The Black Lotus Villain is Saving Himself! - Chapter 2

“Manager Song, I cannot take responsibility for the registration of this secret realm expedition.”

In the main hall of the Internal Affairs Division, Elder Song’s brow furrowed into a deep crevice. “Do you have other urgent matters?”

Fu Yun bowed slightly. “I intend to participate in the trial myself.”

The opening of the Thousand Vine Ancient Ruins was only a month away. At that time, all major sects would select and dispatch young disciples to enter the grounds.

Standing nearby, Elder Zhao chuckled. “Nephew, you should leave more opportunities for the younger children. Let them communicate well and learn from one another.”

Fu Yun returned a submissive smile. “Elder, truth be told, I am also barely hanging onto the tail end of my youth.”

Elder Zhao gave a hollow laugh. “You are so mature and steady, Nephew, that I often forget your age. You have been busy with internal affairs these years, so your cultivation has inevitably been delayed. How about this?”

With a flick of his sleeve, a pill bottle landed before Fu Yun. “There are five Spirit Nurturing Pills inside. Use them as you wish. Staying grounded and strengthening your foundation is no less effective than venturing into dangerous secret realms.”

Elder Song added indifferently, “You were only recently promoted to Deacon, and many matters are awaiting handover. It is best if you remain in the sect.”

The hierarchy of the Internal Affairs Division was divided into three levels. At the top were two Division Heads, followed by several Managing Elders and various Deacon Disciples. Despite the Elders’ advice, Fu Yun maintained his polite smile and remained as immovable as a mountain.

In the original plot, the high ranking officials of the sect all knew he was a cultivation vessel. He wondered what these two were thinking at this moment. The Elders were playing their roles in tandem to block him from entering the secret realm. Their reasoning seemed sound, yet Fu Yun could not help but suspect that the Elders were following the sect’s will. They were intentionally stifling his growth to make him easier to sacrifice in the future.

Elder Zhao’s smile was plastered on his face like a layer of oil. “If you insist on going, Nephew, the tasks you leave behind will simply have to be taken over by someone else.”

Fu Yun replied neither humbly nor arrogously, “I thank the Elder for his guidance. However, if I manage a breakthrough, I believe I can contribute even more to the sect.”

On the day the team roster was announced, whether they were participating disciples or mere onlookers, everyone’s eyes were fixed on one specific team: the team led by Xie Yun.

The group consisted of seven people in total. All of them were young cultivators from prestigious families or possessed burgeoning reputations, except for two unfamiliar names listed in the middle. The rules allowed for free teaming first, with the remaining two spots allocated by the sect. Xie Yun’s team had long ago secured five of the chosen ones, leaving the last two spots as the focal point of competition for ordinary disciples. By investing contribution points, one could potentially earn the chance to walk alongside geniuses.

Contribution points were earned through sect missions. The more dangerous the mission and the higher its grade, the more points a disciple received. A crowd of people had fought tooth and nail to befriend Xie Yun, yet they failed to enter the team. This included several disciples who had recently risen to fame.

The final list, however, was a shock to everyone.

“Who is Fu Yun?” a disciple muttered. “Exactly how many contribution points did he spend to get into Senior Uncle Xie’s team?”

“It is normal for you not to know since you joined the sect late, Junior Sister. This isn’t a Senior Brother; he is also a Senior Uncle. He is the fifth disciple of the Exalted Qing Saint. Since joining, he has either been in secluded meditation or working in the Internal Affairs Division. He rarely shows his face.”

“So, Fu Yun is Xie Yun’s Senior Brother? No wonder they teamed up.”

“That is incorrect,” a man denied in a coarse voice. “Though they are both disciples of Exalted Masters, they have never had much interaction. Their relationship is quite distant. Moreover, Fu Yun’s cultivation is mediocre. He has been stuck at the Golden Core stage for thirty years since joining the sect. He spends all day loitering in Internal Affairs and lacks practical combat experience.”

At this point, all attention shifted toward Fu Yun. The disciples could not help but question why Fu Yun deserved to be in the same team as Senior Uncle Xie Yun. He had operated in the Internal Affairs Division for years. Perhaps he had some special connections.

A hundred meters away from the bulletin board, in a teahouse by the sect’s martial arts arena, Fu Yun was drinking tea.

The System was anxious. “Host, if the Elders hear these rumors and reassign the teams, what will we do? We must stick close to the protagonist.”

Fu Yun used the steam from the tea to practice his Ice Condensation technique. A thin layer of ice spread across the table. His hand was steady and his face was calm.

The System continued, “You are making me look like a frantic eunuch while the Emperor remains unbothered.”

“That is good then. May you live for nine thousand years,” the Emperor replied leisurely. After finishing his water element spell practice, he actually began crafting a straw doll for fun. With one hand, he manipulated wood spirits to weave the doll’s arms, then controlled the doll itself to stuff straw into its own body. Once the straw man was finished, Fu Yun slapped a talisman onto it. The System scanned it and realized the name on the back of the talisman was not Xie Yun. It was Fu Yun.

Regardless of the System’s anxiety, the day the secret realm opened arrived as scheduled. Fu Yun kept as low a profile as possible, sitting in a corner with his eyes closed to rest his spirit. Heavy footsteps thudded on the floorboards in front of him. Fu Yun looked up. The newcomer was named Xu Yuan, one of Fu Yun’s teammates, who claimed he wanted to spar.

Fu Yun smiled, shook his head, and declined the offer. Xu Yuan’s expression turned hostile. He and Fu Yun were both at the peak of the Golden Core stage, and he had come today specifically to provoke him. Over the past few days, rumors had spread throughout the sect saying Fu Yun had used a back door to sneak into the team. Being young and impetuous, Xu Yuan wanted to challenge him publicly to make Fu Yun lose face.

“Senior Brother, please advise!” As soon as Xu Yuan spoke, several spiritual charms lunged toward Fu Yun. He used talismans instead of spiritual power, and low to mid grade ones at that, so they would not truly cause injury. However, the intent to humiliate was thick.

The scuffle drew the gaze of nearby disciples. They were also feeling bitter and wanted to see Fu Yun’s true strength. The Elder leading the expedition was at the front of the spirit ship, chatting and laughing with several team leaders, paying no mind to the minor squabbles in the back.

Fu Yun used a Water Wall technique to block a few low level charms. He only defended and did not attack. Amidst the rippling water, his tone became even more sluggish. “I recall Junior Brother’s family is not particularly wealthy. Talismans are expensive. It is better to use them sparingly.”

“Senior Brother talks too much! Do you dare face me in a real fight?” Seeing Fu Yun retreat, Xu Yuan became even more convinced of his cowardice. “The loser must admit their lack of strength and voluntarily withdraw from the team.”

Several talismans wove into a net, poised to shroud Fu Yun, yet he remained motionless as if paralyzed by the fear of sparring. At that moment, a flash of sword light pierced through from the side. The talismans dissolved into spiritual energy, vanishing into nothingness. Flecks of glowing light illuminated the corner, but before they could even gather, they were shattered and swallowed by the newcomer’s surrounding sword intent.

It was a cold faced young man with phoenix eyes slightly upturned and a faint vertical mark between his brows. His long hair was tied high without a single stray strand, and his entire aura was like frozen marrow or cold jade. His sword energy was so frigid that people instinctively backed away. This was the Young Master of the Xie Family, Xie Lingjun.

In the cultivation world, sects were numerous, but Great Families reigned supreme. The Xie family stood at the very top with a profound heritage. Xie Lingjun was the standout of this generation and one of the members of the protagonist’s harem. In the original plot, Xie Lingjun and Xie Yun would travel together in this secret realm and solidify their status as cultivation partners.

Xie Lingjun was born with Perfect Qi Refinement and, despite only recently reaching adulthood, was already a Nascent Soul cultivator. In terms of cultivation speed alone, he surpassed Xie Yun. However, Xie Yun possessed five spiritual roots and insisted on cultivating each to its absolute limit before breaking through. This allowed him to challenge those at higher stages while only in the early stages himself.

“Private fighting is forbidden on the spirit ship.” Xie Lingjun’s cold, heavy gaze pressed down on Xu Yuan. “Who instigated you to move?”

He immediately framed it as a conspiracy, but Xu Yuan did not dare to ignore the question. He stiffened his neck and replied, “No one! It was I who wanted to challenge Senior Brother Fu!”

The sword energy rested against his throat. Xie Lingjun said, “I do not have time to call an Elder for an interrogation. Tell the truth.”

Xu Yuan flinched. “My sworn brother is in another team. He has many contribution points and was supposed to undergo the trial with me, but who knew?” He glared viciously at Fu Yun, as if he could strip Fu Yun of his spot and give it to his brother.

“The team roster was finalized by the Elders. Who told you that your sworn brother was supposed to be in this team?” Xie Lingjun asked coldly.

The crowd also began to sense something amiss. Xu Yuan spoke with such certainty, so they wondered where he got this insider information. Xu Yuan’s face instantly flushed red. Xie Lingjun gave him no face at all. “My cousin is leading this team. If internal strife breaks out before we even enter the secret realm, neither of you needs to stay.”

The cousin he referred to was Xie Yun. Xie Yun did not actually come from the main Xie clan; his parents were mere mortals who had long since passed. Because Xie Lingjun admired Xie Yun, he addressed him as a cousin to bring him under the protection of the Xie family.

The onlookers exchanged glances. They realized this implied they could settle scores once inside the secret realm. Initially surprised that Xie Lingjun was protecting Fu Yun, they now realized he simply did not want Xie Yun’s team to descend into chaos on the very first day.

“Dishonest methods and wasted effort.”

From beginning to end, Xie Lingjun did not give Fu Yun a single glance. After warning the instigator, he sheathed his sword, turned, and walked toward the front of the ship to rendezvous with Xie Yun. After a few steps, he heard Fu Yun asking Xu Yuan, “Which team is your brother in? I will swap with him.”

These were internal negotiations, and Xie Lingjun no longer cared. He believed that someone so weak as to be frightened by a few low level talismans might as well change teams early.

After a few more steps, the glow of talismans shone from behind. Xie Lingjun was somewhat surprised. Had he not just given a warning? He wondered if Xu Yuan was mad or stupid enough to ignore the restraint.

“Why is Xu Yuan attacking again? Is he not afraid of angering Senior Uncle Lingjun?”

Listening to the chatter behind him, Xie Lingjun felt only indifference. Xu Yuan was not worth drawing his sword a second time. He planned to report directly to the Elder to have him kicked off the team. However, an exclamation that followed made him stop in his tracks.

“Wait, Xu Yuan is trapped!”

Xie Lingjun turned around. His gaze pierced through the crowd and locked onto the person suppressing Xu Yuan. The talismans Fu Yun was manipulating were the ones Xu Yuan had just used. Defeating Xu Yuan was simple, but being able to seize low level talismans and use them to best a Golden Core cultivator was another matter entirely.

The light from the charms was cold, making Fu Yun’s profile appear sharper. He seemed to feel Xie Lingjun’s scrutinizing gaze and looked over. A sluggish smile still lingered on his lips. Xie Lingjun’s pupils constricted. His knuckles tightened, and his scabbard made a faint clink against his sword. For the first time, he felt a flicker of battle intent.