I Am Loaded with Passive Skills

address their protests, and instead walked up to Xu Xiaoshou, looking at the kid without saying anything.

“The kid is still pretending that it doesn’t matter eh?” he thought.
“But…”

Xiao Qixiu was experienced enough to read all the hidden bitterness on the kid’s face.

“The kid is still just eighteen, after all.”

“Huff…” Xiao Qixiu sighed.

Xu Xiaoshou backed away, pinching his nose.

Xiao Qixiu was baffled.

“Oh, that little sh**!

“The kid really does know how to put up a fight.
And there I was feeling pity for him.”

Xiao Qixiu stopped sighing and took a great big breath.
He clapped Xu Xiaoshou on the shoulder and said, “You could still stay in the Outer Yard for another year, so as to make a breakthrough into Innate Stage as soon as possible.”

Xu Xiaoshou was stunned.

He had almost forgotten that if he were unable to join the Inner Yard within three years, or stayed at the bottom of the Contest of Wind and Cloud, he would be kicked out of the palace.

“So, that’s to say someone actually spoke on my behalf?” he thought.

“Was it this middle-aged guy who did so, or…

“Elder Qiao?”

He took a look at the audience.

Elder Qiao was one of the few who had remained quietly seated in the audience seats.
He simply nodded and said nothing.

Encouraged, Passive Points +1.

Xu Xiaoshou felt warm and fuzzy deep down.

He was undoubtedly feeling disappointed and dejected.

Yet, he didn’t like being pitied, so he just had to do it when he saw the sympathetic look on Xiao Qixiu’s face.

At the moment, however, he was truly touched.

Xu Xiaoshou sincerely voiced his gratitude.
“Thank you.”

1

Xiao Qixiu shook his head and grinned.
“You’d do enough by just sparing me your antics.
Your thanks are too much for me.”

He had no idea why this kid, despite being his junior, still managed to get on his nerves with all the antics he pulled.

Furthermore, he also seemed to have the subconscious tendency of lowering his status whenever he talked to Xu Xiaoshou.

“Yeah, that’s probably how Old Qiao feels as well, I guess,” Xu Xiaoshou thought.
He pouted slightly and said nothing in return.

Xiao Qixiu then turned around and said loudly, “I hereby announce that the Contest of Wind and Cloud of this year is officially over!”

“Dismissed!”

Everyone in the audience was feeling vexed, but they couldn’t do anything to protest the outcome.

They’d witnessed the birth of a dark horse and thought the ending would be utmost spectacular, yet the outcome had been unexpected.

The champion was unable to even get a place in the Inner Yard.

This would’ve been fine with them if Xu Xiaoshou were an ordinary champion, but he had defeated so many with Innate Elemental Powers, which meant he was anything but ordinary.

They wondered if his powers and potential were indeed not worth the Spirit Palace making a one-time exception.

“Good work! Xu Xiaoshou!”

Many didn’t leave right away and came to encourage him instead.
Before long, cheers were coming from all over the place.

“Xu Xiaoshou! You’re the best! I’ll love you forever!”

“Xu Xiaoshou! Hang in there!”

“…”

Encouraged, Passive Points +663.

Encouraged, Passive Points +414.

Encouraged, Passive Points +520.

“…”

Xu Xiaoshou was touched again seeing the waves of encouragement washing all over him.

This was especially so for the line: “Xu Xiaoshou! Hang in there!”

He vaguely remembered that that line had come about in the group matches, where he had pretended to be ganged up by over 40 people.

“Thank you,” he whispered in gratitude.

The sun set, and the crowd eventually dispersed.

Xu Xiaoshou smiled as he responded to those who came up to him just to encourage him, whether he recognized them or not.

“Dejected?” Elder Qiao came up to him and asked.

“Yeah.

“Very much so.”

Xu Xiaoshou looked at the sunset while Elder Qiao looked at him.

“This kid…” he thought.

Despite having said he was fine to so many people, he was sure being frank with him.

“That’s how it is with life,’ he said.
“Ups and downs all the time.”

“Yeah.” Xu Xiaoshou tilted his head and seemed to recall something.
“Ups and downs, but if you’re lucky…”

“You sure are one hell of an optimist.” Elder Qiao shook his head, then took out two bottles of pills for him before walking into the sunset.

“Good work.”

“Teach those unflinching old farts a lesson.
Make them see that they were wrong.”

1

Xu Xiaoshou was rather stunned, thinking that there was definitely a lot to swallow in those two lines.

He then looked down at the two bottles of pills in his hand.

A bottle of Spiritual Cultivation Pills.

Another bottle carrying Red Gold Pills.

Sunset, Elder Qiao, and pills again…

Xu Xiaoshou smiled faintly, finding the scene oddly familiar, yet something was missing.

He took out a Spiritual Cultivation Pill and took a whiff.

Hsss.

The sunset seemed to sway, so much so that even his shadow seemed to shudder.