The Reincarnated Villain Can Break the Fourth Wall!

One month later…

With the ancient map in hand, Su Xiaobai crossed into the feared Thousand Beast Region—a place that supposedly devoured the careless.

He felt no fear.

For him, this so-called "death zone" was just scenery. Tales of savage beasts and endless pits? Overblown nonsense for the faint-hearted.

On his way here, he'd heard unsettling rumors—entire villages wiped out by some mysterious force. Yet, of all people, villagers had been eyeing 'him' as if he were some roaming slaughterer.

Him? Wasting time on pointless massacres?

Brothers, he was already the higher-ups' favorite punching bag; doing that would just be asking for another heavenly opportunity to beat him for no reason.

Ofcourse — Suspicion led to… "misunderstandings."

And misunderstandings left a few poor souls behind him.

As he ventured deeper, he noticed far more travelers than expected. "Someone leaked the news," he muttered, quickly deducing Fairy Lianhua's scheme.

That woman had likely spread rumors of treasure to flood the region with fools, hoping someone else would find it, leaving her to swoop in with Phoenix Hall's resources.

A tidy plan—if you lack vision.

Su Xiaobai had no time for scraps. Armed with the real map, he'd get there first.

The "Thousand Beast Forest" wasn't even a forest, just a range of nine colossal peaks clawing at the heavens. Legends claimed each peak held 'sword intent,' powerful enough to shatter the limits of swordsmanship itself.

Normally, only powerful cultivators ventured here, but today the peaks swarmed with treasure hunters, rogue martial artists, and even mortals, scrambling over rocks and thorns in search of a mythical treasure.

"So many fools," Su Xiaobai muttered, pulling his hood low. "How's a wise soul like me supposed to survive around them?"

These clueless fools didn't realize there were no "grand ruins" here—just a hidden cave, sealed behind a simple trick.

He'd already cracked it: hold the map to a mirror and read the instructions backward.

Satisfied with his head start, he maneuvered through the crowd, a sly smile tugging at his lips.

Just as he cursed the map's creator for such lazy "secrecy," he sneezed.

"Achoo!"

Rubbing his nose irritably, he grumbled, "Who dares curse me?" He brushed it off, his gaze sharpening as he eyed the mountains ahead.

Little did Su Xiaobai know, the map's creator had a trap waiting for those arrogant enough to think themselves clever.

_____

An hour later...

"What the hell?!"

BAM!

"Still… not… opening?!"

Crash! Thud! Thud!

Su Xiaobai staggered back, panting, fists throbbing, sweat trickling down his face as he glared at the enemy before him: a massive, smug-looking boulder blocking the cave entrance.

The hundred-meter slab hadn't so much as chipped, sitting there like some lazy gatekeeper while he threw everything he had at it.

"Is this thing enchanted, or just the most thick-headed rock in the realm?" he growled, hands on his knees as he tried to catch his breath.

The shadows grew longer around him, night inching closer as the sky turned a dim purple. The calls of forest beasts echoed around him—just great. The real predators of the Thousand Beast Forest would soon be waking up, and here he was, defeated by a dumb rock.

"Am I really going to have to sit here and cultivate to Core Formation… just to move this thing?" he muttered, voice filled with frustration, barely able to stand.

In the past month, Su Xiaobai had broken through twice, reaching the 'late' stage of Qi Condensation. His "elemental seed" had evolved into an elemental tree, forming a stable nexus.

In his dantian, the once-small seed of spiritual energy had grown into a tree. Back in the initial stage of Qi Condensation, he'd formed this seed using refined "true Qi," allowing him to channel elemental attacks—though only one at a time.

At the intermediate stage, it sprouted branches, letting him wield multiple elements at once, but with a drawback: the elements clashed, damaging the branches and nearly crippling him.

Now, after further breakthroughs, the seed had fully transformed. The tree's branches were interconnected in a nexus, creating isolated spaces for each element to remain stable. Though it could still overload, it was far more resilient.

The earlier thunderstrike's energy had unconsciously fueled his progress. However, to reach true peak, he'd need to evolve this nexus into a "constellation"—a perfect harmony of isolated elemental zones. But even that would likely not be enough to move this stubborn rock. He would need to form his core, two full realms above where he stood now.

"Sigh…" Su Xiaobai couldn't help but feel deflated. Wouldn't that take ages?

He'd broken through twice to keep up with Xiao Lu, worked tirelessly, and felt a sense of progress—only for this rock to remind him exactly where he stood.

A few hours later…in the midnight!

Poke. Poke.

Su Xiaobai sat slouched on a fallen log by a crackling campfire, jabbing listlessly at a rabbit roasting on a stick.

He'd found the overly cheerful creature hopping around and decided to "adjust its attitude."

For a moment, he even understood the thrill those higher-ups felt, controlling others' fates on a whim.

Now, he sighed, glaring at the rabbit. "Why are you taking so damn long to cook?" he muttered, sounding like he'd aged decades in an instant.

Just then—

Whoosh!

A streak of light burst from his ring, and Xiao Lu appeared, her face flushed with excitement. "Master! I made a breakthrough~!"

Her words echoed with excitment as she took in the scene—a dark, isolated grove under a steep cliff, with her master sitting by a fire like some campfire ghost.

"Breakthrough… oh, nice…" Su Xiaobai replied, utterly unconcerned, giving the rabbit another defeated poke.

Puchi!

Xiao Lu's eyes fell on the skinned rabbit, poked full of holes, roasting unevenly over the fire. She frowned. "Master… what happened? Why do you look so... Sad?"

Su Xiaobai let out a sigh, standing up. "I got tired of waiting for you to show up! Took you long enough... Now, let me see your true Qi."

"Oh," Xiao Lu mumbled, embarrassed. She hadn't realized her breakthrough into the Qi Refinement realm would take an entire day. But finally, she'd done it.

Whoosh!

In her hand, a small sphere of liquid true Qi ignited—a flickering ball of energy, radiating heat like a miniature sun.

"Good. Now, go and break that boulder over there," Su Xiaobai commanded, pointing to the massive rock blocking the cave entrance. "Behind it lies a treasure that could change our lives! Consider this your test!"

"Oh… okay." Nervous but determined, Xiao Lu faced the boulder. Her heart pounded. This would be her first real display of strength.

BAM!

She struck the boulder with all her might, her Qi flaring. Su Xiaobai watched, a wry smile creeping onto his face, fully aware of what was coming.

Almost a hour later…

"Master! You're a sadist!" Xiao Lu huffed, hands throbbing and eyes misting with frustration. She glared at Su Xiaobai, who only grinned back with a smug pat on her head.

"That's your lesson. Etch it into memory," he replied with a smirk.

"You could've just told me the boulder was unbreakable, you know," she muttered, crossing her arms, shooting him a pointed look. "There are other ways to work out frustration..." she mumbled just loud enough for him to catch.

Su Xiaobai paused, interested.

'Other ways?' He looked her over, noting her aura had shifted— Gone was the mortal haze; she now exuded the brilliance of a fresh breakthrough, her spirit and appearance both transformed.

Her face—innocent as a maiden's in her early twenties—combined with that mature feminine's blooming figure created a charm that was hard to ignore.

With that slender waist, delicate features, and skin that glowed as if kissed by sun, she was breathtaking. Was she… hinting at something?

Heat surged, and his heartbeat quickened involuntarily.

Catching sight of his bruised hands, Xiao Lu raised an eyebrow. "Master... you weren't punching that rock all day, were you?"

Su Xiaobai, "…"

He was.

"It's the higher-ups, I tell you. Doesn't matter what I use, they've got it bound to fail." He groaned — How else do you explain it? He hadn't survived this long without becoming the heavens' personal punching bag.

Xiao Lu just smiled, half amused, half sympathetic

She'd misunderstood that "higher-ups" was Su Xiaobai's way of cursing the heavens themselves, though she'd never quite understood his ongoing grudge.

How he was even 'alive' after all this time cursing the heavens was a mystery. The two seemed to have some twisted divine feud.

Sighing, Xiao Lu approached, hips swaying in a way he was sure was entirely unnecessary. His gaze on her chest; the robes framing two tempting mounds seemed to taunt him. She was like a walking Burning Lotus—flaring his desires, testing his resolve at every turn.

With a resigned sigh, he muttered under his breath, "If the heavens don't finish me off, you will."

"Hm?" Xiao Lu knelt before him, carefully applying medicinal paste to his battered knuckles. Her touch was soft, soothingly cool, but her neckline dipped just enough to reveal a tempting peek of soft curves—her "two little rabbits" sneaking a playful wink his way. She made no move to cover it, a faint blush gracing her cheeks as her lips lingered close.

Su Xiaobai's patience wore thin. Trying to keep his mind clear, he groaned, "Can you just… turn it off?"