After uttering these shameful, mocking lines, Lin Xiao felt thoroughly uncomfortable, a wave of nausea churning in his stomach.
It couldn't be helped.
As a stereotypical villain, he had to max out the hatred with this move!
Fortunately, traditional Long Aotian-style protagonists could never tolerate anyone speaking ill of them.
He saw the protagonist, Ye Chen, head bowed, his handsome young face terrifyingly grim, eyes blood-red like a furious lion.
The first wave of mockery—a success!
Nice one, protagonist!
Getting angry is exactly what I wanted.
Lin Xiao was overjoyed. He planted his hands on his hips, tilted his head back, and let out a cold, mocking laugh. "Heh, brat, who do you think you're looking at? Let me tell you! Here in the Qinglan Sect, if you're a dragon, you coil up; if you're a tiger, you lie down!"
"Everyone knows who I, Lin Xiao, am!"
"Do you even have the strength to oppose me?!"
Bolstered by True Qi, his words boomed across the entire plaza! Overbearing and arrogant, sparing no one!
Simultaneously, his sword-like brows knitted together, his handsome face turning cold and grim. A terrifyingly sharp Sword Intent surged from him, enveloping an area ten zhang around!
"Ah! This Eldest Senior Brother... he's so fierce! I don't dare join Divine Phoenix Peak anymore!" a girl cried out on the spot, bursting into tears.
"So arrogant and tyrannical! He doesn't resemble a cultivator at all. He's more like... a bandit chief!"
"You guys won't believe this... but just now, Eldest Senior Brother shot me a sidelong glance, and I nearly wet myself!"
"Cherish your life, stay far away from Divine Phoenix Peak!"
At this, the surrounding young men and women all took a few steps back in fear.
Hearing these comments about himself, Lin Xiao inwardly breathed a sigh of relief.
A villain's job is to be hated! That's a skill too!
After all, in the original novel by that damn author, the Lin Xiao character was exactly this kind of stereotypical bully—strong against the weak, but a coward before the strong!
"Old Shi, this guy is too despicable! I... I don't think I can stop myself from making a move."
Under the gaze of the entire crowd, the tormented young man looked utterly humiliated, seeming to mutter something to himself.
Lin Xiao saw this and felt another surge of elation.
Of course, he knew Ye Chen was talking to that mysterious old grandpa in the ring!
And next, Ye Chen would ignore the old grandpa's objections and prepare to fight him!
That's how protagonists in these power-fantasy stories are supposed to be: hot-blooded, passionate, and a bit reckless!
After all, according to the power system in the original novel, although Ye Chen was only at the peak of Qi Cultivation in terms of his cultivation path, he was also one of the few Eighth Stage Martial Masters in the Great Zhou Dynasty!
This was the trump card he would later use to pretend to be weak while actually being strong!
Things are finally getting back on track!
Compared to those useless female leads who are like mud that can't support a wall, this male lead is so much more cooperative!
Lin Xiao almost couldn't stop himself from laughing out loud.
SHING!
A clear sound of something slicing through the air rang out.
Under tens of thousands of stunned, shocked, and terrified gazes, the black-clad youth drew the imposing, razor-sharp black greatsword from his back!
"A Master is not to be humiliated!"
Ye Chen held the greatsword in one hand, his body enveloped in the devastating baleful aura of a martial artist, as if he intended to slaughter everything between heaven and earth!
"Heavens! He's also a martial artist!"
"Such a potent and terrifying baleful aura! He must be at least an Eighth Stage Master!"
"No wonder he's so composed! A Master-level martial artist can contend with an Innate realm cultivator!"
"Such a young Master... He's likely among the top prodigies in the Four Great Empires of the Secular World!"
"I remember now! This person is Ye Chen! He's the Princely Heir of Prince Beichuan of the Great Zhou Dynasty! Prince Beichuan's entire clan was exterminated for treason by Empress Wuyue of Great Zhou, and only Ye Chen escaped! Wanted posters with his likeness are now plastered all over the Great Zhou Dynasty's territory!"
As murmurs spread through the crowd, someone shouted out, revealing the black-clad youth's identity.
With this, the atmosphere in the entire plaza was utterly ignited!
One must understand that Empress Wuyue of Great Zhou was the most revered and capable sovereign among all the rulers of the Secular Empires! This woman was not only exceptionally talented in Martial Arts but also possessed immense strategic foresight. In the mere nine years since ascending the throne, she had conquered thirteen nations in Lanzhou and harbored ambitions to unify the Nine Provinces. Her beauty was said to be unparalleled, a rare gem seen only once in four thousand years!
Such a perfect woman, possessing both talent and beauty. It would be no exaggeration to say she was a Fairy from the Upper Realm who had descended to the mortal world, one favored by Heaven itself!
To escape from her grasp, just how powerful must this Princely Heir of Beichuan be, and how strong his luck? It was hard to imagine!
For a moment, the gazes fixed on the black-clad youth held an added measure of reverence.
Meanwhile, Lin Xiao squinted, calmly observing the unfolding events, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.
Yes, the plot is proceeding normally up to this point!
Next, I just need to wait for *that* woman to show up and help Ye Chen deliver his first face-slapping!
"Stop! What do you think you're doing?!"
Just as the crowd was buzzing with discussion, a cold, stern female voice cut through the air!
Everyone turned to look in the direction of the voice.
They saw a young woman in a red, one-shouldered long dress, possessing a stunning figure and exquisite beauty, gracefully approaching through the air, riding her sword!
"So beautiful!"
"Not just her face, but her figure is also a rarity in this world!"
"The neckline of her dress is so... generous! Oh, no, I mean, her skin is so fair!"
"Is this... a Fairy from Qinglan Sect?"
"I originally thought Chairmen Su and Xiao of Mount Qinglan were already peerless beauties. I never expected someone of this caliber to exist! Which Chairman's beloved disciple is she?"
A wave of infatuated sighs and murmurs rose from the young men in the crowd.
The black-clad youth, Ye Chen, also subconsciously gulped.
Lin Xiao stealthily observed all of this and felt even more gratified.
This has all the hallmarks of a harem protagonist!
At the same time, he actually felt a flicker of kinship with Ye Chen!
Finally, someone else is trying as hard as I am to act out the plot properly!
And now, his Second Junior Sister, Guo Yourong, arriving to rescue the protagonist, was also a return to the original storyline!
It's all coming back, everything's back on track...
At this moment, Lin Xiao was so relieved he almost wept.
However, what happened next... was something he could never have possibly imagined!