There was no rest time between the preliminary round and the competition between the top 64 contestants.
However, news that Xu Xiaoshou had killed someone had already spread throughout the entire Outer Yard during the night.
Most of the people only paid attention to the bosses who were ranked in the top ten of the Windcloud Scoreboard. However, Wu Peng, like a dark horse, had forced people to take notice of him.
The advancement competition started at noon the next day.
Unlike the preliminary competition, from this point on the Chuyun Platform would no longer be split into 18 different arenas, and one arena master would engage in consecutive duels.
This was what everyone was looking forward to.
Many people had been frustrated that they'd missed the historic moment of a person being killed in the Outer Yard because they'd been looking at another battle.
There was a crowd of people in the spectator seats, and it was incredibly loud.
"It's here, it's here. We've waited so long to reach this moment."
"Sigh, who here hasn't waited? To think that I missed the first death in the Outer Yard because of the two Innate-stage fighters, Senior Mo and Senior Chao!"
"Haha, then you really missed out. What's so great about seeing the two of them before the advancement competition? Didn't they finish off all their opponents in one move?"
"Let me tell you. Yesterday, Xu Xiaoshou held back his finishing blow while Boss Wen launched a sneak attack at him from behind. In the end, he got stabbed in the chest… The twists and turns in their fight were so exciting!"
"Everyone in the spectator seats was shocked. It was so silent that you could hear a fart."
"Urgh, stop telling me about it. Can't you see the regretful tears running down my face?"
Besides for the spectators who'd come here just to observe the competition, there were spectators present who supported Xu Xiaoshou, as well as those who didn't like him.
However, everyone had had a night to cool down and now showed much more restraint. At the very most, they would glare at each other and feel unhappy whenever Xu Xiaoshou was mentioned.
Xiao Qixiu landed in the main arena. Chief Elder Xiao, who had stood in the air for a few consecutive days, finally decided to plant his feet on the ground and honestly host the competition.
He didn't dare fly in the air anymore. He was afraid that his heart wouldn't be able to take it if he saw another soul rise to the heavens.
He expertly took out a piece of paper from his robes, and the spectators immediately fell silent. They were all ears.
"I believe that everyone has heard about the death from yesterday…"
A glimmer appeared in everyone's eyes when Xiao Qixiu said this.
This matter would've silently passed if no one had mentioned it again, so didn't Xiao Qixiu mentioning it now mean that there were some follow-up matters to deal with?
Had a decision been made by the Spiritual Law Division? Was Xu Xiaoshou going to be barred from the competition?
Xiao Qixiu surveyed his surroundings. This was the first time he wasn't reading from the paper. His expression was stern.
"Here, I want to remind all of you…
"Even though the Tiansang Spirit Palace has provided all of you with a comfortable training environment, I don't want your wills and minds to weaken.
"One day, the time will come when you will graduate and head out of the palace. However, once you leave the spirit palace, there will definitely be many life or death moments in the Shengshen Continent!
"Every competition is an obstacle in the outside world. You need to give your best effort!
"However, at the same time, I hope that you maintain a good attitude. This attitude will define your life, your death, your morals. It will be your bottom line.
"If you cross that bottom line, you will eventually reap what you sow.
"Be it if your name is Xu Xiaoshou or Wen Chong!"
Everyone slipped into silence.
They were all waiting for an outcome. Was Xu Xiaoshou going to be barred from the competition or be judged not guilty and allowed to continue with the contest? No one knew the answer.
To these people, speculating about the results of the contests outweighed their regard for human life.
However, Xiao Qixiu had been unwilling to comment on the event yesterday. Instead, he made use of this incident to teach everyone a lesson.
Didn't Wen Chong die because he crossed the bottom line and reaped what he'd sown?
But whether or not Xu Xiaoshou had crossed the bottom line and intentionally landed the killing blow was also a question.
However, there could only be one resolution to this matter.
Now that Xiao Qixiu had said this, only time would tell whether Xu Xiaoshou met a good or bad end.
In the arena, Chief Elder Xiao felt very comforted when he saw the crowd's reaction.
To a person who had killed many a time like him, someone dying was no longer a big deal to him. He didn't have to put in that much effort and waste his words on this incident.
However, it was different with these young people. If his words only jolted a few of them awake to life's realities, that was enough to him.
It was meaningless for them to act on their momentary courage and hatred, as it would only cause them trouble in the future.
Xiao Qixiu was overcome with emotion. In the past, he wouldn't have said much, but things were different now.
After all, he was no longer the brutal killer Xiao Qixiu of the past. He was now a Chief Elder in the Tiansang Spirit Palace.
"Great!"
Xiao Qixiu shook the piece of paper in his hand and said, "Since that's the case, we shall now talk about the main issue at hand."
"The battle between the top 64 contestants will now start. The pairings will be drawn on the screen. There will be two people in every group. The time limit of the battle is 30 minutes!"
"Fight your hearts out today. We will have as many people advance as possible. We have the time!"
The crowd of spectators, who'd still been in deep silence, immediately started to stir at Xiao Qixiu's words, and the atmosphere gradually livened.
Chief Elder Xiao was very satisfied with the crowd's response, and he immediately waved his hand to signal for the competition to start and make the tense crowd spring into action.
"Now, the contest will start…"
"Wait!" a voice hurriedly interrupted him.
Everyone was shocked and looked at the person who'd spoken. He dared to interrupt the chief judge? Did he want to die?
"Xu Xiaoshou?"
"That person must be ill!"
"My God, it's already great enough that Elder Xiao didn't hold him accountable, yet he still wants to provoke him?"
"He's here, he's here, Xu Xiaoshou's here! As someone who's paid attention to him since the group stages, I dare say that Xu Xiaoshou isn't Xu Xiaoshou if he doesn't provoke others!"
Eighteen people dressed in black were sitting sternly in the panel of judges. The 12th judge immediately slumped over when Xu Xiaoshou arrived.
"He's here. That person is the Xu Xiaoshou I was telling you guys about."
"Look closely. That lad is definitely going to cause trouble!"
"I was tormented by that lad. Come, come, come, I'll bet one Spirit Crystal. Even Boss Xiao wouldn't be able to keep his composure in front of him!"
A few of the black-robed people beside him started to laugh, their eyes full of shock.
"Is he as bad as you say?"
"Doesn't he only have an Innate-stage physical body and an Acquired-stage Sword Will? I've seen many geniuses!"
"That's right. No matter how much of a genius he is, is he better than Su Qianqian from the Inner Yard?"
The 12th judge shifted his chair and leaned forward. He saw Xu Xiaoshou run to Xiao Qixiu and shook his head slightly.
"No, no, no, that's all secondary. What's most terrifying about that lad is how unpredictable he is!"
He paused for a moment, then added, "You never know what infuriating thing he'll do next."
Everyone was looking at the arena.
Xiao Qixiu's expression was terrifyingly dark. However, he could do nothing but watch the brazen, anxious young man run toward him.
A candidate could request the chief judge to pause the competition under special circumstances.
This was within the rules of the Windcloud Competition, though no one had ever done it.
"What's wrong? I'll finish you off if you don't have a special reason for this!" Xiao Qixiu spoke at the top of his voice. Xu Xiaoshou's interruption had made him a little flustered.
"Save me, Sir Judge!"
The young man in front of him was flustered, and his face was red. Xiao Qixiu could feel the scorching heat radiating from Xu Xiaoshou's body when he came closer to him.
Xu Xiaoshou was truly panicking!
He didn't know what the detestable old man had given him. As soon as that red seed had entered his stomach, he'd only felt his body get hotter and hotter. A terrifying, scorching aura had radiated out from the seed, continuously gnawing at his body.
He had tried to refine the seed by meditating at Goose Lake to expel the seed from his body.
However, the symptoms had only gotten worse the more he'd tried, and the seed had melted!
The scorching aura had seeped into every cell of his body and was continuously burning him.
Xu Xiaoshou felt as though he were about to explode.
Even his Innate-stage physical body couldn't tolerate the burning. Several of the meridians in his body had broken. He would die if this continued.
He had wanted to head to the Spiritual Medical Division, but all of the best medical attendants and pharmacists had come to help out in the Windcloud Competition.
Thus, he could only come here to look for them.
However, how could he easily find those people? Furthermore, he didn't know if the old man had anything to do with them, so he couldn't recklessly reveal himself.
Thus, Xu Xiaoshou could only use his trump card!
Xiao Qixiu looked coldly at the young man. He wanted to see what kind of nonsense Xu Xiaoshou was capable of spouting.
Xu Xiaoshou tore his shirt apart and revealed his red flesh.
"Save me, Judge!" he howled hysterically.
"I took drugs. Please bar me from the competition!"
"I want medical personnel to examine my body. Immediately, right now!"