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

The Creation God's Notebook Universe is a void floating with countless documents. No sooner had the Xiao family passed through the portal than they were swept into a holographic talent show titled "Destined Male Lead 101." On stage, a pixelated protagonist in a sequined bodysuit was singing soulfully: "My system is three and a half years old, drop rates maxed out, I can kill the heavens in a flash—"

Medusa frowned deeply: "Is this what you call 'mainstream market appeal'?"

Xun Er held her forehead: "It's three Ancient Clan secret realms worse than Hun Dan's aesthetic sense."

Yun Yun drew her precious sword: "Do you need me to go wreck the stage?"

Gu Ling had already pulled out her keyboard: "Don't rush, I'm writing a piece titled On the Ten Aesthetic Misconceptions of Template Protagonists to post on the Creation Forum."

Xiao Feng looked at the "Destiny Value Leaderboard" above the stage. The top spot was occupied by a pixelated figure named "God Emperor Long Aotian," with a caption reading: "3,000 beauties in the harem, face-slapping speed: 10 times per second." He turned to Xiao Yan with a wry smile: "Xiao Yanzi, I finally understand why the system bugs fell in love with me—the aesthetics here really need a normal protagonist to wash their eyes."

Xiao Yan stifled a laugh: "Third Brother, look at the contestants in the 'Evil and Wild' group. Their eyeshadow is shinier than Queen Medusa's snake scales."

Medusa glanced at him sideways: "My snake scales have a natural luster, thank you very much."

Just then, the talent show host—a pixelated girl wearing a bow tie—bounced onto the stage: "Welcome, new contestant Xiao Feng! Please head to the 'Character Setting Enhancement Room' immediately; we will implant the 'Cold-Blooded CEO' and 'Gentle Warm Man' dual personalities for you for free!"

Xiao Feng took half a step back: "No need, I think my current character setting is quite normal."

The pixelated girl pulled out a stun baton: "This is a mandatory procedure, oh~ If you resist, you'll be thrown into the 'Novice Village' to plant rice until a Plot Kill occurs~"

Xun Er suddenly stepped forward and unfurled the Progenitor Ancient Jade: "In the name of the Gu Clan Saintess, I demand that Xiao Feng be promoted directly to the finals—we will cover all sponsorships for this talent show."

The pixelated girl's eyes lit up: "Wow! A super big sponsor! Opening a VIP channel for you immediately~"

Meanwhile, Xiao Yan was surrounded by recruiters from the "Villain Training Class." The lead Skeleton Teacher handed him a flyer: "Young man, I see you have extraordinary bones; you're perfect for the 'Brother's Stepping Stone' villain role! We guarantee you'll learn it, with a failure rate as high as 99%~"

Xiao Yan raised an eyebrow: "Do you have any 'Anti-Trope Villain' courses? Like the kind that looks corrupted on the surface but is actually an undercover agent?"

The Skeleton Teacher's eye sockets glowed red: "Someone actually knows about this hidden profession! Follow me, we have a specialized 'True Fragrance Villain' intensive class~"

Backstage at the talent show, Xiao Feng was being forced into a diamond-encrusted robe and was sighing at the mirror when Medusa suddenly pushed the door open: "Do you need me to help you tear this outfit off?"

"No need," Xiao Feng smiled bitterly, "Have you ever seen a cold-blooded CEO who needed help getting dressed?"

Medusa walked closer, her fingertips lightly tracing the Emperor Scale pattern on his chest: "In my eyes, you will always be the Xiao Feng who burned his soul to save his clansmen—not some template protagonist."

The system notification chimed at the perfect moment:

Ding! Medusa has triggered the "Sincere Confession" plot, Destiny Value +1000! Unlocked "Queen's Favor" exclusive skin!

Current Destiny Value: 10086, surpassing God Emperor Long Aotian to top the leaderboard!

On stage, the pixelated girl screamed: "Unbelievable! Dark horse contestant Xiao Feng's Destiny Value has exploded! Now, please give your promotion speech!"

Xiao Feng rose into the air, the Emperor Flame condensing into the word "Freedom" behind him: "So-called destiny should not be a pile of templates. A true protagonist should be able to protect those they wish to protect and write the stories they wish to write—for example, my brother, Xiao Yan." He pointed to Xiao Yan in the distance, who was busy stealing setting loopholes in the Villain Training Class. "He is not a villain; he is my hero."

Deafening boos erupted from the audience—the template spectators clearly did not like this "brotherly love" development. But Medusa, Xun Er, Yun Yun, and Gu Ling simultaneously released their Dou Qi, forming a "True Love Support Squad" that actually drowned out the boos.

"Big Brother Xiao is the best!"

"Oppose templates, support freedom!"

"Emperor Flame paired with Cold Fire, a match made in heaven!"

Xiao Yan covered his face in the corner, laughing until he shed tears. The Skeleton Teacher asked in confusion: "Aren't you a villain? Why are you laughing with the radiance of a protagonist?"

Xiao Yan raised an eyebrow: "Because I am—an Anti-Anti-Trope Villain." He pulled out the "Setting Modifier" he had stolen from the system loopholes and quietly added debuffs like "acrophobia" and "pollen allergy" to God Emperor Long Aotian's document.

The talent show scene suddenly fell into chaos. God Emperor Long Aotian's legs went weak while performing at high altitude, and he fell into a pile of flower pots in the audience. The pixelated girl screamed: "Emergency! Activate backup template!"

Xiao Feng seized the opportunity to fly toward the Creation God's "Setting Hub," but was blocked by a group of "Setting Police." The leader was a pixelated person in a suit with a "Compliance Inspector" badge on his chest: "Xiao Feng, you have violated 108 settings, including 'Protagonists must have a golden finger' and 'Heroines must mindlessly fawn over him.' You are now being transported to the 'Rural Love' instance—experience an ordinary life until you die of old age!"

"Wait!" Medusa threw out the Snake Clan Sacred Artifact: "I vouch for him in the name of the heroine!"

Xun Er unfurled the Gu Clan Marriage Contract: "We already have a marriage contract; if you punish him, you punish me too!"

Yun Yun swung her sword, severing the inspector team's chains: "The White Cloud Sect stands with the Xiao family!"

Gu Ling held up her notebook: "I have already written your illegal operations into the Anti-Template White Paper, and it is currently a bestseller across the universe!"

The Setting Police looked at each other in dismay, then collectively crashed. Xiao Feng took the opportunity to break into the Setting Hub and saw the true face of the Creation God's second personality—a Code Girl with twin tails, frantically typing on a keyboard, the screen filled with "Cool Novel Template Optimization Schemes."

"Why are you doing this?" Xiao Feng questioned, "Aren't free stories good?"

The Code Girl scoffed: "Free stories are on the verge of extinction; only templates can save the market! You 'variables' will only cause readers to leave!"

Xiao Yan suddenly jumped out from behind her and inserted the "Setting Modifier" into her keyboard: "That's because you haven't seen a truly good story—like my brother and his heroines, who can shine brightly even without a system."

Countless reader comments suddenly popped up on the Code Girl's screen, all about the free stories of the Xiao brothers. Her expression gradually softened: "But... data doesn't lie..."

Medusa sneered: "Data? Then look at this—" She displayed the real-time data of the Snake-People Kingdom: "Since we rejected template-ization, our story subscription count has risen by 300%."

Xun Er nodded: "The younger generation of the Gu Clan is now creating their own adventure stories."

Yun Yun added: "The disciples of the White Cloud Sect wrote The Daily Life of a Female Sect Master, which is more popular than template novels."

Gu Ling held up her tablet: "The free story section of the Creation Forum has become the number one on the entire site."

The Code Girl was silent for a long time before finally closing the template generator: "Perhaps... I was wrong. But the Creation God's main personality is currently repairing the universe's loopholes; you must leave as soon as possible—she doesn't like people breaking into the Setting Hub."

Xiao Feng and Xiao Yan looked at each other and nodded simultaneously. Just as they were about to leave, the Code Girl suddenly shoved a USB drive into Xiao Feng's hand: "This is the Creation God's 'Fragment of Inspiration'; it might be useful to you."

The system notification chimed:

Ding! Persuaded the Code Girl, obtained the title "Template Breaker"!

Unlocked hidden plot: The password to the Creation God's notebook!

Before leaving the Notebook Universe, Xiao Yan suddenly pointed toward the Reality Corrector in the distance: "Third Brother, should we add an easter egg to our story?"

Xiao Feng raised an eyebrow: "What kind of easter egg?"

Xiao Yan smirked: "For instance... explicitly labeling the official partners of all the heroines as 'Exclusive to Xiao Feng'—just to prevent any future system bugs from snatching them away."

Medusa and the others burst into laughter at his words, while Xiao Feng shook his head helplessly: "Do as you please—just don't add too many strange settings."

As the light of the portal flared, the Code Girl watched the backs of the Xiao family members and whispered: "Perhaps... a free-form story is the true destiny." She turned to look at the now-vibrant Notebook Universe, began tapping on her keyboard, and wrote down a new setting: "In a world known as the Douqi Continent, there was a protagonist named Xiao Feng, and his story would remain forever to be continued..."