The next day, a crisp morning wind swept through the expansive plaza of the Spirit Hall Palace, carrying away the last residual scents of the week-long victory feast.

The sky was a pale, clear blue, completely devoid of the dark clouds that had plagued the region for so long.

The monumental flying arks of the Central Region floated silently above the courtyard, their grand and massive hulls humming with an immense spiritual pressure that caused the air to vibrate.

"Are you sure you’re not going to join us?" Asked Haoran, his hands resting casually inside the wide sleeves of his golden robes.

He looked down at the crimson-haired young woman standing before him, his expression completely calm and unreadable.

"We can easily drop you off wherever you want across the central borders; we’re heading directly back to the Central Region anyway, and the arrays on our main ark can compress the distance significantly."

Huo Yue smiled softly, a gentle, warm light dancing within her wine-red eyes as she shook her head. "No need, Haoran. I appreciate the offer, but I have a few personal matters to tie up here first. Besides, I wanted to say goodbye to my parents properly before I leave this region behind for good. I don’t want them to worry while I am away in the capital." 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

"I see. Very well." Haoran nodded, accepting her choice without any unnecessary insistence.

He turned his head slightly, his gaze shifting towards Zhu Ziyan and Medusa who stood silently right behind her, acting as her vanguard.

They gave him a brief, respectful nod, though their eyes revealed a hint of awkwardness because of what Huo Yue had said to them.

Haoran noticed this, but didn’t say anything and just calmly returned with a simple nod of his own.

He then turned his focus towards the two highest authorities of the region standing on the other side of the platform—Qian Yunxi and Lu Xinglan.

The two of them immediately took a step forward, their movements perfectly synchronized, and bowed deeply from the waist, their expressions filled with a profound reverence.

"Young master, thank you again for helping us defend our homeland and secure our future," Said Lu Xinglan, her silver gown rustling against the stone floor. Her heart was already racing with the grand blueprints of the unification campaign they were about to unleash upon the weakened kingdoms.

"I will also be going to the Imperial Academy as the official representative of the Spirit Hall," said Qian Yunxi, her pale face still bearing a trace of fatigue from her previous injuries, but her eyes burning with a new, ambitious light. "I guess we will be seeing each other very soon, young master."

Haoran nodded smoothly at them, his posture relaxed.

At that exact moment, a loud, energetic voice shattered the formal atmosphere as Shen Xun’er called out from the primary boarding platform of the massive central vessel.

"Boss! The Ark’s fully energized and ready! We can leave at any moment!"

Haoran turned his body around slowly and saw that everyone was already systematically boarding the grand fleet.

The elite practitioners of the Five Crowns were standing in a line right at the main entrance, waiting patiently for his arrival, while Shen Xun’er was waving her hand frantically from the upper deck to get his attention.

From the sharp corner of his golden eye, his refined perception also picked up a sudden, familiar ripple in the spatial flow near the cargo bay and saw Xu Xiansu stealthily sneaking inside the lower decks of the ship, her head low and her aura heavily suppressed.

She had been completely gone from the palace grounds for an entire week, evading his shadow, and had only just returned at the absolute final second to board the vessel.

A faint, mocking smirk flickered across Haoran’s lips, but he chose not to expose her movements just yet.

They have plenty of time.

Haoran turned back to face Huo Yue, his golden eyes locking onto her wine-red pupils. "I’ll see you soon in the capital."

Huo Yue smiled brilliantly, her crimson hair catching the morning sun. "Yeah. Don’t worry, I won’t make you wait too long."

At that sudden moment, before she could even step back, Haoran reached out, grabbed her firmly by the slender curve of her waist, and pulled her flush against his chest.

He leaned down and captured her lips in a deep, authoritative kiss, which Huo Yue eagerly and passionately returned, her arms wrapping around his neck as she melted into his touch, completely ignoring the watching eyes of the palace guards and the sect elders.

After a few intense moments, they reluctantly broke the kiss, their breaths private and warm in the cool morning air.

They nodded at each other with an absolute understanding before Haoran turned around fully, his golden robes billowing as he walked with an unhurried, majestic stride towards the boarding ramp of the main Ark.

Huo Yue stood in place, a beautiful, lingering smile on her face as she watched his golden silhouette securely enter the vessel.

Then, the massive runes carved along the hull of the Ark flared with a blinding, celestial light as the grand ship slowly and gracefully floated up into the clouds, the spatial engines engaging with a low, thunderous hum before the entire fleet completely disappeared into the distant horizon in a single, silent instant, shattering the sound barrier without leaving a trace.

The plaza went completely quiet.

Huo Yue immediately turned her head towards Zhu Ziyan and Medusa, the warmth in her expression instantly vanishing, replaced by a cold, lethal seriousness. "Let’s go. We have a group to hunt."

They nodded firmly, their expressions tightening as they walked away toward the regional teleportation arrays.

Qian Yunxi and Lu Xinglan stared at each other for a long moment, sharing a quiet nod of mutual ambition, before walking away back towards the supreme council chambers to launch the wars of unification.

The old order of the Eastern Region was dead; a new empire was breathing its first breath.

*

*

*

At this exact moment, deep within the prosperous territories of the Central Region, the Chu Clan stood as the undisputed, absolute overlord of the grand Chu Heavenly City.

The clan’s ancestral palace was a monument of white jade and floating pavilions, a place where wealth and martial power merged seamlessly.

Inside a lavish, locked private chamber, a young man named Chu Yan was currently staring with wide, horrified eyes at his own crisp reflection on a large, spirit-grade bronze mirror.

The mirror reflected a remarkably handsome man with long, lustrous black hair, sharp features, and an inherently noble, aristocratic feel that radiated from his very bones.

"Shit! I really did transmigrate as Chu Yan from that dirty and toxic reverse harem novel!" He exclaimed aloud, his hands gripping the edges of the jade sink so hard his knuckles turned white.

In the original plotline of the popular web novel he had read in his past life, Chu Yan was one of the dozen elite male leads, highly talented, wealthy young masters and princes, who were absolutely crazy and brainless in aggressively pursuing the main protagonist, Xu Xiansu, the neglected, tragic princess of the Tian Yuan Empire.

Yet in the end, despite sacrificing his clan’s resources, his own cultivation path, and his dignity, he hadn’t even managed to touch the protagonist’s toes.

He was just systematically used as a convenient tool to shield her from danger. In fact, every single one of the male leads in that toxic story ended up getting used as a garbage tool for her ascension, and absolutely none of their final endings were good!

They were all discarded like trash once her harem was complete, without even being able to touch her!

That author was completely toxic! I hope you remain single!

"Fuck! What on earth is so good about that woman anyway?!" Chu Yan cursed, pacing around the room in a state of sheer frustration. "She’s indeed remarkably beautiful, sure, but according to the hidden lore of the text, she’s not even a virgin by the time the academy arc finishes! She’s just a manipulative piece of work! Compared to her, Qian Yunxi, the supposed villainess of the story is much better in every single metric!"

In the novel, Qian Yunxi, the tragic villainess from the Spirit Hall, a power from the Eastern Region, had fallen deeply, hopelessly in love with Chu Yan from afar.

But the original character had completely and stupidly ignored such a loyal, devoted, and powerful woman just to act as a brainless simp for that used goods that is Xu Xiansu!

"Well, not anymore!" Chu Yan swore fiercely, a cold, determined light flashing within his eyes as he looked out the window toward the central mountains. "There’s still plenty of time before the grand Academy Arc officially begins! There is absolutely no way in hell I will ever simp over that manipulative princess in this life! Isn’t Qian Yunxi ten times better? She’s beautiful, powerful, and she even has a spectacularly hot mother who rules the Spirit Hall! Why would I waste my life on a tragedy?"

He, Chu Yan, will permanently rewrite his destiny. He will never be a simp!

*

*

*

At this exact moment, in a completely different sector of the Central Region, within the grand, floating mountain range of the Imperial Academy, the teacher’s dormitory sat nestled amidst ancient pine trees and cascading waterfalls.

Inside a quiet, book-lined study, a man named Xiao Long was calmly reading through several thick, leather-bound manuals.

He was an exceptionally handsome man with striking white hair that fell neatly over his shoulders and deep, piercing red eyes.

He was dressed in a pristine, modern-looking suit that set him completely apart from the traditional robes of the local cultivators, a unique style he had crafted for himself.

Just then, he softly put down his heavy books, letting out a long, weary breath as he turned his gaze toward the massive floor-to-ceiling window that looked out over the academy’s massive training grounds.

"The academy gates are about to open for the new generation," He sighed, his fingers lightly tapping against the wooden desk. "I still can’t believe it’s already been a full week since I suddenly transmigrated into this chaotic world."

Xiao Long was indeed a transmigrator from a modern earth. In his past life, he was a brilliant, strict university professor who had been tragically and brutally killed by a disgruntled student after he had righteously failed them for plagiarism.

And in this new world of immortals and martial arts, he had awakened inside the body of a Master Teacher—one of the absolute highest, most respected professions in the entire cultivation world.

However, the original owner of this body had only gotten into the prestigious academy through shady family connections, possessed an incredibly low cultivation base, and was currently ranked at the very dead bottom of the faculty hierarchy, facing mockery from his peers.

"Once the massive wave of new students arrives from the peripheral regions, it will be my ultimate chance to completely turn my fate around," Xiao Long murmured, his red eyes shifting with a profound, calculating depth.

He was confident that he can rise, after all, he possessed a specialized asset that no one else in this world could comprehend.

He turned his attention back to the ancient manual resting on his desk, his voice dropping into a quiet, mental command.

’System, show me the fundamental flaws of this cultivation book.’

[Ding! Processing text... 47 core errors detected in meridian circulation. Preparing correction blueprint...]

A brilliant, translucent screen of blue light hovered before his eyes, revealing the absolute secrets of the universe.

He smiled.

His rise was inevitable.

*

*

*

Meanwhile, down below on the vast stone yard of the Imperial Academy’s outer entrance, the sun was beating down on the grand plaza.

An ordinary-looking, unassuming servant boy dressed in cheap, faded grey robes was lazily sweeping the fallen leaves with a bamboo broom.

He stopped for a second, using the back of his sleeve to wipe the heavy sweat from his tan forehead as a bright, cheerful smile formed on his face as he stared up at the majestic flying arks passing through the upper clouds, completely unbothered by his low social standing.

"Another beautiful day, another hard day of work," he whispered to himself, his fingers gripping the worn handle of his broom as he looked around to ensure no senior sect elders were watching him.

He cleared his throat mentally. ’System, perform my daily Sign-In at the Academy Gates.’

[Ding! Sign-In successful at the Imperial Academy Grand Entrance. Reward: 10 Years of Swordsmanship Experience! Materializing rewards into Host’s soul...]

A sudden, hidden torrent of vast, world-shaking memories exploded within the depths of his soul, his muscles and bones feels as if they have been trained to hold a sword for decade, all the while his outward appearance remained completely unchanged—that of a simple, harmless sweeper boy.

He chuckled softly, going right back to sweeping the dust into a neat pile.

The true monsters were always hidden in plain sight.

*

*

*

The gears of fate had completely accelerated, drawing transmigrators, system users, villains, and chosen heroes together into a single, massive crucible.

The peace of the empire was finished, and the stage was set for a conflagration that would test the limits of the heavens themselves.

"When the ancient script is torn by foreign souls, and the ink of destiny is smeared with the blood of gods, the throne of the sky ceases to be a mandate—it becomes a prize for the most ruthless predator walking the void."

— End of Volume I: The Awakening of the Villain —