Does No One Feel Sorry for the Eldest Senior Brother?

Zhong Yinyue, a twenty-five-year-old corporate worker from the modern world, dies after spending a night furiously writing negative reviews for a cultivation novel titled "After Awakening Variant Spiritual Roots, I Ascended to Immortal Emperor." Upon waking, he discovers he has transmigrated into the book, inhabiting the body of Zhong Yinyue, the same-named but obscure and despised Elder of Yuluan Palace at the Tianjue Sect. The original character was a sycophantic minor figure known for bullying those weaker than himself while flattering powerful elders, particularly Elder Gan Yao. The protagonist of the novel, Bai Rendong, is one of Zhong Yinyue's four disciples, treated as a servant and subjected to harsh labor despite having no cultivation aptitude yet.

The story opens with a traumatic event from the original plot: Elder Gan Yao has just sacrificed his own chief senior disciple, Shen Changxue, to a blood array to save another disciple, Dong'er. Shen Changxue had returned from a secret realm empty-handed after his golden core was destroyed, and Gan Yao chose to skin him alive to use his immortal bones as the array's core. This act was justified by the sect as necessary for the greater good, and the protagonist Bai Rendong callously accepted Shen Changxue's death as natural. The real Zhong Yinyue, who had been deeply in love with the gentle and virtuous Shen Changxue in the novel, transmigrated at the exact moment this betrayal occurred, replacing the original soul in the body of the weeping, guilt-ridden elder.

Realizing he is now in the world of the book, Zhong Yinyue rushes to find Shen Changxue, who is still alive at this point in the timeline. He locates Shen Changxue at the Lakeside Pavilion and desperately warns him that he is a character in a story and that his master, Gan Yao, intends to kill and skin him in three years to save the protagonist. Zhong Yinyue reveals his transmigration and his knowledge of the future, urging Shen Changxue to flee. However, Shen Changxue, bound by loyalty to his master and the rigid hierarchy of the sect, cannot simply abandon his post. He listens but remains skeptical, though he acknowledges Zhong Yinyue's changed demeanor and agrees to be vigilant.

Back at Yuluan Palace, Zhong Yinyue begins to reform his relationship with his disciples, treating them with kindness and respect, which confuses and moves them. He also shows compassion to Bai Rendong, providing medicine for his frostbitten hands and ordering an end to the excessive snow-sweeping labor. His behavior marks a stark contrast to the original elder, causing suspicion among the other disciples and elders. During the upcoming Tianjue Grand Ceremony preparations, Elder Gan Yao, angered by Zhong Yinyue's refusal to flatter him, assigns Shen Changxue to assist Zhong Yinyue with the ceremony's organization. This places Shen Changxue directly under Zhong Yinyue's protection, though it also brings him closer to danger.

As Zhong Yinyue and Shen Changxue work together, a tentative trust forms between them. Shen Changxue helps Zhong Yinyue draft the ceremony proposal, noting his poor handwriting and advising him to maintain the elder's public persona to avoid suspicion of soul takeover or demonic possession. Meanwhile, Gan Yao frames Zhong Yinyue by breaking the mountain's barrier and releasing a Thunder Beast, attempting to discredit him further. Zhong Yinyue defeats the beast and repairs the barrier, but is summoned by the Sect Leader. The Sect Leader, aware of the political maneuvering, reprimands Zhong Yinyue for his negligence but ultimately lets him off with a warning, noting Zhong Yinyue's unexpected maturity and seriousness.

The narrative establishes a central conflict between Zhong Yinyue's desire to save Shen Changxue from his predetermined tragic fate and the immutable plot forces of the novel world. Zhong Yinyue must navigate the treacherous politics of the Tianjue Sect, where Elder Gan Yao holds significant power and views Zhong Yinyue as a rival or nuisance. Shen Changxue, though still loyal to his master, begins to harbor doubts after Zhong Yinyue's warnings and his own observations of Gan Yao's behavior. The story sets the stage for a struggle against fate, with Zhong Yinyue using his knowledge of the plot to alter the course of events and protect those he cares about, while Shen Changxue slowly uncovers the darkness hidden beneath the sect's righteous exterior.