Chapter 12: Where Did That Sword Cultivator Go?

Clang!

The wooden blocks above him were sent flying. Xu Xiaoshou, naked and bewildered, rose from his collapsed room.

"Is this the first stance of White Cloud Sword Art: Drifting White Cloud?"

"This must have been seriously modified!" He had just unleashed a single sword strike, yet it had reduced the entire room to splinters. Was this really the White Cloud Sword Art he had practiced for three years but never dared to use? Xu Xiaoshou himself couldn't believe it!

The "Drifting White Cloud" stance still had the same sword draw, trajectory, and form as before, but its essence felt completely new. This "Sword Skill Proficiency" was truly terrifying. It had forcibly infused him with countless sword cultivation experiences, and because Xu Xiaoshou already had a foundation in sword practice, he was able to immediately integrate them.

He took out clothes from his ring, put them on, and walked out of the ruins, momentarily speechless. He had only intended to test a single sword strike, never imagining he would demolish the house. However, to witness the power of his sword strike firsthand... the house hadn't died in vain.

As he relaxed, a wave of weakness immediately washed over him. That single sword strike had completely drained his spiritual energy. Xu Xiaoshou took out a spirit crystal and took a shallow breath from it to recover. His body seemed to have developed resistance after being previously ravaged by the Spirit Refinement Pill. A brief taste was enough; there were no significant side effects.

With a slight tremor in his body, he realized his Qi Sea had expanded considerably. "I broke through?" Xu Xiaoshou confirmed it repeatedly, verifying that he had indeed broken through to the sixth stage. Moreover, his cultivation wasn't merely at the initial phase; he had reached the peak of the sixth stage, just a hair's breadth away from the seventh.

"I broke through without even realizing it?" He recalled the scene in the illusion; it must have been during his enlightenment that his cultivation realm was unintentionally pushed open! It just pushed a bit too much...

It had only taken him three days to break through to the fifth stage. After the intense battle in the group stage, he had just managed to solidify his realm and was hoping for a stable transition period. And now he had broken through again!

While others complained about slow breakthroughs, this guy was worried that cultivating so quickly might lead to an unstable foundation. However, his worries were clearly unfounded. A breakthrough achieved through enlightenment naturally aligned perfectly with the Great Dao; how could there be any talk of an unstable foundation? Breaking through only one realm at a time was actually considered quite rare. True geniuses could leap from the Houtian realm to the Xiantian realm in a single moment of enlightenment!

Two figures flew in from the horizon. Xu Xiaoshou looked on; this aerial movement was something only Xiantian masters could achieve. "Xiao Qixiu, Elder Qiao?" "What are they doing here?" "My sword strike couldn't have caused such a commotion!" Xu Xiaoshou wondered. His courtyard had a sound-insulating array, and that sword strike was silent; at most, there was a slight noise when the room collapsed. How could it have alarmed the two elders?

"Xu Xiaoshou?" Elder Qiao exclaimed in surprise the moment he landed.

"Is this your courtyard?" Xiao Qixiu's eyes flashed with doubt as he saw the young man. Wasn't this the masochist from the group stage, who possessed a Xiantian body but willingly acted as a punching bag?

"Greetings, Elders." Xu Xiaoshou gave a slight bow. Since there were outsiders present, he had to show respect to Elder Qiao. "Yes, it is my courtyard."

Xiao Qixiu carefully examined the surrounding sword intent, confirming it originated from this spot. In fact, it was evident even to the naked eye; with the room cut up like this, something clearly had happened. He pointed at the collapsed and shattered house. "What happened here?"

"Uh..." Xu Xiaoshou hesitated. He wanted to conceal it, but the situation clearly wouldn't allow it, so he admitted frankly, "I was just testing my sword earlier, and I accidentally cut it into this state."

"Suspicion received, Passive Points, +2."

Xu Xiaoshou: "..."

"I knew it! Even if I tell the truth, this is the result! You all just look down on Xu Xiaoshou, don't you? Just say it!"

Xiao Qixiu frowned. If he hadn't personally witnessed the young man's Xiantian body, he might have almost believed his nonsense. He knew how difficult it was to cultivate a Xiantian body, and he also knew how challenging it was to cultivate Houtian sword intent. How could both of these possibly reside in someone who was only at the sixth stage of Spirit Refinement? If he possessed such talent, he wouldn't have spent three full years in the outer courtyard; he would have long since entered the Xiantian realm and been admitted to the inner courtyard.

Elder Qiao was less subtle. He stepped forward and slapped Xu Xiaoshou on the head. "Oh, look at you, so impressive?"

"You don't even bother to plan your lies?"

"Last time, I didn't believe your Xiantian body, that was my mistake. But if you're going to claim this Houtian sword intent was also cultivated by you..." He pulled at the corner of his mouth: "Heh heh!"

Any other time, Xu Xiaoshou would have argued back, but this time he was surprised. Houtian sword intent? Was this what "Sword Skill Proficiency" had brought him? But why hadn't he noticed? Hmm... Passive skill... It would be strange if he could notice it!

Xu Xiaoshou truly hadn't considered that his sword strike contained Houtian sword intent. No wonder the house was destroyed and the two elders had come to investigate. One must know that sword cultivators were many times more difficult to cultivate than ordinary Spirit Refiners, as the existence of Houtian sword intent had stumped countless geniuses. However, this clearly did not include Xu Xiaoshou.

Facing Elder Qiao's suspicion, Xu Xiaoshou felt like laughing again. Last time at the Spirit Affairs Pavilion, regarding his Xiantian body, this guy acted the same way. But after the group stage, didn't he obediently come around and admit it was true? "What right does this old man have to doubt me?"

Xu Xiaoshou chuckled inwardly, but he clearly couldn't voice those thoughts. He pointed behind him and said seriously, "This is my house. Besides me, who else could have done this?"

"Alas!" Elder Qiao sighed, speaking earnestly, "I know you've become much more arrogant since coming out of seclusion. It's fine to be reckless in youth, but there's a limit to everything, isn't there?"

Xu Xiaoshou pouted. 'That's not arrogance, okay? I was forced. Actually, my nature is pure and good.'

Elder Qiao continued, "See? All the people you've offended have come seeking revenge. But at least they let you off lightly, only destroying the house and not harming your life, right?"

Xu Xiaoshou: ??? "What kind of imagination is that? Your imagination is so wild, are there nothing but potholes in your brain? Even vengeful enemies showing up at my door... I, Xu Xiaoshou, am diligent and hardworking. Where would I have any mortal enemies?"

Seeing his astonished expression, Elder Qiao immediately adopted a knowing look, his words conveying an air of "just as I expected." "Tell me, who was that sword cultivator..."

"Uh, if you're embarrassed, that's fine. After all, a house was destroyed."

"How about this: you don't need to say his name, just point in the direction he went, and Elder Xiao and I will go find him ourselves!"

Xu Xiaoshou was stunned by Elder Qiao's imaginative capabilities and simply didn't want to speak. He looked at Xiao Qixiu, who was a sword cultivator and should be more reliable, offering him a questioning gaze. Xiao Qixiu nodded slightly, appearing to agree. "The shame of this ruined house will be avenged another day."

"Tell us, where did that sword cultivator go?"

Xu Xiaoshou was shocked. These two, they would rather believe a fictitious person they conjured out of thin air than believe that he, Xu Xiaoshou, had comprehended Houtian sword intent? He held up "Hidden Bitter" and pointed behind him again, indicating that he himself had cut down the house with his sword. The two elders' eyes were filled with encouragement: "Tell us!"

Xu Xiaoshou gave up. He casually pointed in a random direction.

"Keep it up!" Elder Qiao showed an expression that suggested he was pleased with a teachable student.

"Work hard!" Xiao Qixiu was very gratified.

"Encouragement received, Passive Points, +2."

Xu Xiaoshou plopped down on the ground, looked up at the sky, like a deflated balloon. "Why? Why does no one believe me? I'm clearly telling the truth!"

The white clouds drifted leisurely, looking on in silence. Only a few fallen leaves from the spirit tree in the courtyard, severed by the sword qi, bore the sorrow of the moment.

Xu Xiaoshou moved to the guest room. As for the ruins, he would issue a task at the Spirit Affairs Pavilion tomorrow and let others deal with it; it would only cost a few spirit crystals. After the group stage, there was a day of rest, and he needed to recover his condition quickly.

Returning to the red interface in his mind, he saw he still had over seven thousand Passive Points left. Xu Xiaoshou thought for a moment, then purchased all skill points and invested them into "Sharpness." "Sword Skill Proficiency" had given him too much knowledge; he needed to properly digest it and not rush things. If his guess was correct, a proficiency passive skill like this should provide an epiphany-like influx of knowledge with every level up. Before fully mastering this "Drifting White Cloud" stance, he didn't plan on upgrading "Sword Skill Proficiency."

As for upgrading "Breathing Technique"? "Don't joke around! Xu Xiaoshou still intended to live for a few more days!" As long as his cultivation didn't break through to Xiantian, "Breathing Technique" would forever remain at Houtian Lv.1. No questions asked!

Information Bar:

"..."

"Sharpness (Houtian Lv.8)."

Xu Xiaoshou raised his right hand. His fingernails hadn't changed, but his fingers had become much more slender, unexpectedly beautiful. He poked the ground again.

Whoosh!

No pain! Like a sword piercing tofu, Xu Xiaoshou's entire wrist sank directly into the stone slab. At this moment, his long, slender, joined fingers were like a blade.

"Whew!"

Indeed, just as he thought, with the level increase, the effect was completely different. This was equivalent to permanently carrying two hidden weapons on him! No, they were open weapons! Open weapons that enemies would fundamentally never guard against!

Xu Xiaoshou silently stood up, looking at the small hole in the ground, lost in thought. If, in a future confrontation, he were to suddenly turn his fist into a stab...

Tsk tsk!