Chapter 832: Xu's Helped Place, Not a Blade of Grass Grows

"Is this the Cloud Pearl?"

With over seventy people waiting behind for judgment, Xu Xiaoshou stood alone at the front, commanding attention. He examined the crystal bead, about the size of a human head, in his hand with considerable curiosity.

The Cloud Pearl was milky white, with swirling mists tracing paths within it. Each path contained an extremely primal interpretation of the Great Dao, allowing one to gain enlightenment with just a glance. The crystal sphere's core, moreover, was composed of exceptionally pure energy; he believed that absorbing it would significantly boost one's cultivation.

"Enlightenment of the Dao, spiritual energy amplification... a twofold benefit. It truly is the prized possession everyone dreams of."

Xu Xiaoshou sighed, no longer hesitating. He connected his spiritual sense and, using a breathing technique, absorbed the Cloud Pearl. It transformed into pure spiritual and Dao energy, flowing into his mouth and nose.

Those behind him looked on with envy. They watched as Young Master Xu, after absorbing the Cloud Pearl, sat cross-legged. His spiritual energy vibrated around him, subtly taking on the aura of a Grandmaster. The Dao enlightenment swirling beside him was immeasurably stronger than that of an ordinary Grandmaster. Some even speculated that even some weaker Thrones couldn't compare to Young Master Xu's Dao enlightenment.

"As expected of the Sword Dao Throne!" Zhu Dong, Zhao Xiu, and others collectively felt a surge of envy. Such genius truly befitted a semi-saint's inheritor.

In just a moment, Xu Xiaoshou finished absorbing the Cloud Pearl's energy. He opened his eyes, and a brilliant light flashed within them.

"What a treasure!" he exclaimed. "Just one Cloud Pearl brought such a significant boost to my Heavenly Phenomenon Realm. I underestimated this Cloud Realm world before; it seems Cheng Ji really intends to provide many benefits for the trial participants of the Royal City Trial. Not only that, but my Sea of Qi cultivation increased, and even my understanding of the Grandmaster Heavenly Phenomenon Realm deepened considerably."

Xu Xiaoshou's expression grew subtle. He had forcefully broken through to the Grandmaster realm using the Sword Dao, encountering no bottlenecks whatsoever. However, this was ultimately an ancient sword cultivator's method. In a world where spirit refiners were the orthodox path, Xu Xiaoshou didn't want to lose the larger picture for a smaller gain... Or perhaps, "lose the larger picture for a smaller gain" might not be the most accurate description. But Xu Xiaoshou genuinely didn't want to abandon the path of spirit refining. He wanted to have his cake and eat it too, pursuing both paths.

"The Grandmaster Heavenly Phenomenon Realm involves contact with the fundamental rules of this world. Although it's merely a partial understanding of these rules, compared to the Sword Dao..." he mused. "World rules encompass the Sword Dao, yet the Sword Dao can also evolve into a world of its own. However, a world of swords ultimately has its limitations; it's confined by 'swords.' The world's fundamental essence perceived by spirit refiners comprises the basic forces of all ten thousand Great Daos. These rule-based powers, perhaps not as powerful as the benefits of Sword Dao specialization at the Grandmaster or Throne stages, might, with long-term enlightenment, lead to achievements not much weaker than those of ancient sword cultivators specializing in the Sword Dao!"

Xu Xiaoshou vaguely began to understand why ancient sword cultivators, despite their formidable strength, had declined in this era. This was because the entry barrier for sword cultivators was too high. Even after mastering it, their mid-stage (Grandmaster, Throne) strength was exceptional, making them invincible among their peers. However, spirit refiners practiced the orthodox path. By the mid-to-late stages (Path Cutting), many could essentially contend with sword cultivators. And in the very late stages, like Path Cutting, Nine Death Thunder Realm, and Grand Void, if a spirit refiner deeply understood the world's fundamental rules, then ancient sword cultivators of the same realm generally couldn't contend with them!

"No wonder most semi-saints in this world are spirit refiners, with sword cultivators seeming relatively few," Xu Xiaoshou exclaimed, utterly astonished. The power derived from understanding the world's fundamental rules was immense; he couldn't possibly abandon it. He wanted the Sword Dao. He also wanted the path of spirit refining!

He opened the scoreboard. After some competition, the scoreboard had updated again.

"1st, Chong Yuan, Score: 25300.""2nd, Duo'er, Score: 13200.""3rd, Jiang Xian, Score: 10250.""4th, Luo Yin, Score: 2425.""5th, Rong Dahao, Score: 1950."

"Good heavens!" Xu Xiaoshou was startled to see the top five. In such a short time, Su Qianqian had already been pushed out. Furthermore, the top three on the list had all surpassed ten thousand points. Had they all hunted Cloud Beasts?

"Everyone else hasn't been idle either..." Xu Xiaoshou suddenly realized that only such a trial environment could truly highlight the ultimate heritage of heirs from major family powers.

He was familiar with several of the top five on the list. Jiang Xian, ranked third, was the former owner of the "Three Abominations Pupils." However, after encountering someone from "King Yama," his eyes were stolen. One of them was currently still in Xu Xiaoshou's possession.

"But this guy, he doesn't seem to have just Xiantian cultivation, does he?" Xu Xiaoshou remembered that when he saw Jiang Xian in Tianqi Forest earlier, the power he displayed was already beyond Xiantian. "Could it be that his cultivation regressed after the Three Abominations Pupils were taken, and now he wants to enter the Yunlun Mountains to seek opportunities? Or is he a 'stowaway'? But how could a 'stowaway' use his real name? Isn't he afraid of death? Oh, he's also a semi-saint's inheritor, so perhaps he truly isn't afraid of death." Xu Xiaoshou had a headache. What kind of backgrounds did these participants in the Royal City Trial have?!

He also remembered Luo Yin, ranked fourth, from the Luo Tian Palace of the Dayuan Prefecture Dynasty. This was the Saint Body Xu Xiaoshou had encountered during the Tianluo Battle. He had thought Luo Yin was weak, but unexpectedly, upon arriving at the Yunlun Mountains, Luo Yin also shone brightly.

As for the others... Staring at the first and second ranks, Xu Xiaoshou unconsciously frowned. He turned and waved to the seventy-plus people waiting for judgment behind him: "A few of you, come here."

The seventy-plus people looked at each other, some hesitant to step forward. Xu Xiaoshou's eyes narrowed, and the first few couldn't help but step out.

"State your names."

Five people came forward. Xu Xiaoshou could tell that these were the five strongest cultivators in the large group, each possessing strength comparable to a Grandmaster, having clearly suppressed their realms for a long time. Zhao Xiu was notably among them. Besides him, among the four others, there was one woman and three young men.

"Tai Xing of Xuantian Prefecture, Mo Beibei of Sansheng Sect, Xi Guanghan of Daliang Palace, Zhu Dong of Chaodong Pavilion, and a wanderer, uh, Zhao Xiu... We greet Young Master Xu!" The five spoke in unison.

"All from the Central Region?" Xu Xiaoshou raised an eyebrow. He had heard people around him discussing earlier that the first four of these five clearly had significant backgrounds.

"Yes," the five nodded. Xu Xiaoshou sighed, realizing that the Eastern Heaven Royal City Trial was indeed being overshadowed by people from the Central Region. Among the five, only Mo Beibei was female, with a beautiful appearance. The other four, besides Zhao Xiu, were all exceptionally valiant in appearance.

Xu Xiaoshou asked more about their backgrounds, though he didn't pay much attention to the Central Region's power structure, so asking was somewhat pointless. He then pointed to the scoreboard and asked, "Do you recognize the first and second on this list?"

"Of course." Zhu Dong of Chaodong Pavilion, who had long been observing the scoreboard, stepped forward and said, "Chong Yuan, ranked first, is a rising dark horse among the younger generation in the Central Region. The Chong family isn't large and can't even be considered a Grand Void family, but he possesses extraordinary talent and immense fortune. It's understandable that he has temporarily claimed the top spot on this trial's scoreboard."

"The second-ranked person has a much more significant background," Zhu Dong elaborated. "She is the inheritor of a Southern Region semi-saint, Duo'er, the Dao walker of the Black Heart Fruit clan. She already made a great name for herself when she traveled through the Central Region."

"Semi-saint inheritor?" Xu Xiaoshou was startled. This Void Island really did bring out some big players—another semi-saint inheritor?

"As for the others in the top five..." Zhu Dong's expression was somewhat mocking as he helplessly said, "They are all heirs of major families! Jiang Xian is a semi-saint inheritor; Young Master Xu should be aware of him from his time in Eastern Heaven Royal City. Luo Yin and Rong Dahao are both heirs of Grand Void families. The former is from the Luo Tian Palace of the Dayuan Prefecture Dynasty, and the latter is rumored to be the contemporary Dao walker of the Grand Void Negative Gate clan."

"All of them have backgrounds..." Xu Xiaoshou sighed with emotion and asked, "What about you? How do your respective forces compare to these?"

The four looked at each other, their expressions somewhat bitter: "We can't compare at all. Let alone Grand Void families, our forces can at best compete with the Chong family."

Zhao Xiu covered his mouth and chuckled from the side: "The Chong family has Chong Yuan. You guys shouldn't overestimate yourselves!"

"Shut up!" Xi Guanghan glared. He was also a tall man, with a rugged face and a ferocious aura no weaker than Zhao Xiu's.

"Heh." Zhao Xiu shrugged and remained silent. As a wanderer, he usually wouldn't provoke people from these sects; he couldn't afford to.

After this conversation, Xu Xiaoshou gained a deeper understanding of these individuals. The power of the four families was roughly just a notch stronger than sects like Guiyin Pavilion and Daxian Tianzong from Eastern Heaven Royal City. While their clans might have Grand Void experts, they couldn't compare to the true heritage of Grand Void families.

"No matter!" Xu Xiaoshou didn't care about these things. The Yunlun Mountains trial didn't consider one's background. These people were already very strong; outside, they would be powerful enough to sweep across a large area.

"Alright, let me think..." He lowered his head in deep thought. The seventy-plus people behind him collectively felt uneasy, knowing that Young Master Xu was about to decide their fate.

After a few breaths, Xu Xiaoshou raised his head and looked at everyone present. "I believe you've also noticed the scoreboard. Too many new people have appeared on the list, some rapidly gaining thousands or tens of thousands of points in a short time. You're not fools; you know this can't be achieved by one person alone. Every prominent figure on the list has a large group of followers behind them. Soon, the individual fighting in the Yunlun Mountains will melt away like ice and snow. If you don't form groups, you will surely die!"

This was true. Everyone nodded slightly, falling into deep thought. At this point, the scores of those on the leaderboard were nearing ten thousand. A single refresh for the top-ranked individuals showed an increase of hundreds or thousands of points. If it was a ten thousand point increase at once, one could say they hunted a Cloud Beast. But hundreds or thousands of points... In such a situation, besides killing others, the only remaining possibility was everyone jointly searching for Cloud Pearls and then consolidating the points onto their leader.

Other regions had already begun to band together for warmth. The Eastern part was so barren. If things continued as before, over seventy people would fight desperately for a single Cloud Pearl. Even if they managed to fight their way to the Nine Dragon Veins in the core region, most of the Eastern participants would already be dead. By then, an individual's strength would lead to only two outcomes: either they'd be used as score banks by the large factions from other regions, or they'd be forced to join one.

In short, everyone thought of the eventual outcome. The current situation was none other than Young Master Xu also wanting to establish his own team to contend with the top-ranked individuals on the list.

"Does Young Master Xu want to climb the ranks?" No one was foolish; someone immediately spoke up from the crowd.

"Not quite." Xu Xiaoshou smiled, waving his hand and shaking his head. "I want to gather everyone, to use our combined maximum strength to uncover the most treasures in these Yunlun Mountains and distribute them in the most reasonable way."

Everyone frowned at these words. Too idealistic! They were all geniuses, proud and arrogant. How could they accept a life of being controlled and having things distributed to them like slaves?

"Listen to me..." Xu Xiaoshou smiled, then drew out his Hidden Bitter sword, speaking coldly: "What I intend is that with so many treasures waiting for us to uncover in the Yunlun Mountains, there's no need for everyone to be limited to mere Cloud Pearls. As long as everyone obeys my command, in less than half a day, the benefits of even one Cloud Pearl won't need to be shared among seventy people. We can use our maximum detection range to search through the Yunlun Mountains, leaving no blade of grass untouched wherever we go. By then, let alone spiritual herbs, elixirs, various spiritual weapons, beasts, and treasures, we won't even let Cloud Pearls or Cloud Beasts escape. If we encounter people from other factions, I will step forward. They will either hand over their points for us to share, or we will directly eliminate them from the trial. Everyone, what do you say?"

Xu Xiaoshou raised Hidden Bitter, and sword intent raged in the air, making everyone tremble. "What do you say?" What *could* they say? Besides saying "yes," did they have the right to say "no"? Many actually resisted internally, not wanting to be controlled, but they were helpless. Young Master Xu, with a single sword, could slay ten times the number of people present. As long as those present still wanted to continue participating in the Royal City Trial and complete the entire process, they had no choice but to agree.

After they all responded "Yes" in unison, everyone's mindset began to change again. If other forces banded together, they too would eventually have to form groups. In that case, the final struggle would be between the leaders of the various factions. And Young Master Xu's sword power was terrifying. Even if their group made it to the end, it wasn't impossible for them to contend with others. By that time, as founding elders who were among the first to join Xu's faction, would they still fear not getting points?

"Resisted, Passive Points, 26.""Anticipated, Passive Points, 13.""Obeyed, Passive Points, 54."

Xu Xiaoshou, having commanded the multitude with his sword, finally smiled contentedly. As for these newcomers, he disdained adopting any "conciliatory" policies. The Royal City Trial had limited time, and since he possessed the power to defeat them with a single sword, what need was there for appeasement?

"Next, you will divide into five teams." Xu Xiaoshou used his sword qi to directly split the seventy-plus people into five groups, then pointed his sword tip: "Each group will be led by Tai Xing, Mo Beibei, Xi Guanghan, Zhu Dong, and Zhao Xiu. As for you five..." Xu Xiaoshou pondered for a moment, then simply gave up thinking: "For now, I'll call you the Five Tiger Generals. Each of you Five Tiger Generals will lead your people, spread out a treasure-hunting net as wide as possible. If you encounter anyone, call me, and we'll do our best to expand our gang. Hmm, with more members, we'll be like a proper organization... In that case, our organization should have a name. We'll call it 'Xu's Gang'! What I want is this: wherever Xu's Gang goes, not a blade of grass shall grow!"