Xu Xiaoshou was stunned.
In the first round, he'd had to fight multiple opponents. During the preliminary round, he'd had to take down both Liu Zhen, a Level 10 cultivator, and Wen Chong, who ranked seventh on the Windcloud Board. Then, in the advancement round, he'd been pitted against Zhou Tianshen, who was but a step away from breaking through to the [Innate Stage], and Zhao Qingteng, who had reached the [Innate Stage]…
Even more, it'd turned out that Zhou Tianshen had an [Acquired Stage Blade Will], and Zhao Qingteng, an [Acquired Stage Sword Will]!
In the mid-finals, he'd had to face off with the "parasite" and "vampire" Mu Zixi…
In fighting his way through the Windcloud Competition, he'd had to overcome arduous obstacles and take down powerful foes. The hardships he'd endured had been immense, and the labors he'd suffered arduous.
Xu Xiaoshou was convinced that he was the most unfortunate man in this world.
"Look at Mo Mo," he thought. "She only needed one hand to fight all her matches."
"What a heart-breaking, despairing juxtaposition…"
Feeling a sudden coolness on his cheek, Xu Xiaoshou slowly woke up and saw a helpful attendant cleaning his face for him. He was moved by the gesture.
"Is it time for the finals?"
"Yes," the attendant briefly replied, flinging the rag back into his basin. His eyes followed Xu Xiaoshou as the latter strode into the distance.
"How laid-back must a person be to catch a nap right before the finals?" he thought.
[Impressed, Passive Points +1]
Suddenly, Xu Xiaoshou whirled around and gave the attendant a fright. The latter shoved his basin behind his back and hid the rag from Xu Xiaoshou's view.
"What's up?"
"What do you want?"
Xu Xiaoshou looked bemused. He summoned Hiding Pain and then, with his back toward the door, leaped into the air.
The black sword slowly glided through the air. Atop the blade stood a man who looked every bit the young and dashing gentleman.
The attendant stared in silence.
[Cursed, Passive Points +1]
"Why does the young man have to turn away from his sword before jumping onto it?" he thought. "Couldn't he have gotten onto it the normal way?
"Doesn't he know he might give someone the wrong idea by looking at them like that?"
Xu Xiaoshou was incredulous. Had he just been cursed for no reason at all?
He had a niggling feeling that there was something wrong with the two attendants in his waiting area. It was all right though. After this round, he probably wouldn't ever see them again.
He waved goodbye to the two losers who had only managed to grant him [2 Passive Points].
… …
[Ridiculed, Passive Points +449]
[Suspected, Passive Points +224]
[Impressed, Passive Points +3]
Xu Xiaoshou cheered up as soon as he stepped out of the waiting area. With the Windcloud Token in one hand, he vigorously turned his head from side to side, displaying his sincerest smile to all.
Where the crowds were, there lay his battleground.
Look at those Passive… …
Hmm?
How come only three people were impressed with him?
These mere mortals who couldn't even fly—what gave them the right to ridicule him?
At the thought, Xu Xiaoshou's black sword rose further into the heavens, as if complying with his desire to put a greater distance between himself and those mere mortals.
[Ridiculed, Passive Points +541]
[Ridiculed, Passive Points +623]
Hmm?
This was an unexpected boon.
Xu Xiaoshou's eyes shone with glee as he rose further into the heavens.
[Ridiculed, Passive Points +777]
That was incredible…
One more time!
[Ridiculed, Passive Points +864]
Not bad. Not bad at all!
Keep this up…
"Ouch!"
Suddenly, he felt something bump against the top of his head…
They were in the skies. Had he just gotten himself into an aviation accident?
Xu Xiaoshou looked up.
The look on Xiao Qixiu's face was as dark as a storm cloud. His right hand gripped the long sword behind his back as he said in a deadpan voice, as if he were speaking to a dead man, "Go on, keep flying. Don't worry, you can go much higher than that."
"I can't believe it! It's the esteemed and venerable judge himself!" he thought, nearly dying from fright.
Heavens!
Xu Xiaoshou smiled sheepishly as he plunged back into the barrier.
"Hahaha! That Xu Xiaoshou! I can't believe him!"
The spectators nearly fell over with laughter. No one else could drive Elder Xiao as mad as Xu Xiaoshou.
On the other side.
Mo Mo had not left the arena at all. Instead, she'd rested onstage, naturally witnessing Xu Xiaoshou's advancement through the tournament.
Her lips curled upward into a smile. "Xu Xiaoshou, I've been watching you since the first round of the tournament. You have a…" She deliberated for a long moment before finally deciding on the appropriate description. "A great sense of humor."
[Praised, Passive Point +1]
Xu Xiaoshou kept staring at her bronze furnace. To be more precise, he was staring at her right hand, which was cradling the bronze furnace.
"It's so pretty!"
The unexpected compliment brought a blush to Mo Mo's cheeks. This was the first time someone had called her pretty to her face.
She was deliberating if she should return the compliment when she heard Xu Xiaoshou hastily add, "I meant the bronze furnace."
Mo Mo didn't say a word.
Xu Xiaoshou scratched his head then. He had a feeling that he shouldn't have said that.
"You're pretty too, of course. Pretty in a different way."
Mo Mo remained silent.
[Cursed, Passive Points +1]
Xu Xiaoshou was incredulous.
"What's going on?" he thought. "I complimented her on her beauty. Why did she curse me?"
"Women!"
He stepped forward, seemingly drawn toward the bronze furnace. He looked as if he would really like to touch it, yet found such a thought inappropriate. Finally, he couldn't help himself and blurted out, "Can I take a look at that?"
Mo Mo looked as if she wanted to say something. In the end, she stuck her hand out and handed the bronze furnace over.
If someone else had asked, he would have had to keep dreaming, but this guy…
Forget it. He had kind of complimented her just now. She was going to take his words as a compliment.
A quick look wouldn't hurt.
Having gotten Mo Mo's permission, Xu Xiaoshou stepped forward and grabbed her right hand with his soft, warm fingers.
"You…"
Mo Mo yanked her hand away, as if she'd just been shocked by a jolt of electricity, leaving the bronze furnace cradled within Xu Xiaoshou's palm.
Xu Xiaoshou stared at her in shock. He lowered his eyes, his gaze falling on her right hand. That was when he seemed to realize what had just happened.
"I'm so sorry. That was rude of me. I was simply drawn to the bronze furnace. I didn't mean to suggest anything else…" he apologized profusely.
"…don't worry about it."
Mo Mo sighed in relief and shrugged slightly. The young man looked really earnest. It had probably been an accident.
The spectators were bewildered by the two contestants' interactions. Why were they being so polite?
They had complimented each other. Their hands had touched. Why didn't they just hold hands and announce their joint victory as well as the end of the tournament?
"What are they up to? Why isn't the fight starting?"
"What's the hurry? Xu Xiaoshou is allowed his rest. Besides, he's just taking a look at a bronze furnace. Don't watch if you're not willing to wait!"
"What's so attractive about that bronze furnace?"
"Hehe, a mystical artefact that never leaves the hands of our number one cultivator on the Windcloud Board? I'd like to have a look at it too!"
Xu Xiaoshou couldn't do anything about what those spectators thought or felt. He pretended to seriously study the bronze furnace as his heart raced wildly inside his chest.
He was right!
His senses had been right!
From the moment he stepped into the arena and his [Sense] enveloped the entire area, he had somehow detected an extraordinary and terrifying power within the barrier.
After a long search, he had finally locked onto the bronze furnace resting in Mo Mo's right hand.
But [Sense] couldn't discern clearly without physical contact. In order to touch her right hand, he had slowly but surely lured Mo Mo into his trap and finally gotten what he had set out to get.
As soon as they touched, he had distinctly felt the power dwelling within Mo Mo's right hand and how it was many times more powerful than the spiritual energy residing in the rest of her body…
It was at least ten times more powerful!
And it excluded any other powers that he couldn't identify.
What the hell…
What kind of monster was she?
Mo Mo had gotten into the finals by only fighting with her left hand!
Xu Xiaoshou began to panic. He had a feeling that the opponent before him belonged in an entirely different league incomparable to the likes of Zhao Qingteng and Mu Zixi.
He recalled the contents of Elder Qiao's letter.
The [Sealing Technique]…
"This is scaring me. Does she have an entire arm sealed within her eye or something?"