she charged towards Li Cenjing, who had just stepped off the arena, and even the staff couldn't stop her immediately.

"Li Cenjing, today is the day you die!""Watch my Heavenly Flying Kick!""No, look, are you still kicking?""Wuwuwu, I'm so envious! Cut off your hand and give it to me!"

Xu Xiaoshou stepped out of the barrier, glanced at the info panel, and felt a sudden dizzy spell for no reason.

"Disliked, Passive Points +333.""Disliked, Passive Points +333."

"What's going on?" Although he won without a fight, shouldn't winning a match result in encouragement and praise? "What's wrong with everyone? They were cheering just before the match, and now they dislike me? Heh, humans!"

Xu Xiaoshou forced a grin and waved at everyone, trying to salvage the situation.

"Disliked, Passive Points +886."

Xu Xiaoshou: "..."

***

In the waiting area, Xu Xiaoshou squatted on the rest chair. With the atmosphere so lively, he couldn't possibly sleep. By this point in the competition, he had successfully entered the top eight. According to the schedule, he still had one more match today. If he won, he could compete for tomorrow's championship.

"Will I win the championship..." Xu Xiaoshou wasn't truly confident. If he hadn't encountered Zhou Tianshen yesterday, he might have believed he could win. But if Zhou Tianshen, at the peak of the Post-natal realm, was already so powerful, who knew how strong those Innate realm cultivators would be?

Xu Xiaoshou swirled the water in his cup, slightly lost in thought. Innate is actually a general term. It encompasses the Yuan Ting, Ju Wu, and Shang Ling realms. After Spirit Refining Realm Level 10, a Spirit Refiner comprehends the Heavenly Dao and opens a Yuan Ting in their Violet Mansion. If successful, they awaken Innate elemental power, which signifies reaching the Innate realm.

As for what Innate elemental power entails, it varies wildly from person to person. It can be the Five Elements, or a specific concept, like Chao Qingteng's 'One Sword, Frozen River,' or Zhou Tianshen's 'Blade Breaks Innate...'

This was what Xu Xiaoshou feared. Even though his passive abilities could already be used as Innate spirit techniques, they did have limitations. At the very least, he lacked Innate elemental power, which meant he had one less major advantage compared to the true favorites for the championship.

Xu Xiaoshou looked towards his Qi Sea, unable to help but smile bitterly. The spiritual energy there was reddish-black and full of scorching aura, a result of his desperate efforts last night. But compared to true Innate elemental power, it was still half-lacking.

"Sigh!" Xu Xiaoshou sighed helplessly. He had originally hoped to use his current strength to claim the championship, but it seemed unrealistic now. He looked back at his mind.

"Passive Points: 48226."