Chapter 1167: You Several, If You Have Any Business, Speak While Kneeling

"Fire Elemental Dao Disk (18%).""Fire Elemental Dao Disk (19%)."The moment Xu Xiaoshou awoke and saw the icy barrier surrounding him, he also noticed the changes on his Grand Dao Disk.

"There's a new progress bar, and it increased by 1%."

Looking at the Fire Elemental Dao Disk again, he could feel the inscriptions on it seemed a little brighter than before, yet not by much.

Combining this with the recent journey where he felt like he was immersed in the Dao of Fire, Xu Xiaoshou vaguely understood something.

"The ability of the Dao Seed is to trigger epiphanies, existing to perfect the progress of Dao comprehension on the Grand Dao Disk."

"The Grand Dao Disk is roughly similar to the profound array mysteries of Spirit Refiners."

"Perhaps figures like Yu Lingdi and Ye Xiaotian can only summon their profound array diagrams after cultivating to 100% completion."

"However, the Grand Dao Disk can be summoned in advance for 'use' during the Heaven-Man Unity state."

"And by using Dao Seeds during the Throne Dao Realm, I can continue to perfect it, reach 100% completion, and then summon the true profound array diagram?"

Xu Xiaoshou was a little surprised and somewhat delighted.

What did this mean?

It meant that cultivating various profound array diagrams in the Throne Dao Realm, previously a remote probabilistic event, had now transformed into a quantifiable problem of time and passive points.

"Fire Elemental Dao Disk (19%)."

Glancing again at the progress bar behind the Fire Elemental Dao Disk, Xu Xiaoshou felt his understanding of the Dao of Fire had deepened slightly.

But not significantly.

It hadn't reached a qualitative change at all.

This was likely due to the short duration of the epiphany and the slow progress of the bar.

If he were to reach "30%" or "50%", he was certain there would be noticeable changes!

"Puff, puff."

He spread his palm, and a white flame flickered.

Xu Xiaoshou thought for a moment and then withdrew it.

He looked at his ten Grand Dao Disks and suddenly felt the path ahead had brightened considerably.

The statement that the Throne Dao Realm is merely a period of accumulation and settling was indeed correct.

At the very least, Xu Xiaoshou now sensed a future where he possessed multiple profound powers!

"Brother Chen, weren't you having an epiphany?" Master Han asked, mouth agape, somewhat flustered as he withdrew his barrier. "Did I disturb you?"

"No."

Xu Xiaoshou smiled and shook his head.

He was in a very good mood, an excellent one!

"This has nothing to do with you. An epiphany is just that, an epiphany; it's normal for the comprehension time to be short. But as long as I can have an epiphany whenever I want, this problem is solved, and nothing else is an issue." Xu Xiaoshou laughed heartily.

Master Han looked at Brother Chen in front of him, hesitating.

What did it mean to be delusional?

He seemed to be witnessing a living example.

But Brother Chen's identity was special, and Master Han was too embarrassed to expose his delusions. Seeing that he hadn't ruined the epiphany, he retreated, feeling both relieved and fearful.

"Passive Points: 1,022,270."

This was the remaining inventory.

Xu Xiaoshou thought for a moment and suddenly decided against stubbornly investing in the Dao Cultivation Field.

With a million passive points, he could only exchange them for ten Dao Seeds, which at most would push the Fire Elemental Dao Disk's progress bar from "19%" to "29%."

Undoubtedly, if it were a Fire Elemental profound ability, its benefit to him would definitely be greater than several Saint Emperor Lv0 passive skills.

However, a mere "29%" Fire Elemental Dao Disk, Xu Xiaoshou felt, offered even less assistance than a single Saint Emperor Lv0 passive skill.

Moreover, this didn't account for the increasing difficulty of Dao comprehension as he progressed. It was highly likely that after using a Dao Seed, one epiphany's comprehension might not even be enough to increase the Grand Dao Disk's progress by "1%."

"The Dao Cultivation Field is a method with an extremely high ceiling, but also an extremely high cost."

"One Dao Seed costs 100,000 passive points, yet only increases Dao comprehension progress by '1%.'"

"Conservatively, to manifest a profound ability, it would cost tens of millions of passive points!"

"I can't afford to play this game right now."

Xu Xiaoshou then considered other passive skills.

A million passive points wouldn't even make a ripple in the Dao Cultivation Field.

But used for upgrading, it would be two Saint Emperor Lv0 passive skills.

The increase in his actual combat power from this would be undoubtedly massive!

"The best choice is to upgrade all upgradeable passive skills to Saint Emperor Lv0."

"Only after earning more passive points should I invest in the Dao Cultivation Field. This is the fastest way to increase combat power; there's no other path."

Xu Xiaoshou understood the correct skill point allocation order.

He unhesitatingly gave up on the tempting Dao Cultivation Field, not daring to consider this massive resource sink again, and instead chose to blindly level up his skills.

"Spirit Swallows Rivers and Mountains!"

This was a passive skill he had previously agonized over, but now there was no need to hesitate; he'd just upgrade it directly.

"Spirit Swallows Rivers and Mountains (Throne Lv.2).""Spirit Swallows Rivers and Mountains (Throne Lv.3).""Spirit Swallows Rivers and Mountains (Throne Lv.4).""Spirit Swallows Rivers and Mountains (Throne Lv.10)."

After some thought, merely relying on aura, or rather, mental will, reaching the Demigod level didn't seem enough to pose a significant threat.

Xu Xiaoshou added another upgrade.

"Spirit Swallows Rivers and Mountains (Saint Emperor Lv0)."

Another rumble echoed above him, and the thunder tribulation gathered then dispersed.

Mu Zixi and Master Han were still startled, but after a quick glance, they turned away with lingering fear.

Habit was a terrible thing.

Master Han realized his mindset had changed regarding Brother Chen, who, despite being in the Throne Dao Realm, always managed to attract peculiar saint tribulations.

He had resigned himself, finding it entirely natural!

Xu Xiaoshou watched the thunder tribulation dissipate above him, thinking, 'Indeed, aura is different from the Way of the Sword. So far, no one should have specialized in cultivating this path to become a Demigod, right?'

Therefore, "Spirit Swallows Rivers and Mountains" at Saint Emperor Lv0 couldn't be considered a Demigod-level skill at all.

At best, it was a Demigod-level spiritual skill related to aura.

"Excellent. Now, who will be graced with the next upgrade opportunity?"

"Passive Points: 522,270."

From his remaining passive skills, Xu Xiaoshou picked "Endless Life," "Transformation," and "Agility."

One was for survival, another for survival, and the third was to enhance combat reflexes, which, in essence, was also for survival.

In Xu Xiaoshou's view, the most important aspect of "Agility" was no longer just the increase in physical speed.

It allowed one to find countless ways to respond in rapidly changing battles—reaction speed!

If he upgraded it to Saint Emperor Lv0, even the attacks of a Grandmaster might appear as slow as a crawling turtle in his eyes.

After much deliberation, Xu Xiaoshou gave up on the extremely pure abilities of "Endless Life" and "Transformation."

He still felt "Agility" was superior!

The only drawback was that this skill seemed to be tied to physical functions. If he recklessly upgraded it, would it trigger a mutation?

"Agility (Throne Lv2).""Agility (Throne Lv3).""Agility (Throne Lv4).""Agility (Throne Lv10)."

Stuck on the final upgrade, Xu Xiaoshou hesitated for a long time.

He was still afraid of death, because if he went through with this upgrade, and it truly attracted a Demigod tribulation for body cultivators, even Ba Zun'an might not be able to cover for him.

Not upgrading it felt unsatisfactory!

"Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Screw it!"

Xu Xiaoshou finally decided to go for it, exchanging for the last Tier 4 skill point and investing it in "Agility."

He actually still retained his rationality.

Because on the Grand Dao Disk module, even with "Sturdiness" at Saint Emperor Lv0, the brilliance of its patterns was clearly not as bright as "Sword Mastery" at Throne Lv10.

In other words, although Xu Xiaoshou couldn't see the progress bars of other Grand Dao Disks besides the Fire Elemental one for now.

But the "Body Dao Disk," representing physical techniques, was likely at a lower progress level than "Sword Mastery" in terms of brightness.

So, another reckless upgrade to a passive skill related to the "Body Dao Disk" probably wouldn't attract a saint tribulation, right?

"Agility (Saint Emperor Lv0)."

As soon as the skill point was invested, the sensation immediately arrived.

The increase at the Throne level was already very noticeable.

Yet, when "Agility" reached the Saint Emperor level, Xu Xiaoshou still felt something mystical happening.

He felt his senses were enhanced by at least ten thousand times compared to before.

Every rustle of wind or blade of grass could enter his vision and subsequently have its trajectory calculated.

Even the shifting dark clouds in the nine heavens felt incredibly clear to Xu Xiaoshou.

They were coalescing, changing... The disturbance was greater than all previous times combined!

"Boom!"

Finally, thunder exploded with a mighty roar.

This time, the thunder tribulation seemed genuinely poised to form.

It gathered into a massive mass, hanging high in the distant sky, clearly locked onto Xu Xiaoshou's location!

Xu Xiaoshou's pores burst open, and goosebumps instantly prickled his skin.

"No...""I was wrong...""Please don't descend, thunder tribulation..."

He widened his eyes, desperately trying to eliminate his presence under the thunder tribulation, activating "Stealth" to its maximum.

At one point, Xu Xiaoshou even wanted to disappear on the spot.

But he acutely sensed that if he truly vanished beneath the tribulation, such an action might be perceived as provocation.

The previously hesitant thunder tribulation might then forcefully descend.

"Step back!"

Beside him, Master Han sensed the thunder tribulation suddenly gathering above Brother Chen's head and initially paid it no mind.

But after a short while, he noticed the tribulation was still gathering, so he quickly led Mu Zixi out of its locked range.

"There's no mistake, this is the fluctuation of a saint tribulation, not the Nine Deaths Thunder Tribulation at all...""Brother Chen, what are you doing?""He just entered the Throne Dao Realm!"

Master Han was losing his mind. He couldn't comprehend what was happening to Brother Chen; it defied all common sense.

He had never encountered such an outrageous situation.

Was someone in the Throne Dao Realm truly about to undergo a saint tribulation?

"Brother Xiaose!""Look, a saint tribulation."

Among the six members of the Giant Kingdom's group, a plain-looking, humble, and simply dressed man was the first to look up at the not-yet-formed thunder tribulation not far away.

The man called "Brother Xiaose" was the middle-aged man at the front of the group, clad in a grey robe, with a sword on his back. His brows held a heroic spirit, and his entire demeanor was like a drawn, sharp sword, irresistibly keen.

"It's just a thunder tribulation, not a saint tribulation." Feng Xiaose glanced and then withdrew his gaze.

"No!" The plain man, also with a simple name like "Li Fugui," shook his head and chuckled upon hearing this.

"Brother Xiaose, I'm not as skilled as you in swordsmanship, but when it comes to discernment, I do have some keen observation."

"Although that thunder tribulation is weak, it is definitely a saint tribulation. Assuming no unexpected turns, something unforeseen must have happened."

"I think it's a treasure, perhaps an opportunity to become a Saint."

Li Fugui looked back at the few people still squabbling behind him and advised:

"Let's stop arguing, everyone. Let's go take a look together. With six Grandmasters and Brother Xiaose leading us, even if we encounter a Demigod, half of us could survive by scattering and running."

Behind him were four people:A pair of twins, assassins from the Sword God Heaven in the Eastern Region. Although their identities were hidden, who was Li Fugui? He recognized them at a glance as gold-level bounty hunters, Xiaoping and Xiao'an.

There was also a shifty-eyed man, who, like Li Fugui and Feng Xiaose, hailed from the Southern Region. He practiced the Golden Gate stealing technique, his combat strength was unknown, and his methods were bizarre. His name was Zhu Yike.

Finally, there was the ordinary Grandmaster elder, Chen Ran, from the Sword God Heaven in the Eastern Region. He was purely fortunate to be close to the Cloudridge Mountains, benefiting from the first wave of Sky City's descent. His combat power was, as expected, that of an ordinary Grandmaster—essentially cannon fodder.

Of course, Li Fugui could also tell that Chen Ran himself didn't think so; he believed he was still hiding something.

"Agreed.""We can go take a look.""Good plan, though... can you even call it a plan?"

Li Fugui's words received a positive response.

The few people behind him all raised their hands in agreement. They had come to Sky City precisely for opportunities.

Their current joint exploration of opportunities in the direction of the Hall of Sin was also because most saint tribulations appeared in that direction.

Danger, accompanied by opportunity!

"Brother Xiaose, what do you think?" Li Fugui turned to the middle-aged man at the very front and respectfully inquired. This was the true powerhouse!

As for the group of nobodies behind him, Li Fugui felt that if something truly happened, only he and the somewhat enigmatic Zhu Yike might barely survive.

But the man before him, Feng Xiaose—even without him saying anything, Li Fugui could tell.

The inheritor of the Feng family in the Southern Region, a genuine ancient sword cultivator, who halfway changed his path, broke from the Feng family, and sensationally announced his joining of the Xuanyue Grey Palace, becoming one of its elders.

This was a renowned figure in the Southern Region's Land of Sin. Which intelligence operative wouldn't recognize him?

Feng Xiaose himself had an ostentatious personality, and he made no effort to conceal it on this journey, practically having his name "Feng Xiaose" written across his face.

"Alright."

After observing intently for a while, Feng Xiaose also recognized it. Although the distant thunder tribulation was faint, it indeed bore the fluctuations of a saint tribulation.

He was somewhat surprised.

Li Fugui had determined at a glance something that even he couldn't quite discern, despite Li Fugui appearing utterly ordinary.

"Whose man are you?" Feng Xiaose tilted his head and asked.

"Just a broken intelligence operative." Li Fugui chuckled, scratching his head. "Aren't there many people like me where we're from?"

Feng Xiaose considered that there were indeed many intelligence operatives in the Southern Region, but only a few top-tier organizations.

He changed his question: "Which organization are you from?"

"If Brother Xiaose truly wishes to know, I won't deceive you," Li Fugui said, straightening his expression. "I'm from the Pavilion of Flora."

"Hahahaha!" Feng Xiaose burst into laughter upon hearing this. "The Pavilion of Flora from Half-Moon Residence? They don't accept men, do they? Are you trying to slander them?"

"Heh heh..." Li Fugui offered no further explanation.

Feng Xiaose stopped laughing, glanced at the few people behind him, and lowered his voice. "When Sky City concludes, if you're still alive, you can come to Xuanyue Grey Palace and work for me."

He made no promises.

The reputation of Xuanyue Grey Palace in the Southern Region's Land of Sin was well-known, as it was the only faction on the continent audacious enough to associate with demonic beasts.

Working there, one's future couldn't be guaranteed, but while alive, wealth and glory were assured.

Wasn't that enough?

"Absolutely," Li Fugui immediately nodded, his face radiating honor.

"Let's go, take a look!" Feng Xiaose gestured, signaling for those behind him to follow.

A Path to Sainthood foundation, having circulated for so long, it was about time it came his way.

"Retreat! Retreat! Retreat!"

Xu Xiaoshou stared wide-eyed, glaring at the thunder tribulation above him, continuously shouting.

With a few rumbles, loud thunder but little rain, the saint tribulation was finally scared away by his gaze.

"Damn, that scared me to death."

Upgrading "Agility" to "Saint Emperor Lv0" ultimately failed to attract a fully formed saint tribulation.

But Xu Xiaoshou felt it was close, just by a tiny bit. If he had upgraded "Rebound" or "Tenacity" or something similar...The saint tribulation would have descended instantly!

Of course, there was an even faster method.

Through this experiment, Xu Xiaoshou became even more convinced: if he upgraded "Sword Mastery" by just one more level.

The saint tribulation would follow immediately, without the slightest hesitation.

"Too difficult."

"I could easily obtain the title of Sword Saint if I wanted to, and that's a Sword Saint!"

"But this kind of thrill, living on the edge, constantly dancing with danger—it's truly exhilarating."

The thunder tribulation came and went swiftly, ultimately causing no trouble.

"Passive Points: 22,270."

Xu Xiaoshou had no more in stock.

The remaining twenty thousand passive points were utterly useless, only enough to exchange for Tier 1 or Tier 2 skill points.

But this also marked the official end of Xu Xiaoshou's skill point allocation period since breaking through to the Throne Dao Realm.

He did a rough count.

Including "Sword Mastery," which was just one level short, he now had five Saint Emperor Lv0 passive skills.

Five great Saint-level passive skills!

The biggest change they brought was Xu Xiaoshou's mindset, which instantly became warped.

Before the Throne, he was timid and submissive;After the Throne, he felt Ba Zun'an was absolutely right! Youth should be wild, passionate, and explosive!

Grandmasters, Demigods—Unless they were at the level of the Five Decays of Heaven and Man, if they didn't kowtow to him first upon meeting, it wasn't even considered respectful!

"Come here." Xu Xiaoshou held his head high like an arrogant rooster, stretching his neck and beckoning to Mu Zixi.

The little girl, holding the small white ferret, walked over hesitantly.

Seeing Xu Xiaoshou's appearance, Mu Zixi immediately sensed that he was currently having an 'episode' and didn't really want to engage.

"Cursed, Passive Points +1."

Regardless, she'd curse him first.

"Do you know your mistake?" Xu Xiaoshou squinted, his tone boastful.

"Yes, I do." Mu Zixi knew nothing, but she felt she should answer yes right now.

"Good that you know," Xu Xiaoshou nodded, puffing out his chest and looking at her with his nostrils flared. "Who am I?"

Mu Zixi was silent for a moment. "You are Xu Xiaoshou?"

"Wrong!" Xu Xiaoshou loudly criticized, tapping the little girl's head as he corrected her:

"I am Saint Slave Xu Xiaoshou, possessing Saint power, a Saint body, Saint-level aura, and combat power approaching that of a Saint-level ancient sword cultivator."

"From now on, you'll call me that, not 'Senior Brother' or anything else."

Indeed, Mu Zixi nodded, even more certain now that Xu Xiaoshou was having another 'episode'; she hadn't been mistaken.

"Cursed, Passive Points +1, +1, +1, +1..."

"You're really sick." The little girl couldn't help but mumble.

"What did you say?" Xu Xiaoshou sounded as if he'd been provoked, his voice rising in decibels.

"You're amazing."

"That's more like it!"

Master Han watched silently from the side, his round eyes darting back and forth, unable to utter a single word.

You two really play well!

Xu Xiaoshou, with his hands behind his back, nodded sagely, not knowing what exactly he was being so pretentious about.

After a rapid-fire reprimand, he finally remembered their task, crouching down and quietly instructing, "From now on, when we act, watch my hand gestures."

"What do you mean?" Mu Zixi lowered her voice as well, feeling that secrets were once again being forged between her and Xu Xiaoshou. She hastily ended her sensory blockade.

"Like this." Xu Xiaoshou raised two fingers. "If you see two fingers during our operations, we'll conceal our identities and act discreetly."

"Oh, okay." The little girl nodded.

Xu Xiaoshou then raised three fingers. "If you see 'three', we'll be more high-profile. Make people kowtow three times when we meet them. If they don't, we fight, understand?"

Mu Zixi nodded, then suddenly froze, lifting her small face to ask blankly, "Xu Xiaoshou, are you serious?"

"Of course, I'm serious!"

Xu Xiaoshou pressed her head down, making her nod. "Do you understand 'causing trouble'? These people on Void Island are all old foxes. If you're not a little stupid, you won't be able to stir things up."

"I understand." Mu Zixi blinked her large eyes, remembering that "three" meant being high-profile and demanding three kowtows.

"What about 'one'?" She suddenly thought of something, raising a single finger and pondering its possible meaning.

"Run!" Xu Xiaoshou's expression turned serious. "If you see 'one', don't even think about it, just run, as fast as you can!"

"Huh?" Mu Zixi imagined herself running first, leaving Xu Xiaoshou behind to cover their retreat, feeling a bit ashamed. "Isn't that bad? What about you? What if you die? I'll be sad."

Xu Xiaoshou took a deep breath and said, "Don't worry, if it truly comes to that, I'll definitely run faster than you."

Mu Zixi: ???

"Cursed, Passive Points +1, +1, +1, +1..."

Tap-tap.Tap-tap.

Scattered footsteps suddenly echoed from afar.

Mu Zixi looked up to see a group of six, all middle-aged or elderly. They all looked like Grandmasters, quite formidable.

Subconsciously, the little girl hugged the small white ferret, whose consciousness was still wandering, feeling a slight sense of security.

This ferret was incredibly powerful!A Demigod!

Just then, Mu Zixi glanced sideways, catching sight of Xu Xiaoshou's three secretly extended fingers. He stood with his head held high, arms crossed, looking completely disdainful.

Mu Zixi paused, recalling that "three" meant being high-profile and demanding three kowtows.

She smiled.

Six nobodies, if Xu Xiaoshou wasn't afraid, why should she be?

"Stop right there!"

The little girl's sharp cry stopped Li Fugui, who was about to step forward to greet them.

In Li Fugui's eyes, Sky City was no place for idlers. These two young people, one in the Throne Dao Realm, and the other with unknown cultivation—

But to have survived in Sky City until now, they clearly possessed some means.

Either they possessed unparalleled wisdom, had extraordinary backing, or were actually Grandmasters or Demigods disguised as someone in the Throne Dao Realm.

"Two friends..."

"Silence! Did I give you permission to speak?" Mu Zixi, holding the small white ferret, snapped again, directly cutting off the other person's words.

At that moment, even Master Han felt the atmosphere become tense and somewhat chilling.

He slightly cleared his mind.

Was this Brother Chen's test?Was it time for him to act?

If he didn't know Brother Chen, he would truly believe he was following a spoiled brat who only thought of delusional acts and even dared to voice them.

The crucial thing was that he dared to speak.One dared to speak, and the other little girl beside him dared to act!This combination was truly something else!

Mu Zixi glanced at Xu Xiaoshou, realizing he wasn't stopping her. In fact, his brow was slightly furrowed, clearly indicating that her performance wasn't up to par.

She thought for a moment, then pointed at Xu Xiaoshou: "Do you know who this is?"

"Who is he?"

Feng Xiaose and his group's faces darkened as they turned to look at the young man.

They didn't see the young man's face, only two large nostrils.

Below the nostrils, the fellow held an ice-cold cigarette in his mouth, his demeanor radiating arrogance and a hint of madness.

Li Fugui no longer understood how these two had survived until now in a perilous place like Sky City.

He felt that after living most of his life, he was gaining new insights today, and he surprisingly looked forward to discovering this young man's identity.

What kind of idiot could survive so long in Sky City and happen to cross paths with him?

"Cough!"

Mu Zixi cleared her throat.

At this point, even she felt a bit embarrassed and that her intelligence was decreasing.

But Xu Xiaoshou still hadn't stopped her!

What was he thinking?—Mu Zixi knew it was impossible to guess what Xu Xiaoshou was thinking; she only needed to do her part.

So, pointing at Xu Xiaoshou, Mu Zixi, with a respectful tone, loudly echoed his earlier words:

"This, ladies and gentlemen, is Saint Slave Xu Xiaoshou, the esteemed adult who possesses Saint power, a Saint body, Saint-level aura, and combat power approaching that of a Saint-level ancient sword cultivator!"

After Mu Zixi finished speaking, her face flushed crimson, and her toes curled, digging into the ground.

But she closed her eyes and steeled herself, feeling that now was the time to compensate for the excessive words she had spoken during the period of Tears of Xier.

So, cooperating with Xu Xiaoshou's 'episode,' she continued to act arrogantly:

"You few, if you have anything to say, say it on your knees!"