Perhaps it was the prestige of the Sun family that made the "double" the center of attention, swarmed by people fawning over him. Even several good-looking female classmates were making overtures to strike up a conversation.
Liu Yue herself kept glancing in the "double's" direction, her brows furrowed as if she were deep in thought.
Watching the campus belle seem so captivated, it was hard for any of the men present not to feel a twinge of envy and resentment.
Zhao Kun, one of Liu Yue's most fervent suitors, had his face twisted with rage—but he dared not act on it, fearing he'd bring disaster down on his family.
As the atmosphere grew livelier, Li Yang rose to his feet and approached your side, where you stood looking so out of place. He leaned in and whispered,「Elder Sun, would you like me to arrange some entertainment for you?」
You knew exactly what Li Yang was up to—this was most likely a ploy to get you out of the way, clearing a path for him to make his move against your double.
Instead of refusing, you nodded firmly, agreeing without hesitation.
The situation was unfolding exactly as you'd anticipated. Besides, you had no desire to linger here, staying too close to the wild card that was Liu Yue.
Yet for some reason, you couldn't shake the feeling that the "Liu Yue" standing before you was off—like she was somehow different from the version you'd encountered in the two previous simulations.
After a quick word to your double, you got up and left. Guided by a waiter, you were led to another private room. And trailing right behind you were over a dozen youthful, beautiful women, each with a distinct style of her own.
It was crystal clear: Li Yang intended to keep you occupied with this honey trap, if only for a short while.
Faced with these dainty, charming young women, you didn't so much as bat an eye. You struck swiftly, knocking them all unconscious in an instant. Then you pulled out a Communication Talisman and contacted Sun Zhong, who was waiting outside the Magic City Manor.
The Communication Talisman was a first-tier disposable charm, capable of enabling a single secret conversation within a radius of five miles. You'd crafted a handful of them just yesterday, the very day you'd officially become a first-tier talisman master.
This time, you'd chosen to walk into the trap voluntarily—but you hadn't had Sun Zhong stick close by your side. Instead, you'd told him to follow at a distance, keeping him in reserve as your ace in the hole.
「Young Master Sun,」 Sun Zhong's voice crackled through the talisman, 「there are quite a few suspicious figures in black lurking outside the Magic City Manor. Most are at the Third Realm of Mystic Insight or the Fourth Realm of Arcane Power. And the leader... I suspect his strength is at the Saint Realm...」
Sun Zhong's report sent a jolt through you, confirming beyond a shadow of a doubt that the Li family was nothing more than a pawn of the mastermind behind the scenes.
Hardly had you and your double stepped foot into the manor when the assassins showed up. Anyone with half a brain could connect the dots.
That masked Saint Realm powerhouse who'd ambushed you during the second simulation—nine times out of ten, it had to be the Li family's patriarch.
The trap was now fully sprung, and you felt a surge of urgency. You immediately ordered Sun Zhong, who was still outside, to come meet you at once so the two of you could swap identities again.
In the upcoming battle, your disguise as Sun Zhong—the Saint Realm protector—would be the biggest wildcard. Chances were, you'd be the target of the enemy's full firepower, and that Saint Realm assassin would definitely come after you.
Right now, it wasn't just your double who was in danger—you were in just as much peril yourself.
Luckily, Sun Zhong hadn't strayed too far. In the span of a few short breaths, he appeared right in front of you. You let out a quiet sigh of relief.
After a hasty exchange of instructions, you activated your Illusion Shifting Technique, transforming your appearance into that of a waiter before slipping out of the room.
At that moment, you couldn't help but feel even more satisfied with this overpowered demonic technique.
You ducked into a wine cellar, pulled out the Soul-Nailing Spell, and began to practice it with all your might. You were certain the assassins wouldn't make their move just yet.
You studied the jade slip, finding that the Soul-Nailing Spell was surprisingly uncomplicated—in fact, it was almost rudimentary. All you needed was an object belonging to your target, and you could track them down, or even curse them. But the spell was extremely sinister; there was a high risk of backlash, and it might even taint your own fate and fortune.
An hour later, you'd successfully mastered the basics, gaining a rudimentary grasp of how to use the spell.
You reached into your storage ring and pulled out Ye Fan's severed arm. Channeling the Soul-Nailing Spell, you siphoned off some of its blood qi—but instead of casting a curse, you used it to track and locate its owner. After all, cursing a protagonist blessed by fate was practically asking for a devastating backlash.
Fresh blood began to seep from the stump of the severed arm, coalescing into a tiny blood nail that slowly pointed forward.
「Sure enough, that bastard Ye Fan is here too!」
You smirked to yourself. You should've known—the so-called "fated protagonist" would never miss a big spectacle like this.
It was only a matter of time before the Magic City Manor descended into utter chaos.
BOOM!
A terrifying shockwave from an explosion erupted nearby. You quickly stashed the severed arm back into your ring and peered outside the cellar. Your eyes widened as you saw Sun Zhong locked in a fierce battle with the masked Saint Realm powerhouse.
The trap had been triggered.
But during the second simulation, this black-cloaked powerhouse had only managed to hold Sun Zhong at bay by teaming up with the Zhao family's patriarch. Now, fighting alone, he was quickly being pushed onto the back foot.
The clash between two Saint Realm powerhouses unleashed a cataclysmic wave of spiritual energy, threatening to raze the entire Magic City Manor to the ground. Panic erupted across the venue.
Amid the chaos, wave after wave of black-cloaked assassins charged toward the room where your double was staying, intent on striking the killing blow.
High above the fray, Sun Zhong—still locked in one-on-one combat with the black-cloaked powerhouse—let out a cold snarl. He unleashed a crushing aura of authority, and somehow managed to spare one hand to strike downward. In the blink of an eye, he annihilated more than half of the assassins.
「Dare to lay a hand on the young master of the Sun family,」 Sun Zhong's domineering voice boomed across the entire manor, 「and no matter who stands behind you, you will all die!」
The few remaining black-cloaked assassins who'd managed to escape his attack were quickly intercepted and subdued by the manor's other guardian powerhouses.
The tide of the battle seemed to be turning overwhelmingly in your favor.
「They've been plotting this for so long—there's no way it'll end this easily. There must be a backup plan.」
「Let's see what other tricks you have up your sleeve.」
Sun Qian's eyes glinted with a dark light as he stared intently at the fierce battle unfolding within the Villain Simulator.
He refused to believe this was all the enemy had to offer.
Otherwise, once Sun Zhong defeated that black-cloaked powerhouse, it would just be a one-sided slaughter.
Hidden in the heart of the battlefield, you silently chanted a mantra of invisibility, willing everyone to overlook your presence as you kept your eyes glued to the fight.
Suddenly, something unexpected happened!
A young figure with a severed arm materialized out of thin air in the room, clutching a blood-red blade wreathed in murderous intent. He raised the blade and slashed at one of the men present.
「Ye Fan!」
Someone screamed out in shock,
assuming Ye Fan was about to assassinate "Sun Qian".
But in the next instant, everyone froze in stunned silence.
Ye Fan's target wasn't Sun Qian—it was Zhao Kun?!
Just as everyone's attention was fixed on this shocking turn of events, disaster struck again.
SPURT!
A shadowy, inky-black hand suddenly shot out from behind "Sun Qian", piercing straight through his chest...
And the owner of that sinister hand was none other than...
「Liu Yue」