Chapter 5: This Cultivation Is a Bit Addictive

Xu Xiaoshou scrolled through the red interface in his mind. Passive Points: 148.

"Not enough..."

Although it was much more than before, it was still a long way from the 1000 Passive Points needed to buy skill points. Currently, passive points seemed to be generated whenever he was attacked, suspected, or mocked. This meant points only accumulated when others interacted with him. In other words, to gain more passive points, he had to immerse himself in crowds and cause a ruckus!

Xu Xiaoshou silently grumbled, "Isn't this forcing me to become a clown? It feels too much like a villain." He imagined himself grandstanding, acting ostentatiously, only for someone else to emerge, trample him, and become the destined protagonist. The thought sent shivers down his spine. "This is too passive!"

The word "passive" reminded him of the "Passive System" and the black roulette wheel, instantly giving him a sense of being manipulated by fate.

"Never mind," he thought. "I should focus on how to improve my strength within three days!" Although his physical body had reached the Xiantian realm, his cultivation at the Fourth Realm might not be enough to defeat high-level combat enthusiasts.

Shaking his head, Xu Xiaoshou stopped pondering and pulled out the elixir bottle Elder Qiao had given him. Inside lay three "Spirit Refinement Pills." These "Spirit Refinement Pills" were incredibly precious; each one was worth several times more than his twenty spirit crystals. Was Elder Qiao truly so generous?

Xu Xiaoshou began to contemplate. He currently had two cultivation methods: first, the acquired-level Spirit Refinement Heart Method he had been practicing before. This method was extremely slow, and even with spirit crystals, its absorption rate was less than one percent—a huge waste of resources. Second was the "Breathing Technique," a basic passive skill provided by the system. Although he hadn't leveled it up, it might have unexpected effects.

"Let's try with a spirit crystal first!" Xu Xiaoshou put the elixir bottle away, pulled out a spirit crystal, and then paused. He wondered... how was he supposed to cultivate with this? The "Breathing Technique" was a passive skill; he didn't even know how to activate it, let alone absorb a spirit crystal with it. Could it be...?

A strange expression crossed Xu Xiaoshou's face as a highly absurd cultivation method popped into his head. "Hoo..." He exhaled deeply, held the spirit crystal, and took a huge "sip."

"Hiss!" What was originally an absurd idea turned out to be anything but. As he "sipped," two streams of dense spiritual energy instantly shot out from the spirit crystal, darting into Xu Xiaoshou's wide-open nostrils like green snakes. As his nostrils flared, Xu Xiaoshou felt as if his soul was being gently caressed by a saintess, and every pore in his body seemed to explode. A sense of comfort and elevation rose from the soles of his feet to the top of his head. "Ah~"

Xu Xiaoshou couldn't help but groan aloud. The sensation was incredibly wonderful, truly a first in eighteen years! Soon, he snapped back to reality, his body trembling involuntarily. "Holy crap!" "Is this cultivating?" "Is it really this intense?"

The spirit crystal in his hand had slightly shrunk. Xu Xiaoshou was astonished; just one "sip" had caused such a noticeable change? He checked his Qi Sea and was immediately shocked. His Qi Sea was like a whirlpool, spiritual energy surging like tides, each wave higher than the last, with no signs of an unstable realm. He had only just broken through to the Fourth Realm, and this single "sip" had directly stabilized his cultivation?

Xu Xiaoshou was ecstatic. This "Breathing Technique" was a bit too terrifying! No active cultivation, no circulation of heart methods, no need for full meridian cycles, no wasted resources—just one comfortable "sip" after another, and one realm after another. You, too, deserve this!

"If this were upgraded to the Xiantian realm, with sufficient spiritual energy, advancing one realm with each breath wouldn't be a dream at all!" Xu Xiaoshou was stunned. This was too powerful!

A single spirit crystal completely vanished into Xu Xiaoshou's nostrils after about a dozen "sips," and simultaneously, his cultivation realm soared. While his previous heart method had an absorption rate of less than one percent for spirit crystals, this "Breathing Technique" was terrifyingly efficient, absorbing everything perfectly without any waste. Consequently, Xu Xiaoshou was now slumped on the bed, contorted and disheveled, like a drunken shrimp.

"Clatter, clatter, clatter..." Xu Xiaoshou's teeth chattered. "Help, help me up, clatter... I can still cul-cultivate..." With a thud, the elixir bottle fell from his embrace. Xu Xiaoshou's body trembled violently as he saw it.

Three days passed in a flash, with Xu Xiaoshou's cultivation becoming increasingly intense. In the outer courtyard of the Tiansang Spirit Palace, Mount Cloud Platform was packed with people.

This place was originally called Cloud Peak. Legend had it that Vice Dean Sang of the Tiansang Spirit Palace had half-burned Cloud Peak through fire forging, transforming it into the Mount Cloud Platform, which could accommodate ten thousand people. The platform was a concavity halfway down the peak, surrounded by tiered spectator stands. From a bird's-eye view, it resembled a large black bowl resting peacefully on the mountain.

At this moment, the spectator stands were sparsely populated, as most of the outer courtyard disciples were already on the Mount Cloud Platform itself.

Hovering in the air was an old man with a sword on his back, named Xiao Qixiu. He was the Grand Elder of the Spirit Law Pavilion of the Tiansang Spirit Palace, in charge of all enforcement within both the inner and outer courtyards, holding immense authority. At this moment, he was the chief judge of the outer courtyard's "Wind and Cloud Battle."

Xiao Qixiu gazed at the sun, and after confirming the time, he loudly suppressed all the clamor on the Mount Cloud Platform. "Silence!"

Everyone's gaze immediately turned fervent, fixed directly on him. Xiao Qixiu calmly pulled a piece of paper from his embrace and read: "This competition has a total of 1782 registered participants, corresponding to the numbers on your respective Wind and Cloud tokens. The preliminary round will be a group elimination tournament, with 100 people per group, totaling 18 groups, each corresponding to one of the 18 arenas."

Xiao Qixiu then took out a purple formation token. When activated by spiritual energy, the token emitted a purple light. The Mount Cloud Platform below vibrated, and eighteen massive arenas slowly emerged, each encased in a transparent light barrier. Those who had been standing on the platform's surface were immediately pushed to the side by the light barriers; these were, naturally, the newcomers participating in the "Wind and Cloud Battle" for the first time. The veterans, however, had long since leaned against the platform's edge with arms crossed, looking ready to enjoy the show.

Eighteen black lights descended from the sky, each landing in one of the eighteen arenas. Xiao Qixiu declared loudly, "Each arena will have a professional referee. When they intervene to save you, that is when you will be declared defeated. Here, I advise everyone: injuries and deaths are unavoidable, but do know when to stop. Furthermore, once you step into the arena, you must be prepared to die. Referees are not gods; there are times when they might zone out, lose focus, be shocked, or scratch an itch. At such times, they cannot save you."

Upon hearing this, some newcomers immediately panicked. This was quite different from what they had imagined. Referees zoning out? What kind of joke was this? Couldn't they be more professional?!

The seasoned veterans, however, simply smiled without a word. Elder Xiao's dry humor was, as always, enough to make people nervous on a hot day. Those familiar with him knew that the enforcement elders of the Spirit Law Pavilion were incredibly strong and ruthlessly cold; how could they possibly zone out on stage? And scratching an itch? Ridiculous!

Xiao Qixiu watched as most of the rookies below began to panic, a slight change in his expression as his lips twitched. "That's more like it!" he thought. Life was always full of surprises; how could he always allow them to appear in perfect condition?

With a lift of his hand, a prolonged, ancient bell toll echoed from afar: "Dong—" "It's noon! The 'Wind and Cloud Battle' begins!"

On Arena No. 12, the referee looked at the people outside the light barrier and stated indifferently, "The group stage will use an elimination format. Whoever remains on the arena until the last moment will be the winner. The top ten in each group will receive prizes and qualify for the next round. Good luck, everyone!"

He made a perfunctory wave of his arm and said coldly, "Call out the names to enter the arena!" "Number 1101, Zhou Zuo."

A slightly shorter young man shivered and walked forward. Liu Zhen, standing behind him, reminded him, "Take out your token and press it against the barrier." Zhou Zuo complied, and he was immediately drawn into the arena. "Number 1102, Liu Zhen." It was only then that Liu Zhen realized they had registered together, with consecutive numbers.

"..." "Number 1120, Chao Xiaosan." A young boy walked forward, grim-faced as if heading to an execution ground. "..." "Number 1130, Xu Xiaoshou."

No one responded. The referee frowned and repeated, "Number 1130, Xu Xiaoshou." Still no one responded. The atmosphere inside and outside the arena immediately livened up.

"Didn't Xu Xiaoshou emerge from his retreat?" "Yeah, I personally went to collect his body that day, and I saw him. He wasn't dead!" "Could he have overslept?" "Impossible, I think I just saw him on the road, walking a bit strangely." "Maybe you were mistaken?"

The referee grew angry and shouted, "Number 1130, Xu Xiaoshou?" Everyone fell silent, looking around, but Xu Xiaoshou was nowhere to be seen. The referee, helpless, could only skip him and call out the next person. If the time limit was up and he still hadn't arrived, there would be no choice but to treat it as a forfeit. Who was this Xu Xiaoshou? He must have a lot of nerve to be late for the "Wind and Cloud Battle"!

Spectator Stands. Unlike other arenas, Arena No. 12 actually had spectators in its stands—three of them.

A graceful woman in a red dress leaned languidly against a chair, showcasing her svelte figure. Her red lips shimmered as she spoke, "Little Sister Su, is this the Little Beast Brother you wanted me to see? Did you wake him up?"

The young girl in white beside her blushed and said coyly, "Sister Rao, what are you saying!" "Little Beast Brother will definitely come. He must have been delayed by something. This is his last match, and I must watch it." The white-clad girl, Su Qianqian, was about fourteen or fifteen, essentially a petite girl, yet she had a giant sword taller than herself, currently resting across her lap. She gently wiped the sword on her lap, a hint of remembrance in her eyes. "When I first entered the outer courtyard, I was all alone. It was Little Beast Brother who helped me so much, allowing me to enter the inner courtyard in just one month."

"One month..." Rao Yinyin murmured, lowering her head. Although she knew Su Qianqian meant no harm, she couldn't help but think, "Don't you realize your unintentional words sting even more!"

A considerable distance away, Elder Qiao was squatting on a seat, scratching his head and ears, and cursing aloud: "Damn Xu Xiaoshou, where did he go?!" "You couldn't even let this old man escort you?" "He's driving me crazy!"

Inside the barrier. "Last call!" The referee's grim voice echoed: "Number 1130, Xu Xiaoshou!" Inside the arena, ninety-nine participants plus the referee, and the three people outside, all waited with bated breath. Where on earth was Xu Xiaoshou?