Chapter 40 | How Could the Master of All Villains Be Righteous?

“Li Yangtian! The cafeteria had roast chicken today, so I got some for you!”

“Isn't roast chicken on the menu for the inner disciples' cafeteria?”

“Oh, it's fine! Xie Tinglan came with me to fetch it. With that scowl on his face, no one dared to say a word.”

“Go call your sister and Shuangyuan over to eat together! This miserable snow just won't stop falling, so let's have hot pot today.”

“...Oh, okay!”

The next day.

From afar, Wen Li heard Yao Dai's cheerful voice. She was pulling Xie Tinglan along through the snow to play with Li Yangtian once again.

Ever since Wen Li's guidance that day, the two no longer suppressed their feelings of guilt or their budding friendship toward Li Yangtian. They openly accepted these emotions and leaned into them.

【Host, I have to say, Yao Dai and Xie Tinglan's progress bars are looking pretty impressive right now,】 the system, which had previously disagreed with Wen Li's radical teaching methods, said happily.

Wen Li cast a glance before walking away. “Although Yao Dai and Xie Tinglan respect and trust me much more than when we first met, a master is still a master. No matter how good our relationship is, it cannot replace the friendship they need in their youth.”

Going to such lengths to drag them around wasn't just to boost their cultivation; it was also to guide their malleable values and mindsets. In cultivation, the heart was paramount. Once the heart was set, the road ahead would be far more stable.

Not only were they her very first disciples, but they were also the last of the six villains to enter the plot. Yao Dai had wandered destitute since childhood, while Xie Tinglan, as a demon beast, had suffered years of abuse. Crucially, neither had received any guidance early on; they had grown wild and untamed, left to fumble through life alone just to survive.

This forced Wen Li to treat them like young children, offering endless reminders and constant guidance.

Seeing how much effort Wen Li was putting in, the system asked, 【Host, people always say that parents have a special affection for their firstborns. If your six disciples start fighting in the future, who will you help?】

Wen Li gave a quiet scoff at the question. “Have you ever heard the saying?”

【What saying?】

“Disharmony among children is usually due to a lack of virtue in the parents. Besides, we're talking about six emotionally unstable villain brats. I won't help anyone—I'll just grab some popcorn and watch the drama.” She contradicted herself in the very next breath.

【Tsk tsk, I'm actually looking forward to that day. Host, don't forget about the immortal sword you bought on credit last time. You still have three years left to unlock the remaining four villains.】

Wen Li didn't panic at all. “Got it.”

Back then, the trash system had only specified "unlocking" them, not taking them in as disciples. Catching a glimpse of them from afar counted as unlocking them too. Forget three years—three months would be more than enough.

...

“Master, I've finished reading the Beginner's Guide to Array Cultivation you gave me! I understand the Five Elements principles behind drawing arrays now. Let me draw one so you can see if I got it right!”

Wen Li watched as Yao Dai funneled her spiritual energy into the snow and formed hand seals to trace the array pattern. After a burst of frantic effort, she tossed five Low-Grade Spirit Stones into the array eye.

A large circle suddenly appeared on the ground, filled with countless small, interlocking circles that formed an intricate pattern, emitting a brilliant blue light.

Yao Dai held her breath and watched. Just as she was about to throw a rock inside to test it—

“Huh?!”

The light of the array died out. The Five Elements Array that had just begun to slowly activate vanished into thin air.

“Hey! My spirit stones! Spit them back out!” Yao Dai hurried over and slapped the ground, but there was no response, and the spirit stones were gone.

Wen Li shook her head with a headache. She glanced at the silent Xie Tinglan beside her and gestured toward him with her chin.

“Do you know how to do it?”

Xie Tinglan looked up and nodded. Wen Li had given him a copy of that book as well.

“Give it a try.” Wen Li tapped Yao Dai's head. “Watch carefully and see how his technique differs from yours.”

“Oh.”

Xie Tinglan squatted down. With a flicker of his fingertips, he funneled spiritual energy into the snow, calculating and drawing the array pattern from memory and comprehension. After about a minute—

He tossed five Low-Grade Spirit Stones into the array eye.

Boom!

The array flared to life, casting an eerie blue light.

Xie Tinglan threw a rock at it.

Bang! An invisible wall formed in midair, deflecting the rock away.

It was an entry-level low-grade defensive array.

Wen Li's eyes lit up as she pulled the little boy into her arms. “Not bad! You actually managed to draw it!”

“...”

Feeling the warmth of her embrace and her faint fragrance, Xie Tinglan—whose body was perpetually cold—stiffened. He scrambled out of her arms in a hurry, muttering in flustered embarrassment.

“Just talk if you're going to talk! Don't move me around like that—you messed up my hair.”

“Alright, alright, next time I'll avoid your hair.” Knowing all too well his smug, tsundere personality, Wen Li waved her hand and turned to look at the crestfallen Yao Dai.

“Did you see clearly where his execution differed from yours?”

“I saw it.”

Yao Dai pouted. “When he drew the array, he did it in one fluid motion without stopping. His pattern was more precise than mine, his hands didn't shake, and most importantly, his placement of the array eye was spot on.”

Wen Li nodded. At least she wasn't completely dense.

“Now that you know, go fix your mistakes.”

“Okay.”

Sitting inside the pavilion while heavy snow fell outside like goose feathers, Wen Li sipped hot tea and yawned, keeping an eye on the two as they continued studying the array.

Sure enough, babysitting kids was far more exhausting than fighting.

Ten or so days of this carefree lifestyle flew by.

Finally, the Zhaixing Sect's inner disciples competition arrived.

To ensure fairness, the Second Elder required all newly admitted disciples and inner disciples to participate. Early in the morning, nearly the entire sect gathered to watch.

“Wen Li, I inquired about it. Sixty years ago, Zhaixing Sect indeed had an inner disciple named Wan Yinxun. He also entered the Trial Realm back then, but something major went wrong during that run, and disciples from all three sects failed to come out in time. Elders from the three sects joined forces to open the seal and rescue them. Wan Yinxun was brought out safely, but he vanished afterward. Some say he contracted a horrifying illness and might have died outside, while others think he went into hiding under an alias.”

“As for his master, he was Zhou Yan, the former Fifth Elder of Zhaixing Sect. But Zhou Yan died after entering the realm to save his disciple, which opened the door for Zhang Kui to take over as the Fifth Elder later on.”