Chapter 786: I Have Entered the Grandmaster Realm, Does That Mean I've Explored the Very Depths of the "Dao"?

Xu Xiaoshou stared at the "2" and the additional "1" in the information bar, pondering for a long time.

He picked up the little white cat next to him.

"Little one, you've been doing a lot of spiritual communication lately, haven't you? And you've been secretly eating quite a few elixirs, right?"

"Hate Received, Passive Points, 1."

Greedy God struggled twice, its four paws flailing, trying to break free.

But suddenly, as if it smelled something, its little nose twitched, its face filled with intoxication, and it rubbed affectionately against Xu Xiaoshou's wrist, wanting to burrow into his chest and sniff.

"Liked Received, Passive Points, 1."

Goodness…

Xu Xiaoshou thought, "You're really something!"

"I just got my Throne Body, and you're already trying to drain my life force?"

"How can this be?"

Xu Xiaoshou immediately tossed it, scolding, "Go refine elixirs properly, stop secretly eating so much. Don't spend all day sucking this and that like a goblin. You're a... wait, if I'm not mistaken, you're a female, right?"

"Meow~"

Greedy God pouted, curling its paws, wanting to pounce back for another sniff, but Xu Xiaoshou glared it away.

What kind of cat sucks people?

It should be people sucking cats, right?

What kind of mutated creatures are always around me, honestly!

"Lord Shou, what was that just now?" Xu Xiaoji asked after a moment of hesitation.

The commotion just now was too great.

That sword hum and strange phenomenon... Even if he hadn't experienced such a thing directly, he must have heard the common saying, "Even if you haven't eaten pork, you've seen the pig run," right?

"Sword Dao Throne?" he guessed.

"Mhm." Xu Xiaoshou puffed out his chest, chin raised.

Xu Xiaoji stared at the sharply defined profile in front of him, his gaze lowering to the Adam's apple, and he suddenly found himself involuntarily swallowing.

"Huh?"

Realizing "something is wrong with me," Xu Xiaoji first gave himself a mental shake, then tentatively asked, "Throne Body?"

"Mhm." Xu Xiaoshou's lips curved into a smile, unable to suppress his inner joy.

But this smile, to Xu Xiaoji, was simply captivating.

It had the charm of melting snow and refreshing spring breezes, making Xu Xiaoji's eyes go wide with admiration.

"Admiration Received, Passive Points, 1."

Xu Xiaoshou jumped back in surprise, his face aghast. "What are you doing?!"

Xu Xiaoji blinked rapidly, his cheeks flushed, finally coming to his senses.

"Oh, oh, nothing, nothing..."

He tried to cover his blunder, but inwardly, he was wailing.

Is he even letting people live anymore?

The Great Devil Xu broke through again?

Sure enough, whenever this guy enters the Yuan Mansion, nothing good happens.

He could already defeat Dao Slays and Grand Void cultivators at the Innate stage. Now that the Great Devil Xu has broken through to Grandmaster, will he directly crush Half-Saints in the future?

In Xu Xiaoji's mind, the shadow of the Great Devil Xu was always beyond normal comprehension.

Ordinary people might understand "cross-rank combat."

But to Xu Xiaoji, the Great Devil Xu's combat power couldn't be called "cross-rank" combat; he was always "crossing floors"!

"I can't talk to you anymore; you've become a bit terrifying..."

Xu Xiaoshou seriously stared at the word "Admiration" in the information bar, his body trembling. He felt even Xu Xiaoji was becoming a bit abnormal.

He quickly pulled himself back and moved away, casually tearing open space to separate them, lest his precious body be defiled.

This wave of "Sword Mastery" level-up brought truly exceptional Sword Dao experience.

It was exactly as he had previously anticipated.

"Sword Mastery (Grandmaster Lv.1)" had barely moved beyond the basics of Sword Dao, only forming the rudiments of the Nine Great Sword Arts.

However, after level ten, "Sword Mastery" at the Throne level directly instilled a vast amount of high-level sword art experience into his mind.

"Nine Great Sword Arts, Eighteen Sword Flows, Three Thousand Sword Daos..."

Although "Sword Mastery" didn't provide this exact knowledge system, it offered a different, detailed true understanding of Sword Dao.

But in Xu Xiaoshou's view, "Sword Mastery" at the Grandmaster level inherently contained the foundations of the aforementioned sword arts, sword flows, and sword daos.

The reason it didn't provide similar concepts was that these concepts were also synthesized by humans based on the fundamentals of Sword Dao.

What "Sword Mastery" provided was the most perfect and detailed fundamental understanding!

Xu Xiaoshou didn't learn abilities from the mainstream ancient sword cultivator systems, but he was certain that if he wanted to, he could achieve similar effects simply by imitating them.

"Clang, clang, clang."

At this moment, a strange sound came from the side.

Xu Xiaoshou turned his gaze and saw that Cang Ku had emerged at some point.

It seemed to have completed its evolution and was now wriggling back and forth, like a live fish in a hot oil pan, completely devoid of dignity.

"Leveled up?"

Xu Xiaoshou was pleasantly surprised.

With a wave of his hand, the black sword landed in his grasp.

He gripped the hilt, but Cang Ku's sword body wriggled back and forth like a maggot. Occasionally, its tip would point at its master, appearing especially excited.

Xu Xiaoshou: "..."

This master-devouring tendency!

Cang Ku had always been his accompanying sword.

Although he outwardly disliked it, he secretly hoped Cang Ku would develop well.

To speak arrogantly...

The day Xu Xiaoshou becomes a Sword Immortal, Cang Ku shall be a famous sword!

This was a dream.

Therefore, whenever he had time, Xu Xiaoshou would nourish this black sword with his Sword Gazing Art, attempting to make it grow alongside him.

And now, Cang Ku had clearly evolved from a Seventh-Grade to a Sixth-Grade spiritual sword.

"You've reached Grandmaster too? Wiggling quite happily!"

Xu Xiaoshou humorously flicked the shoddy sword, but Cang Ku wriggled even more gleefully, acting like a pesky little goblin.

Xu Xiaoshou: "..."

Behind him, the other two swords had also appeared at some point.

The Famous Sword Blazing Python, and the Fierce Sword You Si Jian.

But these two were much more dignified.

Although their bodies also shimmered with precious light, as if powerfully nourished, they remained planted in the ground, only humming and vibrating, not as unrestrained as Cang Ku.

Xu Xiaoshou understood.

They must have emerged alongside him during the "Sword Mastery" enlightenment.

Moreover, during his final breakthrough to the Sword Dao Throne, all three swords received nourishment from the Heavenly Dao.

Famous swords become famous precisely because of the continuous nourishment from the Sword Dao insights of their successive wielders.

This method, like a Spiritual Cultivator cultivating their spirit or a Body Refiner forging their body, is how spiritual swords grow.

Xu Xiaoshou could clearly perceive it without even needing to sense it.

Apart from Cang Ku, which was already like a limb to him, the connection between Blazing Python and You Si Jian to him became even closer and more affirming at this moment.

Both of these swords had their pride.

Clearly, they would only recognize their master more fully once he became stronger.

"Alright, go back!"

Xu Xiaoshou satisfied each of the three swords with his "Sword Gazing Art" one by one, then sent them away.

He had indeed become significantly stronger.

But overall, this was merely the second step... after the beginning!

"Passive Points: 1,469,462."

He had only spent 200,000 passive points, and the achievement of "Grandmaster of Dual Thrones" was already obtained.

Xu Xiaoshou truly felt his premonition was correct.

Accumulating passive points this time was simply too satisfying.

A short time passed.

After the initial excitement subsided, his heart also calmed down.

He had already elevated his two strongest passive abilities to the Throne level.

Continuing to upgrade as usual, nothing should happen to make him lose his composure again...

"So, which card should I flip next?"

Xu Xiaoshou pondered.

With so many passive points, he decided to set aside at least 300,000 to 500,000 for lottery draws.

After all, one couldn't always stay in their comfort zone. After leveling up the necessary passive abilities, he always needed to leave room for potential surprises and unexpected discoveries.

Continuous exploration was what Xu Xiaoshou adhered to.

Excluding those 300,000 to 500,000, he still had about a million passive points left. Clearly, it was unrealistic to "go all in" on the passive system's new module, the "Evolution Tree."

The "Evolution Tree" gave Xu Xiaoshou a headache just thinking about it.

One evolution cost a million passive points.

That was too much!

He clearly possessed over a million passive points, making him a wealthy man.

But compared to the Evolution Tree's requirements, he looked like a pauper from the slums!

He simply stopped looking.

Because for now, "Passive Fist" and "Illusion Breaker Finger" were barely sufficient.

When he next stirred up a big commotion among the crowds and accumulated enough passive points...

He really wanted to see what effect the evolution of this special passive ability, costing a million each time, would have.

"Still, upgrade!"

Having decided on his direction, Xu Xiaoshou thought of the elixir refining trial and thus focused his attention on the mastery-type passive abilities.

Without a doubt, his three mastery-type passive abilities were top-tier in their respective fields.

As he grew and continuously engaged with the "Dao."

Xu Xiaoshou didn't believe that "Cooking Mastery" only brought advantages in fire control, or that "Weaving Mastery" only allowed him to set up and break formations...

Looking beyond these points...

"Cooking Mastery" enhanced his judgment and analysis of living beings' flaws and weaknesses, provided boosts beyond just alchemy and fire control sensitivity, and even involved changes that occurred after touching the "Dao" level...

"Weaving Mastery" involved the art of heavenly secrets, the interpretation of the Heavenly Dao, understanding the meridian maps of living beings, and deciphering the profound mysteries of the world's rules...

All of these were precisely what Xu Xiaoshou needed!

After upgrading, these weren't physical power enhancements, but rather spiritual growth.

Grandmasters "touch" the Dao, Thrones "comprehend" the Dao, and Dao Slayers "slay" the Dao...

Xu Xiaoshou fully understood that the path ahead was all about contending for the "Dao."

Whether it was the enemies he had encountered or the powerful figures he had yet to meet...

To put it plainly...

All conflicts in this world were battles for the Great Dao, wars to seize the Dao.

The "Dao" mentioned here included the Heavenly Dao and the paths of certain individuals.

Mastery-type passive abilities from Innate to Grandmaster Lv.1 didn't involve much of the "Dao" level, so their power was still within human comprehension.

But mastery-type passive abilities from Grandmaster to Throne Lv.1 could directly allow Xu Xiaoshou to bypass the process of "touching the Dao" and directly reach the realm of "comprehending the Dao."

This was incredible!

These two passive abilities absolutely had to be upgraded!

So, Xu Xiaoshou gritted his teeth, watched his 200,000 passive points dwindle, and upgraded his long-anticipated passive abilities level by level.

"Cooking Mastery (Grandmaster Lv.1)."

"Cooking Mastery (Throne Lv.1)."

"Weaving Mastery (Grandmaster Lv.1)."

"Weaving Mastery (Throne Lv.1)."

A long period of digestion and precipitation.

A long period of comprehension and unraveling the Dao.

Xu Xiaoshou opened his eyes from a state of meditation, feeling as if his entire being had ascended.

"Sword Mastery" allowed him to begin understanding the world through the Sword Dao.

"Cooking Mastery" and "Weaving Mastery" opened new avenues of thought for him.

"It's over; the path of the Flesh Elixir is inevitable..."

Xu Xiaoshou returned to his senses with a wry smile from his deep contemplation.

After a massive influx of knowledge, he not only gained the ability to consume all things, but also the recipes for doing so!

Things like knife skills, heat control, the use of seasonings like firewood, rice, oil, and salt, and the handling of tools like pots and pans...

These very basic things, once their object became humans, their seasonings became high-grade poisonous flowers and exotic herbs, and the techniques for using tools transformed into controlling space, or even the world...

All tastes changed!

Xu Xiaoshou's expression twisted.

He found it a bit hard to look "Cooking Mastery" in the eye.

But the "interesting" knowledge in his mind compelled him to want to try it out.

Xu Xiaoshou suddenly realized that perhaps his somewhat strange way of understanding and expressing the world might have been influenced by these things.

"Investigation of things...?"

He reluctantly bestowed this title upon the new knowledge.

But he also felt that if this was to be called "investigation of things," then his understanding of the concepts of living and dead beings was perhaps too thorough!

As for "Weaving Mastery"...

This ability truly treated the Heavenly Dao as substantial threads, beginning to define the world from this perspective.

From the skeletal and meridian maps of the human body, to leaf veins and tree rings, then to the rivers, mountains, and surface features that delineate the entire landscape...

Each two-dimensional image abstracted from the three-dimensional world pointed directly to the essence of the Great Dao!

The ability granted by Weaving Mastery was, astonishingly, to change a single thread within this tapestry, and the outcome could be drastically altered.

And finally, when Xu Xiaoshou saw a glimmer of the River of Fate and the River of Time, and vaguely realized that these too could be abstracted into threads by "Weaving Mastery," thereby showing signs of changing outcomes...

It was truly breathtaking!

At this moment, Xu Xiaoshou even felt that the knowledge contained in his mind, if merely spoken aloud, could shock any Dao Realm Perfection expert, causing their Throne Dao Realm to rupture and forcing them to re-cultivate.

"Others, upon entering Grandmaster, begin to touch the Dao."

"But I, after entering Grandmaster, have practically understood the Dao inside and out, haven't I?"

Xu Xiaoshou was dazed.

This knowledge...

He felt that if he were to elaborate, the insights gained in just these few hours would be enough to write several long novels. He could even become a bard with this knowledge, speaking to readers interested in such topics for entire years!

It was too terrifying.

As Xu Xiaoshou comprehended these Dao principles, he almost fell into Qi deviation.

Because as he comprehended the Dao, he began to ponder: What exactly was this passive system?

Just upgrading could bring about such an immense improvement.

If explained by scientific principles of Dao comprehension, energy doesn't appear out of thin air; it only undergoes constant conversion between two entities...

Then, logically, there truly was a "system conspiracy theory" in this world!

And for such a knowledge system to be imparted to him, how learned must the person capable of giving him all this be?

Terrifying indeed!

After some thought, Xu Xiaoshou broke out in a cold sweat from frightening himself.

But this was not a world that could be explained by science after all; strange phenomena and divine powers were the norm.

He decided not to think about it.

These questions were like humanity's three philosophical questions; clearly, they were beyond his current level to answer.

Carrying a heart full of shock, Xu Xiaoshou hesitated, then returned to upgrading his passive abilities.

Soon, he plunged into a paradise of joy once more.

Basic Passive Abilities:

"Endless Life (Throne Lv.1)."

Unceasing vitality, blood essence surging like a tide, an inexhaustible source of life...

"Full of Vigor (Throne Lv.1)."

Inexhaustible, incredibly potent spiritual energy for sustained combat, no longer needing Yuan Court Pills to maintain a vanished state, capable of instantly ascending dozens of times...

He didn't upgrade "Breathing Technique" because it was completely unnecessary!

Although Xu Xiaoshou had consciously suppressed his cultivation for a long time, strictly speaking, it had only been less than a month.

He felt it was slow, but that was just his personal feeling.

From the perspective of the world, his cultivation breakthroughs were still incredibly fast.

The Grandmaster-level "Breathing Technique" was already sufficient for the current stage.

He didn't have many passive points to begin with.

So, he definitely needed to allocate them to other passive abilities that could enhance his combat power in the short term and ensure his safety!