Chapter 1 : Could I Be the Villain?
“Never would I have imagined that I’d have the chance to transmigrate to a fantasy world, and even be admitted into a sect of immortals. This is simply too wonderful!” At this very moment, Ye Xuan stood with a group of youths inside the grand hall of the Taihua Immortal Sect.
With his short hair, he stood out amongst the others with their long hair reaching their backs, tied up in traditional style. The reason was simple: he had only transited to this world not long ago, and his hair hadn’t had the chance to grow out yet.
As he looked around at the Taihua Immortal Sect’s disciples, all clad in Daoist robes and exuding an aura of otherworldliness, his eyes were filled with anticipation, much like the others.
They were all Taihua Immortal Sect’s newly accepted disciples.
Ye Xuan was not originally from this world; he had mysteriously transited from Earth. However, he had no desire to return to Earth as he had no attachments left there. Instead, this world, with its immortal cultivators, was where his aspirations lay.
“Everyone, you are all newly admitted disciples of the Taihua Immortal Sect. The path of cultivation values fate. Your entry into the Taihua Immortal Sect is a matter of fate, as is the sect’s acceptance of you,” spoke Daoist Qin Zhenren from the grand hall’s dais, smiling benevolently at the crowd.
“Something feels familiar about this Taihua Immortal Sect and Daoist Qin Zhenren,” Ye Xuan pondered, standing amidst the crowd, listening to the sect master’s address.
Wasn’t this exactly like the immortal sect he had read about in a novel before?
Daoist Qin Zhenren, around four to five hundred years old, was the sect master of the Taihua Immortal Sect. Known not only for her extraordinary beauty but more so for her unparalleled cultivation, she was one of the leading figures of the righteous path in the current cultivation world.
Ye Xuan had already done some homework on the Taihua Immortal Sect before he ascended the mountain. At the moment, he merely found the situation coincidental and did not dwell on it much.
“But since you have joined the Taihua, you must follow the sect’s teachings,” continued Daoist Qin Zhenren.
“Next, our esteemed elders will choose their disciples from among you. Whichever elder selects you, you must accept their decision without objection.”
“Yes, we will adhere to the sect master’s wishes!” the disciples responded in unison.
All the new disciples were paying their respects to Daoist Qin. For ordinary people given the chance to cultivate immortality, there wasn’t really room to be choosy about their masters. Naturally, Ye Xuan followed suit and paid his respects as well.
Subsequently, the many elders of Taihua began to scrutinize the new disciples, discussing among themselves. It seemed that the decision on which elder they would be apprenticed to was about to be made soon. Everyone was filled with even greater anticipation.
However, Ye Xuan’s brows gradually furrowed…
He noticed that not a single elder’s gaze lingered on him. Soon, all the disciples were selected by the elders and even given their Daoist names. In the end, only Ye Xuan was left standing alone.
“…What’s going on?” he wondered. Could it be that no elder favored him? At this moment, Ye Xuan started to panic. Did he perform poorly?
“…Strange, why didn’t any elder choose that Brother Ye Xuan?”
“Yeah, he seems quite astute.”
“Cultivation is all about intelligence, isn’t it? His talents should be decent.”
A few of the new disciples who had traveled with Ye Xuan began to discuss. Hearing their conversation, one of the elders laughed and spoke:
“To cultivate immortality, indeed one requires intelligence, but what we, cultivators, need isn’t the cleverness known to the common folk, but spiritual wisdom. Though Ye Xuan passed the entrance examination, even coming first, he lacks spiritual wisdom.”
“That is to say, he doesn’t possess a spiritual root. Even if he were to forcibly cultivate, his achievements in this life would be limited.”
Struck by this revelation as if by lightning, Ye Xuan had not expected at all that he lacked a spiritual root. Could it be because he was from Earth? With an unwilling heart, he asked, “What is a spiritual root?”
“Spiritual roots are innate talents that resonate with the spiritual Qi of heaven and earth. Generally speaking, those with good spiritual roots are naturally very intelligent, but there are exceptions,” said the elder.
“For instance, them. Although their results are worse than yours, they have spiritual roots and can easily perceive the spiritual Qi of heaven and earth. But you, without a spiritual root, even if I told you that you are surrounded by the spiritual Qi of heaven and earth, you wouldn’t be able to see it, sense it, nor communicate with it.”
“What? There are actually people in this world who can’t see spiritual Qi?” A new disciple exclaimed in surprise, and the others looked at Ye Xuan with a sense of pity.
Ye Xuan had performed well before, but now they realized he couldn’t even see spiritual Qi. How could someone who can’t see spiritual Qi cultivate? It’s like a blind person trying to appreciate beauty. At least a blind person can feel something, but someone without spiritual roots can’t even sense spiritual Qi.
Ye Xuan felt uncomfortable under their pitiful gazes. So they could all see spiritual Qi, and he was just an ordinary person after all. He had been proud of his achievements, but now he was plunged into despair.
“Don’t panic, Ye Xuan,” Daoist Qin Zhenren, the sect master, said, noticing Ye Xuan’s distress. “Though you lack spiritual roots, you passed our sect’s test with the best results. If you wish, I can write a letter of recommendation for you to become an official. With your intelligence, the Emperor will surely value you.”
Ye Xuan felt strange hearing Daoist Qin Zhenren’s words. This plot… it seemed familiar, like a terrible novel he had read before. In that novel, there was also a character who was told he had no spiritual roots and was offered a chance to become an official. But he refused and stayed in the sect, eventually becoming a major antagonist.
Ye Xuan thought the original novel was terrible. It was boring and focused on the female protagonist’s entanglement with the antagonist. The male protagonist, a traditional and upright character, dies before their wedding due to the antagonist’s schemes. The antagonist, portrayed as utterly evil, is eventually killed by the female protagonist in rage.
Such a simplistic and uninteresting plot made it a novel nobody wanted to read. Ye Xuan had only come across it because he was looking for something to read.
“Could it be that I’ve become the major villain from that novel?” Ye Xuan panicked.