Villains Aren't Stepping Stones!

Chu Yan stood at a bustling intersection, his feet firmly planted on the smooth, polished cobblestones as he stared down at the massive, sprawling streets of Academy City.

All around him, a river of humanity flowed with intense purpose.

Various senior students, clad in the distinctive, multi-colored robes of their respective high-level departments and inner-court factions, were coming and going in every direction.

Some rode magnificent, tamed avian beasts that stirred up small gales with their wings, while others moved with profound cultivation steps that left faint ripples of spiritual energy in the air.

Looking at the grand architecture surrounding him, he couldn’t help but inwardly marvel.

The sheer scale of the place was breathtaking.

These bustling, traditional buildings made entirely of ancient spirit wood, reinforced obsidian, and heavy celestial stone truly were far more majestic, imposing, and visually stunning than the cold, towering steel skyscrapers of his previous life on Earth.

There was an organic, raw power radiating from the foundational arrays of the city that a modern metropolis could never replicate.

However, he didn’t have the luxury of time to sit around and get lost in nostalgic or aesthetic thoughts.

He shook his head violently to clear his mind.

For now, he had a very specific, high-stakes objective.

He decided to head directly toward the Central Administration Office—the mandatory location where senior students who were about to permanently leave the academy grounds or officially graduate were required to sign their final discharge papers, surrender their remaining points, and settle their accounts.

In the original web novel plot that he had read before transmigrating into this world, the female lead, Xu Xiansu, had used this exact method of intercepting and buying up the remaining, unspent Dao Points from the graduating seniors.

It was a brilliant, cutthroat strategy that allowed her to accumulate a massive, terrifying mountain of points right before the formal start of the school year, giving her an overwhelming advantage over every other freshman.

And the worst part? In the original novel, it was the original Chu Yan and her other mindless, wealthy simps who had to blindly pay for everything!

She had used their infatuation to liquidize her resources, using their clan funds to purchase the points while she reaped all the ultimate benefits and glory.

And he still can’t get over the fact that the bitch didn’t even as much as say thank you!

But now that he had taken over this body, he absolutely won’t let this stand!

He would not be anyone’s stepping stone or ATM.

He will be the one to earn those points for himself!

There was no way in hell he would let that manipulative bitch Xu Xiansu take those points and use them to propel herself to the peak of the academy rankings.

As he planned his next moves, a different face flashed through his mind.

’It would be infinitely better for the sweet, innocent, and pure Qian Yunxi to take those points instead,’ he thought, his expression softening slightly.

In the original tragic trajectory of the novels, poor Qian Yunxi didn’t have a powerful backing or an endless supply of wealth, after all, she came from a desolate region.

No matter how wealthy the Spirit Hall are in the East, their entire wealth couldn’t compare to the Central Region.

She had to actually sell almost all of her meager personal belongings and cherished family heirlooms for a few dozen pathetic points just to barely get by during her first semester, suffering silent humiliation while others flaunted their wealth.

Thinking of Qian Yunxi, Chu Yan couldn’t help but let out a long, heavy sigh filled with bitter regret and frustration.

According to the original plot of the novels, Qian Yunxi was supposed to be his heroine!

She was supposed to fall deeply, unconditionally in love with him after he saved her from her financial plight and all sorts of troubles that she experienced!

So why on earth did she have to constantly hang around that insufferable bitch Xu Xiansu and that terrifying, enigmatic bastard Shen Haoran?

’They are definitely going to lead her astray!’ Chu Yan gritted his teeth, his fists clenching beneath his wide sleeves.

Yes, right now, even after everything that had happened, he still hadn’t completely given up on reclaiming Qian Yunxi.

He fiercely believed in his heart that Shen Haoran must have used some kind of underhanded method, psychological manipulation, or a vile family threat to coerce her into staying near him.

After all, that Shen Haoran was...

Suddenly, Chu Yan paused mid-thought, his eyes widened into massive plates, his pupils contracting in a sudden, jarring wave of realization.

That’s right. Over the past few weeks, a dark, persistent doubt had been brewing in the back of his mind regarding the young master of the Shen Clan.

He had strongly doubted whether Shen Haoran was actually an ordinary native antagonist, or if he was just like him—a transmigrator who possessed the ultimate cheat of knowing the future plot.

And right now, wasn’t this the perfect, golden opportunity to finally confirm his terrifying theory?

Think about it. Right now, if Shen Haoran miraculously appeared at the Central Administration Office to execute the exact same point-buying strategy, it would serve as definitive, undeniable proof that he knew the novel’s plot inside and out and wanted to take those points for himself to secure his dominance.

But as the realization set in, a cold dread washed over Chu Yan’s spine.

If Shen Haoran truly was there, then there was absolutely no way he could compete!

The Shen Clan’s absolute wealth and societal influence were simply immeasurable, defying the very laws of economics.

Although his own Chu Clan was incredibly rich on paper, owning an entire sovereign city that was literally the size of a massive planet, they still couldn’t even begin to compare to the monstrous entity that was the Shen Clan!

After all, the Shen Clan didn’t just exist within the boundaries of the world, but they are a truly transcendental force that had produced Immortals several times in the past!

Not only did they completely own and govern the absolute economic, political, and martial center of the entire Tian Yuan Empire, the fabled Divine City, but they also legally owned an entire separate, stable pocket dimension where their ancestral clan estate safely resided.

Furthermore, rumors in the high-tier cultivation circles whispered that they owned who knows how many lower realms and mortal planets, which they raised like primitive cattle, plundering them for pure destiny, rare resources, and talent whenever they deemed it necessary.

’Tsk. If he really is a fellow transmigrator, and he finds me lurking around the administration office trying to intercept the plot... he will definitely figure out that I am also a transmigrator who poses a threat to his survival. And with his power, he will kill me without hesitation,’ Chu Yan thought, a cold sweat breaking out across his forehead.

”What do I do now?” Chu Yan muttered anxiously to himself, completely paralyzed by indecision at the edge of the street.

”Um, excuse me? Honorable cultivator.”

A soft, polite voice suddenly broke through Chu Yan’s chaotic spiral of thoughts.

Chu Yan jumped slightly and spun around, his hand instinctively dropping toward the spirit sword at his waist.

Standing just a few feet away from him was an incredibly ordinary, plain-looking young man.

He had messy, unstyled hair, wore faded, heavily patched gray robes, and was loosely holding a standard bamboo broom.

”What is it?” Chu Yan asked, his tone dripping with guard and irritation as he looked the boy up and down, finding absolutely no trace of a powerful cultivation base.

The young man offered a warm, bright, and completely harmless smile.

”Honorable cultivator, I noticed you’ve been standing here at the crossroads for a while, looking profoundly lost. I’m Lin Che, just an ordinary, low-ranking sweeper assigned to these outer sectors. But because of my job, I happen to know these massive streets like the back of my hand. Would you like me to guide you to your destination for a small fee?”

Chu Yan frowned, his aristocratic pride flaring up.

He didn’t have time to waste on a mundane street guide, especially when his life might be in danger from a potential apex-predator transmigrator.

He shook his head dismissively. ”No need. I can find my own way. Thanks.”

With that, Chu Yan turned around sharply and walked away, his figure quickly blending back into the dense crowd of students as he sought a safer vantage point to observe the administration building.

Lin Che stood in place, his harmless smile never fading for a single second as he watched the frantic young master depart.

Once Chu Yan was completely out of sight, Lin Che let out a soft sigh, leaned comfortably against his broom, and mentally spoke to a voice deep within his mind.

’System, Sign in.’

[Ding!]

[Sign-In beside the Chosen One of Destiny, Chu Yan, has been successful!]

[Congratulations Host! You have successfully received the Divine-Grade Reward: ”Thunder God’s Bellow” — an ancient, high-tier acoustic scream technique capable of summoning apocalyptic winds and shattering localized heavenly storms with a single breath!]

A massive surge of conceptual knowledge and pure, compressed sonic energy instantly flooded into Lin Che’s soul, settling perfectly into his vocal cords without causing a single ripple of disturbance in the ambient air around him.

He stretched his arms toward the sky, a bright, genuinely happy expression illuminating his ordinary face as he picked up his broom and began to casually sweep the dust off the cobblestones again.

”Ah~, it really is a good day to be alive,” Lin Che muttered happily to himself, humming a small, cheerful tune. ”Still, I really can’t believe that there are actually terrifying ’Chosen Ones’ and destiny-defying protagonists walking around in this world. But hey, that’s not my problem at all. After all, I just want to quietly remain a background mob character, sweep my streets, get my daily rewards, and live forever in peace.”

Shaking his head, he continued on his way, humming.

It has been quite some time since he transmigrated in this world, and honestly, he love his life right now.

Free of worry, without a black hearted boss to order him around, without having to cater to the expectations of the others.

In his previous life, he had chosen to devote himself to the adopted family who raised him, and he endured pain and suffering just so he can provide them with everything they need.

Working several jobs, giving up his education, barely even getting any sleep and eat...but in the end, nothing came out of it.

They took his kindness for granted, and when he got into an accident where he got run over by a car, his adopted family merely took the money given as a compensation, and left him alone.

He still remembered the agonizing pain of breathing, and how his entire body hurts just from little movement.

Back then, he couldn’t help but wonder if Hell was an even scarier place than that, or if Heaven was truly a paradise where breathing no longer hurts.

He remembered the nurses panicking when his life was about to end, and he remembering crying then, praying to any god to give him another chance in life where he can just live as he wanted.

And perhaps some god heard his prayers, and when he woke up, he found himself in the body of an academy sweeper in another world along with a system.

He remembered crying, thanking whoever deity answered his prayers and swearing that in this life, he only wanted to enjoy this second chance, without catering to anyone, without caring for the expectations of anyone.

He only wanted to live for himself.

”Ah, today’s another good day.”

Lin Che smiled, feeling the breeze brushed against his face.