Chapter 38: First Save Chao Qingteng

Thud!

Chao Qingteng's knees buckled, and he collapsed face-first onto the arena, unconscious. His chest had been pierced front-to-back by "Hidden Pain," leaving a wound the size of a fist. Blood gushed out, instantly staining the arena crimson.

"Get a medic!" Xu Xiaoshou yelled at Xiao Qixiu, seeing everyone frozen in shock.

The referee waved his hand, and medical personnel rushed forward, surrounding both Xu Xiaoshou and Chao Qingteng. Xu Xiaoshou looked at the four familiar faces around him. Weren't these the same people who had saved Daxi Gua before the match?

"Don't worry about me, save Chao Qingteng first!" Seeing them pull out their kits and instruments, Xu Xiaoshou panicked and quickly pointed to the other side: "He has a hole in him, and he's an innate expert. He's more important!"

"You're important too!" the medical staff replied dutifully. Saving lives was their duty, even if the person they were treating seemed a bit off his rocker.

"Received care, Passive Points +4."

Xu Xiaoshou watched them thread needles and prepare sutures, a look of hesitation on his face. While helping was certainly good, the problem was he didn't really need it right now!

Only "Great Cold No Weapon" and "Mystic Ice Seal Stele Hand" had truly harmed him during his fight with Chao Qingteng. But that was no longer an issue! The sword-snowflakes created by the former had nearly turned him into a beehive, yet "Endless Life" kept him clinging to life, making the process merely painful. As soon as the sword-snowflakes stopped, his injuries recovered significantly within moments.

As for the latter, the instantaneous ice compression would have frozen the soul of anyone else. However, Xu Xiaoshou had just consumed the "Cinderflame Seed," combined with his innate physique and "Endless Life"... To be honest, "Mystic Ice Seal Stele Hand" had caused him even less damage than "Great Cold No Weapon."

"I really don't need it..." Xu Xiaoshou said weakly.

The four staff members glared at him. Who hadn't seen him beaten half to death? Look at his clothes; they were completely soaked in blood! And his face was bruised and purplish, clearly suffering from severe frostbite.

"Fine..." Xu Xiaoshou gave up resisting. The four, with needles and scalpels in hand, immediately reached for Xu Xiaoshou's body.

"Received suspicion, Passive Points +4."

In an instant, all four simultaneously froze, their faces wide with shock as they stared at Xu Xiaoshou. "This..."

How was this possible? This guy must be a freak. Chao Qingteng's attacks earlier had only caused him such minor injuries? And the surging vitality within him was incessant, even more exaggerated than if he'd consumed a Crimson Gold Pill. What on earth was there to treat? They clearly remembered him bleeding profusely... How could this be... Could it be that an innate physique was this powerful?

Xu Xiaoshou spread his hands and stood up. Although his skin was still somewhat purplish from the cold, his mobility had returned within that short time.

"I told you I didn't need treatment, but you wouldn't believe me!" Xu Xiaoshou pointed at Chao Qingteng: "Go save him quickly. 'Hidden Pain' must have avoided his vital points just now. He won't die."

The four hesitated, clearly stunned and disoriented. To reassure them, Xu Xiaoshou simply flicked his sleeve. "I'll be honest with you, that guy didn't cause me any harm at all! Go save him, quickly!"

Meanwhile, the medical personnel on the other side had just stopped their treatment, and their expressions grew excited. "He's awake!"

"That's great... huh?"

Before the crowd could rejoice for long, they saw Chao Qingteng, who had just woken up, turn pale and pass out again.

"Received curse, Passive Points +1."

The four medical personnel on that end turned, their eyes glinting with murderous intent, and glared at Xu Xiaoshou.

"Received attack, Passive Points +4."

Xu Xiaoshou: "..."

***

"Received admiration, Passive Points +666.""Received admiration, Passive Points +888."

Sure enough, as soon as he exited the barrier, several messages flooded his info panel. Xu Xiaoshou saw everyone in the audience rise and applaud, and he happily waved back.

"Hmm?" He suddenly noticed Elder Qiao and Zhou Tianshen, both giving him a thumbs-up, almost as if they were about to rush down and give him a warm hug.

"Received praise, Passive Points +2."

Fortunately, this was only the third match, so the audience couldn't come down, thus avoiding a male embrace. Xu Xiaoshou smiled in response, though a hint of doubt lingered in his mind. It was understandable for Elder Qiao to come watch his match and encourage him, but what was up with this Zhou Tianshen? He'd just fought one match, and now he was a fan?

Returning to the waiting area, it was already getting late, but Xu Xiaoshou didn't head back immediately. After the arena was cleared, Xiao Qixiu didn't need to draw lots, as only the final round of the quarterfinals remained.

Mo Mo!An innate expert!Top of the Wind and Cloud Rankings!In terms of strength, she was undoubtedly the Outer Court's Senior Sister!

Xu Xiaoshou stayed, naturally wanting to observe this Junior Sister Mo, who would very likely be his opponent tomorrow.

In the arena, Mo Mo was clad in a green robe, her skin as fair as snow. She held a small bronze censer in her hand, burning sandalwood incense. Her innate expert status, combined with her serene, valley-orchid-like demeanor, completely overshadowed her opponent, making them almost invisible.

Xu Xiaoshou watched with eager anticipation. However, once the match began, there was no suspense or drama. In short order, Mo Mo's opponent, a cultivation practitioner of the tenth realm, was knocked out of the arena within two rounds.

Xu Xiaoshou: "..."

Damn these innate experts! He turned and left the waiting area resentfully.

***

In a forest, two paths diverged: one led to Goose Lake, the other to his courtyard. The former represented mystery and the unknown, while the latter offered ease and comfort. Xu Xiaoshou chose the latter without a second thought. Are you kidding? He'd just managed to get rid of the "Cinderflame Seed." Why would he go to Goose Lake, to consume another one? If he wanted to die, he wouldn't choose this method; it was too damn painful!

Back in his courtyard, he showered, lay on his bed, and an unspoken sense of comfort washed over him. Xu Xiaoshou pulled out a Spirit Refinement Pill and inhaled it.

"Hiss~"

Double the pleasure!

The upgraded "Breathing Technique" had been enhanced; a single inhale now consumed an entire pill. Fortunately, Xu Xiaoshou could now resist the accompanying pleasure with all his might. Even so, he was instantly overwhelmed, losing himself in the sensation, followed by a surge of spiritual energy and a rising tide in his Qi Sea.

With a shiver through his body...He broke through...Spirit Refinement Eighth Realm!

Xu Xiaoshou was stunned. After refining the "Cinderflame Seed" last night, he had barely managed to suppress his cultivation realm. Now, with a moment's inattention, he had broken through...

"Whatever, if it's fast, it's fast." He comforted himself. "Perhaps my speed isn't actually anything special compared to true geniuses."

Xu Xiaoshou decided not to dwell on it; his cultivation realm would stabilize on its own after a good night's sleep anyway. He then focused his mind on the info panel in his head.

Passive Points: 18882.

"Hmm, that's a bit low." Although he had generally anticipated the result, Xu Xiaoshou still felt a slight disappointment. Without the "Cinderflame Seed" providing one Passive Point per second, a single match, relying solely on the contributions of over a thousand spectators, would at most yield four to five thousand Passive Points. This was also thanks to Chao Qingteng's "Great Cold No Weapon" technique in the middle of the fight; otherwise, he would have missed out on another one or two thousand Passive Points.

"Cinderflame Seed..." Xu Xiaoshou actually felt a bit nostalgic for the "Cinderflame Seed" at this moment, but that seed was like an unpredictable explosive; he only dared to think about it... But perhaps, he could control it...

Xu Xiaoshou stroked his chin thoughtfully, eventually suppressing this bold idea. Instead of pondering the "Cinderflame Seed," it would be better to consider what that old man's true intention was in making him consume it.