The system was silent for a moment.
Its indeed read something in Niu Chang’s mind, but it was just too inconspicuous. No matter how inconspicuous it was, it was different from any thoughts in Niu Chang’s mind.
This thing is more like an obsession of Niu Chang. Because of this, Niu Chang didn’t need to think about it because this was his root and philosophy of life.
The system sighed.
[Then what do you want to do? Do you really think that you can activate the support mode by yourself?]
Because of its professional act, the system can only be sarcastic in its heart.
‘You want to become a main character by virtue of fate?’
‘Dream on.’
The system snorted.
There were many templates of main characters in the system database. But none of them match Niu Chang. This person is just not fit to be the main character.
Being too smart actually is not one of many criteria of being a main character.
‘Yes, I want to let everything follow the course of nature. There is no need to be hasty nor there is need to be forceful.'
‘Since I already reincarnated into this world, naturally there will be a chance.’
Niu Chang was calm and relaxed as ever. The corner of his lip lifted slightly.
[Since the host already made his mind then there is nothing more to discuss.]
The cold mechanic's voice then disappeared.
Watching the dark night sky and the lonely moon. Niu Chang truly didn’t feel anything.
“The world is beautiful as it is, but my heart is just too big that it's hardly affected by it.”
‘It’s not that I don’t want to change my mind. It is the nature of humans that I was afraid of, their mind is fragile as match fire. With a blow of wind it went off, with its brilliance it's only able to illuminate a pitiful area in the midst of endless darkness.’
‘With such power how can I wager my life on something as fragile as that?’
There is a thin difference between a coward and a realist.
The fine line was the opportunity, but how they saw it was what became their difference.
Look at those main characters in the novels. They have a poor background, unbending will and determination.
In face of adversities, they face it with their belief alone and turn misfortune into fortune and take another leap becoming stronger than before.
But no matter how well the author pictured it by reasoning or bluntly admitted it as plot armor. Human mind still takes it for granted.
If you were given the role of the main character in that story, would you be as good as him?
Yes, and I can be better than him. They said after reading the first half
No, I can’t take his role. They said after reading the second half.
Naturally the first half was full of coincidence and easy to follow and made some changes.
But when all those coincidences in the first half accumulated and became the reason for a coincidence in the second half. If it was only one time coincidence naturally it can be accepted.
But when the coincidence in the second half merged with the accumulated coincidences in the first half to make another coincidence and then continue this loop.
Can this still be called coincidence? When every coincidence lined neatly to pave the road for the main character to reach his end goal.
No. This is not a coincidence but a pre-planned series of events so that the main character could have an exciting journey.
With such an arrangement, naturally the main character problems in his journey are nothing but a fart. Baiting technique used by the author to kept the reader at bay. A nonsensical and useless dramatic scene.
Since many readers were accustomed to read such stories, naturally they just accepted it as natural.
This is the danger that Niu Chang is afraid of the most.
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The nature of the human mind.
Since it’s normal and happens every time naturally it becomes normal, right?
Niu Chang didn’t learn much about psychology and how such a phenomenon was called. Herd or crowd awareness or something like that maybe.
But there was a theory that Niu Chang remembered the most.
Survivor bias.
Imagine a box that contains many things and you don’t know the contents. Then give the box entry and exit point. Send ten people as test subjects and wait at the exit point.
Only eight out of ten successfully exited the box. Then you ask for their testimonies.
Four of them said they encountered a wolf while the other four said they encountered a huge dog. From this naturally you can make an assumption that the other two that didn’t reach the exit point either be killed by the dog or the wolf.
But what if, what if the other two actually encountered something other than a dog or a wolf, something that guaranteed their deaths.
Because of this, you will make a mishap in your thinking and just accept that the other two were unlucky to not survive the attack from a wolf or a dog.
This is survivor bias. Such a thing became the reason as to why Niu Chang acted very carefully and steadily.
Just because he only read stories where the main characters survive due to a chain of endless coincidence, naturally there are also stories which he never read where the main character died in the middle of his journey where his coincidence suddenly stopped.
The things that he prepared from learning the mistakes of the main characters that were successful naturally would be useless when facing the problem of the failed main character.
Since he don’t even know what kind of mistake that made them lose their lives.
After reminding himself about the fickle nature of the human mind and the danger of various biases. Niu Chang stood up and walked to his bedroom.
His conversation with the system didn’t cause any ripple in his heart and didn’t change his plan. Since he already reincarnated into this world, he won't be so weak and lamenting his pitiful fate then swearing to find a way back to his world where only ordinariness that will welcome him.
This was his chance that many would be envious.
The night passed without problem.
In the morning when the sunlight sneaks up on the gaps between the window and reaches Niu Chang’s face.
Niu Chang woke up from his sleep and was still half-asleep when he saw something in front of his face.
It was illusory, rectangular and blue in color.
Rubbing his eyes a few times, Niu Chang was stunned. He was not dreaming.
The system panel was finally here.
[Host : Niu Chang]
[Karma point : 0]
[Cultivation : unable to cultivate]
[Skill : Kendo.]
There were only four options on the system interface. But on the bottom left corner was a small ‘!’ sign with red color as if saying “click me.”
Niu Chang chose to postpone clicking that exclamation mark and analyze his information. The first two pieces of information were normal, but the third one was different.
Niu Chang never stepped on the road of cultivation, he was never able to gather any qi. So he was expecting the status would show zero or ‘ - ’ signs.
But instead, it was “unable to cultivate.”
What does this mean?
Because Niu Chang was focused on the third line in his status. He was vaguely able to explore more about this “unable to cultivate” line.
Just as he willed, the system interface changed and a new window appeared in front of him.
[Unable to cultivate qi.]
[Unable to cultivate the body.]
[Unable to cultivate the mind.]
[Unable to cultivate the soul.]
[More.]
Niu Chang became speechless when he saw this new pop up window. Only by reading the four lines does he already understand what it means to be unable to cultivate. He doesn’t even need to click the more option to know what kind of cultivation path that couldn’t take.
‘Unable to cultivate. As it says, I’m not able to cultivate. Not because of my aptitude or any part of my body, mind, and soul. It's me that is unable to cultivate as if the whole world put a restriction on me. Banning me from cultivating’
Now that he recalled his conversation with the system last night, he now understands why the system broke the norm and contacted him first.
No matter how smart you are, no matter how many methods you have and how many paths you make.
If you can’t even move, what is the point?
Laugh.
Niu Chang felt bitter in his heart. If not because of this ban on him. He should have already made huge progress in his cultivation.
According to the books he has, he was confident that three years he wasted on. He could achieve the master stage in martial arts.
Martial artists have differentiation in level namely third rate, second rate, first rate, peak stage, master stage, and grandmaster stage.
As for the next stage after the grandmaster stage was not mentioned in the books.
But at least it did mention there was a legendary stage above the grandmaster stage which countless people hoped to reach but only few succeeded.
Then Niu Chang moved to the next column on his information.
Except for kendo, I did some punching and kicking training but the system only registered kendo as my skill. This only means one thing, I need to have complete or incomplete teaching.’
Back in his first life, Niu Chang indeed learned about kendo just to have some romance with swinging bamboo swords. But that’s all, he didn’t continue to practice after that.
But the knowledge he has indeed given him the basics of kendo.
Niu Chang wanted to test the system if it could register a theoretical technique in his head, but he chose to do it later.
Now his curiosity was on how to use this system and then with his will, he clicked on the exclamation mark that seducing him.
A new pop up window appears and a long page full of words explaining how to use the system.