"Ugh… My head is splitting!"
Wang Hao massaged his throbbing temples, unable to remember for the life of him how many bottles of beer had been forced down his throat the night before.
"Huh… Wait a minute, where the hell am I!?"
When Wang Hao pried open his bleary, sleep-crusted eyes, what met his gaze was not the familiar confines of his bedroom, but a laboratory stocked with an array of chemical apparatus—test tubes, alcohol lamps, graduated beakers, and more.
"Am I dreaming!?"
Wang Hao stared around in a daze, his mind reeling. He'd been out drinking with a handful of colleagues the night before—surely those bastards wouldn't have gone so far as to dump him in some random laboratory?
Could it be that those men, consumed by jealousy over his better looks and superior professional competence, had nursed a grudge so deep they planned to dissect him!?
"What the…?"
When his gaze fell on his own hands, his brain short-circuited completely. They were not only far smaller than he remembered, but also unnaturally pale and delicate, nearly indistinguishable from a woman's.
"Ugh…"
All at once, a flood of foreign memories came crashing into his mind, a searing white-hot pain that had him breaking out in a cold sweat instantly.
As the two sets of memories tangled and merged into one, Wang Hao was left utterly dumbfounded.
He'd transmigrated!?
He'd actually transmigrated!
This world was vastly different from the one he'd left behind. While it too boasted high-technology creations, they were advanced beyond his wildest imagination—interstellar travel here was as commonplace and unremarkable as riding a train back in his old world.
Most inconceivable of all, this world possessed a complete and sophisticated cultivation system, where feats like shattering stars with a single fist and treading across the myriad heavens were not mere fantasy, but tangible, achievable reality.
Yet with this cultivation system came an ironclad social order: the strong reigned supreme. It was a realm ruled by the nobility, where commoners had no choice but to submit unconditionally.
"Ding Dong. The Grand Villain System has been successfully activated. Commencing distribution of the Novice Gift Pack." A cold, mechanical voice reverberated deep within Wang Hao's mind.
"A system? A Novice Gift Pack!?"
Wang Hao froze for a split second, before sheer, overwhelming euphoria washed over him. A system! The ultimate golden cheat code for any transmigrator!
He truly was the man blessed—no, favored by the heavens, a man fated to stand atop the pinnacle of the entire universe.
"Wait a minute—what did this system call itself? The Grand Villain System!?" As Wang Hao snapped back to his senses, a heavy, foreboding sense of dread settled in the pit of his stomach.
"Whatever it's called, I'll check out the Novice Gift Pack first." Wang Hao shook his head, called out to the system within his mind, and unlocked the Novice Gift Pack.
"Ding Dong. Congratulations to the Host for obtaining 1x Skill Upgrade Card (Peak Perfection)."
"Ding Dong. Congratulations to the Host for obtaining 1x Grade 1 Potential Elixir."
"Ding Dong. Congratulations to the Host for obtaining the Martial Glory Heavenly Demon Art."
"Ding Dong. Congratulations to the Host for obtaining 1x Resurrection Coin."
Listening to the glorious chimes ringing in his ears, Wang Hao's face split into a wide, ear-to-ear grin. This Novice Gift Pack was absolutely stacked!
As he tapped open the details of his newly acquired items, Wang Hao drew in a sharp, stunned breath. The contents were beyond lavish, beyond anything he could have ever imagined.
Skill Upgrade Card (Peak Perfection): Upon use, instantly elevates one of the Host's martial arts to the state of Peak Perfection.
Grade 1 Potential Elixir: When consumed, unlocks the latent potential within the Host's body, enabling rapid breakthroughs in cultivation without any side effects or risk of destabilizing one's foundational base.
Martial Glory Heavenly Demon Art: A peerless divine art forged jointly by eighteen gods and demons, boasting unparalleled and wondrous effects.
Resurrection Coin: Activates automatically upon the Host's death, reviving them to full health. Grants an additional Deity Possession buff for ten full days, during which the Host shall slay any god that stands in their way, and any buddha that dares to block their path.
After reading through the descriptions, Wang Hao was left speechless. The very first item, the Skill Upgrade Card, alone was enough to drive him wild with excitement.
You must understand, martial arts are the core means of attack for a cultivator, divided into four distinct realms: Initial Mastery, Complete Proficiency, Peak Perfection, and Unrestrained Perfection.
Reaching Initial Mastery was effortless—all it took was mimicking the forms and gaining basic proficiency.
Yet to attain Complete Proficiency, it was impossible without dedicating countless hours of diligent, focused practice.
As for Peak Perfection, it required not only relentless, day-and-night cultivation, but also extraordinary natural talent to master. Yet now, with a single tap of this upgrade card, he could reach that very state in an instant. It was unfathomably easy.
And Unrestrained Perfection? That was a realm only attainable by legendary grandmasters, utterly out of reach without decades of relentless polishing, arduous ascetic cultivation, and tireless drilling.
But among the four novice items, the one that filled Wang Hao with the most frenzied excitement was the Resurrection Coin. Not only would it bring him back from the brink of death, but it would also grant him Deity Possession, allowing him to rampage unchecked and lay waste to all who opposed him. What was even more terrifying was that the effect lasted for ten full days.
It made Wang Hao want nothing more than to storm out right this second, roar at the top of his lungs, and yell, "Who the hell dares to take a swing at me!?"
"Calm down, calm down…"
Wang Hao forced his racing heart to steady. This was no time to get swept up in excitement; he needed to figure out what exactly this Grand Villain System was all about.
"Host, what is your understanding of a villain?" the system inquired.
Wang Hao pondered for a moment, then spoke in a low, measured tone: "To put it plainly, there is no inherent difference between the so-called righteous and the villainous. Everything they do is in pursuit of a better means of survival. The only distinction is that the ideals of the righteous are embraced by the masses, while those of the villain are only recognized by a select few."
"Truly worthy of being the Host I scoured thousands of galaxies to find. Your insight cuts straight to the heart of the matter." The system sounded thoroughly pleased. "The purpose of the Grand Villain System is to mold the Host into a figure reviled and misunderstood by the world: a beast in noble clothing that men will strike down, a ferocious fiend that all will fear, a charming libertine that many will revile, a cunning old schemer that all will hate, a sanctimonious hypocrite that the masses will trust… a figure spurned and condemned by the entire world."
For the next several minutes, a deathly silence hung heavy over the laboratory…
"Are you fucking kidding me!? I was a model kindergarten student with a wall full of Little Red Flowers! I'm the perfect child every parent wishes for, the model student every teacher praises, the 24-karat ideal boyfriend that every woman adores! I've built my entire life on my good looks, and with a little effort, I could go down in history as a legend! And you want me to go down in infamy instead? Do you think I don't care about my reputation!?"
The system fell silent. As if it didn't know exactly what kind of man he was. If Wang Hao was really half as upstanding as he claimed, the system would never have chosen him in the first place.
"Uh, well… I guess, maybe it's worth a second thought…"
Wang Hao's tone did a complete 180, as he stared at the exchange interface that had suddenly appeared before his eyes, unable to stop himself from swallowing hard.
The Wildlands Bible, God-Tier. Upon reaching full mastery, a single punch can annihilate an entire galaxy. Price: 100… Villain Points;
Deity Battle Mech, God-Tier. When equipped, a single cannon blast can annihilate an entire nebula system. Price: 100… Villain Points;
Stellar Chain Shackles, God-Tier. Once mastered, can bind any being in the entire universe at the wielder's will. Price: 100… Villain Points;
Yin-Yang World Brush, God-Tier. Once mastered, inscribing a foe's name can raise the dead and strike down the living. Price: 100… Villain Points;
…
Staring at the prices listed, Wang Hao stared in a daze. He had no idea what the endless string of zeros meant, nor what exactly these Villain Points entailed.
But in his heart, he knew with absolute certainty that as long as his resolve was strong enough—strong enough to step out the door and be pelted with rotten eggs every day—these treasures would all be his sooner or later.
"Sigh. If the world is determined to misunderstand me, then I have no choice but to save the world all on my own." A sacred light flickered in Wang Hao's eyes, as a classic saying echoed in his mind: When Heaven is about to place a great responsibility on a man, it first tests his resolve, works his muscles and bones, starves his body and flesh…
The system was thoroughly pleased. Truly worthy of the Host it had hand-picked from across the cosmos. In the blink of an eye, he'd already wrapped himself in a cloak of self-righteousness. The thickness of his skin was truly unmatched in the entire universe…