Chapter 24: Three Secrets of San Yan

The entire audience gasped.

"Just one punch and one palm, really!"

"Zhang Fu seems so pathetic, and a bit funny. He fought tooth and nail to make it into the top 64, only to..."

"Funny as it is, this Xu Xiaoshou is almost too strong. His power rivals even the top two on the leaderboard!"

"Can't you tell by now? This guy might actually possess an Innate Physical Body!"

"An Innate Physical Body?"

"I don't know, but a few days ago, someone analyzed it and said there was a 70% chance. After today's one punch and one palm, it's probably 90%."

This statement silenced many. An Innate Physical Body was widely known to be incredibly difficult to cultivate, where effort might not even guarantee a return. Could someone actually have achieved it?

"Perhaps Xu Xiaoshou is taking drugs? Look at those scorching heatwaves; they're clearly not his innate ability!"

"Exactly! I think so too. People like him should be disqualified. He even applied for disqualification himself, so why isn't the referee doing anything?"

Some people grew jealous, and these protests naturally reached Xiao Qixiu's ears. He scoffed at them, not even bothering to offer an explanation. Everyone has their own opportunities. Who ever decreed that you couldn't cultivate a super-powerful technique before a competition? By that logic, are we not allowed to cultivate before a match, achieve breakthroughs during it, or reflect on progress afterward? Xu Xiaoshou's situation was precisely this. The "Ember Incineration Seed" given by Elder Sang couldn't even be considered a stroke of luck; one wrong move, and it could lead to death and ruin. If you're capable, go cultivate an Innate Physical Body too; maybe someone will use you for human experiments then!

Xu Xiaoshou leisurely walked back to the waiting area. The competition continued, with many matches still to be played in the top 64 to 32 bracket, so he had plenty of rest time. As he consumed the Scarlet Gold Pill, he kept an eye on the information panel, feeling utterly delighted.

"Received admiration, Passive Point, +142."

"Received jealousy, Passive Point, +874."

"Received ridicule, Passive Point, +113."

"Received attack, Passive Point, +1."

Each of these entries wasn't just accumulating passive points; they were reflecting human emotions! Listen, how many people in the arena are speaking highly of me? And look, how many are secretly jealous of me? Tsk tsk! Xu Xiaoshou glanced downwards.

"Passive Points: 42888."

*Thump!*

He bumped his head on the railing, and ridicule erupted from the audience, causing the number to surge to 43003.

"How can there be so many?!"

Xu Xiaoshou was baffled. He remembered only having a little over 10,000 after three breakout matches yesterday. How could it have skyrocketed so much in just one morning? He racked his brain but couldn't recall doing anything that would provoke such widespread resentment. Killed Wen Chong? Impossible. He was still within the barrier at that time, so he definitely wouldn't have received the bulk of the passive points. Even if he did, it would only be a few hundred, maybe a thousand at most. How could it have surged by over 30,000! Xu Xiaoshou quickly looked back through the information panel. Each entry was objective and true, only tens or hundreds of points. No major spikes were visible! Was the system glitching? The thought popped into his head, but he dismissed it instantly. He would rather believe a meteor had fallen from the sky. Sitting cross-legged on the chair, Xu Xiaoshou took a sip of water to calm himself, momentarily stunned, unsure what had truly happened to him.

"Received attack, Passive Point, +1."

"Received attack, Passive Point, +1."

"..."

While he was in a daze, the information panel continued to refresh, one message per second, without interruption. Xu Xiaoshou, feeling lightheaded, suddenly slapped his forehead.

"The Ember Incineration Seed?!" He seemed to understand something. In the early hours of the morning, after he consumed this item, his body was constantly being burned. The system's interpretation of this burning should be one attack calculated per second. Which means one passive point gained per second. Yes, this gradual increase, appearing very insignificant, was something Xu Xiaoshou hadn't even paid much attention to. But it added up over time! Calculating, he met that old man around the *chenshi* (7-9 AM). Roughly three *shichen* (six hours) had passed since then. Xu Xiaoshou started counting on his fingers, then even his toes. Three *shichen* meant six hours; one hour is sixty minutes, one minute is sixty seconds... Over twenty thousand seconds! Over twenty thousand passive points!

*Hiss!*

Two streams of steam shot from Xu Xiaoshou's nose. The chair beneath him, unnoticed, lost its spiritual energy wrapping and was completely melted through. With a *thump*, he landed on the ground. A staff member immediately ran over, asking what had happened. Xu Xiaoshou dazedly waved his hand, indicating he was fine. As the staff member was about to leave, he quickly called out, "Wait, can you help me calculate how many seconds are in a day?"

"A day?"

The staff member's eyes shifted, "Eighty-six thousand four hundred, I believe!"

*Snap!*

The cup in his hand was crushed. Xu Xiaoshou, who had just struggled to get up, immediately collapsed back onto the ground. "What did you say? Say it again!" The staff member looked at his steaming body, unsure whether to help him up or not, and could only repeat, "Eighty-six thousand, four hundred!"

*Gulp!*

Xu Xiaoshou swallowed. "Over eighty thousand?!" His expression suddenly became incredibly varied: one moment pained, then happy, then shocked, then foolishly grinning... The staff member didn't know what kind of fit he was having. Remembering the instructions from the referee's stand earlier—no matter what Xu Xiaoshou's demands or condition, just ignore him and treat him like an idiot—he quietly left the area, thinking, "As expected of the chief referee, truly prescient!"

Xu Xiaoshou took a deep breath of the Scarlet Gold Pill, using the trembling of his body to calm his excited heart, only to realize his Scarlet Gold Pills were almost gone. In just over half a day, the two bottles of pills Elder Qiao and the referee had given him were consumed. Xu Xiaoshou felt a pang of heartache. These were life-saving treasures! However, this also showed the extraordinary power of the "Ember Incineration Seed." But after realizing the true value of this item, Xu Xiaoshou was no longer in so much pain that he wanted to lash out; instead, he was overcome with joy.

"Pain? Heh, just endure it, and it'll pass. What successful person hasn't endured immense suffering? If you only focus on the pain, how can you experience the joy of abundance?"

With a wave of his hand, he called the staff member back and instructed, "Go find Elder Xiao—the chief referee on the arena—and ask him for some Scarlet Gold Pills. Make sure to get a lot." The staff member looked at him as if he were an idiot. *Are you out of your mind?* Xu Xiaoshou's face was already flushed, so he naturally felt no shame. "I'll tell you the 'Three-Phrase Secret.' Listen carefully!"

"First, if he doesn't agree, tell him, 'The medical staff won't give them to me, but I need some Scarlet Gold Pills. I'm a contestant and I won't be able to hold on!'"

The staff member was about to lose his mind. Who would dare speak to Elder Xiao like that? He was the Grand Elder of the Spiritual Arts Pavilion, not a street vendor. "And for free? You must be dreaming!"

"Second, if he still refuses, tell him, 'Heh, don't think I don't know you two are colluding and using humans for experiments!' Your tone should be stern, and your words harsh!"

The staff member's head was spinning. Xu Xiaoshou really had guts! "Are you trying to get me killed?!"

"Third, by this point, he'll definitely agree. There's no way he won't. Then you say one last thing: 'Since you're giving them, how can you be so stingy with just this much? Add another zero!'"

The staff member scoffed aloud, "Go yourself!"

"What do you mean, 'go myself'!" Xu Xiaoshou immediately retorted, displeased. "I'm a contestant, you're a staff member. We both have our duties! I still have a fight later, and I need to conserve my energy now. Go on, quickly. Good luck, don't be a coward. That guy isn't scary. You should know that people of higher status value their reputation more. He won't act without a good reason."

The staff member staggered. "Are you giving me enough reasons to get myself killed?"

"Go!"

Xu Xiaoshou waved his hand. The staff member, momentarily unsure how to refute, reluctantly left with a bitter expression. *This is too much for me! I need a new job!*