Villains Aren't Stepping Stones!

Chu Yan sat deeply immersed amongst the dense, swarming crowd of the main auditorium, his posture perfectly tense as he waited with bated breath for the official start of the grand evening auction.

The massive gallery was structured like an ancient colosseum, with rows upon rows of obsidian seats stretching upward toward the heavily vaulted ceiling.

The ambient spiritual pressure from thousands of high-level cultivators gathered in one confined space created a thick, buzzing hum in the atmosphere.

In the hidden recesses of his mind, Chu Yan was entirely focused on a highly specific, legendary opportunity detailed within the Chapters of the original web novel.

The skull of a peak Heavenly Saint Realm expert, perfectly preserved within the hollow core of a dense, unpolished celestial stone.

According to the specific lore of this world, that preserved artifact was nothing short of a strategic treasure.

Not only did it continuously radiate a dense, suffocatingly pure wave of ancient qi that could effortlessly accelerate a mortal’s cultivation speed by several folds, but it also possessed a far more broken, economically terrifying passive effect.

By burying that specific stone deep within the dark veins of an ordinary mineral mine, the residual Saint-level laws bleeding from the bone structure would gradually, permanently transform all surrounding ordinary ores and worthless rocks into Spirit Stones.

It was a profound revelation that had fascinated him even when he was just a reader in his previous life.

Apparently, in this brutal cultivation world, the decomposed remnants, ancient blood, or fallen bones of long-dead ancient experts were the ultimate, primitive reason why natural deposits of Spirit Stones existed in the first place.

It was exactly like the concept of fossil fuels or decomposed organic matter forming oil reserves back on Earth.

And that precise biological fact was the true, underlying reason why ancient Ancestral Graves and guarded family cemeteries were treated with such absolute, militaristic importance by any powerful clans; their ancestors’ decaying corpses literally turned the surrounding geographic terrain into a rich, dense cultivation wonderland overflowing with spirit veins.

But the economic value of the skull was entirely beside the point for him right now.

The true, hidden reason why he desperately wanted to secure that specific unpolished stone was because the hollow core still contained the fragile, dissipating remnant spirit of that long-dead fallen expert.

In the original plot trajectory of the novel, the female lead, Xu Xiansu, had managed to purchase this cheap, overlooked rock for a meager sum, subsequently receiving the absolute, legacy inheritance of that ancient spirit, which instantly propelled her combat prowess to the peak of the freshman generation.

Originally, after finding out that Shen Haoran might very well be a fellow transmigrator who also possessed the knowledge of the future of the world, Chu Yan had firmly, fearfully decided to completely skip this auction.

He had known full well on a rational level that he simply couldn’t compete with the immeasurable financial backing of the supreme Shen Clan.

Not to mention that to walk into the same room as another transmigrator over an obvious plot opportunity would be nothing short of actively risking his own life for a gamble.

But now? The dynamic had shifted completely in his favor.

Shen Haoran had just fought a terrifying, full-scale battle against an actual peak Earthly Saint Realm Master Teacher right in the middle of the street earlier this afternoon!

Even though the golden-haired youth had looked completely fine and unbothered when walking through the streets afterward, Chu Yan, possessing the cynical mind of a veteran web novel reader, absolutely didn’t believe for a single second that Haoran hadn’t suffered any grave, devastating internal injuries or severe meridian burnout.

After all, he knew just how powerful Earthly Saint Realm powerhouse really are, and Shen Haoran isn’t that completely broken.

In his mind, Haoran was undoubtedly just putting on a brave, arrogant front to maintain his untouchable reputation before the major factions while his internal core was bleeding.

’He’s exhausted and wounded,’ Chu Yan sneered internally, a sudden wave of confidence flooding his chest. ’There’s no way he has the mental energy or the presence of mind to show up here and monitor every single item. This is my golden chance to steal the script right out from under his nose.’

Speaking of which, he almost wanted to kick that Elder Mu on the spot.

Why did he go out of his way to protect that idiot young master like an NPC protecting a protagonist?

He better be glad that his first love still has some feelings for him, otherwise, he would’ve died against Shen Haoran’s hands!

There are literally 28 Supremes sleeping in the Supreme Clan! That’s more than the entire Supremes in the Tian Yuan Empire combined!

Their strength was so overwhelming the author had to thicken Xu Xiansu’s plot armor just so she can win.

And you, a mere Earthly Saint realm, went and offended them for a mere stranger?

Have you completely lost your mind?!

Just as his thoughts reached a fever pitch, a sudden, heavy chime resonated from the grand stage below, instantly silencing the loud murmurs of the auditorium.

The massive silk curtains parted smoothly, and a exceptionally beautiful female auctioneer gracefully climbed up the steps toward the central obsidian podium.

She wore a tight, revealing crimson dress that showed off her voluptuous figure, her long black hair tied back with a silver hairpin.

”Good evening, honored elders, senior disciples, and newly arrived guests of our Academy City,” her voice rang out, amplified by a localized sound array to carry a crisp, enchanting melody. ”My name is Li Hua, and I shall be your primary guide through tonight’s collection of rare treasures.”

She proceeded to politely say a long string of introductory remarks, administrative rules, and standard flattery toward the various high-tier noble VIP rooms on the upper balconies—generic fluff that Chu Yan couldn’t care less about as he kept his eyes locked onto the stage, tapping his fingers nervously.

Soon, Li Hua gracefully ended her little introductory speech, a professional smile playing upon her lips as she lightly tapped her wooden gavel against the podium, officially starting the bidding process.

”To warm up the atmosphere for tonight’s grand event, our very first item is a highly versatile Rank 4 defensive artifact: the Dragon Scaled Crocodile Armor,” she announced, waving her hand as a pair of sturdy, shimmering dark green breastplates rose from the hidden storage elevator. ”Crafted entirely from the reinforced hide of a deep-sea beast, this armor is fully capable of effortlessly withstanding a direct, full-powered fatal attack from a first-stage Nascent Soul Realm expert. Furthermore, by actively igniting the residual beast core embedded in the belt, the wearer can temporarily gain the raw physical strength and defensive density of a Nascent Soul combatant for the duration of three full incense sticks. The starting bid is a modest 100 Dao Points!”

”150!” a sturdy student in the middle rows instantly raised his token.

”200!” another voice called out from the opposite side.

”250!”

The bids rapidly flashed across the large screen.

The competition for the physical armor was fierce among the outer-court disciples who frequently took on dangerous missions.

Within a few short minutes, the armor was cleanly sold off to an inner-court faction representative for a final, heavy sum of 380 Dao Points.

Following the opening armor, the auction quickly progressed through a flurry of diverse, high-value items.

A rare set of five Frost Core Blue Petalled Begonia caused a minor bidding war among the alchemists, rising from 200 points to a final sale of 420 points.

Next, a broken fragment of an ancient, unidentified sword that allegedly carried a trace of ancient sword intent was casually snatched up by an elite sword-faction disciple for 600 points.

Chu Yan watched the numbers tick up and down, completely unbothered, saving his funds for the true prize.

After a while, the minor items were fully cleared, and the stage handlers carefully pulled out a long, exquisitely preserved silk scroll.

As they unrolled it across the dark wood of the display table, a collective gasp rippled through the front rows.

It was an intricately detailed painting depicting a majestic landscape of deep, rushing rivers and towering, cloud-shrouded mountains.

The ink seemed to actively move, the water reflecting a faint, natural spiritual light.

Li Hua smiled warmly at the crowd’s reaction, her voice dripping with pride. ”What you see before you is a highly unique, conceptual masterpiece painted by a legendary alumnus of this very academy, who has recently, successfully ascended to become a formidable first-stage Profound Saint Realm expert. This painted scroll contains an entire, fully independent separate dimension woven directly into the ink structure itself. By infusing a drop of your own qi into the silk, your physical consciousness can instantly enter the painted realm. What you can see in the painting from the outside is exactly what you can physically see, explore, and utilize inside.”

A massive, deafening commotion immediately erupted across the entire auditorium floor.

The disciples were practically leaning over their seats to get a better look at the scroll.

”A spatial painting created by a Profound Saint... could it perhaps be the work of Senior Kong Deming!?” a knowledgeable student in the upper rows muttered, his eyes wide with reverence. ”He was famously a direct core disciple of an Elder hailing from the legendary Confucius School of Thought!”

”Kong Deming?” an older senior nearby sneered, shaking his head. ”Is that not the older biological brother of Kong Xu? You know, that arrogant scholar who got absolutely and brutally humiliated by the supreme heir of the Shen Immortal Clan more than a year ago?”

’Kong Deming? Kong Xu? Who on earth are they supposed to be?’ Chu Yan wondered, his brows furrowing into deep lines of confusion as he furiously racked his brain.

He had read the original web novel multiple times before transmigrating into this world, and he could swear with absolute certainty that those names had never been mentioned a single time in any of the Chapters.

Even this incredible, reality-warping spatial painting had never made a single appearance in the novel’s original text.

’Well... I guess this is the real, complex world after all, not just a rigid script,’ Chu Yan thought to himself, quickly rationalizing the anomaly.

The novel only followed the main characters, so it was entirely natural that thousands of minor historical figures and unique treasures existed outside the main plotline.

Although this painting didn’t appear in his memories of the novel, looking at the vibrant, spatial laws radiating from the silk, he felt a sudden, burning determination ignite within his chest.

He needed to get his hands on it.

’Still, it’s rather strange,’ he mused, his eyes narrowing as he analyzed the catalog. ’Is the absolute grand finale item of tonight’s auction not supposed to be the legendary Heart-Shaped Immortal Rose? Based on this painting’s spatial effects described by the auctioneer, this painting is infinitely more impressive, versatile, and structurally valuable than a mere herb...’

Could that herb possibly contain even more hidden, high-level effects that not many ordinary people in this room know about?

”The starting bid for this masterpiece of the painted world,” Li Hua’s voice cut through his musings, her wooden gavel raised high, ”is set at a base price of 1,000 Dao Points! Let the bidding begin!”

The announcement instantly triggered a wave of competitive energy across the auditorium.

Their identity tokens began to flash rapidly as the wealthy heirs of the outer factions stepped into the ring.

”1,050!”

”1,110!”

”1,150!”

”1,200!”

The numbers were slowly, steadily rising, the price climbing as the smaller factions tried to test each other’s financial limits.

Chu Yan took a deep breath, his finger hovering directly over the bidding interface of his own token, preparing to drop a heavy, crushing bid of 2,500 points to instantly scare away the common competition.

But right before his thumb could make contact with the jade screen, a deep, calm, and immensely authoritative voice suddenly resounded from the highest VIP balcony, cutting through the chaotic noise of the auditorium like a sharp blade.

”3,000.”