Kicking Open the Apprentice Ceremony

"Fuck your mother!"

The four words echoed across the plaza, lingering in the air. They were articulated with perfect enunciation and raw emotion. It was obvious that the speaker had to do a massive amount of mental preparation before finally squeezing them out of his throat.

The crowd of onlookers froze in unison.

Weren't they supposed to be doing early recruitment? Why was he cursing?

Let alone the others, even Qin Ke'er in the distance was dumbfounded, staring blankly at her senior brother.

What should she do if she feels like her eldest senior brother is acting like a fucking idiot?

Waiting online, it's a bit urgent.

Even Ye Shu's mouth twitched, barely holding back a laugh. He had considered countless possibilities, but someone opening with a mother-insult was definitely not one of them. He had to admit, he might have underestimated just how absurd the system could be.

Truth be told, cursing someone out in front of so many people made Su Xiao feel a bit ashamed.

It wasn't that he wanted to do this. If he could act like a normal human, who would want to be an idiot? But he had no choice; this was all the system's mission!

He stood with his hands on his hips, exhaling haughtily through his nostrils.

"You brat, don't think that just because you luckily survived the Dangul Desert, played my master, Wu Tianxing, Master Mochen, Medusa, and the others for fools, and snatched the Azure Lotus Heavenly Flame from their hands, you can be all smug and complacent!"

"Let me tell you! Here in the Qingxuan Sect!"

"I, Lord Su Xiao, am the boss. Even if you're a dragon, you must coil up; even if you're a tiger, you must lie down. It doesn't matter who you are!"

"If I say you can't enter the Qingxuan Sect, then you can't!"

Even though there were many experienced and knowledgeable people in the crowd, hearing Su Xiao's words, they couldn't help but think one thing: Arrogant!

"Is everyone from the Qingxuan Sect this arrogant?"

"Holy shit, brothers, I feel like I've joined the wrong sect. This feels like an evil sect. I was actually planning to visit the Yunxiao Sect next door and just walked into the wrong place by accident."

"Damn, bro, me too."

Many people were already shrinking back after Su Xiao's speech, afraid that the other peak masters of the Qingxuan Sect shared this same arrogant and dismissive personality.

Feeling the gazes of the people around him, Su Xiao felt completely reassured.

Sure enough, this world was normal.

His acting as a villain was flawless.

The mistake last time was just an accident; maybe the male lead had glitched and was undergoing technical adjustments.

"Who is this guy? Poor dude."

"Targeted right after arriving."

"Yeah, if I were targeted like that, I would have been scared into slitting my own throat."

Amidst the cowering, many also sympathized with Ye Shu and spoke up in his defense. And when everyone's eyes gathered on Ye Shu...

Finally!

Someone, like an NPC triggered by a fixed program, pointed at Ye Shu and shouted loudly:

"Holy crap! I know who that guy is!"

"His name is Ye Shu! He's the monster who once shook Taiwu, achieved Foundation Establishment at age five, and was known as the peerless prodigy of the Eastern Wastelands!"

"Holy crap! It's actually him?!"

Hearing this, the crowd suddenly remembered that there indeed used to be such a figure in the Eastern Wastelands. However, he had been like a flash in the pan, fading into obscurity and quickly disappearing from the public eye.

"Didn't he become crippled? Why is he here?"

"Hey! I just saw him earlier. When climbing the three thousand steps, whoosh! He just walked right past me. That guy wasn't even panting."

"Didn't you hear what that eldest senior brother said?"

"Snatching the Azure Lotus Heavenly Flame from Mu Yunxi, Wu Tianxing, and Medusa! Is this guy even human?"

As soon as this was said, the entire audience was shocked.

That's right!

This person was at most at the Foundation Establishment stage, while the names Su Xiao just rattled off were at least Soul Formation grand cultivators. What kind of master could snatch the Azure Lotus Heavenly Flame from their hands?

For a moment, the crowd's gazes toward Ye Shu carried a bit more awe and reverence.

No matter what methods he used, he was a powerhouse.

Listening to the whispers in the plaza, Su Xiao squinted pleasantly, feeling incredibly happy inside.

This was more like it. This was the normal trope.

Mockery, shock, counter-kill!

This whole process, like adding scallions to fish pieces, was as simple as eating and drinking.

Next, all that was needed was for the male lead to get possessed by a ghost!

Then punch him flying with one fist, and this scene would be pretty much perfectly completed. He could go back to sleeping in nicely.

Come on!

Pull out your big weapon and ruthlessly pity me!

But glancing at Ye Shu's face, he felt unsure again.

Why did this guy have an expressionless face again?

"No, logically shouldn't you fly into a rage, furiously summon the grandpa in the ring to possess you, and then punch me flying?

What's with this completely nonchalant expression?

What's with that look like you're staring at a fucking idiot?

You're making me look like a clown here."

Ye Shu stood in place, quietly watching him.

He remained expressionless throughout.

"Kid, you're being insulted like this and you're not angry at all? Truly useless." Just then, a childish, milky voice suddenly rang in his ear.

It was Medusa speaking.

"Why are you awake?" Ye Shu was stunned.

"Hmph, hearing you get scolded, of course this King had to come out and listen, and mock you while I'm at it. After all, this King's happiness is built upon your suffering."

"You can really endure it, not even making a move after being cursed at like this."

Medusa mocked in a low voice.

"Must one strike back just because they are scolded? Must one get angry just because they are scolded? Must one fight to the death just because they suffer an insult?"

Ye Shu's expression didn't change.

"If a person's state of mind is like a lake where a random fallen leaf can cause ripples, then how can they talk about having a Dao heart?"

"A king kills when insulted to consolidate power."

"A king remains unmoving when insulted to bestow grace."

"When you clearly recognize your position and realize what you want, you will understand what to do and what not to do."

"You guy..."

Her mockery didn't gain any advantage; instead, she was taught a lesson.

Medusa felt a bit displeased inside, but she had to admit that what he said made sense.

On the other side, Su Xiao was almost crying from anxiety.

Damn it!

Why didn't the male lead react? Was he stuck loading?

Just as he was hesitating whether to run through the routine again, Ye Shu finally raised his head and asked,

"Are you the Sect Master?"

Su Xiao froze, answering subconsciously, "No."

"Then are you a Peak Master?"

"No."

"Then are you an Elder?"

"No."

"Then are you a Deacon?"

"No."

"Do you hold any official position in the Qingxuan Sect?"

"No."

"But I am the Chief Disciple of Zixiao Peak!" Su Xiao put his hands on his hips, nose pointing to the sky, and said proudly.

"Oh~"

Ye Shu nodded in sudden realization. Then, he pulled a piece of bristlegrass out from his pants, held it in his mouth, smiled faintly, patted him gently on the shoulder, and walked past him.

"So you're just a little nobody."

"A l-little nobody?"

Su Xiao stood frozen in place, somewhat at a loss for what to do.

Seriously, why wasn't this male lead following the usual tropes?

Meanwhile, not far away, Qin Ke'er suddenly noticed that Lu Qinghuan, who had just been standing beside her, was gone.

The next second—

"Halt! Did I say you could leave?"

A crisp shout rang out behind Ye Shu. He paused his steps and subconsciously turned his head.

He saw a woman dressed in white standing behind him, her delicate brows furrowed and her eyes icy cold.

It was none other than Lu Qinghuan.

"Junior Sister? What are you doing here?"

Su Xiao was completely dumbfounded. Wait, this wasn't in the script! It wasn't even time for her to make an appearance yet, so why was she running out here to steal the spotlight? Could she just behave?

"Eldest Senior Brother, this guy offended you and doesn't know what's good for him. I will teach him a lesson on your behalf!"

Looking at Lu Qinghuan's serious expression, Su Xiao was stunned.

Seriously, sis?

Who was offending who right now?

Did you practice your sword arts so much that you fried your own brain?

I act like a moron and do these completely illogical, brain-dead things because I have a System quest that gives me rewards upon completion.

What is your excuse for acting like a moron?

Is your brain actually broken?

He couldn't make sense of it for the life of him, nor could he fathom why Lu Qinghuan was suddenly acting so crazy.

Could it be that everyone on their Peak was a villain?

That shouldn't be the case! Other than him, they were all female leads!

Just as he was struggling to comprehend the situation...

Clang!

Lu Qinghuan drew her sword from its sheath, the blade blooming with a radiant glow!

And then—Bam!

Ye Shu's figure suddenly vanished from his original spot. He appeared right in front of her, and before she even had time to react...

He lashed out with a kick!

This kick contained the power of three hundred formations, having been charged up for quite some time.

It landed squarely on Lu Qinghuan's lower abdomen, kicking her so hard that her eyes bulged out. Her body bowed like a shrimp as she was sent flying backward. She rolled across the ground a few times, her hands tucked behind her back, her life or death unknown.

And right at this moment, while everyone was still reeling in shock...

"Caw, caw—"

A cry suddenly echoed from the horizon.

A completely white-feathered immortal crane flew over. It landed on a branch, spread its bright white wings, and announced in a loud voice:

"The Disciple Acceptance Ceremony! Begins!"