The Side Character Who Wins by Doing Nothing

A faint smile touched Xie Ningyuan’s lips as he pointed to the statue’s wine gourd. ”There. I see traces of an array.”

Lu Sangjiu’s eyes instantly lit up. Her gaze burned as she stared at the wine gourd, and she nodded excitedly. ”You’re right! I wonder what kind of treasure is inside?”

Seeing how eager they were to act, the Sword Immortal could no longer maintain his composure.

”Insolence! You two ignorant juniors, don’t even think about coveting my treasure!”

”Hmph, my treasure is meant for my future successor. If you dare make a move, don’t blame me for being merciless!”

Unfortunately, his threats seemed to have little effect on the pair.

Xie Ningyuan picked at his ear. ”What’s all the shouting about? Since you’re a Sword Immortal, your mastery of Rune Arrays must be incredible. Are you really afraid we’ll raid your stash?”

The Sword Immortal was momentarily speechless, then he sneered. ”Of course I’m not afraid. I just can’t bear to see two juniors like you throw your lives away for a moment of greed— Hey, stop, stop! What do you think you’re doing?!”

His threatening tone vanished in an instant, replaced by an angry squawk.

The reason was simple: Lu Sangjiu had already climbed onto the statue’s Flying Sword and was on her tiptoes, peering at the wine gourd.

’Good heavens! One to talk and one to act—these two robbers are perfectly in sync!’

Lu Sangjiu was so close to the statue that his shouting made her cover her ears. She then reached up and slapped the statue on the shoulder.

”What are you yelling about? I heard you say your mastery of Rune Arrays was impressive, so I just wanted to get a closer look, you know, to observe. Don’t be so dramatic!”

Sword Immortal: ”...”

’Really? I don’t buy it.’

’Nice words. Observe my ass! She’s obviously after my treasure!’

He grew angry and sneered, ”So insolent. In that case, I won’t stop you from courting death. Come on, if you have the guts!”

He was surprised they’d even noticed the Array on his wine gourd.

But no matter how powerful they were, inside this Secret Realm, they were only at the Late-stage of Foundation Establishment. It was impossible for them to break his seal. ’Did they really think I’m afraid?’

At his words, Lu Sangjiu hesitated. She tilted her head to look at Xie Ningyuan. ”Ahem... why don’t you give it a try?”

Xie Ningyuan: ”...”

’Could you at least *try* to be a little more subtle when you’re throwing me under the bus?’

The accusation in his eyes was so blatant that Lu Sangjiu actually felt a bit sheepish.

She hopped down from the statue and said to Xie Ningyuan, ”I suddenly feel like maybe we’re being a little too unscrupulous.”

”What if my Third Senior Brother succeeds? We can’t just steal his things, right?”

Before Xie Ningyuan could say anything, the Sword Immortal let out a cold laugh. ”What, scared now? You’ve got some sense after all. Otherwise...”

But before he could finish, he heard Lu Sangjiu continue, ”So let’s just wait a bit. If Third Senior Brother fails, it won’t be too late for us to snatch it then!”

Xie Ningyuan rubbed his chin and nodded in full agreement. ”Sound logic.”

Sword Immortal: ”...”

His voice trembled with anger. ”Damn you... Plotting to steal my things right in front of me! You truly have no regard for me whatsoever!”

”Today, I will teach you two juniors a lesson you won’t forget!”

The moment she heard this, Lu Sangjiu ducked behind Xie Ningyuan. ”He’s about to unleash a powerful attack! You better protect me!”

Xie Ningyuan: ”...”

’I have every reason to believe Lu Sangjiu is secretly hoping this Sword Immortal kills me.’

The Sword Immortal seemed truly enraged now. An immensely powerful Sword Intent instantly condensed on the statue’s wine gourd.

If it hit them, they would be gravely wounded, if not killed outright.

However, the Sword Intent condensed but was not released. The Sword Immortal spoke again, ”If you kneel and beg for mercy now, I might consider letting you off the hook!”

Lu Sangjiu poked Xie Ningyuan’s lower back with a finger. ”Hey, he’s telling you to kneel. Why don’t you do it?”

Xie Ningyuan slapped her finger away. ”If anyone’s kneeling, it’s you. I only kneel to the Buddha, not some stupid rock.”

Seeing that they still showed him no respect even now, the Sword Immortal became enraged. ”You will regret this!”

The Sword Intent fully formed and, with world-destroying momentum, slashed straight toward the two of them!

But the expected scene of them being obliterated into dust never came.

A golden Buddha Seal suddenly appeared before Xie Ningyuan, stopping the incomparably tyrannical Sword Intent dead in its tracks.

The Buddha Seal shattered abruptly as the Sword Intent completely dissipated, but it had done its job.

”What? This is impossible!”

The Sword Immortal’s voice was laced with shock. He couldn’t believe his own attack had been blocked!

The impact forced Xie Ningyuan back two steps. He raised a hand to wipe the blood from the corner of his lips.

Though slightly injured, his voice was full of mockery and provocation when he spoke. ”Little rock, your Sword Intent is pretty weak. Can you even attack again?”

Being called ”little rock,” the Sword Immortal was practically seething. In the sealed stone chamber, they could clearly hear him suck in two sharp breaths.

”Fine. Just fine. I’d like to see if you can keep blocking!”

With that, another Sword Intent condensed and shot toward them!

And once again, a Buddha Seal appeared and blocked it.

This time, however, the Buddha Seal only faded away slowly after the Sword Intent dissipated, rather than shattering.

Evidently, it wasn’t that Xie Ningyuan’s defense had grown stronger, but that his opponent’s attack had grown weaker.

Xie Ningyuan taunted him again. ”Tsk. How is it even weaker than before?”

The Sword Immortal was livid. ”Damn it! I don’t believe your Defense Treasure can be used indefinitely! I will kill you today!”

Another Sword Intent, another block.

This repeated until, after his fifth attack was blocked, the Sword Immortal finally snapped.

”What kind of Defense Treasure is that? Does it not have a cooldown period???”

’This is absurd! Powerful Defense Treasures exist, but I’ve never heard of one that can be used over and over without a break!’

Xie Ningyuan said calmly, ”Oh, it does have a cooldown period. But... who told you I was only using one Defense Treasure?”

As he spoke, he raised a hand. Three identical Buddha Seals, looking as if they were mass-produced, appeared before him.

Then he smiled at the statue. ”I have five more of these Magic Treasures. Would you like to see them?”

Sword Immortal: ”...”

In that moment, Lu Sangjiu could have sworn she heard the sound of his heart shattering.

’She, too, was stunned by the overwhelming aura of wealth radiating from Xie Ningyuan. A wave of jealousy washed over her... Look at him! The Buddha Son of the Ten Thousand Buddha Sect is loaded, of course!’

The Sword Immortal was crushed. He stopped attacking and fell silent, completely demoralized.

Xie Ningyuan waited a moment. Seeing no further movement, he spoke up. ”It seems you can’t attack anymore. In that case, it’s my turn.”

With that, he walked leisurely toward the statue and smiled. ”You’ve used up most of your power in those five attacks. So the Rune Array on your wine gourd... should be easy to undo now, right?”

Sword Immortal: !!!

’He was shocked. He thought he’d suffered enough heartbreak for one day, that nothing could possibly strike a heavier blow... until he heard that.’

’So, they had intentionally provoked me into attacking! It was all to drain my power so they could take my treasure!’