After Being Reborn a Hundred Times, I Refused to Be the Villain - Chapter 53:

Chapter 53: The Flying Immortal Sect Holy Son’s Doubts

When the disciples of the Flying Immortal Sect saw Ling Yun and Li Xiaoyun standing beside Qu Feixian, many of them couldn’t help showing a hint of astonishment in their eyes. This was especially true for the Origin Spirit Realm disciples who had just emerged from seclusion—they weren’t aware of the changes Qu Feixian had undergone recently. Even if they had heard rumors, they didn’t take them seriously. After all, Qu Feixian’s arrogant and aloof nature was already deeply ingrained in everyone’s mind.

But now, seeing Qu Feixian personally bringing two people to the Flying Immortal Sect’s area—and even speaking highly of them—left these disciples utterly dumbfounded.

“These two are not simple.” As the current Holy Son of the Flying Immortal Sect and someone who was once seen as a thorn in Qu Feixian’s side, Mo You felt this most keenly.

His cultivation technique granted him deeper perception compared to other Origin Spirit Realm cultivators. He could clearly sense that the aura around Qu Feixian had completely changed from before, and within Li Xiaoyun, he could feel a terrifying, earth-shaking sword intent hidden deep inside.

But the one who puzzled him the most was Ling Yun. He looked far too ordinary, like just another peak Origin Spirit Realm cultivator. Yet that was precisely what made it strange. If Ling Yun were truly ordinary, how could someone so young have reached the peak of the Origin Spirit Realm already? But if he were truly a genius, why did his cultivation seem so average?

If his strength came from a forced empowerment, then why was there no sign of instability in his foundation? Most importantly, if he had only relied on external help to reach this level, how could he have earned Qu Feixian’s respect?

Yes, respect—Mo You could clearly sense that Qu Feixian’s attitude toward Ling Yun was filled with genuine respect. What kind of person would it take to earn Qu Feixian’s respect? Could Qu Feixian’s recent transformation be related to him?

Mo You couldn’t help but grow more cautious toward Ling Yun’s sudden appearance. As the current Holy Son of the Flying Immortal Sect, and with Qu Feixian being the sect’s future Holy Son, he had to be vigilant.

At this moment, Ling Yun and the other two had already arrived at Qu Feixian’s residence.

“I’ve heard many sects have brought out extraordinary geniuses for this competition. Do you know who they are?” Li Xiaoyun asked.

“Indeed, this Ten Sects Grand Competition is going to be very lively. The hidden talents from the other sects go far beyond what we imagined,” Qu Feixian nodded.

A competition of this scale would naturally not be taken lightly by the ten great sects. Each one had gathered intelligence on their rivals well in advance. By now, most participants had detailed information on the top talents from the other sects.

“The Heavenly Dao Sect’s Lin Chuan?” Li Xiaoyun raised his eyebrows as he looked at the document in his hand. He didn’t expect to find the very person he was looking for so quickly.

“I saw that guy earlier. After a short time apart, his strength seems to have increased again,” Qu Feixian said.

“He’s not someone to underestimate. He’s ruthless and full of tricks,” Li Xiaoyun added. Back at the Three Swords Severing Immortal Peak, had it not been for the special nature of the ruin, who knew how many sword cultivators might have died at Lin Chuan’s hands?

“I know. I fought him once before. I’m familiar with what he can do,” Qu Feixian nodded.

Ling Yun was silently reading the intelligence report in his hand and, as expected, came across three familiar names.

“Looks like the three of them made it into the report too, but they’re far less important than they were in previous cycles,” Ling Yun said.

“Isn’t that only natural? Without your resources and fortune, and after being thoroughly beaten by Qu Feixian at the last dual-sect exchange, their evaluation was bound to drop. If you were still around, they might have had another chance to rise, but now that chance is gone. It’ll be very difficult for them to shine in this competition. Especially with so many new and even more advanced geniuses emerging, they seem to have fallen behind,” Yun Xi said.

Soon, Ling Yun found the individuals he had been looking for.

“The Buddha Child of the Thousand Buddha Sect has already condensed a Buddha Heart? And this ‘Little Mister’ from the Scholarly Sea of Books possesses a body of righteous energy that can’t be ignored. The Sword Son of the Divine Sword Sect has a perfectly clear Sword Heart—that’s an astonishing talent.” Ling Yun’s fingers brushed past the three names.

“Buddha Heart, righteous energy, and a crystalline Sword Heart. In past cycles, these three weren’t anywhere near this level at this stage. A Buddha Heart is unwavering in all directions, righteous energy repels evil, and a Sword Heart that’s as clear as glass—if the Soul Devouring Pearl clashes with any of them, it’ll be like hitting solid iron,” Yun Xi commented with a strange expression.

Clearly, these individuals had only reached their current states because the invisible force of fortune had pushed them forward. That’s the power of fortune left behind by a ‘great villain of destiny’—in one sweep, it produced three powerful adversaries for the Child of Destiny, Lin Chuan.

And it wasn’t just these three. The Chief Disciple of the Immortal Mountain possessed an Indestructible Vajra Body, and in terms of physical strength alone, he might be the strongest contender in the competition. The Saintess of the Taiyin Sect had a partially complete Taiyin Constitution. Though not yet perfected, her Taiyin Gang Qi was still astounding. A disciple from the Southern Underworld Sect had incredible light body techniques, ranking first in speed.

These three were also top-tier geniuses. In comparison, the top talents from the Yi Sect and the Myriad Medicine Valley were slightly weaker, but still not to be underestimated. The Yi Sect’s genius had a rare divination talent and wielded a Five Thunder Technique. Getting struck by that wouldn’t be pleasant.

The Myriad Medicine Valley’s genius wasn’t known for combat skills, but she was a true prodigy in alchemy. Her mastery of the Ten Thousand Medicines Scripture was astonishing. Not only did it greatly increase pill success and quality, but it also granted powerful recovery abilities. If drawn into a prolonged battle, the outcome would be hard to predict.

Of course, these were only the geniuses on the surface. Who knew what hidden talents might be lurking behind them—those were beyond the intelligence any sect could gather.

“As expected, under the guidance of the invisible will, this Ten Sects Grand Competition has truly become a battlefield of rising stars and contending heroes.” Ling Yun closed the report with a satisfied smile.

Now it was a question of whether these geniuses could outshine Lin Chuan, the Child of Destiny. Whether the fortune of the great villain would eventually flow into Lin Chuan’s hands was now uncertain.

Then, Ling Yun’s gaze fell on Qu Feixian, and an inexplicable smile appeared in his eyes.