Villains Aren't Stepping Stones!

At this moment...

”Damn it, universe, is having a peaceful life too much to ask?” Lin Che roared as he walked a vast desert.

His voice cut through the dry, whistling heat of the desolate wasteland, swallowed almost instantly by the shifting dunes.

He was dressed in the simple, standard-issue linen robes of a low-tier academy worker, a sharp contrast to the glamorous, heavily protected armored uniforms worn by the actual student participants of the grand trials.

To any casual observer or passing scrying array, he looked like a completely defenseless, unfortunate mortal or a low-level servant caught in the crossfire of a dangerous administrative decision.

But he was a genuine Spirit Ascension realm expert, a powerhouse who could command the wind and rain and crush lower-level cultivators with a single thought.

Because of his profound internal reserves and the deep, refined nature of his qi, this oppressive, blistering heat and the endless, grueling walk didn’t really bother him at all.

His skin remained perfectly cool, and not a single drop of sweat stained his clothes.

But still... the sheer inconvenience of it all was what truly frustrated him.

He had spent months carefully curating his reputation as a lazy, unnoticeable slacker who did nothing but sweep the academy courtyard, all so he could avoid the dangerous, life-threatening drama that constantly plagued the cultivation world.

Now, thanks to the abrupt, inexplicable change in the trial rules orchestrated by the o so great ten sages, he had been dragged out of his comfortable routine and dumped straight into a literal sand trap.

He sighed heavily, kicking a stray pile of burning red sand with the toe of his cloth boot.

’System, are we there yet?’ he asked internally, addressing the mysterious, glowing interface that existed only within his own consciousness.

[Just 100 more meters, host,] the mechanical, monotonous voice of the system resonated inside his mind, accompanied by a small, pulsing green arrow on a translucent mental map.

He sighed once more, rubbing his temples in deep exasperation.

Earlier, when he was first thrown into this unforgiving desert by the spatial transport formation, he had been fully prepared to find a secluded cave, sit down, and simply sleep through the entire three days of the trial.

However, the moment his feet touched the sand, the system had suddenly flared to life with an emergency notification.

It told him that there was a long-lost, ancient Supreme Emperor inheritance hidden nearby, and that the exact coordinates also functioned as a unique sign-in spot that could grant him legendary rewards.

As a transmigrator who relied heavily on his system to grow stronger without drawing unwanted attention, he knew he couldn’t afford to pass up such a massive opportunity.

So he immediately decided to check it out, deviating from his plan of doing absolutely nothing, and began tracking the directional marker across the dunes.

”I just wish I can successfully sign-in without anyone bothering me...” He paused, before slapping his mouth, ”Fuck. I just jinxed myself, didn’t I?”

Just then, a group of voices can be heard coming from the top of a large, sweeping dune directly ahead of him.

Turning around, he saw a group of students walking towards him.

The group was quite large, consisting of about a dozen young men who looked thoroughly exhausted, their faces flushed from the heat, their expensive uniforms unbuttoned and covered in fine dust.

The group was led by two women, who stood out like night and day against the bleak backdrop of the desert.

One of them looked like she was used to male attention and basked in their adoration, her every movement deliberately designed to draw the eye, while one of them looked incredibly cold and emotionless.

The former had long, fiery orange hair that cascaded down her back like liquid flame, and sharp, predatory orange eyes that gleamed with an innate, manipulative intelligence.

She possessed a very curvaceous and voluptuous body, which was proudly displayed in a stunning, tight-fitting black and orange high-slit cheongsam that left very little to the imagination.

Every time she took a step, the fabric shifted to reveal her pale, flawless legs.

She carried a very seductive smirk on her lips, looking thoroughly amused by her surroundings, as every single man in the group was hovering around her like a swarm of eager insects, singing her praises, shouting poetry, and leering over her body as if wanting to devour her right then and there.

The latter girl was a complete contrast.

She had long, flowing blue hair that looked like a calm river under the moonlight, and deep, clear blue eyes that showed no emotion whatsoever.

Her exceptionally fair, porcelain skin looked completely untainted by the desert sun, and her body was fully covered by a baggy, white and blue robe that completely obscured her figure, hiding any trace of her shape.

She was entirely silent, walking a few meters away from the other woman and her fanatical entourage, keeping a strict, deliberate distance as if she didn’t want to be associated with them or their embarrassing behavior in the slightest.

Lin Che sighed. Me and my big mouth...I think the universe really hate me.

Just then, as they reached the crest of the dune, their eyes swept down into the valley, and they noticed him standing and looking at them.

The seductive woman smiled at him, her orange eyes locking onto his plain clothes as she glided down the sandy slope with an effortless, swaying grace.

”Oh my, a plebeian. I guess we need to rescue you, right? But looking at you, you’re not really in trouble. How strange for a mere servant to wander so deep into this desert without a scratch. Have you not encounter any beasts?”

”Miss Ling, we can attract some beasts and let them attack him, and then we can rescue him right in front of the projection to show the entire empire!” one of the male students suggested eagerly, a malicious, opportunistic grin breaking out across his sweaty face. ”That way, our scores will skyrocket, and the whole empire will see how compassionate and heroic we are!”

”Yes, yes! That’s a great idea!” another student chimed in immediately, nodding his head in fervent agreement. ”He’s just an academy worker anyway, his life is cheap. As long as we save him at the last second, we get the points and the glory!”

The cold woman in the baggy blue robes frowned deeply at that cowardly suggestion, a look of profound disgust flitting through her blue eyes, but she didn’t say anything, choosing to remain a silent observer.

Lin Che stared at them, completely dumbfounded, as if looking at a group of absolute idiots.

His face remained entirely blank, but inside, he was thoroughly rolling his eyes.

These arrogant, status-obsessed young masters and mistresses were genuinely insufferable, completely unaware that the ’plebeian’ they were plotting to use as bait could flatten their entire group with a single slap.

He decided to entirely ignore their presence as he rolled his eyes and continued to walk forward, his eyes fixed on his system map.

The inheritance site should be around here somewhere, directly beneath his feet.

’But how do I find it? Should I dig?’ he wondered.

At that exact moment, as he took another step forward to bypass the group, Lin Che suddenly stepped on a specific, unusually shaped black rock hidden just beneath the loose sand.

*Click.*

A faint, mechanical sound resonated from deep within the earth, followed by an immediate, terrifying stillness.

Then, the ground suddenly shook with a violent, world-shaking tremor that caused the massive sand dunes to violently collapse, throwing several of the arrogant male students off their feet as they screamed in panic.

*Rumble! Rumble!*

The desert floor parted like water, a massive sinkhole forming in the center of the valley.

From the swirling vortex of red dust, a massive, ruined, sandstone temple suddenly emerged from the ground, rising higher and higher until its towering, ancient pillars and weathered stone walls blocked out the sun.

The ancient structures were covered in strange, primeval carvings of celestial dragons and forgotten emperors, radiating a thick, suffocating aura of long-lost history.

”This...” Lin Che blinked in utter disbelief, his mouth opening slightly.

He looked from his system map to the colossal structure standing directly in front of him.

He couldn’t believe his luck; he had found it just like that? He hadn’t even needed to perform a complex ritual or solve a puzzle; he had literally just tripped over the entrance.

He doesn’t know if the universe hated him or love him. It’s like there’s two forces fighting to decide on whether he should suffer or prosper.

”An inheritance site?!” The group of students stared at the grand, ancient temple in absolute shock, their previous fear instantly evaporating as their eyes revealed an intense, blinding greed.

A hidden, ancient ruins emerging right in the middle of their trial zone—this was a legendary opportunity that could change their fates forever!

Forget about saving natives or gathering basic points; if they could secure the treasures inside this temple, they would become legendary figures across the entire empire!

They completely forgot about Lin Che, their legs tensing as they prepared to rush inside the massive, dark archway of the temple.

But at that exact moment, before anyone could take a single step forward, a terrifying, earth-shattering roar of a beast resounded from the horizon, shaking the very pillars of the newly risen ruins.

”What the—!?”

Everyone turned around sharply, their faces turning completely pale as a massive cloud of red dust surged toward them at an impossible speed.

Through the haze, they saw a massive earthworm slithering towards them, its colossal, segmented body tearing through the desert like a runaway mountain.

”Shit... it’s a Demonic Earthworm!”

”Everyone prepare for battle! Form a defensive circle!”

The boys panicked instantly, their previous arrogance completely vanishing as they drew their standard-issue swords with trembling hands.

After all, from the pure, suffocating pressure alone that was radiating from the approaching beast, this creature was a genuine, terrifying Nascent Soul realm expert.

To make matters worse, they don’t have any artifacts or pills to rely on, as any items from the outside world were strictly forbidden in this trial, and all of their spatial rings had been confiscated prior to entry.

They were completely stripped of their family protections.

However, the two women at the front didn’t panic.

They narrowed their eyes, their sharp gazes piercing through the billowing sand clouds, and they suddenly noticed two calm figures standing completely unbothered on top of the beast’s head.

The seductive woman raised her hand high into the air, her expression turning incredibly serious as she issued a sharp command, stopping the boys from attacking.

The male students looked completely confused, their swords shaking in their hands, but out of sheer respect and fear for her status, they backed down, lowering their weapons while keeping their eyes glued to the dust storm.

At that moment, the giant earthworm finally stopped directly in front of them, its massive, lamprey-like mouth closing into a submissive posture as it lowered its head completely against the sand, letting out a low, compliant purr.

With the dust finally settling under the blazing sun, everyone finally saw the two figures standing proudly on the head of the beast.

The students’ eyes widened to the size of saucers, their breath catching completely in their throats as they recognized the young man standing tall in his immaculate robes, his arm casually wrapped around a beautiful, blushing girl’s waist.

”That’s....”

”The Shen Clan’s young master...”

”Shen Haoran...”