Chapter 3: Strong

Xu Xiaoshou was indeed very wealthy. His courtyard featured a small pond with spirit fish, a rockery, and several tall spirit trees.

As the courtyard gate closed, Xu Xiaoshou was about to go back to catch up on sleep when he noticed a new section on the red interface in his mind: the "Shop." Looking down, he saw "Passive Points: 64."

Xu Xiaoshou immediately brightened. This haul was quite profitable. Could the "Shop" have only unlocked once his passive points exceeded two digits? He clicked on it and found the shop empty except for a single red gift box.

"Passive Gift Box (Purchase: 10 Passive Points)."

Last night, Xu Xiaoshou had tried to use passive points to upgrade skills but couldn't figure it out. Now he realized that passive points were actually used to buy things. Without hesitation, he immediately clicked "Purchase" and opened the gift box. The information bar instantly updated:

"Skill Points, +10.""Passive Keys, +3."

At the same time, the shop vibrated, and a red roulette wheel appeared. It was smaller than the previous black one, and a hazy gray mist shrouded its upper section, obscuring its contents. Seeing this, Xu Xiaoshou's mouth twitched unconsciously, and his eyes dimmed considerably. He immediately remembered the pointer he had broken on the last roulette wheel.

Inside the shop's grid, two gray items also appeared.

"Skill Points (Purchase: 1000 Passive Points).""Passive Keys (Purchase: 1000 Passive Points)."

Seeing these two pieces of information, Xu Xiaoshou was startled. "So expensive?" So, he had just spent 10 passive points to buy something worth over ten thousand?

"Holy cow!" Xu Xiaoshou's eyes widened, realizing this gift box was like a beginner's super pack – a freebie without any growth potential. Awesome!

"Passive Keys... they must be for activating this roulette wheel?" Xu Xiaoshou mused. After the last debacle, had this roulette wheel been upgraded? No more manual spinning? As for the skill points, there was no need to wonder; they were definitely for upgrading passive skills.

So, should he upgrade "Breathing Technique?" Xu Xiaoshou quickly dismissed that idea. He decided to try the "Passive Keys" first; perhaps they could spin out other passive skills.

In three days, the "Wind and Cloud Battle" would take place in the outer courtyard. For the powerful figures vying for a spot in the top hundred of the "Wind and Cloud Ranking," it was a competition; for Xu Xiaoshou, it was an elimination assessment. If this red roulette wheel could yield some more potent passive skills, he might be able to remain at the Heavenly Sang Spirit Palace to cultivate. If he were truly expelled, he would have no place to call home.

Xu Xiaoshou inserted a key into the small hole at the bottom of the red roulette wheel. The mist above intensified, making it impossible to see anything.

"Give me a chance, something that can make me instantly stronger!" As the key turned, Xu Xiaoshou clasped his hands and began to pray: "Not a cultivation method, not a cultivation method, it won't help much right now..."

The gray mist swirled, and without knowing what happened inside, the information bar quickly updated:

"Thank you for your patronage!"

Xu Xiaoshou's face instantly darkened. "What the hell?" There was even a "Thank you for your patronage" result? "Can't it just offer something normal for people to play with? It always comes up with these unethical things, just like the pointer on the last roulette wheel!"

After his internal outburst, he still had two keys left. Xu Xiaoshou inserted another one, shouting hysterically, "Hmph! May luck be with me!" The gray mist churned, and Xu Xiaoshou watched the information bar expectantly:

"Another key!"

Xu Xiaoshou: "..."

"Hey, what's the point of this? One in, one out, nothing gained, just to mess with me?" Xu Xiaoshou rolled his eyes heavenward. "Do you think you're Coca-Cola? 'Another key'? I don't even have a single burp from this!"

Two keys were used, two more remained... Xu Xiaoshou could no longer endure this torture. He inserted one key without looking at the information bar, waited until he estimated the time was up and the key disappeared, then fiercely inserted another.

"No drops, no drops..." While subtly jinxing himself, he secretly peeked at the information bar.

"Acquired Extended Passive Skill: Strong!""Thank you for your patronage!"

"Reverse jinx successful?" Seeing the long line of text, Xu Xiaoshou slapped his thigh, incredibly excited. He had finally gotten something! But on closer inspection...

"Strong?"

Xu Xiaoshou nearly spat out a mouthful of blood. "What kind of nonsensical thing is this? Why not 'Frail' instead?"

"Uh, wait, that doesn't seem right?" Xu Xiaoshou suddenly recalled that the "Breathing Technique" last time had a misleading name but extraordinary effects. Perhaps this "Strong" also had unexpected benefits?

"I hope so!" Xu Xiaoshou regained his composure and looked at the red interface, noticing it had changed again.

I. Basic Passive Skills.II. Extended Passive Skills.III. Shop.

"An 'Extended Passive Skills' section appeared?" He glanced at the information bar again and realized that "Strong" was categorized under Extended Passive Skills, belonging to a different major category than "Breathing Technique." "Quite detailed categorization..."

Clicking on it, he saw a small line of text below: "Strong (Acquired Lv.1)."

"Could it be a cultivation method to strengthen the physical body?" Xu Xiaoshou squeezed his arm. It hadn't become noticeably firmer due to the appearance of this passive skill. "Perhaps the level isn't high enough?"

Xu Xiaoshou became conflicted. He still had ten skill points; where should he allocate them? "Breathing Technique" was a fundamental cultivation method and certainly worth upgrading, but its improvement required long-term accumulation. Yesterday's breakthrough was merely the result of deep reserves finally bursting forth. As for "Strong," if it truly was a passive skill for strengthening the physical body, as he suspected, then it would undoubtedly be more suitable for upgrading at this moment. If his physical body could significantly improve, he would be able to contend for a spot in the "Wind and Cloud Battle" and, at the very least, avoid elimination. Weighing the two benefits, Xu Xiaoshou ultimately decided to use his skill points on "Strong." What if a miracle happened?

He used the skill points on the panel, and the information bar updated promptly:

"Strong (Acquired Lv.2)."

Xu Xiaoshou kept an eye on his body. He wasn't sure if it was a misconception, but he felt as if he had more strength, though the change was very subtle. He continued to recklessly level up the skill.

"Strong (Acquired Lv.3).""Strong (Acquired Lv.4).""Strong (Acquired Lv.5)."

This time, it was very obvious: Xu Xiaoshou felt his muscle lines slightly bulge, and his formerly scrawny body at least looked like a normal person's. "It's working!"

Xu Xiaoshou was overjoyed. He slammed a fist into the ground, and the ground actually slightly dented, emitting a dull thud. "Good heavens, this amplification is too obvious! Could it be that the acquired levels of this passive skill correspond to the ten stages of Spirit Refinement for Spirit Refiners?" Xu Xiaoshou murmured in a daze.

The initial cultivation stages for Spirit Refiners were the ten stages of Spirit Refinement, after which came the Innate realm. Therefore, calling the ten stages of Spirit Refinement "acquired" was perfectly valid. This was only Acquired Lv.5, yet the power was immense. If he punched someone, it would definitely break several ribs! And if it truly corresponded to cultivation realms, as he suspected, then by recklessly maxing out his skill points, wouldn't his physical body be able to enter the Innate realm?

"Holy moly!" Xu Xiaoshou's heart burned with excitement. An Innate physical body was even more difficult to achieve than an Innate Spirit Refiner realm! He had initially planned to evenly distribute his skill points, but now he immediately decided to put them all into "Strong." He wanted to see what kind of effect it would have.

"Strong (Acquired Lv.6).""Strong (Acquired Lv.7).""Strong (Acquired Lv.8)."

His physical strength surged relentlessly. Xu Xiaoshou felt as if he were on drugs, with boundless energy. At this point, his body's muscles stopped bulging. Instead, after reaching what ordinary people would consider "strong," they began to be meticulously sculpted, gradually outlining perfect muscle lines.

Xu Xiaoshou took off his upper garment, revealing a solid, aesthetically pleasing physique underneath.

*Bang!*

One punch, and the ground cracked! Power enough to rival an eighth-stage Spirit Refiner!

Xu Xiaoshou clicked his tongue in wonder. "Too strong, this is too strong!" With just this one punch, he might even qualify to contend for a spot in the top few hundred of the "Wind and Cloud Ranking." He definitely wouldn't be eliminated!

A gleam appeared in Xu Xiaoshou's eyes. He wasn't stopping here; he still had three skill points. Max it out!

"Strong (Acquired Lv.9).""Strong (Acquired Lv.10).""Strong (Innate Lv.1)."

Seeing the last line of information, Xu Xiaoshou's mind went blank, overwhelmed with happiness. "Innate! It's actually Innate!" Every muscle on his body began to violently writhe. The next moment, his body expelled viscous, black impurities, which were incredibly foul-smelling.

Xu Xiaoshou threw his head back and let out a long howl, then fiercely slapped himself.

*Slap!*

"Not a dream!"

He punched the ground, and with a *thud*, a fist-sized crater appeared, with spiderweb-like cracks spreading several feet from it.

"Five-tenths of his strength!"

Xu Xiaoshou was stunned. He had only used five-tenths of his strength. If he were to punch someone's head...

*Heh heh,*

Xu Xiaoshou felt that this "Wind and Cloud Battle" was about to become very interesting...