Villains Aren't Stepping Stones!

Ye Family Stadium.

The massive, floating spectator arena of the Ye Family Stadium hung above the cloud layer, glowing with intricate spatial formations that projected thousands of high-definition, crystal-clear projection screens across the sky.

Thousands of esteemed guests, sect leaders, and elder representatives sat in designated viewing boxes, watching the ongoing Golden Core trials with rapt attention.

In the highest, most luxurious VIP pavilion overlooking the entire stadium, the supreme rulers of the academic realm—the Ten Sages, minus Ye Hongyan—were seated together with the head of the Ye Family, Ye Liuman, and his young adopted son, Ye Fan.

The atmosphere inside the grand pavilion was suffocatingly heavy.

The Ten Sages, especially Venerable Sky Cloud—a world-renowned figure whose gaze could pierce through mountain ranges—were deeply confused and thoroughly infuriated when they saw through the projection screens what had just transpired with the disciple named Qing Yan.

Ling Luochen, Xia Mengyao, and Luo Mingye were cases they could easily understand and excuse.

They were special circumstances—supreme geniuses who are all backed by the Shen Clan and who had brought along soul-bound, integrated weapons that were forged into their very spiritual cores and physiques.

The portal arrays could not strip away what was fundamentally part of their souls, and if it can, they will never allow it, as doing so can harm the soul.

But Qing Yan? They didn’t even know that such a person existed until today!

How on earth did a boy like that pull an unregistered Rank 4 Artifact out of thin air right in the middle of a battle?

And worse, how did he activate a high-grade spatial teleportation talisman?

It was a direct, glaring slap to the face of the academy’s security and authority!

Ye Liuman noticed the tense, volatile atmosphere permeating the pavilion.

The ancient grandmasters surrounding him were radiating subtle waves of pressure that caused the air to hum with static electricity.

Knowing his place, Ye Liuman didn’t dare speak a single word, shrinking back into his plush velvet seat and trying hard to make himself look as unnoticeable as possible.

Beside him, even young Ye Fan remained entirely silent.

His dark, sharp eyes were glued to the floating projection screens. Although he kept his mouth shut, he couldn’t help but frown deeply, his chest tightening as he felt a sudden, inexplicable sense of great dislike—bordering on intense, instinctual hatred—towards Xu Xiansu, Qing Yan, and a few other prominent individuals he saw on the screen.

It was as if his very soul rejected their presence, sensing an inherent opposition to his existence.

’Who do those people think they are?’ Ye Fan thought bitterly, his fists clenching subtly under his long sleeves. ’Especially that arrogant girl with the divine physique... and that pathetic guy pulling cheap tricks...’

Just then, a sudden ripple tore through the spatial boundary of the private pavilion.

Then, a high-ranking, rank 9 Master Teacher dressed in grand white-and-gold academic robes materialized out of the light.

He held a thick, heavy stack of confidential documents sealed with glowing wax stamps, stepping forward respectfully and handing them directly to Venerable Sky Cloud.

"Venerable, these are the exact things you asked me to look for regarding the anomaly," the Master Teacher reported, bowing his head deeply.

Venerable Sky Cloud waved his hand with a smooth, authoritative gesture, and the heavy stack of documents flew out of the teacher’s grip, floating into his aged hands, and he immediately unsealed the pages and began to read through them with sharp, discerning eyes.

All of these were detailed information regarding Qing Yan—tracing his family line from his obscure ancestors several generations ago, to his mundane birth in a dusty farming hamlet, his mediocre talent evaluation during recruitment, and his quiet, utterly unimpressive performance since the start of the current trials.

As Venerable Sky Cloud flipped through the pages, his brows furrowed tightly.

He noticed that everything in the boy’s life was completely normal, timid, and ordinary... until the exact moment Qing Yan awakened after being helped and healed by Xia Mengyao and Luo Mingye.

From that second onward, his speech, his habits, his weapons, and his spatial capabilities had shifted drastically.

’...Could it be someone possessed his body?’ Venerable Sky Cloud hypothesized, his mind honing in on the possibility of a dark, ancient spirit taking over the boy’s dantian. ’A remnant soul of a demonic expert hijacking a disciple’s shell?’

But the very instant that thought entered his mind, a strange, imperceptible cosmic force seemed to have altered his own thoughts.

The mental logic seamlessly redirected itself, overriding his sharp deduction.

’No... that can’t be right,’ Venerable Sky Cloud corrected himself internally, a look of sudden, profound realization washing over his face.

’If a demonic soul, or any other soul had possessed him right inside our exam space, we would’ve noticed it in a heartbeat. Then... could it be this kid has a mysterious, hidden background stronger than even our Imperial Academy? Or does he possess another rare soul-bound treasure as well?’

The more he contemplated it, the more logical it seemed to his distorted reasoning!

’Yes! That explains everything!’ he thought, a confident smirk touching his lips. ’He must either have the inheritance of a great ancient expert or is the hidden successor of a hidden, primordial clan or an ancient, untraceable supreme faction! It would explain how he easily smuggled those high-grade items and escape talismans past our portal seals and detections without being noticed by our staff! He was just acting weak to test the waters!’

Venerable Sky Cloud smiled, a proud, self-satisfied look settling over his ancient face, fully believing that he had already figured out the complete truth behind the entire incident.

"Stop investigating him," he commanded smoothly, his voice cool and decisive as he snapped his fingers.

*FOOM!*

A vibrant, pure white flame erupted from his fingertips, instantly consuming the entire stack of confidential documents.

In less than a second, the exhaustive reports were burned into fine, glowing ash that scattered harmlessly into the air.

The rank 9 Master Teacher was thoroughly confused by the sudden order, blinking in surprise, but he quickly nodded and bowed again, eager to finally rid himself of one of the most frustrating, headache-inducing jobs he had been assigned to.

"Understood, Venerable!"

The other Sages sitting around the table turned their heavy, inquisitive gazes toward Venerable Sky Cloud, their eyes shining with intense curiosity, eager to know what the confidential reports actually said about the boy.

Venerable Sky Cloud merely shook his head with a mysterious, knowing smile, waving his hand dismissively. "Don’t bother inquiring further, my old friends. Some things... it is better for you not to know them. Interfering with the hidden leviathans of the upper realms will only bring unnecessary karma to our academy."

This vague, grand statement made the surrounding Sages even more curious, their minds racing with wild theories, but out of respect for his status and fear of touching taboo secrets, they didn’t dare ask another question.

Quiet returned to the VIP pavilion as everyone turned their attention back to the massive projection screens hanging over the stadium floor.

Suddenly...

"Hey... what’s that gorilla doing?" one of the Sages blurted out, pointing a trembling finger at the central screen displaying the lower valley forest.

The entire pavilion—including Venerable Sky Cloud, Ye Liuman, and Ye Fan—stared at the screen in utter dumbfounded silence.

On the giant projection, a six-meter-tall, hideously ugly, hyper-muscular female mountain gorilla was sprinting through the woods at breakneck speeds, letting out joyful, high-pitched squeals, while holding a screaming, one-armed Qing Yan tightly against her massive, hairy chest like a prized lover!

"Should... should we help him?" asked one of the Sages, his voice cracking slightly with a mixture of sheer disbelief and rising panic as he gestured toward the central projection screen.

"Of course we should! Pull him out of that dimension right now!" another Sage barked, slamming his palm onto the armrest of his floating chair, his face turning an angry shade of crimson.

Another one nodded, "If we don’t? Do you want the entire world to witness this absolute humiliation?! Billions of viewers from various noble houses and countless other sects and clans are watching this broadcast! If an Imperial Academy disciple gets violated by a wild beast on live projection, our reputation will be dragged through the mud for ten thousand years!"

Everyone hurried to pull him out of the dimension, but...

"No."

Venerable Sky Cloud raised a single, authoritative hand, his voice flat and unyielding.

He shook his head slowly, his eyes remaining entirely calm. "Just move the video feed and don’t show him to the public, but do not pull him away from the trial space."

Everyone in the VIP pavilion turned their heads to stare at him in profound shock and hidden fear.

The surrounding Sages felt a cold shiver run down their spines, silently wondering just what on earth this poor, unfortunate boy had done to somehow offend this supreme Venerable so deeply that he would be left to such a horrifying, unnatural fate.

Venerable Sky Cloud, however, just remained silent, taking a slow, measured sip from his jade teacup.

He didn’t care about their horrified looks. He had been alive for thousands upon thousands of years, standing at the high apex of the realm, and in that vast expanse of time, he had seen countless miraculous geniuses rise from the dirt.

And in his endless experience, almost every single one of those legendary figures followed the exact same, familiar template.

Most of them came from humble, obscure beginnings, possessed unbelievable, fate-defying treasures that many in the high realms would covet, and wisely chose to hide those treasures from the prying eyes of the world.

They were cautious to a fault. They wouldn’t even show their ultimate trump cards or divine weapons even when they were in dire, life-threatening danger, choosing instead to hold back and only unleash their true capabilities once no one was around to see them.

Over his long lifetime, Venerable Sky Cloud had covered for a few secretive, heaven-defying students like that, quietly shielding their hidden cards from public scrutiny so they could grow in the shadows.

In this case, this young man, Qing Yan, must also have some ancient, heavenly treasure or secret technique that he simply couldn’t show to the public audience.

If the academy forcibly intervened or broadcasted his desperate struggle, it would only expose his hidden backing and ruin his secret trial.

Therefore, the best course of action was simply to not let the audience see him, removing the public pressure so he could handle his situation privately with whatever secret power he possessed, or else it would bring endless trouble to both him and the academy.

"Close the video," said Venerable Sky Cloud, this time his voice far firmer, carrying a sharp weight of grand authority that brooked no further argument.

Sitting further back in the pavilion, Ye Liuman and his adopted son, Ye Fan, both shivered violently.

Cold sweat broke out across Ye Liuman’s back as he stared at the indifferent old master. ’Are the grand Sages of the Imperial Academy truly this cold-blooded and ruthless?! That poor young man was literally about to be violated by a six-meter demonic beast!’

Ye Liuman’s thoughts involuntarily drifted toward his own daughter, who was already far stronger than him in both cultivation and status.

A sudden wave of fear washed over his heart—if his wife hadn’t begged her on her knees back then, what cold, ruthless things would she have done to him for his past incompetence?

Seeing Venerable Sky Cloud’s unshakeable stance, the Sages didn’t dare to object any further.

They immediately closed the video feed showing Qing Yan’s frantic, screaming figure, switching the main central array instead to show the crystal-clear broadcast of Xu Xiansu, Xia Mengyao, Luo Mingye, Ning Xueli, Ling Luochen, and Zhu Ziyan as they navigated the mountain trail.

The stadium below let out a collective hum of interest as the screen shifted away from the chaotic lower forest, focusing once again on the brilliant, peerless maidens of the academy.

The other Sages secretly turned their gaze back to Venerable Sky Cloud, who remained entirely indifferent, leaning back in his throne with his hands tucked into his wide, embroidered sleeves.

Obviously, these ordinary people didn’t possess his ancient vision or deep understanding of cosmic karmic patterns, so he didn’t really blame them for their shallow doubts and misplaced pity.

They saw a helpless boy being dragged away; he saw a dragon lying in the mud, waiting for the right moment to soar into the nine heavens.

Venerable Sky Cloud was entirely convinced of his own wisdom.

Why had Venerable Sky Cloud reached his supreme position and immense cultivation today?

Why was he revered across the star fields?

That was all because he knew how to invest early in people with great, hidden potential!

He was sure that once that mysterious young man finally broke through his tribulations, unleashed his hidden strength, and earned a grand name for himself across the universe, he would surely remember this crucial favor.

He would remember that Venerable Sky Cloud was the wise elder who had cut the broadcast feed, protected his secret identity, and allowed him to keep his hidden cards safe from public eyes.

He smiled faintly to himself, closing his eyes to rest.

’Just wait... in the future, when that boy stands at the apex of the realm, these ignorant fools beside me will be crying with pure envy over my foresight.’

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