The first time Shen Li saw a true genius up close, he almost mistook Lin Feng for a sculpture come to life.
Sunlight filtered through the white stone corridor of the Sword Archive Pavilion, casting a halo over the young man who moved like flowing jade. Lin Feng's blue robes rustled softly as he practiced, each sword movement sharp and precise, yet refined with elegance. His breathing was quiet, steady, as though synchronized with the world itself.
"Radiant," Shen Li murmured, watching from the shade of a pillar.
But inside, he didn't feel admiration.He felt opportunity.
In his past life, that same sword radiance had cast a long shadow over Shen Li—one that consumed him. Lin Feng didn't kill him with blades or fists. No. He had crushed Shen Li with smiles, half-truths, and a perfectly crafted illusion of justice.
Shen Li was condemned not by guilt, but by being the perfect scapegoat.A convenient villain to validate a hero.
Now reborn, Shen Li no longer harbored hatred.He harbored plans.
And the System had given him the means to execute them.
To the rest of the sect, Shen Li was still "that mad disciple who got lucky." He walked with a limp, spoke only when spoken to, and often stared into space like a dull stone. Most dismissed him. Some pitied him. A few ridiculed him.
But no one feared him.
And that made him invisible.
He used those quiet days before the Sect's Outer Disciple Tournament to gather information—nothing overt, nothing suspicious. Just stray conversations in the mess hall, overheard gossip in the training grounds, the way certain disciples twitched at Lin Feng's name.
What he found… were cracks.
A girl named Zhao Mai, whose brother was crippled in a "friendly spar" with Lin Feng.A boy named Yuan Hao, who was mysteriously removed from the inner sect promotion list after someone submitted a damning letter.And a girl named Bai Xi—once infatuated with Lin Feng, until he humiliated her in front of dozens of disciples by rejecting her gift of spirit herbs.
Shen Li didn't need allies. He only needed seeds.
The next day, an opportunity presented itself like a gift from the heavens.
Shen Li had been assigned to guide a group of new disciples through the outer forest—a task few wanted. He accepted without protest, playing the part of the humble, limping senior.
Midway through the hike, a second group arrived—led by none other than Lin Feng himself.
He walked at the head of his team, confidence radiating from every step. His sword was strapped to his back, but his demeanor was gentle. To the disciples, he was the perfect senior brother. Reliable. Polished. Safe.
Shen Li stepped forward and bowed low.
"Greetings, Senior Brother Lin."
Lin Feng turned, smiling faintly. "You must be Shen Li, right? I heard about the incident at the Disciplinary Hall. That was unfortunate."
Unfortunate. Shen Li almost chuckled.
Lin Feng's eyes lingered on him for a second too long—polite on the surface, but distant. Pity? Superiority? Or something colder?
Perfect.
He swayed slightly, pretending to stumble. Lin Feng instinctively caught his wrist to steady him.
And that's all Shen Li needed.
A faint wisp of dark energy flowed from Shen Li's skin into Lin Feng's—the System's first seed: a sin brand so subtle, no cultivator would notice unless they looked into their very soul.
The contact lasted only a second.
Shen Li quickly bowed again, flustered. "Thank you, Senior Brother. I've always admired you…"
Lin Feng smiled. "Be careful next time."
But for a brief moment, he rubbed his palm—cold, as if he'd touched running water in winter.
He wouldn't remember it.
But his subconscious would.
That night, in the crumbling shed that served as Shen Li's quarters, he sat cross-legged beneath a roof of broken tiles and moonlight.
System notifications whispered in his mind.
Sin Brand successfully embedded. Emotional tether established.Target: Lin Feng – Subconscious Discomfort Seed Planted.Resulting Effect: Minor doubt will surface under praise. Long-term influence enabled.Reward: Unlocked Skill – "Light Inversion"Effect: Create illusions of righteousness based on observers' expectations.
"I don't need to be good," Shen Li muttered. "I just need them to believe I am."
And Lin Feng? He didn't need to fall today.
He just needed to start slipping.
The next day, Shen Li found Yuan Hao alone in the corner of the library annex.
He didn't say much. Just placed a folded letter beside the young man and walked away.
The note was handwritten, shaky, unsigned.
But the message was clear.
"He bribed the elder. That's how you lost your chance. Not because of merit."
Yuan Hao stared at the letter for a long time.
Later, Shen Li returned to his hut to meditate, his fingers still tingling from the earlier deception.
The System had already updated.
Target: Yuan Hao – Doubt Level: 16%Sin Points Gained: +2Lin Feng Influence: 9.2%
Slow and steady. Doubt crept in like rot beneath polished wood.
And Shen Li was patient.
That evening, Shen Li encountered Su Qingxue again.
She stood near the waterfall, practicing frost techniques alone. Her white robes glowed beneath the moonlight, like a lotus blooming in the mist.
He stopped instinctively.
She turned, surprised. "Shen senior?"
"I was just passing by," he said softly. "Didn't mean to interrupt."
"You're not interrupting," she said with a gentle smile.
He hesitated, then nodded and walked away.
But behind his quiet steps, the System hummed.
Target: Su Qingxue – High Virtue / High ResistanceStage Two Objective Unlocked: Introduce Moral Dissonance.Suggested Method: Construct a scenario where righteousness fails and evil thrives.
Not yet, Shen Li thought. But soon.
He would build the scene. Arrange the roles.
And when Su Qingxue witnessed virtue falter—Her foundation would tremble.
That night, the System displayed new numbers:
Target Influence – Lin Feng: 12.7%Target Influence – Su Qingxue: 8.4%System Remark: "Even the purest lotus wilts when roots rot in poisoned soil."
Shen Li's smile was subtle.
Not wide. Not unhinged.
Just enough to unsettle even the stars.
The play had begun.
And this time, he wasn't the villain of someone else's story.
He was the author.