Chapter 286: Explosive Stance

"Enemy attack!"

A piercing cry echoed through the corridor, followed by a series of thudding footsteps.

Immediately afterward, the young shop assistant who had registered Xu Xiaoshou and Mu Zixi at the counter rushed to the door, knife in hand. The next second, he froze.

Deep pits on the floor, a shattered bathroom door, a large bed blown into four pieces... And the main door panel, which had been penetrated despite its soundproofing and protective barrier... What a devastating battle this must have been!

He noticed the fresh blood on the young man's elbow, and an odd scent still faintly lingered in the room. The assistant looked down again; there were unprocessed bloodstains near the doorway. "Gulp!" Swallowing hard, he struggled to speak: "Sir, are you alright?"

"It's nothing, really, it's fine." Xu Xiaoshou waved his hand awkwardly. He knew the man had the wrong idea; otherwise, his information panel wouldn't show so many "Suspected" messages. But Xiao Shiliu was long dead, and all this damage was simply the result of him testing his abilities. Of course, he couldn't say that now.

With his hands clasped behind his back, Xu Xiaoshou looked calm. "It's all over now. Just give me another room!" "Alright, alright." The assistant nodded repeatedly. "I apologize, sir, you've been startled. Please, come this way. We'll clean up this room later." "Mm." Xu Xiaoshou followed silently.

However, the assistant's heart was filled with dread. What kind of person could infiltrate the Prosperous Inn so silently and cause such devastation? The barrier, when struck from the outside, was strong enough to withstand an attack from a Throne! How was this possible?

"If the guest is truly unharmed, could we ask that you not publicize this incident? We would be happy to waive the accommodation fee for you and your friend." Seeing that Xu Xiaoshou seemed able to speak, the assistant asked cautiously. The inn's reputation was at stake; if it couldn't guarantee guests' safety, who would dare to stay there? After all, most of the residents here were desperate individuals, fugitives who faced insurmountable enemies outside!

Xu Xiaoshou, of course, didn't mind. He wasn't about to publicize anything, especially since he was responsible for it. But free accommodation... To be honest, Xu Xiaoshou felt quite apologetic.

"No need for free. Just give me another room, I have money." The assistant grew even more flustered and was about to say something else when they passed the adjacent room. The door suddenly swung open. Mu Zixi poked her head out, and seeing Xu Xiaoshou, she stepped fully into the hallway. She turned her head to look and immediately frowned. "Xu Xiaoshou, did you cause more destruction again?"

Xu Xiaoshou: ??? Someone's here, give me some face! The assistant suddenly looked bewildered. What did she mean? He caused this himself?

Xu Xiaoshou quickly pushed the young girl back with one hand. He didn't intend to go in, simply closing the door behind her! "Eyesore." He glanced back at the assistant, his voice now firm: "Let's go!" The assistant: ???

"Suspected, Passive Points, 1.""Cursed, Passive Points, 1."

Upon arriving in a new room, Xu Xiaoshou carefully lay down on the bed. The lottery was over; it was highly unlikely anything explosive would appear this time. Although this draw only yielded "Resilience," his combat power had significantly increased as a result. Overall, Xu Xiaoshou was very satisfied.

"What a lucky draw!" "It's a pity, though, that the Awakening Pool couldn't be used." According to the original plan, he was supposed to use it eight times, which might have allowed him to mimic the "Berserk Giant" from last time and gain another trump card. But now, only thirty thousand remained. "It gets used up quickly!"

Xu Xiaoshou glanced over and was delighted to find a few scattered bonus keys. He inserted a key, but his face quickly darkened. As expected, there was nothing. To be expected! Understandable!!

"Passive Points: 32020."This was enough to upgrade any passive skill by six levels. Since he was going to take the alchemist's badge exam tomorrow, it would naturally be best to put points into "Culinary Mastery." However, Xu Xiaoshou didn't plan to attempt such a high-level exam all at once. A Ninth-Grade Alchemist was already enough to prove his identity. He had tried at the Spirit Palace; a Seventh-Grade Yuan Court Pill was completely beyond what his current "Innate Lv.1" "Culinary Mastery" could produce. It would probably require many more level-ups. But his goal was simply to obtain a badge to facilitate exchanging stolen goods at the Prosperous Merchant Guild; a higher rank would be useless for that.

Most importantly... Xu Xiaoshou looked at the Awakening Pool, his heart itching. Even if the thirty thousand yuan went down the drain, he wanted to try his luck again. This was a game for the extravagant; throwing away ten thousand with one stone—just thinking about it was exciting! Without further hesitation, Xu Xiaoshou immediately redeemed an Awakening Stone, casually binding it to "Shockwave." He then swept it horizontally across the pond. Regrettably, it only skipped three times before splashing, and then the ten thousand Passive Points were gone!

"That was exhilarating!" Having mentally prepared himself, Xu Xiaoshou no longer felt pain. Instead, experiencing the noble Awakening Pool for the first time with the intention of just 'skipping stones'... It was thrilling! He was about to redeem two more stones when he suddenly glanced at his information panel and froze. "Awakening Successful!" "Shockwave (Awakened: Blasting Stance)!" Xu Xiaoshou: "!!!"

"Holy crap, a one-shot awakening?!" His calf twitched, and he sprang upright from the bed in disbelief. Then he hunched over, backing away, clutching his head as if his brain might explode. "What auspicious day is today?" "Awakening successful on the first try?"

Xu Xiaoshou's heart had stopped. He gasped for air, trying to regain his composure. But how could he calm down when he thought of the "Berserk Giant" effect? "Blasting Stance?" "Are these extended passive skills so frustrated with their 'rubbish' names like 'Strong' and 'Shockwave'?" "As soon as they awaken, they become so explosive? Even their names are so audacious?"

Xu Xiaoshou slapped his chest hard, his blood surging again, and his heart finally pounded wildly. Inside his body, a desire to burst forth, a destructive power, also emerged. "This is..." Xu Xiaoshou froze. He remembered when the Grey Mist Man completely sealed him, and near death, a primitive, berserk power was activated deep within his consciousness. The ability now emerging in his body was similar. However, unlike the endless frenzy from that time, this power was purely about bursting. It was as if... it was completely uncontrollable, wanting to explode!

"Awakened Power?" Xu Xiaoshou's scalp tingled. He realized this was the necessary condition to activate an awakened skill. It seemed that "Blasting Stance" wasn't something that only appeared when near death, but rather something he could choose to activate as soon as he was attacked? "This is incredible!"

Thinking this, Xu Xiaoshou no longer suppressed his desire and unleashed it abruptly. With a loud bang, his clothes instantly ripped apart. Fortunately, his Grandmaster "Agility" was extremely swift, and Xu Xiaoshou quickly protected his underwear. "This is blasting?" Endless golden specks of light permeated his body. Xu Xiaoshou's hair flew wildly, his eyes blazing, as if streaks of lightning shot forth from them. A posture like a War God descending! Xu Xiaoshou was stunned by his reflection in the bronze mirror. This was no longer just "Xiaoshou"; this was an evolved version of "Little Beast"! Within his physical body, waves of golden energy surged like a tide, and Xu Xiaoshou could no longer hold it back. He looked towards the door panel.