Villains Aren't Stepping Stones!

Chapter 101: Chapter 101: Restrictions

The icy winds of the Northern Continent continued to howl, whipping the snow into a frantic dance around the gathered cultivators, but the atmosphere near the ancient stone gates had turned into something far more chilling.

The arrival of the Conferred Pagoda’s envoy had effectively silenced the bustling crowd, turning the previously arrogant masters of the North into little more than spectators in their own territory.

Shui Heng, the Sect Master of the Sky Water Sect, felt a trickle of cold sweat run down his spine despite his Nascent Soul cultivation.

He smoothed his robes, forcing a smile that didn’t quite reach his bioluminescent blue eyes as he took a step forward, his posture radiating a forced familiarity that made the nearby disciples of the Ice God Palace cringe.

”Miss Shangguan Mu’er, it is truly a pleasure to meet you again,” Shui Heng said, his voice carrying a practiced, melodic tone as he bowed slightly, just enough to show respect without appearing completely subservient. ”It has been ten years since we last met at the Grand Alliance Assembly, hasn’t it? Your cultivation seems to have reached even greater heights since then.”

Shangguan Mu’er, who was standing like a sentinel behind Haoran and Qing’er, slowly turned her gaze toward him.

Her bluish-silver hair fluttered in the wind, and her expression remained as static as a marble statue as she frowned, her eyes scanning his face with a lack of recognition that was almost physically painful to witness.

”Who are you?” she asked.

Her voice was flat, devoid of any warmth or malice, which only made the question sting more.

After she said that, the entire plateau was engulfed by a pin-dropping silence.

Thousands of cultivators, from rogue Foundation Establishment warriors to the elders of the first-tier sects, held their breath.

The ”Strongest Person in the North” had just been treated like a nameless blade of grass!

Shui Heng’s face instantly flushed a deep, burning crimson as he felt the heat of embarrassment rising from his neck to his ears, but he forced himself to remain calm.

To lose his temper here would not only be a disgrace to his sect but potentially a death sentence.

He coughed into his hand, his smile now looking brittle and painted on.

”Ah, I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised you’ve forgotten, Miss Shangguan Mu’er,” Shui Heng said, his voice strained. ”We briefly met ten years ago when you were promoted to the ranks of Great Elder. I was one of the regional representatives who offered a congratulatory gift—the Deep Sea Coral Heart, if I recall correctly.”

”Is that so?” Shangguan Mu’er replied.

She didn’t offer an apology, nor did she pretend to remember. She simply turned her gaze back to the back of Haoran’s head, making it clear the conversation was over.

Obviously, Shui Heng wasn’t so thick-skinned as to continue the conversation after such a blatant dismissal.

He knew his place in the hierarchy of the Saint Burial Realm; while he was an overlord in the North, Shangguan Mu’er represented the central authority of the Conferred Pagoda.

More importantly, unlike Xue Bing’er, who was weaker than him and he can tease and flirt with without consequences, Shangguan Mu’er was a peak Nascent Soul expert whose actual combat strength was capable of slapping him to death before he could even circulate his qi.

But desperate to salvage some of his dignity, Shui Heng turned his gaze toward the younger girl in the group, Ling Luochen.

”Greetings, Junior,” he said, trying to regain his ”Sect Master” persona. ”I am Shui Heng. You must be a rising star of the Pagoda to be traveling in such esteemed company.”

Ling Luochen, whose blood-red eyes were still taking in the sheer scale of the Northern Continent’s power, instinctively hid behind her master’s back.

However, she had been tempered by a year of traveling with Haoran and knew that showing weakness was a sin, so she stepped out slightly and cupped her hands.

”Ling Luochen. I am my master’s disciple,” she replied concisely.

”Master?” Shui Heng blinked, his confusion momentarily overriding his embarrassment.

His eyes then landed on Shangguan Mu’er again, who was now staring at him with cold, emotionless eyes that seemed to pierce through his very soul.

”She is my disciple,” Mu’er said simply.

The weight of her words was like a mountain pressing down on Shui Heng’s chest.

”A-Ah, is that so? My apologies. Apologies,” Shui Heng chuckled nervously, bowing his head lower than before.

At this point, he was showing no dignity of the ”strongest person in the North.” He looked like a merchant haggling over copper coins rather than a Nascent Soul sovereign.

Well, it was understandable, as he realized that every single person in this group was someone he absolutely could not afford to offend.

Still, his curiosity was a powerful beast.

He turned his attention toward the woman standing directly behind the golden-haired youth.

Qing’er’s presence was unlike anything he had ever felt—it wasn’t just power; it was a void that seemed to swallow the light around her.

”Greetings, Miss, I am—”

”Scram,” Qing’er said.

Her voice was like the sliding of a blade out of a scabbard, and her words wasn’t a request; it was an order backed by a Saint-level intent that made Shui Heng’s blood momentarily freeze in his veins.

”Ah, yes, yes, apologies, apologies,” he stammered, his face now pale as he scrambled backward several steps.

He bowed his head repeatedly, his survival instinct screaming at him to get as far away from her as possible.

Her presence alone screamed that she was a primal predator who viewed him as nothing more than a bothersome insect.

Finally, Shui Heng turned his gaze to the last person of the group—the youth leading them.

He could sense that this young man was the true center of the universe for these powerful women.

”Greetings, Young Master. I am Shui Heng, Sect Master of the Sky Water Sect. It is an honor to witness your arrival in our humble North.”

Haoran turned his gaze toward him, his golden eyes were filled with a terrifying, clinical boredom.

He didn’t even acknowledge Shui Heng’s status or his bow. ”And? Do you need something? Or are you just here to provide background noise?”

”Ah, nothing, nothing! Sorry for disturbing you, Young Master!” Shui Heng bowed one last time and immediately retreated to the very back of his own sect’s formation, his heart pounding against his ribs like a trapped bird.

Xue Bing’er, who had been watching the entire exchange from the Ice God Palace’s side, almost lost her icy composure and laughed out loud.

But although she suppressed the urge, a small, suppressed sound that was suspiciously close to a laugh still escaped her lips.

Seeing this persistent old cow, the arrogant Shui Heng, reduced to a stuttering mess was more refreshing than a century-old frost-lotus.

Qing’er, standing like a shadow behind Haoran, heard her laugh and turned her gaze towards her for a moment, before she leaned in to Haoran slightly.

Just then, her voice resonated directly in Haoran’s mind through their telepathic connection. ”Young Master, that woman in the white and blue robes possesses the Snow Wind Sacred Physique. However, it currently remains dormant, its potential suppressed by the low-grade cultivation techniques of this world.”

”I noticed,” Haoran replied casually, his eyes briefly flickering over Xue Bing’er. ”It’s a waste of a good physique in this ’trash’ realm. But let it be for now. We have a more important thing to do.”

”Understood.”

Just then, the massive stone gates let out a deep, resonant hum as the golden light intensified, blinding the lower-level cultivators.

Then, a series of ancient, glowing runes manifested in the air above the entrance, forming words that hung like a decree from the heavens: ”Those who are over 100 years old are forbidden from entering. The trial is for the young; the old shall remain in the dust.”

”It’s open,” Haoran said, his voice calm.

Then, he didn’t even wait for the light to fade and he simply stepped forward.

”Young Master... apologies,” Qing’er said, her voice tinged with a rare trace of frustration. ”It seems the laws of this secret realm are rigid. With my true age, I can only wait for you here on the outside. I will maintain a spatial lock; if anything threatens you, I will tear this realm apart to reach you.”

”Hm. It doesn’t matter. I’ll be back soon, Qing’er,” Haoran said, not looking back.

To him, the ”danger” of a Saint-level secret realm was equivalent to a walk in a well-manicured park.

With that, Haoran was the first to cross the threshold, his form disappearing into the golden curtain of light.

Ling Luochen looked at her teacher, who gave her a short, encouraging nod.

Without hesitation, Luochen followed after him, her heart filled with the determination to prove her worth to the Young Master.

”What the hell is this!?” Shui Heng’s voice erupted in the silence, his previous fear momentarily replaced by indignation. ”This is blatant discrimination! Discrimination against the experienced! I am the Sect Master of Sky Water Sect! I have the most right to these treasures amongst the people in the North!”

Xue Bing’er felt a surge of genuine satisfaction seeing the ”Strongest” barred from entry.

Just then, she adjusted her robes, her light blue hair shimmering in the golden light of the gate. ”Well then, Sect Master Shui Heng, it seems your ’experience’ is your greatest enemy today. I will be going first. Try not to catch a cold out here.”

She was perfectly eligible to enter; after all, as a cultivation genius, she was only fifty years old this year—a mere child in the eyes of the higher realms.

With a graceful movement, she stepped into the gate and vanished.

”Damn it! Damn it all!” Shui Heng cursed, kicking the frozen ground before he turned toward Shangguan Mu’er, who was calmly staring at the gates, ”Miss Shangguan, don’t you think this is a travesty? This secret realm is clearly discriminating against the true powerhouses of the world! Surely we should combine our strength to shatter the restriction?”

”I have no interest in your idea,” Shangguan Mu’er said softly as she took a step forward and walked toward the gate with a serene expression.

”Wait, you aren’t going to—” Shui Heng started, but his words died in his throat.

Shangguan Mu’er walked straight into the golden light. There was no resistance, no spatial backlash, and no rejection. She simply entered the gate and disappeared, leaving the Northern masters in a state of absolute shock.

”What!? She... she entered!?” Shui Heng screamed, his eyes nearly bulging out of his head. ”She’s less than a hundred years old!? How is that possible!? She’s a Great Elder of the Pagoda! She’s at the peak of the Nascent Soul realm! How can she be less than a hundred years old!?”

He stood there, staring at the closed gates, feeling as though the entire universe was conspiring to humiliate him.

While he had spent two centuries reaching the Nascent Soul realm, the woman he had tried to ”reminisce” with had achieved far more in less than half the time.

Hidden in the shadows of the ice crag, Jiang Chen pulled his brown cloak tighter around his body as adark, twisted smirk touched his lips.

’The ’Old Monsters’ are trapped outside,’ he thought, his eyes burning with a vengeful light. ’This is my chance. Haoran... you think you’re the only ’genius’ here? In this realm, the heavens will show you who the true Master of Fate is.’

However, he couldn’t help but frown as he stared at the gates.

’Does this determine the bone age or the soul age? If it’s the latter, then I’m screwed. I’m already 800 years old, I won’t be able to enter it.’

No.

He shook his head.

He is the blessed by the heavens, surely, he would be able to pass this gate without any trouble.

After all, if people found out his true age, how can he shock others of how much of a genius he is?

Yes, that’s right.

Surely, he will be able to pass the gate!