I Really Am A Villain
Ch. 65 - Return To The Sacred Ground

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The boundless momentum burst forth from Xu Zimo’s blade shadow, carrying a force as if it could tear apart heaven and earth. A massive arc of blade light formed in the sky.

Zhang Xianjun, standing opposite, felt an unstoppable force crashing toward him. His spear shattered clean in two.

The shockwave felt like it was ripping his entire body apart. He was sent flying backward, his clothes torn to shreds, his body covered in countless wounds.

A mouthful of blood sprayed into the air. His entire body was dyed red, and the moment he hit the ground, he lost consciousness.

Xu Zimo calmly sheathed his blade, Shadow Tyrant, and glanced at the stunned students around him.

Then he looked at the elder nearby and smiled faintly.

“Not a single one worth fighting.”

The elder remained silent for a moment before slowly speaking, “You're probably not just an outer court disciple, are you?”

“Does that matter? What matters is that the students you've trained really aren’t that impressive,” Xu Zimo chuckled, then said to Little Gui and Lin Ruhu, “Let’s go. Time to return to the sect.”

……

As the three of them walked away, the crowd remained silent.

What Xu Zimo initially intended was just to help Lin Ruhu acquire a battle physique, but he hadn't expected the world to feel this small.

Sometimes, even if you want to stay low-key, your strength just won’t allow it.

The elder looked at Yu Zhe, who now wore a panicked expression, he clearly hadn’t expected things to turn out like this.

“Teacher,” Yu Zhe said timidly.

“What? Worried I’ll take this out on you?” The elder looked at him and shook his head with a smile. “In truth, none of us were wrong in this situation. You just wanted justice for the grievance you felt. Nothing wrong with that. And I, even as the vice dean, had personal bias too. Standing up for my student wasn’t wrong either. Our only mistake... was that we weren’t strong enough. Our fists weren’t big enough. Train harder in the future. Our Celestial Tiger Academy is backed by the Heavenly Dao Academy. If you have talent and drive, we can give you the stage and the opportunity.”

The elder had seen much in his life. His perspective and attitude were far more mature than those of the young students.

“I’ll work hard, teacher!” Yu Zhe responded firmly, a warm current flowing through his heart.

The elder nodded with satisfaction. Failure isn’t something to fear. Even Grand Emperors experienced hardships and setbacks in their youth.

What’s truly scary is when someone fails and still refuses to change, insisting on making the same mistakes.

……

Xu Zimo and the others returned to the inn, brought out their Soaring Sand Horses, and the three set off for True Martial Sacred Ground.

At the time, True Martial Sacred Ground was particularly lively due to the arrival of new disciples.

Every year, some of the newcomers stood out, and they would challenge the senior disciples for their positions.

In the outer court of True Martial Sacred Ground, there was a ranking known as the Crouching Tiger List, similar to the Heaven Ranking at Celestial Tiger Academy.

It selected the top 100 outer court disciples based on strength.

Those who made it onto the list not only gained widespread recognition but also received monthly rewards from the sect.

The higher the rank, the greater the reward.

……

White clouds drifted across the sky as a gentle breeze followed the sunset westward. The sky was dyed a dark crimson, and the last traces of daylight melted into the horizon.

After returning to the sect, Xu Zimo went back to South Goose Mountain, while Little Gui took care of submitting their completed mission from Ten Mile Town.

As for Lin Ruhu, he went to find his sweetheart, none other than the daughter of the Seventh Grand Elder.

After returning to True Martial Sacred Ground, Xu Zimo first visited his father, Xu Qingshan, to report on his journey.

Of course, he kept certain things hidden, like the Nightmare Beast and the Sky Fiend Tiger Body, since he wasn’t ready to reveal that he had been reborn.

“Celestial Tiger Academy may not be great, but its name carries weight. Try not to stir up too much trouble in the future,” Xu Qingshan told him. “That said, we may not start trouble, but we’re never afraid of it either.”

Xu Zimo nodded, though whether he could actually follow through was another matter.

He knew that ever since his father became the one in charge of True Martial Sacred Ground, he had made decisions with the sect’s interests in mind.

“Oh, by the way,” Xu Qingshan added, “In a few days, the Seventh Grand Elder will be leading a group to attend the Inner Court Tournament at Sacred Spring Sect. Do you want to go along?”

Xu Zimo paused.

Sacred Spring Sect was a top-tier sect in the Western Region and essentially a vassal of True Martial Sacred Ground.

It was common for sects to invite others to observe internal competitions, this helped strengthen bonds and show off their strength.

When True Martial Sacred Ground held its own inner court tournaments, it often invited Divine Sun Sacred Sect, Sacred Spring Sect, and other allies to watch.

These inter-sect exchanges were frequent.

“Doesn’t sound very interesting. I’ll pass,” Xu Zimo replied casually.

He remembered that in his past life, Sacred Spring Sect had some decent talent, but nothing monstrous.

“You should go. You’ve stayed within the sect your whole life, it’s time you saw more of the world,” Xu Qingshan said.

“Alright then,” Xu Zimo nodded. Since his father had spoken, he didn’t mind going.

Unlike others, he didn’t need to train tirelessly every day. As long as his foundation was solid, his cultivation could soar like a rocket.

Leaving Green Mountain, Xu Zimo returned to South Goose Mountain.

The two maids, Chunxiao and Xiaqiu, had already prepared hot water. With their help, Xu Zimo took a relaxing bath, letting his whole body unwind.

Soon after, Lin Ruhu arrived with the Seventh Grand Elder’s daughter, Mu Qingqing, at South Goose Mountain.

In Xu Zimo’s memory, Mu Qingqing had always been a bit of a bossy figure, which explained Lin Ruhu’s peculiar taste.

In terms of looks, Mu Qingqing wasn’t ugly. She was a little plump, but you could call it “voluptuous.”

What really left an impression on Xu Zimo was her personality. Put nicely, she was open and straightforward, put bluntly, she was fierce.

He remembered once during their childhood, when the Grand Elder’s grandson mocked Mu Qingqing for being chubby,

She chased him around True Martial Sacred Ground with a three-meter-long broadsword, making him run half the sect. Ever since then, that kid had been terrified of her.

……

“Xu Zimo, next time you guys go out, make sure you take me with you!” Mu Qingqing shouted carelessly, completely at ease.

She wore a light green dress, her long black hair loosely tied behind her with a pink ribbon.

Her round cheeks gave her a baby-faced look, not the type to stun at first glance, but the kind whose charm grew the more you looked at her.

“We weren’t out having fun, it was a mission,” Xu Zimo said with a smile.