Xu Xiaoshou, the Great Bluffer

Cloud-Emerging Platform, main arena.

"Xu Xiaoshou!"

"Zhou Tianshen!"

Two tall figures stepped out beneath the setting sun. Zhou Tianshen's waiting area was not far from Xu Xiaoshou's, and the moment they emerged, their gazes met.

Xu Xiaoshou looked at the saber taller than a man strapped to his opponent's back, then at those blazing eyes filled with fighting spirit, and nodded in satisfaction.

Looks like he won't be conceding.

Naturally. This was already the round of thirty-two to sixteen—who would possibly give up such an opportunity?

Zhou Tianshen had been born exceptionally handsome, yet his dashing looks and painstaking study of the tyrant saber lent him a touch of youthful ferocity, drawing a wave of shrieks from the female disciples in the stands.

On the arena, he lightly planted the golden tyrant saber, broad as a waist and tall as a man, into the ground. He crossed his hands over its guard and slightly raised his chin.

"Acquired Sword Intent, an innate physical body..."

"Xu Xiaoshou, I, Zhou Tianshen, admit that you are very strong!"

"Among the outer court disciples, you are qualified to rank beneath me, at fifth on the Wind and Cloud Ranking!"

The crowd erupted. Many were awed by his sharp, overbearing presence.

When Zhou Tianshen spoke, he gave off an air that brooked no doubt. Coupled with his fourth-place strength on the Wind and Cloud Ranking, he truly seemed imposing.

Xu Xiaoshou smiled calmly.

For the first time, someone had provoked him after he stepped onto the stage, instead of him needing to provoke someone else. The feeling was exceptionally novel.

Before he could speak, Zhou Tianshen continued, "However, my goal this time is first place."

"So, you can only submit beneath my blade!"

With that, he drew the golden tyrant saber and pointed it at Xu Xiaoshou. Boundless, surging saber intent poured forth.

Crack! Crack!

The saber intent ran rampant, shredding the nearby arenas into fragments.

"Acquired Saber Intent?!"

The stands instantly erupted, every face filled with disbelief.

"When did Zhou Tianshen cultivate Acquired Saber Intent? Heavens!"

"Judging by how freely he can wield it, he has definitely had it for more than a year. Xu Xiaoshou is in danger."

"With this saber intent, he can stand head-on against an innate expert. I thought his claim of fighting for first place was just empty boasting, but now... it might not be."

Xiao Qixiu was equally shocked. This boy had hidden himself so deeply? No one had forced out his full strength during the group stage or the breakout stage?

If his opponent had not been Xu Xiaoshou, would he have kept his Acquired Saber Intent hidden until the finals?

The calm smile on Xu Xiaoshou's face froze. What the hell is this? Acquired Saber Intent? And he can wield it freely? He thought of how releasing just one move of "Leisurely White Clouds" would drain all his spiritual energy, then looked at his opponent...

There was simply no comparison! Still, one could lose the battle but not the bearing. Xu Xiaoshou tugged at the corner of his lips and smiled. "Junior Brother Zhou, don't let the wind blow so hard it trips your tongue."

Zhou Tianshen's sharp saber intent stalled, and the spectators immediately burst into laughter.

"Hahaha, isn't Xu Xiaoshou one of the oldest batches in the outer court?"

"What do you mean, one of? He's basically the only one left! Those with more seniority entered the inner court, while those weaker than him couldn't even make it into the advancement rounds!"

"Oh, right. Doesn't that make Xu Xiaoshou the undisputed senior brother?"

"In theory, yes, but he spent three years in the outer court without ever showing his face, and he was nearly kicked out of the Spirit Palace..."

"Who knows why he suddenly exploded into prominence. He's a full-blown dark horse—he feels like someone possessed him!"

"Haha, you're hilarious. Possessed?"

"Now that you mention it, even people like Mo Mo and Chao Qingteng are little brothers and sisters before him... Hahaha, I can't take it anymore! Look at Zhou Tianshen, his face has gone black!"

Zhou Tianshen's face had indeed darkened, but his saber intent grew even stronger. Seeing the atmosphere reach its peak, Xiao Qixiu immediately waved his hand.

"The match begins!"

"Wait!" Zhou Tianshen held his saber crosswise and spoke blandly, choking off Xiao Qixiu's surging excitement.

What kind of contestants were these? Had Xu Xiaoshou led them all astray? Every last one was such an oddball.

The audience was curious too. If he was not going to fight, what else did this fellow want to babble about? "There is still something I must make clear before we begin."

Zhou Tianshen said, "What Wen Chong did yesterday, ambushing you, was certainly despicable. But you, Xu Xiaoshou, should not have taken his life either. A slight punishment would have sufficed, yet you actually dealt such a vicious blow!"

He pointed his saber at Xu Xiaoshou, righteousness shining in his eyes. "In my eyes, Zhou Tianshen's eyes, you too are a vile and shameless petty man, incapable of accomplishing anything great!"

At that moment, Xu Xiaoshou dearly wanted to drape a cape over him. He said disdainfully, "So that's why you had to mock me before the fight—killing a man by first stabbing his heart?"

Zhou Tianshen froze, seemingly choked up. "I wasn't trying to kill a man by stabbing his heart first. I was merely discussing the matter as it stands!"

"Heh. Have you ever gone near the arena? Could you see clearly?"

Xu Xiaoshou fired off words like a string of cannonballs. "You know nothing, yet the moment you come up here, you spout nonsense and fling mud everywhere. If I say now that I did it deliberately, can you then openly make a move against me?"

"No, that's not it, it's not like that!"

Zhou Tianshen panicked. The hand holding his saber waved repeatedly, his face flushing red. He looked as if he wanted to say something, yet had no words to say.

"No need to say anything!" Xu Xiaoshou cut him off, his words crashing down like Mount Tai. "I know your next sentence will be that I have a sharp tongue!"

"No, I wasn't going to say that!"

"Heh, people like you always stand on the heights of morality and condemn others, never realizing that these so-called righteous words are the true blades that stab the heart!"

Zhou Tianshen retreated again and again, his gaze unfocused. His saber intent had already been suppressed by Xu Xiaoshou until it was a pitiful mess. He suddenly raised his saber upright to support himself, no longer intending to say another word.

"What?" Xu Xiaoshou changed tack. "When you should keep quiet, you insist on speaking. When you actually start talking, you can't outtalk me. And when you can't outtalk me, you resort to violence?"

Zhou Tianshen held his saber, unsure whether to strike or not strike, utterly at a loss and incomparably embarrassed.

Xu Xiaoshou appeared calm on the surface, but inwardly he was already laughing himself mad. He had figured it out: Zhou Tianshen was the kind of person with only one tendon running through his entire body.

His sense of justice was overflowing, his blood ran hot, and he often saw only the surface of things. Or, after being misled, he would be used as someone else's spear. Foolish and simple, but adorably so.

Everyone in the stands was stunned. Xu Xiaoshou's words were not only the best possible response to yesterday's matter, but also left many ill-intentioned people feeling utterly blocked up inside.

"Boohoo, Xu Xiaoshou is so pitiful. I wronged him!"

"Damn Zhou Tianshen, trash! Shameless! Killing a man by stabbing his heart!"

"Fuck, are you all insane? Wasn't Xu Xiaoshou the one stabbing hearts here?"

"Heavens, how is this guy so good at talking? I almost believed his nonsense! Zhou Tianshen, keep it up! Don't let him fool you—pick up your saber and chop him!"

In the arena, Xu Xiaoshou saw the fellow opposite him looking hesitant, as though he was about to concede defeat, and immediately realized he had gone too far. He hurriedly said, "Junior Brother Zhou, although one must not judge everything by appearances, as a qualified spiritual cultivator, once you step onto the arena, you must never speak of conceding defeat."

"Remember this: to grow timid before battle is a great taboo when facing an enemy; to flee without fighting is the shame of a spiritual cultivator; to surrender with folded hands is a stain upon one's life!"

He flicked his sleeve, looking like an immortal drifting in the wind, his words ringing with conviction.

Zhou Tianshen's heart immediately settled. He rested the golden tyrant saber across himself, fighting spirit rising once more in his eyes. Cupping his hands, he said, "Senior Brother Xu, I have been taught!"

Xu Xiaoshou gave a slight nod, wearing the expression of one who could be taught.

Xiao Qixiu: "..."