Chapter 785: Passive Skill Upgrade The Dual Kings' Sect, Xu Xiaoshou

Xiao Lian left.

She took away the one hundred thousand portions of crimson gold liquid given by Young Master Xu, leaving behind only a message that caused great frustration.

“There’s an alchemy trial, why bother suppressing cultivation…?” Xu Xiaoshou composed himself. He had pondered for a long time before finally understanding the ultimate significance of suppressing his cultivation.

Becoming a Sovereign early, and breaking through to Sovereign during the trial near the Royal City, are two completely different concepts. At the very least, given his current progress, he could fully utilize the information gap to perfectly separate his two identities: “Young Master Xu Deyan” and “Holy Slave Xu Xiaoshou.”

And this information gap wasn't even at its most apparent stage yet. This was because Holy Slave Xu Xiaoshou's abilities had been fully displayed to the world. However, Young Master Xu's power had only been minimally showcased during the Sky-Net Battle.

Just then, Xu Xiaoshou broke through to Sovereign, but his most prominent passive skills had not yet been fully upgraded. To outsiders, the transition from Innate Peak to Sovereign Heavenly Phenomenon might only differ in terms of “enlightenment.” But Xu Xiaoshou was different. His Innate and Sovereign states were like heaven and earth apart!

“Then, it’s also time to infinitely widen this gap…” Xu Xiaoshou pondered, then flashed into his Yuanfu.

Before entering this time, considering all his combat power—not counting Ah Jie, the Holy Blood, or external forces beyond the Holy Blood—he could perhaps only contend with a Throne, and killing one would be difficult. But after emerging, he believed that Throned experts, unless they were at Dao Realm completion, would be no match for him!

Within the Yuanfu world, life force thrived. The white cat, Greed God, had grown a size fatter, milling about among the thirty thousand cauldrons, enjoying the blessings of working tirelessly. Xu Xiaoji diligently calculated and organized box after box of crimson gold liquid refined by Greed God, placing them in their designated spots.

Perhaps it was because the work was too simple, or perhaps he was too bored. The square mountains stacked by Xu Xiaoji were exceptionally neat, with sharp edges and no crookedness, as if an instructor was putting those boxes of crimson gold liquid through the most rigorous training.

As soon as Xu Xiaoshou entered the Yuanfu world, he saw Xu Xiaoji, after stacking the medicine mountains, idly strolling among the thirty thousand cauldrons. Slowly… cross-referencing… he adjusted the positions of each cauldron. More than half of the thirty thousand cauldrons were now arranged in neat rows, a pleasing sight.

If Greed God moved too fast and accidentally bumped one of the cauldrons out of alignment in the “military formation,” Xu Xiaoji would frown and scold him: “Be careful! So clumsy, you call yourself a ghost beast? Do you understand symmetrical aesthetics? Silly cat…” That last sentence was spoken in a lowered voice.

Clearly, their time together in the Yuanfu world had fostered a remarkably harmonious way of communicating. Xu Xiaoji would scold him, Greed God would dash away… Xu Xiaoji would then move the cauldron, and Greed God would bump it again…

Xu Xiaoshou, having just entered the Yuanfu world, was speechless for a moment. He had never imagined that the Yuanfu, such a fine place, would even cultivate obsessive-compulsive disorder in Xu Xiaoji. “Is it really that boring…?” Xu Xiaoshou wondered.

At that moment, Xu Xiaoji, within the cauldron formation, clearly sensed someone had entered the Yuanfu world. He initially paid no mind, assuming it was a prisoner, but upon turning around and seeing it was Demon King Xu, his eyes lit up. “Master Xu…” he stepped forward. Xu Xiaoshou waved his hand: “It’s fine, you two carry on with your work, I’ll entertain myself.” With that, he flashed away, retreating to an unoccupied corner, and with a swipe of space, separated himself from them to prevent Greed God from causing disturbances.

Xu Xiaoji’s excited expression froze, and his eyes immediately welled up. “You promised me a holiday after I finished reciting that ‘Dao De Jing,’ and you forgot in a blink of an eye?” “Heh heh, men!”

“Passive Points: 1,669,477.” In a quiet part of the Yuanfu, Xu Xiaoshou grinned as he looked at the one point six million passive points. Setting aside the one million passive points the “dog system” had cheated him out of… aside from the “Close Realm Forcefield” he awakened last time after feeling a sense of crisis… hadn't he accumulated passive points for so long precisely so that after becoming a Sovereign, he could instantly double, triple, and quadruple his combat power?

“So, who will be the lucky one to be chosen first?” Xu Xiaoshou rubbed his hands, beginning his “imperial selection of concubines,” his eyes glowing green as he scanned line after line of passive skills on the information panel. Soon, his gaze settled. “Robustness (Sovereign Lv.1).”

Undoubtedly, the “Robust Concubine” had been with him the longest and participated in the most direct battles. As the strongest single passive skill, who else should be chosen first…? Without a doubt! With a casual flick, he spent one hundred thousand passive points, and Xu Xiaoshou's eyes rolled back as he began to enjoy the long-absent twitching and spasms throughout his body.

It was a process where cells rapidly divided and grew, and bone and muscle density furiously increased and enhanced. If he could inwardly observe his physical form, Xu Xiaoshou's body at that moment was like it had been struck by a tribulation lightning bolt, then broken down and rebuilt, with cells reborn from fire.

“Ugh!” He let out a muffled groan. The elevation to Sovereign level didn't bring as noticeable effects for “hidden” passive skills like “Concealment” or “Perception.” However, for “explicit” passive skills like “Robustness,” the skill level itself at the Sovereign tier was already incredibly powerful. Each level increase could be considered another transformation.

Xu Xiaoshou, long unaccustomed to upgrading, had already forgotten the precautions for upgrading passive skills: you couldn't upgrade them all at once, you had to take it slowly. Yet, this continuous ten-level jump, a transformation from Sovereign to Throne, was truly agonizing.

“Aarghh—!” Finally, unable to suppress the pain, Xu Xiaoshou let out a hoarse scream from his throat. The cries echoed through the heavens.

The Yuanfu was always quiet. Xu Xiaoji knew that whenever Demon King Xu entered, nothing good would come of it. But hearing these pig-like screams now, Xu Xiaoji was utterly dumbfounded. This time, had the Demon King come in to torture himself instead of others?

Greed God also stopped. The Yuanfu was usually fragrant, filled with the vital aura of life spiritual seals and the scent of pills. But at that moment, from where Xu Xiaoshou was cultivating, a foul stench emanated… “What is he doing?” Xiao Wanfeng and Greed God simultaneously looked towards the source, their boundless curiosity tinged with immense shock. “Pooping in the Yuanfu?!”

The screams continued for about fifteen minutes. “Sssst.” Then, black, foul-smelling impurities spurted out from his pores, almost like a spray, instantly dyeing Xu Xiaoshou’s clothes ink-black.

Xu Xiaoshou, having recovered his senses, was shocked. He had originally thought his Sovereign body was already invincible, but after enduring that wave of upgrade pain, he realized he still had impurities! And to think, going from Sovereign Lv.1 to Throne Lv.1, a mere ten levels, could produce so many s… impurities? “Incredible!”

He sighed deeply, then took a breath, his face instantly turning green, almost gagging. He quickly stripped off his clothes. Thinking about it, he was unlikely to wear this thing again, so he immediately cremated it with a burst of fire.

Then, with a shudder of his body, the black solidified impurities flaked off his skin, and Xu Xiaoshou incinerated them directly with a flash of white flame. He felt unclean himself, so he simply performed a self-purification with white flame. “Bathing with fire…” This was definitely cleaner than using water. Because not only was the filth washed away, Xu Xiaoshou nearly burned off all his hair.

Afterward, he poured a bucket of cold water from his ring over himself, completing this physical transformation. Marveling, he touched his body, Xu Xiaoshou could clearly feel that at this moment, even the world seemed shorter. It was I who had grown taller…

The most powerful aspect of “Perception” was its ability to observe a certain area from a God's-eye view, allowing Xu Xiaoshou to see himself without a mirror. He could see that after the physical transformation, not only had his height increased by several centimeters, but the previous noticeable thinness had completely vanished. What his eyes beheld was pure “aesthetic” art!

Golden ratio body proportions, coiled arm muscles, distinctly defined abs… long, delicate thighs, translucent jade-like feet… “Ptooey!” Xu Xiaoshou spat fiercely at the suddenly skewed imagery, then slapped himself. What am I doing? Am I crazy, actually lusting after my own body?

Xu Xiaoshou was utterly stunned! Not only was his precious body crystal-clear and translucent, with skin like jade, subtly shimmering with iridescent light and emitting a faint fragrance. His attractiveness had also completely leveled up. Previously, he could at best be considered a simply handsome young man; Xu Xiaoshou attracted people not with his looks, but with his abilities and inner qualities. But now, he felt that just this face alone could conquer the world. His looks were overwhelmingly striking!

Xu Xiaoshou hadn't seen many stunningly handsome men in the Spiritual Refinement world; Fu Xing was probably one of them. He used to feel a bit jealous of him… something he hadn’t wanted to admit before, but now he could. And at this moment, he felt that even without relying on his face, the majestic and sacred aura alone, brought about by his elevated precious body, could overpower all other males! Surely, this was an ability only a Holy Body could possess?

Xu Xiaoshou ran his hands over himself. Then, he hesitated, pulling out a set of clothes, intending to put them on; after all, being naked wasn't ideal. But then he suddenly felt that such cheap clothing, only worth tens of thousands of spirit crystals, seemed unworthy of his body now. So, he stopped his movement…

“Robustness (Throne Lv.1).” A Throne Body! Xu Xiaoshou took another deep look at the information panel, confirming that he had reached the maximum level and could not upgrade further, and that everything that had happened to his physical body was indeed the effect of a Throne Body. He let out a heavy sigh of relief and put on his clothes.

“I’m sorry to make you uncomfortable…” He patted his abs and squeezed his chest, comforting his body: “After we leave the Yuanfu, I’ll buy you a precious robe as a reward. A precious robe with a precious body, that’s the perfect match.”

The effect of “Robustness” at the Throne level was a bit too shocking. Xu Xiaoshou had never imagined that an explicit passive skill, upon upgrading, would have such powerful visible effects.

But then he thought again. “A Throne Body…” People often said ancient sword cultivators were rare, but perhaps because he was born in the Eastern Region, Xu Xiaoshou occasionally encountered brilliant ancient sword cultivators, so he didn’t pay it much mind. However, as for a “Throne Body,” it seemed Xu Xiaoshou had never seen anyone possess one besides Elder Sang. He had indeed seen one or two Holy Bodies. But for them, possessing it was a matter of bloodline inheritance, talent, and innate determination. To cultivate a Throne Body post-natally, Xu Xiaoshou felt the difficulty could truly rival how the first Holy Body came into existence!

At this point, Xu Xiaoshou couldn't help but wonder: “The rank span of Throned experts is immense. Those in the Dao Realm are called Throne Bodies, those who have severed the Dao should theoretically be called Venerable Throned, and finally there’s the Grand Void Body.” “Will the passive skill upgrade broadly consider it as ‘Throne Lv.19,’ or will it categorize it further?” Xu Xiaoshou’s heart burned with anticipation. If it truly followed the system's previous settings, then the next time he broke through to the Throne, his physical body could directly elevate to the Half-Saint level.

A Half-Saint… That was a height sufficient to thoroughly beat up “Love of All Beings,” right?

“Calm down, calm down.” Xu Xiaoshou took a deep breath, pressed his hands down, settled his Qi into his dantian, and suppressed his emotions. But the next second, he failed, covering his mouth and snickering.

Just upgrading to a Throne Body alone brought such immense power. And this was just the beginning! “Damn it, over a million passive points! Even if I use them all to upgrade passive skills, it’ll be enough for me, Xu Xiaoshou, to reach a height where I can crush Throned experts!”

The benefits of accumulating passive points earlier were now evident. Xu Xiaoshou, carrying a large amount of capital, began his second round of selections. “Sword Mastery!”

Without a doubt, a Throne Body, combined with a Sword Dao Throne, was the most formidable! The “Robust Concubine” and the “Sword Concubine” were both dear to Xu Xiaoshou's heart. Xu Xiaoshou had never dared to imagine it before; he felt that even the world wouldn't dare to.

But seeing “Robustness” truly bring about the effect of a Throne Body after reaching the Throne level, he felt he was truly about to make history. A Sovereign Heavenly Phenomenon Realm, coupled with a Throne Body and a Sword Dao Throne. —A Sovereign of Dual Throned Powers!

Either suppress his cultivation to the extreme, or unleash an explosive frenzy. At this moment, Xu Xiaoshou, his face flushed red by the powerful images swirling in his mind, fiercely spent one hundred thousand passive points, and after exchanging them for ten third-tier skill points in the shop… he cautiously, gently, added a level to his “Sword Mastery.”

“Buzz!” His head felt as if struck by a heavy blow; a flood of knowledge poured in, causing a splitting headache. However, Xu Xiaoshou instantly entered a state of enlightenment, abandoning the pain and beginning to passively comprehend. A short while later, the knowledge influx paused, and Xu Xiaoshou applied another skill point. This cycle repeated. Ten times in total!

“Sword Mastery (Sovereign Lv.1).” “Sword Mastery (Throne Lv.1).” When he opened his eyes again, brilliant light burst forth from Xu Xiaoshou’s pupils.

That brilliance, invisible at first, materialized in the void, transforming into a transparent sword light that instantly tore through space. “Clang—!” The Yuanfu world trembled violently, and space cracked into countless fissures, turning into tiny, ethereal swords.

Xu Xiaoji was startled once again. He lifted his gaze in astonishment, and out of the corner of his eye, he could clearly see a human-like astonishment in Greed God’s similarly startled eyes. “Again?!”

This anomaly was far more exaggerated than the screams from last time. It was the first time the Yuanfu had produced a Heavenly Phenomenon! The Dao Mark Primordial Stone seemed to be recording something, or perhaps perfecting something, as Dao Rhythms proliferated. The spatial rules seemed to sense something, beginning to evolve and deduce, as Dao Principles manifested.

A moment later, all swords in heaven and earth converged, completing their return to the origin, forming an auspicious scene of all directions paying homage. In the desolate, wild lands of the Yuanfu, a Sword Dao Sovereign stood supreme.

The spatial barrier was broken, and a peerlessly graceful young figure with wild black hair, surveying all directions, appeared in mid-air. For a moment, Xu Xiaoji stared, mesmerized. That figure truly embodied what it meant to have sword-like eyebrows and star-like eyes, with clear forehead and gleaming teeth. His eyes, slightly lowered, disregarded gods and Buddhas; he was aloof and pure, like an emperor from the heavens. His body glowed with Dao Rhythms and precious radiance, shimmering with brilliant colors. His aura was like a saint walking below, untouched by dust. His essence was like a treasured sword hidden deep in its scabbard, waiting to pierce the sky.

Xu Xiaoji was completely stunned. At one point, he even thought that person was Demon King Xu, until he realized there was only one human in the Yuanfu, and that human was Demon King Xu… He tentatively spoke: “Ma-Master Xu?” After asking, he felt ashamed of himself, as if a mortal like him using such crude language to ask a question was too blasphemous.

“Received Admiration, Passive Points, 2.”

Xu Xiaoshou remained suspended in mid-air for a long, long time. He glanced sideways, wanting to utter a high-status “What is it?” But then he thought, putting on an act for Xu Xiaoji would be pointless. So he flew down, unable to contain the joy in his heart, and said excitedly: “Xu Xiaoji, have I become more handsome?”

Xu Xiaoji: ??? Shut up! Can you please not speak! You're absolutely defiling your image, damn it!

“Received Disgust, Passive Points, 1.” “Received Affirmation, Passive Points, 1.”