Chapter 679: I Don't Know You, Don't Kill Me

"What is he doing?"

Like many bewildered people in the stands, Xiao Lian and Yao Yue in the VIP box were equally confused by Young Master Xu's actions in the Northern District.

"Is he really not causing trouble by doing this?" Xiao Lian glanced at the calm-faced Xin Gugu and asked Yao Yue.

Yao Yue's pretty face showed hesitation. She also stared at Xin Gugu for a long time. "Theoretically, although Young Master Xu is a bit eccentric, he hasn't violated any rules..."

"If he hasn't violated anything, then it's fine, right?"

Feeling uneasy under their gazes, Xin Gugu couldn't help but explain Xu Xiaoshou's actions. "He's just like that. There's no rule in the arena against inciting others to commit crimes, is there? And look at him, he consistently clears out a group of people every twenty-something seconds."

"He's actually quite serious about the competition..."

Xin Gugu felt his face flush slightly. But Xu Xiaoshou was one of their own, and while his methods were strange, they were also quite predictable! Hadn't Xu Xiaoshou been like this ever since they met him? If he didn't act this way, would he still be Xu Xiaoshou? With him like this, what could Xin Gugu do? Besides covering for him from the sidelines, what more could he explain about this guy's behavior? *Even I don't know what Xu Xiaoshou has been doing all this time...* Xin Gugu grumbled internally.

Yao Yue and Xiao Lian exchanged glances, both speechless. The situation in the Northern District was, in their eyes, nothing short of a spectacle.

Young Master Xu's combat power was too high! He rarely made a move, but no one dared to ignore the golden orbs of light shimmering around him. While no one dared to ignore it, no one dared to actually confront it either. Even Yao Yue felt she might not escape unharmed from the explosive power of those golden orbs. The arena contestants, all at the Xiantian level, were no match. What ability did they possess that could compare to Young Master Xu's power?

"So this is a Half-Saint's heir..." Xiao Lian murmured to herself.

By this point in the competition, Young Master Xu's combat power was clearly the highest in the arena; anyone with eyes could see it. In such a one-sided struggle, contestants in other districts were relatively unaffected. Amidst the bloody fighting, it was hard to pay attention to Young Master Xu's actions. With their vision obscured, they still had the motivation to fight among themselves.

However, those in the Northern District were practically being toyed with by Xu-de-ye. If Young Master Xu wanted to play with people, the contestants had to play along. If Young Master Xu wanted that guy, Xiao Wanfeng, who served tea and poured water, to be toyed with by others, then he had no choice but to comply, even through tears! It was simply...

"He's practically a devil!" Xiao Lian exclaimed, shaking her head.

Indeed, at first, a few inconspicuous contestants tried to sneak attack Young Master Xu, taking advantage of everyone's attention being drawn to Xiao Wanfeng. But Young Master Xu, though floating and smiling as he watched Xiao Wanfeng's pathetic state, was vigilant. Those who went to attack him were all either maimed or killed by the golden orbs. "Ruthless!" Young Master Xu's performance was completely unlike that of a newly entered contestant. Or rather, apart from a brief moment of daze at the start of the match, as if Young Master Xu was also startled by the bloodlust of the Tianluo War, his subsequent actions were more brutal than any executioner. This Half-Saint's heir's every move thereafter was more like an executioner than any actual executioner. Decisive and merciless! Hit if you should, kill if they should die! Completely unstoppable!

"It's almost time." Yao Yue suddenly spoke. While most of the audience's attention was drawn to the spectacle in the Northern District, she was also observing contestants in other areas. By now, the Tianluo War had been going on for quite some time. At this point, each of the five major districts had been cleared, leaving only about five or six hundred people. In a little while longer, when the numbers reached the required standard, the host's extremely excited voice would emerge.

"It's time for the finals!!!"

"Now, let's congratulate the remaining contestants! You have ten seconds to recover. After that, let's move on to the intense and thrilling final round!"

Rumble, rumble, rumble.

The arena was sinking, and the dividing fences were rising. Contestants from all five districts in the arena ceased fighting. This was an unwritten rule. The Tianluo War was exhausting. During this brief shrinking period, everyone was meditating and recovering, hoping to face the upcoming battles in better condition. Of course, there was one exception in the entire arena. While others fought tooth and nail and used this brief moment to recuperate, this guy had been recuperating the entire match, making almost no active moves unless it was to save someone!

"An intense and thrilling final round...?" The spectators outside the arena stared blankly at Young Master Xu in the Northern District, unconsciously repeating the host's words. Perhaps at any other time, the upcoming final round battle in the arena would have been what everyone eagerly anticipated. But now...

"Where's the tension, where's the excitement?"

"That 'Father Xu' has been casually drinking tea on stage the whole time! He might as well build a latrine up there so he can balance his 'input and output' and just settle in permanently."

"Useless, utterly useless! This is the first time I've seen a battle with absolutely no suspense. Are those Northern District people cowards? Did no one dare to launch a sneak attack? Just let that Xu-de-ye flaunt his power?"

"Heh, sneak attack? Would you dare? Didn't you see how the previous ones died? Those exploding light orbs..."

"Oh right, what exactly are those golden orbs? Does Young Master Xu really have an explosive attribute? That spirit technique is just disgusting!"

"'Father Xu,' have my babies!!! And me... Aaaah, he, he, he looked at me!"

"Ugh, these women are crazy."

"The finals?"

"So fast?"

Xu Xiaoshou watched with a curious expression as the arena rose and fell and the fences lifted. All contestants were almost unwillingly forced into the central area. Then, these dishevelled, grim-faced individuals all had their gazes drawn to the nearly spotless young man floating above them.

"He... he's not bleeding?"

Young Master Xu's resplendent golden robes, in this place covered in blood, were simply too eye-catching. The only bloodstains on him were a few drops that had accidentally splashed on him at the very beginning. Other than that, he had no injuries anywhere on his body, and even his breathing was perfectly even, as if everyone else was there to fight, and he was just there for a leisurely trip.

"My goodness, were the guys from the Northern District that cowardly?"

"Not a single one dared to challenge that Xu-de-ye? So they were really just scared by the title 'Half-Saint's heir'?"

"Shhh! Don't even go there, you South District fellow. You didn't see how disgusting the Northern District scene just now was. That guy..."

"What about him?"

"He, he, he..."

"Well? Go on?"

"He... sigh, you wouldn't believe it even if I told you, and I can't even describe it. Why should I waste my breath?"

Some contestants who had entered the competition together had fought their way out of their respective districts and gathered in the central area. Some people had witnessed the situation in the Northern District. But most people had only looked up from their own slaughter grounds; before this, they hadn't had the mental capacity to pay attention to other districts. As for Young Master Xu's strange phenomenon, indeed, some contestants in the arena had some understanding of it. But most people still harbored the intention of making a big splash in the upcoming fight. Young Master Xu! A Half-Saint's heir! Perhaps everyone's initial thought was not to offend him. But now, the killing intent had fully emerged, and anyone who entered this Tianluo arena was responsible for their own life and death. Under such circumstances, who wouldn't want to step on this Half-Saint's heir as a stepping stone and reach the pinnacle?

"Young Master Xu..."

Abused half to death, Xiao Wanfeng had inexplicably entered the final round, and he was completely dazed. His current feelings were almost indescribable. There was relief at escaping death, endless resentment towards Young Master Xu, the instigator, but more than that, there was a sense of profound realization... An infinite sense of realization about his own experience!

"I made it to the finals?" Xiao Wanfeng questioned himself in disbelief, somewhat doubting if what he saw was real. He had once come to the Tianluo arena to witness the excitement of the battles, but after just a quick glance, he feared being caught in the aftermath of the fighting and left. After all, the audience could ignore the battle's aftermath because they possessed the strength to directly enter the arena if angered. As for him, Xiao Wanfeng, frankly, even without Hidden Sword Arts, he was just an ordinary person. But now, an ordinary person had made it to the finals?

"How did I get in?" Xiao Wanfeng scratched his head. Only those who truly understood the Tianluo War could comprehend how incredible this was. For one person to enter the final round in the Tianluo War meant they had practically eliminated four-fifths of the contestants. After all, this was a battle where one in ten thousand was chosen. And the final round meant only about two thousand people remained.

"I, Xiao Wanfeng, outran over seven thousand Xiantian and Houtian practitioners?" Xiao Wanfeng's excitement at this moment almost overshadowed his anger towards Young Master Xu.

"Yes, you've entered the final round. Don't doubt yourself, don't belittle yourself. While you might not be the absolute best, you are indeed very good," Xu Xiaoshou said, landing beside him just in time and smiling encouragingly.

Xiao Wanfeng finally reacted, his anger once again suppressing his excitement, and he glared sideways at Young Master Xu.

"Why are you glaring at me?"

Xu Xiaoshou was completely unaffected by this harmless gaze. At this moment, he felt like he had transformed into the cold-blooded Old Sang, feeding seeds. Some things are truly difficult to comprehend until you reach a certain level. Just as he once couldn't understand why Old Sang would treat a junior from the Spirit Palace that way. That kind of behavior was precisely like a devil, a completely inhuman villain. But once you truly reach a certain realm, everything suddenly makes sense.

"Perhaps growing up is like this!"

The only thing that made Xu Xiaoshou feel somewhat abnormal was that Old Sang only acted so cold-bloodedly when he reached a height where he could truly decide a person's life and death. And he himself, at this moment, was only a Xiantian practitioner...

"What have you realized?" Xu Xiaoshou asked cheerfully. He had asked this question countless times when he was in the Northern District. Every time Xiao Wanfeng lost all hope of survival in the brutal free-for-all, Xu Xiaoshou would rescue him and clear out a group, asking this very question. Yet Xiao Wanfeng still glared at him. Xu Xiaoshou understood this feeling all too well, so he didn't care at all.

"Still haven't realized it?" Seeing Xiao Wanfeng's persistent reaction, he simply raised an eyebrow. "It's alright. There's still fighting to come; you'll have plenty of chances to realize it."

However, this time, after his glare, Xiao Wanfeng showed a thoughtful expression for the first time. After all, only now did he have a moment to think...

"Honestly, I really can't understand your method, but it seems to be genuinely effective..." Xiao Wanfeng murmured to himself, as if he had truly realized something. Repeated escapes from death, even if he believed in Young Master Xu and trusted him to save him at crucial moments... the feeling of helplessness when near death was something no human being would ever want to face. In such moments, perhaps the first or second time, no one would react by thinking about how to resolve such a predicament. But when such a life-or-death predicament could occur a third, fourth... or even thirtieth or fortieth time, it became entirely different.

Xiao Wanfeng pondered. He was a person good at thinking and summarizing. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to gain his own unique insights and alternative perspectives after researching a type of sword art. And now, he had once again entered that state of epiphany. Flashing through his mind were scenes of repeated escapes from death, or rather, not escapes at all, but situations of certain death. After all, if Young Master Xu hadn't intervened...

Each time, what he had planned in his mind was disrupted by tiny details in reality. Perhaps the pursuers tripped, or two elements that usually didn't interfere with each other produced an explosive effect exceeding his expectations due to a third party... Too many details! If, at those times, the pursuers' intentions had aligned with his expectations, even as an ordinary person, he wouldn't have been pushed to desperation in a massive group attack. But they wouldn't act according to his thoughts. So, how could he make them act according to his thoughts?

"Wait a minute?"

"Make them wait a minute?"

Xiao Wanfeng found this idea absurd. He was completely unaware that at this moment of his contemplation, the flow of Dao rhythm around his body had visibly accelerated. Others might not notice. But Xu Xiaoshou, being so close, clearly saw this with his "Perception."

Just then, the arena finished descending, and the dividing fences lifted high, securely fixing into their pre-match elevated positions with a "clang." Also rising in response was the host's impassioned voice.

"Recovery time is over! Now, I announce..."

"The competition continues!!!"

The finalists instantly stirred. Amidst the commotion, a vivid blood-green figure shot directly and unstoppably towards Xu Xiaoshou. She was like the most blatant of attackers, not even bothering with any stealth, shooting straight forward, followed by a sweet yell.

"Well, well, well, Young Master Xu... I was fighting for my life in the Southern District, and you're just drinking tea here?"

Xu Xiaoshou's expression changed. With his "Perception," he immediately recognized the blood-green dressed girl with twin pigtails. He instantly retreated, grabbing Xiao Wanfeng and hoisting him high.

"Xiao Wanfeng, block her!"

He could tell Xiao Wanfeng was experiencing an epiphany. He had no idea what this guy could possibly realize, but since the situation called for it, he might as well add more fuel to the fire! Mu Zixi was terrifying. From the moment she entered the arena, this little girl had been endlessly cursing, along with obvious sulky emotions that anyone could see. At this moment, perhaps only a familiar stranger in his hands could curb this little girl's impulsiveness! To be honest, all Xu Xiaoshou thought at that moment was that he didn't want to be bitten fiercely by someone again.

But for Xiao Wanfeng, the incoming attacker was a complete stranger! She was no different from the multitude of pursuers in the Northern District. Even though the twin-tailed girl's hands transformed into wooden thorns that weren't as sharp as other wood cultivators'; even though Xiao Wanfeng had already seen the information about this 'Little Wood Attacker' in the box and she seemed to have a connection with Young Master Xu... at this moment, how could Xiao Wanfeng dare to bet that she would show mercy? His neck was gripped by fate, and the only thing he could think of was Young Master Xu's words.

"Stop her!"

But how? Just like that group of pursuers in the Northern District, if... If only she could stop, I'd have more time! But how would she stop? The wooden thorns, now dangerously close, gave Xiao Wanfeng no time to think. At this moment, Xiao Wanfeng, unable even to draw the wooden sword on his back, could only wide-eyed, hiss out a single sentence.

"Stop right there!!!"

A white sword qi pierced through Mu Zixi, freezing her completely in place. Immediately, the swords of all contestants and spectators in the arena hummed and vibrated violently. The sound of the sword hum instantly permeated the entire arena, traveling through the underground Tianluo grounds, and lingered endlessly within a ten-mile radius of the southern streets in the Western District of East Heaven City.

Meanwhile, the closed-eyed Xiao Wanfeng had no idea what had happened. He only continued to scream hysterically and tearfully: "I don't know you, don't kill me!"