Chapter 2017: Transformation

Heaven-Man Unity (No Charge Value).

Passive Fist (Charge Value: 1000).

Illusion-Shattering Finger (Charge Value: 1000).

Second-Tier Evolution Water: 10,000,000 Passive Points.

This was all the information available in the passive system concerning the evolution tree, evolution water, and special passive skills – simple and straightforward.

It had been a long time since he allocated points, and the process felt a bit unfamiliar, so Xu Xiaoshou deliberately reviewed it for himself. In essence, it involved spending money to buy evolution water, nurturing the evolution tree, which would then bear fruit. These fruits could then be used to bind the special passive skill he wished to evolve, a rather simple process.

The problem was that all three special passive skills had already undergone second-tier evolution, rendering the Second-Tier Evolution Water useless. However, Third-Tier Evolution Water had yet to appear in the shop.

Xu Xiaoshou had previously speculated that the passive system might only upgrade again when his Spirit Refining realm broke through to the Half-Saint level. He still held that belief. Yet, he couldn't help but ponder a deeper question: Why was it tied to the Spirit Refining realm, and not to his comprehension of ancient sword cultivation, his understanding of the Way of Intent, or simply his combat power? After all, his current combat strength, while perhaps not definitively at the Zero-Ancestral God level since he hadn't yet fought a real battle, was certainly formidable. But having witnessed Eight-Venerate An achieve enlightenment and absorbed all his insights, ordinary Ancestral Gods should no longer be able to defeat him.

"Wouldn't it be better if it supplied what I needed based on my combat power?"

"Or perhaps the passive system is indeed just an inanimate object, tied to the current era's context."

"If the mainstream is Spirit Refiners, and it's the Spirit Refining era, then it simply evaluates based on the Spirit Refiner's realm, and only then decides whether to upgrade the passive system?"

"Tsk, in that case, Ancestor Nuo, Ancestor Ming, and the others were still a bit weak, unable to adapt to circumstances..."

Rigid methods had their drawbacks, as they imposed too many limitations. However, this didn't mean there were no benefits at all. At the very least, it wouldn't arbitrarily change its standards, making it impossible to guess what they were and thus preventing any action. Therefore, as long as he met the basic requirement of being a "Half-Saint" or "Saint Emperor" in the Spirit Refining realm, the passive system should activate its sensors and upgrade itself.

"Previously, I didn't dare become a Saint; the path ahead was unknown, my fate after consecration uncertain, and I might even be controlled by the Demonic Ancestor. Do I still not dare now?"

Xu Xiaoshou smiled freely, feeling the relief of a light boat having passed beyond a myriad of mountains. Firstly, this was the Space-Time Realm, where the Demonic Ancestor was highly unlikely to sense anyone becoming a Saint. Secondly, the authority over the lightning tribulation was already in Kui Leihan's hands, eradicating even the variable of "what if." Thirdly, Xu Xiaoshou was confident he could completely conceal the mere Saint Tribulation, along with its aura, so he wasn't afraid of being discovered secretly becoming a Saint. Lastly, as for the Half-Saint rank, which might still be constrained, Xu Xiaoshou never intended to use it from the very beginning. So what would he use?

"The Five Declines of Heaven and Man could use the Blood World Bead to confer a 'false Saint' status, granting the reality of a Half-Saint while its aura could evade the Daoist laws of the Crossroads."

"I could very well use 'Grotesque Arts' to conjure a 'Blood Realm Bead,' allowing me to temporarily become a Half-Saint."

"If the passive system required a Half-Saint aura for its upgrade, I could also use Grotesque Arts to create a convincing, real Half-Saint aura."

"After all, as long as Grotesque Arts could manifest something, for the duration of the spell's existence, it was essentially not fake, but real!"

All was ready; only the consecration remained.

Xu Xiaoshou didn't procrastinate, but after thinking it over, he didn't conjure a "Blood Realm Bead." Instead, he pulled out Hidden Misery.

The renowned sword, Hidden Misery!

At this moment, nourished by a vast amount of Fame power, Hidden Misery's rank was no lower than that of the Blood World Bead, and certainly no less than the Half-Saint rank. Rather than creating something fake, it was better to try something unconventional.

"I will consecrate myself as a Saint through the Spirit Refining Dao, allowing my spiritual essence to fully transform into Saint Force, yet without letting the Half-Saint rank become a mere appendage of a Spirit Refiner. Instead, Hidden Misery and I will serve as mutual foundations, verifying the path of Eight-Venerate An."

"Taking the strengths of both sides and integrating the essence of two paths – wasn't this the true meaning of entering the game with a hidden trump card?"

As soon as he thought of it, he acted. In this chaotic and disordered Space-Time Realm, Xu Xiaoshou held his breath, focused his mind, and quickly adjusted himself, bringing his state of mind to an undisturbed tranquility. Then, he tossed Hidden Misery high, drawing it in as his rank, incorporating it into his body through the Sword Nurturing Art. With another thought, he triggered the lightning tribulation.

"Boom!"

The Daoist laws of the Space-Time Realm vibrated; clearly, this world hadn't expected anyone to dare draw the lightning tribulation in such a manner, in this very place. No tribulation clouds gathered. Instead, wisps of gray destructive tribulation energy wafted out from the shattered space and Daoist laws, gathering a thousand zhang above Xu Xiaoshou's head. An ominous feeling enveloped his entire body.

"Doesn't feel quite right..."

Water Ghost's ultimate Saint Tribulation was already the pinnacle for Spirit Refiners. Yet Xu Xiaoshou felt his own Saint Tribulation was even more formidable, by no small margin. He mused that this was partly due to his ridiculously solid Dao foundation, and also due to the chaotic and disordered Daoist laws of the Space-Time Realm.

"When soldiers come, repel them with generals; when water comes, block it with earth!"

As the Saint Tribulation gathered, Xu Xiaoshou showed no fear. Unexpectedly, before the tribulation lightning struck, a weak voice drifted over.

"Friend, you doing this is making me very anxious..."

Anxiety Bro?!

Xu Xiaoshou was startled awake. He saw Kong Yuhen, who was completely integrated into the Space-Time Realm's Daoist laws, now slightly coalesced into a human form, yet with a pale face, looking as if he had been drained.

"Master Shou, it's already difficult enough for me to maintain the Space-Time Realm alone. Are you trying to add insult to injury?"

Kong Yuhen hadn't lost himself yet? Looked at this way, he was quite strong! This fellow's worries weren't entirely unfounded; after all, he couldn't compare to Ancestor Time, being merely one of Ancestor Time's myriad incarnations. His state and accumulation were arguably worse and weaker than even Ancestor Guiyin's. But could he stop his progress because of this?

Xu Xiaoshou flicked his finger, shooting out a spatial bead that entered Kong Yuhen's body, and chuckled: "Pardon me for borrowing your valuable space."

Immense, boundless power flowed into his body. At that instant, Kong Yuhen felt a boost that completely surpassed the combined aid of the Three Ancestors back then. After all, the Three Ancestors had merely pretended to help then, making a slight move under Eight-Venerate An's oppressive might. The boundless energy contained within Xu Xiaoshou's spatial bead was equivalent to one ten-thousandth of a Life Medicine Pond!

"Master Shou, feel free."

Anxiety Bro's brows relaxed, and he retreated contentedly, as if he had eaten his fill. What a money-loving hermit! Xu Xiaoshou smiled and withdrew his gaze, no longer focusing on his good friend Kong Yuhen. Covertly, he had already left a Way of Intent mark on Anxiety Bro, to prevent him from suddenly going crazy and colluding with the Demonic Medicine Ancestor, Guiyin Ancestor, and others, without Xu Xiaoshou's knowledge. Never harbor malicious intent, but always be wary of others. Perhaps Kong Yuhen didn't wish to conspire with others, but someone might forcefully guide him to become an accomplice?

"Rumble, rumble, rumble!"

The tribulation lightning rolled and descended with a crash. The first bolt struck, making Xu Xiaoshou's eyelids twitch. "A bit intense..."

The second descended, making Xu Xiaoshou's lips part slightly. "Mm..."

The third crashed down, making Xu Xiaoshou ecstatic. "Awesome!"

The rumbling continued incessantly. The Saint Tribulation gathered in the Space-Time Realm was diverse. Under the influence of chaotic and disordered Daoist laws, it actually coalesced into over a dozen layers of Saint Tribulation, as if sensing more than ten Half-Saints simultaneously undergoing tribulation. If a Grand-Void Realm cultivator were to undergo this Saint Tribulation, they would likely die miserably with the first strike. Xu Xiaoshou, however, endured it head-on for over half an hour, showing no signs of weariness. The tribulation lightning rapidly evolved from its early stage to its mid and late stages. Finally, seeing things were not going well, it shed a passionate ray of purifying holy light and hid itself, as if covering its face in shame.

"Half-Saint!"

Xu Xiaoshou clenched his fist, feeling a slight physical improvement, and sensing his spiritual essence and masterless Saint Force within him rapidly transforming into Boundless Energy.

My Saint Force, is it Boundless Energy?

A slight surprise, yet reasonable. After all, even his innate elemental attributes had been consumed by the passive system; he himself was originally non-attributed, or rather, omni-attributed. Combining various Grand Daos, the "Saint Force" he cultivated naturally wouldn't be pure Spirit Refining Dao Saint Force. Although the passive system used the Spirit Refining Dao as its standard for determining whether to upgrade, it seemed to have prevented him from being completely bound by the Spirit Refining Dao, or by the Saint Ancestors, from the very beginning. On this point, one could only say that Time, Name, and Nuo still possessed some foresight. As the energy within the Boundless Nothingness particles, Boundless Energy was non-attributed, high-ranked, akin to primordial chaos power, and clearly more befitting his noble status as Master Shou.

Xu Xiaoshou nodded in satisfaction. He knew that from this moment on, he had thoroughly entered the powerful realm of "Saints shall not be insulted!"

Jiang Buyi, after many years, I've finally caught up to you. Grand Tutor Ci, powerful as I am, I now have the qualifications to face you directly. It's just a pity that you all have fallen, unable to witness the might and greatness of my Half-Saint realm.

"Ying——"

Hidden Misery soared into the sky, singing joyfully, its sword body twisting as if in a spasm. It felt incredibly good. At this moment, it had finally completely fulfilled its dream of devouring its master. Why? It had become one with its master, now able to rely on each other. Even its master's body was a place it could enter and exit at will, with Fame power continuously intertwining and exchanging, back and forth, no longer distinguishing between them.

"Ying——"

Hidden Misery performed a swallow's return in mid-air, plunged into its master's body, and vanished. It then withdrew from its master's chest, soared high, ravaged all directions, and then returned again, merging into one. It was having a grand time.

"Something has slightly changed..."

Xu Xiaoshou ignored the cheeky sword, only surprised that the already astonishing rapport between him and Hidden Misery had transformed yet another level. There was no longer a "reproductive isolation"-like barrier between "sword" and "I," but rather it was like hair, eyeballs, or intestines; it was as if Hidden Misery had been a part of him since birth.

Sword, I.

Yin and Yang generating each other, mutually relying.

Xu Xiaoshou had a feeling that even if he died, he could rely on Hidden Misery's power to quickly gather vitality. And even if Hidden Misery shattered, he could expend his own Boundless Energy to conjure an identical Hidden Misery. Before this, he had another doubt. If "sword" and "I" mutually relied, then if both "sword" and "I" were simultaneously pulverized – meaning "Qingju" and "Eight-Venerate An" were killed together, or "Hidden Misery" and "Xu Xiaoshou" died at the same time... would they not be able to rely on each other to return?

That wasn't it!

"It's not just the physical forms of 'Hidden Misery' and 'I' that mutually rely; in reality, the 'Way of the Sword' also mutually relies with 'I'."

"Even if I die, it's equivalent to transforming into the Grand Dao, then finding myself within the Way of the Sword, relying on it to return to myself, and then to Qingju or Hidden Misery."

"Who can extinguish the Grand Dao laws? Who can completely erase the Way of the Sword?"

"If the Grand Dao is not destroyed, then I am not dead. Eight-Venerate An had cultivated the Indestructible Sword Body to such a profound level?"

Hua Changdeng had only forced out the tip of Eight-Venerate An's iceberg. This talent anomaly fundamentally possessed the ability to transform into the Grand Dao at any time, and also to return to himself at any time through 'Yi' (change). Looked at this way, Eight-Venerate An, who could revert to nothingness in a single step, had long surpassed Ancestor Nian, who had no choice but to transform his body into the Ancestral Thought Godnet.

"However, Kui Leihan has the Demonic Ancestor standing above him; it's indeed not easy for him..."

Xu Xiaoshou reined in his thoughts, calmed his tumultuous state of mind, and sighed silently. With a popping sound, he dispersed himself and Hidden Misery, directly embedding them into the Way of the Sword laws within the Space-Time Realm. Without activating 'Isolated from the World,' he was traceless in this realm. If it were an Ancestral God, they might perhaps sense that he had transformed into the Grand Dao of the Way of the Sword, but they would have no way to start, unable to catch him, right?

But it was only for an instant; Xu Xiaoshou immediately relied on the Way of the Sword to return to himself, expending boundless energy to condense his physical, spiritual, and conscious forms along with Hidden Misery. The Daoist laws of the Space-Time Realm were a bit chaotic. Even a brief moment of experience allowed various perverse insights to flow into his mind, almost contaminating him.

"Another trump card..."

Suppressing his joy, he looked back at the passive system's information panel. As expected, the information panel showed activity the moment he stepped into the Half-Saint realm:

"Passive System upgrading, please do not disturb!"

What a long-lost feeling! Having been suppressed by the Demonic Ancestor for so long, finally being able to break through the shackles in the Space-Time Realm, Xu Xiaoshou felt the satisfaction of a lingering obsession finally shattered.

Still on standby. Xu Xiaoshou waited patiently, rubbing his hands, beaming with joy. Not long after, he saw the messages he had been most eagerly anticipating, popping up one after another, eager to meet him:

"Congratulations, Passive System upgrade successful!"

"New module unlocked: Sovereign's Extreme Slash!"

"Obtained special passive skill: Dao-Seizing Tentacles!"

The Space-Time Realm was silent. Xu Xiaoshou stood rooted to the spot, stunned for a good ten breaths. Yes, he was bewildered. Indeed, every time the passive system upgraded, it would unlock a new module and a special passive skill. The Awakening Pool, Evolution Tree, Dao Nurturing Field, along with Passive Fist, Illusion-Shattering Finger, and Heaven-Man Unity, all came about this way. Compared to the unpretentious early descriptions like "Strong" or "Sharp," this "Sovereign's Extreme Slash" sounded so powerful! As for "Dao-Seizing Tentacles," just by looking at the words, he felt it could bring devastating impact to the Saint Divine Continent!

So, what was its content?

Xu Xiaoshou didn't immediately go to access and gather information. This wasn't because he was someone who liked to save the chicken drumstick for last when eating. Rather, besides the expected information, after a slight pause, several unexpected but reasonable messages popped up:

"Congratulations, Passive System upgraded to Perfection. Passive Point acquisition limit: 1."

"Congratulations received, Passive Points gained: 1."

"Passive Points: 1,000,000,000."

"A person you've never met before sends greetings. I am Crane-Play, residing beyond the Heavenly Realm, in the Grand Demon Mountain of the Ancestral Court."

"Now troubled by the great calamity, I have created this roulette to aid the proud talents of the three thousand planes in becoming gods, claiming ancestry, and reaching the supreme extreme."

"Regrettably, there are some Grand Daos which I, too, have not cultivated to perfection, and thus cannot assist you in achieving higher. Please discern the specifics yourself."

"If you have already inherited the Way of Name, you should know what I speak of."

"If you wish to walk the Way of Name and then seek transcendence, please believe that this roulette is merely your initial aid. To gain its recognition, one must inherently possess the qualifications of a Sovereign Extreme."

"If possible, settle all your worldly affairs, and if you have the heart to face death, please swiftly proceed to the Grand Demon Mountain of the Ancestral Court for support. I require your help, and the help of your friends who share your rank."

"Herein, I express my gratitude."

Ancestor Nuo was indeed a sincere person. Or rather, when he wasn't madly killing people, Xu Xiaoshou found him quite sincere. He apologized inwardly, acknowledging that he had indeed accepted his favor, but the Saint Divine Continent's saga was not yet over. The Demonic Medicine Ancestor, Guiyin Ancestor, and others were terrifyingly strong. Add in Eight-Venerate An, and also God and Cao who were schemed out of the game; frankly speaking, none of them were truly beneath the Black Roulette. Whether this game could be turned around depended on whether Ancestor Nuo's roulette assistance was powerful enough.

Suppressing the slight ripple caused by "Ancestor Nuo's Letter," Xu Xiaoshou already knew that the mad Nuo was seeking assistance. He didn't immediately investigate "Sovereign's Extreme Slash" or "Dao-Seizing Tentacles," but instead looked at the shop. His eyes lit up, as some items had been updated, and new ones had been added.

Passive Key: 100,000 Passive Points.

Fifth-Tier Skill Point: 100,000 Passive Points.

Perfection Skill Point: 10,000,000 Passive Points.

Dao Seed: 1,000,000 Passive Points.

Third-Tier Evolution Water: 100,000,000 Passive Points.

Tentacle Congeal: 100,000,000 Passive Points.