I Am Loaded with Passive Skills

Night fell.

Dark clouds covered the moon as if a layer of gauze made the sky hazy.

Under the dim moonlight, Dongtianwang City was rather quiet tonight.

In the past, the lively nightlife of the disciples of the various financial groups and powerful factions seemed to have ceased at the same time.

The descendants of these powerful factions have gathered in the same place.

The south city district.

At the entrance of a quiet wine house that's plaque had been removed, two black-clothed guards wearing beast-form masks stood at the door. Just by observing their auras, passers-by could know that these were two genuine Sovereigns.

And there was only one place that could use Sovereigns as guards tonight -- the Spirit Gem Trade Fair.

The streets were extremely quiet.

There were only a few passers-by who seemed to have not seen the two guards who were wearing beast-form masks at all as they hurriedly passed by the entrance of the wine house.

These people with low cultivations felt an inexplicable palpitation whenever they passed by the place.

It was as if their instincts were urging them, "Hurry up and leave, or there will be a fatal disaster."

"Buzz --"

The bounded domain that enveloped the nearby streets trembled slightly as if someone had touched it from outside.

"Invitation," The guard wearing the beast-form mask remained expressionless as he coldly spoke.

The invitees outside the bounded domain would be enveloped by the bounded domain's power after showing their Spirit Gem Trade Fair's invitation and would thus arrive at the entrance of the wine house.

"Five?" The number of people seemed to have exceeded the norm, and even the Sovereign guard's tone was somewhat suspicious.

Most of the people they had invited in just now were either traveling alone or in groups of two or three.

Everyone came here prioritizing making make deals, thus most tried to avoid coming with too many, which may give away too many features and would thus expose their identities.

Was this person planning to bring his family here for sightseeing?

"Five," Xu Xiaoshou confirmed, curiously sizing up the beast-form masks of the two guards.

Even with his "Perception", he could only vaguely sense the outline of their faces under the masks now. He couldn't see their true faces clearly.

"Impressive. How did you guys make this mask?"

Xu Xiaoshou thought of the Yama's masks, but the two types of masks were clearly different.

The Yama's masks were much more exaggerated.

The guard with the beast-form mask did not reply. He took the invitation and confirmed its authenticity, then asked, "You're from the First Pavilion in the Sky?"

"Yes."

"Go in then, there will be someone inside to receive you."

As soon as the guard said these words, a dog man wanting a dog mask ran out of the wine house.

"Young Master Xu, Young Master Xu, you're finally here. I've been waiting for you for a long time, " Before he arrived in front of them, his voice arrived first.

His voice had been tampered with by the mask and was thus unidentifiable, but the way he ran all the way over made Xu Xiaoshou recall one person, "Liu Lu?"

"It's me, it's me."

Liu Lu took off the dog mask and chuckled. "Let's go in first. It's better not to stay here for long, lest the next group of people recognizes you later."

He led the way.

As he led the group into the wine house, he took out five masks from his ring and distributed them one by one.

"Young Master Xu, you have to wear this. When the trade fair starts later, it's all up to this thing to ensure everyone's privacy."

"Is it foolproof?" Xu Xiaoshou held the mask and expressed his doubt.

"It's highly foolproof unless Young Master Xu exposes certain characteristics which will then enable others to recognize you, such as..." As Liu Lu spoke, his gaze fell on Xiao Wanfeng, who was dressed in embroidered clothes. Finally, his gaze landed on the tea tray in Xiao Wanfeng's hand. "Such as him."

Xiao Wanfeng, "..."

Never had he expected that he would become a "prominent feature" of Young Master Xu.

Xu Xiaoshou had originally thought that this would be an auction venue where everyone would bid, and the bidders would have to be aware of the other bidders' identities before deciding whether to continue bidding.

Therefore, he had dressed everyone in luxurious clothes to show off their status.

Who would have thought that the identities of the bidders in this trade fair would be kept a secret?

If that was the case, wouldn't the clothes he had carefully prepared be of vain?

"Put it on then!" Without any objection, Xu Xiaoshou chose to follow the rules of the trade fair.

The mask he got was in the form of a bull. The minute he put it on, he could feel that all his aura was hidden, and even his cultivation level was concealed.

Although he had Stealth so the beast-form mask was of little significance to him, for Mu Zixi and the others, it was good enough to keep their identities a secret.

"How strong is the spiritual sense that this thing can block?" Xu Xiaoshou glanced at the masks of the people behind him and was curious. "If a Demi-Saint comes, can it block the Demi-Saint?"

Liu Lu was stunned and said, "Young Master Xu must be joking. If a Demi-Saint comes, no matter how strongly defensive the mask is, it will be useless. That being said, these beast-form masks can block the spiritual sense at the stage of the Higher Void. After all, they were specifically designed to defend against spiritual senses."

"They're that strong?"

The level of the beast-form masks was far beyond Xu Xiaoshou's imagination.

He did not expect the Night Cat to be so generous that they could create masks that could even block the spiritual senses of the Higher Void, and yet they distributed these precious masks just like this, where everyone who could enter had one?

"If that's the case, will Higher Voids be coming to this trade fair?" Xu Xiaoshou asked.

"Maybe..." Liu Lu shook his head slightly. He was not very clear about this either. "The only thing I know is that the scale of the Spirit Gem Trade Fair extremely huge, it's my first time here anyway. There's a high probability, but I'm not sure."

Xu Xiaoshou's eyes flashed as he thought of something, but he did not probe further. He merely touched the bull mask and said, "Then is this mask a gift or a loan? Do I have to return it?"

Liu Lu immediately staggered.

Young Master Xu was indeed Young Master Xu!

Why was he even drooling over a mask? Did this even match his identity?

"We have to return it later," He said helplessly, "But if Young Master Xu likes it, I can help you ask Manager Yuan for it after the trade fair is over. He should..."

At this point, Liu Lu paused and changed his words, "It's a gift. These five masks, treat it as a greeting gift for Young Master Xu and Young Master Xu's friends."

"Oh?" Xu Xiaoshou immediately realized that something was off, "Is Yuan Haisheng watching us? He's spying on me?"

Liu Lu, "..."

In that instant, Liu Lu broke out in cold sweat. Why was Young Master Xu so difficult to please?

"Cursed, Passive Points +1."

"Watched, Passive Points +1."

"No, no, no..." Liu Lu reached a hand into the dog mask and wiped his sweat before saying speechlessly, "To say he's spying is just not a very nice way to put it. Manage Yuan is simply watching every corner of the venue, he's the controller tonight."

Xu Xiaoshou stopped in his tracks. "Are you kidding me? Him, a Sovereign... controlling the situation? Didn't you say that Higher Voids may be coming? Can he control the venue? Does he even have the ability to do that?"

"Glared at, Passive Points +1."

Yuan Haisheng, who was secretly monitoring the situation through arrays, was so angry that he almost jumped out to slap this retarded Xu to death. Indeed, he was merely a Sovereign, but he had many experts by his side!

To begin with, hadn't Xu Xiaoshou met the Sword Elder before?

The key point was that the Sword Elder wasn't the only one who was watching the venue tonight, many Night Cat spirit array masters were presiding over the great array right now.

To think that Xu Deye was saying things like this, did he even have respect for him, Yuan Haisheng?

How impolite could he be?!

Liu Lu, who was at the scene, was almost scared to death by Young Master Xu's few words. He was determined not to reply to Young Master Xu's questions anymore.

"Young Master Xu, this way, please. Let's enter the private room first. Once we enter the private room, no one from the outside world will be able to sense us."

Xu Xiaoshou chuckled and followed Liu Lu's footsteps.

He was only poking fun at Yuan Haisheng, after all, he was a man who knew when to stop.

Even though he had been teasing Yuan Haisheng verbally, his mind was completely focused on studying the escape route inside the wine house. After all, what if there was an accident?

"A very powerful spiritual array..."

This place was enveloped by a super-large spiritual array that was at least above the Sovereign stage.

Xu Xiaoshou estimated that the spiritual array could be more than this level. After all, he could sense that the environment had been modified.

His "Weaving Expertise" wasn't just for show as he could recognize the blurry images hidden behind the various spiritual veins outside the spiritual array with some effort.

Such a small wine house should only be able to accommodate a few hundred people, but if that were really the case, why were there private rooms?

Xu Xiaoshou could sense that although it seemed like they were moving forward, in fact, everyone was going underground.

"The true location of the Spirit Gem Trade Fair should be underground," he thought.

As he expected, after following Liu Lu through a hidden door, the range of his 'Perception' expanded.

They had reached the underground!

They were now in an underground trading arena that was about the size of the competition platform of the Douluo Arena that could accommodate the battles of ten thousand people.

The arena's most eye-catching feature was a high platform.

On the high platform was a wooden table, and on the wooden table, a hammer.

Currently, there was no one on the high platform. On the contrary, there were a few dozen people scattered in the seats that were far away from the high platform.

"They're just going to sit there below the platform?" Xu Xiaoshou asked curiously as he walked along the aisle.

The people with the beast-form masks also raised their heads and watched the newcomers who could walk the aisle that lead to the private rooms.

"Watched, Passive Points +56."

"Conjectured, Passive Points +43."

Liu Lu nodded and said flatteringly, "After all, not everyone who attends the trade fair has the status of Young Master Xu. The private rooms are for noble people only."

"This way," As he spoke, he turned a corner and pushed open the door of private room No. 172. He bowed and invited the few of them in.

"You sure know your way with words..." Xu Xiaoshou was delighted, "Since that's the case, you should say a few more words."

"Hehe, with Young Master Xu's status, it's only a given you can't have the same treatment as those guys who are sitting below the platform."

"Mm, what you said makes perfect sense."

"Hehe, Young Master Xu, please lift your foot, there's a threshold here. It wouldn't be good if it tainted your boots."

"Mhm, I see."

"Hehe..."

"Okay..."

...

"Suck-up!" Mu Zixi rolled her eyes as she listened from behind. She turned her head to Xu Xiaoshou and said in a louder voice, "And there's a horse with his butt stuck out!"

Xu Xiaoshou: ???

"How can you say something like that?!" He turned his head angrily and said, "If you don't know your way with words, then learn from Liu Lu!"

"Young Master Xu, calm down, calm down..." Liu Lu broke into a cold sweat immediately.

He was aware that this girl with twin ponytails was probably the only person in the capital who dared to speak to Young Master Xu in such a manner and would not be punished. As such, Liu Lu did not dare to offend her as well and quickly changed the topic, saying "The few of you please enjoy the scene of the trade fair for the time being. When the trade fair begins, the Night Cat will be the first to bring our treasures onto the platform."

After the few of them entered the private room, Liu Lu pointed at the high platform outside the private room and continued, "That is the place where the traders will display their treasures. What is worth mentioning is that in this trade fair, items worth less than 100 million crystals can not be displayed as that would be a disgrace and would lower the threshold of the trade fair. Also, if the rarity of the treasure isn't so that it has an exorbitant price but nobody can find it anywhere else, it will not be allowed to be displayed either. After all, if similar treasures can be found in the outside world, then the Spirit Gem Trade Fair organized by the Night Cat would be meaningless."

"..." Liu Lu was exhorting the details while Xiao Wanfeng and Xin Gugu were speechless while they listened at the back.

If it weren't for Xu Xiaoshou, if the two of them were sold, they probably weren't even worth a fraction of the price of the treasures displayed in the arena.

Xu Xiaoshou's heart moved when he heard this. He had originally come just for the void token, but now that he heard this information, it seemed like he might be able to gain something else?

"What are the levels of the treasures that can be displayed?"

"It's simply amazing!" Liu Lu sighed in amazement as he said, "Young Master Xu should know that the Spirit Gem Trade Fair is only held once every few years. Each time, only after collecting enough treasures will it be held. I heard that in the last few Spirit Gem Trade Fairs, extraordinary things had appeared!"

"Oh?" Xu Xiaoshou raised his eyebrows. "What were they?"

Liu Lu swallowed his saliva and said, "Forbidden spells! Saint Martial Arts! Even famed swords have appeared in this venue before!"

This time, not only Xu Xiaoshou, but the people behind him also trembled.

Famed swords...

There were a mere total of 21 famed swords in the world. Apart from the ones that were lost, almost every sword had a sword-bearer.

How could any of them be found and displayed in this trade fair?

There were also the "forbidden spells" and "Saint Martial Arts" mentioned earlier...

Xu Xiaoshou had heard of the grades of those spiritual techniques, but that was only limited to hearsay.

The classification of spiritual techniques usually stopped at the Sovereign stage because the Sovereign stage itself included three realms: the Dao realm, the Cutting Path level, and the Higher Void level.

Even though most people would differentiate the spiritual techniques of the Sovereign stage into those of the Cutting Path level and those of the Higher Void level, but strictly speaking, they were all spiritual techniques of the Sovereign stage.

The spiritual techniques that truly surpassed the Sovereign stage were the "forbidden spells".

Those were spells that were no longer restricted by spiritual source and attribute forms. Instead, with all sorts of mystical arts, they could summon and command the Way of the Heavens, which enabled them to destroy the heavens and the earth, to the point that even the Higher Voids would be fearful of them.

As for the Saint Martial Arts, as its name implied, it was the martial arts technique at the level of the Demi-Saints!

This was a supreme spiritual technique that could truly unleash Saint-level power with the body of a mortal. It was also known as the pinnacle of martial arts in this world.

It couldn't even be considered a spiritual technique anymore.

Different from the marital techniques like the Fleeting White Clouds, the Blade-draw Technique, the Withering Snow of the West Wind, and so on, the Saint Martial Arts was simply of such a high level that the moment it was used, it could even destroy an extradimensional space.

Although the price to use these two spiritual techniques was also extremely high, in this world that focused on spiritual cultivation, who wouldn't want to own the "forbidden spells" and the "Saint Martial Arts"?

"Good lord, good lord..." Xu Xiaoshou muttered in a daze.

He pondered for a moment and realized that there weren't many items he had that were qualified to participate in the transaction.

He could probably only take the "Infernal Original Seed", "Three Days Frozen Calamity" and Aje to try satisfying the requirements, but the remaining items were probably not enough even if he took Ice and Ember out on the spot.

He abruptly turned around.

Xu Xiaoshou suddenly felt that if he really needed something to display, even if he wasn't able to bring out any other treasures, but the few people beside him might be worth hundreds of millions.

Two ghost beast host bodies (priceless), one twin-pigtailed Loli who had a seductive second personality voice (one and only), and one genius ancient swordsman who was favored by the Seven Sword Deity (could be sold for a good price)...

After looking at them for a while, his mind suddenly became lively, "Special mutated human, young male, delicious meat, abundant blood essence, can be cooked over high heat with star anise, cinnamon, cooking wine, and other ingredients to obtain thick blood soup. Special mutated human, young female, not very nicely flavored. Human, female, little meat, but rich in vitality spiritual energy, can be cooked when ripe. Human, a mortal, can not be eaten."

The four: ???

The four people behind Xu Xioashou were almost instantly scared by his gaze.

All the hair on Mu Zixi's body stood on end and her scalp went cold. She looked fearfully at Xu Xiaoshou and exclaimed, "Xu... Young Master Xu, what are you looking at?!"

"Oh, nothing," Xu Xiaoshou retracted his gaze and sighed, "I'm quite rich, huh?"