Chapter 455: Toolman Luo Qinglang

A deathly silence fell over the entire scene. The tense atmosphere, which had been on the verge of erupting just moments before, froze solid with the masked straw-hatted figure's few shouts.

The sky seemed to crackle, and the wind whispered. Everyone felt as if something had shattered within them, leaving their minds in disarray.

"We haven't even started fighting yet, and you're already doing business?"

"Suspicion received, Passive Points: 542.""Suspicion received, Passive Points: 452."

Wave after wave of Passive Points flowed in, filling Xu Xiaoshou with delight. This is the only way to play this game for it to be interesting!

He adjusted his straw hat and turned to look at the man holding a third sword with his teeth. "Is that the legendary Three-Sword Style?" he murmured. "It's my first time seeing it in person!"

Xu Xiaoshou had initially wondered how a sword held by teeth could be used with power. But after seeing it firsthand, it was clear that the man didn't need to use his teeth for power at all. In this world, all power comes from spiritual essence.

"Brother, give me some face. There are many people here. How about you fight after I finish this transaction?"

Luo Qinglang's eyes almost fumed with anger. "How much face do you think you have? My grand entrance was about to solidify, and the beauty was about to fall for me. With a single 'give me some face,' you've stolen it all! Do I look like the kind of person who would let you do that?!"

"I'll give you nothing!" Luo Qinglang's brows furrowed in a cold glare. With a fierce spin, his three swords intertwined, unleashing a storm of green light.

"Tide Reversal!"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!The whistling wind, interwoven with endless sword light, followed Luo Qinglang's shout, forming a massive elliptical spiral wind projectile that instantly shot towards Xu Xiaoshou.

"What powerful sword intent!" The Eight Palaces' enforcer, who had just stepped forward to meet Luo Qinglang's challenge, was utterly stunned. Such fierce spiritual essence fluctuations, just by observing them with the naked eye, possessed an attack power no less than a Grandmaster-level spiritual technique. And when combined with the legendary and incredibly rare sword intent... Even if it were him, attempting to block this move would be extremely difficult.

However, facing such a formidable attack, even the two individuals holding the banner behind Xu Xiaoshou remained completely unfazed. Among the straw-hatted masked figures, the taller one was naturally Xing Gugu. The two shorter ones were Ajie and Muzi Xi. Xing Gugu almost burst out laughing upon seeing the sword intent. Among the younger generation, he could barely pick out anyone who dared to wield a sword before Xu Xiaoshou and impress him. Forget about protecting Xu Xiaoshou; Xing Gugu didn't even plan to lower the banner in the face of this wind projectile.

"Innate Sword Intent, eh?" Xu Xiaoshou murmured softly, shaking his head with a smile. Indeed, sword cultivators among Spirit Refiners typically fought using spiritual techniques. Those who could comprehend sword intent were truly exceptionally gifted. However, this exceptional talent was only in comparison to others. Before Xu Xiaoshou, before a genuine ancient sword cultivator, Innate Sword Intent, let alone turning the tide, couldn't even cause the slightest ripple.

"Still!" Xu Xiaoshou narrowed his eyes, and the Sword Sovereign's realm descended like a monarch. At that moment, the aura of ten thousand swords paying homage caused the hundreds of sword cultivators' blades in the field to hum. Under the horrified gazes of everyone present, the green wind sword projectile, about to strike, trembled and stopped in place, like a minister encountering an emperor.

Luo Qinglang's expression froze instantly. "This...""Shatter!"

As Xu Xiaoshou uttered a single word, the green wind sword projectile instantly disintegrated! It was clearly a Grandmaster-level spiritual technique, yet because it contained Innate Sword Intent, it couldn't even shatter the unprotected small wooden table in front of Xu Xiaoshou. This silent power was even more profound than an audible one!

*Gulp* A collective gulp echoed through the scene."A Grandmaster-level spiritual technique!""That was a Grandmaster-level spiritual technique!""Where did this guy come from? If he had even drawn his sword to block that attack, it would be understandable.""This fellow didn't even move a finger, did he?""Two words, and a Grandmaster-level spiritual technique is gone?"

The enforcers of the Eight Palaces suddenly felt their status plummet from wolves to lambs. It was like a ferocious tiger suddenly bursting into a flock of sheep. The panic in their hearts instantly crushed all desire to fight. What about the Exquisite Stone, what about the arena battle? Anyone who had ever roamed the jianghu knew that their life had to be intact to have the capital to negotiate any deals.

"Suspicion received, Passive Points: 232.""Awe received, Passive Points: 449.""Admiration received, Passive Points: 56."

*Tap, tap, tap.* Xu Xiaoshou slowly extended his right hand, his black-gloved fingers gently tapping the tabletop. Only when everyone's shock had fully registered and the information log stopped refreshing did he slowly turn his head towards the group from the Azure Stalwart Spirit Palace.

"As I said, give me some face."

The young men in the Azure Stalwart Spirit Palace team, despite sensing no killing intent, all uniformly retreated a few steps. Their synchronized movement was as if they had undergone military training in hell.

"Fear received, Passive Points: 7."

Luo Qinglang, holding his three swords, felt his scalp tingle at that moment. "Grandmaster Sword Intent?" he thought. "Where did this terrifying guy come from? What exactly does he want?" Suppressing the shock in his heart, Luo Qinglang glanced at the masked woman behind him and forced himself to compose himself. He could lose the fight, but he couldn't lose his momentum!

"Not bad." He subtly raised his chin, an eyebrow arching as he asked, "And what's your background, fellow?"

"Just a businessman." Xu Xiaoshou waved his hand, then pointed to the banner behind him. "It's clearly written here: I'm not here to cause slaughter; I'm here to make friends. And as for sincerity, it's overflowing."

As he spoke, his gaze swept over the three crystal-clear beads on the table. "Three Exquisite Stones... I imagine everyone here is quite short on these right now, aren't they? I'm here to be a good person, you know."

Everyone's gaze involuntarily fell upon the Exquisite Stones. But if these people truly recognized these items, they wouldn't be idling here, robbing people.

"Are they real? And three of them?" Everyone still remembered the earth-shattering auction from a few days ago. Although most were not qualified to attend, hearsay had it that the final price for one stone was ten million spirit crystals! How could something of such inestimable value appear at the entrance of the Eight Palaces, on a dilapidated wooden table, seemingly snatched from some ruined tavern?

Luo Qinglang frowned. He truly didn't sense any other intentions from this group of masked figures in front of him. But... "Are they really just here to do business?"

After a moment of hesitation, he still stepped forward, casually reaching out to touch one of the Exquisite Stones."Hey, don't just touch it!""These are meant to be admired, not manhandled."With a *snap*, Xu Xiaoshou grabbed Luo Qinglang's wrist.

Luo Qinglang instantly rolled his eyes and tried to pull his hand free. But the man's hand, though gloved, gripped him like a specially forged iron clamp, holding him firmly.

"What the hell?" Luo Qinglang's heart tightened, and he tugged hard. No result. Enraged, he imbued spiritual essence and yanked forcefully. "Ugh!" Instantly, his face paled, and Luo Qinglang felt as if the immense force had almost shattered his wrist.

"Let go of me," he said, his face grim, in a low voice. Although the voice was quiet, everyone present was extraordinary, and practically all of them heard it.

The disciples of the Azure Stalwart Spirit Palace were utterly shocked. "Brother Lang, you can't pull your hand free?""What cultivation level is this guy?"Equally astonished were not just the Spirit Palace members, but also the group at the town entrance, who realized that a truly formidable opponent might have arrived at the Eight Palaces.

"Astonishment received, Passive Points: 232."

Xu Xiaoshou smiled, still holding his hand without loosening his grip, and asked, "Do you want to buy it?"

Luo Qinglang's face turned green. In broad daylight, this guy gave him no face at all. Just holding him like this? Normally it wouldn't matter, but at this moment, Miss Zhi Wen was watching him from behind! Instead of making a grand impression, he had made a huge fool of himself.

"I just wanted to look," he muttered gruffly.

"Look?" Xu Xiaoshou paused, then mused, "Then keep thinking about it. Maybe you'll buy it later."

Luo Qinglang: "???" *Are you crazy?!* "I can think about it, but first, let go of my hand!"

"Let go!""Have you thought it through?""No, you let go first!""Then I think you should think about it a bit more."

Xu Xiaoshou sat cross-legged at the table, still holding Luo Qinglang's hand, forcing Luo Qinglang to hunch over with his rear end sticking out. The two stared at each other like this for a full ten breaths. Luo Qinglang finally gave in. *This guy is utterly insane! He's truly a lunatic; I absolutely cannot converse with him further.* He squatted down, and the two ended up in a posture resembling an arm wrestling match.

"How much for one?""How much do you want to offer?""I..." Luo Qinglang was so infuriated his teeth ached. *You're a street vendor, and you don't even have a base price?!*

"Haven't thought it through?" Xu Xiaoshou smiled, "Then continue thinking."

For those who dared to attack him, while severe punishment wasn't necessary, a small lesson was definitely in order. Nothing much, just a handshake and making a friend.

As he spoke, he changed his position, crossing his legs, then glanced towards the other side. "Over there, anyone want to buy Exquisite Stones? Genuine Exquisite Stones, fair dealing, no tricks."

Everyone: "...""Curse received, Passive Points: 456."

This scene was too bizarre. Two people were locked in a strange contest before the wooden table, the buyer and seller in a direct stalemate. Who the hell would dare to approach?

"Are these Exquisite Stones real?" Just then, a deep voice came from a corner. Immediately afterward, a scar-faced burly man led a large group of people, pushing directly through the crowd at the Eight Palaces town entrance, and walked over.

"Old Du?""Oh my heavens, it's Brother Du?""Damn, now there's a good show. Brother Du actually came too. Isn't this going to turn into a direct showdown?""Yeah, just a few days ago, he completed a high-quality auction, solidifying Old Du's title as the sole seller of Exquisite Stones in the Eight Palaces.""Now someone's trying to steal his business. Won't this immediately lead to a spectacular clash and an explosion?""Shhh, don't say anything yet. Let's see what these two groups will do."

The stagnant atmosphere, due to Old Du's appearance, boiled over once more.

Xu Xiaoshou sized him up. This was a fierce-looking fellow, clearly not someone to be trifled with. The scars on his face, combined with his huge, disc-like face, made him undeniably ugly. Yet, such a man had so many followers, including Grandmasters... It was clear that this person must possess extraordinary abilities!

"Old Du?" Following the crowd's tone, Xu Xiaoshou called out his name.

Old Du nodded, said nothing more, and stepped forward. Glancing at the confronting Luo Qinglang and Xu Xiaoshou, his gaze went straight to the wooden table. With just one look, having handled Exquisite Stones before, he recognized them. These were genuine!

"Real Exquisite Stones, and three of them?""Are these four people also from the same path?""But... how did they get them?"

Old Du felt a surge of doubt. The intelligence network in the Eight Palaces was essentially in his control. Although Cui Lao Jian had also had a hand in it before, after that guy became a stray dog, he didn't even need to recruit people; those 'dishes' (informants/sources) came to him willingly. The appearance of these three Exquisite Stones was too bizarre! There wasn't the slightest hint of their existence. It couldn't be that this guy in front of him obtained them directly from the Red Coat, could it?

"How much are they?" Old Du spoke, leaning down as he did. Exploiting the brief moment of distraction as Xu Xiaoshou was about to open his mouth to speak, he directly reached out and touched the nearest Exquisite Stone.

*Thump!* But Xu Xiaoshou used the elbow of the hand that was resting on the table and engaging Luo Qinglang to jolt, causing the three Exquisite Stones to instantly float into the air. This time, Old Du grabbed nothing but air.

"Well, I'll be!" His gaze sharpened. His other hand directly reached into the void, intending to seize all three Exquisite Stones.

"Trying to touch my things?" How could Xu Xiaoshou give him such an opportunity? He stood up abruptly, hoisting Luo Qinglang, who was still in his grip, and swung him violently.

*Bang!* With a loud bang in the air, Luo Qinglang's hip bone directly slammed into Old Du's face. This strike, accompanied by two sudden cries of pain, sent Old Du flying.

"What the hell!" The tearing sensation from his hip bone almost made Luo Qinglang's eyes water. He stared at Xu Xiaoshou in shock, bewildered as to why he had become this guy's weapon.

"Let go of me, please...""Request received, Passive Points: 1."

Luo Qinglang was helpless. He twisted again, but another immense force held him, making him grimace in pain. Unless he used his sword to sever his own hand, otherwise, whether he wanted to resist or kill this guy in front of him, he would be completely restrained, unable to make any move.

"What the hell!" Elsewhere, Old Du, who had been violently flung back by the immense force and knocked down a group of Xiantian realm experts, finally stabilized himself with a gentle push from one of his Grandmaster subordinates. The intense pain in his face and his buzzing head blurred his senses for a moment. But it was only for an instant before he reacted. He touched his face. It was covered in blood.

"Damn!" Old Du was furious. "Is this how you do business? I just wanted to look at the merchandise, and you flung *him* in my face?! Are you insane?"

Xu Xiaoshou instantly looked at him innocently. "It wasn't me who did it."

*Click.* Everyone froze."Suspicion received, Passive Points: 412."Everyone subconsciously turned their heads towards Luo Qinglang. Even knowing he was being used, everyone felt profound pity for him. It was too tragic. Anyone stuck with such a master would be speechless, right?

Luo Qinglang's face had turned purple. *What kind of person is this?! Ever since he put down this wooden table, it seemed the entire area had become his domain. He could even use people as a weapon? A single misstep, and he became a tool?* Luo Qinglang was so enraged he felt smoke coming out of his ears. "If it wasn't you who did it, was it me?""Not exactly," Xu Xiaoshou seriously retorted, "Your hip bone moved."

Luo Qinglang: "..."

Xu Xiaoshou gazed towards Old Du: "Stop feigning ignorance. Don't you think I can tell what kind of person you are with one glance? If you want to buy, buy. If not, get lost. Stealing is illegal. I don't encourage it here."

Old Du's head throbbed again. "Stealing... What the hell do you mean, 'stealing'?! In the Eight Palaces, you're talking about laws to me?"

"Brothers, attack!" His expression turned savage, and he barked, "Still selling Exquisite Stones? You dare to smash Old Du's business? I'll make sure you can't even stand!"

With that command, the scene instantly erupted. At this, whether they were Old Du's men or those planning to fish in troubled waters amidst the chaos, everyone sprang into action. There were many people present, hundreds in total. One person could be restrained by this guy, but a hundred people... Does he have that many hands?

"Wait." Seeing everyone about to rush forward, Xu Xiaoshou immediately stood up, still holding Luo Qinglang. He shouted loudly, startling everyone, and they actually paused for a moment.

Luo Qinglang took a deep breath, stepped over the table, and stood by Xu Xiaoshou's side. He had to hunch over if the table was between them, which was too undignified.

"A brawl?" Xu Xiaoshou looked at the crowd, frowning. "Are you sure you want to brawl? I'm not boasting, but with your lot, the two of us could deal with you all, even without the people behind me, believe it or not?"

Xu Xiaoshou raised Luo Qinglang's hand.Luo Qinglang: "???" *The two of us?*"Suspicion received, Passive Points: 1."

Xu Xiaoshou ignored him and looked at Old Du again: "I'll give you one more chance. Take back what you just said."

"Doubt received, Passive Points: 89."

Old Du was so infuriated he almost laughed. He had thought this guy would humble himself and offer the Exquisite Stones after standing up. He never expected this guy to stand up and provoke him and his men!

"What the hell are you spouting?! Just the two of you? Do you believe I'll crush your head?"

Old Du once again meticulously scrutinized the heavily cloaked figure before him. To be honest, he couldn't discern anything. Even his cultivation was concealed. But for someone who had constantly lived on the edge, licking blood from the blade, while caution was usually exercised, once the bloodlust rose, Old Du wouldn't flinch, even if he couldn't see the opponent's cultivation level. Who, among those who roamed the jianghu, didn't possess a spiritual technique to conceal their cultivation? If he couldn't see through him now, he would after they fought, wouldn't he?

Xu Xiaoshou took a step back, still holding Luo Qinglang, and at the same time, put away the wooden table and the Exquisite Stones. "Are you serious? I don't have much patience, but today, I'll give you one more chance: take back those two sentences!"

"Suspicion received, Passive Points: 485."

At this, everyone present seemed to sense Xu Xiaoshou's lack of confidence. Who gives consecutive chances when a fight is about to break out?

"Trying to run?""Kill them both!"Old Du waved his hand, and the crowd swarmed forward.

Luo Qinglang's expression changed completely. He wasn't afraid of one-on-one combat, but a group fight, especially one he was inexplicably dragged into, was a muddy mess he truly didn't want to step into!

"Don't count me in, damn it..."

Xu Xiaoshou chuckled, "How could I not? After all, we're about to fight side by side!"

Luo Qinglang's face finally turned completely dark. Before he could even speak, he suddenly felt his body float again. This familiar sensation... He immediately protected his entire body with spiritual essence. As expected, the next second, he became a tool once more.

*Bang, bang, bang!* Xu Xiaoshou was clearly not treating the person in his hands as a human. The force he exerted was like a raging beast, simply unleashing its power. As the crowd barely managed to surround them, the pair of feet, swinging wildly, directly blasted away more than half of the Xiantian realm experts in the air.

"Curse received, Passive Points: 23."

Everyone was bewildered. To be honest, this was their first time seeing such a method of combat, using a person as a weapon, and for a moment, they felt utterly at a loss.

"What the hell kind of technique is this?! How do we fight this?"

While everyone was dumbfounded, Old Du grew impatient. "Damn it, hack at him with your swords! First, chop that guy up, then hack the one behind him! Are you all useless?! Why are you standing there like idiots!"

Xu Xiaoshou was amazed that Luo Qinglang, completely controlled by him, could still manage to twitch his muscles like that. The next second, an overwhelming flood of spiritual technique light surged towards them. Sword light, saber light, and strange energy flows of ice, fire, wind, and earth poured down without mercy.

"Oh, for heaven's sake..." Luo Qinglang's body instantly went limp. But he only dared to be limp for a second before he had to stiffen up, because Xu Xiaoshou, defying all logic, was carrying him and charging directly into the countless spiritual techniques!

"Blast them open!" With an enraged roar, Xu Xiaoshou performed a front flip, powerfully spinning Luo Qinglang in his hands, then slammed him onto the ground.

*Boom!* This strike, infused with immense spiritual essence, combined with Luo Qinglang's own intertwined energy, exploded outwards, generating a shockwave that temporarily halted the incoming spiritual technique energies.

*Pfft!* Luo Qinglang directly spat out a mouthful of blood. Amidst the chaotic din, he could clearly hear the sound of his own spine and tailbone cracking through bone conduction. However, before he could even complain, his vision blurred, and he vanished completely.

"This speed..." Luo Qinglang's remaining consciousness finally made him clearly realize that this guy, who only knew how to grab people and swing them around, was absolutely not simple! He was faking it! How could he be so fast?

*Boom, boom, boom...* Sword and saber light, thunder, fire, ice, and wind—all sorts of energies directly converged and slammed into Xu Xiaoshou's previous position. For a moment, the roar from this spot even completely drowned out the cracking sounds from the sky above.

However, what everyone failed to see was that by the time these energies converged, their target had already moved away in advance.

"Shhh!" Xu Xiaoshou put a finger to his lips, gently shushing the group behind him who had glimpsed his figure. Then, he turned, his gaze falling upon Old Du in front of him. This guy hadn't even reacted yet, still pouring energy into the center of the storm.

"What a pity." With a sigh, Xu Xiaoshou looked at his empty hands, realizing that "One Step to Heaven" couldn't carry people. He had flashed out of the storm's center, then teleported. This was specifically to prevent such a situation from occurring, which would lead to Luo Qinglang's tragic death. He was still quite kind-hearted; after all, that guy didn't deserve to die!

"Yo." Xu Xiaoshou gently patted Old Du's shoulder.

Old Du's movements froze. He had clearly sensed through his spiritual perception that the figure suddenly appearing behind him was the very target everyone was focusing their fire on. But... *How was that possible? How did he just appear?*

"Suspicion received, Passive Points: 1."

"There won't be a third chance, you know." Without waiting for the man to turn around, Xu Xiaoshou raised his palm high and brought it down vertically onto Old Du's crown.

*Thud!* At that instant, blood splattered horizontally. Old Du's entire body was deeply embedded into the ground. Even his head was completely covered by dirt.