FORCED TO BE A VILLAIN: STARTING WITH MY BRAIN EXTRACTION SYSTEMC27: Mo Tianyu Appeared
Chapter 27: Mo Tianyu Appeared
"What are you two doing?"
The voice was of a young male, slightly cold, mixed with a bit of surprise.
"Tianyu?"
When Su Ruyue and Mo Zhiran turned around, they saw a tall young man with bright amber eyes, strong features, and an athletic build that radiated energy and confidence.
He was Mo Tianyu, clan brother of Zhiran, the same one who didn't even look back after betraying him and letting him die in his previous life.
"Oh...look who it is? Isn't it our hero?"
While Su Ruyue looked flustered by that suspicious look in Tianyu's eyes, Zhiran instead smiled as usual.
From his expression, he didn't seem to remember the incident in his previous life. He looked just like a clan brother should when meeting another, calm and easygoing.
"I asked, What are you doing here in public?"
But Tianyu didn't like that look on Zhiran. Instead, he asked again while looking at Ruyue, as he clearly saw her in the arms of this clan brother of his.
After learning of Mo Zhiran's talent, Tianyu had already forgotten he even existed. But seeing Ruyue in his arms, even though nothing was between them, he felt a slight sting somewhere inside.
So he wanted to know if there was something going on between them, even though he knew it was not his business.
"Tianyu, I-it isn't like that..."
Su Ruyue was completely flustered at being caught like this. Although Zhiran did that suddenly without her approval, she didn't know how to explain.
The poor girl could only lower her head, fidgeting nervously like a daughter caught with her boyfriend.
If anything, her expression wasn't helping her case at all, as was evident from the darkening look on Tianyu's face.
"Hey, why are you shouting? Do you think she is your sister?"
Fortunately for her, there was Zhiran by her side, who suddenly came in front, directly hugged Tiayu's neck while grinning.
"Besides, why don't you introduce who this girl is first? You find a sister-in-law for us or what?"
He then asked, pointing at the petite girl with two distinct ponytails standing behind him, carrying an impressive sword and watching their interaction with innocent eyes.
The moment Zhiran looked at her, though, she immediately lowered her head while her ears turned completely red in shame.
"Tch...tch...it seems we both found similar types."
Seeing her reaction, Zhiran clicked his tongue and shook his head with a smile. Still, anyone with half a brain would understand what he meant.
He was basically saying that Su Ruyue was his to Tianyu.
"Don't hug me all of a sudden. I don't like that."
Sure enough, Tianyu was totally annoyed by Zhiran's admission and used quite a bit of force to get his hands out of his neck.
"As for her, she isn't like you think. She is just following me around on her own accord. Don't misunderstand."
Mo Tianyu said while pointing at the petite girl behind. Zhiran could clearly see the look of distress on her face when he said that.
"Oh? Is she your fan?"
Zhiran was quite intrigued by how quickly Tianyu tried to clear things up whenever the topic of a sister-in-law came up.
"Fan? What is that?"
Tianyu asked, finding the words odd.
"I mean, why is she following you anyway? Did you steal something from her or what?"
He asked again, and surprisingly, it was the petite girl who answered, a bit nervously:
"No, he didn't steal anything from me. I'm following him of my own will," she said hurriedly as if afraid that he would misunderstand.
"Oh? Why? Do you like him? Do you want me to bring you two together?"
Zhiran asked again, making her completely flustered just like Ruyue. Anyone with an eye could see that she had a thing for Tianyu, well, except Tianyu himself, of course.
"N-no, not that...I just...I just...followed him because he protected me from a bully. I want to repay him."
Although flustered, she still answered quickly, as if afraid Tianyu would misunderstand and ask her to leave.
"By carrying that sword of his?"
Zhiran raised his eyebrows and signaled at the sword in her hand with doubt. Because he could see that the sword belonged to Tianyu.
"Umm..."
The girl nodded cutely at him while clutching the sword on her thin arms tightly, as if afraid that he would snatch it.
No matter which angle, she looked too innocent for her own good.
"Cough...okay, Zhiran, no need to embarrass her. She is just trying to do her best. Leave her be."
Tianyu coughed a little after seeing the weird look on his face.
So, he immediately put these things aside and came to the main point, for which he was here in the first place.
"I heard you registered for the Inner Sect Trial? I suggest you drop out as soon as possible."
He said while looking at Zhiran. He had seen him register just now and had also sensed his aura from afar.
To be honest, he was quite surprised to hear that this guy was actually at the late stage of the Qi Condensation realm.
He truly couldn't understand how he did that.
At last, he figured Zhiran might have come across some treasure. It wasn't that unbelievable, as he himself had stumbled upon a few before.
It was just...when he heard Zhiran was taking part in the inner sect trial, he immediately came to dissuade him.
After all, he knew what had happened between Wu Kang and him and knew the nature of Wu Zhen.
But he didn't come here because he was worried about Zhiran, though.
Rather, he just didn't want his clan name to go down the drain due to Mo Zhiran.
If Zhiran was beaten up by Wu Zhen, even if he won the competition afterward, it would still be a stain.
It would be better if such stains remained hidden.
"Oh? Why do you say that?"
Mo Zhiran wasn't surprised to hear his words; instead, he seemed intrigued.
Because he had experienced this kind of situation countless times in his previous life.
From the outside, Tianyu's suggestions always seemed for his own good, but inside... heh... Zhiran knew better.
Besides, this shameless guy didn't even apologize for his mistake. After all, wasn't Wu Kang after him because of his chivalrous deed?
"Why?"
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FORCED TO BE A VILLAIN: STARTING WITH MY BRAIN EXTRACTION SYSTEMC28: Tianyu Is Shocked
Chapter 28: Tianyu Is Shocked
"Why?"
Seeing Zhiran's carefree expression, Tianyu didn't know why, but he felt slightly annoyed.
"Mo Zhiran, don't forget what you did to Wu Kang a month ago. Did you forget? Or have you also forgotten about his brother, Wu Zhen?"
He spoke in a cold tone, as if trying to lecture him.
"Sorry to say this, but although you somehow defeated Wu Kang with your little tricks, Wu Zhen is a different matter altogether."
"Even I struggle against him. If you participate in the Inner Sect Trial, do you know what will happen to you?"
He questioned as if Zhiran didn't stand a chance.
"So, I suggest you drop out of this competition."
"Besides, with your talent, you won't be able to enter the inner sect this time anyway."
"Why not try again in five years? There's no need to jump into the pit, is there?"
From how he worded his words, to the outsiders, it really seemed like he was caring for Zhiran. Even Su Ruyue thought so.
But how could Zhiran forget that condescending gaze of Tianyu? To be honest, it might not even be Tianyu's deliberate condescension.
Just like that time when he left him to die for a girl.
Maybe this guy didn't even think about him afterward; whether he lived or died wasn't his concern.
Zhiran called this the protagonist's blind pride and arrogance.
It was this aura of not taking anyone seriously that had irritated him in his previous life and in this life too.
If he really cared, he could say like Su Ruyue, too. Did he need to mention his talent like that?
Not to mention asking him to wait for another five years...
"And who do you think is the reason for it?"
"Hmm?"
Tianyu was about to say a few more things so that Zhiran would immediately take his name out, when he heard his cold voice devoid of emotions. It was totally different from his smiling self.
"Mo Tianyu, I asked, Who do you think is the reason behind all this?"
Zhiran asked again, this time in the same way he had questioned them before.
"Why do you think Wu Kang came to me in the first place? Isn't it because some guy tried to be a hero saving a damsel in distress?"
He said while looking slightly at the petite girl, who lowered her head almost immediately in shame.
"Do you know if I didn't use the little trick of mine, I might not even be able to wake up today?"
He asked again, as that was exactly what had happened in his previous life. Actually, in his last life, he didn't even get the chance to breathe air before Wu Zhen came to cripple him.
And all of that was because of this guy, Tianyu.
But what did he do after knowing his state?
Nothing, not even a sorry.
Only when Su Ruyue forced him to cure him did he give him a Rejuvenation Elixir.
But it was already too late; his low potential became even lower, directly marking the end of his cultivation journey and forcing him into a demonic path.
"Don't try to lecture me when you can't even say sorry for your mistake. Rejoice, at least, you got that girl carrying that sword for you, as she felt sorry for you."
"At least, learn from her a little."
Zhiran said with a cold voice, completely dumbfounding both Tianyu and Su Ruyue. They never thought that Zhiran could show his anger like this.
When they left the clan and entered the sect before, he wasn't like this. He was always an easy-going and smiling kind of guy.
Seriously, even Tianyu wondered like Ruyue,
'What happened to him?'
"Heh...as for whether I can take on Wu Zhen, worry for yourself. We are not kids anymore and don't need your so-called advice."
"Take my name out of the list? For my sake? Isn't it because you don't want me to tarnish our clan's name?"
"I warned you, before doing anything, tie your loose ends carefully. If something like this happened again because of your stupid deeds, it won't be over like this."
Zhiran gave a warning, making Tianyu's face fall. Until now, he never got a warning like this, to his face, condescendingly.
Before, it was him doing that to others. When did it become his turn?
Tianyu was furious at Zhiran and was about to say something when he saw Zhiran grabbing Ruyue's waist and dragging her away,
"Let's go to Ruyue. Let this stupid guy live in his delusion. I still have to win the competition and take you in as mine."
"Eiii...Zhiran, don't pull. s-slowly..."
Poor Ruyue, in the fight between them, she was being treated unfairly. She wanted to clear up her image, but instead was directly stamped with Zhiran's name unofficially.
She couldn't even protest as she was dragged away by Zhiran angrily, not to mention the words he said at last; she couldn't help but feel ashamed.
'Mine? What did he mean?'
Sure enough, in the entire discussion, Tianyu's attention immediately went to the last words spoken by Zhiran to Ruyue. He felt that there was something fishy going on here, but didn't know what.
'Tch...if you want to jump into fire, go jump. Why are you being so loud for no reason?'
At last, he cursed while looking at Zhiran with his cold eyes. He was totally annoyed today.
From his perspective, what he said to Zhiran was for his own good.
Even now, he never thought he was capable of even putting up resistance against Wu Zhen.
'Just a late-stage Qi condensation, and you are already so full of yourself? When Wu Zhen will cripple you in front of everyone, don't come crying to me then.'
He thought with deep malice, never considering apologizing to Zhiran even now. In his view, it wasn't his fault at all.
So what if he offended someone? If you suffered because of it indirectly, that was your own fault for being weak, nothing more.
"Hmph!"
'He isn't just at the late stage of Qi Condensation, he's at the ninth level of the Qi Condensation Realm.'
Just as Tianyu was about to turn around to leave, he suddenly heard a sweet female voice in his mind. The voice was mature and aged, carrying a certain charm of its own.
'Master?'
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FORCED TO BE A VILLAIN: STARTING WITH MY BRAIN EXTRACTION SYSTEMC29: Mei Xuan
Chapter 29: Mei Xuan
'What do you mean, master?'
After hearing the inexplicable voice in his mind, Tianyu didn't panic. Rather, he asked in shock.
'I mean what I said. That clan brother of yours is already at the Ninth level of Qi Condensation.'
The mature female voice lazily replied again.
'Kid, don't take anyone too lightly. This world is too big and there are all kinds of people. I suggest focusing on your strength rather than on useless things.'
The voice said lightly, intending to lecture Mo Tianyu. After all, she did take him as an unofficial disciple. So, she had to do her best to guide him on the right path.
'Heh...no wonder he had so much pride. So, he entered the Ninth level of Qi condensation?'
However, Tianyu didn't care about that and just clicked his tongue in annoyance.
'But master, didn't you say such crude realms can only take one so far? That a cultivator must possess firm foundations, true talent, and real combat skill? I doubt that guy Zhiran has any of those.'
He asked with cold eyes. Now that he knew the true realm of Zhiran, he didn't like that guy even more.
'That's true!'
The voice replied lazily, for that was the truth. The raw realm was no good.
In fact, in the world of geniuses, cultivation realms were always deceptive, masking the true extent of one's strength.
'See? So, that guy will still suffer at the hands of Wu Zhen. I hope he will learn his lesson.'
Tianyu beamed with a smile at his master's agreement, then finally turned to glance at the petite girl fidgeting nervously behind him.
"Mei Xuan, there's no need to follow me anymore. Like I said before, I didn't save you for repayment."
After Mo Zhiran's sarcastic remark about the girl, Tianyu felt somewhat awkward keeping her by his side.
Now he felt as if he were forcing her to carry his sword out of obligation.
So, after saying those words, Tianyu swiftly took his sword from her hands and turned away before she could even react.
"I think you should focus on your cultivation and enter the inner sect soon."
He said lightly, not giving her a chance to react.
"Wait—"
Only his calm farewell lingered in the timid girl's ears before Tianyu vanished into the crowd.
She couldn't even finish her words.
"..."
For a moment, the petite girl looked lost. But only after a few seconds, her innocent face got dark while her moist eyes were completely filled with bloodlust.
"Damn it, I was this close to getting such a good toy, and someone has to ruin it?"
She mumbled in hatred, completely out of her character. That timid and innocent look of hers was nowhere to be seen.
Instead, her eyes were filled with craziness and bloodlust, just like a demonic cultivator.
'Mo Zhiran, right? Just wait...if I find you alone, I will show you who you have provoked.'
Mei Xuan said in a thick malice while composing her look as she didn't want anyone to find her true nature.
In an instant, she slipped back into that innocent, naive look of hers, the kind that made people want to either bully her or spoil her. It was hard to believe she had another, crazier side.
'Forget it. For now, let's focus on the Inner Sect trial. I have to enter the Inner Sect without drawing too much attention or arousing suspicion. As for Tianyu, heh, it's only a matter of time before he's at my feet.'
Mei Xuan thought and put aside this incident for now. As a spy sent by the Black Lotus Sect to lurk around, she couldn't lose her composure in any situation.
Not to mention, this wasn't even a setback. Just...she was a little annoyed by the nobody who ruined her plan.
***
"Zhiran, if you don't release me right now, believe it or not, I will never talk to you again."
Amid the dense crowd of Outer Sect disciples, in a corner near the arena, Su Ruyue whispered to Mo Zhiran, who was holding her by the waist.
Feeling his roaming fingers and the dense crowd around her, Ruyue was so ashamed that her face was already red all over.
Finally, she couldn't take this anymore and gave an ultimatum to Zhiran in anger. This guy was just too much.
"Oh? Sorry, I forgot."
Mo Zhiran saw that she was at her limits and immediately removed his hands from her waist with a smile.
"Forgive me, Ruyue. I was just too angry and didn't realize what I was doing."
He then quickly apologized as if he really made a mistake in anger.
"Yeah? And those words you said to Tianyu? Are they also in anger? Do you think I'm stupid?"
It would have been fine if Zhiran hadn't apologized. But when he did, Ruyue's anger exploded immediately.
"Mo Zhiran, can't you see your situation? Are you blind? Why are you always so erratic nowadays?"
She said, her voice trembling with frustration.
"Are you taking advantage of my kindness? Can't you see Tianyu and me are just worried about you? Why is your mind always on these kinds of things?"
She sighed.
"You weren't like this before. You would listen to whatever I said. But... now, all your thoughts are on such useless things. And even... even saying such inappropriate words in front of Tianyu."
Ruyue felt a flush of shame as she remembered their earlier interactions.
"Sigh... look, Zhiran, being a Daoist companion is no joke, and it isn't done like this. Although I don't know if you're serious or not, regardless, I am not a prize for you to win in a competition."
She said clearly to Zhiran what she had wanted to say for a long time.
"It's fine that I've known you since childhood and tolerated your shenanigans, even when they're outrageous. But there has to be a limit, you know?"
"What do you think would happen if I were some other girl you didn't know before?"
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FORCED TO BE A VILLAIN: STARTING WITH MY BRAIN EXTRACTION SYSTEMC30: Will for Immortality!
Chapter 30: Will for Immortality!
"What do you think would happen if I were some other girl you didn't know before?"
Ruyue asked, trying to teach Zhiran, urging him not to be so frivolous. As she said, Zhiran was lucky he could get away with this because she knew him.
No matter what, she had a weak heart and would forgive him in an instant. But if it were a stranger...
"So, focus on cultivation, all other things are just...."
"..."
"..."
"What are you smiling at?"
Su Ruyue was trying to lecture this abominable guy seriously, but she finally couldn't stand his continuous smiling expression.
She was so irritated by it that she had to point it out in anger, her lips pouting.
"Haha...Ruyue, now I know why I had a crush on you before."
Mo Zhiran suddenly said with a smile, finding everything quite amusing.
How long has it been since he smiled so genuinely like this? Zhiran couldn't remember. His previous life was so dark that he never really turned to look at Ruyue after being crippled.
Maybe he thought he was no longer worthy of her. Insecurities were one hell of a drug after all.
But today, after hearing her patiently explain everything, guiding him toward the right path, he found that he simply couldn't hold back a smile.
Even though his mood was ruined by Mo Tianyu's appearance, he just couldn't stop smiling.
After all, as Ruyue said, if some strange girl had been in her place, a slap would have been only a light punishment.
But it's her, Su Ruyue. She couldn't slap and could only tolerate. She even tried to persuade him with good intentions.
'No wonder I had a crush on her. This girl is a gem. Why didn't I see that in my last life?'
He thought, feeling that he was such a waste in his last life. He left such a good girl all alone.
"You...w-what the hell are you saying?"
Ruyue was stunned by Zhiran's confession and went beet-red from her cheeks to the tip of her ears.
Here she was trying to put some sense into his mind, and here he was once again teasing her.
"Forget it...you never learn. Do whatever you want."
Finally, she couldn't take it anymore and directly turned around in anger, trying to leave. She was tired of persuading him already.
"Okay, okay. No need to get angry. I was just joking...joking."
Seeing that Ruyue was really about to leave, Zhiran hurriedly grabbed her hand, making her stay.
Only when he saw that she wouldn't leave again did he remove his hand from hers.
Then, at last, he turned to Ruyue, who was pouting in quiet anger, refusing to look his way, and whispered softly,
"Sigh...Okay, I admit that I was a little too much."
Zhiran sighed and admitted lightly while crossing his arms. He then looked at her beautiful eyes and said,
"You are right. I must be very careful in this trial. That Wu Zhen is no joke. He must be very angry about his brother and will definitely try to do something to me."
He nodded, clearly taking Ruyue's warning to heart.
"But Ruyue, you forgot one thing."
However, suddenly, Zhiran's eyes turned cold as his voice lowered a bit,
"You forgot that we are cultivators and we are cultivating against heaven. The moment we set our foot on this path, there is no turning back."
"If today, I am afraid of some Wu Zhen and backed down, then how can I face the heavenly tribulation in the future? How can I talk about immortality?"
He asked with a bit of seriousness in his voice.
Like he said, the cultivation wasn't an easy game that you could level up endlessly just because you had talent and resources.
Although not talked about much, a clarity of mind was a thing in cultivation, more important than talents or any other things.
After all, didn't Zhiran reach the Gold Core realm even though he had nothing?
Although he took shortcuts by embracing demonic methods, wasn't Demonic Dao still a dao?
Was there truly no demon in the higher realms?
If Zhiran had learned anything in his previous life, it was that this cultivation world was full of exceptions.
And if he wanted to become one, he could never bow down.
Heaven despised those who bowed. It had always been the case, and it always would be.
"Heh...you said Tianyu said those words because he cared? Don't joke with me."
Zhiran continued in disgust.
"Let me ask you something. Since I've already reached the last stage of Qi Condensation, why should I wait another five years? Do you have any idea how much loss that would bring me?"
He asked Su Ruyue, who found herself unable to reply. She, too, understood that the Inner Sect and the Outer Sect were as distant as heaven and earth.
Missing such an opportunity could very well mean the end of one's path toward immortality, or at the very least, a painful setback. And in this cruel world, once you fall behind, no one reaches out a hand to pull you up.
One might say, Why the heck were they thinking about such a grand goal when it was almost impossible for everyone to attain immortality?
Weren't they taking it too lightly? To outsiders, it might even seem laughable.
But that's where the weak mind fails and the strong mind thrives.
It was true that even if one had a strong will for immortality, he might never reach that goal. Heck, he might even lose his life in the process.
Even if that was the case, he still had a chance; nobody could deny that. But those who didn't even have the will...
If you couldn't even set your goal properly, then what right did you have to chase after the heavens?
The path to immortality was never meant for the faint-hearted.
"Sigh...Ruyue, putting that guy aside, I know that you didn't mean wrong."
Zhiran finally sighed and didn't delve too much into this issue. He knew that his perspective and hers were two different things.
There was no point trying to shove his view on hers.
"And I also know why you think Tianyu is right. Isn't it because you think I'm weak?"
He asked with a faint smirk. After all, just a month ago, he had been a talentless, third-grade Qi Condensation cultivator.
Although his realm was higher now, in her eyes, he must still seem the weakest.
It made sense for her to worry about him.
"No, I—I didn't mean that."
Su Ruyue felt awkward, exposed by his words, and hurriedly tried to deny it. But Zhiran stopped her with a gentle wave of his hand.
"Okay, no need to lie. You're not wrong to feel that way. To be honest, I'm glad that you worry about me."
He said with a smile, then stepped a little closer to Ruyue, whispering in a light, teasing tone,
"But truth be told, I don't like that doubt in your beautiful eyes. So..."
He paused dramatically, then continued in a more serious, almost promising tone,
"In this Outer Sect Trial, I'll show you my true strength. I'll show you my true potential, so you'll never doubt me again."
Then he gently placed his hand atop Ruyue's head, his smile calm and simple.
"And I'll show you that I have everything you'd ever want in a Daoist companion. Although I should warn you, if you don't enter the inner sect this time, you might end up as just my concubine. So, do your best."
He finished teasingly, then turned around, waving his hand.
"Alright, that's enough. This topic ends here. It seems the Outer Sect Trial is about to begin. Let's go."
He ordered, not giving Ruyue a chance to react this time.
Lucien, of course, knew that what he had said to Ruyue was quite childish.
But he didn't care, or rather, he didn't care because it was her.
After being reborn with a new life, he didn't want to leave any regrets behind. And it seemed, teasing this kind little girl was one of those small joys he intended to keep.
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FORCED TO BE A VILLAIN: STARTING WITH MY BRAIN EXTRACTION SYSTEMC31: Wu Zhen's Appearance
Chapter 31: Wu Zhen's Appearance
"Disciples of the Divine Cauldron Sect, five years have passed, and the day has arrived once again for the Outer Sect Trial."
At the center of the circular raised platform in the middle of the Outer Sect Arena, Elder Hua's voice echoed loudly.
At the same time, he released his spiritual pressure at the Foundation Realm, instantly silencing everyone present.
"Like every year, this year's trial will follow the same rules. There are ten rings in the arena and ten winners. Circle battle until only ten remain."
"The rules are simple. Win, and you advance. Lose, and you wait another five years."
"Life-and-death blows are strictly forbidden... unless it's an accident and you're too slow to stop them."
Elder Hua swept his cold gaze over everyone. His meaning was clear.
While killing someone outright was prohibited, if you were severely injured accidentally, no one would interfere.
You could only blame yourself for being weak and hesitant to withdraw in time.
Besides, they had already set the rule that only late Qi Condensation cultivators were allowed to participate in the trial.
If someone of the same realm couldn't defend themselves or stop a fatal blow in the heat of battle, that was their own fault.
The weak had no rights in this world, and the Divine Cauldron Sect was no exception.
After confirming that everyone understood his words, Elder Hua continued,
"As always, the ten top Outer Disciples can directly enter the Inner Sect after the competition is over. And the top three will even have the privilege to choose a peak of their choice."
He paused, a faint smile appearing on his face as he stroked his long white beard.
"And this time, there is an additional reward."
When the additional reward was mentioned, the crowd suddenly grew restless, and noise once again surged through the arena like a rising tide.
Especially those disciples at the late stage of Qi Condensation, their eyes gleamed with burning eagerness and barely restrained desire, as if they could already feel the reward slipping through their fingers and into their grasp.
But this time, Elder Hua didn't suppress the disciples' enthusiasm and instead let them be.
Only after the crowd had calmed down a little did he finally speak.
"What you heard is correct. This time, there are additional rewards for the top ten disciples besides the usual ones.
And that is the quota to enter the newly discovered secret realm, Blood Mist Valley."
"All top ten disciples are eligible for this. A chance to enter a secret realm like the Blood Mist Valley, I don't think I need to explain how rare an opportunity this is."
Elder Hua spoke as his gaze swept over the excited disciples. As he said, a secret realm was a rare opportunity, even for someone like him.
To be honest, even he felt a twinge of envy.
If he had had such a chance when he was still at the Qi Condensation Realm, he might not have been stuck at the peak of the Foundation Establishment stage for the rest of his life.
But regret was only regret, and there was nothing he could do about it.
"Alright, now that you know everything, let the competition begin. Qui Ronghai, you take it from here."
Elder Hua sighed inwardly and finally ended his speech. He gave a short command to Qui Ronghai standing behind him before stepping off the stage.
"Yes, Elder."
Qui Ronghai immediately bowed to Elder Hua and only straightened up after the latter disappeared. He let out a quiet sigh of relief.
After all, Elder Hua was the true authority of the Outer Sect, and he was merely the one managing it under him. Of course, he was nervous.
"Alright, you all heard the Elder. Now, without wasting any time, let the competition begin. I will randomly select two jades from these jars, and the disciples whose names are on them will come forward to fight."
Qui Ronghai announced while gesturing toward the two jars filled with jade slips placed before him.
They were the same jade Mo Zhiran had received from the disciples during registration and handed over to the guard when entering the inner rooms of the arena.
To ensure fairness in the competition, the jars were made opaque and shielded from the spiritual sense.
Besides, with Elder Hua observing from behind, Qui Ronghai didn't dare to manipulate the matches in any way.
"First ring arena, Han Wei versus Fang Rui."
"Second ring arena, Zhou Liang versus Duan Heng."
As Qui Ronghai continued drawing jades and announcing the first batch of competitors, Mo Zhiran's attention was elsewhere.
He was watching the two burly men standing a short distance away; one of them was openly releasing murderous intent without even trying to hide it.
"Mo Zhiran, you actually dared to come here. I heard you even registered for the Outer Sect Trial? Hehe... it seems you really have a death wish."
Unsurprisingly, they were Wu Kang and Wu Zhen.
From the looks of it, Wu Kang had already recovered from his previous injuries.
"Hehe... don't think you can save yourself with those petty tricks this time. In front of absolute strength, such tricks are worthless."
Wu Zhen spoke with a mocking tone, his voice dripping with venom.
Because of this person, he had been bedridden for an entire month and had only managed to recover after his brother came out of seclusion and gave him a rare healing elixir.
That elixir was so precious and rare that it not only healed his injuries but also allowed him to break through to the sixth level of Qi Condensation.
Yet, instead of feeling good, it only fueled his hatred further.
After all, if Mo Zhiran hadn't injured him back then, he believed he might have already reached the late stage of Qi Condensation by now and even earned a chance to enter the Inner Sect.
But all of that had become nothing more than a shattered dream. And for that, he hated Mo Zhiran to the very core.
"Absolute strength?"
Mo Zhiran was looking at Wu Zhen, who stood calmly without even glancing in his direction, when he heard Wu Kang's mocking words.
So he turned to Wu Kang, scanning his entire body from head to toe before shaking his head in disappointment and clicking his tongue.
"Tch... tch... unfortunately, you aren't in the late stage of Qi Condensation. Otherwise, I might have shown you what absolute strength really is."
Zhiran spoke with genuine disappointment, and he wasn't lying. If he could meet him in the arena, he would truly show him what brutality meant.
'What a pity!'
Zhiran thought, shaking his head, his eyes filled with quiet contempt.
"You...BASTARD, you are courting death."
It would have been fine if Zhiran had stayed silent, but he had to strike at the sore spot in Wu Kang's heart.
He thought Zhiran was mocking him, being sarcastic about his lower realm and the fact that he had missed the chance to enter the Inner Sect.
Not to mention the look of disdain on Zhiran's face.
Naturally, he was furious.
"Alright, Kang'er, stop. Is it wise to fight in this place?"
Just as Wu Kang, fuming, was about to strike Zhiran right then and there, he was suddenly stopped by Wu Zhen, who finally spoke.
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FORCED TO BE A VILLAIN: STARTING WITH MY BRAIN EXTRACTION SYSTEMC32: An Unexpected Match!
Chapter 32: An Unexpected Match!
"But... brother..."
Wu Kang heard Wu Zhen and stopped, but his face was full of unwillingness. However, seeing those cold eyes looking at him, he immediately deflated, walking back to his position.
He didn't want to anger his brother.
"Mo Tianyu's brother, right?"
Only when he saw Wu Kang calm down did Wu Zhen finally turn to Zhiran and ask. But his question was related to Tianyu, not him.
In Wu Zhen's view, Mo Zhiran was nothing. He heard this person had magically reached the late Qi Condensation realm in a month.
He was indeed a little surprised, as that wasn't an everyday occurrence.
But... that's all.
In his view, only Tianyu was someone worth paying attention to.
To be honest, Wu Zhen's behavior wasn't odd.
In the world of cultivation, a talented person always had that view over an untalented one, a strong over a weak one, and so on.
'Hah... the same look, huh.'
Zhiran didn't answer Wu Zhen, or rather, he didn't think it was necessary.
Instead, he slowly calmed down and looked toward the Outer Sect Arena where the fight was about to begin, ignoring the two brothers' existence.
He didn't bother to reply nor bother to show his anger and hatred for crippling him in his previous life.
Heck, even when he saw Mo Tianyu before, who practically ended his life in his previous life, Zhiran didn't show a trace of murderous intent.
Truly, for someone who was driven by hatred and revenge in this life, that was odd.
Wasn't it?
'Same look as if I don't exist. As if... I don't matter.'
Zhiran couldn't help but clench his fist unconsciously, remembering those looks in Wu Zhen and Tianyu's eyes.
They were the looks of indifference. The same indifference he saw from everyone in his last life.
Even when he was crippled, it was because Wu Zhen wanted to get back at Tianyu.
Even when he was betrayed, it was because Tianyu wanted to save that girl's life. He would have done the same if some random guy were in his place.
It was never about him. They were never about him at all.
In fact, they didn't even think about him when they caused him harm.
If that was the case, what revenge was he trying to get?
It was true that Zhiran could always get stronger and kill them one by one to exact his revenge. But...
'What is the point?'
Really, what was the point of that? Zhiran didn't see the fun or satisfaction he wanted there.
He hadn't forgotten that in Heaven's eyes, he was still a side character.
So Zhiran felt that any anger and hatred he showed at this point were also pointless. In fact, they showed his incompetence to everyone loud and clear.
So, Mo Zhiran was calm throughout.
He didn't show anger, for revenge was better served behind a calm smile.
He would definitely take it, but with a style.
"Oi, Mo Zhiran, didn't you hear my brother? Are you deaf?"
Seeing that Zhiran didn't reply, Wu Kang, who was trying hard to control his anger, burst out in a loud voice, gathering the attention of the crowd.
"Okay, didn't I say to keep quiet? Why are you like this?"
Wu Zhen looked at his fuming brother and spoke in a cold voice, getting irritated by this stupid brother of his.
He then looked at Zhiran without a care and lightly spoke with a hint of disdain,
"I thought of leaving you alive because you are Tianyu's brother, but since you are so ignorant, I no longer care about you."
[Eight Ring Arena, Wu Kang versus Shen Heng.]
Just as he said this, Wu Zhen heard his name from Elder Qui's voice and prepared to go up.
Before going, though, his faint voice reached Zhiran's ears, who was completely ignoring him.
"Heh... I just hope you don't forfeit the match if you are matched with me. I want to know how strong the brother of Tianyu is. If I do something to you, won't he be hurt? Haha..."
After saying that, he directly jumped from his position, impressively landing right at the center of the Eight Ring Arena, right opposite Shen Heng.
"Swossh!"
Then, without waiting for a moment, he directly released his ninth-level Qi Condensation aura, blasting at Shen Heng before the match even started.
"What? Ugh!"
Such a sudden aura caught the unsuspecting Shen Heng completely off guard.
So, without even being able to react, he was directly thrown off the ring, forcefully out of the arena.
"Tch... can't even handle my aura, and you still want to fight? Why don't you just forfeit the match?"
Wu Zhen asked disdainfully, looking at the embarrassed figure lying on the ground.
Although he didn't show it, he was, of course, angry at getting ignored by nobody. Poor Shen Heng had to bear the wrath.
"You...."
Shen Heng was extremely angry at Wu Zhen for humiliating him like this. But seeing that nobody came to his help, he clenched his teeth and spoke a little tremblingly,
"I-I forfeit this match."
Although unwilling, he had to give up this match before it even began.
This was his intention at first anyway, as he was only at the eighth level of Qi Condensation.
He just never thought he would be humiliated like this out of nowhere.
"Good... haha... at least someone has eyes to see who they can and cannot provoke."
Wu Zhen didn't care about his expression and laughed before slowly getting out of the arena. This was just the first match, and he didn't care about such nobodies anyway.
He just felt that he had to show his authority a bit, as people seemed to have forgotten who he was and his strength.
"Tsk... tsk... it seems my brother is annoyed. Mo Zhiran, I hope you won't give up the match like that coward if you meet him in the competition."
Wu Kang saw his brother's impressive display of power and was quite satisfied. So, after taunting Zhiran, he also left, as he didn't want to ruin his mood anymore.
Even an eighth-level Qi Condensation cultivator was thrown out so easily by his brother, let alone someone who had just entered the late stage of the Qi realm.
He was just afraid that Wu Zhen might not be able to do anything to Zhiran due to the rules.
'But if my brother entered the inner sect, isn't it so easy to get rid of this guy?'
Wu Kang thought and finally calmed down his anger, feeling that this guy was already as good as dead.
It was just a matter of when.
"Don't worry. I won't. I will make sure he is properly entertained."
Unfortunately, Wu Kang didn't hear the soft whisper of Zhiran, who still looked as calm as before. Even when he saw the power of Wu Zhen, he didn't show panic.
He was oddly calm.
[Tenth Ring Arena, Mo Zhiran versus Mei Xuan.]
Just as Zhiran was waiting for his turn to come, he suddenly heard his name being announced. Only,
'Mei Xuan?'
When he heard who he was against, his face turned weird, as Mei Xuan was the same girl who was carrying Tianyu's sword just before.
That timid girl who needed the protagonist's protection due to being teased by Wu Kang, despite being stronger.
In a way, she was also the reason for the beginning of his downfall in his previous life.
Just... being a reborn person, Zhiran also knew her true identity, causing him to roll his eyes speechlessly.
'Tch... this demon cult Saintness is quite a tricky opponent. I have to eliminate her with thunder. I don't want to expose too much of my power.'
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FORCED TO BE A VILLAIN: STARTING WITH MY BRAIN EXTRACTION SYSTEMC33: Zhiran Vs ....?
Chapter 33: Zhiran Vs ....?
"Eh? Why is it you?"
As Zhiran slowly made his way into the tenth arena, he saw the timid girl from before looking at him in pure surprise. She seemed a little annoyed at his appearance.
"Yo...I never knew you even participated in this competition.
Weren't you bullied by Wu Kang before?"
Zhiran smiled after seeing Mei Xuan fidgeting nervously in the arena as if afraid of the upcoming fight.
From how innocent, small, and naive she looked, nobody would think this girl was actually the spy of the Black Lotus Sect who would later become the saintess.
They would only pity her, just like that foolish Tianyu. If his memory served him right, the fall of the Divine Cauldron Sect bore the deep shadow of this very girl's hands.
'Why must my first match be against this bastard? I just... want to punch that smiling face clean off him.'
Mei Xuan thought, secretly gnashing her teeth in frustration. On the outside, though, she smiled sheepishly and spoke in a low yet sweet voice,
"I was new to the sect back then and didn't know how to use my strength properly. Fortunately, Tianyu saved me and gave me the confidence to stand on my own."
She spoke softly, her gaze drifting toward a certain direction, eyes shimmering with quiet gratitude.
When Zhiran followed her gaze, he found Mo Tianyu watching them with a stern expression. Yet, Zhiran could clearly see his composure falter the moment he met her gratitude-filled eyes.
'This bastard is too easy.'
Zhiran couldn't help but feel speechless.
"So, I hope you can take care of me, too, in this fight. After all, you are his brother, right?"
Mei Xuan said with a beautiful, sweet smile, her eyes appearing innocent, instantly stirring the crowd behind her.
"Yeah, be careful around such a little girl."
"What kind of man would hurt a woman?"
"Boo... let her win, you jackass!"
All of a sudden, the crowd erupted in noise, voices rising in chaotic support for Mei Xuan. Some even shouted for Zhiran to let her win by default.
After all, each participant had three matches. Winning two was enough to climb the ranks.
Besides, they never thought Zhiran was capable of coming in the top ten.
So, there was no need to make an innocent, timid girl cry, was there?
'Are you all motherfuckers stupid?'
Zhiran heard their shouting and was left speechless. Were those words even human? Didn't they realize what kind of competition this was?
Was he supposed to be a simp like them?
"Don't worry, I'll make sure to take proper care of you in this fight. I promise."
Zhiran ignored the foolish crowd of disciples and spoke softly to Mei Xuan, a faint smirk playing on his lips, before turning his gaze to Elder Qui, who watched the scene with obvious awkwardness.
"Elder Qui, let's start the match. We can't delay any longer, can we?"
Like hell he would forfeit this match just because of the act of this demoness. Rather, like he said, he would properly take care of her, in his own way.
'I am sure you will like it.'
He thought, eyes fixed on the petite figure of Mei Xuan, who couldn't help but shiver suddenly.
'What the hell is this bastard thinking?'
She felt that something was wrong, but couldn't understand what.
"Cough... okay, are you two ready?"
Elder Qui finally came back to his senses and asked. While doing so, he looked at Zhiran a little more, wondering whether this guy could enter the inner sect this time.
"Yes!"
"Yes, Elder!"
As both Mei Xuan and Mo Zhiran nodded, Elder Qui quickly rang the bell for the match to start. Although there were ten arenas, he was the only one hosting everything.
There wasn't any specific referee at each ring as you would expect.
This was all because of Elder Hua, who was watching everything from the shadows.
As a peak foundation realm expert, there was no need for anyone to look after this battle. He could handle everything.
"The match starts!"
"Swoosh!"
As soon as Elder Qui's voice sounded along with the bell, Zhiran suddenly disappeared from his place.
Well, although he didn't disappear outright, most of the people in the crowd could only see his shadow.
"Mist Step Technique?"
Seeing the swift and elusive footwork used by Zhiran to perform ghost-like movements in the arena, Mo Tianyu immediately understood what technique he used.
Not only him, but anyone who was a little strong could recognize what Zhiran was using. After all, there weren't many methods available in the outer sect martial pavilion.
"Heh... he's only in the Basic Mastery realm. Against Xuaner's eighth-stage Qi Condensation strength, he doesn't stand a chance."
Tianyu mumbled with a smirk, looking at the timid girl opposite, who now seemed serious.
All that shyness and insecurities were now nowhere to be seen as she fully concentrated on the fight.
"Right...Xuaner finally learned what I taught her before."
Seeing her like this, Tianyu smiled even more, thinking she had changed because of him. He was somehow proud of her now.
Fortunately, Zhiran didn't hear his mumbling, or he might have puked blood speechlessly. But he was busy trying to win his fight after all.
"Mountain Splitter Strike!"
As soon as Zhiran closed in on Mei Xuan using his Mist Step Technique, his qi surged violently. Spiritual energy coiled around his clenched fist like a raging tempest, its pressure splitting the air with a deep rumble.
With a sharp exhale, he drove his strike straight toward her abdomen, intent on shattering her defenses in a single blow.
However, even then, he only used both techniques at the proficiency of Basic Mastery, while the realm he showed was only at the Seventh Layer of Qi Condensation.
"Siwsh!"
"Bang!"
Sure enough, although he was fast, Mei Xuan was faster as she suddenly changed her position like drifting in a cloud with enough grace and elegance.
Her movements weren't as flashy as Zhiran's, but she slipped past his strikes with ease, as if his attacks were nothing more than a child's punches.
"Jade Petal Strike!"
After coming right behind Zhiran, she raised her smooth arm up and lightly punched at his back, as if she was just touching it.
"Bang!"
Fortunately, Zhiran didn't let her strike touch him and dodged in time. Otherwise, looking at those soft but bursting condensed qi with a blue hue, he was sure that he would be severely injured.
'Lotus Drift Movement Technique?'
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FORCED TO BE A VILLAIN: STARTING WITH MY BRAIN EXTRACTION SYSTEMC34: Lotus Drift Movement Technique!
Chapter 34: Lotus Drift Movement Technique!
'Lotus Drift Movement Technique?'
Zhiran's focus wasn't on her counterattack. After all, he knew Mei Xuan had already reached the Eighth Qi Condensation Realm.
What truly caught his eye was her movement, graceful, fluid, and painfully familiar. It was the same technique he recognized most clearly... and the one he despised the most.
'Tch... tch... looks like I don't need to reveal my full strength just yet.'
Yet as he watched her dodge each of his mountain-splitting palms with such effortless grace, something shifted in his gaze.
For the first time, Zhiran felt that learning Lotus Drift might not have been such a waste after all.
"Okay, let's end this."
Zhiran suddenly smiled after dodging yet another Jade Petal Strike from Mei Xuan.
He knew that if he continued to irritate her like this, the girl might really expose her full realm and use her weapon too.
At that time, just to defeat her, he might need to use his full strength. That wasn't what he wanted, at least not yet.
"Hmm? What do you mean?"
Mei Xuan heard Zhiran and asked with an innocent look. For once, she thought this abominable guy was going to surrender.
After all, it was clear that she had the upper hand in this battle.
'Swish!'
Unfortunately, Zhiran didn't answer her. Instead, he once again used the Mist Step Technique, appearing right in front of her just like before.
'Hmph, so you're just bluffing?'
Mei Xuan snorted inwardly and swiftly used her movement technique again, gracefully slipping out of his range.
Although Zhiran was good with his movements, she had already reached Skilled Proficiency in Lotus Drift. It was too easy for her to dodge him.
Only—
"What?"
This time, something so absurd happened that her eyes widened in shock.
She saw that just as she was about to slip out of his range and strike with her palm, Zhiran's footsteps suddenly changed, perfectly mirroring her every step briefly.
Although it was only for a moment, she of course recognized what Zhiran had just used.
It was no wonder she was shocked by seeing such absurd scenes. So, even after using her movement technique, she was still standing right in front of Zhiran's swirling fist with wide, surprised eyes.
"Little girl, it isn't good to get distracted in a fight."
'Bang!'
Everything happened in an instant. Before Mei Xuan could even register his words, the swirling fist slammed into her abdomen, sending a powerful force through her body.
"Urgh!"
The force was so strong, Mei Xuan's petite body was thrown backward, her sleeve tearing under the burst of spiritual pressure as she coughed lightly, a faint trace of blood coloring her red lips.
"Shit!"
And only when she bore the impact did she realize that the force behind that punch wasn't merely from the Seventh Layer of Qi Condensation.
'Damn, this guy is hiding his realm.'
She realized, although a little late. Fortunately, she was still inside the arena and hadn't been disqualified yet.
"Bastard, you've angered me!"
Seeing her own blood dripping from her lips and feeling the excruciating pain in her abdomen, Mei Xuan was completely enraged.
In an instant, her innocent expression darkened, her eyes burning with murderous intent. She had finally decided to go all out and show this guy what it meant to provoke her.
"Tsk... tsk... What use is such anger, little girl? Didn't I say it isn't good to be distracted?"
Unfortunately for her, Zhiran was quite ruthless. He knew she was from a demon clan and had enough strength to get back at him.
So, even as she flew across the arena from his punch, he still surged forward with his incredible movements, catching her completely off guard once again.
"You..."
'Bang!'
Then, before Mei Xuan could gather herself, Zhiran once again used the Mountain Splitting Palm on her; the fierce force sent her directly flying out of the arena, embarrassingly.
"Thud!"
"Ugh..."
Mei Xuan couldn't help but clutch her abdomen, blood spilling in a large stream from her mouth.
Zhiran showed no mercy with this strike either, using even a bit too much force, leaving her dizzy and disoriented.
She never thought someone could be this cruel to a girl. She had no idea Zhiran harbored any hatred toward her; they had only just met today.
He is basically a demon.
Mei Xuan cursed under her breath as she glared at the smiling man in the ring, watching her with teasing amusement. She had never hated anyone this much before.
"..."
"..."
"...Elder Qui, isn't it time to announce the winner?"
Zhiran waited for a while but saw that, along with the crowd, even Elder Qui was silent.
He seemed just as speechless as everyone, as he had never seen someone being this brutal with such an innocent-looking girl.
"Oh? Yeah..."
Only when Zhiran called out did Que Ronghai come to his senses and immediately announce the result, although a little awkwardly.
"Tenth ring: Mo Zhiran vs Mei Xuan, Mo Zhiran wins."
"..."
"Damn, that was something else."
"So cruel, I like it."
"Does he have no heart?"
"What will you do with your heart? Are you here to express your love or fight?"
"Still...how can someone be so cruel to such an innocent girl?"
"Cruel? Isn't it just a normal fight? Don't just simp always."
"He...seems to be in the Eighth level of Qi Condensation."
After Qui Ronghai announced the result of the match, the crowd went haywire in a frenzy.
Some disdained Zhiran for being so cruel, some liked his style, while some thought it was nothing like that.
After all, it was a competition and Zhiran used his strength to beat his opponents.
What was so cruel in that? In the world of cultivation, power was everything, no matter the gender.
Whatever their views were and whatever they thought, one thing, though, was finally settled in everyone's heart.
That was that Zhiran was quite strong and ruthless.
"Mo Zhiran...what the hell did you do? Don't you have any shame?"
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FORCED TO BE A VILLAIN: STARTING WITH MY BRAIN EXTRACTION SYSTEMC35: Is Zhiran a Man?
Chapter 35: Is Zhiran a Man?
"Mo Zhiran...what the hell did you do? Don't you have any shame?"
Just as Zhiran heard the announcement and left the arena, he heard a cold voice from behind. When he turned to look, he saw Mo Tianyu near Mei Xuan, helping her get up.
Mo Zhiran even saw him hand over some kind of pills to her, which she immediately swallowed, her eyes wide with surprise.
'This Simp!'
Zhiran couldn't help but shake his head at this guy who gave such a rare pill without batting an eye just because she was a girl.
Then, he swiftly turned around, completely ignoring Tianyu as he didn't want to argue with a simp and rot his brain. Not to mention being a spectacle in front of a crowd.
He had no interest.
"Mo Zhiran, didn't you hear what I said? How can you do this to her? Are you even a man?"
Mo Tianyu was completely enraged at being ignored like this by his own clan brother. He had already been dissatisfied with him before, and now, seeing Zhiran beat up Mei Xuan like this, his anger only grew.
After all, if he hadn't given her that pill just now, Mei Xuan might not even have been able to participate in the next competition, losing her chance to enter the inner sect.
Wasn't that cruel?
Couldn't Zhiran be soft while dealing with her?
While Tianyu cursed, Mei Xuan looked a little strange, as if recalling the movement technique Zhiran had just used to overpower her.
"Man?"
Zhiran heard Tianyu and turned around once again with a weird look.
This was a fighting competition for fuck sake.
Why wasn't he a man just because he defeated Mei Xuan fair and square?
"Tianyu, how about you send that girl to me and I will show you whether I am a man or not?"
So, Zhiran suddenly said while giving a teasing glance at Mei Xuan and Tianyu.
Now that he thought about it, this guy Tianyu seemed fond of this girl. Not only her, but even when he saw him with Ruyue, he was filled to the brim with jealousy.
'Interesting!'
Zhiran found all of this quite interesting. From his previous life, he knew Tianyu had many female acquaintances.
Even when he betrayed him before, it was for some unknown girl named Yueqin.
'So this guy really can't tolerate anything happening to those girls?'
"
What? What the fuck are you saying?"
Sure enough, Tianyu became extremely furious after hearing what Zhiran said. In his anger, his powerful aura at the Ninth Level of Qi Condensation surged outward, heralding the tide of invisible pressure.
"Tianyu, don't. It isn't allowed to use force outside the arena. You might get disqualified."
Fortunately, after seeing his anger and unconscious release of aura, Mei Xuan hurriedly stopped him from the side in time.
First of all, Mei Xuan didn't want Tianyu to fight for her in front of the whole crowd. And second of all, she was a spy and didn't want to be too conspicuous this early.
She didn't want to get her identity to be revealed, as that would be the end of her life.
"Besides, I feel a little dizzy. Let's go and rest for a while."
Feeling that Tianyu might still be angry, Mei Xuan acted coy and dragged him directly out of the place, not giving him a chance to do anything.
"Sigh... okay. Xuaner, don't take that guy's rudeness to heart. It seems his head isn't in the right place."
Tianyu also saw that anger would solve nothing as Zhiran was still giving him that teasing look. Not to mention his eyes that were blatantly scanning Mei Xuan as if trying to taunt him.
If the place wasn't right, he really wanted to punch this clan brother in the face.
"Do you...like her?"
Just as Zhiran was looking at the leaving figure of Tianyu and Mei Xuan, thinking about something, he heard a soft voice right beside his ear.
"Ruyue? Where have you been?"
When he turned his head around to look, he realized she was Su Ruyue.
After separating from him outside the arena, she suddenly disappeared out of nowhere without telling him.
Fortunately, her turn didn't come in the first round, and she was safe. Otherwise, she might have lost one match already, not that it mattered that much to her anyway.
After all, Mo Zhiran knew that she would definitely enter the Inner sect, but not like them.
Rather, she would later be spotted by an elder in this competition for her rare fire aptitude and directly accepted as a personal disciple.
All because she was a good seed to teach Alchemy.
Just by the name of the Sect, Divine Cauldron, one could see how valuable Alchemy and related talent in this place were. Unfortunately, Zhiran didn't have fire aptitude and couldn't even form a basic pill.
Although he wondered what would happen if he extracted the brain of an Alchemist.
'I should probably try that.'
Zhiran thought when he heard Su Ruyue's faint voice, clearly laced with a bit of anger.
"I asked, Do you like her? Why are you looking at that girl like that?"
Although Su Ruyue tried hard to sound normal, Zhiran could of course see her annoyance. It mightn't be because she was jealous but because he was too frivolous.
Previously, he was hitting on her, and the moment she disappeared, he was looking at another one. Anybody would feel bad.
"Haha... no, I was just teasing that guy Tianyu. Did you see his face? He probably hates me to the core right now."
Zhiran laughed at Ruyue's expression and then leaned a bit and whispered lightly,
"Besides, if I liked anyone, wouldn't it be you? Why are you even doubting me?"
He asked while acting as if he was hurt by her skepticism.
"Okay, stop it. Can't you see we are in public?"
Su Ruyue hurriedly stopped the frivolous guy in front with a red face.
And then she finally looked in the direction where Tiannyu disappeared and sighed loudly,
"Zhiran, why do you suddenly hate Tianyu? You weren't like this before. Although you two weren't that close, at least you two had respect for each other. What happened?"
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FORCED TO BE A VILLAIN: STARTING WITH MY BRAIN EXTRACTION SYSTEMC36: Su Ruyue vs Wu Lanyin!
Chapter 36: Su Ruyue vs Wu Lanyin!
Su Ruyue asked, feeling distressed. They were the only three people chosen from the Mo Clan to enter the Divine Cauldron Sect.
When leaving, the Clan leader clearly instructed them to give hands to each other and make progress together. But suddenly, out of the blue, Zhiran's behaviour changed.
Although his realm increased somehow, he began to clash with Tianyu out of nowhere. Su Ruyue couldn't understand.
If she could, she wanted to bring them back together again, but from the look on Zhiran's eyes, it seemed impossible.
"What happened? Sigh...Ruyue, there is no need to go into details."
Mo Zhiran saw worry in Ruyue's eyes and sighed bitterly.
He couldn't tell her that he was reborn, and in his previous life, he was betrayed by Tianyu, right?
He couldn't exactly tell her that Tianyu was the hero and he was just the side character destined to be disposed of on his behalf in the eyes of the heavens, right?
"Just think that our vision and path don't match. And since we already left the clan and entered the path to immortality, there is no need to forcefully bring us together."
"You don't have to care too much about such petty connections."
Zhiran said and then stopped Ruyue with his hand, who was about to say something again. He didn't want to talk about such things anymore.
"Forget about these things. Rather...where did you go before? Why can't I find you anywhere? Do you know what will happen if they call your name while you are gone?"
Zhiran asked with genuine concern, changing the topic entirely.
"Eh? Oh...I just went to the Affairs Hall to redeem something. They didn't call my name, though, right?"
Su Ruyue also realized her gaffe and hurriedly asked while looking at the Arena that was busy with clashes of the Outer sect disciples.
"Fortunately, not. But...what is so important to redeem at this time?"
Zhiran asked, looking at Su Ruyue in confusion. Something that had to be redeemed at this time must be extremely important, right?
But he couldn't think of what that could be.
"Umm...d-don't worry, it is nothing important. Hey, why is my turn so late?"
But to his surprise, Su Ruyue avoided his gaze and quickly tried to change the subject, as if she didn't want to talk about it, while a faint blush crept across her cheeks.
'Hmm? Is she hiding something from me?'
Zhiran was stunned by her sudden change and wanted to inquire further when he heard the announcement of Elder Qui Ronghai.
[Fifth Arena, Wu Lanyin vs Su Ruyue!]
"Yes, it's finally my turn. Okay, I have to go. Don't forget to cheer me up, Zhiran."
As soon as Qui Ronghai finished shouting, Su Ruyue hurriedly left her place while asking Zhiran to cheer her up. She didn't even let him talk back before directly entering the arena.
She seemed more eager to leave his side than for the competition.
'This girl...what the hell is she trying to hide from me?'
Zhiran, of course, saw her behaviour and stood speechless. He really couldn't think of anything that needed to be hidden from him.
"Whoa...it is finally Wu Lanyin's turn. Haha...that girl is cooked now."
"Damn, is that a girl? Look at her body. Even I am envious."
"So muscular!"
"Those thick thighs... damn, I can only imagine what it'd feel like if they were around my neck."
"..."
"Bro, if those thighs are around your neck, you will suffocate to death. Do you want to die?"
"Hey, I don't mind if I can take a peek at that garden."
"..."
Just as Zhiran was speechless at Su Ruyue's behavior, he heard the crowd suddenly riled up all of a sudden. And it seemed it was because of the appearance of someone called Wu Lanyin, Su Ruyue's opponent.
'Wu Lanyin, why do I feel like I know her?'
Zhiran felt that he had heard that name somewhere and that might have left a deep enough impression for him to remember even now.
So, out of curiosity, he looked at the opponent of Su Ruyue at the other side of the arena, only to be stunned speechless.
That was because what he saw in front of him wasn't the slim and graceful girl he had imagined, but a tall, muscular, and burly woman, more so than most men he knew.
Her arms were thick with defined muscle, her skin slightly tanned, and her sharp eyes carried the confidence of someone who could crush a boulder with her bare hands.
To be honest, even Zhiran felt a little jealous of her body.
Of course, it wasn't that Wu Lanyin looked bad or anything, as any cultivator with decent strength looked far better than the model in his previous life.
It was just, she looked too intimidating with her jacked figure. She was clearly a body/physical cultivator.
'No wonder I remember her name. How can I forget?'
Zhiran thought while subconsciously clutching his legs, protecting his ball as he recalled some incident from his previous life.
If he remembered correctly, Wu Lanyin was actually betrayed by her Daoist companion in his previous life for a pretty, slim girl.
But that wasn't an incident worth remembering. Rather, it was what happened after that.
After knowing about the betrayal, this Wu Lanyin went directly to her Daoist companion and broke both his eggs forcefully right in front of the sect.
Zhiran was about to leave the sect at that time and saw such a gruesome incident with his own eyes.
The painful scream of that guy still echoed faintly in his ears even now.
'This girl is too ruthless. Sigh...my Su Ruyue has no chance.'
Zhiran shook his head bitterly after seeing a grim look on Su Ruyue's face. Apparently, she also realized her bad luck.
Although both of them were in the same realm, Wu Lanyin was a body cultivator after all. There was no way she could win.
'But...why is she not forfeiting the match?'
Zhiran thought, seeing that Ruyue didn't abandon the match but took out a sharp sword from her storage bag.
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FORCED TO BE A VILLAIN: STARTING WITH MY BRAIN EXTRACTION SYSTEMC37: Su Ruyue Is Trying Too Hard
Chapter 37: Su Ruyue Is Trying Too Hard
"Girl, aren't you trying too hard? Why don't you just...admit defeat?"
Wu Lanyin looked at Su Ruyue in front, disheveled with blood flowing from her mouth, and asked awkwardly.
She thought this fight would be very easy to win as her opponent was in the same realm as her.
After all, as a body cultivator, unless someone was a genius, she could easily win over an opponent in a similar realm just by the advantage of her tough body.
In fact, she was even sure to win over Eight Qi Condensation cultivators if she used her secret technique.
And when the fight started, just like she thought, Su Ruyue was no match for her. Even her hardest attack couldn't penetrate her aura, let alone injure her.
It was a sure win.
Only, surprisingly, even after injuring this much and showing clear supremacy, Su Ruyue showed no sign of submission. She just...went even crazier, attacking her with all she got, aiming at her weak spot.
To be honest, Wu Lanyin felt a little annoyed.
"No, let's try again."
Unfortunately for her, Su Ruyue didn't listen to her and once again used her movement technique, getting closer and closer.
Although she was disheveled, with wounds all over her body and blood spilling from her mouth, her rapt attention didn't waver even for a second during the entire match.
She seemed hellbent on winning this fight.
"Bang!"
"Ugk..."
Unfortunately, this wasn't some shonen manga where sheer willpower could magically make you stronger.
Wu Lanyin had had enough of Su Ruyue.
She'd shown restraint, giving her a chance to admit defeat. But since Su Ruyue refused, Lanyin dodged the shimmering sword, caught her by the shoulder, and threw her out of the ring without mercy.
She couldn't afford to waste any more energy on this match as there were still others ahead.
[Fifth Arena, Wu Lanyin vs Su Ruyue, Wu Lanyin wins.]
As soon as Lanyin threw her opponent out of the ring, Qui Ronghai immediately announced the result, causing the crowd to cheer her up in frenzy.
"Cough...cough..."
Meanwhile, Su Ruyue felt a little embarrassed to be thrown like that, so she pushed herself up from the ground, coughing up a bit of blood.
"Are you alright?"
Just as she was getting dizzy, having a little hard time balancing her footing, she felt a warm hand circling around her waist and a soft voice asking about her well-being.
The person was none other than Mo Zhiran, who was looking at her with a weird look.
He just couldn't understand why she had to try this hard when she knew she was no match.
"Yeah, don't worry. It's just minor injuries. I was just too unlucky to have her as my first opponent. Sigh... I got someone in the same realm as me, but she had to be a body cultivator."
Ruyue nodded to Zhiran before blaming her luck. She seemed a little down that Wu Lanyin defeated her in the match.
"Take this!"
Zhiran could tell that the injury she suffered wasn't as light as she claimed.
Her Qi and blood were already in disorder because she had forced her Qi too far. How could such an injury be considered light?
At least this injury was enough to affect her upcoming fight, unless she took some healing pills. But healing pills were expensive, and Zhiran didn't have enough time to complete the outer sect mission to earn the merit points.
Otherwise, he would have given her just that, instead of the Qi Recovery Pill in the bottle in his hand.
"No need. I have my own. Just...let me take a rest."
Su Ruyue didn't accept his bottle of pills, though. Rather, she awkwardly removed his hands from her willow waist without saying anything before sitting on the open ground.
Then, she took out a similar bottle from her storage, pouring out a few Qi Recovery Pills and stuffing them into her mouth, closing her eyes right after.
She was quite fast throughout the entire process, not allowing Zhiran to react.
But still, his quick eyes managed to see something on the pills she took.
'She has Rejuvenation Pills with her? And that too Middle grade ones?'
Zhiran had been a Gold Core cultivator, after all, and had seen the world.
Although Ruyue was fast and the pill was hidden among a bunch of low-grade Qi Recovery Pills, he immediately spotted a Middle-Grade Rejuvenation Pill.
A Middle-Grade Rejuvenation Pill costs 200 merit points to redeem in the outer sect, and the usual outer sect mission only gives 20 points. Just to get one pill, you'd need to complete ten missions.
It was incredibly costly. But its effect was immediate, though, as could be seen from Ruyue recovering rapidly already.
If someone had such a pill, that person could risk more and fight better.
'No wonder she wasn't afraid of getting injured and tried her best against Wu Lanyin.'
Zhiran thought, realizing something.
'But...why the heck is this girl hiding them from me?'
He asked internally, finding it quite odd.
'Did she think I would snatch her pills?'
Zhiran was speechless, then shook his head. He knew Ruyue wasn't like that.
'Wait a minute... did she disappear earlier to get that pill from the Affairs Hall?'
Just as he was clueless, suddenly, Zhiran remembered how Ruyue had gone to the Affairs Hall, almost missing her match.
When he asked why, she dodged the question while blushing.
Now that he thought about it, she might have gone to redeem those Rejuvenation Pills with her merit points.
It was just... he still couldn't understand why she would do that, not to mention hiding from him to this extent.
[Second Arena, Mo Tianyu vs Liang Feng!]
Just when he was confused, a sudden loud shout from Elder Qui Ronghai woke him up from his stupor. It seemed it was finally the turn of his enemy, Mo Tianyu.
And his opponent seemed to be just as strong as him.
'Liang Feng...?'
'That sword genius who died early in the Blood Mist Valley?'
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FORCED TO BE A VILLAIN: STARTING WITH MY BRAIN EXTRACTION SYSTEMC38: Mo Tianyu vs Liang Feng!
Chapter 38: Mo Tianyu vs Liang Feng!
"Whoa...finally a fight worth looking at."
"Damn, Liang Feng is fighting Tianyu this early?"
"Yeah... I wonder who'll win."
"Hey, is that even a question? It's definitely Tianyu."
"Heh...what if Liang Feng already condensed his Sword Intent?"
"Sword Intent? Tch... do you think it's like a cabbage on the roadside? Even inner sect disciples have a hard time condensing their Sword Intent, let alone outer disciples."
"Tsk... you never know. What if he gives us a surprise?"
"You wish!"
With the announcement from Qui Ronghai, the crowd once again erupted with excitement.
They had been bored watching similar fights over and over, and finally... they got something worth their attention.
After all, both Mo Tianyu and Liang Feng were at the Ninth Level of Qi Condensation.
While Tianyu was a rare genius with exceptional comprehension and cultivation talent, Liang Feng was also a prodigy, possessing extraordinary insight into the path of the sword.
To be honest, if they hadn't joined midway, both of them would likely have been selected directly by the inner sect elders along with Wu Kang.
Although there were ten spots in this competition, everyone knew the top three were already claimed by them. The rest were merely fighting for the remaining seven places.
'Liang Feng? That sword genius who died early in the Blood Mist Valley?'
While the crowd became noisy and Tianyu and Liang Feng walked into the ring, Zhiran, on the other hand, looked at Liang Feng, a tall youth in white robes with a sword at his side.
From how he looked and the invisible sharpness surrounding his gait, he seemed like a person born for a sword.
Only Zhiran knew that this person was a short-lived ghost.
After all, this guy died in the secret realm, Blood Mist Valley, shortly after entering the inner sect.
He heard that he had been killed by someone from the Blood Lotus Sect in an ambush. At the time, the outer sect was thrown into chaos by the news, and he also learned of it while bedridden.
'Let's see their strength and style, shall we?'
Like the crowd, Zhiran was also looking forward to this fight.
In his previous life, he didn't come to this place because he was still recovering from the blow of Wu Kang and didn't see how the fight went.
He just knew that Tianyu had continuously defeated everyone before taking the first position in the Outer Sect Competition.
"Are you two ready?"
After both Mo Tianyu and Liang Fend stood at their respective places, Qui Ronghai asked lightly. To be honest, he also wanted to see this fight as he might gain something from it, who knew?
"Yes"
"Umm!"
So, as soon as both of them nodded, he rang the bell while announcing the start of the match. But this time, though, he didn't immediately go to another arena like before to start another match.
Rather, he also stopped in his place, looking at the 2nd Arena intently. Fortunately, Elder Hua in the shadows didn't scold him for his dereliction of duty.
"Did you condense your sword intent?"
After the match started, neither of them immediately rushed in like the others.
Tianyu asked his opponent with interest, arms crossed and a slight mocking smile on his face.
Liang Feng, on the other hand, slowly drew his shimmering sword from its sheath, his eyes calm and focused.
"Who knows? Maybe... maybe not!"
And when he heard Tianyu's question, he just gave a vague reply before taking the sword out of its sheath with force.
"Cling!"
As soon as the sword came out of its sheath, though, a clear tang rang through the entire arena, followed by a sharp Qi that directly cut the corner of the stage.
Although the Qi was invisible, everyone in the crowd could feel its sharpness.
"Sword Qi!"
"Damn... so awesome."
"If that even grazes me lightly, I might just get split in two!"
The crowd immediately went wild with excitement after feeling the Sword Qi up close. They could sense the sharpness hidden within and couldn't help but yearn to wield a sword themselves.
Unfortunately, not everyone could condense Sword Qi just by holding a sword.
From what they knew, a cultivator had to reach the peak of the 'Skilled' stage in their sword technique just to even begin condensing it.
How difficult was that?
They'd heard even Liang Feng had received major support from his clan to get this far. That's why nobody believed he had condensed Sword Intent yet; it was far too challenging.
One had to be proficient enough in their sword to just touch that realm.
"Haha...show off. You clearly aren't able to condense Sword intent yet."
However, while the crowd was shocked by the display of power of Liang Feng, Tianyu instead laughed loudly.
"Liang Feng, you know you're no match for me without condensing your Sword Intent. Why not just forfeit this match? At least you won't get injured and ruin your next one."
Mo Tianyu asked with a wide grin. It seemed the two of them had some history with each other.
"No need. Let's fight. I don't think I need to use Sword Intent just to defeat you."
Liang Feng didn't care about his taunt, though, but quickly took his stance and looked at Tianyu calmly with a sword in his hand.
He was already ready to fight, as evidenced by the swirling Qi circulating his body and sword rapidly.
"Tch...very well. Then, let me show you the difference between us."
Tianyu was annoyed at his nonchalant behaviour and also took out his weapon. Only, the weapon he took out was a long, impressive spear.
"Swish!"
As soon as he took it out, the spear suddenly burst into flames from the base where he held it, the fire traveling all the way to the tip.
"Heh... let's see if your Sword Qi is stronger or my Flame Qi."
Tianyu grinned and vanished from his spot, moving with a speed far beyond what Zhiran had ever seen before.
"Clang! Clang!"
Liang Feng wasn't lacking either, gracefully matching his speed, blocking the spear attacks, and sending wave after wave of Sword Qi in Tianyu's direction. Each clash rang out crisp and clear, sparks and embers scattering through the air as their Qi collided again and again.
The shockwaves rippled across the arena floor, forcing nearby disciples to take a step back.
Suddenly, the arena, which had been silent until now, erupted in a terrifying display of flames and invisible sharpness dancing together.
The fiery heat clashed against cutting wind, twisting the air between them until even breathing near the stage felt heavy.
Unlike the low-level fights before, this was in a league of its own, as most people in the crowd couldn't even track their movements.
To them, only streaks of fire and flashes of cold light flickered across the ring, like two forces tearing the air apart.
But it still excited them beyond doubt, as this was how they imagined cultivators should fight, not some brawl like mortals do.
What fun is there in watching that?
'Huǒyàn Physique is really strong. Even in a semi-awakened state, it can match Sword Qi without falling behind.'
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