Chapter 423 - This Time, No Killing Allowed
"Suspected. Pa.s.sive Points, + 892."
When they saw that there really was a Xu Xiaoshou among the few young people following behind the old men, everyone was shocked.
"Are you F*cking kidding? Xu Xiaoshou really went up?"
"Is this guy playing with us or..."
"Messing with you? Is there a need for Xu Xiaoshou to mess with you? Who do you think you are? I seem to remember that this guy is really an Elixir Master."
"You remember?"
"Yes, I seemed to have seen his figure in the Pill PaG.o.da that day. However, he has always been part of the upper echelons. As for whether he sells Elixirs or buys Elixirs, or if he is really an Elixir Master, I don"t know."
"Pill PaG.o.da? An Elixir Master of the upper echelons?"
This time, even people from different counties and cities could not help but laugh out loud.
The others might not have recognized him, but the Pill PaG.o.da. Who amongst those present had not gone there to buy Elixirs before?
Who did not know that the higher the Pill PaG.o.da, the higher levels the Elixir Masters were.
But Xu Xiaoshou...
"I don"t believe it!"
"If you say that this guy went to blow up the Pill PaG.o.da, it"s still possible. But if you say that this kind of pervert can also refine Elixirs..."
"Actually, now that you mention, when Xu Xiaoshou left that day, the Pill PaG.o.da did indeed blow up."
"? ? ?"
This time, everyone was dumbfounded.
Xu Xiaoshou really blew up the Pill PaG.o.da?
"I don"t believe it!"
"No matter how arrogant Xu Xiaoshou is, with his ability, you are kidding if you said he went to blow up the Pill PaG.o.da. He definitely went to..."
"Refine Elixirs?"
When they heard that person"s voice stop, everyone around laughed.
"After talking for so long, he really did come back, didn"t he?"
"You brat, you"d better go and make some preparations first. Eat Sh*t, you have to catch up with the hot ones."
"..."
The messages from the audience spread extremely quickly. In a short while, those who were not on stage basically knew that Xu Xiaoshou went to the pill tower.
Obviously, compared to Xu Xiaoshou blowing up the Pill PaG.o.da, they were more willing to believe that Xu Xiaoshou went to refine Elixirs.
However, based on the previous performance of this guy, everyone realized that the situation could not be so simple.
Perhaps, it was a combination of both?
"Doubted, Pa.s.sive Points, + 455."
"Expected, Pa.s.sive Points, + 826."
"..."
Xu Xiaoshou walked behind the old men cheerfully.
Compared to fighting, to be honest, he preferred the gentle and elegant way of earning money like refining pills.
Fighting was too rough.
It was not suitable for him.
The old men were obviously not as rash as the young. Even though there was still some distance between them and the Arena, they still maintained their ident.i.ty, taking one step at a time.
Xu Xiaoshou walked past the crowd. Several Elders acted as if they were avoiding the Plague as they hurriedly moved away..
He could not help but be puzzled.
"Eh? Senior, you look very familiar. Why are you so far away from me?"
"I don"t know you, I don"t know you."
The Elder hurriedly waved his hand. After saying that, he looked at the direction that Xu Xiaoshou was moving in and chose the opposite direction to run towards.
Xu Xiaoshou: "..."
He clearly recognized the old man as the fellow who played chess outside the Alchemy Room that day.
He had a "Perception" and had a very deep memory.
If he did not recognize him, who was he trying to scare?
He turned his head and took a glance. It was another familiar face.
"No, I don"t recognize you."
However, that person lowered his eyebrows and took a detour.
Xu Xiaoshou: "..."
He randomly chose a person he really did not know and approached him.
"Senior, which city are you from? What rank are you?"
This should be an extremely amiable and kind elder.
He looked curiously at some of his companions who had fought in the past. One after another, they avoided Xu Xiaoshou in front of him, leaving him somewhat baffled.
It is not even a fight now. Could it be that those old fellows are still afraid of being picked up and beaten up by this guy?
"Tian Wu City, Long family."
"I"m Long Dan. What"s wrong with you, kid? Do you really know how to refine Elixirs?" Long Dan asked with deep doubt in his eyes.
Although he admired Xu Xiaoshou"s combat strength, it did not affect his disbelief at that moment.
Refining Elixirs and spiritual cultivation were two completely different paths.
Without years of immersion, if he dared to make a move at such a banquet, he would be despised and ridiculed so much by his peers that he would not be able to raise his head in the future.
"It"s just for fun."
Xu Xiaoshou said humbly.
He finally understood that those who were hiding from him were basically all from Tiansang city.
Tiansang City"s small circle of the Art of Alchemy, it was obvious that they were all clearly aware of the Pill PaG.o.da incident that day.
Xu Xiaoshou was actually deeply sorry for the damage he had caused.
That was why people could not be ostentatious. Otherwise, it would be easy to lose friends.
Realizing this, Xu Xiaoshou paid attention to the propriety of his words when he spoke to the old man in front of him.
However, Long Dan frowned when he heard this.
Just for fun?
The Art of Alchemy was not something that could be played with just because you said so?
These four words made him feel that the holy Art of Alchemy had been blasphemed.
"Despised, Pa.s.sive Points, + 1."
Xu Xiaoshou was stunned.
He did not think that he would be looked down upon again after keeping a low profile.
As he thought about it, he took out a badge from his ring and pinned it on his chest.
"Although I"m just playing around, at least I got an Alchemist Badge."
Xu Xiaoshou explained.
Long Dan subconsciously looked over and saw that the badge had a mark that belonged to the Magic Pill Technicians a.s.sociation.
It was an alchemy cauldron with ten white clouds underneath it.
"Grade ten?"
The disdain in his eyes could no longer be concealed.
"You are really just playing around aren"t you?"
Xu Xiaoshou was stunned, but he saw that the old man had a badge tattooed on his chest.
An alchemy cauldron, six white clouds!
"Grade six?"
"Grandmaster Level Elixir Master?"
Xu Xiaoshou stopped in his tracks.
So it turned out that the person he casually talked to was already at the grandmaster level?
How good were the people here?
One had to know that refining Elixirs was not the same as spiritual cultivation. As it was extremely difficult and required a lot of experience, there was a leap in rank.
In other words, an innate stage Elixir Master was actually no less than that of a grandmaster.
Long Dan, with his badge, would at least be treated as a VIP in the Pill PaG.o.da of Tiansang City!
All of the old men who were close by also stopped in their tracks.
"Long, when did you get a grade six badge? You actually didn"t say a word!" The voice of the person who spoke was also filled with disbelief.
When he said this, the people in the distance all looked at him.
Seeing the seriousness in everyone"s eyes, Xu Xiaoshou immediately realized that even if this was the standard of the compet.i.tion on the eve of the White Cave, a grade six Elixir Master was still an extraordinary existence.
"So, if I want to win against them, I have to at least create a grade six elixir?"
Xu Xiaoshou instantly had a headache.
He looked at the grade ten badge on his body, then thought of his extremely low elixir formation techniques.
"This is difficult."
When the audience saw the grade 6 badge, they were also excited.
Elixir Masters were all extremely proud in their hearts, but they also kept a low profile.
They couldn"t do something like Xu Xiaoshou, wearing a badge and swaggered on the street.
Therefore, when they faced old men of unknown ranks, they could only guess their strength based on their previous rank or recent performance.
As for grade six, other than the few people who occasionally saw them at the stairway of the Pill PaG.o.da, no one present had actually met one before!
"That"s not right. You"re focusing on the wrong thing. Look at Xu Xiaoshou!" Someone pointed out.
"What"s wrong?"
"Grade ten badge!"
"... isn"t that normal?"
"That"s not right. He"s Xu Xiaoshou! Shouldn"t he have taken out a grade one badge?"
"? ? ?"
"Brother, which side are you on?"
"Sorry."
Seeing the fierce look in the eyes of the people around him, the person who spoke immediately backed down. "I just feel that if it"s Xu Xiaoshou, it does not have to turn out this way."
"Hahaha, you"re thinking too much. Xu Xiaoshou? He"s just a sensationalist. Do you really think he"s an all-rounder? A G.o.d descended from heaven?"
"But he"s already taken out a grade ten badge. This means that he can at least refine elixirs. What about you? Where"s your sh*t?"
"..."
"Cursed, Pa.s.sive Points + 1."
A grade ten badge completely cut off everyone"s implicit respect for Xu Xiaoshou.
Even Fu Xing secretly heaved a sigh of relief.
To be honest, up until now, he still could not understand why a grade ten Elixir Master would blow up the Pill PaG.o.da into such a state.
But in his heart, he was vaguely clear-headed.
The reason why Xu Xiaoshou was a grade ten Elixir Master was because President s.h.i.+ Ti no longer gave him a chance.
In other words, his lower limit was a grade ten Elixir Master, but his upper limit was likely to follow his usual style. There was no upper limit at all!
"Not to the extent."
"It shouldn"t be to the extent."
Fu Xing rubbed his hands. His eyes were filled with contemplation.
"At the very most, he should be able to reach grade eight. That should be the limit, right?"
"No!"
"If it"s Xu Xiaoshou... it can"t be any more than Grade seven right!"
"Grade seven, there"s no way he can blow up this place."
"After all, even during the battle, he only destroyed half of the banquet room. How can refining elixirs be as terrifying as a battle?"
...
The crowd flowed into the ruins.
All of the Elixir Masters looked at this unbearable place with displeasure in their eyes.
This place was supposed to be a high platform, but because of a certain person..
They looked at Xu Xiaoshou at the same time, only to see the young man standing at the back, closing his eyes to rest?
"d.a.m.n it..."
Fu Xing looked at the crowd entering the ruins and nodded, "There are no unnecessary restrictions in the compet.i.tion of the Art of Alchemy."
"There are a total of 232 Elixir Masters present. The number is indeed a little too many. However, there shouldn"t be any problems for them to refine Elixirs at the same time."
"The city lord"s residence is very big. In a while, each of you will be given a protective barrier. There will be a small self-contained s.p.a.ce inside. It will be enough for you to refine elixirs normally."
"Remember, the protective barrier must be opened. This is the main point!"
After Fu Xing emphasized it a little, he saw that everyone was confused. Clearly, they did not understand why that was the main point, so he sighed softly.
Without explaining further, he glanced at Xu Xiaoshou, who had his eyes closed, shook his head and continued:
"Then, regarding refining elixirs, everyone will have three chances."
"Take the highest grade pill of your three chances to carry out the final compet.i.tion."
"This time around, we have invited as our judge, someone from Tiansang City"s Magic Pill Technicians a.s.sociation
"President s.h.i.+ Ti!"
Upon hearing this familiar name, Xu Xiaoshou"s eyes, which were just closed, could not help but open.
Similarly, as soon as his voice fell, a familiar figure with the demeanor of an immortal descended from the horizon.
"s.h.i.+ Ti?"
"So he"s here too?"
"This old fellow still likes to arrive the latest?"
After s.h.i.+ Ti descended, he unintentionally gave his first glance to Xu Xiaoshou.
However, after one glance, his face immediately darkened and the corners of his mouth twitched. He immediately turned his head over.
A trace of suppressed anger appeared on his kind and amiable expression. s.h.i.+ Ti said in a m.u.f.fled voice, "All of you are old acquaintances. I shall not introduce myself. Let"s begin."
"Oh?"
Many of the old Elixir Masters were a little surprised.
Did the good old man, s.h.i.+ Ti, have his period today? Did he change his personality?
This indifferent tone did not sound like him. Could it be that this old man had been possessed?
When Xu Xiaoshou saw s.h.i.+ Ti"s expression, he knew that his anger had not subsided. He immediately laughed awkwardly.
It turned out that there was a reason why he did not come out earlier...
He continued to close his eyes.
If the highest-ranked Elixir Master here was grade 6, then his current culinary skills... actually no, his elixir refining skills were far from enough!
"In the end, you still have to force me to make a move."
Xu Xiaoshou glanced at the information bar and prepared to do well.
Suddenly, his eyes widened.
"Pa.s.sive Points: 218899."
"?"
"!"
"F*ck! ! !"
Everyone was shocked.
This time, the partic.i.p.ants were all old people. Their hearts were not as big as those of the young, and they were almost blown away by Xu Xiaoshou"s shout.
"Young people, do you know how to respect others? !"
Long Dan was not far away, and he could not help but scold.
Forget about the previous battle.
The battles among the younger generation could be said to be high-spirited and arrogant.
However, this was the elderly territory now, and it was a battle between Elixir Masters!
There was still President s.h.i.+ Ti watching from above.
You"re just a mere tenth grade, what right did he have to shout there?
Xu Xiaoshou suppressed the shock in his heart.
He realized that this pile of terrifying Pa.s.sive Points should have come from the high-frequency attacks of Gu Qingsan"s "True eyes of Heaven" which he had overlooked just now!
Putting down the information pane for the time being, Xu Xiaoshou glanced at the Long Dan.
Ever since he saw that he was a grade 10, that fellow seemed to have gone overboard and did not put him in his eyes at all.
However, at that moment, it was indeed his fault.
In such a serious situation, he really could not hold himself back just now and should apologize.
"I"m sorry, I"m sorry. I"ve frightened everyone. This is an old problem of mine. Whenever I"m nervous, I"ll shout. I forgot that everyone"s hearts aren"t good. I"m really sorry."
Everyone: "..."
Everyone gritted their teeth in anger.
This fellow"s words were too hars.h.!.+
Was it on purpose, or was it intentional?
This fellow clearly had a sincere look of apology on his face.
After apologizing, he still did not forget to insult anyone. This was really...
d.a.m.n it!
"Cursed, Pa.s.sive Points, + 232."
As a person of his status, it was not appropriate for him to argue with Xu Xiaoshou.
However, not saying anything made him feel as though a fishbone was stuck in his throat, making him feel extremely uncomfortable.
All of the old Elixir Masters were stifled to the point of panic. Their hearts skipped a beat, and it was likely that they would not be able to let go tonight.
"Calm down. The next step is to refine elixirs. This fellow might already be using a trick."
"We can"t fall into his trap!"
Long Dan glanced coldly at Xu Xiaoshou and sneered, "Sharp tongue."
"Praised, Pa.s.sive Points, + 1."
Xu Xiaoshou looked at him and chuckled.
Sometimes, some people judged others by their appearance.
Before the badge was taken out, others still had some basic respect for him based on his strength.
However, when he saw that the other party could not compare to him in his own field, he could not hide his arrogance.
Xu Xiaoshou did not argue much with this old man. He was a reasonable person.
"Make way."
With a few steps, he rushed to the side of the Long Dan and pushed away an old man beside him.
"Senior, please give me more pointers. I feel that your Fengshui here is really good. It will definitely help me form the elixir!"
"Heh."
Long Dan averted his gaze and shook its head gently. "Little fellow, you don"t need to look at Fengshui when refining elixirs. What you really need to do is not to stand here and gain attention. Instead, you should go down and immerse yourself in it for a few more years!"
"Refining elixirs is not a spirit enhancement. There are no Master Stage Spiritual Techniques that can be learned innately."
"It"s still too early for you to take the easy way out!"
"Punished, Pa.s.sive Points, + 1."
Xu Xiaoshou looked eagerly with a face full of respect.
"Senior, you"re right. Then I"ll refine elixirs here? It"ll be easier for me to observe it later."
"Coincidentally, I also want to see how a grade six elixir explodes. It"s formed into an elixir!"
Long Dan raised his chin and did not comment.
"Whatever."
After all, this was not the Long family, and this was not Tian Wu City.
After all, they were standing in the same arena at this moment. Even if there was a great disparity in strength, Long Dan really did not have the right to care where Xu Xiaoshou wanted to stand,
s.h.i.+ Ti, who was on the stage, happened to glance at them. When he saw that Long and Xu were so close that they were almost stuck together, his eyes immediately widened, and he was so scared that he directly stood up from his chair.
Although Long Dan might be a little harsh on the juniors, there was nothing to say about his elixir refining.
This kind of guy...
Cannot die!
How can you refine elixirs beside Xu Xiaoshou?
Did he want to die?
s.h.i.+ Ti crazily winked at him.He was just from the Upper Spiritual Level. Who exactly gave him the courage to stand by Xu Xiaoshou"s side?
Did you secretly cultivate a spiritual skill that was comparable to the Pill PaG.o.da"s defensive wall, or did you think that you could do whatever you wanted just because you entered grade 6 a few months ago?
What a fool!
No matter how much he ridiculed in his heart, the distance between the two parties was still a little too far. Long Dan could not receive s.h.i.+ Ti"s gaze at all.
Seeing that Fu Xing was about to announce the start of the compet.i.tion, s.h.i.+ Ti finally could not hold it in any longer.
He slapped the table, attracting everyone"s attention. Then, his gaze turned towards Xu Xiaoshou.
"During this elixir refinement, no one is allowed to kill!"
Everyone: "? ? ?"?
Not only those on the stage but those below the stage were also stunned.
"What"s going on?"
"Isn"t this an elixir refining compet.i.tion? Killing people? is President s.h.i.+ Ti"s brain damaged?"
"Shh, shut up. Be careful with your words."
"Uh, I was wrong. However, look in the direction where President s.h.i.+ Ti"s gaze is..."
"Long Dan?"
"It can"t be. Xu Xiaoshou"s words is a little tricky, but he wouldn"t use a cauldron explosion to kill people, right?"
"Yes, yes. This time, I"m on Xu Xiaoshou"s side. That guy is indeed a genius. It"s good that he suffered some setbacks in the Art of Alchemy. This way, he will be unable to recover from his setback. Then, the world will lose a genius, and we will have a chance to rise again."
"d.a.m.n, you"re so evil!"
"..."
Xu Xiaoshou looked at s.h.i.+ Ti in a daze.
At this moment, he felt that this guy had been possessed by Xiao Qixiu.
Why did he have to say all kinds of weird things to me, Xu Xiaoshou?
I am very kind!
He subconsciously wanted to rebut, but thinking that this was not Tiansang Spirit Palace and they were not very familiar with each other, he still had to give face to s.h.i.+ Ti.
"Okay." Xu Xiaoshou smiled.
s.h.i.+ Ti"s legs instantly went weak and his face turned green.
"Fu Xing, Your City Lord"s Manor is hosting a banquet. Where"s the throne?"
"Why isn"t there a single throne in this place?"
"Isn"t this too dangerous!"
Fu Xing was taken aback. He did feel that it was too dangerous, but...
"Elder Feng probably has something urgent to attend to, he should be back soon. It just so happen that Elder Night Guardian is here as well. There"s no need to..."
As one of the parties involved, he was well aware of s.h.i.+ Ti"s worries.
Was he not just bombed by the Pill PaG.o.da?
Not to worry.
This was the City Lord Mansion. With me, Fu Xing, constantly on guard and holding onto the large-scale barrier, what kind of trouble could Xu Xiaoshou create?
Night Guardian also smiled and greeted, "Don"t worry, it"s not a big problem."
s.h.i.+ Ti"s expression suddenly became absent-minded.
Why did these words sound so familiar?
"The compet.i.tion begins. The stipulated time for a cauldron of elixirs, fifteen minutes!"
"The time starts!"
By the time he regained his senses, Fu Xing had already announced the rules.
"This..."
s.h.i.+ Ti let out a sigh of relief. He suddenly relaxed and sat down on his chair.
Mm.
The problem was indeed not big.
This was the City Lord Mansion, not the Pill PaG.o.da. He was meddling in other people"s business.
...
The crowd received the protective s.h.i.+eld spirit tablet. Some chose to open it, while others wanted to show off their skills, hence they didn"t open it.
Xu Xiaoshou looked at the Long Dan caressing the spirit tablet and hesitated. He immediately smiled and said,
"Senior, I heard that a grade 8 Elixir Master can become one with his mind and not be afraid of outside interference. Is that so?"
"En?" Long Dan turned around, not understanding what was going on.
Xu Xiaoshou did not say anything more. Instead, he let out a low sigh and said self-deprecatingly, "The Art of Alchemy is really broad and profound. For a mere tenth grade Elixir Master like me, I have no choice but to open the spirit tablet."
As he spoke, he pressed the spirit tablet in his hand and opened the protective s.h.i.+eld. His figure instantly became blurry.
Long Dan frowned.
His finger ring was holding the center point of the spirit pattern, but his gaze fell on the seventh and eighth-grade Elixir Masters who did not open the protective s.h.i.+eld.
Seventh rank Elixir Masters did not open their protective s.h.i.+elds?
These guys...
It was said that eighth-graders could restrain their spirits, but who could predict the accidents of elixir refining?
Long Dan lowered his eyebrows and looked at the spirit tablet. Suddenly, he put it down for some strange reason.
"It"s just a protective s.h.i.+eld."
With a dong sound, a pitch-black and exquisite alchemy cauldron was placed on top of the ruins.
With a shake, everyone looked at it.
"Oh my G.o.d."
"A grade six Elixir Master wants to open the cauldron on the spot? is he going to show us the world?"
"Oh my G.o.d, this is the first time I"ve seen a grade six Elixir Master. If Senior Long Dan doesn"t open the protective s.h.i.+eld, wouldn"t we have made a fortune today?"
"F*ck, I just watched Xu Xiaoshou"s performance the entire time. Now, he"s finally not alone."
"Sigh, let"s not talk about him anymore. This person is already hiding. Refining elixirs is not his home ground after all."
"Hehe, that"s true."
"..."
The corners of the Long Dan"s lips subconsciously curled up.
He glanced at the crowd from the corner of his eyes and suddenly understood why these low-level Elixir Masters were taking the risk of a cauldron explosion and not opening their protective s.h.i.+elds.
"Dong."
Another sudden m.u.f.fled sound.
Long Dan glanced sideways and actually saw an old man not far away looking over at the same time.
On the side of his chest, there was also a grade 6 badge.
"Chen Qi..."
"Let"s have a compet.i.tion?"
The old man called Chen Qi chuckled and said with a frivolous smile.
"A compet.i.tion? Then how can you leave me out!"
"Dong."
Another m.u.f.fled sound of a cauldron being placed rang out. The two of them looked at each other at the same time and saw another old man speaking.
"Old Li, weren"t you stuck at the seventh grade for thirteen years? Why? Do you dare to go out now? Have you made some progress?" Chen Qi mocked.
"TSK TSK, looks like without a badge, I"m not worthy to talk to you guys?"
Li Mingji revealed a carefree smile.
Without a skill or two, who would dare to challenge a grade six Elixir Master?
With a clap, he slapped his hand and a badge was tattooed on his chest.
A commotion broke out below the stage.
"Grade Six Elixir Master, three?"
"Oh my G.o.d, it"s worth it to come tonight. I"m going to make a crazy profit this time."
What Xu Xiaoshou, Gu Qingsan, go to h.e.l.l. It turns out that this compet.i.tion of the Art of Alchemy is the true pinnacle of the battle."
"I"m going to faint. In the past, wasn"t the highest rank only seventh or eighth grade? This time..."
"How can it be the same this time? For the White Cave quota, all the great aristocratic families have gone crazy!"
"TSK TSK..."
Crack!
Right at this moment, a loud cracking sound suddenly rang out in the arena, directly suppressing the discussion of the crowd.
That sound was clearly the sound of a barrier shattering.
Everyone was stunned.
The elixir refinement had just begun, and someone"s cauldron had already exploded?
Everyone raised their eyes and looked over, only to see Xu Xiaoshou"s embarra.s.sed expression as he emerged from the barrier fragment.
He scratched his head as he looked at Fu Xing. He couldn"t help but spit out, "Kid, you"re too stingy. Is this what you mean by creating your own s.p.a.ce?"
He pointed at the fragment on the ground and bared his teeth, "It"s so small, even the alchemy cauldron can"t fit it. Are you trying to squeeze me to death inside?"
Fu Xing: ? ? ?
What did he mean?
Wait ...
Even the alchemy cauldron cannot fit it?
He suddenly realized that something was wrong. It seemed...
"Make way."
Xu Xiaoshou, however, had already rudely pushed his head in the direction of the Long Dan. Then, under the displeased gaze of the old man, he suddenly pulled out a large bathtub.
"Boom!"
It was completely different from the m.u.f.fled sound of an ordinary pill cauldron landing on the ground. The milky-white bathtub crashed down like a heavy hammer hitting the floor. Everyone"s hearts skipped a beat at the same time.
The ruins could not withstand it at all. All of a sudden, gravel flew everywhere, causing pain to the old face of the nearby Long Dan.
The old man stared at the big bathtub for a long time and then glanced at his own cauldron, which had already turned into Little Wu. His eyelids twitched. Only then did he recover from his dumbfounded state and look at Xu Xiaoshou.
? ? ?
"You, you want to fight?"