Chapter 8: Xu Xiaoshou, Hold On

Xiao Qixiu, who had been consistently observing Platform No. 12 from above, smiled faintly.

The quality of outer-court disciples this year was quite high; this was the third innate talent he had discovered.

Moreover, it was an innate physical body, extremely difficult to detect—simply too rare!

Had it not been for two consecutive instances of faint innate power, he would have been completely fooled by this youth named Xu Xiaoshou.

This kid truly possessed… well, peculiar talent.

On the platform.

A group of people were provoked into losing their minds by Xu Xiaoshou’s words.

A mere fifth-level Spirit Refinement cultivator dared to speak so wildly. Even if his physical body was incomparably strong, could he possibly be an innate physical body cultivator?

Someone declared they couldn't stand it, finding the guy truly deserved a beating.

It seemed one person wouldn't be enough to satisfy him. Therefore, they decided to work together to take this 'weakling' off the platform first.

They called out for everyone to charge together.

Forty to fifty people simultaneously lunged forward, some with raised fists, some with knives, and others hiding, ready to strike unfairly or use underhanded tactics.

Xu Xiaoshou saw the overwhelming murderous aura charging towards him, and his liver trembled slightly. The sight of forty to fifty flushed, angry faces was indeed a bit terrifying.

However, he still bravely charged forward, yelling to bolster his courage. He challenged them to fight with fists, specifically telling the one with the knife to put it down if they were brave enough.

Bang! Bang!

The scene exploded instantly, and Xu Xiaoshou was swallowed by the surging crowd. In the spectator stands, Su Qianqian watched with extreme tension, her slender hands gripping tightly onto the already short red skirt on Rao Yinyin's leg.

Rao Yinyin watched the group beating, chuckling, and remarked on his great courage.

Under attack, passive value, +14.

Under attack, passive value, +16.

...

The information bar refreshed rapidly once again. As soon as Xu Xiaoshou rushed into the crowd, he used his body to absorb countless punches, then directly knocked down the one with the knife with a single punch and kicked him off the platform.

No knives, no swords, no daggers…

Good heavens, someone's using silver needles?

Clear them all out!

On my platform, we can only fight to the death with fists!

I can take hundreds, even thousands of punches, but if I'm cut by a spirit artifact, even an unranked one, my innate physical body will bleed.

So, you are destined to leave!

While clearing the platform, Xu Xiaoshou also expanded the battle area, simultaneously adjusting his posture to allow him to receive more punches at the same time.

The surface area of a human body is very limited; even if forty or fifty people charge, no more than ten can hit you at the same time.

But Xu Xiaoshou was different. As soon as punches rained down, he flailed, weaved, and briefly stayed airborne, trying every possible method to ensure everyone could hit him.

The only thing he needed to be careful of was to protect his vital parts from being injured.

Under attack, passive value, +11.

Under attack, passive value, +22.

Under attack, passive value, +33.

In his mind, the single passive value in the information bar continuously increased, starting from the teens, gradually rising to the twenties, then thirties…

Xu Xiaoshou's technique became increasingly perfected, while at the same time, the attackers grew more excited as they fought.

Even though they couldn't clearly see the arrogant boy, for some reason, every random punch they threw always seemed to land on his face.

The feeling of fist meeting flesh was exhilarating!

It was incredibly satisfying!

Could I really be this strong?

Some, as they fought, even closed their eyes, feeling as if they were experiencing an epiphany, perfectly attuned to the Grand Dao at that moment.

This was… the feeling of the innate realm!

Mom, I've broken through!

The referee watched in astonishment. What a brutal scene this was!

He saw the boy who had just spoken disrespectfully, his once moderately handsome face deforming repeatedly under the heavy blows of the attackers.

His caved-in abdomen, bent forearms, and even his splayed toes were undergoing unimaginable torment every moment.

Yes, Xu Xiaoshou's shoes had been knocked off; splaying his toes like that increased his body's surface area.

The referee was dumbfounded, wondering if the attackers were on drugs, as they had suddenly become so ferocious.

He looked at that third-level cultivator. What was he doing? He had closed his eyes?

Good heavens…

Didn't that punch swing into thin air? How could it so coincidentally hit Xu Xiaoshou's shoulder?

And that second-level cultivator…

Hmm?

How had he managed to stay on the platform until now?

My heavens!

He was just about to fall off, only to be hooked back in by one of Xu Xiaoshou's 'mistaken' kicks.

How was that possible?!

The referee was on the verge of collapse!

The longer Xu Xiaoshou fought, the more something felt off. Why were there fewer people?

He had been trying his best to keep them on, yet despite his efforts, the number of participants gradually dropped from over sixty to over forty.

Suddenly, he saw several figures lurking deeper in the crowd, specifically targeting those who had closed their eyes in enlightenment. As soon as someone closed their eyes, they were invariably knocked off the platform.

He inwardly cursed, realizing they were reducing his passive value.

Xu Xiaoshou secretly adjusted his stance, slowly approached these 'tumors,' and sent them flying off one by one.

These 'righteous' platform participants, under Xu Xiaoshou's bizarre fighting style, were surprisingly the first ones to give up.

One by one, as they left the platform, they were bewildered, not even knowing how they had ended up off it.

In the spectator stands, the young woman Su Qianqian had already covered her eyes, unable to watch, and even Rao Yinyin felt the scene was getting a bit out of hand.

The battle, no longer a chaotic scrum, had gradually spread out, forming a vast net.

Attackers at each grid point barely had to move; they only needed to strike Xu Xiaoshou, then wait for others to send him their way.

Meanwhile, 'poor' Xu Xiaoshou, like a sandbag, twisted and turned within this net of attacks, besieged from all sides.

The referee felt he needed to intervene. Although he also thought Xu Xiaoshou was highly punchable and wanted to land a couple of blows himself, he was a stern referee who had to enforce the rules calmly.

Just as he was about to step in and call a halt, he suddenly caught a glimpse of 'sandbag' Xu Xiaoshou's expression.

What a twisted expression it was!

It revealed enjoyment amidst gritted teeth, comfort through bruises and swelling, and an ecstatic, almost ethereal joy.

It was as if…

He wasn't being attacked, but rather receiving a massage?

He listened closely and found the 'sandbag' continuously grinning and calling out amidst the flurry of punches:

He exclaimed his exhilaration.

He challenged them to hit harder.

He urged them to strike faster, ideally achieving a thousand hits per second.

He even called out, "Oh no, not here…"

The referee: "..."

He silently lowered his hand, which had been raised to stop the violence, and decided not to say anything more.

Perhaps, he didn't need him…

Dong—

From the horizon, an ancient bell chimed again, cleansing the heart, and Xiao Qixiu's voice followed: "There is still one stick of incense left until the end of the group stage!"

His words were directed at Platform No. 12; this rule had been set temporarily.

This was because the battles on the other seventeen platforms had already concluded.

The fighting on other platforms was quite simple, following ancient methods: powerful figures meditated, influential ones cleared the field, and the remaining dozen or so who were unwilling to yield simply dueled it out until it was over.

Only on Platform No. 12 was the scene so spectacular and brutal.

At this moment, those who had descended from other platforms, originally intending to go back and rest, had now completely filled the spectator stands of Platform No. 12.

They all watched with wide eyes, witnessing the utterly miserable scene.

They wondered what in the world was happening.

They questioned if the participants on Platform No. 12 had gone mad.

They remarked that this style of fighting was inhumane, practically treating people like animals.

They agreed, adding that a group beating was one thing, but this was overly exaggerated, and they should at least show some respect by not hitting the face.

They murmured about how, as members of the same Spirit Palace, they would inevitably see each other again.

The weak always easily draw the sympathy of onlookers. Some female disciples couldn't bear to watch; weeping profusely, they began to voice their support for Xu Xiaoshou:

One cried out, seemingly correcting herself from an initial curse, "Xu Xiaoshou, hang in there!"

Others encouraged him to hold on.

Another shouted, "Xu Xiaoshou, you are the fattest!"

As the shouts of support rose, they spread like wildfire, instantly echoing through the spectator stands.

The bewildered newcomers in the audience, one by one, voiced their indignation for Xu Xiaoshou, cheering him on while glaring angrily at those who had just been 'knocked off' Platform No. 12.

Those who had 'voluntarily exited the platform' felt deeply wronged. They questioned if the onlookers knew the truth before speaking and dared them to try fighting on the stage themselves.

In the arena.

Upon hearing there was still one stick of incense left, Xu Xiaoshou immediately dropped his act.

He had long since been luring everyone to the edge of the platform while fighting. This group, despite appearing to be wildly attacking, was completely under his control.

It was like Tai Chi Bagua; once the momentum was set, even the attackers themselves couldn't stop.

With a leap and a pull towards the outside of the platform, Xu Xiaoshou caused everyone to rush forward like moths to a flame, watching in utter shock as their own bodies flew off the platform.

In an instant, silence fell over the platform.

People gasped in amazement.

They wondered what had just happened.

The audience in the stands erupted. They wondered if Platform No. 12 was cursed, if they would fight until doomsday, or if it was a case of 'you jump, I jump' for leaving the platform.

Were they so scared by the cheering, and so utterly shamed?

On the platform.

After Xu Xiaoshou's maneuver, excluding the referee, only four people remained.

He forcibly pulled back the tall man who had first attacked him. Was his name Qiu Wei?

Xu Xiaoshou sincerely told the man that with half a stick of incense remaining, he had concluded that this man's output was the strongest, suggesting they fight again.

That guy's 'Hundred-Step Beast King Fist' alone was equivalent to fifty elite soldiers!

Qiu Wei's face turned pale upon hearing this. He looked around, seeing no allies.

An unspeakable wave of fatigue washed over him. He gagged once and promptly jumped off the platform.

Xu Xiaoshou: "???"

The referee couldn't watch any longer and, at the opportune moment, waved his hand, declaring the match over.

To one side.

Liu Zhen exhaled deeply, watching Xu Xiaoshou, who had not only defeated them but also broken their spirits. He remarked with a slight sense of relief, "I told you to wait and see, didn't I? He's in the top ten now…"

Zhou Zuo swallowed hard, his mind filled with nothing but shock.

He then addressed Liu Zhen, "Brother Liu,"

and corrected him, saying Xu Xiaoshou was in the top three.