"When facing a mountain too high to climb, start by breaking its base."
---
The sect bustled with life under the midday sun.
Outer disciples trained in the fields, swinging their swords in endless drills.
Inner disciples gathered around the martial arenas, boasting and sparring.
Elders walked the stone pathways with serene smiles, hiding their ambition behind flowing robes.
The Azure Sky Sect was thriving on the surface.
Only Lin Xian could see the cracks.
He stood quietly among a crowd of other outer disciples, eyes half-closed, pretending to be just another face in the sea of insignificance.
Inside his mind, the Villain System projected floating panels of information across his vision.
---
Target List:
Shen Tuan destiny point 50000
Shen yu destiny point 30000(sister of Shen Tian)
Lin yueer destiny point 35000(holy daughter and love interest of Shen Tian)
Else zhang destiny point 12000
---
"Not time for the big fish yet," Lin Xian thought coldly.
Attacking Shen Tian or Elder Zhang now would be suicide.
But Wu Feng and Elder Han?
They were attainable.
Both greedy.
Both hated by others quietly.
Both within reach — if he planned carefully enough.
---
———
That night, beneath the cracked pavilion, Lin Xian reviewed everything he had learned.
The Azure Sky Sect's structure was simple on the surface but messy beneath:
Outer Sect Disciples: Weak, commoners.
Inner Sect Disciples: Talented, richer backgrounds.
Core Disciples: True geniuses, heirs of major clans.
Elders: Powerhouses overseeing different divisions.
Sect Master: The ultimate authority, rarely seen.
Each layer was riddled with favoritism, secret deals, and suppressed resentment.
A house built on rotting wood.
---
Before taking action, Lin Xian needed to understand one more critical thing:
Cultivation Realms.
He opened the new system menu titled World: Cultivation Pathway.
---
Cultivation Realms (Lower World)
1. Qi Condensation Realm – Refining life energy, strengthening the body.
2. Foundation Establishment Realm – Establishing spiritual roots; step toward true cultivator status.
3. Core Formation Realm – Forming a spiritual core, immense leap in power.
4. Nascent Soul Realm – Birth of a spiritual avatar; split between mortal and immortal path.
5. Soul Transformation Realm – Enhancing the soul; manipulation of spirit and form.
6. Spirit Severing Realm – Cutting mortal attachments; glimpsing true Dao.
7. Void Fusion Realm – Merging body and spirit with the void.
8. Dao Manifestation Realm – Creating personal Dao; semi-divine existence.
9. Heavenly Ascension Realm – Challenging the heavens, breaking mortal limits.
---
Cultivation Realms (Upper World)
(To be introduced later when Lin Xian reaches it.)
(Realms 10–20 are hidden for now.)
---
Lin Xian's current level was Qi Condensation 5th Layer.
Shen Tian was already Core Formation, three full major realms ahead.
An uncrossable gulf for most.
"But not for me," Lin Xian thought.
"Not if I move carefully enough."
---
———
The first target was clear:
Wu Feng — the arrogant inner sect disciple.
He was talented but reckless.
Rumors said he had recently stolen a secret technique from a sect treasury.
More importantly, Wu Feng had been secretly colluding with a minor demonic sect.
If Lin Xian exposed him properly...
It would create a scandal that would ripple through the sect's structure.
And Lin Xian would be there to catch the falling pieces.
---
The plan took three days to set in motion.
Using stolen spirit stones, Lin Xian bribed a minor informant to slip a demonic sect token into Wu Feng's belongings.
Using Villain's Insight, he spread carefully crafted rumors about Wu Feng's recent "strange activities" to key gossip channels among the outer and inner sect.
Finally, under the cover of night, he sent an anonymous letter to Elder Bai, a righteous elder known for his hatred of demonic sects.
By morning, the sect was in chaos.
Wu Feng's quarters were raided.
The demonic sect token was found.
Evidence fabricated by Lin Xian's careful manipulations pointed perfectly toward betrayal.
Wu Feng screamed his innocence until the end.
But in a world where appearances meant everything, even a stain of suspicion was deadly.
He was crippled and expelled from the sect within a day.
---
Second blood.
Second crack.
The disciples watched silently as another bright star fell.
They did not notice Lin Xian, standing among them, expressionless.
Only the faint glint in his black eyes hinted at the silent storm beginning to brew.
---
———
Later that night, the Villain System chimed again.
> [Mission Progress: 7% - Azure Sky Sect Destabilization]
[New Skill Unlocked: Minor Luck Drain]
> Minor Luck Drain:
Absorb a tiny fraction of luck from defeated targets.
Slow passive increase of host's Luck Value.
Lin Xian checked his stats:
> Luck Value: -37 → -25
A small change.
But in this world, even a drop could change a flood's direction.
---
———
Lin Xian moved on to Elder Han next.
The corrupt resource manager was easier to topple.
Careful planting of evidence, a few bribes to Elder Han's competitors, and a "mysterious" report to the Sect Master's aides resulted in Elder Han being placed under investigation.
In a sect where reputation was everything, being suspected of stealing sect resources was a death sentence.
Before Elder Han could clear his name, he was forcibly retired — his position left vacant.
Another seat at the table open...
Another stone taken from the sect's crumbling foundation.
---
Third blood.
Third crack.
---
By now, the inner workings of the Azure Sky Sect were trembling.
Tensions rose.
Elders whispered.
Inner disciples eyed each other warily.
The foundation that had seemed so solid began to feel... brittle.
And still, no one knew the name Lin Xian.
He was still a shadow.
Still invisible.
Exactly where he wanted to be.
---
———
Weeks later, Lin Xian sat beneath the broken pavilion once more, hands resting on his knees.
A faint smile ghosted his lips.
He had successfully destabilized the outer structure of the Azure Sky Sect without a single open fight.
Without revealing a sliver of his true power.
Patience. Calculation. Schemes.
This was the true villain's path.
---
Yet Lin Xian knew...
This was only the beginning.
Shen Tian remained untouched.
The Core Disciples remained powerful.
The Elders still ruled.
Destroying the Azure Sky Sect fully would take more than just minor victories.
It would take one devastating blow — a strike so deep, so deadly, that the sect could never recover.
And for that, he would need more allies.
More hidden power.
More knowledge.
---
In the distance, hidden among the clouds, a solitary figure watched the sect quietly.
A woman in flowing black robes, her silver hair fluttering in the wind, her eyes cold and proud as glaciers.She look at the direction of lin xian no one knew what she was thinking.
---
Neither of them knew it yet,
but destiny itself had just begun to tremble.