Villains Aren't Stepping Stones!

A few days later.

The morning sun broke over the horizon, bathing the absolute center of the world in a wash of pure gold.

The Imperial City of the Tian Yuan Empire stood as a monumental testament to human achievement and immortal influence, its towering stone battlements stretching so high into the stratosphere that they occasionally snagged passing clouds.

At this moment, outside the grand, unyielding gates of the Imperial Academy, the atmosphere was charged with a heavy, electric tension that caused the surrounding ambient spiritual energy to violently ripple.

Countless youths originating from every single corner of the continent had already gathered, numbering in the tens of thousands.

They formed a sea of vibrant silks, heavy armor, and sharp weapons, all standing in an anxious, tight proximity as they waited with bated breath for the primary formation of the academy’s massive gates to officially open.

At this exact moment, standing securely at the very front of the gathered masses, was Chu Yan.

His long black hair was meticulously bound by a silver crown, and he stood with his hands tucked into the wide sleeves of his noble robes, looking remarkably composed, steady, and detached from the surrounding chatter.

’A few months have officially passed since I first opened my eyes in this world, and now the monumental Academy Arc is finally here,’ Chu Yan thought to himself, his fingers slightly tightening within his silken sleeves as he ran through the complex timelines of his memories. ’In other words, according to the pre-written script of this world, that toxic bitch of a protagonist, Xu Xiansu, should definitely be standing somewhere within this very courtyard right now.’

If he remembered the details of that wretched web novel correctly, Xu Xiansu was originally a severely neglected princess of the royal lineage.

Because of the intense political infighting within the inner palace, absolutely no one within the general public knew a single thing about her actual background, her heritage, or her bloodline.

As a result of her isolation, she had traveled to the capital and officially entered the testing grounds of the academy under the completely fabricated guise of a commoner from the peripheral provinces.

In an elite institution absolutely overflowing with arrogant nobles, proud young masters, and pampered geniuses originating from the most powerful backgrounds in the Central Region, a friendless commoner was naturally subjected to a savage amount of discrimination, mockery, and social isolation from day one.

However, because of her unyielding, unbreakable will and her icy, untouchable demeanor, she eventually managed to catch the direct attention and absolute, obsessive love of dozens of high-tier male leads—all of whom would go on to wage wars, sacrifice their family resources, and throw away their personal dignity just to protect her path.

Yet, the absolute most toxic part of the novel was that she hadn’t even let a single one of those desperate fools hold her hand by the time the final Chapter concluded!

They were all just used as stepping stones for her lone ascension.

’If I remember the Chapter layout correctly, the very first, stereotypical scenario of this arc should be...’

”Eh!? Why on earth is a dirty, low-born commoner standing all the way at the front of the gates here? Do you truly think you’re worthy of breathing the same spiritual energy as us?!”

’There it is! Just as the script dictated!’ Chu Yan thought with a dark amusement, a cynical smirk playing on his lips as he slowly turned his head to the side.

There, standing a few dozen paces away near a stone pillar, he saw a tightly packed group of sleazy-looking, arrogantly dressed minor nobles surrounding an incredibly beautiful woman with long, lustrous black hair and a pair of sharp, highly unique orange eyes.

Without a single shred of a doubt, it was the main protagonist herself, Xu Xiansu!

’Wow...’ Chu Yan was temporarily left completely speechless, his analytical mind experiencing a sudden shock as he took in her physical appearance. ’No wonder dozens of high-tier guys were entirely willing to throw away their lives and act like brainless simps for her throughout the story... this woman is truly, unbelievably beautiful!’

’No! Chu Yan, wake up! Do not let your modern mind falter!’ Chu Yan mentally slapped himself, his jaw tightening as he forcefully dragged his gaze away from her face. ’That woman might look like an immortal goddess on the outside, but she’s a manipulative, toxic bitch on the inside! Remember your path! The true, perfect girl for you in this lifetime is Qian Yunxi, the tragic villainess of the story!’

He stared coldly at the developing scene from a safe distance, remembering that in the original timeline of the novel, it was supposed to be the original Chu Yan who would bravely step up, unleash his sword, and stop the arrogant nobles, and that will be the start of his simping life.

But this time, with his transmigrated soul in control, he wouldn’t do that to save his life!

He would rather stand back and watch the show unfold!

”Can you please move your bodies aside?” Xu Xiansu spoke, her voice as thin, cold, and absolute as a sheet of winter ice.

She stared directly at the smirking nobles blocking her path, her distinctive orange eyes remaining completely calm, devoid of even a sliver of fear or intimidation.

”What did you just say to me, you trash?!” The leading noble glared at her, his face twisting into a look of profound, aristocratic offense.

However, thinking that she might be a powerful figure he couldn’t offend, he decided to scan her aura first... And he let out a mocking sneer.

”Just a measly, pathetic First Stage of the Golden Core Realm, and you actually think you’re great?! Let me tell you something, you ignorant peasant: the First Stage of the Golden Core is merely the absolute bare minimum level required to even attend this enrollment ceremony! But since the historical founding of the Imperial Academy, absolutely no one at that low of a level has ever successfully passed the entrance trial! So why don’t you save yourself the public humiliation, pack up your ragged bags, and crawl back to whatever mud hole you crawled out of?!”

”That’s exactly right! The Boss is completely right!”

”You useless commoner bitch, why don’t you just leave before we forcefully throw you out?!” The surrounding sycophants cheered loudly, drawing the attention of the surrounding crowd.

The leading noble felt incredibly smug, his chest puffing out as he stared closer at Xu Xiansu’s face.

Up close, noticing the immaculate, flawless contours of her features and the breathtaking shape of her body beneath her simple robes, his anger instantly shifted.

He gulped heavily, his eyes widening as a deeply perverted, disgusting smile crawled across his face. ”But you know... I am forty years old, and I have already successfully broken through to the 1st Stage of the Nascent Soul Realm, making me a true genius compared to a worm like you. If you agree to accompany me to the private taverns tonight and serve my needs, I might actually be inclined to use my clan’s influence to help you pass the outer trial.”

Xu Xiansu didn’t even blink.

She immediately spat directly onto the stone ground right in front of his boots and gave him a look of absolute, unadulterated disgust that could wither a spiritual herb.

”Accompany you?” she sneered, her voice ringing out clearly across the terrace. ”Look at yourself in the mirror, you repulsive, bloated toad. You are already forty years old, yet your talent is so thoroughly pathetic that you are still stuck at the very bottom of the Nascent Soul realm, scraping for scraps at the gates of a student academy. Your hair is already thinning, your breath smells of rotting spiritual dregs, and your entire lineage must weep every time you open your mouth. A man of your advanced age trying to hit on a young girl at an enrollment gate is not a sign of a genius—it is a public health hazard. I would rather sever my own meridians and jump into a lake of boiling sulfur than allow your greasy hands to touch my shadow. Go back to your mother and ask her why she bothered giving birth to an absolute disappointment like you.”

The surrounding crowd of youths instantly went dead silent, several of them choking on their own saliva at the sheer, unbridled brutality of the words.

The noble’s face turned from a smug grin into a violent, burning shade of crimson, the veins along his neck pulsing so hard they threatened to burst right through his skin.

”You... you absolute, low-born bitch! Do you have any actual idea who I am?! I am the supreme Heaven’s Chosen of the mighty grand Peng Sect, Peng Shu! How dare a nameless worm like you insult my bloodline?!”

”Peng Sect?” A low, drippingly arrogant female voice suddenly echoed from the back of the path, cutting through his rage like a hot knife through butter. ”Is that minor, backwater faction truly considered so great that you can bark like a rabid dog at the gates of the capital?”

”Who said that?! Show yourself!” Peng Shu roared, spinning around with his fists clenched, his Nascent Soul qi flaring out in a messy, unstable wave.

But the moment his eyes locked onto the two figures walking leisurely through the parting crowd, the words completely died in his throat.

Walking towards them side-by-side were two staggeringly beautiful women whose individual auras were so dense they completely suppressed the surrounding space.

One possessed long, fiery red hair that cascaded down her back like liquid magma, wearing a stunning red dress that danced with every step she took.

The other had long, midnight-black hair accented with distinct strands of deep purple, a pair of sharp animalistic eyes, and a highly prominent pair of dark cat ears twitching on top of her head.

Xu Xiansu’s orange eyes widened for a brief fraction of a microsecond, a sudden shock striking her mind as a storm of memories replayed in her consciousness.

’Huo Yue and Zhu Ziyan?!’ she thought to herself, her fingers twitching beneath her sleeves. ’Why on earth are they attending the enrollment ceremony of the Imperial Academy during this lifetime? In my previous life, I’m sure they didn’t bother attending the academy, so why are they here now?’

”Y-You are...” Peng Shu took a violent, trembling step backward, all the arrogant color instantly draining from his face as his gaze locked onto the unique crimson ruler strapped to the red-haired girl’s back. ”The supreme successor of the... the Flame Moon Pavilion?!”

The Flame Moon Pavilion was a terrifyingly powerful, rapidly emerging new faction that had recently taken the central plains by storm.

Although their history was short, they had instantly attracted the terrified attention of many second rate powers in the Central Region due to a single, absolute fact: their central pavilion was directly guarded and protected by a newly promoted Earthly Saint Realm ancestor.

Even the ancient, established Peng Sect where he belonged didn’t possess a single living Earthly Saint within their active ranks.

If he offended her here, his entire family would be wiped from the registry before sunset.

”L-Let’s go! Move it!” Peng Shu frantically barked at his confused goons, entirely abandoning his pride as he turned on his heel and scurried away into the crowd like a beaten dog, his sycophants scrambling closely behind him.

Huo Yue stood in place, watching their pathetic retreat with a lazy, satisfied smirk before turning her wine-red eyes directly toward the lone princess.

She crossed her arms over her chest, her posture perfectly mirroring the arrogant, unbothered grace she had learned from Haoran.

”My, my,” Huo Yue smirked, her voice full of a playful, condescending amusement as she looked down at Xu Xiansu. ”Aren’t you even going to properly thank me for dispersing those bothersome flies for you, little sister?”

Xu Xiansu didn’t show a single thread of gratitude. Instead, with a perfectly calm, icy expression, she slowly raised her right hand, looked Huo Yue dead in the eyes, and cleanly extended her middle finger straight into the air between them.

Zhu Ziyan’s cat ears instantly stood straight up in pure shock at the bizarre, utterly vulgar gesture, while the surrounding crowd let out a collective gasp.

Huo Yue, however, didn’t lose her temper.

She merely let out a low, rich chuckle, her eyes narrowing as she stepped closer, the heat of her core subtly warning the princess of her place. ”You really are an incredibly ungrateful bitch, aren’t you? No wonder Haoran just used you like a toy and threw you after he was done.”

Xu Xiansu’s cheek twitch, ”Fuck off. I’ll vet you’d end no better than me.”

Huo Yue just laughed at that.

Meanwhile, Chu Yan was watching all of these in a daze.