Spirit Affairs Pavilion

The sun was already three poles high.

People came and went in an endless stream through the Spirit Affairs Pavilion. This was where Tiansang Spirit Palace handled all manner of trivial matters for outer court disciples. It was enormous, with a full one hundred and eight service counters.

"Hello, Senior Brother."

"Hello, Senior Brother Xu."

"Morning, Senior Brother... uh, good afternoon?"

Xu Xiaoshou walked along with a sword on his back. Some people recognized him, some did not, but he had seniority. There was no need for him to greet anyone; a nod was enough.

Upon entering the Spirit Affairs Pavilion, it felt like stepping into a marketplace, bustling with voices.

Most of the people here had come to register for the Wind and Cloud Tournament. After all, failing to register would be treated as forfeiture.

And forfeiting for three years meant being expelled from the Spirit Palace. Of course, placing last for three consecutive years meant the same.

A very small number simply did not want to embarrass themselves in the competition, so they came directly to apply for a position as a steward in the mortal world, muddling through life and waiting for death.

Of the one hundred and eight service counters, nearly all were occupied. Xu Xiaoshou headed straight for Counter One, where there was no one.

"As expected!"

From his memories, the other counters were handled by outer court disciples with sufficient seniority. Only Counter One was personally managed by Elder Qiao, the elder in charge of the Spirit Affairs Pavilion.

Elder Qiao was good in every way, except that every three sentences of his came with a lecture. That was why everyone else would rather queue than provoke him.

Xu Xiaoshou, however, had a very good relationship with this elder. Mainly because his potential had already reached its limit, and Elder Qiao could not be bothered to lecture him.

After all, this was a man who could exert twelve parts effort and still fail to break through to the Fourth Spirit Refinement Realm.

When he entered the room, Elder Qiao was dozing off. Xu Xiaoshou crept over and rapped his knuckles hard against the desk. "Wake up!"

Elder Qiao, reclining against the back of his chair with his lips slightly parted, was startled. Without even wiping the drool from the corner of his mouth, he slapped out. Xu Xiaoshou nimbly ducked beneath it. "You brat!"

"It's Xiaoshou... Hmm, Xu Xiaoshou?"

Once Elder Qiao saw who it was, his sleepiness vanished. His face filled with astonishment. "Weren't you in closed-door cultivation unto death? You didn't die?"

Several black lines dropped across Xu Xiaoshou's forehead. So I can't possibly break through, huh? I have to become a corpse before I meet your expectations?

"I died. I'm a reanimated corpse," he said irritably.

Elder Qiao gave an embarrassed smile and pointed outside. "Are you planning to leave too, go outside and become a steward?"

"What steward? Isn't the top ten of the Wind and Cloud Ranking far more appealing?" Xu Xiaoshou shot back.

"You?" Elder Qiao suddenly clutched his stomach, struggling to suppress his laughter as his body shook violently.

He had been in the outer court so long that he was bored stiff. Only Xu Xiaoshou dared speak to him like this, and only before Xu Xiaoshou would he put down some of his airs and laugh without restraint.

Mockery received. Passive Value +1.

Mockery?

A whole new continent had opened up! Xu Xiaoshou chuckled. Just as he had thought, as long as he was passive enough, Passive Value would flow in without end.

"What? You don't believe that after finishing my closed-door cultivation unto death, my strength has advanced greatly?"

Elder Qiao was wiping away his drool with a tissue. Afterward, he picked up his cup to rinse his mouth, unable to stop the corners of his lips from curving upward.

Doubt received. Passive Value +1.

Xu Xiaoshou grinned. He flung his sleeve and said solemnly, "To tell you the truth, I, Xu, have already broken through to the Innate Stage!"

"Pfft!" Elder Qiao sprayed out a mouthful of water.

Looking at Xu Xiaoshou's utterly serious expression, he could no longer hold it in. A devilish laugh echoed through the entire Spirit Affairs Pavilion. "Hee-hah, hee-hah, hee..."

"I can't do this, Xu Xiaoshou. That expression... You're really hilarious." He used the tissue that had wiped his drool to casually wipe his tears.

Praise received. Passive Value +1.

Xu Xiaoshou: "..."

Praise?

What kind of damned praise was that? That was sarcasm, brother! Was this system toxic? It felt like it was making something out of nothing!

Outside, disciples whose ears had been assaulted by the demonic laughter craned their necks to look over, trying to find out what was going on.

"Damn, whose laugh is that? It's so devilish!"

"Keep it down. You don't know Elder Qiao's laugh? Want to get lectured?"

"Who's so badass that they actually made Elder Qiao laugh?"

"No idea. Let's take a look?"

Once their curiosity was piqued, they stopped queuing. It was a group offense anyway, so it did not count as breaking the law. One by one, they hunched over and crept toward the door of Counter One.

"Uh... Isn't that Xu Xiaoshou? Wasn't he in closed-door cultivation unto death?"

"Wow, your information is really up to date. I heard he already broke through the Fourth Spirit Refinement Realm and came out!"

"Tsk, tsk, you're not much better. I heard yesterday that he reached the Fifth Spirit Refinement Realm."

"Nonsense, I heard it was the Seventh Spirit Refinement Realm."

"The Eighth Spirit Refinement Realm!"

"He just said inside that he'd reached the Innate Stage..."

As the last timid voice fell, the entire hall went silent. The onlookers all turned to stare at the speaker. "I believe you, my ass!"

When Elder Qiao saw the crowd at the door, his head immediately began to ache. Realizing his laughter had drawn this wave of spectators, he strode out and roared, "What are you looking at? Go register!"

"Hehe, Elder Qiao, calm down, calm down!" Everyone hurriedly waved their hands and scattered like birds and beasts.

Inside, Xu Xiaoshou was already holding his head and laughing himself silly. He watched the messages continuously update in the information panel.

Doubt received. Passive Value +42.

Doubt received. Passive Value +31.

Doubt received. Passive Value +16.

Doubt received. Passive Value +3.

There were roughly several hundred people in the Spirit Affairs Pavilion, with dozens gathered to watch. The Passive Value harvested by Elder Qiao's wave of laughter exceeded everything Xu Xiaoshou had accumulated before.

The first wave of Passive Value should have come from the onlookers. Did the later waves come after the information spread, or were they a second wave of doubt? Xu Xiaoshou realized that each person seemed able to give at most one point at a time. To gain more in one go, there was only one condition: more people!

He imagined shouting, "I'm an Innate Stage expert," before a crowd of ten thousand. Would ten thousand Passive Value instantly enter his account? Hmm, he might also get beaten to death as a lunatic. Though what he said did seem to be true.

"What are you grinning foolishly about?" Elder Qiao closed the door, turned around, and sat back in his exclusive chair.

"Nothing!"

Xu Xiaoshou came back to himself. "I forgot to mention the serious matter. I came to register for the Wind and Cloud Tournament."

"Not afraid of embarrassing yourself?"

As he spoke, Elder Qiao took a green token from the drawer and pressed it against his forehead to enter the information.

Xu Xiaoshou rolled his eyes. Sure enough, he still did not believe him. I really am Innate Stage, okay? What face am I going to lose!

He sighed. There was no helping it. A genius's life was always accompanied by gossip and doubt.

"Fourth Spirit Refinement Realm?" Elder Qiao asked.

Xu Xiaoshou thought for a moment, decided not to struggle any longer, and nodded.

"Here!"

Taking Elder Qiao's green token, Xu Xiaoshou pressed it against his forehead. He quickly read the information inside.

Xu Xiaoshou, Fourth Spirit Refinement Realm, Group 12, Number: 1130.

Over a thousand people...

Though he had expected it, Xu Xiaoshou still clicked his tongue inwardly.

Every year's Wind and Cloud Tournament had more than a thousand participants. Whether one had cultivated in the outer court for one year, two years, or three years, as long as one was an outer court disciple, one had to participate.

Those who ranked at the bottom would, after a decision by the elders within the Spirit Palace, generally be sent away directly if they had no outstanding performance.

Elder Qiao deserved much of the credit for Xu Xiaoshou being able to remain until now.

But he could protect him for a time, not for a lifetime. If Xu Xiaoshou placed at the bottom for three consecutive years, Elder Qiao alone would certainly be unable to save him.

However, none of that seemed to be a problem anymore! Xu Xiaoshou put away the token, raised his brows at Elder Qiao, then rubbed his hands together. "Elder Qiao, where are my Spirit Crystals...?"

His first purpose in coming here had been registration. His second purpose, naturally, was to reclaim the cultivation allowance that belonged to him.

Counting the two months before and after, he had twenty Spirit Crystals deposited here that he had not collected. Ever since buying Hidden Pain, he had been completely penniless. Twenty was not much, but even mosquito meat was still meat, wasn't it? "You little brat are sharp!"

Elder Qiao laughed and scolded him as he counted out twenty Spirit Crystals from the drawer. With a flick of his hand, an additional pill bottle appeared, and he placed them both on the desk.

"This is..." Xu Xiaoshou was surprised. Anyone who worked at the Spirit Affairs Pavilion was famously stingy, let alone Elder Qiao. Why would he give him an extra bottle of pills?

"A personal subsidy. Don't go spreading it around!"

Elder Qiao said sternly, pushing the Spirit Crystals and pill bottle over. His expression suddenly became melancholy. "Perhaps I won't see you again in the future..."

Warmth filled Xu Xiaoshou's heart. He hurriedly swept everything up at once and grinned. "Don't worry. Even if I'm expelled from Tiansang Spirit Palace, I'll come back to visit you!"

"Heh!"

Elder Qiao laughed. "You think you'll be able to get in?"

"Relax, I won't be expelled."

"Let's hope so!"

Watching Xu Xiaoshou leave the Spirit Affairs Pavilion cheerfully, Elder Qiao withdrew the melancholy from his eyes and muttered with a frown, "I never expected this brat to actually break through. What a strange thing."

"Good thing he probably doesn't know that I sold information about him. These pills can count as compensation..."

He counted on his fingers. "Mm, ten times the profit. This wave wasn't a loss!"