The Male Lead I Wronged Has Blackened

CHAPTER 1: Strategy for a Blackened Male Lead

　　“From this day forward, the Xuan Yang Sect shall cease to exist.”

　　A man dressed in deep black stood proudly before the sprawling ancient buildings, his ridiculously handsome face carrying a look of disdain. His cold voice echoed across the sect, announcing the fate of everyone below.

　　Si Yao stared at the proud, handsome man from afar, feeling her blood surge and nearly faint on the spot.

　　As if sensing her about to lose it, a mechanical voice rang inside her mind:【Warning, the host’s blood pressure is too high. Host, please calm down.】

　　Hearing that, Si Yao felt anything but calm. She wanted to blow this useless system to pieces.

　　Si Yao came from the twenty-first century. She was the unlucky type who could get hit by a car just by walking down the street. After dying, she signed a contract with a system and got bound to the Female Supporting Character Self-Destruct System. Complete three missions and she could be resurrected.

　　Her first mission was to enter a wish-fulfillment fantasy novel and play the vicious cannon-fodder female villain.

　　Si Yao took her job seriously. With her relentless dedication to making trouble, she successfully carved a dark shadow into the male lead’s heart.

　　Which was why she got cornered by the male lead, who returned like a god descending from the heavens, and was forced off a cliff without even a scrap of her body left behind.

　　Thankfully the system pulled a golden cicada escape technique on her behalf, letting her barely survive. Her first mission was considered complete.

　　And now, Si Yao had just received her second mission.

　　“Jiang Shuo! Leave room to spare when dealing with others. Unless you plan to wipe out every last one of us today, my Xuan Yang Sect will fight you to the death even if a single disciple remains!”

　　Before the massive old gate, an elderly man with snow-white hair leaned on a cane. His back was hunched, but his voice was strong as he shouted at the man in black.

　　Behind the old man stood hundreds of seasoned cultivators ready to strike, and over a thousand disciples stood in formation. Their combined pressure filled the air, and a single spark could ignite a full-scale war.

　　The man in black showed not a hint of fear. His thin lips curved into a mocking smile as he lifted his hand. A long sword, pitch black from hilt to tip, appeared in his grasp.

　　He raised the blade slightly. Its edge glinted with a cold, deadly light. At the same time, the once clear blue sky darkened. Clouds swallowed the sun and a chilling wind swept across the battlefield.

　　“Just the likes of you?”

　　His voice carried ice and killing intent.

　　Si Yao was standing among the many disciples facing the man in black.

　　She scanned the situation, and the memories of this world surged into her mind.

　　This was a typical power-fantasy world from the novel “The Proud Sky”. The story followed Jiang Shuo, a bullied inner-sect disciple who rose step by step through sheer determination until he reached the peak of the world.

　　The Xuan Yang Sect was one of the righteous sects in the novel, but despite that, it played the villain role. The reason was simple. The sect’s top disciple, Chu Yi, was in love with the number one beauty of the continent, Yun Xiangxiang. But Yun Xiangxiang only had eyes for Jiang Shuo.

　　Unable to win her heart, Chu Yi shifted all his hatred to Jiang Shuo. He and the Xuan Yang Sect repeatedly used vile tricks against Jiang Shuo, nearly killing him several times. When Jiang Shuo finally returned stronger than ever, he slaughtered the entire Xuan Yang Sect to avenge the past.

　　And Si Yao’s role in this second mission was an inner-sect disciple of the Xuan Yang Sect.

　　Today was the day Jiang Shuo returned in glory to seek revenge.

　　If nothing went wrong, Si Yao would die within the next episode and become one of the many cannon fodder corpses scattered across the battlefield.

　　Naturally, she was displeased. “Wasn’t this supposed to be my second mission? Why am I in the same world again? If Jiang Shuo finds out I’m still alive, won’t I die even worse than last time?”

　　That was right. This was indeed her second mission. After completing the villainess role, she hadn’t been transported to a new world. Her soul remained here, and she was even given a new identity.

　　【System detected that the male lead of this world has blackened due to uncontrollable factors. The plot has deviated. The host’s second mission is to capture the blackened male lead and restore the storyline.】

　　Once the memory transfer ended, the system delivered her new assignment.

　　Si Yao fell silent. She ignored the system buzzing in her head and looked again at the man in black standing proudly before them.

　　Faced with the destruction of their sect, Xuan Yang Sect’s strongest cultivators had all taken the field. They were the sect’s ultimate force, the trump card meant for a last stand. Yet not a single one of them could withstand even three moves from the man in black.

　　The man merely stood there with a lazy air, flicking his hand as if brushing off dust, yet every casual movement sent Xuan Yang Sect’s top cultivators flying hundreds of meters away. His gestures were slow and unhurried, but the cold, bloodthirsty look in his eyes radiated arrogance.

　　Even from a distance, Si Yao could see him clearly.

　　Wasn’t this arrogant jerk the same Jiang Shuo she had tortured in every way imaginable during her last mission as the villainess?

　　They wanted her to capture Jiang Shuo? Seriously?

　　“I thought you were the so-called Female Supporting Character Self-Destruct System. A mission like capturing a blackened male lead shouldn’t even be part of my job description, right?” Si Yao argued, hoping she could bargain her way out of this nightmare.

　　【This is part of my newly expanded services】the system replied calmly.

　　Si Yao: “…”

　　It wasn’t that she didn’t want to work. It was that this job was impossible.

　　She still remembered everything she’d done to Jiang Shuo back then. She had nearly driven him insane. If he saw her now, he’d probably rip her skin off, pull out her tendons, and scatter her remains to the four winds.

　　Besides, Jiang Shuo wasn’t the pitiful little thing he used to be. Trying to capture him now was basically asking to die. Better to lie flat like a salted fish and accept defeat.

　　【If the mission fails, the host’s soul will dissipate in this world.】

Sensing her thoughts, the system delivered this gentle little threat.

　　Si Yao clutched her metaphorical heart. Her voice trembled. “Soul dissipate?”

　　【It means your soul will be completely obliterated】

　　Damn it! Si Yao cursed silently again. If she ever got the chance, she would blow this stupid system to pieces.

　　She really wanted to swear out loud, but the battlefield around her was far too chaotic for leisure.

　　A thunderous explosion suddenly rang out. A surge of powerful energy came out of nowhere, blasting Si Yao and several Xuan Yang Sect disciples several meters through the air.

　　She was struck by the shockwave and tumbled across the ground like a rolling gourd. Scrambling upright, she ducked behind a massive boulder and peered toward the fiercest part of the battle.

　　“Jiang Shuo! You murderous fiend! Heaven will punish you one day!”

　　The sect’s elites had all been defeated, leaving only the elderly Sect Leader struggling to hold his ground. He was moments away from falling.

　　Jiang Shuo paid him no mind. He actually found the old man’s words amusing. Back when Xuan Yang Sect tried to kill him again and again, they never once wondered whether they would be punished by the heavens themselves.

　　Everyone watched as the Xuan Yang Sect’s Sect Leader took a direct palm strike to the chest from Jiang Shuo. He spat out what felt like three whole bowls of blood and was sent flying, crashing straight into the three giant ceremonial jars placed at the sect’s entrance.

　　“Sect Leader!”

　　Disciples in white Daoist robes cried out and rushed over to check on him.

　　Jiang Shuo’s cold, killing intent swept across the trembling crowd. His expression was filled with contempt. His voice lifted slightly at the end as he said, “A bunch of ants.”

　　Si Yao shivered at the sight of the man before her. This was how terrifying Jiang Shuo had become.

　　After defeating the Sect Leader, Jiang Shuo turned around. His handsome brows lifted ever so slightly, but his eyes were icy. He walked slowly toward one of the disciples, every step like the Grim Reaper drawing near.

　　That disciple was none other than Chu Yi, the man who had repeatedly tried to kill Jiang Shuo in the past. Lying on the ground and seeing Jiang Shuo approaching, Chu Yi felt pure terror. He let out a garbled scream and crawled wildly, desperate to escape this living nightmare.

　　Jiang Shuo only let out a quiet laugh. He raised his hand, and Chu Yi was instantly lifted into the air by an invisible force, caught by the throat.

　　“You think someone like you could kill me?” Jiang Shuo looked at him like he was watching a clown perform.

　　Chu Yi hung in mid-air, unable to breathe as Jiang Shuo’s grip tightened around his throat. His cultivation had already been crippled, and his bones shattered beneath Jiang Shuo’s earlier strike. Suspended helplessly, he couldn’t even lift his arms.

　　“You… spare…” Chu Yi struggled to force out a few broken syllables.

　　It did nothing. After a few feeble kicks, his body went limp. Jiang Shuo let out a cold snort and flicked his hand to the right. Chu Yi’s corpse was thrown across the courtyard, slamming against the wall behind Si Yao before sliding to the ground like a dead dog.

　　“Senior Brother!”

　　The disciples of Xuan Yang Sect screamed in grief, eyes red with fury, yet all of them collapsed to their knees in fear.

　　Chu Yi’s dead, unblinking eyes landed directly on Si Yao. Her scalp tingled.

　　Too tragic.

　　Never provoke the male lead.　　

　　Ever.

　　While she sighed at his miserable ending, Si Yao couldn’t help worrying about her own.

　　Trying to capture this cold-blooded demon king, especially after what she had done to him, was practically begging to die.

　　This heartless trash system.

　　With no other choice, Si Yao pressed the glowing icon in her mind that said Accept Main Mission.

　　【Ding】

　　【Mission accepted. Retrieving data】

　　【Main plot deviation: 70 percent. Male lead corruption level: 80 percent. Host charm: 10. Host cultivation: Foundation Establishment. Target’s favorability toward host: -1000】

　　Si Yao: “…”

　　That favorability score was painfully accurate.    

　　Si Yao had no time to worry about the mission. Her starting cultivation was way too weak, and she was completely defenseless in front of Jiang Shuo. Escaping came first. Everything else could wait.

　　The once grand Xuan Yang Sect now lay in ruins, shattered by a few effortless blows from him. Smoke curled through every corner.

　　Si Yao waited for the right moment and prepared to slip away.

　　“Help… help…!”

　　A cry rang out nearby.

　　She turned toward the sound. A boy around fifteen or sixteen lay collapsed on the ground. A stray blast of spiritual force was shooting straight toward him. Terrified, the boy let out a sharp scream.

　　Si Yao couldn’t bear to watch such a young life snuffed out in front of her. She rushed forward, stepping between him and the incoming blast, gathering every drop of spiritual power she had to block it.

　　Jiang Shuo might be monstrous, but this was only leftover force from an attack. She managed to withstand it, although her low cultivation meant she was blasted several meters away.

　　Her body hit the ground so hard her vision nearly went blank. It took a moment before her senses returned. Dust and smoke filled her nose. She clutched her chest with a few coughs and lifted her head.

　　A pair of bloodthirsty black eyes locked onto hers.

　　Only then did she realize where she had landed. She had been thrown right to Jiang Shuo’s feet. He stood tall and cold, his ink-black gaze fixed entirely on her…    

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T/N: Hello everyone! This little project is dedicated to the reader who asked me about Xianxia stories before. And hey, don’t go “what, it's so short!” on me. 🤭🤣

Haha, it’s short for you, but for me as the translator, it’s a whole nightmare arc. 

GLOSSARY AKA TRANSLATOR RANT 🤭:

Cultivation systems vary wildly between different fictional worlds, but the common structure usually goes something like this: Qi Condensation, Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, Nascent Soul, and then higher realms like Immortal or Deity. Each stage often has multiple levels such as early, middle, late, and peak. Some novels go even further with ranks like Golden Immortal, Great Principle Golden Immortal, and the ultimate Sage or Eternal Life Being.

But this novel only mentions a few realms out of the entire cultivation universe:

Qi Condensation, Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, Nascent Soul, half-step Ascension Realm, and Divine Transformation Realm.

So originally, the ML is introduced as someone above the Nascent Soul rank, but below half-step Ascension and Divine Transformation. Then later, the author randomly says he’s at first-stage Nascent Soul. I sat there like… girl, what? 😫

So for the sake of everyone’s sanity (mine and yours), I’ll only fix the cultivation ranks because the author clearly didn’t bother doing her homework. I promise I’m not trying to get whipped by angry readers later. Please spare me.

I’m adjusting the system just enough for it to make sense. I’ll follow the author, as she set the ML as someone above Nascent Soul at the beginning, most likely at the Void Soul level, maybe even at peak. Then he can naturally progress to Ascension Realm later.

This is my simplified, cleaned-up version, based on what the author seems to be trying to write:

Mortal

Body Tempering

Qi Refining

Foundation Establishment

Golden Core

Nascent Soul

Soul Formation (my addition for flow)

Void Soul (my addition to fill the gap)

Body Integration (my addition to fill the gap)

Mahayana (my addition to fill the gap)

Ascension Realm

Divine Transformation Realm

The author only uses three sub-stages for each realm: early, mid, and peak. Since she doesn’t follow any common cultivation template, I need to add four realms rank in later chapter so the story reads more smoothly and so none of us end up needing therapy. 🤣

Why did I choose this novel anyway? Because it’s fun, fast-paced, and delightfully chaotic. It has a few plot holes, but it’s short enough for me to survive.

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Mini Theater:

Author: throws random realms like confetti

Translator: “Not today, you donut!” 😑

 

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