Villains Aren't Stepping Stones!

Xiao Long and Chu Yan were walking the halls of the school, their footsteps echoing sharply against the polished marble floor.

The sun was beginning its slow descent, painting the high windows in shades of deep amber and violet.

Usually, after school, the both of them will meet up at a quiet, wind-swept hilltop to practice more, refining Chu Yan’s spiritual paths and pushing his physical limits, and Elder Mu would join them halfway through.

The old elder would provide secondary insights, lend his authority to secure better resources, and act as a shield against any prying eyes within the academy.

But now, Elder Mu didn’t appear.

The designated hour had long since passed, and the hilltop remained empty save for the rustling leaves of the ancient pine trees.

They got worried, especially Chu Yan.

A deep, gnawing sense of unease settled in his chest. In a world full of cutthroat cultivators and hidden schemes, an abrupt deviation from a routine was never a good sign.

What if Shen Haoran attacked?

What if that monster of a transmigrator had deployed some underhanded, logic-defying tactic to eliminate his assets?

Wouldn’t his number two backer go completely offline?

Yes, number two. Because now, after witnessing the miraculous speed of his recent breakthroughs and experiencing the profound depth of his guidance, Chu Yan firmly believes that Xiao Long was a legendary hidden expert and treated him as his number one backer, his true ultimate trump card.

As for Elder Mu, well, he can probably take the top spot once he successfully won over Ye Hongyan.

However, with Elder Mu not appearing at their usual sanctuary, the two decided to actively search for him, navigating the labyrinthine corridors of the massive institution.

When they asked around, intercepting a few lingering senior students and asking for fellow master teachers, they finally found out that Elder Mu went to Nascent Class Grade A—the exact classroom where Ye Hongyan conducted her lectures.

Hearing this, a terrible premonition gripped Chu Yan’s heart, and the two of them immediately hurried there, their paces quickening into a full sprint.

Once they arrived at the grand hallway, they noticed the splintered door frame.

They pushed open the heavy wooden door, entering the ruined classroom, and found Elder Mu kneeling there in the absolute center of the debris.

He was completely motionless, staring blankly at the dust-covered floorboards, looking exactly like the soul was sucked out of his body.

They were startled by the sheer level of desolation radiating from the senior cultivator.

"Elder Mu!" Chu Yan and Xiao Long shouted simultaneously, hurrying to assist him, dropping to their knees on either side of his rigid, trembling form.

The transformation was horrifying.

He looked like he aged a hundred years years in the span of a single afternoon; his once stern, authoritative face was now full of deep, hollow wrinkles, his hair looked disheveled and haggard, and he was muttering something entirely incoherent under his breath, his eyes wide and completely vacant.

Shit, Chu Yan thought.

It was Shen Haoran, it was definitely his fault! He’s the only one capable of doing this!

"Elder Mu, can you hear me? It’s me, Chu Yan," the young man said, reaching out to gently shake the elder’s shoulder, trying to anchor him back to reality.

"Chu... Yan?" Elder Mu tilted his head with agonizing slowness, his bloodshot eyes shifting focus until he saw Chu Yan looking down at him, his face thoroughly worried.

Then, looking at the boy’s face, the psychological dam broke.

Remembering his humiliating failures to win over Ye Hongyan, recalling how every single piece of advice this brat had given him for the past week had culminated in his worst nightmare—hearing the woman he worshiped call herself a whore in anger because of his words and walk away interlocking fingers with a junior—his face twisted into a mask of pure, unadulterated anger.

The absolute grief and cognitive dissonance warped his features into something monstrous.

Without a single word of warning, he grabbed Chu Yan on the neck with a sudden, violent lunge and pushed him down into the hard, splintered floorboards, startling everyone in the immediate vicinity.

"Bastard! You bastard! It’s all your fault!"

"Ack!? Grgh!?" Chu Yan struggled instantly, his eyes widening in sheer terror as an iron grip clamped around his windpipe.

The raw, unmitigated physical pressure shattered the floor beneath his head, his face turning a dangerous shade of dark purple within seconds as his oxygen supply was entirely cut off.

"Elder Mu, let him go! What the hell are you doing?!" Xiao Long roared, his eyes widening in shock.

He immediately grabbed Elder Mu’s thick forearms, digging his fingers into the muscle and trying to forcefully pry him away from his disciple.

However, although he had recently broke through due to his disciple also breaking through, Xiao Long’s current level of strength was still just at the 1st stage of the Nirvana Rebirth Realm.

And even though Elder Mu’s Earthly Saint strength was heavily sealed by the academy to prevent him from ever using his power to bully juniors, his underlying physical constitution and residual energy were still far stronger than an average Profound Saint Realm expert!

The gap in raw physical weight was astronomical.

It was like an ant trying to push away an elephant!

"It’s you! It’s all your fault!" Elder Mu roared, his voice a guttural, maddened shriek that shook the dust from the ceiling.

He ignored Xiao Long’s pulling entirely, his burning, bloodshot gaze locked onto the suffocating boy beneath him.

"Because of you and your wretched advice, Hongyan got mad! She loathes me now! Why do bad things keep happening to me ever since the two of us met?! Answer me! It’s all your fault! All your fault! All your fault!"

Indeed, he realized just now, that ever since he met and befriended Chu Yan, his life took a turn for the worse.

He offended Shen Haoran and was demoted, his powers which he worked hard to cultivate was also sealed away.

Now, the woman he loved hated him.

It was all this bastard’s fault!

Chu Yan was frantically punching Elder Mu on the chest and desperately kicking his legs against his torso, using every ounce of his Nascent Soul realm qi to create a barrier, but none of it work.

His strikes didn’t even register.

They were like soft pieces of cotton hitting a solid, unyielding stone wall.

The absolute, suffocating terror of true death gripped Chu Yan’s soul.

"Damn it!" Xiao Long cursed, realizing his physical strength was completely insufficient to move the maddened elder.

In a panic, he internally accessed his system interface, internally screaming. ’System! Use my hidden body strengthening card right now!’

[Warning: Confirming request to utilize Body Strengthening Card.]

[Once use, it enters absolute consumption and can never be used again. Proceed with activation?]

[Yes / No]

"Yes! Confirm! Hurry up! My damn disciple is literally dying out here!" Xiao Long screamed in his mind, his eyes bloodshot as he watched Chu Yan’s movements grow faint.

[Body Strengthening Card used. Initiating cellular reinforcement and temporary divine physical state.]

Instantly, a surge of brilliant, primordial golden light erupted from Xiao Long’s pores.

With this newfound, explosive strength coursing through his veins, Xiao Long wrapped his arms around Elder Mu’s torso and gave a massive, earth-shattering heave.

He successfully pulled Elder Mu completely away from Chu Yan, throwing the heavy elder several feet across the classroom floor.

Chu Yan collapsed against the debris, breathing heavily, drawing in massive, desperate gulps of air as he clutched his bruised, throbbing neck.

He coughed violently, a profound sense of relief washing over him as he thanked the heavens that he had chosen such an incredibly reliable, powerful master.

If it wasn’t for Xiao Long’s hidden strength, he wouldn’t even know how he died today.

At that exact moment, the sudden, violent impact of being thrown seemed to act like a physical slap, snapping Elder Mu right out of his hysterical, jealous trance.

He sat up on the floor, blinking rapidly as the manic light left his eyes, staring at the gasping Chu Yan in complete confusion before the memory of his actions finally came crashing into his mind.

He realized he had almost murdered the innocent boy who had only tried to help him.

The heavy weight of shame replaced his anger as he slowly got to his feet, keeping his head lowered, and bowed deeply to Chu Yan.

"Young friend... I’m sorry. I lost my mind. I am so, very sorry for my actions."

Chu Yan rubbed his bruised neck, wincing at the pain, but he forced a bright, forgiving smile onto his face as he stood up with Xiao Long’s assistance.

"Elder Mu, please, it’s nothing. I don’t hold it against you at all. I can truly understand where you’re coming from. The pain of losing someone you love can make anyone lose their composure."

However, behind that perfectly practiced, benevolent smile, there is a distinct, chilling hint of absolute coldness hidden within the depths of his eyes.

He turned his head slightly and stared at Xiao Long, the two of them nodding at each other in a silent, dark understanding.

Elder Mu was no longer a reliable shield; he was a volatile, broken liability.

If they wanted to survive the impending storm of the academy trials and defeat Shen Haoran, they would have to rely entirely on their own strength, and anyone who stood in their way—even a broken ally—would eventually have to be cut loose.

However, unknown to the three of them, on another building, holding a recording artifact and recording everything that happened through a window, was Gu Xunyi.

She smirked, as she cut off the recording just in time before it captured the scene of Elder Mu apologizing.

"Heh, oh, this is going to be fun."

She chuckled to herself.