When They Finally Realized, I Was Already the Strongest Villain - Chapter 3:

Chapter 3: System Store, In This Life, Master, What Will You Choose?

After flying on his sword for about ten minutes, Gu Han quickly located a hidden cave mostly concealed by overgrown weeds and layers of dirt. Using his spiritual energy, he brushed aside the obstruction and entered through the opening.

Inside, he soon saw a misty, illusion-like pool filled with spiritual energy. This was the Innate Spiritual Pool he had gone through countless hardships to find in his previous life.

He removed his robe and immersed his entire body in the Innate Spiritual Pool, beginning to absorb its power. Only then did Gu Han finally get a chance to open the system panel through his will.

[Ding!]
[Name: Gu Han]
[Title: “Heaven’s Mandated Villain”]
[Title Effect: The protagonist’s special fate and plot-related effects have 80% reduced influence on the host.]
[Age: 18]
[Cultivation Level: 4th stage Spirit Palace Realm]
[Identity: First disciple under the White Silk Peak Master, Wandering Sword Sect]
[Bloodline Physique: Nine-Turn Immortal Source Bone · Initial Awakening (Details unknown, currently unparseable)]
[System Mission: Not yet unlocked. Will automatically activate upon reaching Divine Platform Realm.]
[Villain Points: 2,000]
[Current Status: One random sign-in opportunity available. Sign-in location: Wandering Sword Sect, Demon-Sealing Tower.]

Gu Han stared at the system panel floating before him, momentarily dazed. He hadn’t realized before… he actually possessed a special physique?

Back when he had read Emperor Lord, there wasn’t much description about this cannon fodder villain. Most of the text focused on the protagonist, Ye Qingyun. His own character barely received any detail or exploration.

Now, it seemed there were far more secrets hidden within him than he had imagined.

Still, Gu Han didn’t bother to overthink it. He had already stepped onto a completely different path from his previous life. As for what the future held, he didn’t know.

With another thought, the system store panel unfolded before his eyes. A dazzling array of techniques and items filled his vision.

Weapons:
Moye Sword: 500 Villain Points
Xuan Heavy Ruler: 1,000 Villain Points
…
Demon-Slaying Bloodcry: ??? Villain Points
Soul-Refining Banner: ??? Villain Points
Flame of Delight: ??? Villain Points
…

There were countless types of weapons. He even spotted something called the Pangu Divine Axe, which required over a million points—so high that it was beyond imagination. That was clearly not something he could afford in his current broke state.

The techniques section wasn’t much different.

Blue Silver Bind: 100 Villain Points
Buddha’s Wrath Fire Lotus: 1,000 Villain Points
Great Wilderness Heaven-Imprisoning Finger: 3,000 Villain Points
…

The higher the grade, the more expensive the technique.

He even saw some special techniques like Lieyuan Art, Divine Elephant Prison Suppression Strength, and Three Purities Unified Qi. But these couldn’t be purchased with Villain Points and were marked as… lottery only?

Gu Han’s eyes widened slightly. After double-checking, he confirmed that these required a lottery draw.

There was even a line specifically marked after the options: [Each draw costs 250 Villain Points. Guaranteed to receive one random non-purchasable technique or treasure after 361 draws. Final interpretation rights belong to the system.]

Gu Han frowned slightly. He had a strong feeling that this system had picked up some very questionable habits.

Still, since he was now a villain, there were many ways to collect Villain Points. He didn’t dwell on it.

At worst, he could save more points and purchase items best suited to him. In life, investing in oneself was always the wisest path.

After closing the system panel, Gu Han fully focused on absorbing the power of the Innate Spiritual Pool.

Buzz!

Ripples spread across the surface of the pool as countless threads woven from spiritual energy laws slowly flowed through the pores of his skin and merged into his meridians in an orderly fashion.

The sensation was extremely pleasant, like soaking in a warm spring—gentle and comforting.

About an hour later, Gu Han put his robe back on. His whole body seemed rejuvenated. His skin glowed like divine metal, radiant after absorbing the energy of the Innate Spiritual Pool.

“Not bad. I can clearly feel that my body’s potential has advanced again.”

“Even my cultivation level has improved—I’ve broken through to the 6th stage Spirit Palace Realm.”

Of course, it could also be that, after living multiple lifetimes and experiencing countless ups and downs, his state of mind had become more transparent and calm.

The cultivation bottlenecks and barriers that once seemed insurmountable now appeared increasingly thin and even almost transparent to him.

He even had a vague feeling that he might rarely—or perhaps never—encounter such cultivation obstacles again.

Once he confirmed that the Innate Spiritual Pool had been completely depleted, even if Ye Qingyun somehow got lucky and found this place, he wouldn’t gain a single drop of benefit. Only then did Gu Han leave with satisfaction.

“Right… I wonder what happened to Liu Ruyan and Ye Qingyun. Are they dead yet?”

Gu Han’s lips curled into a faint smile. With his hands clasped behind his back, he strolled leisurely toward the exit while muttering to himself.

“The little junior brother Liu Ruyan risked her life to protect… he’s definitely not as simple as she thinks.”

…

After concealing his presence as much as possible, Gu Han rode his sword again and quietly returned to the previous battlefield.

Looking around, the battlefield was a complete mess.

The land at the center looked as if it had been plowed by some terrifying force, revealing shocking cracks.

Countless trees in the surroundings had been affected—some snapped in half, others ground into powder.

Everything unfolded just as he had expected. The supposedly undefeatable protagonist erupted with unimaginable strength under pressure, likely using a trump card or summoning an old-grandpa-level powerhouse to help.

The demonic beast that was at half-step Unity Realm had vanished. It must have fled.

Gu Han circled the battlefield but couldn’t find the corpses of Liu Ruyan or Ye Qingyun.

As expected, those two must’ve returned to the sect early.

Chances were, his “beloved” little junior sister was already accusing him of abandoning them mid-battle and sentencing fellow disciples to death.

He didn’t care.

Whether he stayed or fled, whether he fought or not, the outcome would’ve been the same.

Messing with Ye Qingyun like this gave him a bit of satisfaction.

Of course, that didn’t mean he’d run away in fear.

After all, he still had to return to the sect to sign in.

Snap!

Gu Han snapped his fingers. A flying sword immediately soared through the air and hovered in front of him.

He leapt up and landed gracefully on the long sword, flying in the direction of the Wandering Sword Sect.

A holy, cold, beautiful woman wearing a snow-white gown suddenly appeared in his mind.

“Ridiculous. You raised me for several years, spent every season at my side…”

“But when it came to trust, you chose to believe someone like Ye Qingyun, who had only been part of the sect for barely two and a half months.”

Thinking back on everything from his past life, Gu Han’s eyes flashed with a mocking chill.

“Master, in this life, what will you choose?”