Villains Aren't Stepping Stones!

"What!?" Lin Che exclaimed.

His voice, usually quiet and deliberately blending into the background of the academy, cracked with genuine shock.

He stared at the master teacher in front of him, who was staring back at him with cold, unyielding, and thoroughly unimpressed eyes.

The master teacher’s robes were immaculately pressed, his posture rigid with the casual arrogance of someone who held the power of life and death over lower-class disciples and workers.

"You heard me," the master teacher replied, his voice flat and devoid of any warmth. "You have been chosen to be one of the people who will be sent to the pocket dimension where the students will undergo their test. This is an administrative order directly from the higher-ups. It is not a request, nor is it open for debate."

"But..." Lin Che wanted to argue, but a single glare from the teacher shut him up, and he could only swallow his words.

In truth, the master teacher himself couldn’t understand why the higher-ups chose this, and why the trials have changed so drastically and suddenly.

The entire structure of the first trial had been completely upended overnight.

Normally, the rules were simple, brutal, and time-tested: the students would just be sent to that pocket dimension to kill as many beasts as possible, surviving purely on their raw instinct and strength.

To ensure a true test of their baseline capabilities, they were stripped of all external advantages.

They entered without any items, and even their storage rings would be temporarily confiscated and locked away in the academy’s grand treasury before they stepped through the spatial portal.

As for the worries that someone might peek inside the rings or steal something from them while they were confiscated, there were none.

Modern storage rings were marvels of spiritual engineering.

They could only be accessed by the specific, unique qi signature of the owner, or those the qi it has recognized through a blood-binding ritual.

If anyone else attempted to force their way inside, the defense mechanism would attack anyone who tried to peer through it and make them suffer intense mental and spiritual shock.

Not only that, it will send a signal to the owner, and would even transfer the contents to another storage ring that it was connected to.

This secure technology had become immensely popular and was widely used across the modern cultivation world.

But for some reason, some supreme experts still used those age-old storage rings.

These ancient relics lacked the complex qi-lock mechanisms of the modern era, relying instead on simple qi of anyone to open.

In other words, anyone who even stepped into the path of cultivation can see or take contents inside.

Because of that, some lucky mortal who happened to find the corpse of an ancient expert in a cliff or a hidden cave would easily have access to the entire, unsealed inheritance of that expert and become a peerless genius overnight, defying fate itself.

This phenomenon was actually a great, enduring mystery in the cultivation world.

Why did the most powerful, legendary ancestors refuse to upgrade to modern, secure storage rings?

Perhaps it was out of sheer arrogance, or perhaps they secretly wished for their legacies to be found by destined youths.

But that was besides the point!

The core philosophy of the trial was what truly mattered, and it had been completely twisted.

The trial was originally supposed to test a cultivator’s survival skills, combat strength, willpower, and environmental knowledge, forcing them to rely entirely on their own body and internal qi without relying on external things, artifacts, or hidden family treasures.

But now, the trials had been changed to protecting an innocent.

Instead of a simple, glorious slaughter of primordial beasts, the academy had introduced a chaotic, deeply frustrating variable.

The academy will also send several native people to that pocket dimension where the students will save and protect as many of them as possible.

The scoring matrix had been completely rewritten to favor compassion, strategic defense, and logistical management under extreme pressure.

The more native people they saved, the higher their score.

As for whether these natives get killed and devoured by beasts? That’s not the academy’s problem.

There are hundreds of millions of these people scattered across the lower realms and captured pocket dimensions, after all.

To the grand figures running the Imperial Academy, these mortals were nothing more than renewable, expendable props meant to serve as a crucible for the younger generation’s growth.

But to Lin Che, who was being forcibly dragged into this mess as a target or a helper inside that dangerous wilderness, it was an absolute nightmare.

"This... Honored Master, can I not go?" Lin Che meekly asked.

He shrunk his shoulders, trying to look as small, harmless, and pitiful as humanly possible.

He had spent his entire time at the academy cultivating the art of being entirely unremarkable, hiding his true strength beneath the guise of a diligent but low-tier worker.

He’d rather just sweep the floor of the entire city than do such a meaningless, dangerous thing.

Going into a pocket dimension filled with bloodthirsty beasts and arrogant, young master cultivators trying to play hero was the exact opposite of a peaceful life.

"Honored Master, you see I have an I-must-not-enter-the-dimension disease, where I’ll die if I—"

He tried to imiate the disease of a great warrior of the sea, but he didn’t even get to finish his words when the master teacher glared at him, a suffocating wave of cultivation pressure washing over the small room, making the air feel as heavy as lead.

The terrifying gaze shut up Lin Che immediately, cutting off any further complaints before they could leave his throat.

Realizing that pushing any further would only invite suspicion or immediate punishment, he could only reluctantly nod his head, dropping his gaze to the floor.

"...A-Alright, t-thank you for informing me, h-honored m-master," Lin Che murmured, forcing a submissive, grateful tone.

Damn it, why is this?! I just wanted a peaceful life! Is that so hard, universe!?

Is it really that hard to grant this simple wish!? You fucked me up in my previous life, and now you’re fucking me up in this life too!?

The master teacher snorted, his aura receding as he looked down at the youth with blatant condescension. "It is your honor to be part of the trial. Do not disgrace the academy’s name while you are in there."

With that, he turned around and left, the heavy wooden door slamming shut behind him.

Lin Che let out a long, exhausted sigh, dropping his head into his hands as the mask of humility instantly vanished, replaced by deep annoyance.

"Damn it. My peaceful life..." he muttered to himself, cursing whichever high-ranking elder had randomly plucked his name out of the directory to participate in this ridiculous event.

*

*

*

At this moment, in a completely hidden, tranquil courtyard of Ye Hongyan, the sun shone with a warm, golden hue.

Haoran was lying on the lap of Ye Hongyan while she sat on a wooden bench under the shade of a beautifully blooming peach blossom tree.

A gentle breeze shook the branches, sending a slow, mesmerizing shower of pink petals drifting over them.

Ye Hongyan looked stunning, her fierce, authoritative demeanor completely melted away into a soft, serene affection as she looked down at the young man resting comfortably against her thighs.

In front of them, completely in a daze, saliva dripping from the corner of his lips, was the crippled Elder Mu.

The once-proud and powerful elder was now a pathetic, empty husk of his former self, his mind completely shattered.

His entire body was currently being used as a literal perch, being stepped on by some local birds that chirped merrily, entirely unbothered by his presence.

There were even some fresh bird droppings smeared across his face and robes, a testament to his total lack of awareness or hygiene.

Well, not like he can take care of himself right now.

"So you already changed it?" asked Haoran.

He reached up, casually catching a falling peach blossom petal between his fingers, his voice relaxed and full of lazy amusement.

Ye Hongyan nodded, her slender, pale fingers softly caressing his golden hair, weaving through the strands with a gentle, repetitive motion that showed her deep infatuation.

"Yes. I asked the Sages to change the trial criteria to a protection mission, and I personally made sure that Lin Che’s name was placed at the very top of the list to be sent into the trial dimension."

It was rather easy, just saying that this will show how heroic and noble the students of their academy was.

Although Venerable Sky Cloud did gave her the side eye, as if he knew exactly what she was thinking about.

Well, that doesn’t really matter.

She smiled, a sharp, calculating glint appearing in her eyes. "Haoran, Lin Che is your enemy, so I arranged it like this. Use this opportunity to kill him and make sure to not leave any traces of him."

"Hmm," Haoran nodded, thoroughly satisfied with how easily she manipulated the academy’s grandest event just to please him.

As for her reminders, he already knew that, and there was no need for her to mention it to him.

This time, he was going to kill Lin Che.

Since he refused to serve him, then there was no need for him to exist.

He stared at the pathetic figure across the courtyard for a moment, then decided to change the subject. "By the way, that man is covered in bird droppings. Aren’t you disgusted when you are cleaning him?"

"Not me, my golems," said Ye Hongyan, her tone instantly switching to one of mild disgust at the mere thought of touching the shattered old man. "I’m a Rank 7 Artificer, so creating a basic golem or a mechanical puppet to act as a permanent caretaker is no problem at all. As for how they clean him, well, I don’t know, I never watched. I just ordered them to keep him alive and reasonably functional so he can continue to serve as a warning."

In her mind, since she was already his woman, then it’s really inappropriate to see or touch another man’s body, especially since the other man was her first life.

She had read countl novels about this, where female lead’s husband leaves her because she got along well and maintained contact with her first love.

She will never allow that to happen!

Haoran nodded at her words before sitting up straight, stretching his arms slightly as he reluctantly pulled himself away from the comfortable warmth of her lap.

"Well, I’ll be going now. I need to prepare some things before the trial officially begins two days from now. I have a partner to entertain, after all."

Ye Hongyan smiled, a trace of reluctance lingering in her eyes, but she understood he had his own plans to set in motion.

She raised her hand, a brilliant ripple of saint-level spiritual energy twisting the air as a stable spatial portal tore open directly in front of him.

"Go. I’ll be watching the trial from the grand stadium’s VIP box, so do your best, my dear."

Haoran nodded, leaning forward to give her a deep, passionate kiss on the lips, sealing her loyalty and affection, before stepping effortlessly into the shimmering portal.

The spatial tears closed silently behind him, leaving the Sage alone beneath the falling petals.