Pov: Vik
I looked down at Noah, whose face was still burning with a mix of shame and newly ignited anger. Getting crushed by a girl while sitting at the peak of the Soul Formation realm was a level of humiliation that could break most cultivators forever. But seeing the dark, stubborn fire returning to his eyes, I knew he was far from broken.
"Roman," I said, glancing toward my eldest disciple. "Bring him a chair. He looks like he's about to collapse if he stands there any longer."
"Yes, Master," Roman replied respectfully, grabbing a spare metallic chair from the side console and placing it behind Noah.
Noah swallowed hard, bowing his head slightly before taking a seat. Pushpa opened one eye from my shoulder, shifted her weight with a quiet meow, and went right back to sleep, completely unimpressed by the drama unfolding in the room.
I don't know why, but I have a feeling that while looking at Noah, it is the same feeling I got when I accepted Lu Xiaoran, Roman, and Lina. I think I again rescued a villain of destiny.
As I was thinking this system's voice echoed in my mind.
System: "Host, you panic too much. Relax, no one is going to create trouble for you. Even if some chosen ones came, you can just kill them and absorb their luck; you did with Gullnor."
Vik: "System can not simplify it too much. While thinking about how to defeat Lin Chen, we encountered a dragon, a whole fucking true dragon from the immortal world, who eats worlds for snacks. If not for Chakor, who already beaten shit out of him, we wouldn't even be able to stand against him, not to mention that I used Chakor's remains as the last weapon. So, please don't jinx it; I already have enough Villains as my disciples. So, I will just heal this guy and drop him at his destination, then we will go on our own way."
System: "Host, you are again panicking. Please look at the man in question, look at him. I think Noah must have forgotten about Ruby's birthday; that's why he got beaten up so badly."
Vik: "Please, system, don't make up stories; no girl beat a boy so much for just forgetting her birthday."
System: "You don't know anything cause you are single, but people in relationships have fights from time to time."
System kept making excuses, so I ignored its words.
I leaned back in my captain's chair, crossing my legs and resting my chin on my hand. "Alright, Noah. Start from the beginning. Tell me about this Ruby, her sudden rise, and how she managed to strip you of your retainer families. I want to know some general knowledge and geography about the Western Continent before we set foot there."
Noah took a deep, shaky breath, rubbing his hands together as he organized his thoughts.
"Senior... it all started about a year ago," Noah began, his voice tight. "At the time, I was twenty years old, having just reached the peak of the Soul Formation realm. In West Oak City, I was hailed as an unprecedented monster talent. The elders of my seven retainer families—the Vane, Krauss, Thorne, and four other branch houses—constantly surrounded me with praise. They urged me daily to take concubines and preserve the Bloodborn lineage before the 30-year curse took my life."
Lu Xiaoran snorted softly from the side, but a quick glare from Lina made him cover his mouth and pretend to cough.
"I refused them all," Noah continued, a tinge of self-mockery in his tone. "I thought taking multiple wives was beneath me. I wanted true love. And then... I met Ruby. She was an illegitimate child from the weakest branch of the Thorne family. She was shy, timid, and lived a miserable life being bullied by her legitimate siblings. Out of pity and affection, I started visiting her, protecting her, and giving her resources."
"Let me guess," I interjected dryly. "She panicked at first, but slowly accepted your gifts?"
"Yes," Noah admitted, his face flushing slightly. "I thought I was living out a fairytale. She even agreed to be my fiancee; it was just a matter of time before we married each other. But one morning, everything changed. I visited her courtyard, and the moment I saw her eyes, I felt a chill run down my spine. The timid, fearful girl was completely gone. In her place was someone whose gaze was colder than ice, looking at everything around her like it was useless trash."
"Did she get possessed?" Lina asked, her interest piqued as she stepped closer to listen.
"That's what I feared," Noah replied, shaking his head. "I secretly took her to our family's grand ancestral hall and tested her soul with three different ancient arrays. But every single test confirmed it—her body and soul were perfectly merged. There was no foreign spirit possessing her. Yet, her behavior became entirely alien. She spoke of things like 'lower realm trash,' 'plot armor,' and 'reaching the apex of the universe.'"
'System,' I called out internally, a smirk playing on my lips. 'Does this sound familiar to you?'
System: "Host, based on the narrative patterns and behavioral markers, there is a 99.8% probability that the individual named Ruby underwent a soul transmigration or reincarnation event. She likely possesses an ancient memory bank or an external system mechanism similar to standard destiny protagonists."
'A female reincarnator or transmigrator,' I thought, my yellow eyes gleaming with amusement. 'No wonder Noah got dismantled so badly.'
"After that day," Noah continued, his voice heavy with bitterness, "her luck became absurd. She would walk into the dangerous Misty Forest and return an hour later with thousand-year-grade spiritual herbs. She stumbled upon forgotten underground grottos containing high-tier ancient manuals. In less than six months, her cultivation exploded from the 1st level of Qi Refinement all the way to Peak Foundation Establishment!"
"Six months from Qi Refinement to Peak Foundation Establishment?!" Lu Xiaoran gasped, his jaw dropping. "Even with top-tier resources from any prominent family or academy, that speed is ridiculous!"
"It wasn't just her speed," Noah said, his fists clenching on his knees. "She became utterly cold to everyone. Whenever I tried to talk to her or mention our marriage, she looked at me like I was an annoying bug. Driven mad by my frustration and infatuation, I asked her what it would take for her to accept me. She told me she would only consider it if I dissolved the ancient Blood Contract that bound her branch family to the Bloodborn line."
I let out a soft sigh, shaking my head. "And you, blind in love, actually performed the unbinding technique for her."
Noah closed his eyes in deep shame. "Yes... I used our sacred ancestral ritual to sever her bloodline's contract. I thought it would show my sincerity. But the moment the contract broke, she didn't show an ounce of gratitude. Instead, she analyzed the execution of the technique in real-time. Within two weeks, she recreated the unbinding ritual herself!"
"Wait..." Lina raised an eyebrow, her eyes widening. "She copied a secret bloodline technique just by watching you do it once?!"
"She didn't just copy it," Noah rasped out, tears of frustration stinging his eyes. "She refined it! She used rare cultivation manuals she 'found' to bribe the elders of the seven retainer families. One by one, she freed all seven families from our blood contract and won their complete allegiance! The elders who had sworn loyalty to my father for decades suddenly looked at her as if she were a divine goddess descended from the heavens!"
"When I confronted her, enraged that she had stolen my family's legacy, she offered me a duel," Noah said, his voice trembling. "She said if I won, she would do whatever I wanted. But if she won, I had to pack my things and vanish from her sight forever. I was at the peak of Soul Formation... I thought there was no way I could lose to a Foundation Establishment girl."
Noah fell silent for a moment, staring blankly at the floor.
"How did the duel go?" Roman asked quietly, his expression serious.
"It wasn't a duel," Noah whispered, a shudder passing through his shoulders. "It was a complete execution. She didn't just use high-tier spells—she manifested a golden sword domain that sliced through my spatial barriers like paper. Every time I tried to gather Qi for a grand technique, a strange ring on her finger absorbed my energy instantly. She fought with a brutal, terrifying combat intent that defied all logic. She dismantled my cultivation, shattered my pride, and left me bleeding on the arena floor... fair and square."
"After that, I was left crippled, waiting to die. But she did not kill me; she looked down at me like a bug at the roadside, and then it was my retainer families and enemies who wanted to take revenge against me. It was only thanks to some of my old retainers that I was able to escape the Western continent safely. But just before reaching the Northern continent, my luck ran out, and I met Luther; he was a spoiled young master from one of the cities under the control of my retainer family, someone from a mid-tier rich family. I saw him beating a few weak guards, so I taught him a lesson, and at the end I dropped him in a garbage dump. Seeing me here, he decided to take revenge for his humiliation in the past."
The command deck fell into a brief silence. Lu Xiaoran and Lina exchanged shocked glances, while Roman simply stood tall, absorbing the information.
I leaned back, resting my chin on my folded hands as I processed everything. A reincarnated female genius with insane luck, a cheat ring, sword domain mastery, and the ability to turn loyal retainers into her personal army. She had completely stripped Noah of his protagonist-like status and reduced him to a disgraced background character.
"Shit! I found another Villain." I murmured aloud, a genuine, wide grin spreading across my face.
Noah looked up, startled by my reaction. "Senior...?"
"You got played by a master-class transmigrator, Noah," I said, my yellow eyes glowing with a sharp, dangerous light. "She didn't just beat you; she used you as a stepping stone to establish her foothold in the Western Continent."
I stood up from my chair, walking over to the glass viewport. Out in the dark abyssal waters, the submarine glided smoothly forward, cutting through the ocean currents toward our destination.
"Master," Lu Xiaoran stepped forward, his eyes eager. "What are we going to do when we reach the Western Continent?"
"What else?" I replied, turning back to face my disciples and Noah.
Noah stared at me, his breathing shallow as hope and fear warred in his chest. "Senior... do you really think I can face her again? Even if I regain my Soul Formation realm cultivation, her talent is..."
"Talent means nothing if you don't understand the true nature of power," I interrupted calmly. "She relies on her heaven-defying luck and ancient techniques. But you? You're going to learn what real, absolute strength looks like."
I looked at Roman, Lina, and Xiaoran. "Disciples, consider this our main objective for the Western Continent. We'll help Noah reclaim his family honor, clean up those turncoat retainer families, and see just how strong this rising female genius really is."
"Yes, Master!" my three disciples shouted in unison, excitement clear on their faces.
I turned back to the control console, glancing at the map displaying our progress. "System, push the marine turbine engines to maximum speed. Let's see how fast the 'Great White' can take us to the Western Continent."
System: "Understood, Host. Increasing speed to Mach 12. Estimated time of arrival: 14 hours."
As the submarine surged forward, leaving a massive white wake beneath the dark ocean waves, I looked down at Noah, who was holding the soul-soothing token tightly in his hand.
"Get some rest, kid," I said with a light chuckle. "When we land on the Western Continent, your real training begins."