I Am Loaded with Passive Skills

"Passive Points: 1069,462."

One million left...

Xu Xiaoshou clenched his fists. He could feel that the strength hidden in his body was many times stronger than before.

He had used less than half of his Passive Points in this latest round of strengthening. He still had a million left!

"Too strong!"

"How do other Master (Stage) live like this?" Xu Xiaoshou lamented, falling into deep thought.

If he wanted to strengthen all of his remaining passive skills to Sovereign (Stage), he could do it.

However, there was a high chance he would not have enough to draw from the lottery or awaken.

Xu Xiaoshou's eyes burned as he scanned through the list of passive skills. Although he wanted them all, he could not have his cake and eat it.

He viewed the last 100,000 passive skills available and picked out only those which would help him conceal his abilities better.

"Swallow the Mountains and Rivers of Qi Master (Stage 1)."

"..."

"Swallow the Mountains and Rivers of Qi Sovereign (Stage 1)."

He went straight to the Sovereign (Stage)!

No conspicuous transformation occurred to his body. After all, the skill he had raised was a hidden passive.

Xu Xiaoshou sensed minute changes in his emotions. He could feel an ever so slight reversal of the power of heaven and earth.

Its effect was negligible.

However, he knew that 'Swallow the Mountains and Rivers' had undergone a qualitative change, and its true worth would reveal itself in time.

Passive skills like 'Swallow the Mountains and Rivers' possessed cumulative effects. Thus, time was a prerequisite for most of them to show tangible benefits.

Now that it had reached the Sovereign (Stage), it meant that if he used the empty city stratagem in the future, he would be able to influence all existences within the Sovereign (Stage) just by flaring his accumulated aura.

This 'everything' naturally included Cutting Path (Stage) and Higher Void (level).

In the Battle of the Imperial City, one had to know that he still had to combine holy power with 'Swallow the Mountains and Rivers' to exert pressure on others.

Now that the skill had reached the Sovereign (Stage), however...

"Hehe!"

Xu Xiaoshou chortled slyly. He could already imagine how much more realistic the pressure he exerted on others would be while disguised with 'Transformation'.

It was completely different from most passive skills that were not very useful against those with similar or higher cultivations than him.

Xu Xiaoshou usually used Qi to Swallow the Mountains and Rivers to deal with the big wigs.

It was not a skill for battle.

Sometimes, intimidation is the best way to resolve a conflict before it starts. By exerting pressure on his aggressor via his passive skill, he could induce doubt and defeat an opponent he would not normally have been able to with brute strength.

To do this...

In the past, Xu Xiaoshou could only rely on his wits.

Now, not only did he have wits, but he also had this 'empty city stratagem' that broadened his options to intimidate and cajole an enemy into submission!

"I can't level up anymore. If I level up again, I'll have to eat dirt..."

Looking at the Passive Points section, Xu Xiaoshou resisted the temptation to increase his strength further.

He wanted to draw from the lottery. Once he got something good, he would feel more at ease spending his remaining Passive Points, blitzing to the Sovereign (Stage).

Otherwise, he would settle for second-best, using what he had to raise his passive skills.

"I'll use 500,000 Passive Points to draw from the lottery. I mustn't exceed that number!" Xu Xiaoshou swore to himself.

It was too easy to lose oneself in a gambler's mindset. Once it surfaced, Xu Xiaoshou knew he would be helpless to resist.

The remaining 900,000 Passive Points were part of his reserve. If he used it all, he would have nothing left.

It would be too late for regret by then; death would be preferable!

That was why he gave himself a credit limit of 500,000 Passive Points.

If he could not get something good with 300,000 Points, he would still have enough room to splurge a little, using another 200,000 Points for a second chance.

He would not have considered this plan if he had not had 500,000 Passive points to spare. Unfortunately, Xu Xiaoshou was not aware of the misfortune to come.

"The price of the Passive Key has increased... It costs 10,000 to draw once. What a scam!"

Xu Xiaoshou stared at the store, hesitating. He stamped his feet against the ground and bounced up. With his spirit roused, he muttered, "Let's start with ten consecutive draws... No, I need luck. I must believe a miracle will occur!"

Perhaps, this time, he would be able to soar into the nine heavens in one leap.

With this dream in mind, Xu Xiaoshou gritted his teeth and spent 10,000 Passive Points to exchange for a Passive Key.

"Spirits of the heavens, spirits of the earth, the Supreme Lord of Creation... His Majesty the Jade Emperor, Buddha, and all the divines that exist in between, please answer my prayer!"

Xu Xiaoshou put his hands together and was extremely pious.

He inserted the Passive Key into the lottery machine and twisted it.

"Ha!"

His eyes shone brightly.

His first prize was a dud. Xu Xiaoshou bit his lip in disappointment. He had not received an increase in mastery over his present skills or a new status-based passive skill.

It did not matter!

There was still a 99% chance he would get some other passive skill...

He glanced at the information bar.

"Thank you for your patronage!"

"Pu..." Xu Xiaoshou nearly spat a mouthful of blood.

Something was not right!

It couldn't be, could it?

This lousy system had just swallowed a million of his Passive Points. It should have profited more than enough from his earlier transaction. Shouldn't it return the favour and bestow great fortune upon him?

Such were Xu Xiaoshou's thoughts, a part of human nature.

However...

Thank you for your patronage?

"As expected, this lousy system, you're not a human, you're a real dog!"

Xu Xiaoshou's eyes turned red as he inserted the next Passive Key. He was so angry that... he moved to another location with better fengshui. Huddled in a crouch, he quietly exchanged his points for ten more Passive Keys.

"Give me the goods... Ah Ah Ah-"

"Thank you for your patronage!"

"Thank you for your patronage!"

"You got a Passive Key!"

"Thank you for your patronage!"

"Thank you for your patronage!"

"You got a Passive Key!"

"Thank you for your patronage!"

"You got a Passive Key!"

"Thank you for your patronage!"

"Thank you for your patronage!"

"Pu Pu Pu..." Xu Xiaoshou's eyes swam, a vast void swallowing his conscious whole. Were those stars he saw in the gaping black maw?

His dog system had just increased the price of a Passive Key. Yet, the probability of getting a good skill had not improved.

It was not a $1,000 lottery anymore.

It was a lucky draw requiring 10,000 pulls to succeed!

"Blood... My blood...!"

Xu Xiaoshou did not allow his system's cruelty to discourage him. He dug a hole with his bare hands, refusing to use his spiritual source for the menial task and buried himself in it.

While underground, he used his Passive Points to exchange for another ten Passive Keys.

"I'm not walking home bust; I'm not walking home bust...!"

Ten times!

"Thank you for your patronage!"

"You got a Passive Key!"

"Thank you for your patronage!"

"You got a Passive Key!"

"You got a Passive Key!"

"Thank you for your patronage!"

"Thank you for your patronage!"

"Thank you for your patronage!"

"You got a Passive Key!"

"Thank you for your patronage!"

"Extended Passive Skill acquired: Transformation!".

"Thank you for your patronage!".

"Wahahaha --"

"Yo Ku Ku Ku Ku --"

"Heehee Heehee --"

"As expected! Anything that can go wrong will go wrong - that's Murphy's law for you... As expected! Hahaha..."

...

Crazy?!

Xu Xiaoji and Greedy the Cat Spirit were hard at work in Yuan Mansion when they saw the crazy figure in the sky.

Where were the unmatched figure and refined temperament Xu Xiaoshou usually embodied...?

At this moment, Xu Xiaoji only saw a crazy man covered in dirt, wearing a savage expression.

If he had known there was nothing in Yuan Mansion, he would have thought this vicious-looking man was some tomb raider who went crazy after failing to rob an emperor's tomb.

"It's normal..."

Xu Xiaoji looked away and calmly continued counting the boxes. He did not dare look at the strange visage any longer than necessary. Muttering internally, he said, "It must be Demon King Xu. He goes on a rampage a few times a month. It's perfectly normal..."

Xu Xiaoshou was beyond mad.

He had not obtained anything useful in a long time.

Two hundred thousand Passive Points was equivalent to 40 consecutive draws in the past, but the same was not true now. He... he had suffered a great loss.

No. It did not matter!

As long as he got something even marginally useful, it would greatly increase his overall combat strength. Hope still lingered!

Xu Xiaoshou had a good impression of passive skills.

"Transformation..."

Without any hesitation, Xu Xiaoshou used ten Tier 1 skill points, raising 'Transformation' to the Innate (Stage) and sensed a subtle change in his body.

Passive skills affect only oneself. Xu Xiaoshou was already familiar with this point.

The power in his body was changing.

He could 'perceive' the changes as they occurred.

His Qi, blood, spiritual source, and other power sources disappeared bit by bit.

At the same time, the mental strength he had exhausted in his frenzy slowly recovered.

Not long after, Xu Xiaoshou felt refreshed, achieving a delicate balance between his mental strength and Qi, blood, and spiritual source.

"My blood, Qi, and spiritual source have been transformed into what I need the most... mental strength?!"

Xu Xiaoshou came to a sudden realization, and his eyes glittered like stars.

'Transformation' was an ability to transform other powers he possessed into another type of power that he had lost due to exertion or external forces.

How did he manage to reach a balance of powers?

"I-it is a divine skill!"

Xu Xiaoshou held his head in his hands, and his heart pranced with joy.

What was he lacking the most right now?

What he lacked the most was spiritual protection!

Spiritual protection was essential if he did not want to suffer muddleheadedness or lose control because of an attack aimed at his spiritual sea.

If 'Transformation' were what he thought it would be, then it would be able to break off a portion of his strongest two longboards, life force and spiritual source, and make up for his weakest mental weakness!

'Transformation' was a skill practically tailor-made for him, pairing well with the passive skills Eternal Vitality and High Spirits.

In other words...

As long as the enemy did not kill and control him immediately in the future, and did not have a balanced attack of spirit, body, will, and the way of the heavens, he would still have the means to resist and put up a fight.

With 'transformation', all he needed was a portion of his spirit, energy, or godhood to recover his other powers exhausted in a fight.

"Godhood!"

Xu Xiaoshou was shocked.

The longboard of his physical body was so long that it had no end.

With the appearance of the passive skill 'Transformation', who would be able to stop him?

Once the spiritual attack landed, he could convert his Qi, blood, and spiritual source into spiritual strength to replenish his loss, vice-versa.

Even if he crossed swords with someone who could wipe out his spiritual source instantly, he, Xu Xiaoshou, could still receive a boost by transforming his Qi, blood, and spiritual source into an energy form he could use.

"This is crazy! How can there be someone in the world with the ability to wipe out the entire strength of others? Wouldn't he be able to reach the peak of the Sovereign (Stage) and comprehend the 3,000 paths of the Great Dao?"

"I'm as good as immortal!" Xu Xiaoshou was extremely excited by this prospect.

There was no manual to teach him how to use 'Transformation' properly, so he needed to practice.

Hence, upon raising 'Transformation' from Innate (Stage) to Master (Stage), he tried tinkering with his new skill. After a moment's thought, he decided to do it again!

"Transformation, Sovereign (Stage) Lvl. 1."

The difference between 'Transformation' at the Innate (Stage) and the Sovereign (Stage) was night and day. If he had to use his 'Perception' like a microscope before, now it was a 3D image visible to the naked eye.

Xu Xiaoshou's hands trembled as he continuously sent out jets of white flame towards the chaotic mist in the Yuan Mansion space, using it to deplete his spiritual source.

No sooner had he depleted his spiritual sea than the rest of his energy held in reserve roared into motion.

The feeling was similar to the one he felt when he activated High Spirits for the first time.

The very fibre of his being was thrust into motion.

Xu Xiaoshou felt his blood and Qi strength begin to decline, and his mental strength also began to decrease. However, eternal vitality also began to activate and was full of high spirits. At this moment, his spiritual source was soaring.

Soaring soaring!

In just a few breaths, Xu Xiaoshou stopped, and his spiritual source recovered to its highest point after balancing out.

And after it recovered.

"Eternal vitality" and "Full of high spirits" had not stopped. They were still working!

It was not until he had replenished all the mental strength that he had lost, and Xu Xiaoshou's entire body recovered to its peak state, that he realized that all the movements in his body had finally stopped.

"Cluck Cluck Cluck..."

His teeth were chattering.

Even though he hadn't taken any drugs, at this moment, Xu Xiaoshou felt like he was about to have an orgasm.

What on earth...?

Godhood!

It was unsolvable!

With 'Transformation', he did not need to sleep anymore.

He would not feel weakened even if he were to fight a war.

'Transformation' was a qualitative change, allowing him to express his full strength. Regardless of how spent he became, he could always convert his energy sources from one form to another, covering for his deficiencies.

Having reached the Sovereign (Stage), 'Transformation' was almost instantaneous.

It solved many of the problems he faced!

"This is too terrifying. A man who is always at his peak condition against another who will only tire the longer we fight..."

Xu Xiaoshou's lips twitched. His conjecture sounded scary in his ears.

He dared to proclaim himself the man with the strongest endurance, the strongest man in the world!

There was no one like him in the world!

This 'Transformation' was far more terrifying than the effects it had shown in the past.

It even increased the upper limit of all his other passive skills to the Sovereign (Stage).

It truly was a heaven-defying skill!

At this moment, Xu Xiaoshou thought of something and suddenly flew towards Xu Xiaoji. "Xiaoji, I'll give you a chance. Hit me as hard as you can!"

"Ah?" Xu Xiaoji was startled by Xu Xiaoshou. A thought flashed through his mind: is he testing me?

As if on cue, Xu Xiaoji waved his hand repeatedly and said in fear, "Lord Xiaoshou, I've never entertained the thought of hitting you. Never!"

Xu Xiaoshou: "If you don't hit me, I'll hit you."

Xu Xiaoji: "? ? ?"

"My apologies..." taking a step back, Xu Xiaoji clenched his fist and gathered a large amount of elemental energy through the void. His eyes twinkled with excitement.

Xu Xiaoji had Sovereign (Stage) combat strength.

"Bang!"

Spiritual energy exploded.

Xu Xiaoshou remained unmoving.

On the other hand, Xu Xiaoji seemed to have been jolted by a hedgehog. He was thrown into the air, his body spinning like a top. His fist curled in on itself, not unlike the shape of a shrimp.

"Just as I thought..."

Xu Xiaoji, who landed in an explosion of dust and twisted limbs, wanted to cry, but no tears flowed out. "I knew it. I knew it. In the past, I still had a chance. Now, I don't! This fellow, whether it's beating people or getting beaten up, the one who will be injured in the end will never be him but someone else..."

The, thus, dubbed Demon King Xu did not follow up with an attack. He, too, stood in a shell-shocked daze.

'Transformation' at the Sovereign (Stage) gave him a strange feeling that it wasn't much worse than the Master or Grandmaster (Stage). Therefore, Xu Xiaoshou had planned to test it out.

Xu Xiaoji's punch merely confirmed his hypothesis.

'Transformation' could not only replenish his internal power, bringing it into balance, it could also convert and express its effects in the form of external power!

Almost 50% of the power contained in Xu Xiaoji's punch was 'converted' into nutrients for his body and spiritual sea.

The rest of the damage still affected Xu Xiaoshou's body.

Since he was in peak condition, the amount of damage he felt was negligible.

50% of the damage Xu Xiaoji inflicted was offset by the other 50% converted into his power

Which resulted...

"If you punch me, not only will you not be able to cause any damage, but you will also receive a rebound strong enough to cause death?" Xu Xiaoshou murmured, stunned.