Chapter 475: Wolfish Saint

“You’ve finally arrived?”

Xu Xiaoshou’s spirit jolted as the ancient voice echoed, and the scene before him finally became clear again. However, apart from the vast expanse of white, he couldn't pinpoint the source of the voice. Even with his "perception" covering a wide area, he found nothing.

“An old man,” Xu Xiaoshou thought. “A voice I’ve never heard before. Which means this is a stranger. If so, why is he targeting me? And judging by his tone, he must have disregarded everyone else and been waiting solely for my arrival...”

Xu Xiaoshou immediately deduced this information from the voice. He was panicking, extremely so! What kind of powerhouse could, in front of a Dao-Slasher, directly pull one's consciousness into another world, completely unnoticed by others? A Void cultivator? A Half-Saint? Xu Xiaoshou dared not think further. He feared that if he dwelled on it too much, he wouldn't even muster the courage to speak to the other party.

Slightly steadying his mind, Xu Xiaoshou straightened his consciousness-formed body, clasping his hands behind his back, showing no sign of stage fright. His gaze was fixed straight ahead, unfocused, as if staring into nothingness. Mimicking the man's tone, Xu Xiaoshou calmly and slowly said:

“You’ve finally appeared.”

Even if he didn't understand the situation, he couldn't cede the initiative to the other party—that was Xu Xiaoshou's principle. His consciousness was already controlled, implying that even his life and death might be directly in the other's hands. In such circumstances, if he showed timidity during their conversation, he might not even understand how he was "sold off" later.

The other party was silent for a moment; clearly, Xu Xiaoshou's manner of speaking was somewhat unexpected.

“You don't seem surprised?” The voice he projected carried a hint of surprise.

Xu Xiaoshou smiled faintly. “Surprised? What is there to be surprised about?”

The discomfort from his consciousness body seemed to vanish, and Xu Xiaoshou felt he could move. He tentatively took a small step and indeed walked forward. Strolling leisurely, he spoke as he walked: “From the moment that renowned sword appeared beside me, I sensed something was off. This was quite obvious. Leaving aside that the White Cave has only existed for a few years, the appearance of the Four Swords here is already unexpected. Now, a renowned sword and a Four Swords-ranked sword appearing simultaneously in this location… Fine, I can temporarily consider that a coincidence too. But this coincidence is far too mysterious.”

Xu Xiaoshou recalled Yu Zhiwen's words, slowly organizing his thoughts and speaking in a calm voice to make his statements sound more convincing.

“Mysterious?” The other party seemed genuinely swayed by Xu Xiaoshou's words, asking with interest, “How so?”

Xu Xiaoshou stopped, a confident expression on his face. It was best if he could lead the conversation. He waved a hand and said, “I deliberately made a small attempt, just to let others try to touch this renowned sword first and see if there was anything strange.” His voice suddenly paused, and Xu Xiaoshou raised an eyebrow. “And sure enough, there was nothing strange!”

“Hmph.” The other party suddenly sneered. This contradictory statement—claiming something was strange, then claiming it wasn't—perfectly highlighted Xu Xiaoshou's flustered state of mind.

“Little fellow, your mind is in a panic, isn't it? Stop pretending; this old man can hear your heartbeat.”

“Received ridicule, Passive Point, +1.”

Xu Xiaoshou calmly shook his head. “An accelerated heartbeat is a normal reaction for anyone brought into such an environment. But you don't seem to understand what I mean... No strangeness is the biggest strangeness!” Xu Xiaoshou stated emphatically.

“Oh?” The other party sounded surprised, “How so? Explain.”

“Received suspicion, Passive Point, +1.”

Seeing the information panel gradually return to its normal state, Xu Xiaoshou felt slightly relieved. But he dared not be careless, continuing to feign composure, his voice becoming even slower.

“If I'm not mistaken, you can see everything happening outside?” he asked first.

The other party gave an affirmative reply.

Seeing the man take the bait even more, Xu Xiaoshou smiled with relief: “So, while your scheme is good, the points of exposure are really too obvious. A sword that even ghost beasts and Dao-Slashers couldn't pull out, yet I, whom you've never even seen before, can easily retrieve it? Even if it's a renowned sword choosing its master, that's too foolish! It would abandon those outside with truly extraordinary sword dao talent and choose someone like me?” Xu Xiaoshou scoffed.

“Perhaps you are Heaven...”

Just as the other party was about to speak, Xu Xiaoshou unceremoniously interrupted him.

“Perhaps in your mind, you thought I'd believe that if others couldn't pull out the sword but I could, then I must truly be the Son of Destiny, right? But you're taking too much for granted! If it were anyone else, they might indeed be so naive. But how could I, Zhou Tianshen, be such a shallow person? What you imagine others think isn't necessarily everything they think. So I believe you've still made a mistake.” Xu Xiaoshou slightly lifted his chin with a hint of arrogance.

“Received curse, Passive Point, +1.”

Evidently, this message indicated the other party was slightly displeased by the interruption. Similarly, Xu Xiaoshou's words caused the other party to fall silent.

The silence didn't last long. Just as Xu Xiaoshou expected the man to start panicking, the other party asked a soul-stirring question.

“Aren't you called Xu Xiaoshou?”

*Click!* Xu Xiaoshou almost felt his little heart crack. Oh, right! This guy must be able to see and even hear everything outside the renowned sword. In other words, he also heard Gu Qing'er call his name? Damn it! Careless! This mix of truth and falsehood in his words was simply full of holes. Xu Xiaoshou was filled with extreme annoyance at this moment. However, the nervousness in his heart truly affected his judgment, making it easy for him to overlook small details.

“Xu Xiaoshou?” he repeated. “Heh, so you still made a mistake, didn't you! Am I that name just because others call me it? Moreover, is the name I'm giving you now my real name?” Even though his heart was racing, Xu Xiaoshou's face remained calm. When it came to psychological warfare, he truly feared no one.

“Received curse, Passive Point, +1.”“Received suspicion, Passive Point, +1.”

“What a sharp-tongued little fellow!” The other party chuckled and said, “This old man really didn't choose wrongly with you.”

Xu Xiaoshou's expression stiffened. He immediately realized that the other party had no intention of continuing this back-and-forth. As expected, in the next sentence, the man bypassed this discussion.

“You said you sensed something was off, so why were you brought in by me?”

Here it comes! The crucial point! Though his mind was in disarray, Xu Xiaoshou was well-prepared.

“Brought?” He chuckled merrily: “Was I really 'brought'? Can't you tell that I actively wanted to come in and meet you?”

Upon seeing this message, Xu Xiaoshou knew that he had completely disrupted the other party's plan. Even if the other party had his own rhythm, he now had a sliver of doubt about Xu Xiaoshou's actions. Not much. But this doubt, continuously accumulating, could definitely crush one's spirit at a critical moment!

“You believe it?” Xu Xiaoshou suddenly burst into laughter. “Haha, so you still made a mistake, didn't you!”

“Received curse, Passive Point, +1.”

The other party was clearly even angrier. Upon seeing this message, Xu Xiaoshou immediately stopped laughing, lowered his head, and spoke in a grave and serious tone.

“But I truly did deliberately want to come in and meet you!”

This back-and-forth maneuver. It was conceivable that even if the other party initially fully believed Xu Xiaoshou was flustered, after this exchange, he would surely be slightly flustered. Xu Xiaoshou couldn't see the other party, but the information panel's function had always been this. At that time, guessing Feng Kong's and Shao Yi's thoughts from a distance was done using such methods.

Indeed!

“Received gaze, Passive Point, +1.”

The other party had no other emotions left. Only a gaze remained. Xu Xiaoshou felt a slight startle and suspicion. That shouldn't be the case! How could he suddenly stop showing messages like “suspicion” or “grumbling”? Could it be... Xu Xiaoshou's pupils suddenly contracted. Could this mighty figure perceive the existence of the information panel? At this, Xu Xiaoshou's scalp tingled.

“Little fellow, are you trying to guess my thoughts?” The other party's voice held a hint of shock and anger.

Xu Xiaoshou didn't know which aspect was amiss, but he was now absolutely certain that no matter how strong or mighty that person was, they couldn't see the information panel which only his consciousness could observe. Which meant... He slowly raised his head, his eyes showing a playful look.

“I can even say with full certainty that you've already realized that I've been secretly deducing your attitude and reactions through the tone of your successive answers. So much so that you now don't even dare to show a shred of emotion, fearing that I might glean more information from you. Am I right?”

Speaking others' thoughts, rendering them speechless! At this moment, Xu Xiaoshou was extremely confident, because he saw the message that suddenly popped up on the information panel. Indeed. This old man didn't actually see the information panel. Instead, he had acutely sensed that Xu Xiaoshou possessed a certain method to decipher others' emotions through conversation, which is why, in this conversation, he had been able to repeatedly suppress him. But Xu Xiaoshou wasn't worried. Because, even without the information panel, many people in reality could somewhat achieve this. To summarize in three words: high emotional intelligence! In two words: clever!

“You are very clever.” The other party remained silent for a full ten-plus breaths, then suddenly praised: “This old man truly didn't expect that besides your sharp tongue, your mind would also be so... mature.” He paused, then, as Xu Xiaoshou felt a touch of joy, he suddenly chuckled. “Very good, this old man indeed didn't misjudge you!”

“This...” Xu Xiaoshou was stunned. What was going on? How could this guy, after being provoked by him to such an extent, not feel even a hint of indignation? Instead, he seemed to get happier the more he was provoked? This must be a pervert!

“Wait.” Xu Xiaoshou suddenly came to a realization. He had actually been treating this guy as an imaginary enemy. Therefore, all his words were aimed at suppressing the other party. But from the other party's perspective, things weren't necessarily so absolute! Perhaps this old man bringing him in wasn't necessarily to do something bad, but rather to... grant him an opportunity? Like, taking him as a disciple? Only then would he think that Xu Xiaoshou being able to suppress him was a sign of good ability!

“I was too careless...” Xu Xiaoshou hadn't thought of this aspect at all just now. At this moment, he was somewhat annoyed that he had exposed too much of his excellence. Being noticed by an old man like Sang already brought so much trouble. Now, he was targeted by such a powerful figure, personally invited in. Could this person possibly only be granting him an opportunity? "No one goes to the temple for no reason"—everyone knows this simple truth! Especially in a world driven by self-interest! This old man definitely had ill intentions!

The other party was still laughing, a joy emanating from the depths of his heart, making Xu Xiaoshou shiver. But he didn't dare to interrupt him. The more he spoke, the more mistakes he'd make. Truthfully, at this point, Xu Xiaoshou genuinely didn't know whether what he had said was better or worse than remaining silent.

“You are very clever, clever beyond this old man's imagination.” After the ancient voice had finished laughing, it deepened, speaking dispassionately: “Since you are so clever, then guess what this old man invited you here for.”

Xu Xiaoshou's eyes darkened. *For what? Who the hell knows what shenanigans you're up to! If I damn well knew, would I have dripped that blood? I would have kept my distance and fled long ago!* But he didn't reveal his thoughts. Since he had already played the part of being clever to this extent, and didn't know if speaking more would be better or worse than not, he might as well continue down this path, hoping for a turning point.

Xu Xiaoshou became serious. He carefully recalled the events that had transpired earlier: from the white skeleton's fight, to the white beast tide, then to the renowned sword's emergence. The business part could be ignored. After that, the renowned sword rejected everyone else but favored him alone, until it recognized him through blood... Truthfully, following this train of thought, Xu Xiaoshou genuinely couldn't see anything bad for himself. So, this old man was actually a benevolent old man? *Are you kidding me?!* Xu Xiaoshou immediately dismissed this thought. This was merely an illusion the other party wanted him to have. Anyone who thought that was a damn fool!

“The renowned sword, you gave it to me.” Xu Xiaoshou stated with certainty: “Although I don't know what method you used to bring this sword into the world or how you arranged for it to appear before me, this is what you intended to give me.”

The other party was somewhat surprised. After a pause, he uncharacteristically explained: “I am far away and currently unable to control the renowned sword's displacement. But...” His voice seemed to finally regain a trace of the confidence it should have had when speaking with Xu Xiaoshou: “This sword was buried by me over a hundred years ago!”

"Far away." Xu Xiaoshou immediately noted this important piece of information that had inadvertently slipped out. For such a powerful figure to mention being “far away,” it probably didn't just mean a great spatial distance! At the very least, it would be akin to being separated by several minor worlds? But in the next instant, he was startled by the latter half of the other party's statement.

“Over a hundred years? You mean you buried this sword over a hundred years ago?”

The ancient voice grew even more confident. Xu Xiaoshou was horrified.

“So, you set up this scheme over a hundred years ago, calculating that I would come here?”

What kind of joke is this? This is a god! Able to calculate things so precisely over a hundred years?

“Indeed!” The other party, however, gave his usual affirmative reply: “This old man's scheme only awaited the fated one, and you merely happened to meet some of the conditions.”

Xu Xiaoshou was utterly shocked. He used to think Elder Sang's strategies were terrifying enough. After all, from the beginning until now, he hadn't escaped that old man's calculations. But now, compared to this, Elder Sang's schemes seemed utterly pathetic! Over a hundred years? Precisely waiting? Even if he wasn't specifically waiting for Xu Xiaoshou, how did he manage to perfectly preserve his scheme through a hundred years of changing heavens and earth? One must know, in a hundred years, the Eighth Sword Immortal could have fallen twice!

“Why did you fancy me...?” Xu Xiaoshou barely managed to swallow his last, almost tearful, word. He felt he had stepped into an even larger game of chess. The player in this game was likely among the absolute top echelon in the world. A hundred years. Terrifying!

“Aren't you very clever? How this old man took a liking to you, you should know yourself.” The voice held a hint of playfulness.

Xu Xiaoshou was practically in tears. *What do I know about that? All I want right now is for you to damn well let me go. I'm incredibly sorry for my impulsive first drop of blood, alright? I shouldn't have defiled your renowned sword!*

“Then shall I guess?” Despite the bitterness churning in his mind, Xu Xiaoshou looked up, his face displaying only confidence.

“Received expectation, Passive Point, +1.”

Xu Xiaoshou lowered his gaze with a bitter smile. Looking at the vast, scorching white world before him, he steadied his mind and said:

“Firstly, this renowned sword is fire-attributed. So either you took a liking to me because of my sword dao aptitude, or because I'm a Grandmaster, or perhaps because of my cultivation technique... Cinder's Heavenly Incineration! The scorching, searing aura within this small world was too similar to the Cinder's lineage. But it was even stronger! Just standing there being roasted, Xu Xiaoshou felt like he was about to perish. The fact that his consciousness body could still persist now was likely because the other party had already taken protective measures. He continued: “As for sword dao aptitude, I believe you've seen that there's more than one person better than me. Therefore, you took a liking to me because of my fire attribute!”

The scene quieted for a moment. Xu Xiaoshou waited for the other party's response.

“Continue.” The voice was noncommittal. But even for an existence of this level, no matter how well he masked his emotions, any inadvertently revealed aura would be caught by the information panel, even if Xu Xiaoshou didn't notice it. Surprise and suspicion. That was confirmation! Xu Xiaoshou's heart settled. He asked a question with slight doubt: “Do you know someone named 'Elder Sang'?”

The other party seemed stunned. “Is this person important to your deduction?”

“Yes.”

“No.”

A very decisive answer. Xu Xiaoshou let out a breath. An existence of this caliber truly had no need to deceive him. If he said he didn't know him, then he truly didn't. If so, was him being targeted truly just an accident? A coincidence...?

“Why give me a renowned sword?” Xu Xiaoshou asked.

“You guess.” The other party was clearly hooked, even more interested in Xu Xiaoshou's precise deductions.

Xu Xiaoshou was speechless. But he had no choice; he could only grasp the currently available information and continue to deduce.

“Renowned sword... If it's because of my fire attribute that you want to give me something, why must it be a renowned sword? Can't it be something else? Theoretically, a renowned sword is more inclined towards sword attributes. If you wanted to give me something more suitable, shouldn't it be a fire-attributed treasure of the same caliber? But he didn't! Looking at it this way, not giving other items but only the renowned sword means it's simply because the renowned sword happened to be here, and he could manipulate it from afar? That's it!” Xu Xiaoshou's heart suddenly stirred. He recalled the information the old man had inadvertently revealed earlier. “I am far away.” These four words, if not pondered carefully, seemed to mean nothing. But in this context... Being far away meant he couldn't come. Unable to come, yet still exerting great effort to remotely control the Flame Serpent's emergence, just to give him something? Where in the world is there such a good person? If the renowned sword he sent might endanger his life, Xu Xiaoshou would actually feel relieved. But this renowned sword was truly one of the twenty-one renowned swords, original and imported, with absolutely no harmful qualities. So...

“Delivering treasure from a thousand miles away?” Xu Xiaoshou felt a trace of peculiarity. If one disregarded their unequal statuses, this situation, in the mundane world, wouldn't it be a sign of needing someone's help? Slowly raising his head, Xu Xiaoshou said uncertainly: “You're giving me a sword because you want my help?”

“Cough.”

“*Pfft!*”

The sound of suppressed sputtering directly emerged. Judging by this, was the other party still drinking tea? Xu Xiaoshou was utterly stunned. Could it be that he'd hit the nail on the head? He glanced at the information panel. Xu Xiaoshou: “...” That was undeniably true!

“Little fellow...”

“Won't you come out and meet me?” Xu Xiaoshou grew bolder and interrupted the other party again. If he was asking for a favor, then Xu Xiaoshou's initiative was firmly secured! Asking to meet him wouldn't be too much, would it?

The vast white world suddenly fell silent with his words. Xu Xiaoshou didn't wait long before a figure slowly emerged from the distant horizon. A scorching, intense aura pressed down, like a blazing sun descending to the earth, making it impossible to look directly at it. Even when he gazed intently, with his "perception" fully open, Xu Xiaoshou still couldn't clearly see the old man's figure. But just by the considerable Heavenly Dao power visible to the naked eye, Xu Xiaoshou was certain. This guy had already surpassed anyone he had ever seen.

“Void power, with a sense of surpassing Heavenly Dao... if there are no surprises, it's Saint Power! So, this is at least a powerhouse at the peak of the Void Stage...”

“Wait!” Xu Xiaoshou suddenly came to a realization. He had only arrived here as a consciousness body. How then could this person have come in their true form? And his earlier statement, “I am far away,” further indicated that what had arrived was not his true body!

“A Half-Saint! Or even above Half-Saint!” Xu Xiaoshou was terrified. How had he, of all people, been targeted by a Saint?

“Little fellow...”

“This old man truly sees you in a new light!”

As the old man advanced, his radiance gradually receded. Just as his power was about to fully converge and Xu Xiaoshou was about to see his true form, suddenly!

“Received gaze, Passive Point, +1.”

Xu Xiaoshou was startled. “Gaze” had always been a sensitive phrase. And most of the time, it only triggered when he was being secretly observed. The old man had already stepped out; how could there still be a “gaze”?

A rift suddenly appeared in the void, and from it surged immense sword intent. That sword intent possessed world-shattering power; just a single wisp felt like Mount Tai pressing down, causing the small world to directly shatter.

“Boom, boom—”

Violent rumbling resounded. Xu Xiaoshou's consciousness body almost collapsed on the spot.

“What's happening?” Before he could even ponder what was happening, a startled cry echoed from afar.

“No good, the Holy Divine Palace!”

The old man had not yet approached, but looking at the cracking firmament, his entire body froze. The next second, without even time to explain, he frantically pointed a finger, and a beam of white light shot into Xu Xiaoshou's forehead. At the same moment, the vast white small world completely disintegrated.

Xu Xiaoshou received the energy infusion, his head reeled, and he almost fainted on the spot. He felt he was hallucinating. The man he had deduced to be a Saint, under the overwhelming sword intent, had lost all composure and was scurrying back in a frantic escape. A Saint so disheveled? Xu Xiaoshou was utterly bewildered. He rubbed his eyes and looked again, but the old man was already gone.

As the small world collapsed, his consciousness body returned. Vaguely, Xu Xiaoshou could still hear the “clanking, clanking” sound that accompanied the old man's panicked footsteps.

“Is that... the sound of chains?”