This Villain Ch.205

Chapter 205: Protagonist Treatment

Yu Guang had been at the Divine Academy for a week and had quickly established himself as the leader of the Tianchong Class with an unstoppable momentum.

After several days of thoroughly outmatching his peers, his position as “big brother” was unshakable.

At first, when the older students in the Tianchong Class had to admit defeat, they would reluctantly greet him as “big brother” with flushed faces before quickly slipping away.

However, Yu Guang showed no arrogance or pride. His attitude remained calm and friendly, his personality cheerful and approachable; he never mocked them or looked down on them, showing none of the usual awkwardness of young people.

Within just three days, the young men and women of the Tianchong Class, led by Ming and a few others, naturally began gathering around Yu Guang like planets orbiting the sun.

Even Pei Wenjue had to grudgingly admit it, despite his annoyance.

The next time Yu Guang took his younger brother to the dining hall, the tables around them were filled with students from the Tianchong Class.

A large group moved together, lively and boisterous.

The students who had lost their tempers after being beaten up now found that their big brother had no habit of hitting people for no reason. Their courage returned, and they squeezed in with their trays to sit near him.

Yu Guang pushed aside a kid who got too close and reminded them, “Don’t crowd my little brother.”

“Got it, got it! Sorry, didn’t see the youngest here!”

Others helped shove the kid away. “Watch those rough hands! Even the cat can’t stand you!”

The gray-eyed cat perched on Yu Guang’s shoulder gave the noisy crowd a cold look before hopping onto a nearby bench to distance itself.

The teenagers, oblivious to the cat’s disdainful gaze, continued gathering around Yu Guang, bombarding him with questions.

“Big brother, how did you get so strong? It’s amazing!”

“Big brother, I noticed you can handle any weapon! Can you teach us?”

“Big brother, is it true you’ve killed several evil spirits before? And without even using consecrated weapons—how did you do it?”

With people constantly around Yu Guang, even Yu Yin, who was used to hiding in the shadows, ended up in the spotlight.

Fortunately, with his image as a young, mute, and visually impaired boy, hiding behind his radiant big brother, few paid him any special attention, so he didn’t have to interact with others.

Compared to him, the cat often perched on Yu Guang’s shoulder had even more presence.

There was always a mischievous student tempted to pet it.

If it had been the past, these oblivious and unobservant kids would have long been turned into puppets of “Silk Nest.”

Now, with Yu Guang standing in front like an iron fence between wild beasts and people, they were safe.

“Big brother, why did you only join Tianchong Class now?”

“Because the teacher thought I needed to study.”

Everyone sighed in unison. If even their big brother needed to study, then hadn’t they wasted years learning?

At first, they’d thought Yu Guang, coming from an unconventional path, didn’t deserve to join Tianchong Class directly. Now, they felt he was so skilled that he didn’t even need to be here; he could go straight to the Exorcism Bureau.

All the students in Tianchong Class had completed their coursework, and in two or three months, they’d be entering an internship period. Following the process, they would be assigned to branches of the Exorcism Bureau across the regions to face evil spirits.

The teachers had already covered everything they needed to learn, so the remaining time was almost entirely for self-study and practice.

Just over a week after Yu Guang joined, Tianchong Class welcomed a teacher—a rare sight. For the past few days, while Yu Guang had been thoroughly defeating Tianchong Class students, it was as if the teachers had collectively vanished, ignoring the students’ sorry state.

This was because Wang Rongqing had informed them beforehand of her intention to humble these talented yet prideful students a bit.

Now that Yu Guang had successfully completed this task, the teachers reappeared.

This time, Teacher Song came specifically for Yu Guang.

“Yu Guang, it’s been a week since you started. Are you getting comfortable with life here?” Teacher Song asked with a warm and kindly smile.

“I’ve adapted well. The food and lodging are great; thank you for your concern, Teacher!” Yu Guang responded, looking lively after just finishing a warm-up.

“Hahaha, that’s good to hear! And you’re getting along with your classmates?” Teacher Song asked, though he already knew the answer.

“We’re getting along great. These past few days, we’ve all gotten to know each other.”

Some of the students behind Yu Guang still had bruises on their faces.

Pretending not to notice, Teacher Song continued, explaining the reason for his visit: “It’s like this—every student, when first entering the school, pays respect to our founder. Since you joined midway, you’ll need to make up for that now.”

“If it’s convenient, follow me now to pay respects to the founder statues. Let’s see which founder you’re most aligned with; this will also help determine your sect.”

The delay of a week was partly due to this ritual. Yu Guang’s talent was evident to all, and after seeing his impressive performance at the Academy, each of the four sects was eager to claim him as their disciple.

The training grounds on the back mountain and the Shuoxue Building had been quite lively in recent days, as teachers from each sect engaged in intense debates, all hoping to secure him. They finally agreed to let Yu Guang go through the ritual first to see which founder’s spirit might respond to him.

If any founder showed a sign, that would settle it. If not, then the teachers could each try to win him over based on their own merits.

Upon hearing this plan, Wang Rongqing smiled with confidence. There was no question in her mind: Yu Guang had already shown a divine response from their founder, Lingyong Celestial Lord, back in Yangjia Village when he defeated the evil spirit. He was destined to be a disciple of their sect!

The students, unaware of the competition behind the scenes, were excited to hear that Yu Guang would be paying respects to the founders and eagerly followed to watch.

“I still remember when Ban Ying had a strong response from Guiying Celestial Lord—it was the most powerful one in the past decade!”

“And when Ming Yu connected with Chihuo Celestial Lord, it was incredible—his entire hand glowed!”

Of the thirty students in Tianchong Class, more than half had received responses when they first paid respects to the founders, with varying levels of intensity.

The Academy held many statues of the founders, but the most formal place for students to honor them was the Reverence Hall, where the statues were arranged with solemnity and surrounded by offerings of fresh flowers and fruits.

The statues of the founders were placed in the directions of southeast, southwest, northwest, and northeast. Teachers from different sects, including Wang Rongqing, had also gathered there.

Wang Rongqing, standing at the front, cast a subtle glance toward Yu Yin in the corner before settling her gaze on Yu Guang with a look of satisfaction.

“Since you’re here, begin by offering incense to Lingyong Celestial Lord.”

The other teachers maintained respectful expressions but secretly cursed Wang Rongqing’s slyness.

Following instructions, Yu Guang took the incense and bowed to the founder.

Lingyong Celestial Lord, the northern founder, was a towering female warrior clad in armor, with a determined gaze that looked straight ahead and a fierce beast at her feet.

As Yu Guang offered the incense, a brilliant layer of golden light suddenly enveloped him, causing the Tianchong Class students gathered at the entrance to murmur in awe. The radiance was exceptionally bright—unlike anything seen before.

The nearby teachers, despite their efforts to remain composed, couldn’t hide their astonishment.

Wang Rongqing smiled with satisfaction. As the golden glow around Yu Guang faded, she immediately declared, “You truly share a connection with our founder, Lingyong Celestial Lord—”

“Hold on!” a middle-aged man interjected, “No need to rush. Why not pay respects to all four founders?”

“Indeed, although we come from different sects, we are all one family. Surely our founder, Fude Celestial Lord, would also appreciate this disciple.”

“I think Chihuo Celestial Lord would certainly favor him!” another teacher added.

In the east was Chihuo Celestial Lord, a heroic young man holding a spear, with flames underfoot, exuding a fierce aura.

The southern founder, Guiying Celestial Lord, was a graceful woman bearing a longbow, her expression gentle yet powerful—a blend of strength and beauty.

To the west was Fude Celestial Lord, a round-faced, benevolent figure holding a scroll, radiating a calm and scholarly elegance.

Everyone had just witnessed Yu Guang receive a divine response from one founder, and already his golden light had lit up the hall, leaving everyone wide-eyed and thrilled by this rare phenomenon.

It was unprecedented—divine responses from all four founders!

Over the years, it had become well-known that Chihuo Celestial Lord favored disciples with pure hearts, Guiying Celestial Lord cherished compassion and kindness, Fude Celestial Lord admired intelligence and wisdom, and Lingyong Celestial Lord showed favor to the brave and steadfast.

Though it wasn’t unheard of for someone to receive responses from two founders, to receive them from all four was a first.

Several teachers, their faces flushed, nearly argued right then and there over who would get to claim Yu Guang as their student.

Finally, they managed to reach a consensus: all founders would be honored!

“Ahem, Yu Guang, our four sects are truly one and the same; it doesn’t really matter which founder you honor. We are all family,” one teacher said.

“Yes, our founders have no distinctions. No matter the sect, we are all students of the Divine Academy!” added another.

Yu Guang had no objections and, under the teachers’ delighted gazes, respectfully paid homage to all four founders, becoming the first student of the four sects at Zhuzhou Divine Academy.

…

After leaving the Reverence Hall, he was surrounded by his classmates from Tianchong Class, all of whom were buzzing with excitement as if they had been the ones chosen.

“Big brother, now you’re not just famous in the Academy—other provinces will definitely hear about you! Your name will spread everywhere!” one exclaimed.

“I never thought anyone could receive a response from all four founders. Big brother, you’re incredible!” said another.

“I knew you weren’t ordinary, big brother! No one’s ever done this before, and no one will ever do it again!”

Hearing his younger classmates ramble excitedly, Yu Guang pulled Yu Yin in front of him to shield him from the crowd’s enthusiasm. He, the center of all this attention, seemed calm, unaffected by the excitement around him.

After everyone settled down, someone couldn’t help but ask, “Big brother, aren’t you happy to have received responses from all four founders?”

“To be appreciated is, of course, something to be happy about,” Yu Guang replied in his usual calm tone. “But doesn’t it also serve as a reminder that I now have more responsibility to bear?”

The Tianchong Class students, previously brimming with excitement, quieted down, looking at him with wide eyes, unsure of what to say.

Pei Wenjue pursed his lips and asked, “Isn’t that exhausting, thinking like that?”

“Why complicate simple things? It’s just a matter of doing what I can,” Yu Guang replied.

Yu Guang calmly lifted his little brother, who was walking slowly, onto his shoulder. “Let’s go—it’s getting late. Time for dinner!”

The group, following his lead, quickly decided that maybe there really wasn’t much to fuss over and that eating was indeed more important.

After eating and saying goodbye to his classmates, Yu Guang returned to the secluded little courtyard.

As usual, he tidied up fallen leaves and trained on the setup he had crafted. Normally at this time, Yu Yin would sit by himself, staying far from Yu Guang and sneaking in some laziness whenever possible.

But today, Yu Yin walked up to the training frame himself, and the cat leapt onto the wobbling frame, flicking its tail as it watched Yu Guang.

Gripping the frame, Yu Guang asked, “What’s up? Do you have something on your mind?”

Sweat dripping down his neck, he jumped down, found a twig, and placed it in Yu Yin’s hand. “Didn’t you start learning to write recently? If you can’t say it, just write.”

Yu Yin held the stick and scratched a few characters on the ground.

Yu Guang, hands on his hips, read the words: “Ah, you’re asking why I wasn’t excited today.”

He chuckled twice. “Because something like this has happened before.”

In his previous world, when Yu Guang was still a real teenager, he was just a bit stronger than average and more inclined to meddle in others’ affairs—nothing particularly special.

Then one day, a revered prophet, respected and protected by many, found him and announced that he was a savior destined to lead the righteous in defeating evil in the future.

They said a lot, and everyone looked at him with hopeful eyes.

At the time, he hadn’t felt particularly excited. Scratching his head, he asked if they were joking. When they assured him they weren’t, he simply went back to his studies as usual.

That time, he actually did pretty well on his exam.

Soon after, he was given a prestigious title and charged with the responsibility of monitoring dangerous individuals.

But Yu Guang had his own take on the matter—he firmly believed they were the little brothers he had chosen himself.

Yu Guang’s enjoyment of “playing house” was criticized by some, who felt their savior wasn’t mature enough.

But Yu Guang won them over with his actions.

The prophet later praised him as a natural leader, though Yu Guang had his own view. Rather than a “leader,” he saw himself as more of a “guardian” and genuinely enjoyed that role.

Protecting his family and home brought him joy.

He reached over and ruffled Yu Yin’s hair, mussing up his smooth locks. This mischievous but fragile new little brother was someone he chose as his own family.

Just as he didn’t see Yu Yin as some heavy responsibility, he also wouldn’t view the world’s admiration as a burden. All he knew was that his new family and new home awaited his protection.

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