I Really Am A Villain

When Xu Zimo stepped forward, the crowd froze in surprise.

Tian Yiqing’s gaze sharpened slightly, then he smiled. “My friend, even if you wish to spar, you should wait your turn.”

Xu Zimo pointed toward Xie Changliu. “He’s my friend. He’s fought several rounds already and needs a rest. What’s the matter? You’re allowed to use a revolving lineup, but we can’t switch a fighter? Is this the standard of Seven Gods Collegium students?”

“If my friend wishes to take his place, of course that’s fine,” Tian Yiqing said after a short pause, smiling faintly. “Just don’t complain to the Chancellor if you lose.”

Xu Zimo laughed softly. It seemed that Feng Buxiu hadn’t told them about him.

If they knew that Hong Yu had died by his hand, they might not be so eager to challenge him.

“You go recover first,” Xu Zimo said, gesturing for Xie Changliu to step back.

Then he looked at Tian Yiqing and beckoned. “You can make the first move.”

“You’re confident,” Tian Yiqing said coldly.

He raised his right hand, and the calm void around them began to ripple.

From that void, a longsword slowly emerged.

As the sword glided through the air, its reflection split into countless overlapping shadows that surged toward Xu Zimo like rolling clouds.

Within those shadows lay the rhythm of drifting and gathering clouds, soft yet deliberate, never missing their mark.

Xu Zimo clasped his hands behind his back, lightly tapping his foot as he drifted backward.

“Senior Tian’s Sevenfold Cloud Shadows are getting more refined,” one of the students whispered from the crowd.

“Yes, though it’s called sevenfold, in truth it’s endless.”

Tian Yiqing’s sword grew faster and faster until even the afterimages blurred out of sight.

Clouds rolled and scattered; sword shadows gleamed like lightning.

Xu Zimo’s eyes narrowed. With a single tap of his finger in the air, a crushing pressure fell downward.

He ignored how many shadows there were and simply broke them all by sheer force.

Explosions burst through the air.

Tian Yiqing’s body was hurled backward, his sword carving a long trench across the ground before he managed to stop.

“Not bad,” Tian Yiqing said with a faint smile.

“One Breath Moves Mountains And Rivers!”

His shout rang out, and the sword in his hand transformed into a stream of qi that surged forward with the might of collapsing mountains and flooding seas.

That strike pressed down upon Xu Zimo, tearing the air apart.

Xu Zimo gave a cold snort and drew his blade.

The blade light pierced the sky, unleashing a world-splitting power that clashed violently with the oncoming mountain-sea qi.

Another explosion shook the field.

The void shattered, and Tian Yiqing was blasted backward once again.

“That’s it?” Xu Zimo said with a faint smile and shake of his head.

Tian Yiqing didn’t respond. He was silent for a moment before red spirit energy ignited around his body.

Behind him, a pair of blazing crimson wings formed out of fire.

“The Heavenly God Feathers,” someone whispered.

Tian Yiqing took to the air, his sword now wrapped in dazzling flames.

“Blazing Sun Burns Sky!”

His sword swept out, the flames flaring even brighter, surging toward Xu Zimo like a tidal wave of heat.

Xu Zimo sidestepped, and the fiery stream smashed into the ground beside him.

The earth cracked apart, white smoke billowing as the ground itself burned.

Tian Yiqing darted through the air with terrifying speed, his flaming wings propelling him like a comet. The flames in his hands moved as fluidly as if they were extensions of his arms.

After dodging several strikes, Xu Zimo frowned slightly and then raised both hands toward the sky.

“Come down,” he commanded.

Endless spirit energy poured into his palms, coalescing into a massive hand of light that reached upward, seized Tian Yiqing midair, and slammed him violently into the ground.

There was a thunderous crash. The cracked earth quaked.

“Cough…” Tian Yiqing spat out a mouthful of blood mixed with fragments of his insides.

“You… you’ll pay for this,” he snarled, his eyes bloodshot and feral.

The sun mark on his forehead flared a deeper crimson, and his entire face turned red as blood.

His hair ignited like fire, and power surged endlessly into his hands.

“World-Burning Fire Lotus!”

The flames twisted and coiled, condensing into the shape of a lotus.

The lotus expanded rapidly, thousands of times its original size, illuminating the entire sky in a fiery red glow.

“Go, Fire Lotus!” Tian Yiqing roared, hurling it toward Xu Zimo.

“Refine everything!”

Even before the lotus reached him, the air was already scorching hot.

Many students nearby found their robes catching fire and screamed as they scrambled backward.

“Playing with fire?” Xu Zimo chuckled softly.

He, who had mastered the Zhurong’s Fire God Ancient Dao, the highest of all flames beneath heaven, had nothing to fear.

He raised his hand, and a small flame appeared in his palm.

It was faint, yet one glance was enough to know it was no ordinary fire.

Unlike the usual crimson of flames, this one was a chaotic, colorless glow, pure and formless.

When the fire lotus bloomed, attempting to incinerate all, Xu Zimo flicked his small flame toward it.

The two met in midair, but the explosion everyone expected never came.

Instead, they hung in stalemate.

At first, the fire lotus blazed fiercely, trying to consume the tiny flame, but it couldn’t.

Gradually, the lotus weakened, its brilliance dimming.

Then, to the horror of everyone watching, the small flame began devouring the great lotus piece by piece.

“How… how is this possible?” Tian Yiqing gasped.

He tried to control the fire lotus, shouting, “Kill!”

But the lotus no longer obeyed him. It was completely beyond his control.

Before his disbelieving eyes, the tiny flame consumed the entire lotus and grew even larger.

Xu Zimo flicked his hand, and the flame obediently returned to his palm.

Then, with a flick of his finger, he sent it forth again.

A massive lotus of devouring fire descended from above.

Tian Yiqing screamed, his crimson wings flaring as he tried to flee.

But beneath that lotus, his wings disintegrated instantly.

The searing heat swept downward, and in terror, Tian Yiqing threw his arms over his head.

At that moment, a figure descended from the sky, stepping across the void.

It was Feng Buxiu.

His robes billowed as he appeared before Tian Yiqing, both hands thrusting forward.

A formation activated, the main array of Seven Gods Collegium flared to life, glowing brightly as it enveloped him.

The Chancellor’s spirit pressure burst out like a storm as he forced the devouring lotus to dissolve completely.

“Please stay your hand, Young Master Xu,” Feng Buxiu said with a smile.

He turned toward the students, his expression hardening.

“Disgraceful.”

“Chancellor…” Tian Yiqing said weakly, his tone carrying a hint of grievance.

“If I hadn’t intervened, you’d already be dead. If this happens again, no one will be able to save you,” Feng Buxiu said flatly. “All of you, disperse.”

As the students withdrew in silence, Xu Zimo smiled faintly. “Chancellor Feng, quite the plan you had. You’ve been watching for a while, haven’t you?”

Feng Buxiu chuckled. “Young Master Xu understands my position. I may be the Chancellor, and though having you represent the academy suppresses dissent for now, it’s not a lasting solution.

Sometimes,” he said, glancing at the retreating students, “it’s better to let them learn the hard way.”