Chapter 285: Instant Activation Active Skill

Surging, echoing waves of spiritual energy crashed against every corner of the room, bounced back, then surged out again. The air gained a complex, mysterious aura, which was the enlightenment of the Heavenly Dao.

Xu Xiaoshou lay sprawled on the ground like a dead fish, his hands pressed tightly against the sides of his clenched thighs, his entire body stiff and straight. Only at the knees did his lower legs splay open, making him look exactly like a convulsing mermaid.

"I broke through?"

Even without checking his Qi Sea, Xu Xiaoshou knew that the bottleneck of the Elemental Realm (Middle Stage) had been forcefully shattered by a single Elemental Core Pill.

When his "Breathing Technique" was at the Houtian (Acquired) level, it already absorbed the medicinal effects of Spirit Refining Pills hundreds of times faster than ordinary people. Even geniuses' absorption rate for pills was less than a tenth of Xu Xiaoshou's.

Now, with an Elemental Core Pill and a Xiantian (Innate) level "Breathing Technique", Xu Xiaoshou almost thought he had been reborn on the day he emerged from his seclusion in the Outer Yard. It felt exactly like the first time he absorbed a pill!

"But I've already been training so well within the Tianxuan Sect..."

Xu Xiaoshou wanted to cry but had no tears, though he also realized that the Elemental Core Pill, being a seventh-grade pill, naturally couldn't be compared to a ninth-grade Spirit Refining Pill. What a pity; his well-maintained cultivation progress was once again interrupted by an unexpected event. Indeed, there are always many uncertainties in this world.

He had been considering lying low for a while... But was the gap between the early and middle stages really that small?

Xu Xiaoshou examined his Qi Sea, feeling a little surprised. To be honest, the difference was quite significant. Merely cultivating from the early stage to its peak took even more time than his breakthrough from the three Spirit Refining Stages to Xiantian. The spiritual energy required was also immense. But with this breakthrough to the middle stage, his Qi Sea had expanded by more than double again. Not only that, but the solidification of his spiritual essence had been greatly reinforced. If he were to also use spiritual techniques, his combat power could almost double!

"No wonder those guys cultivate desperately just to break through realms," he thought. "It turns out this is the strongest and fastest cultivation method. Unfortunately, this path isn't suitable for me."

If one day Xu Xiaoshou could awaken "Spiritual Technique Mastery" or "Insight", he might truly be considered a versatile genius! For now, it was clearly still not suitable.

He set aside matters of cultivation realms for now. As for consolidating his cultivation, Xu Xiaoshou wouldn't do it himself; he could just leave it to his "Breathing Technique".

He focused again on the red interface within his Yuan Mansion.

"Passive Points: 82020."

A moment of silent contemplation.

"That was impulsive."

His original plan was a ten-pull, but unfortunately, there was no stock. In his red-eyed state, he had drawn an extra fifty thousand passive points, and Xu Xiaoshou almost didn't realize it. This stuff really didn't last; a single pull could remove a digit from the total. But to be honest, he wasn't upset! Primarily because regretting it wouldn't do any good.

"At least I got something..."

If he hadn't gotten anything, Xu Xiaoshou didn't know if he would have continued drawing until the remaining eighty thousand were gone. He was very glad that he had obtained a passive skill that could be used in conjunction with others, making him stronger. But this wasn't enough! If he had only gained one Xiantian-level passive skill, the fantasy was beautiful, but in actual combat, it might not be very helpful.

Xu Xiaoshou's gaze swept back and forth over the dozen or so major passive skills, finally settling on one.

"Reverberation (Xiantian Lv.1)."

This was a divine skill! Compared to undeveloped passive skills like "Sharpness", this skill alone already played an extraordinarily significant role in combat. As long as an enemy got close, they would definitely be caught off guard by "Reverberation". This was the case in theory, and it was also true in practice.

Xu Xiaoshou had never seen a single person who could maintain a calm expression after hitting him; each one looked as if they had eaten excrement. It was truly disgusting! He himself didn't deny the skill's disgusting nature, but at the same time, he recognized its power even more.

Now that he had "Resilience", he naturally had to choose to upgrade this passive skill. That way, perhaps after hitting him, enemies wouldn't just feel like they'd eaten excrement, but would be vibrated until they literally evacuated their bowels.

He acted as soon as the thought occurred; Xu Xiaoshou unhesitatingly dumped ten skill points into it.

"Reverberation (Grandmaster Lv.1)."

His chest rumbled violently as Xu Xiaoshou felt an endless surge of power, as if within his unassuming flesh, the strength of an ancient dragon-elephant had been added. He felt like he could shatter the heavens with a single punch!

"Wait!"

A flash of inspiration suddenly struck, and Xu Xiaoshou's eyes widened into perfect circles.

"Shatter the heavens?"

It was indeed impossible before, because if he threw a punch, due to "Reverberation", he would also be bounced back and sent flying. But now it was different! After gaining "Resilience", the power of his punch could be fully transmitted to his target. Even a void space!

Xu Xiaoshou's mouth dropped open in shock. He had seen Ye Xiaotian's "Heaven-Splitting Hand" and knew that in this world, spatial rules indeed existed. It wasn't formless or intangible. On the contrary, it was more like major elements such as water and fire, and had discernible traces. As long as his strength was great enough, or he could comprehend space, with a single punch...

"This, isn't this... the legendary..."

Xu Xiaoshou's mouth watered. He rubbed his chin and quickly rushed to the bronze mirror on the table to examine himself. His beard had indeed grown out again because he was too lazy to groom it. Unfortunately, his body was very healthy, and it wasn't white. But this didn't stop Xu Xiaoshou's chuunibyou spirit from burning brightly!

His eyes blazing, he pointed at the bronze mirror and roared, "Be my son!"

"Pah, not that line..."

"How did it go again, something about a ship?"

Xu Xiaoshou scratched his head; the memory was a bit distant, and he couldn't quite recall it.

"Never mind, this line is pretty good too," Xu Xiaoshou chuckled. "If I say 'Be my sons!' to ten thousand people, I'll probably gain a lot of passive points."

He couldn't remember the exact lines, but the image of shattering the heavens remained perfectly clear in his mind. He could do it too!

Xu Xiaoshou clenched his fist, swung his arm through the air, and unleashed a bursting straight punch. The feeling was completely different! Previously, even with "Reverberation", it still needed him to be attacked for it to trigger. But with "Resilience", it was as if there was a counter-pushing force within his body, allowing Xu Xiaoshou, even if he punched into nothingness, to fully project his power.

The door exploded. Wood splinters flew, a gaping hole appeared where the door once was, and Xu Xiaoshou saw the corridor outside.

"This?"

Surprise surged through him, and Xu Xiaoshou almost jumped up. It really happened? Although he didn't shatter the heavens, it was absolutely true that this attack method was developing exactly as he had envisioned. This wasn't just a passive skill; it was already an instant-cast active skill!

Looking at the distance between the shattered bed and the doorway, Xu Xiaoshou's surprise turned into ecstasy. His basic attack range had increased?

A tank with an archer's attack range?