Villains Aren't Stepping Stones!-Chapter 113 - 114: Recruitment

"Well now. It seems interesting things tends to happen when I’m away."

The absolute, terrifying silence that had claimed the frozen battlefield was not merely a lack of sound, but more of a physical weight, a vacuum created by the sudden arrival of a predator that the world itself seemed to recognize.

Shen Haoran stood at the center of the kaleidoscopic ripples of the fading gate, his robes as crisp and clean as if he had never moved, let alone just returned from a collapsing dimension.

The thousands of cultivators—elite disciples, and blood-soaked elders—all stopped mid-breath.

Blades were held in trembling hands, and spells flickered out as every eye turned toward the young man with golden pupils.

The raw, unadulterated Nascent Soul pressure radiating from him now was not a wild, surging flood like Shui Heng’s; it was a deep, silent ocean, terrifying in its stillness.

Haoran didn’t look at the corpses or the frozen blood staining the white permafrost, instead, his gaze traveled upward, locking onto the Shui Heng who was riding their mount.

"I hate noise," Haoran stated, his voice was low, yet it carried over the howling Northern winds like the tolling of a funeral bell. "So scram."

"You—!" Shui Heng’s face twisted as a surge of indignity burned in his chest, making his blue eyes flare with bioluminescent rage.

He was the Sect Master of the Sky Water Sect!

He was the "Strongest in the North"!

To be told to "scram" like a common cur in front of his disciples and his rivals was a humiliation he had never endured in two centuries of life.

However, as he opened his mouth to roar a retort, his gaze flickered to Shangguan Mu’er.

The "Strongest Expert Under the Heavens" was standing three paces behind the youth, her head slightly bowed, her hands clasped in a posture of absolute, shivering deference.

Behind her, that terrifying and silent woman, Qing’er, was already staring at him, as if daring him to make a move.

Shui Heng’s throat went dry, and the words of defiance died, replaced by a cold, leaden lump of terror.

He knew that one wrong syllable would not just result in his own swift death, but the total, absolute annihilation of the Sky Water Sect.

He couldn’t afford to gamble with the lives of thousands!

But... the greed and the cost! They had already launched the ambush, and had completely offended the Ice God Palace beyond repair.

Some of his most talented inner-sect disciples lay dead in the snow, and two of his elders were clutching missing limbs, their foundations permanently damaged. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

If they retreated now, after all that blood and effort, everything would be in vain.

The Sky Water Sect would be a laughingstock, and they would have gained nothing but a blood-feud.

Yet, as he hesitated, Haoran’s eyes narrowed, the golden light within them sharpening into two lethal points of intent.

"Are you deaf?" Haoran asked. The air around him began to warp, the temperature dropping so sharply that the remaining puddles of water from Shui Heng’s dragon turned to black ice in an instant.

Shui Heng’s fists clenched until his knuckles turned white, his heart was a chaotic mess of resentment and fear.

He felt unreconciled!

Why was the universe like this?

Why did these high-and-mighty "Young Supremes" from the center of the world find such joy in bullying a poor, honest, hardworking regional cultivator like himself?

He had spent two hundred years clawing his way to the top of the North, only to be swatted aside like a bothersome fly.

Finally, the weight of the golden gaze became too much to bear as Shui Heng closed his eyes, his shoulders slumping as if he had aged another century in a single second.

With a voice that sounded like it was being squeezed out of his very soul, he croaked the command.

"Sky Water Sect... ret... retreat. Everyone, disengage. We are going back to the sect. Now!"

The disciples of the Sky Water Sect stared at their leader in absolute shock.

They were winning! They had the numbers!

But seeing the hollow, defeated look on their master’s face, they didn’t dare to argue.

They scrambled toward their mount, the Blue-Scaled Water Dragon letting out a final, submissive whimper as it turned tail and swam back into the clouds.

Within minutes, the once-overwhelming army was nothing but a series of receding dots on the horizon.

The members of the Ice God Palace watched the departure in stunned silence, and one by one, they lowered their weapons, the adrenaline of the battle leaving them as they finally breathed a collective, ragged sigh of relief.

Xue Bing’er was the one who felt the most relieved. Her legs felt weak, her light-blue hair matted with blood that wasn’t hers, but she forced herself to stand tall.

She turned toward Shen Haoran, her silver eyes shimmering with a mix of gratitude and overwhelming curiosity.

"Thank you so much, Young Master," she said, her voice soft but clear.

She bowed deeply—a bow of genuine appreciation.

She didn’t actually know his name, but since she had seen Shangguan Mu’er and the others address him with such title, she followed suit.

Shen Haoran remained silent. He didn’t offer a polite "you’re welcome," nor did he move to help her up.

He simply stared at her, his golden eyes unblinking, as if he were reading the very composition of her soul.

Xue Bing’er tilted her head, her confusion growing by the second.

She remained in her bow for a moment longer before straightening up. She was self-aware enough to know she was a beauty of the highest caliber—the "Goddess of the Frost"—but she wasn’t so shameless or delusional as to think this noble youth, who commanded theinfamous Shangguan Mu’er, was simply fascinated by her face.

She looked at Mu’er, who stood like a silent goddess behind the youth. In terms of beauty, Mu’er was her equal; in terms of temperament and status, Mu’er was her superior.

No matter who you asked, most would choose Shangguan Mu’er.

So why is this young master staring at her with such intensity?

Maybe he is waiting for compensation? she thought. Yes, that is far more likely in the world of cultivators. No one moves for free.

"Young Master," she began again, her tone more businesslike, "our sect is small and located in a desolate region, so we do not possess much in terms of worldly wealth. But as a token of my eternal gratitude for saving my disciples and my legacy, we will try our absolute best to fulfill any request you may have. Name it, and it shall be done."

"Oh?" Haoran finally snapped out of his silent contemplation.

He had been observing the faint aura of her unawakened Snow Wind Sacred Physique, wondering if he should simply extract it here as he had done with Jiang Chen.

But something in the way she had stood her ground against Shui Heng—a refusal to break even when faced with a Nascent Soul expert—caught his interest.

"Then, woman, follow me," he said.

Xue Bing’er blinked, her silver eyes wide. "Huh?"

"I appreciate girls like you," Haoran continued, his voice lacking the usual cold mockery. "A supreme beauty needs more than just beautiful bags of skin to be of any value. They also need to possess an unbending will and a determination that can weather the storm. However, don’t misunderstand my intent. I am not asking you to be my wife, nor am I interested in making you my lover. In all of creation, the women who can be worthy of my genuine affection are few and far between."

He paused, a faint, arrogant smirk touching his lips. "Just stay by my side. Become a follower. One day, with the right tempering, you can become one of my generals, commanding legions in the High Heavens."

This... Xue Bing’er was speechless.

She had expected him to ask for the Saint’s scrolls, or perhaps for the Ice God Palace to become a vassal of the Pagoda, but she never expected a recruitment offer.

Shen Haoran remained silent, his gaze fixed on her, waiting for her reply with the patience of a god.

Eventually, Xue Bing’er lowered her gaze, a look of profound regret on her face as she shook her head. "Apologies, Young Master... I am deeply honored by your offer, but I cannot agree to that request. I am the Sect Master. The Ice God Palace only has me, a peak Golden Core cultivator, to guard its gates and its legacy. If I leave to follow you, my people will be devoured by the likes of Shui Heng within a month. I cannot leave them behind for my own advancement."

"Is that so? A pity," Haoran said.

He didn’t insist, nor did he look angry. To him, the Snow Wind Sacred Physique was indeed extraordinary, a jewel even in the eyes of First Rate Powers in the Tian Yuan Empire, but that was all it was.

Even Qing’er’s physique was at the same level as Xue Bing’er, and in some aspects, especially with how her physique can provide benefits to whoever took her vital yin, she was even more valuable.

So he is not that desperate for her.

Although, if the elders of the Shen branch families were here, they would have started a war just to claim Xue Bing’er as their disciple.

Having a Sacred Physique practically guaranteed that, with enough resources, the practitioner would reach the peak of the Heavenly Saint realm.

With a bit of luck, they might even touch the Supreme Realm.

Of course, even for him, a Sacred Physique is still a chicken rib — not that useful, but a pity to throw away.

So he reached into his storage space and took out a small token etched with the insignia of the Shen Clan and tossed it through the air toward her.

Xue Bing’er caught it instinctively, the metal feeling cold and impossibly heavy in her palm.

"Take it," Haoran commanded. "Once you have digested your inheritance and broken through to the Spirit Ascension Realm, go to the Conferred Pagoda’s central branch. Present that token and demand to ascend to the Upper Realm. Come find me then, when you have the strength to stand in my shadow."

"The... Upper Realm!?" Xue Bing’er stared at the token with wide, trembling eyes.

The Upper Realm was a myth, a fairy tale told to children. To be given a direct path there was a gift more valuable than the Saint’s inheritance itself.

She looked up to thank him again, but the youth was already turning away.

Haoran looked at Qing’er, Shangguan Mu’er, and Ling Luochen.

"Let’s go," Haoran said. "The air in this North is starting to bore me."

Shangguan Mu’er nodded and waved her hand, a phoenix cry sounded as the Phoenix-tailed Red Sparrow that has been hiding somewhere flew towards them.

The group jumped towards the mount and flew away, leaving a stunned Xue Bing’er standing alone in the snow, clutching a golden token that would one day change the fate of her world.