When the Beautiful, Strong, and Tragic Meets the Unbeatable Protagonist

Lin Ji awakens in a ruined body under a blood-red moon, realizing he has been reborn after spending decades in a void reading the text of his own life story. A literary spirit reveals that he is the tragic villain of the novel Little White Cultivator, destined to become an experience pack for the protagonist Long Aotian. Freed from the plot's control, Lin Ji retains his memories and ruthlessness. He recalls that his family was destroyed years ago by the Qi Ling Sect, who coveted the North Sea Jiao Pearl his father left him. In his previous life, he spent decades seeking revenge, only to fall and become a demon cultivator before his eventual death. Determined to change his fate, he discards the pearl and heads to the Qi Ling Sect, which will later become the prestigious Lingyun Sect.

Lin Ji infiltrates the sect during a moon-viewing gathering and confronts the sect leader. When the leader attempts to deceive him with false virtue, Lin Ji reveals he has poisoned the disciples with arsenic and rat poison. He then uses demonic energy refined from the malice of those present to corrupt the sect leader, who is subsequently struck down by heavenly lightning. Lin Ji crushes the pearl, destroying the treasure that fueled the sect's rise, and vows to prevent the protagonist from benefiting from his family's suffering. Having settled his grudge, he initially plans to live in seclusion, but his path is interrupted when he encounters a young, naive boy named Xiao Bai, who is later revealed to be the protagonist Long Aotian in his youth.

Lin Ji observes Xiao Bai being bullied by disciples of the Peifeng Sect but intervenes only to clear the road, displaying a cold indifference that contrasts with Xiao Bai's radiant friendliness. Later, while traveling in Liuning City, Lin Ji encounters a rat demon and inadvertently draws the attention of Meng Wanqiu, the revered Lingyun Zunzhe and master of the Peifeng Sect. Meng Wanqiu offers Lin Ji a place in his sect, recognizing his exceptional talent. Despite his initial desire to avoid the protagonist and the cultivation world, Lin Ji realizes that staying away from Long Aotian is impossible due to the forces of fate. He decides to enter the Peifeng Sect not to seek peace, but to seize opportunities and dismantle the protagonist's advantages from within.

At the recruitment site, Lin Ji tests as a top-grade heavenly spiritual root, shocking the onlookers. He is immediately targeted by the elders, who compete to take him as a personal disciple. Meng Wanqiu claims Lin Ji, causing visible distress in Xiao Bai, who fears losing his master's favor. However, the conflict is revealed to be an act; Xiao Bai is actually relieved to have someone to share the domestic burdens of their peak. Lin Ji becomes Meng Wanqiu's junior disciple and is paired with Xiao Bai, who is already the master's senior disciple. Lin Ji struggles with his resentment, forced to live alongside the person he despises, while Xiao Bai treats him with genuine warmth and casual familiarity.

As Lin Ji settles into his new life, he observes Xiao Bai's extreme lack of talent and lazy demeanor. The protagonist struggles to light a fire and fails to absorb spiritual energy despite hours of practice, yet he remains cheerful and unbothered. Lin Ji is bewildered by this disparity; in his previous life, Xiao Bai rose to the top through sheer luck and hidden depths. Consumed by bitterness and a desire to control his own destiny, Lin Ji contemplates killing the protagonist. He wonders if destroying the main character would collapse the world or allow him to seize the heavenly favor for himself. Driven by a mix of curiosity and malice, he decides to test the limits of his rebirth, preparing to challenge the very fabric of the story he once read.