Villain: My fate is in my own hands, not in the heavens.

Xie Zheng was making his own plans, relying entirely on the online novel tropes he had read in his previous life.

Lin Tian doesn't seem like a proper good-for-nothing at all.

You should know that even his proud and arrogant older sister, Lin Qiuhan, had to lower her posture in front of him. But Lin Tian dared to sneak around behind him like a rat stealing oil.

He had just scanned the area with his divine sense and recognized the boy hiding behind the tree as Lin Tian.

However, once he noticed, it ran faster than a rabbit, not daring to linger for even half a second.

Xie Zheng curled his lips, turned to look at Lin Qiuhan beside him, and said in a casual tone, "Looks like you're doing a good job as an older sister. At least he knows how to be considerate of you, so he hasn't made you worry for nothing."

Lin Qiuhan was taken aback, a hint of warmth appearing in his eyes: "Young Master Xie is joking. He is unruly and doesn't know how to be considerate."

"In this world, being unable to cultivate is no different from being a cripple," Xie Zheng said, leaning against a pillar in the corridor. His tone was casual but carried an undeniable air of authority. "You're genuinely doing this for his own good, and he'll understand sooner or later."

He wore a faint smile, seemingly comforting Lin Qiuhan, but in reality, every word he uttered was a ploy to extract information.

When it comes to understanding Lin Tian, ​​no one knows him better than his own sister.

Lin Qiuhan was unaware of his thoughts, but instead, her words struck a chord with her. She sighed, "I don't ask him to be successful, I just want him to live a peaceful life, but he just can't be any less of a worry."

"Oh? What's so troublesome about it?" Xie Zheng pressed, a calculating glint in his eyes.

"These past few days he's gone mad, insisting on learning alchemy, and he comes to me every day asking for alchemy ingredients," Lin Qiuhan said helplessly, shaking his head.

"And just a few days ago in class, he actually dared to point out the mistakes of several elders, which shocked everyone. I still don't understand how he suddenly knew all this."

Xie Zheng knew exactly what was going on, and his smile deepened: "Perhaps he's finally figured it out? After all, some people are just good at hiding it."

"Even enlightenment doesn't happen this quickly," Lin Qiuhan muttered. "Before, he couldn't even cultivate his spiritual sea, and he struggled with the most basic breathing exercises. How could he suddenly understand alchemy and recognize ancient formations?"

Xie Zheng was secretly pleased; the schemes of this chosen one of destiny had indeed fallen into his grasp.

Harvesting this wave of韭菜 (a metaphor for exploiting people) seems easier than he expected. After all, with the trouble of the backlash of luck resolved, he has many more tricks up his sleeve.

"Young Master Xie, you understand me best," Lin Qiuhan looked up at him, a hint of shyness in her eyes. "Even Xiaotian thinks I'm too harsh on him, and some people in the family say I'm meddling. Only you know that I'm genuinely doing this for his own good."

Xie Zheng glanced at her and chuckled inwardly: With that kind of naivety, falling for her would be a piece of cake.

Don't even mention you. Even someone as smart as Su Qingge is completely under my control. Compared to that kid Lin Tian, ​​it's much easier and more fun to get to you.

He didn't reply, only gave a faint "hmm," and his aloof yet gentle demeanor made Lin Qiuhan's heart beat even faster.

She had cultivated for over twenty years and was used to being fawned over by all sorts of young talents, but she had never felt her heart race like this before.

Su Qingge, who was standing silently to the side, saw all of this and felt helpless: This guy is getting more and more skilled at manipulating people's hearts.

Xie Zheng seemed to suddenly remember something and said with feigned emotion, "It's rare for Brother Lin Tian to have such a change. Perhaps he was just a hidden gem before. Look at how he was able to point out the elder's mistakes in just a few days. His talent is extraordinary."

Lin Qiuhan was about to laugh, but then stopped himself: "Young Master Xie is joking. He's not some hidden gem. He couldn't even cultivate to the Spirit Sea stage before, how could he possibly have this talent..."

As she spoke, her brows furrowed, as if something was amiss, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

Seeing this, Xie Zheng feigned surprise and scratched his chin: "Oh? He doesn't even have a spiritual sea? How can he refine pills then? Does he know some lost ancient method?"

He paused, then pretended to mutter to himself, "I've heard of some ancient methods in the Upper Realm that allow one to refine pills without a spiritual sea. In that case, Brother Lin Tian is indeed a person with great fortune."

Upon hearing this, Lin Qiuhan was completely stunned, and his eyes became unfocused.

That's right, how can you refine pills without a spiritual sea? Could it be that Xiao Tian really has some kind of extraordinary encounter?

Seeing that she had taken the bait, Xie Zheng didn't press her further. He smiled and changed the subject: "Never mind, maybe I'm overthinking it. As long as he's alright, you can have some peace of mind."

On the other side, after being discovered by Xie Zheng, Lin Tian didn't dare to linger and ran away in a sorry state.

His face was ashen, his fists clenched so tightly they cracked, and jealousy practically blazed from his eyes.

It wasn't that he was afraid of Xie Zheng, but rather that the lingering remnant soul was causing him unease.

He could sense that Xie Zheng was very strong, but since the other party was a remnant soul who had been reborn, he couldn't be sure of the other party's true strength.

What frustrated him the most was that his sister, who usually beat and scolded him and was extremely harsh, actually showed a shy, girlish side in front of Xie Zheng!

"Why?" Lin Tian gritted his teeth, feeling as if a stone was stuck in his throat. "That's my sister, why is she so good to him?"

The more he thought about it, the more resentful he became, feeling as if his things had been stolen. But having lived a full life, he took a few deep breaths, forcibly suppressed his anger, and calmed down.

"This Young Master Xie is definitely up to no good; he's obviously no good," Lin Tian thought to himself. "No, I have to warn my sister; we can't let her be fooled by this kid!"

He had previously hesitated about whether to make a move against Xie Zheng because of Su Qingge's constitution, but now Xie Zheng had taken the initiative to provoke him and even stole his sister's attention, so he couldn't be blamed.

"You provoked me first, so don't blame me for being impolite," Lin Tian's eyes turned cold, a ruthless glint flashing in them. "Just wait and see, I'll make you pay the price sooner or later!"

Night fell in the blink of an eye, and the Central Heaven Domain was in an uproar because of the return of the Lin family ancestor (Xie Zheng) from the Upper Realm. The streets and alleys were full of cultivators discussing it, and all kinds of news spread outward from the Lin family, alarming every ancient city.

Major powers and sects couldn't sit still any longer and sent their disciples to visit, hoping to establish connections.

In the palace arranged for Xie Zheng by the Lin family, he stood by the window with his hands behind his back. His long black robe fluttered in the night wind, and the moonlight shone on his face, making him look half indifferent and half profound. He had a somewhat ethereal air about him, but the scheming in his eyes could not be hidden.

"Lin Tian's tricks are so common," Xie Zheng chuckled in a low voice. "That's all he's good at—possessing a remnant soul and being reborn."

He had already seen through it. Lin Tian's reaction didn't seem like he could predict the future at all. At most, he just borrowed the power of the remnant soul and knew a little about ancient formations and alchemy.

Dealing with this kind of person is a piece of cake.

The more Xie Zheng thought about it, the funnier it became, and he couldn't help but laugh out loud: "Interesting, really interesting."

Su Qingge walked in carrying tea. Seeing his expression, she asked curiously, "What are you laughing at, young master?"

Xie Zheng turned to look at her, a hint of mockery in his eyes: "That chosen one of destiny has quite the nerve, daring to set his sights on my people."

Su Qingge was taken aback: "Young Master, you mean Lin Tian?"

"Who else could it be?" Xie Zheng raised an eyebrow, his tone arrogant and irritating.

"Before, it was always me, the villain, coveting other people's women. Now, look at him, a nobody, daring to covet mine?"

He paused, his tone turning colder, yet tinged with a smug, almost childish, smugness: "You really don't know your place. As someone who's being exploited, you should be prepared to be harvested. Why do you have to jump around like that? Aren't you just asking for trouble?"

Looking at his cunning and irritating expression, Su Qingge shook her head helplessly: "It's good that you know what's going on, young master. Although Lin Tian is weak, his remnant soul still has some tricks up his sleeve. We must not be careless."

"Careless?" Xie Zheng chuckled and reached out to ruffle Su Qingge's hair.

"His skills are nothing compared to mine. Just wait, in a few days I'll show him what the majesty of a villain is, and what the fate of being a lamb to the slaughter is."