Chapter 526: One Shot, One Kill

"Calm, calm."

Xu Xiaoshou regained his composure. The effect of the extended passive skill "Transformation" was truly excellent. Its disguise component, combined with "Stealth," made him practically unassailable. Furthermore, the body alteration aspect of the skill seemed to fully unleash his combat potential. Normal attack range was no longer an issue. Now, even relying solely on his passive skills, without swordsmanship or spiritual cultivation, Xu Xiaoshou had completely transformed from a warrior into a warrior-type marksman.

"Extension..."

Xu Xiaoshou pondered while looking at his body. After some experimentation, he concluded that "Transformation," at its current level, still had limitations. For example, he couldn't directly transform from a normal human form into a hundred-meter-tall "Ash-Glow White Skeleton." Even if he could, it would be a miniaturized version, roughly ten meters tall at most.

"So, the current limit for 'Transformation' at the Grandmaster level should be around ten meters."

"As for shrinking..." Xu Xiaoshou also gave it a try. He could shrink down to a half-meter-tall stone at his smallest. Any smaller, and he couldn't continue. Perhaps once he leveled up to "Throne" tier, this passive skill would experience another breakthrough.

"Is this a passive skill?" Xu Xiaoshou was somewhat puzzled. To be honest, from a certain perspective, "Transformation" seemed less like a passive skill. On the contrary, being able to control the scale of transformation independently made it feel more like an active skill. However, it was unlikely that the system would have such a significant bug. This meant that his understanding of the word "passive" within the passive skill system indeed differed somewhat from the system's own definition.

"Perhaps, it should be thought of this way..." "'Transformation' actually genetically modified my body, turning me into a being that can inherently shrink and expand at will, with its basic form being human. Therefore, under such a talent skill, I possess the special power to control and change my body at will."

"This power... is it similar to Little Chicken Xu?" Xu Xiaoshou mused. Perhaps this gene-modification-like aspect was the reason this passive skill appeared in the system. And understood in this way, other passive skills could also be explained. Take "Perception," for example. According to his previous understanding, this was also a passive skill whose range could be actively controlled, not typically passive. But from the current perspective, the system must have upgraded his spiritual power, transforming it into the ability to perceive his surroundings. Therefore, this ability would change according to his subjective thoughts.

Humans do possess innate passive abilities. Just like eyes can see. You can see many things when your mind is relaxed, but once you focus your attention on a specific point, other things become relatively ignored, and the focal point becomes clear. "Perception" should be an amplification of this ability. This explains why, after upgrading to the Grandmaster level, he could freely expand and contract his "Perception" range.

"Excellent!"

After understanding the system's definition of passive skills, Xu Xiaoshou felt there was still much to explore. However, he only had a limited amount of passive points. Using them up was truly unsatisfying!

"No rush, I can take my time..." After calming down slightly, Xu Xiaoshou couldn't help but smile. He already possessed so many abilities that others only dreamed of; what was the point of being anxious? Besides, would being anxious even help?

"I still need to keep earning passive points!" With a gentle sigh, Xu Xiaoshou put aside the "Transformation" passive skill and continued to look at the text below the information bar:

"Passive Points: 160,576."

"One hundred sixty thousand. That means if I save one hundred thousand for awakening, I'll still have sixty thousand to splurge."

"Another round?" Xu Xiaoshou was very tempted. Getting a skill on his very first ten-consecutive-draw was completely unexpected. One could say it had disrupted his entire plan. As a result, his current passive points... seemed a bit abundant?

"Oh, right, I also got a 'passive key' earlier. I should use it first." Xu Xiaoshou chuckled, "Who knows, a single draw might produce a miracle. If I get another skill, I can directly upgrade these extra sixty thousand points to Grandmaster level." Even though he knew he was dreaming big, one should always have dreams, what if they came true?

"Passive Keys: 1." Without much thought, Xu Xiaoshou inserted the key into the red dial, twisted it, and then looked back at the information bar.

"Buzz!"

Just then, his Yuanfu space suddenly vibrated.

"Startled, Passive Points +1."

Xu Xiaoshou was startled, thinking something had happened to his Yuanfu space. The next second, he realized he was wrong. Completely wrong! The vibration wasn't in the Yuanfu space. It was himself! His vision distorted. Amidst the buzzing in his head, Xu Xiaoshou felt as if he had traveled through time, abruptly entering a new world.

"This!" He was shocked. "An illusion?" A sense of disbelief spontaneously arose. Xu Xiaoshou was utterly bewildered. He had just made a casual remark. Unexpectedly, his dream had come true? An illusion... wasn't that the privilege of mastery-type passive skills?

"Holy crap!" At that moment, Xu Xiaoshou was almost beside himself with joy. Ten consecutive draws! Only fifty thousand passive points! And it only came with one bonus passive key! But didn't this essentially mean he had won two passive skills in one draw? This was simply beyond imagination, something one wouldn't even dare to dream of!

"Calm, calm..." His breathing slightly quickened, Xu Xiaoshou quickly made himself calm down. According to past experiences, such illusions presented the grand culmination scene of the passive skill. If he didn't observe carefully, he might miss many important details. He focused his mind and gazed out.

Before him lay a vast and barren desert. Boundless and desolate, with no companion in sight. Above the desert, the sun rose from the east, and the morning sun was just awakening. On the distant horizon where heaven and earth met, a lone goose flew south, and wisps of smoke curled upwards. With just one glance, Xu Xiaoshou's attention was captivated.

It was so magnificent! This illusion, merely from its opening atmosphere, exerted an inexplicable pressure. Indescribable, but truly spectacular. He wondered if it was an illusion. With just that one look, Xu Xiaoshou felt the heavens and earth were somewhat oppressive. His breathing, which hadn't even begun to calm down, became even more rapid. It was as if he had suddenly shouldered the weight of Mount Tai; as time passed, under the oppression of this aura, Xu Xiaoshou's back began to hunch. His knees trembled, and his whole body started to shake.

"What is this?" Xu Xiaoshou was bewildered. He could fully realize that this pressure was not an illusion but truly existed. But what did this illusion want to convey? "Does it just want me to stand here?"

"Caw—"

Suddenly, across the vast and desolate desert, a mournful cry of a wild goose echoed. Xu Xiaoshou looked over and saw the lone goose flying south. After that cry, it fell straight from the sky as if shot by a hunter.

"Huff!" "Huff!" "Huff..."

His breathing grew even more rapid. Xu Xiaoshou's mind began to blur. He vaguely felt that the aura between heaven and earth was becoming more immense and harder to resist.

"What's happening?" Before he could ponder further,

"Buzz—" "Bang!"

After a buzzing tremor, the surrounding world suddenly shattered. First, a point in the distance. Then, the fragmented space spread out in a shockwave, like ripples, directly tearing apart the entire sky.

"Thud!" Xu Xiaoshou could no longer withstand the pressure. He desperately tried to straighten up, but the aura was too terrifying; he directly slammed his knees to the ground, kneeling with a thud.

"Crack, crack..." The sound of bones cracking came from his knees. A look of pain appeared on Xu Xiaoshou's face. He was shocked. His Grandmaster body had actually shattered its kneecaps with this single kneel?

"What the hell is this thing?" Xu Xiaoshou panicked. Understanding it from a Spirit Array Master's perspective, if one died in an illusion, then under spiritual death, the physical body would very likely follow. However, even at this moment, he didn't understand what this illusion was trying to convey, making it even more impossible to resist or fight back against it.

"Thump!"

As if an ancient giant had stomped on the ground, the heavens and earth suddenly emitted a deep, penetrating thud like a war drum. Xu Xiaoshou felt his heart skip a beat. He struggled to raise his head, the bones in his neck cracking. But he just wanted to see what the source of the goose's fatal fall and his own overwhelming pressure was. With a "crack" and a sudden jerk of his head, Xu Xiaoshou looked towards the source of the shattering world. A black dot abruptly appeared.

"A giant?" Xu Xiaoshou was momentarily stunned. The next second,

"Thump!"

The sky-supporting giant took another step, and the void completely exploded. Xu Xiaoshou's heart also pounded violently, almost bursting.

"What the hell is that?" Vaguely, Xu Xiaoshou could already discern the faint golden light emanating from the giant as it approached, seemingly shrinking distances with each step. He thought of something. "Raging Giant?" "Explosive Stance?" "Is that... me?"

He continued to watch in disbelief as the colossal giant took yet another step.

"Thump!"

This time, it appeared directly at the edge of the desert. Even though it was only at the edge, still such a distant away, Xu Xiaoshou could already clearly see its face.

"Xu Xiaoshou?" "It's really me?" He struggled to keep his head raised. At this moment, under the pressure of this cosmic force, even moving a single finger felt utterly powerless. Even his thoughts began to stagnate, becoming completely sluggish.

"Thump!"

Another step. The sky-spanning giant, having crossed the expanse, landed a hundred zhang away from Xu Xiaoshou.

"Boom, boom, boom..." Xu Xiaoshou could no longer bear the immense pressure; his limbs directly exploded, flesh and blood splattering. He felt his body disintegrating. Moreover, at this moment, even the images transmitted by "Perception" were blurry. It seemed that under the oppressive aura of this giant, everything in heaven and earth would cease to exist. Space warped, the sun moved backward. The desert sank, sand and stones trembled.

Xu Xiaoshou knelt on the ground. His mind was completely blurred, and his body was utterly shattered. But even so, his head remained defiantly raised, stoically enduring the indescribable terrifying aura, held straight and upright! Blood flowed from his seven orifices, and his skull began to crack. A mocking voice seemed to well up in his heart:

"Stop struggling, can you even withstand it?"

This is... my voice? Xu Xiaoshou strained to open his eyes. The obscure blood almost blurred most of his vision. But in the small portion of the scene that remained clear, what perfectly came into view was the colossal giant's lowered head. It, too, seemed to bear something, its back hunched. Yet, it was stubbornly supporting everything, keeping its body straight, desperately resisting the pressure.

"I..."

The moment his thoughts were on the verge of complete collapse, Xu Xiaoshou fully awakened. This is me! What this guy said was my inner monologue! So, whatever I say... he'll do it too?

"Raise your head, you're a man!" Xu Xiaoshou roared inwardly. The next second, the sky-supporting giant's body suddenly trembled. Abruptly, the massive head lifted, and its eyelids opened. Xu Xiaoshou suddenly realized:

"Lowering my head and closing my eyes was only to protect this world. Because the moment those eyes are revealed, the heavens and earth will be unable to withstand such an aura!"

When those scarlet eyes opened, as expected, the illusion shattered with a roar. Xu Xiaoshou's kneeling body also disintegrated.

"Boom!" His mind buzzed again, like being struck by lightning. Xu Xiaoshou's spirit was shattered by that gaze, blasting him directly out of the Scripture Pavilion, erupting in a shower of blood in the void, and tumbling into the chaotic mist.

"Huff, huff, huff!"

Gasping for breath, Xu Xiaoshou looked at the familiar scenes of his Yuanfu space, holding his wildly thumping heart, unable to calm down for a long time.

"That was insane, what on earth was that?"

"Endless Life" vigorously circulated, rapidly healing his entire body.

"Xu Xiaoshou?" "Is that you, Xu Xiaoshou?" Mu Zixi's voice came from outside, "Xu Xiaoshou, are you dead? What are you doing... Come out, you can't die, sniffle..."

Xu Xiaoshou: "..."

"Worried, Passive Points +1."

"Xu Xiaoshou?" Yu Zhiwen's voice also appeared. The two of them had been cultivating in the Yuanfu space, but the sudden explosion of the Scripture Pavilion had truly frightened them. And the figure that flew out of the void... seemed to be a person? There was only one person in the broken tower; if it wasn't Xu Xiaoshou, who else could it be?

"Worried, Passive Points +1."

Xu Xiaoshou opened his mouth, finding his throat incredibly dry, making it difficult to speak. He gargled for a long time, finally managing to produce some saliva, which he swallowed to moisten his throat, feeling a little better then.

"No, not dead..." His injuries finally recovered enough for him to stand. Xu Xiaoshou immediately got up, flying out of the chaotic mist, no longer needing to endure its corrosive power.

"Xu Xiaoshou, what are you doing?" Mu Zixi immediately jogged over. Seeing him covered in blood, she became completely distraught.

"It's fine, it's fine..." Xu Xiaoshou waved his hands repeatedly. Turning to see Yu Zhiwen's equally worried gaze, he immediately tried to calm himself. "It's nothing, just a small experiment." He swung his hands, but his sleeves felt heavy. He rolled up his sleeves and squeezed, and blood dripped down "plop, plop," as if he had just been pulled from a basin of blood.

"Uh." Xu Xiaoshou froze.

Mu Zixi: "..." Yu Zhiwen: "..."

"You call this a small experiment?" they both exclaimed in unison.

"Suspected, Passive Points +3."

Little Chicken Xu, hiding in the corner, saw this scene and curled up even tighter.

"Oh my goodness, Xu Xiaoshou must be crazy. He can make himself bleed profusely all by himself?" "What if he's in a bad mood sometime? Wouldn't he bring Grandpa Jie again and beat me up?"

"Feared, Passive Points +1."

"Hold on!" Seeing that the two before him were about to ask more questions, Xu Xiaoshou quickly raised a hand, "I'll explain later." He looked down, only to realize he had become a blood-soaked mess. He was in no mood to explain further; Xu Xiaoshou was eager to return to the broken tower to check his condition.

But when he turned his head, where was the broken tower? How was it gone? And where did this pile of rubble come from?

"Who did this?" Xu Xiaoshou was stunned for a moment. How could the power of an illusion be brought into reality? Could it be that as soon as he flew out, someone else blew up the broken tower?

"Little Chicken Xu, was it you?"

Xu Xiaoshou: ???

"Frightened, Passive Points +1."

Mu Zixi immediately rolled her eyes. "What do you think? In your Yuanfu, who would dare to mess around?"

"Scorned, Passive Points +1."

Xu Xiaoshou: "..." With a helpless wave of his hand, he temporarily stacked the rubble into a small stone hut with his mind and immediately ducked inside.

"Cursed, Passive Points +1."

"Worried, Passive Points +1."

"Feared, Passive Points +1."

"Acquired Status Passive Skill: Aura that Swallows Mountains and Rivers!"

Xu Xiaoshou stared at that line of text in the information bar for a long time in silence. "Status Passive Skill?" Undoubtedly, this was a new type of passive skill, one Xu Xiaoshou had never encountered before. But... "What does 'status' mean?"

Previously, whether it was basic passive skills or extended and mastery passive skills, they were easy to understand. But this "Status Passive Skill" that had appeared... "Aura that Swallows Mountains and Rivers?"

Xu Xiaoshou squinted, recalling the illusion he had just experienced. From the moment the scene of the vast desert, lingering smoke, and lone goose flying south appeared, an inexplicable aura had already begun to brew. Presumably, this was when the colossal giant began to walk. And with each step the giant took, its aura doubled, stacking until space itself shattered. Subsequently, the giant appeared at the far end of the heaven-earth boundary, seen by him. From the moment he first saw that being, the aura, as if capable of crushing heaven and earth, began to grow exponentially. And all the pressure converged onto him. Ultimately, the giant walked before him, and he could no longer bear it, completely disintegrating.

Xu Xiaoshou mused. "So, a Status Passive Skill is an ability that continuously stacks? And 'Aura that Swallows Mountains and Rivers' is about using an aura to overwhelm people, and even, once accumulated to a certain extent, can directly shatter heaven and earth with a single glance?"

"Hiss!" Xu Xiaoshou gasped. He knew of this form of passive skill. High-level! But such a high-level passive skill was obtained from a bonus passive key? Xu Xiaoshou fell silent again. Did he just get incredibly lucky today? Getting two skills from ten consecutive draws was one thing, but each one was more terrifying than the last!

"Is this what they call 'surviving a great calamity means future blessings'?" With a dazed smile, Xu Xiaoshou shifted his attention to the panel. Sure enough, a new section appeared on it.

Status Passive Skill:Aura that Swallows Mountains and Rivers (Acquired Lv.1)

As his gaze fell upon this line of text, information suddenly streamed into his mind.

"Aura that Swallows Mountains and Rivers: When emotions change, aura can be stacked, with no upper limit."

Xu Xiaoshou was taken aback. This was one of the few passive skills that came with a description! "When emotions change?" He chewed on this prerequisite, feeling somewhat bewildered. "So, if I go from a normal state and just keep laughing, I can also stack an aura?" "What good is that aura then?" "Make everyone laugh with me?"

Xu Xiaoshou imagined himself suddenly bursting into maniacal laughter under the gaze of thousands. Everyone would stare at him, bewildered, then involuntarily start laughing too. And they would laugh louder and louder, more deranged than him! Then, even the great figures... such as the Temple Master of the Holy Divine Temple, the Eighth Sword Immortal, and Kuiliehan, would also start laughing?

"What the heck, this sounds a bit comical?" "Pfft," Xu Xiaoshou chuckled. He immediately cut off this bizarre scenario and started thinking along more practical lines.

"For emotional stacking, the easiest emotions to trigger should be anger and killing intent!" "These two should be the normal conditions to activate 'Aura that Swallows Mountains and Rivers.' Only then would this passive skill have substantial offensive power..."

Xu Xiaoshou pondered, then suddenly paused. "If I'm at the top, surrounded by tens of thousands of onlookers, and my aura is fully stacked, what would happen if I suddenly swept my gaze across them?" Undoubtedly, judging by the colossal giant's gaze... Everyone would fall!

"Hiss!" Xu Xiaoshou gasped a second time. "This, isn't this... Conqueror's Aura?" His heart immediately burned with excitement.

"Upgrade!" "This skill is too powerful, I must max it out!" Recalling the description information again, a crucial point had evidently been overlooked by him.

"No upper limit!"

This aura stacking had no end. Meaning, as long as he could endure it and stack it for a year or two, perhaps when that disheveled saint came over... He'd just lift his gaze... And they'd drop dead!

"Holy crap!" "This is too awesome, isn't it?"

Xu Xiaoshou without another word, directly exchanged passive points and went all-in on this newly acquired Status Passive Skill—Aura that Swallows Mountains and Rivers.

"Aura that Swallows Mountains and Rivers (Acquired Lv.1).""Aura that Swallows Mountains and Rivers (Grandmaster Lv.1)."

Feeling his own condition, a look of surprise appeared on Xu Xiaoshou's face. "No changes..." "Oh, right, there's a prerequisite for activating 'Aura that Swallows Mountains and Rivers'..." "Emotional change?" Xu Xiaoshou furrowed his brow. "Try killing intent?"

"Alright." "So, whom do I want to kill?" As his thoughts swirled, Old Sang's large dark circles immediately appeared in his mind. Xu Xiaoshou was momentarily disoriented.

"Huh?" "Why this old man?" "Something's wrong with me!" He immediately switched targets. "Masked man?" "Good, I'll kill you!"

He assumed a horse stance, exerting himself as if constipated, his face scrunched up. "Masked man, you think you're so great just because you're a 'Holy Servant,' huh? Daring to snatch Sister Su's sword, daring to snatch me, Xu Xiaoshou..."

"Die!" "Die—" He clenched his fists, roaring angrily. But he felt no special change within himself. "What's going on?" Bewildered, Xu Xiaoshou stopped his rather childish actions.

He casually pulled out Blazing Python, used it to pick up a small piece of rubble, and pointed the sword at it. "Alright, from now on, you are the masked man!"

"Argh—" Xu Xiaoshou erupted in rage, thrusting his sword into the stone. "Die!!!" With a flick of the sword, the stone was sliced into two halves as easily as tofu by the blade. Xu Xiaoshou froze.

"What the heck..."

"Suspected, Passive Points +3."

"Feared, Passive Points +1."

Suddenly, a curse came from afar. "Xu Xiaoshou, what's wrong with you again? Can't you be quiet?!"

"Cursed, Passive Points +1, +1, +1, +1..."