Forced to Be a Villain: Starting With My Brain Extraction System

"Brother, I really didn't betray you that time. It was just… just…"

Somewhere in a remote corner of the forest outside the Divine Cauldron Sect, Wu Kang knelt on the ground, trembling continuously with fear.

He never thought his brother would recover, even after he was crippled. If he knew this would happen, why would he run away then?

"Just what? Do you even have any reliable excuse?"

Wu Zhen looked at his brother with a murderous gaze that held no warmth. Even though Wu Kang was his own brother, he showed not a trace of pity for the trembling figure.

"Brother… you believe in me… a-at that time, that Mo Zhiran was clearly crazy. He dared to do such a thing in front of everyone. Such a madman… i-if I had stayed there…"

Wu Kang avoided his brother's eyes and told the truth in stuttering fragments. In essence, he was scared.

After all, a person who could cripple his brother, the top of the outer sect, could certainly do the same to him. In fact, it would be even easier.

When he saw that Elder Hua did not blame Zhiran or punish him, he panicked and fled the scene. In his fear, he even left the sect.

Unfortunately, to his surprise, his brother came straight after him, stopping his escape. He even seemed to have regained his strength.

"Haha… so you were scared. That's why you betrayed me, huh? Makes sense."

Wu Zhen laughed loudly at Wu Kang's excuse, finding it amusing. His disdain for his so-called brother getting deeper and deeper.

He felt the only reason Mo Zhiran crippled him in the arena was because of what Wu Kang did.

After all, before that event, they did not know each other at all.

But when he was crippled because of him, what did Wu Kang do?

"B-brother, I didn't betray you. I… I was just scared… in fact, I came back to look after you then. I… It's just, you were no longer there."

Wu Kang could feel the endless rage and coldness in his brother's voice, so he lied to gain sympathy.

"Enough…!"

Wu Zhen did not buy the excuse. His eyes grew colder, and his murderous aura spread through the clearing.

"Wu Kang, you are my brother, and I think I never once wronged you… right?" Wu Zhen asked, his eyes as cold as the depths of hell.

"And yet, you dare betray me at such a time? Your own brother? Is your life really worth more than mine?"

Wu Zhen questioned, then suddenly seized Wu Kang by the throat; his eyes burned with rage.

Even though Wu Kang's neck was thick and sturdy, Wu Zhen's iron grip lifted him off the ground as if he weighed nothing.

Despite his cultivation having fallen to the seventh level of Qi Condensation, weirdly, Wu Zhen's killing intent alone froze Wu Kang in place. His aura wrapped around him like chains, crushing any thought of resistance.

"B-Brother… w-what are you doing?"

Wu Kang croaked, his face flushing as his eyes filled with shock and fear. He never imagined his brother would try to take his life like this.

He never thought running away would bring such a punishment. When did Wu Zhen become so ruthless toward him? He did not know.

"Uhkk… b-brother… don't… W-Wu Zhen…"

Feeling the murderous aura deepen and the grip tighten, Wu Kang struggled desperately.

He tried to circulate spiritual energy, calling on his sixth-level Qi Condensation strength to break free and counterattack, but in horror, he found his spiritual energy sealed.

Panic set in. Without cultivation, all he had left was his physical strength, and that was nowhere near enough to break free from his brother's grasp.

"Uhkkk…"

In the end, he could do nothing. He only stared into his brother's cold, demonic eyes as his vision faded and the world blurred into darkness.

Just like that, Wu Kang was dead, killed by his own brother in such a remote place.

"Thud!"

Wu Zhen threw his brother's body to the ground without emotion or remorse. Rather, he suddenly turned and glared toward the Divine Cauldron Sect, his face full of hatred.

"Mo Zhiran, you dared to cripple and humiliate me in front of the entire sect. Just wait… I will kill you with my own hands."

He spoke, releasing a dense, dark aura of death that could make anyone's blood run cold. If someone saw him like this in the forest, they would immediately know his aura was demonic.

Not to mention his realm.

Surprisingly, it had already returned to the peak of Qi Condensation and even showed a faint sign of... breakthrough?

**

"Damn, Royal Wine really lives up to its name… Just a cup, and I still feel a headache even now."

Zhiran mumbled groggily, feeling the hangover slowly subside. He never thought that just a cup of wine could leave him so intoxicated.

'It seems I need to clear my mind regularly while taking this,' Zhiran thought, finally releasing his divine sense and scanning his body thoroughly.

'Hmm… it seems the Royal Wine is really good. It's already helping me condense my spiritual energy.'

Zhiran focused on his dantian, observing the gaseous spiritual energy swirling inside. It was denser, more coherent than before, as if the wine itself had infused his cultivation with a subtle, accelerating force.

In the realm of cultivation, when shifting from Qi Condensation to Foundation Establishment, the gaseous qi in the dantian condenses into a stable, liquid-like foundation, forming the base for all future breakthroughs.

So it was an important stage in a cultivator's life. The best foundation was a perfectly stable, dense, and pure core, able to store vast Qi and serve as an unshakable base for all future cultivation.

After all, it was the base from which a cultivator would later form his Gold Core, Nascent Soul, and beyond.

'Do I… really build my foundation like this?'

Precisely because of its importance, Zhiran felt conflicted. Although he could easily build his foundation and promote to a higher realm, he knew it wasn't necessarily the best choice.

Even though the foundation he built in this life would definitely be better than his previous one, it was nothing compared to a genius's.

He might be able to reach Gold Core like this, but Nascent Soul… or any realm higher than that…

'Sigh… my talent and physique are too poor.'

Although his ambition was great, his talent was just that. Mo Zhiran couldn't deny he felt dejected.

'Forget it… let's not rush. I can just use Royal Wine to condense my Qi further for now.'

No matter what, Zhiran didn't want to form a mediocre foundation.

'Let's leave for that secret realm instead. Since Elder Shuren died carrying that jade with the map, that place shouldn't have been discovered by anyone yet. I can also search for fresh corpses along the way.'

Zhiran decided on his next adventure, as sitting in the sect for one month like a duck would do no good for his strength.

"Knock… Knock…"

"Zhiran, are you there? Come outside."

"Hmm?"

Just as he was about to stand up and prepare to leave the sect, Zhiran suddenly heard a knock on the door.

"Xiao Lan?"

From the voice, he immediately recognized the person. Swiftly, he opened the door and asked curiously,

"Xiao Lan… why are you here so early?"

"You're really here. Were you training?"

Xiao Lan smiled sweetly after seeing him. Then, without letting him answer, she immediately continued,

"Someone from the Affair Hall came just now to notify you that there's news from your clan. I was on my way here, so I thought I'd tell you. Also… didn't you take your communication jade?" she asked, curious.

"Ah… oh, I forgot. Thanks for letting me know," Mo Zhiran replied, a bit stunned.

'News from the clan…? Why suddenly?' he thought, frowning slightly.

In his previous life, there was no such event as far as he could recall.

'Oh… maybe because I was crippled, I didn't get this so-called news.'

Zhiran suddenly understood. At this time in his last life, he was unconscious and bedridden because of Wu Zhen.

How could he have received the news?

"Anyway… Zhiran, what are your plans for today? Do you…Want to go out with me? I have something to do at Azure Flame City."

Seeing Zhiran thinking with narrowed eyes, Xiao Lan suddenly interjected.

Because of Mei Xuan tagging along yesterday, she didn't get to spend much time with Zhiran. Not to mention, because she was unable to bid on anything, her spirit stones were still intact.

So today, she wanted to search the market thoroughly, hoping to find something good. Well, more than that, she just wanted to spend time with this junior who had incredible potential.