Can a Scholar Be Called a Villain

Li Yi Fan and Liu Wu’s expressions underwent a slight shift as they swiftly turned to check the individual standing behind them. After realizing that this person didn’t harbour any malicious intent, they breathed a sigh of relief.

They respectfully extended their greetings, “We greet you, brother. The two of us share the same homeland as the seller.”

On this flying ship, they were naturally considered as people from the same homeland considering that they were all from Yan.

Li Yi Fan introduced himself, saying, “This humble one is named Li Yi Fan.”

Liu Wu followed suit, “This humble one is Liu Wu.”

With the introductions made, they couldn’t help but feel a certain ease around this man. Whether it was the shared experience of being sword cultivators or the black-clothed man’s amicable appearance, both Li Yi Fan and Liu Wu found the stranger to be quite agreeable.

The man reciprocated their courtesy by cupping his hands and saying, “This humble one is named Bai Xiao Mo. I come from the country of Wuyang, and I am a swordsman.”

Li Yi Fan observed the two swords on Bai Xiao Mo’s back and offered a friendly smile. “Wuyang isn’t very far from our country, Yan!”

Liu Wu chimed in, “Indeed, we should stay in touch!”

Bai Xiao Mo, still wearing a friendly smile, responded, “Since the two of you share a homeland with the seller, I can now trust him. Do you happen to know what his strength is like?”

Liu Wu replied with uncertainty, “Strength? He should be quite formidable, likely at the ninth layer of the Sky Reaching realm.”

Despite Murong Lin’s considerable efforts to obliterate Chu, which involved eliminating many strong cultivators, most people remained unaware of his true power.

According to ‘Nie Wu Sheng’s’ own claim, he was at the ninth layer of the Sky Reaching realm.

However, those unaware of the full truth were naturally inclined to be sceptical.

Bai Xiao Mo nodded in understanding and then proceeded to Murong Lin’s stall, purchasing the Dark Sword Grass. While this item was quite important to him, he had initially held back due to his suspicions about Murong Lin potentially tampering with the item.

But now, it seemed that those doubts were unfounded.

Murong Lin’s gaze barely acknowledged Bai Xiao Mo, but beneath his composed exterior, his mind was anything but tranquil.

As Murong Lin maintained his lowered head and tried to contain the surprise he felt, the system’s voice echoed in his mind.

“Ding! Master has found a protagonist!”

Name: Unknown

Protagonist value: 750

Age: 19

Cultivation: Ninth layer of the Sky Reaching realm

Innate talent: Great protagonist halo, Narrow escape from death, (Unknown)

Fuck! Great protagonist halo? 750 protagonist value? Two innate talents!

Is this a great protagonist?

He hadn’t even collected enough fragments to unlock the great villain halo yet, but now, a great protagonist appeared.

Did only formidable opponents like this appear once he left the starting village?

Murong Lin digested the information presented on the system window speechlessly.

While Bai Xiao Mo had introduced himself with this name, the system had shown his name as ‘Unknown’, and the ‘Narrow escape from death’ innate talent caught his eye as well.

Murong Lin speculated that Bai Xiao Mo must be an exceptionally wary protagonist, considering the ‘Narrowly escaping death’ innate talent.

His gaze flitted to Bai Xiao Mo’s cultivation level, and he couldn’t help but be a bit speechless.

“I’m Murong Lin.” he introduced himself with a smile.

While this individual seemed wary, it was apparent that he possessed extraordinary fortune.

Murong Lin recalled the few protagonists he had encountered in Yan. Most of them had been woefully poor and lacked good fortune, all except for Sheng Yi, who had left relatively satisfactory memories for him.

Bai Xiao Mo was somewhat taken aback by Murong Lin’s friendly initiative, he had expected the stall owner to be quiet given his interactions with his buyers.

While Bai Xiao Mo sensed Murong Lin’s aura, he couldn’t discern anything specific, so he simply waved his hand and smiled, saying, “Nice to meet you.”

A moment of silence followed before Bai Xiao Mo departed.

A throng of interested buyers quickly surrounded Murong Lin’s stall, making it impossible for him to chase after Bai Xiao Mo. However, he harboured no concern about this; they were bound to cross paths again in the future, so he felt no urgency.

Murong Lin didn’t inflate his prices, unlike other sellers who raised them dramatically in anticipation of the upcoming tournament. His fair prices and quality merchandise attracted a steady stream of customers. In no time, he had sold nearly everything, leaving behind only a few miscellaneous items that were essentially useless.

Murong Lin packed up his stall and returned to his room. As he did, more participants continued to board the flying ship.

These new arrivals were mostly from smaller countries with fewer participants than Yan. Their faces were filled with excitement as they rushed to their respective alliances or gathered in the marketplace.

Not far away, on the highest point of the residential area, a group of individuals observed the bustling marketplace.

Shi Ji Mi, the golden-haired second prince of Shixin, had his gaze fixed on Murong Lin. Confusion laced his voice as he inquired, “Why have I never heard of that powerful individual before?”

Sun Qiao Long, a slender figure beside Shi Ji Mi, shook his head and replied, “It seems like he recently gained his fame, and he’s already renowned in the Ridge Fir Alliance. As for his strength, it’s rather strange.”

Wang Chuang, who had pale eyes due to practising a particular vision technique, chimed in, “It’s likely some mysterious secret technique, don’t you think?” Despite his altered eyes, his vision was sharp.

Shi Ji Mi clenched his fists, “I asked Senior Ye Lan personally, and he mentioned that the flying ship would begin its return journey soon. From what I’ve observed, we appear to be the strongest individuals here.”

Sun Qiao Long responded with an air of indifference, “Don’t forget, we’re still nowhere near the level of those individuals.”

She was, of course, referring to the Heavenly Prodigies, the most formidable participants in the tournament this time.

Wang Chuang’s eyes also betrayed a flicker of emotion as he added, “The hidden realm this time may present an opportunity for us.”

With that, he turned and departed, leaving the other two Cognizance realm experts behind.

In reality, Wang Chuang had been tracking a particular figure, and it didn’t take long for the person he had been tailing to notice him.

Bai Xiao Mo regarded the man who had been following him warily and spoke, “Sir, do you not know that it’s forbidden to engage in combat while aboard the flying ship?”

Due to his cautious nature, Bai Xiao Mo was well aware of this individual’s identity.

Wang Chang, a Cognizance realm cultivator.

Wang Chang’s strength far surpassed the true cultivation level that Bai Xiao Mo had concealed.

Wang Chuang’s presence left Bai Xiao Mo feeling downcast. He wondered why he kept encountering individuals like this recently.

Wang Chuang politely cupped his hands, showing no concern about being discovered. Instead, he calmly explained, “This humble one has come here with the intention of forming an alliance with you, sir.”

Bai Xiao Mo was puzzled and asked, “An alliance? Why?”

Wang Chuang explained, “I believe that you have also cultivated a vision technique. When my ‘Sea Gazing Eyes’ detected your ninth-layer Sky Reaching realm cultivation, I knew you were the most suitable person for a particular hidden location within the Heaven Martial hidden realm. This location requires two individuals with vision techniques to unlock the mechanism outside. I’ve been searching for someone who possesses both vision arts and considerable strength. So far, you are the most suitable candidate I’ve found.”

Bai Xiao Mo’s eyes gleamed with a faint light, and he nodded emotionlessly. He inquired, “Then, why didn’t you search for a suitable candidate in Heaven Martial City after the flying ship docked there?”

Heaven Martial City, located outside the Heaven Martial hidden realm and in the centre of the continent, served as the gathering point for thousands of flying ships carrying millions of participants. It was here that the top 10,000 participants selected from the hidden realm would compete.

In his eyes, Wang Chuang could have found a more suitable partner among the many Cognizance realm experts gathered in Heaven Martial City then.

Wang Chuang replied, “No, I genuinely believe you are the most suitable candidate. I can sense from your aura that you are a trustworthy person.”

The two continued to converse, building a closer relationship before exchanging their communication spiritual talismans and returning to their respective rooms.

Meanwhile, Ye Lan had also extended an invitation to Murong Lin and the others.

On the surface, Murong Lin’s cultivation was at the first realm of the Cognizance realm, similar to the three others. They were seated at the table Ye Lan had prepared for them, their expressions cautious.

Translator’s note:

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