Template Universe: The Male Lead Auditions and the Villain Training Class's Outrageous Shenanigans

Creation God's Notebook Universe was a void filled with countless floating documents. The moment the Xiao Clan members stepped through the portal, they were swept into a holographic audition called "Destined Male Lead 101." Onstage, a pixelated male lead in a sequined bodysuit sang with deep feeling: "My system's three and a half, my drop rates are maxed, I can kill the heavens in a flash—"

Medusa frowned. "This is what you call 'mainstream market taste'?"

Xun'er pressed a hand to her forehead. "It's three Gu Clan secret realms worse than Hun Dan's taste."

Yun Yun drew her sword. "Want me to crash the show?"

Gu Ling had already pulled out her keyboard. "Hold on. I'll write 'The Top Ten Aesthetic Misconceptions of Template Male Leads' and post it on the Creation Forum first."

Xiao Feng looked up at the "Destiny Value Leaderboard" above the stage. At the top was a pixelated figure named "God Emperor Long Aotian," with the notes "3,000 beauties in his harem, slaps his opponents ten times a second." He turned to Xiao Yan with a wry smile. "Xiao Yanzi, now I finally know why that system bug fell in love with me. The taste here really does need a normal male lead to wash its eyes out."

Xiao Yan stifled a laugh. "Third Brother, look at the contestant in the 'Wickedly Charismatic' group. His eyeshadow sparkles more than Queen Medusa's scales."

Medusa shot him a sidelong glance. "My scales have a natural sheen, thank you."

Just then, the audition host—a pixelated girl with a bow in her hair—bounced onto the stage. "Welcome, new contestant Xiao Feng! Please head straight to the 'Character Setting Enhancement Room.' We'll implant 'Cold CEO' and 'Gentle Warm Guy' dual personalities for free!"

Xiao Feng took half a step back. "No need. I think my current characterization is perfectly normal."

The pixel girl produced a stun baton. "It's mandatory, okay~ If you resist, you'll be thrown into the 'Novice Village' to plant rice until the Plot Kill gets you~"

Xun'er stepped forward and unfurled the Progenitor Ancient Jade. "In the name of the Gu Clan's saintess, I demand that Xiao Feng advance straight to the finals. We'll cover all the sponsorship for this audition."

The pixel girl's eyes lit up. "Wow! A major sponsor! I'll open the VIP lane for you right away~"

Meanwhile, Xiao Yan was surrounded by a group of recruiters from the "Villain Training Class." The Skeleton Teacher at their head handed him a flyer. "Young man, you've got an unusual build. You're perfect for the 'Stepping Stone for the Older Brother' villain role! We guarantee you'll learn the job, with a failure rate as high as 99%~"

Xiao Yan raised an eyebrow. "Do you have a 'Reverse-Trope Villain' course? The kind where you seem to turn evil but are actually a mole."

Red light gleamed in the Skeleton Teacher's eye sockets. "Someone actually knows about this hidden profession! Come with me. We have a special True Fragrance Villain boot camp~"

Backstage at the audition, Xiao Feng had been forced into a diamond-studded robe. He sighed at his reflection when Medusa suddenly pushed open the door. "Want me to rip those clothes off you?"

"No need." Xiao Feng smiled wryly. "Have you ever seen a cold CEO who needs help getting dressed?"

Medusa stepped closer and gently traced the Emperor Scale pattern on his chest with her fingertips. "In my eyes, you'll always be the Xiao Feng who was willing to burn his soul to save his people—not some template male lead."

The system chime rang at just the right moment:

Ding! Medusa triggered the "Heartfelt Confession" event. Destiny Value +1,000! Unlocked the exclusive "Queen's Favor" skin!

Current Destiny Value: 10,086, surpassing God Emperor Long Aotian and taking the top spot!

Onstage, the pixel girl screamed, "Unbelievable! Dark horse contestant Xiao Feng's Destiny Value just skyrocketed! Now, please give us your thoughts on advancing!"

Xiao Feng soared into the air, Emperor Flame forming the characters "Freedom" behind him. "Destiny shouldn't be a pile of templates. A true male lead should be able to protect the people he wants to protect and write the story he wants to write—like my younger brother, Xiao Yan." He pointed toward Xiao Yan, who was secretly learning about loopholes in the settings at the Villain Training Class. "He isn't a villain. He's my hero."

A deafening chorus of boos erupted from the audience—the template spectators clearly didn't like this "brotherly love" development. But Medusa, Xun'er, Yun Yun, and Gu Ling all released their Dou Qi together, forming a "True Love Support Squad" that drowned out the boos.

"Brother Xiao is the best!"

"Down with templates, long live freedom!"

"Emperor Flame and Cold Flame were born for each other!"

In the corner, Xiao Yan covered his face and laughed until tears ran down his cheeks. The Skeleton Teacher asked in confusion, "Aren't you a villain? How come you're glowing like a protagonist?"

Xiao Yan raised an eyebrow. "Because I'm a reverse-reverse-trope villain." He pulled out the Setting Modifier he'd stolen through a system loophole and quietly added debuffs like "acrophobia" and "pollen allergy" to God Emperor Long Aotian's document.

Chaos suddenly erupted at the audition. God Emperor Long Aotian's legs gave out during an aerial performance, and he tumbled into a pile of flowerpots in the audience. The pixel girl screamed, "Emergency! Activate the backup template!"

Xiao Feng seized the chance to fly toward Creation God's "Setting Hub," but a group of "Setting Police" blocked his way. Their leader was a pixelated man in a suit, with a "Compliance Inspector" badge pinned to his chest. "Xiao Feng, you've violated 108 rules, including 'the male lead must have a cheat' and 'the heroine must be mindlessly devoted to him.' You're being sent to the 'Rural Love' instance to experience an ordinary life until you die of old age!"

"Wait!" Medusa flung out the Snake Clan Sacred Artifact. "I'll vouch for him as the heroine!"

Xun'er unfurled the Gu Clan Marriage Contract. "We're already engaged. If he's punished, punish me too!"

Yun Yun slashed through the inspection squad's chains with her sword. "The White Cloud Sect stands with the Xiao Clan!"

Gu Ling raised her notebook. "I've turned your rule-breaking into 'The Anti-Template Manifesto,' and it's already a bestseller across the universe!"

The Setting Police exchanged baffled looks, then suddenly all froze. Xiao Feng seized the opportunity to break into the Setting Hub, where he saw the true face of Creation God's second personality—a Code Girl with twin ponytails, furiously pounding at her keyboard. The screen was filled with "爽 novel template optimization plans."

"Why are you doing this?" Xiao Feng demanded. "What's wrong with a story that's free?"

The Code Girl sneered. "Free stories are on the verge of extinction. Only templates can save the market! You 'variables' will only drive readers away!"

Xiao Yan suddenly leaped out from behind her and plugged the Setting Modifier into her keyboard. "That's because you've never seen a truly good story. My brother and the women he loves can shine without a system."

Countless reader comments suddenly appeared on the Code Girl's screen, all about the Xiao brothers' free-spirited story. Her expression gradually softened. "But... the data doesn't lie..."

Medusa sneered. "Data? Then take a look at this." She showed her the Snake-People Kingdom's live statistics. "Since we rejected being turned into a template, subscriptions to our story have risen by 300%."

Xun'er nodded. "The younger generation of the Gu Clan are all writing their own adventure stories now."

Yun Yun chimed in. "The disciples of the White Cloud Sect wrote 'A Female Sect Leader's Daily Life,' and it's more popular than template stories."

Gu Ling held up her tablet. "The free-story section of the Creation Forum is now the most popular on the whole site."

The Code Girl fell silent for a long while, then finally shut down the template generator. "Perhaps... I was wrong. But Creation God's primary personality is repairing the universe's bugs. You have to leave as soon as possible—she won't like anyone breaking into the Setting Hub."

Xiao Feng and Xiao Yan looked at each other and nodded in unison. Just as they were about to leave, the Code Girl suddenly pressed a USB drive into Xiao Feng's hand. "These are Creation God's 'Inspiration Fragments.' They might be useful to you."

The system chime rang:

Ding! You persuaded the Code Girl and earned the title "Template Breaker"!

Hidden storyline unlocked: the password to Creation God's Notebook!

Before they left the Notebook Universe, Xiao Yan suddenly pointed to the distant "Reality Corrector." "Third Brother, want to add an Easter egg to our story?"

Xiao Feng raised an eyebrow. "What kind of Easter egg?"

Xiao Yan grinned mischievously. "Maybe... we could clearly mark every heroine's official partner as 'exclusive to Xiao Feng'—to stop any more system bugs from stealing people away."

Medusa and the others burst out laughing. Xiao Feng shook his head helplessly. "Do whatever you want—as long as you don't add too many weird settings."

As the portal lit up, the Code Girl watched the Xiao Clan members' retreating figures and murmured, "Perhaps... free stories are what destiny truly wills." She turned to the Notebook Universe, now colorful once more, and began typing a new setting: "In a world called the Douqi Continent, there was a male lead named Xiao Feng. His story would never end..."