Dawn broke like a blade across the Skyblade Courtyard.
Pillars of morning light spilled between clouds, gilding jade pavilions in blood and gold. Condensation glimmered on smooth stone tiles, while sharp mountain winds swept across gathered disciples—silent, watching, expectant.
Two figures stood at the center of the dueling arena.
One clad in flowing black, the other robed in righteous white and blue.
Gu Changge.
Slender, pale, and still. The scent of something ancient clung to his silence. His aura was suffocating in its calm—like a pond that hid bottomless depths. A child of legacy, a mind like a scalpel, and cultivation already at Early Golden Core. His father was Elder Gu Zhenyuan, a pillar of the sect. His master—the Sect Leader herself.
Lin Tian.
Handsome, resolute, his presence like a polished blade. His bloodline held no name, his father a lone cultivator who'd perished in a nameless ruin. Yet through sheer will and talent, Lin Tian rose to Peak Foundation Building Realm, strong enough to threaten early Gold Core. And today, he had challenged the sect's rising storm.
A murmur spread among the disciples.
"Isn't Gu Changge already Golden Core? Why accept this match?"
"Because Lin Tian forced it. Out of jealousy."
"Foolish. But brave."
On the platform, Lin Tian's voice rang out, brittle and loud.
"Gu Changge, do you accept this duel as a test of strength… or as a contest of truth?"
Gu Changge tilted his head slightly, as if amused. His voice was silk, cold and sharp.
"Are those not the same?"
Lin Tian's brows furrowed. "You were born with everything. But I carved my path alone. Today, I'll prove that fortune is no substitute for will."
Gu Changge smiled, faint and dangerous.
"Then come. Prove it."
Silver-haired Elder Wei stepped forward, raising his hand.
"This is a regulated match. No lethal force. First blood or surrender ends the bout. Begin!"
His hand sliced down.
The ring pulsed with suppressive qi, forming a barrier around them.
Lin Tian moved first.
He surged forward with sword drawn, a silver blur across the platform. His blade crackled with righteous light—Heavenlight Sword Sutra, an orthodox sword style known for its blinding speed and clarity. Each strike came pure and direct, as if carved from celestial will itself.
Gu Changge didn't move.
Then he sidestepped.
Effortlessly. His robes swirled with grace. His sword shimmered out like a serpent coiling in moonlight—silent, hypnotic, wrong.
His technique didn't block. It enticed. It seduced the incoming blows, pulling them off-line.
Gasps rose from the crowd.
"What style is that?!"
"So fluid—almost… beautiful?"
"Is he dancing?"
---
> System Directive Active: Veil Cultivation Technique Aura
Bloodshade Abyssal Sword Scripture – Masked as orthodox variant.
Remaining Duration: 14:53
---
Gu Changge's blade hissed forward—barely missing Lin Tian's shoulder.
He advanced not like a warrior, but like a predator. Every motion unfurled like silk soaked in blood. His movements harmonized with his nature—part demonic, part divine, wholly unnatural.
The Bloodshade Abyssal Sword Scripture whispered through his body. A forbidden art, wreathed in charm and killing intent. Crafted for a body like his: seduction-born, pain-fed, demon-touched.
He was toying with Lin Tian.
The protagonist's face twisted in frustration.
None of his strikes landed.
Each clash left him reeling—not from power, but from the dissonance. His swordplay felt hollow beside this alien rhythm.
Gu Changge flicked his wrist.
His sword nicked Lin Tian's bicep.
A line of red bloomed.
"First blood," Gu Changge said quietly.
He could've ended it.
But he didn't.
He pressed in.
Now aiming for Lin Tian's sword-hand—not to cripple, but to humiliate. To cut not the flesh, but the pride.
Lin Tian's breath hitched.
---
> "Old Ancestor—now!" Lin Tian screamed in his mind.
From the ring on his finger, a chilling voice replied.
> "The Sect Leader watches. I move, we perish."
> "Then I'll lose!"
> "Then lose. And learn."
---
Despair cracked Lin Tian's focus.
His sword wavered.
Gu Changge closed the gap. His sword angled for Lin Tian's wrist—
BOOM!
A golden palm of radiant qi blocked the blow.
From above descended Elder Liu Yushan, Lin Tian's master. Dressed in snow-white, her eyes like blades of frozen steel.
"That's enough."
Her gaze scanned both disciples.
"Gu Changge wins."
Gu Changge lowered his blade and gave a shallow bow. "I apologize, Elder. I got carried away."
She narrowed her gaze, brushing divine sense across his sword.
Nothing. No demonic qi. The system's veil held strong.
But a flicker of suspicion touched her brows.
Lin Tian stood frozen. Bleeding. Breathing heavily. Ashamed.
"…Thank you… for the lesson," he said hoarsely.
Gu Changge didn't respond.
He merely turned.
And walked away.
---
Above, within the Grand Pavilion, Sect Master Yue Qingya observed in silence.
Her golden eyes narrowed.
"He's changed."
Elder Qian beside her stroked his beard. "He fights like a man with no fear of loss."
"Or one who never saw value in others to begin with," she murmured.
Her gaze lingered on Gu Changge's silhouette.
"Perhaps he is ready."
---
> System Update:
villain value +1000
Sect Reputation: ↑↑
Yue Qingya Impression: Raised.
+300
Potential Saint Child Candidate: Flagged.
Fate Disruption: +3%
---
That night, atop a quiet cliff, Gu Changge sat beneath a silver moon.
Wind whispered through pine.
Footsteps behind him.
"Senior Brother…"
His junior sister Gu Qingxue arrived, her presence like soft snow. She held a flask of wine.
"You were… terrifying," she said, sitting beside him.
Gu Changge took the flask and drank.
"Fear is clarity."
She hesitated. "He fought as if you represented everything he hated."
"I know."
"…Why?"
Gu Changge looked to the stars, eyes unreadable.
"Because I do."
A beat of silence.
"I am what the world bends for," he said softly. "And he is what it throws away. So I'll show him—this world doesn't belong to the kind."
---
Back in his quarters, Gu Changge summoned his system interface.
> Villain System – Online
Villain Value: 5800
Sub-Quests:
– Seduce Lin Rou [0%]
– Corrupt Lin Tian's Harem [0%]
– Exploit Emotional Weakness: Lin Tian – Mother Attachment [ACTIVE]
– "First Duel, First Thread Severed" – COMPLETE
> Physique: Demonic Succubus Body – Unlock Progress: 10%
Core Technique: Bloodshade Abyssal Sword Scripture [FORBIDDEN – MASKED]
He opened the system store.
---
> Available Items:
– Truthwoven Seal – 1000 VV – Lies become truth (3 )
– Body-Shifting Bone Pearl – 2000 VV – Disguise form Duration: Unlimited
– Crimson Widow Wine – 600 VV – Loosens inhibitions. Potent aphrodisiac.
– Demonic Voice Scripture – 1200 VV
– Yin Essence Mirror – 3000 VV
---
He purchased the top three.
A smile like a curved blade touched his lips.
> "Lin Rou… we'll meet soon."
"And you'll mistake your downfall… for destiny."
---
Elsewhere…
In a modest courtyard on the outskirts of Emerald Cloud City, a woman combed her daughter's hair.
Lin Rou.
Elegant, serene, her features gentle despite the wear of years. Her beauty undimmed.
"Your brother won his duel," she said softly.
Her daughter, Lin Xian'er, beamed. "Big Brother is amazing!"
Lin Rou smiled.
Then looked up at the stars.
"…Just stay safe, Tian'er."
---
Meanwhile—
Back in the sect's shadowed halls, a woman stood in Gu Changge's path.
Xu Qingyan.
Lin Tian's senior sister. Sword-cold and unflinching.
"I saw your fight," she said.
Gu Changge inclined his head. "Then you saw something exquisite."
Her eyes didn't move.
"Your swordplay… it wasn't from here."
"Observation, or accusation?"
Her voice chilled. "I've trained orthodox techniques for years. What you used—wasn't one of them."
Gu Changge stepped close. His voice dropped.
"Some truths will burn you, Senior Sister."
"Then I'll burn."
He smirked.
"You're already kindling."
She flushed—not with warmth, but with tension. Fury. Confusion.
Then vanished into sword light.
---
> DING! Xu Qingyan – Suspicion +20
Future Route: Subjugation or Confrontation – Branching Path Active
---
That night, as moonlight bathed his windows, Gu Changge leaned back in his chair.
One thread torn from the tapestry.
One mask cracked.
He poured wine into a silver cup and watched it swirl.
Tomorrow, he would begin the real game.
---