I Really Am A Villain
Ch. 61 - Secret

"That’s my cousin Cheng Feng," Liu Ye pointed to a young man in the distance and said timidly.

The young man wore a blue robe, his black hair neatly tied back, giving him quite a handsome appearance.

At the moment, he was chatting with a young junior girl who had just passed the entrance test and was about to enter Celestial Tiger Academy.

"Senior Cheng Feng, I’ll be counting on you to look after me at the academy," the junior girl said in a soft and sweet voice, full of coquettish charm.

"Don’t worry, Junior Sister Zhang Yao. Once you join our Wind-Rain Alliance, I won’t say we can do whatever we want, but among the new students, we’ll definitely be untouchable," Cheng Feng replied confidently.

As he was getting into the rhythm of his boasting, he suddenly felt a hand pat his shoulder.

"Who is it?" Cheng Feng turned around impatiently and looked at Xu Zimo’s group.

"Are you Cheng Feng?" Little Gui asked with a smile.

"Yeah, what’s it to you?" Cheng Feng frowned and replied.

"Then we’ve got the right guy," Little Gui nodded, then suddenly threw a punch.

Caught off guard, Cheng Feng was knocked to the ground by the sucker punch, followed by a brutal beatdown from both Little Gui and Lin Ruhu.

Even though Cheng Feng was a martial artist at the Meridian Forging Realm, every time spiritforce surged through his body to fight back, it was immediately suppressed by the duo.

"Who are you people? You must have the wrong guy! I am Cheng Feng!" Cheng Feng cried out while covering his head.

"That’s right, we’re beating you up," Little Gui said, still unsatisfied. He then took out his iron rod.

"What are you doing? If you don’t stop, I’ll report you to the teachers!" the junior girl beside them shouted in a panic.

Since there were too many students gathered on this open ground, minor scuffles didn’t attract much attention.

After all, anyone who disrupted order publicly would be immediately disqualified from Celestial Tiger Academy, and in previous years, no one dared to start a fight during admissions.

"You want to keep screaming? I’ll beat you up too," Xu Zimo glared at the junior girl and threatened fiercely.

She instantly turned pale and stood silently to the side, too scared to speak another word.

Though it looked like a savage beating, Little Gui and Lin Ruhu were actually holding back, inflicting only some superficial pain and bruising.

Looking at the swollen and bruised Cheng Feng, Little Gui grabbed him by the collar and lifted him in front of Xu Zimo.

"Take me to the inner courtyard of the academy," Xu Zimo ordered.

"What are you trying to do?" Cheng Feng asked casually.

Xu Zimo waved his hand, not wanting to say another word. Clearly, this guy had no idea what kind of trouble he was in. If it could be handled with fists, there was no need for talking.

Little Gui, looking fierce, was about to give Cheng Feng another round of beating.

Frightened, Cheng Feng struggled and shouted, "Don’t hit me! I rely on my looks to make a living! I’ll take you, okay?!"

At the entrance of Celestial Tiger Academy, an array formation had been set up specifically to verify student identities.

Each student had an identity token, and when they entered the academy, a seed of their spiritforce was left in the formation.

To enter the academy, a student’s token and their current spiritforce must match the stored energy exactly.

This method was strict, but not without its flaws.

Standing at the academy gates, Cheng Feng passed the identity test, causing the formation to open a small opening.

Xu Zimo and his group quickly slipped inside. Celestial Tiger Academy wasn’t particularly concerned about intruders, since it was purely an academic institution with nothing to be coveted.

Even if there were forbidden areas within the academy, sneaking in didn’t mean you could access them.

……

"I brought you inside. Can I go now?" Cheng Feng asked cautiously.

Standing inside Celestial Tiger Academy, surrounded by its grand architecture, one could finally feel its awe-inspiring presence.

The academy was divided into three grades. First-year students were mostly at the Spirit Meridian Realm and wore light blue robes.

Second-year students were at the Meridian Forging Realm, and their uniforms changed to deep blue.

Third-year seniors were at the True Meridian and Desolate Meridian Realms. They wore purple robes and were powerful enough to graduate and venture out into the world.

After all, even families like the Chang Clan in Skysword City and the Situ Clan in Imperial Gate City had top warriors only at the True Meridian Realm.

……

"Take me to the Academy’s Honor Tablet," Xu Zimo said flatly.

Cheng Feng hesitated, unsure of why Xu Zimo’s group wanted to go there, but still obediently led the way.

The Honor Tablet was a must-see for every student entering Celestial Tiger Academy. This modest stone tablet carried the academy’s glory spanning thousands of years.

Standing tens of meters tall, the massive tablet radiated a powerful presence, creating an oppressive feeling for anyone standing beneath it.

Its jet-black surface was engraved with countless names.

These names belonged to the students who once graduated from Celestial Tiger Academy—symbols of the school’s honor.

……

Sword Elder,

Looking at the names, many of them very familiar, one couldn’t help but feel awed. Though they may not have shone like emperors, every name here had a legendary story behind it.

To have one’s name etched on this stone meant making a significant contribution to the academy—or becoming a continent-renowned powerhouse.

"What about him? Should we kill him?" Little Gui asked Xu Zimo, pointing to Cheng Feng.

"We’re not bloodthirsty demons. No need to kill over every little thing," Xu Zimo shook his head. He felt Little Gui had become a bit too ruthless since joining him.

Little Gui formed a blade with his right hand and lightly chopped Cheng Feng on the neck, knocking him unconscious and tossing him to the side.

"Keep watch and make sure no one comes near," Xu Zimo instructed.

Then, he used a blade to cut his fingertip, letting his blood drip onto the tablet.

Instantly, the stone tablet trembled, and the ground around it shook slightly.

The entire stone began to emit a faint white glow. Faintly, one could hear the roar of a tiger echoing from deep within the forest.

Ripples spread across the tablet’s surface, like a dragonfly gently tapping the water.

A pale white orb emerged from the tablet and floated beside Xu Zimo.

"Eat it," Xu Zimo said, tossing the orb to Lin Ru Hu.

Lin Ru Hu examined the orb. It was pale white, with the image of a flying tiger etched on it.

"What is this?" Lin Ru Hu asked curiously, then swallowed the orb without hesitation—his trust in Xu Zimo absolute.

"It’s the seventeenth-ranked battle physique on the Hundred Battle Physiques list—the Celestial Tiger Tyrant Physique," Xu Zimo said with a smile.

Lin Ru Hu froze for a moment, and then his expression completely changed.