Villains Aren't Stepping Stones!

”...well, that will be all for today,” said Ye Hongyan, stopping her lecture the exact moment the heavy brass bell outside began to chime.

The deep, resonant sound echoed through the high arched corridors of the academy, signaling the end of a grueling session on spiritual meridian refinement.

She paused, gathering her notes into a neat stack before addressing the sea of youthful faces before her. ”For the next four days, you will have different teachers each day, introducing you to the various specialized arts of our institution. And the weekend is, well... it’s the weekend. Use it to consolidate your cultivation, not to cause trouble.”

She paused, the sunlight catching the edge of her glasses as she pushed them up the bridge of her nose. ”By the way, the first faction wars will happen by the end of the year. Please be sure to form or join a faction then. Your performance there will directly dictate your resource allocation for the upcoming cycle. Do not take it lightly.”

With that, she turned on her heel and walked out of the room, her robes flowing behind her with the grace expected of a master cultivator.

She was excited.

Her first love, Elder Mu, should also be in the faculty office right now, and she couldn’t wait to go there and meet him...even if he doesn’t want to talk to her yet.

”Ah, teacher, please wait,” Haoran said, his voice cutting through the sudden chatter of the dispersing classroom.

As he stood up from his wooden desk, his gaze flicked momentarily toward the side of the room, turning towards Huo Yue and Gu Xunyi.

It was a simple glance, lasting no more than a fraction of a second, but the two nodded as if they understood what he was saying perfectly.

A silent understanding had long since been established between them, a silent language built on shared secrets and mutual awareness.

Near the door, Ye Hongyan stopped and turned towards him.

”Ah, what is it, student Haoran?” Ye Hongyan smiled.

Throughout the class, she had kept a close eye on him, expecting an arrogant heir who care for nothing about the lesson, after all, her first love had gotten angry at him.

He couldn’t possibly have gotten angry and attacked for nothing right? There must be a reason.

However, after the entire day of observing, the only thing she had found out was that Shen Haoran was actually quite the diligent student despite acting so nonchalant and relaxed during the actual lectures.

While other students strained to memorize the intricate pathways of spiritual energy she described, Haoran had merely leaned back, looking almost bored.

Yet, appearances were entirely deceiving.

She could tell due to the feedback she received from him as a master teacher; it was the largest amongst the students, a literal outpouring of resonant spiritual comprehension that only triggered when a pupil truly grasped the core essence of a lesson.

This meant he was the one who understood the most of the lecture, absorbing the complex concepts effortlessly.

’Obviously such a diligent and studious kid,’ Ye Hongyan thought to herself, a flicker of profound confusion crossing her mind.

How come her first love got into a fight with him?

It made no sense. Haoran seemed the model student, yet why was the love of her life so intent on punishing him that he even disregard martial ethics and bullied the young and weak?

He couldn’t possibly be controlled right?

Haoran smiled at her, a polite, perfectly measured expression, and motioned her to keep going down the wide hallway. ”Let’s talk as we walk, teacher.”

Ye Hongyan nodded, accepting the proposal, and the two left the room, their footsteps fading into the distance.

Inside the classroom, the atmosphere shifted the moment the door swung shut behind them.

Shen Jian and Shen Ji gave each other a knowing smirk, their expressions practically dripping with mischievous amusement.

They had watched Haoran’s smooth departure with the practiced eyes of spectators watching a master craftsman at work.

Then, Shen Jian held his fist out in the space between them, and Shen Ji bumped it with perfect synchronization.

”The young master never wastes a single opportunity, does he?” Shen Jian chuckled under his breath.

”That’s why he’s the young master.” Shen Ji nodded, smiling.

”You think he has a method that allows him to sleep with a woman with stronger cultivation than him?” Asked Shen Jian.

Shen Ji nodded, ”He definitely does. That’s why he’s the young master.”

Shen Jian sighed at that, ”Yes. That’s why he’s the young master.”

Shen Fei rolled his eyes at them, crossing his arms and letting out a heavy, dramatic sigh.

”Children,” he muttered, shaking his head at their antics.

He prided himself on a more mature outlook, though even he couldn’t deny the sheer audacity of Haoran’s social maneuvers.

He couldn’t help but wonder how sex felt like? However, the very instant he thought of that, he immediately crushed them.

Women will only slow down the speed of his spear.

Beside him, Shen Tao simply stared, his intense, quiet eyes fixed on the empty doorway, but he said nothing, burying his thoughts behind his usual stoic facade.

He’s a monogamous person himself, and believes that a man should only be devoted to one woman.

However, he doesn’t want to push those beliefs to others, nor does he think of others as wrong for wanting other women.

Haoran can have as many women as he likes, and Shen Tao wouldn’t think badly of him.

On the other side of the room, away from the boys’ posturing, Huo Yue and Gu Xunyi stared at each other, their expressions deadly serious as if evaluating a massive historical event.

”I say one month,” said Gu Xunyi, her voice flat but her eyes gleaming with calculating certainty as dhe crossed her arms, leaning slightly against the edge of a desk.

”Hmm, she’s a Profound Saint after all. One and a half month,” said Huo Yue, countering with a shake of her head.

She factored in the teacher’s immense cultivation level, which naturally came with a fierce pride and stubbornness that wouldn’t easily bow to a student’s charms, no matter how potent.

Not to mention she had lived for who knows how many years. What kind of men hasn’t she seen and met?

She doesn’t believe that a woman like that hasn’t had a fling or two...unless she practice some dao of emotionless or she has a man she likes and is very devoted.

”What are you two doing?” Shen Xinye appeared behind them, confused.

She had been gathering her books and had walked right into the middle of their bizarre, hushed negotiation.

”We’re betting on how long it will take for Haoran to bring Teacher Ye Hongyan to his room,” said Huo Yue, completely deadpan, as if she were discussing the weather rather than their classmate’s romantic conquests.

Gu Xunyi nodded in solemn agreement, validating the wager.

”I see,” Shen Xinye murmured, pausing to process the information.

She tilted her head, thinking about Haoran’s track record, his inexplicable magnetic pull, and the sheer force of personality he wielded...and also her personal bias.

”Then, wouldn’t it take him less than a month, though?”

The two stared at her, going completely rigid.

The sudden silence hung heavily in the air, making her blink, entirely confused by their intense reaction.

”Um, did I say something wrong?” she asked, shifting her weight from one foot to the other under their burning gazes.

”You have a lot of faith in his charms,” said Huo Yue, a slow, knowing smirk spreading across her lips.

Gu Xunyi nodded, her eyes narrowing playfully. ”Yeah. Are you completely smitten by him as well?”

”W-W-What!?” Shen Xinye blushed furiously, the crimson warmth spreading rapidly from her cheeks right to the tips of her ears.

She threw her hands up defensively. ”Don’t be ridiculous! I’m a widow, how could I be worthy?!”

Her voice cracked slightly, carrying the heavy weight of past grief and a deep-seated feeling of inadequacy that she had carried for far too long.

Gu Xunyi and Huo Yue stared at her, letting the self-deprecating words hang in the air.

Then they looked at each other, then back at her, then back at each other.

The unspoken conversation between the two women passed instantly.

Then, they shook hands.

Shen Xinye seemed a bit insecure, trapped in the shadows of her past and believing herself disqualified from happiness, so they planned to get her out of that insecurity.

And what better way to do that than to drag her directly into the chaotic whirlwind that always surrounded Shen Haoran?

Shen Xinye stared at them shaking hands and couldn’t help but tilt her head, looking incredibly confused.

*

*

*

Meanwhile, the subject of their conversation was walking through the peaceful courtyards of the academy grounds, the gentle breeze rustling the leaves of ancient spiritual trees overhead.

”Teacher, you worked in the library right? I saw you go there after that... incident, a week ago,” asked Haoran, keeping his pace perfectly matched with hers.

Ye Hongyan paused for a fraction of a second, her posture stiffening slightly before she recovered and nodded.

She did appear back then to stop the situation from escalating, intervening before the spiritual backlash of the confrontation could damage the surrounding structures, and also to help the love of her life, so it was no wonder that Haoran recognized her.

She had been so hasty that she forgot her veil that she usually wears whenever she go out.... alright, she actually didn’t forgot about it.

She just thinks of showing off her beauty to Elder Mu.

However, even though he knew her face, he probably doesn’t know that she’s one of the Ten Sages yet.

To the ordinary students, she was merely a highly competent senior lecturer, a master teacher of high standing.

The true depth of her power and her title within the academy’s ruling elite remained shrouded in administrative secrecy.

And it better stay that way.

”Then, can I go there? I have a book I wanted to borrow, especially the one that is rather... restricted.” Haoran continued smoothly, his tone innocent, yet his eyes remained fixed on her profile.

Ye Hongyan wanted to refuse.

The restricted sections of the library required specific permits, and allowing an premier-year student free reign felt like a breach of protocol, not to mention those kinds of books are only found in her office.

And she doesn’t really want to bring a man in her office unless it’s Elder Mu.

However, remembering Venerable Sky Cloud’s words, the explicit instructions from the grand elder himself to keep a close, accommodating eye on this specific young man and to observe his growth without stifling him, all so they can appease the Shen Clan, she let out a quiet sigh and nodded.

”Alright. Do you want to come now, or later?”

”Now, if possible,” Haoran smiled at her, the expression warm and entirely polite.

”Alright. Let me just get my things in the faculty office,” said Ye Hongyan, gesturing toward the administrative pavilion just across the courtyard.

She turned to lead the way, completely unaware of the shift in the young man’s demeanor behind her.

Unknown to her, Haoran’s smile seemed a bit uncanny—a sharp, knowing curve of the lips that suggested everything was proceeding exactly according to a grander design she had yet to perceive.