Chapter 830: Everyone, You Are Surrounded by Me, Xu

Achhoo!

“Who’s thinking of me?”

Xu Xiaoshou, who was rushing along, sneezed. He thought to himself, “I’m not even on the leaderboard yet, so why is someone already eyeing my points?”

After rushing for half a day, he watched as the number of participants on the leaderboard grew, from over a hundred to more than three thousand. Although most only had the initial 100 points, at least they had acquired Cloud Pearls. Xu Xiaoshou hadn't even caught a glimpse of one.

“What’s going on?”

When they stopped to rest, even Xin Gugu was annoyed. “Are we really this unlucky? We haven't found a single Cloud Pearl all morning, nor have we seen a single Cloud Beast. We've only killed several spirit beasts...”

“Cloud Beasts? You’re still thinking about Cloud Beasts at a time like this?” Liu Changqing couldn't help but roll his eyes. As a Celestial Diviner, second only to one and above tens of thousands, he had to admit that metaphysics seemed to be outperforming his own divination skills. In half a day, over three thousand people had found Cloud Pearls. The three of them – a Grandmaster, a Sovereign, and a Path Cutter – hadn't expected that after sealing their cultivation, they couldn't even make it into the top three thousand on the leaderboard.

“It’s time to change our strategy…”

Xu Xiaoshou also began to reflect on his approach. Along the way, he had encountered some people, but they all seemed weak and didn't have many points. Even if he “plundered” one, he would only gain half of their points. Therefore, he had spared these individuals, focusing solely on finding Cloud Beasts. But Cloud Beasts were incredibly elusive. Forget Cloud Beasts, he hadn't even seen what a Cloud Pearl looked like yet.

He opened the leaderboard.

“1. Chong Yuan, Points: 24200.”“2. Duo'er, Points: 2700.”“3. Su Qianqian, Points: 1050.”

The top three on the list had already reached four-digit scores. The most astonishing was the top spot, clearly indicating the hunting of two Cloud Beasts, with over twenty thousand points – nearly ten times more than the second-place holder!

Xu Xiaoshou narrowed his eyes. He felt he had truly made a mistake. Searching for Cloud Beasts was too unreliable, and he didn't possess the same luck as the top-ranked individual, who had managed to kill two. To get his name on the leaderboard, he clearly had to start “killing” people.

“Su Qianqian...” Xu Xiaoshou stared at Su Qianqian's 1050 points on the third spot, muttering to himself. That name was too familiar. A Sword Sect genius from the Heavenly Sang Spiritual Palace, she would easily shine in such trials. But he wasn't interested in Su Qianqian's name; he was interested in her points. That "50" point increment was quite telling. Clearly, someone who hadn't gone on a killing spree wouldn't have a trailing "50" in their score.

“Perhaps we need to change our approach,” Xu Xiaoshou said, rising from a large rock. His tiredness was feigned; traveling had no effect on him whatsoever.

“I told you long ago not to be merciful! If we had just killed along the way, we'd have at least several hundred points by now...” Xin Gugu immediately complained.

Xu Xiaoshou rubbed his forehead. “I thought finding and killing a Cloud Beast would be infinitely faster than earning 50 points one by one. And that's not even considering the poor souls like us we might encounter, fighting whom would just waste time... But who would've thought Cloud Beasts would be so hard to find!”

“It’s too difficult!” Liu Changqing also shook his head with emotion. “I really don't know how this ‘Chong Yuan’ managed to find and hunt two Cloud Beasts.” In just half a day, the top-ranked individual had left everyone else far behind. This clearly wasn't due to others' lack of ability, but rather Chong Yuan's extraordinary luck.

“Kill people.” Xu Xiaoshou's eyes glinted, and a killing intent began to emanate from him. He was getting anxious.

Just as the three of them stood up simultaneously, a dazzling spiritual light erupted in the distance, drawing attention.

“Something’s happening?” Xin Gugu turned back in surprise.

“Let’s go!” Xu Xiaoshou decided instantly, not wanting to wait, and immediately moved.

“Spiritual light?”“A treasure emerging?”“It might be a Cloud Pearl! Charge!”

In the eastern region of the Cloud Ridge Mountains, there were many others who were as frustrated as Xu Xiaoshou. It was clear that the scarcity of Cloud Pearls in the eastern region was a widespread issue, not just Xu Xiaoshou being targeted by the Cloud Realm. So, when this spiritual light appeared – one that might not have drawn much attention initially – everyone, now exasperated, immediately rushed towards it. Any initial intention of proceeding cautiously upon entering the Cloud Ridge Mountains was instantly cast aside.

At the source of the spiritual light, two trial participants, traveling together, had initially just stopped to rest there, complaining about Chong Yuan, the 'inhuman' top-ranked individual, and grumbling about not finding a single Cloud Pearl all morning. Unexpectedly, good fortune suddenly landed on them.

“A Cloud Pearl!”

When they saw the Cloud Pearl, unearthed and enveloped in spiritual light about a dozen meters away, their eyes instantly turned bloodshot.

“It’s finally our turn! Damn it, the eastern region is really barren. We've searched for thousands of miles and only found this one?”

“Quick, take it! Everyone's frustrated right now, and this spiritual light will surely attract a lot of trouble.”

Both of them advanced simultaneously. A mere spiritual light was not something they were concerned about. Their spiritual energy gathered around them, and the two trial participants attacked simultaneously. Following their pre-arranged rule of 'acquire first, divide later,' two pillars of spiritual energy immediately shot towards the Cloud Pearl's light.

“Boom!”

With an explosive sound, the Cloud Pearl's spiritual light remained unshaken.

“That hard?” They were surprised. It was a strike from a Peak Xiantian cultivator, though not at full power, to avoid damaging the Cloud Pearl. But even with only fifty percent of their strength, a normal Xiantian cultivator wouldn't be able to withstand it!

“Full power!” They exchanged glances, nodded, and made their decision.

“Boom!”

Another resounding crash, and after a full-strength attack, the spiritual light still stood firm and unbroken. At this, the two men's faces darkened.

“Grandmaster-level defense. It might even withstand a full-power strike from a Sky-Phase Realm cultivator.”

Being geniuses, they deduced the hardness of the Cloud Pearl's spiritual light after just two attempts.

“Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!”

While they were brainstorming a solution, several whooshing sounds came from the horizon, and figures landed. Clearly, the Cloud Pearl's spiritual light had attracted others.

“Hahaha, it really is a Cloud Pearl! Our luck is incredible.” This was another three-person team. After half a day, everyone knew that communication beads were useless in the Cloud Realm. Therefore, to prevent being ambushed and killed alone, they had all formed alliances. As this trio landed, the original duo felt some pressure.

“You two are so lucky, waiting for us to arrive, 'guarding the stump for a rabbit?' Uh, no, 'guarding the rabbit for a rabbit'?” Zhu Dong, the leader of the trio, chuckled.

The duo felt even more pressure. One of them said, “The Cloud Pearl’s spiritual light can’t be destroyed. If you think you can do it, feel free to try.”

“Oh?” Zhu Dong raised an eyebrow and looked at the Cloud Pearl's spiritual light. “Grandmaster level?” He immediately assessed. This observation surprised the others. Without even making a move, he could tell the defense level of the spiritual light just by looking. Zhu Dong's strength was clearly beyond that of an ordinary Peak Xiantian cultivator.

“I’ll give it a try. You two wait here and make sure no one else approaches,” Zhu Dong instructed the two behind him. Then he stepped forward alone, settling his qi in his dantian. A mist of water enveloped his body, and spiritual light gathered in his left fist.

“Tide Surge!”

He unleashed a punch, and the surge of energy was as mighty as a tsunami, faintly imbued with the water-elemental aura of a Dao comprehension.

“That punch! It’s definitely Grandmaster-level, a Grandmaster spiritual technique!” The duo was astonished. Zhu Dong's strength must be at the verge of breaking through to the Grandmaster realm; he might have been suppressing his cultivation for a year or two. With a resounding boom, the Cloud Pearl's spiritual light flickered, appearing as if it might dissipate. Under the expectant gazes of several people, the spiritual light ultimately stabilized and solidified once more.

“Can’t break it?” Zhu Dong's expression stiffened. He had put his full strength into that punch, holding nothing back. If it couldn't be shattered even with that, wouldn't they have to wait for others to arrive?

“Damn it…”

In the distance, several more figures flew rapidly towards them. Faintly, from all directions even further away, more frustrated trial participants from across the eastern region were rushing in. It was easy to imagine that the struggle for this Cloud Pearl would become increasingly fierce.

“Should I break through?” Zhu Dong hesitated. Honestly, breaking through to Grandmaster for just one Cloud Pearl wasn't worth it. But Zhu Dong was also confident that if he broke through, he could definitely rank among the top thirty-six on the leaderboard afterwards. But what if...

“Everyone get out of my way! This Cloud Pearl is ours!” A brazen voice echoed from the distance. Close behind, a burly bald man led six others, arriving from afar. Zhu Dong narrowed his eyes. Seven people. This wave would be tough to handle.

“You try it!” He led the original two slightly back, whispering, “Let’s pull back for now. This is about to turn into a free-for-all.”

Before the burly man could even try, over a dozen more figures suddenly arrived. The dozen-plus individuals belonged to different teams, and as soon as they arrived before the Cloud Pearl, the atmosphere became tense. However, after more than twenty people tried repeatedly, it became clear that the Cloud Pearl's spiritual light could not be shattered by Xiantian-level cultivation.

A moment later…

“Damn it, over forty people now.”“Just one measly Cloud Pearl, not even enough to share if we peeled it into pieces. How poor is this eastern region?”“Good heavens, Xuanshu Temple's Tai Xing from the Central Region, Sansheng Sect's Mo Beibei, Daliang Palace's Xi Guanghan, and Chaodong Pavilion's Zhu Dong are all here, yet they still can't break through a single Cloud Pearl's spiritual light.”“This spiritual light can't even be shattered by a Grandmaster's Yin-Yang Mirror. Unless we become Grandmasters, we can only wait.”“Yes, a Xiantian using a Grandmaster spiritual technique won't affect the Cloud Pearl's spiritual light in the slightest. This Cloud Realm is too cunning; it's finding ways to force people to break through to the Grandmaster realm.”“How despicable…”

As the crowd conversed, they were completely unaware that, hundreds of meters away, three cunning individuals, concealing their auras, were hiding in the tall grass.

“Young Master Xu, what are we waiting for?” Xin Gugu asked, puzzled. Just now, he'd said they needed to kill, but after flying close to the Cloud Pearl, Young Master Xu suddenly had a change of heart and wanted to be a good person again? If he made a move, not to mention the Cloud Pearl's spiritual light, even the Cloud Pearl itself could be shattered. Why wait so long?

“Don’t rush, there are only forty-something people here. If we’re going to do something, let’s make it big,” Xu Xiaoshou chuckled.

Xin Gugu was perplexed. “Young Master Xu, are you deaf or am I hallucinating? Didn't you hear them talking? They're as poor as us! The eastern region is too impoverished!”

“Yes, they’re poor too.”

“Then why…”

“But they’re all geniuses!” Xu Xiaoshou looked back with a smile, his fangs glinting.

“What do you mean?” Xin Gugu was startled.

Xu Xiaoshou sighed. “Are you foolish? This eastern region is so poor that one Cloud Pearl can attract so many people. If we don't subdue them all at once, will you want to fight again every time a spiritual pearl appears?”

Xin Gugu was dumbfounded. “You want to take on fifty people?” By then, there were already over fifty individuals.

“No,” Xu Xiaoshou shook his head. “I'm giving them an opportunity to achieve enlightenment and become deities. A Semi-Saint’s disciple, who wouldn't want to defeat a Semi-Saint’s disciple?”

Having said that, seeing the number of people surpass sixty, and the Cloud Pearl's spiritual light faintly showing signs of fading, Xu Xiaoshou no longer waited. He shot into the sky and bellowed, “Gentlemen, you are surrounded by I, Xu!”

Hiding in the grass behind a large rock, Xin Gugu and Liu Changqing exchanged glances, looking at each other in bewilderment.

“He’s so shameless!” Xin Gugu muttered, yet felt a pang of admiration for Xu Xiaoshou’s demeanor at that moment.

“He’s truly something else.” Liu Changqing also sighed with emotion, then hastily rushed out to guard him.

“Gentlemen, you are surrounded by I, Xu!” That explosive shout instantly shifted the attention of over sixty people on the scene from the fading Cloud Pearl's light to the newly arrived person.

“Who’s this?”

Someone seeing this arrogant fellow, with his ordinary appearance and unknown cultivation, felt as if they were looking at an idiot.

“How audacious!”“Does he mean he wants to challenge all sixty-plus of us?”“Damn it, this guy instantly stirred my anger! I want to challenge him, don't you dare stop me.”

From the crowd, a bald, burly man carrying a heavy hammer sprang forward. The big man had a lecherous grin, his yellow teeth bared, drooling. He faced the arrogant young master in his luxurious robes and said, “Who are you? State your name. I never torment nameless nobodies.”

“Unfortunate,” Xu Xiaoshou said, his stomach churning at the man’s lecherous grin, “I, Young Master, never ask for names when I act.” With that, he pulled out his black sword, Zang Ku, from his spatial ring. Zang Ku had reached the level of a Rank Six Grandmaster Spirit Sword, brimming with sentience, and was more than sufficient for such a situation. Although its appearance hadn't changed much since its emergence from the Heavenly Sang Spiritual Palace, its aura was now completely different. No acquaintance could possibly recognize it. As the sword of Young Master Xu, Zang Ku was perfectly suited.

“Ying!”

The moment the black sword appeared, it wriggled like a snake, as if excited. The exceptionally high-pitched sword hum was piercing, yet it also gave everyone present an unusual sensation.

“Holy crap, what kind of sword is that? It feels even dirtier than Zhao Xiu!”“That sword hum... damn, why do I not feel any killing intent? It just gives me goosebumps. This sword is disgusting, isn't it?” someone complained.“A Rank Six Grandmaster Spirit Sword, how can it have such sentience?” others wondered in surprise.

The bald man, Zhao Xiu, ignored all this completely. Xu Xiaoshou's words had enraged him. He swung his heavy hammer, and a powerful wind erupted in the air, even creating sonic booms.

A genius indeed... Xu Xiaoshou, holding Zang Ku, was somewhat surprised. This casual strike from a Peak Xiantian cultivator already vaguely possessed the power of a Grandmaster. This bald man was quite impressive! But “impressive” was as far as it went. Xu Xiaoshou himself possessed Grandmaster cultivation, and although he could only display a Xiantian realm, his sword arts far surpassed everyone present.

“White Clouds Drifting, Plucking Sword Style!”

With a casual flick of the black sword, like an antelope hanging its horns, it was untraceable. Zhao Xiu, whose hammer struck down with immense force, not only missed his target but also felt as if he were sinking into a quagmire. His momentum became tangled and hard to shift, and even his footsteps were disrupted by Xu Xiaoshou's single sword move. Then, from the quagmire, an ancient primeval beast leaped out, opening its cavernous maw.

“Boom!”

The void suddenly trembled. The instant Zang Ku flicked back, Zhao Xiu, despite his brute strength, couldn't even grip his own weapon; his heavy hammer was directly flicked away.

“Gasp!”

He pulled himself out of the quagmire, only to find a black sword already resting against the major artery in his neck.

“I surrender, I give up, don't kill me, don't move...” Zhao Xiu's face fell. He raised his hands, not wanting to die, and certainly not wanting to be eliminated.

“I didn’t move,” Xu Xiaoshou said with a faint smile. He wanted to subdue everyone present, not kill them all, as that would be meaningless.

“But…”

Zhao Xiu still looked like he was about to cry, and with a slight bend of his finger, pointed to his neck. The major artery in his neck had been cut open, and blood was gushing out.

Xu Xiaoshou was momentarily stunned, then looked at Zhao Xiu's neck.

Holy crap!

Zang Ku was wriggling like a spastic maggot. It... it was licking the blood?