Villain : After Slacking Off, The Protagonist Collapse

Chapter 43 - A Breakthrough!

Chapter 43 - A Breakthrough!

Chapter 43 : A Breakthrough!

Du Guyun’s sudden fall to the ground swiftly silenced the previously noisy atmosphere. Everyone was in a state of shock, unable to believe that the battle ended so abruptly. They had expected Du Guyun to at least put up a fight, but he crumbled instantly upon contact.

Even Yan Ruyu was taken aback by this outcome. She had expected Du Guyun, with his self-proclaimed confidence and ambition to replace Jiang Chen, to have some hidden strengths.

She went all out right from the start, only to find Du Guyun incredibly weak. Her initial thought was that he might have some unique abilities to withstand her attacks.

“I thought he had something exceptional, but it turns out he’s just a clown!” scoffed Yan Ruyu, disappointed. “And he thought he could challenge the Holy Son? Such a delusional dream!” She huffed and left the arena, leaving Du Guyun, who was still out of consciousness, behind.

Nangong Xie, already harboring resentment, didn’t miss the opportunity to mock Du Guyun. The surrounding disciples also regained their senses and started pouring out disdainful comments.

“I knew this Du Guyun was just a clown!”

“Ah, I should have left earlier. I thought I’d witness an earth-shattering battle, but it was just a clown jumping around!”

“Who gave him the confidence to think he could replace the Holy Son?”

“So foolish and arrogant!”

“I thought he was a peerless prodigy making a grand entrance. Turns out, it’s just a clown’s debut. If this gets out, what will become of our Holy Land’s reputation? Good thing this happened within the Holy Land; otherwise, our face would have been lost!”

People always admire the strong. Even the most arrogant behavior is often tolerated if backed by sufficient strength. But without the necessary power, one simply becomes a fool, just like Du Guyun in this situation.

Moments later, Du Guyun regained consciousness, only to jump up and face countless taunts and jeers.

The barrage of insults whitened Du Guyun’s face, his eyes filled with anger. Yet, he dared not retort because he indeed lost, and miserably so. His actions resulted in nothing but notoriety, turning him into a clown in everyone’s eyes.

“Ai, I told you not to do it!” Canglao sighed, a mix of anger and helplessness in his voice.

He had advised Du Guyun against such actions. Even though Du Guyun had become the champion among inner disciples and was destined to be a true disciple in the future, he was still far from matching the status of the Promedial Holy Son.

People of such high standing wouldn’t bother with Du Guyun; there was no benefit in it for them. Whether they won or lost, it would only bring them trouble. Even a clean victory wouldn’t impress others much, as it was expected.

A difficult win would lead others to question the Holy Son and consider Du Guyun formidable. Dominance or victory would greatly impact his prestige. If the higher-ups shared these views, it could spell real trouble.

Most importantly, if Du Guyun were to defeat Jiang Chen again in the future, he could entirely replace him. This was the underlying calculation in Du Guyun’s mind: to use this opportunity to boost his fame within the Holy Land, gaining the attention of both disciples and higher-ups, paving the way for eventually replacing Jiang Chen.

His plan was solid; if Jiang Chen had accepted the challenge, Du Guyun would have won half the battle. A victory would have meant complete triumph, increasing his standing in the Holy Land and gaining many resources.

Unfortunately, the current Jiang Chen was not the same character from the original novel who would react to such provocations. Thus, Du Guyun’s plan utterly failed, worsened by his immediate defeat by Yan Ruyu in their duel.

Du Guyun’s meticulously planned grandstanding backfired, turning him into a laughingstock instead of a hero. He took a deep breath, choosing silence over Cang Lao’s words, seeking solitude, eager to escape from this place.

Following Du Guyun’s departure, Elder Liu declared the end of the Primordial Holy Land’s annual inner sect competition. Though the competition concluded, Du Guyun’s actions became the talk of the entire Primordial Holy Land, branding him as a well-known jester.

—

“Ding, host has successfully slacked off, achieving the Great Master Realm,” a cold notification tone sounded.

Jiang Chen, who had been basking in the sun, suddenly opened his eyes, revealing a trace of joy. It appeared the inner sect competition had come to an end.

Due to his intentional slacking, Jiang Chen had not kept abreast of the competition’s developments, but the event’s uproar was so immense that it echoed throughout the Primordial Holy Land, so he had a general idea of what transpired.

“Yan Ruyu, in the same realm, was actually able to instantly defeat Du Guyun. It seems Yan Ruyu went all out right from the start, not giving Du Guyun a chance to even activate his secret technique!” Jiang Chen surmised.

Post the primordial Yin-Yang Qi baptism, Yan Ruyu’s abilities had progressed leaps and bounds. Especially with the All Pleasure’s Sect’s most powerful secret technique, she ascended to the highest realm, mastering supreme divine arts.

The technique, primarily a soul-based technique, is incredibly powerful, second only to the Emperor Scripture. Without a sufficiently strong soul, one stands no chance against an All Pleasure Sect practitioner. Conversely, a powerful soul could significantly diminish an All Pleasure Sect disciple’s strength.

With the primordial Yin-Yang Qi’s baptism and Jiang Chen’s gift of the Nine Nether Soul Suppressing Seal to her, the combined might unleashed by Yan Ruyu would be unimaginable.

Unless one possesses a soul-protecting saint weapon or inherently possesses a mighty soul, even those several realms higher stand no chance against her. Unaware of Yan Ruyu’s transformation and lacking a soul-protecting saint weapon, Du Guyun, naturally, was overwhelmed and subdued.

“Since that’s the case, let’s break through,” Jiang Chen thought, accepting the reward. Being already close to the Great Master Realm, this reward would undoubtedly break him through into it, possibly even breaking through a few minor realms.

As his decision was made, a tremendous qi surged forth. Instantly, an unmatched aura erupted from Banished Immortal Peak, enveloping the entire Primordial Holy Land and drawing everyone’s attention.

Amidst their bewilderment, Elder Liu’s voice resonated throughout the land, “Congratulations are in order! The Holy Son has stepped into the Great Master Realm! A Great Master under twenty, a rarity through the ages!”