Zhuge Lian had finished the fight and began soaking up the praise and admiration. If he claimed to be the runner-up in a tournament of shamelessness, no one would dare proclaim themselves the winner.

"Look at that guy soaking up the praise, shameless as f*ck."

"He's only won a single fight... is there a need to be so proud of yourself?"

Hearing these comments, he started to feel embarrassed about his behavior. However, thinking back to his school days, he recalled a story he had just remembered from his past.

In senior high school, Zhuge Lian knew a certain boy with a cute bowl haircut made a beautiful bento lunch every day. He cooked the food himself and made sure always to do his best when cooking it. He adorned it with a silk ribbon each time and brought it to school with a smile on his face. Waking up an hour before school was tough for him, but it was nothing compared to the girl he would bring it to. Her radiant smile and sparkling personality kept him going every day, and he felt more in love with her than any other person on the planet.

However, when it came time to give the bento lunch to this girl, he would always stammer, blush and tell her that it was from another boy. Eventually, over months, the girl developed feelings for the other boy and didn't notice that the boy with the bowl haircut had been making the bentos all along.

Who was the boy? Zhuge Lian was the boy. The incident broke his heart for months, and he constantly reminded himself that his shame brought him down. Ever since that incident, he decided to get rid of his shame and become completely shameless so that he would never miss out on another opportunity because he was too embarrassed to go and grab it.

What was the number one positive trait in life? Shamelessness! What keeps you happy? Shamelessness!

Now, no longer embarrassed, Zhuge Lian returned to soaking up the praise in the spotlight and walked off the fighting ring. However, just then, he got a notification from the System, and he decided to go home immediately to find out what it was. After spending weeks with the System, he knew that any notifications would lead to rewards and possibly new methods of getting stronger, so it was necessary to go back as soon as possible.

As he walked out the doors of the MMA gym, Zhuge Lian quickly noticed that every one of the movements he saw people make was noticeably slower in his perception and that he had a slightly better understanding of how people biologically moved inside and outside of combat.

◢Is this.. experience?◢

Then, he came to a realization. Zhuge Lian could gather experience within the System and outside the System. The Modern Strength System didn't control him. He controlled it. If he didn't want to progress in his cultivation or become stronger, he could ultimately leave the System be and never touch it again.

◢The System is a tool. Don't become too heavily reliant upon it... my brain is still my greatest asset.◢

He arrived in the lobby of his apartment building and entered the elevator doors. As he went up the elevator, he made sure not to make the mistake of looking at himself in the mirror. It had been barely an hour since he left his apartment, and he shuddered just thinking of that painful minute in the elevator. The doors opened up, and he walked inside with a grin on his face.

Zhuge Lian sat down on his favorite comfortable chair to listen to the System notification.

*Ding*

The host has won his first battle against a trained opponent. +5 Universal Authority.

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

The host has gained the respect of cultivator-level peers. +10 Universal Authority.

The host has gained the notice of a Tempering Body-level Martial Arts Practitioner. (Practitioner is not at the Tempering Body stage but can output the combat strength of an Early Tempering Body cultivator. +10 Universal Authority.

Due to gaining 25 Universal Authority, the second level of the Modern Strength System has been unlocked.

New modules unlocked - Battle Techniques, Heads-Up-Display Mark I.

Zhuge Lian had unlocked some new modules, and he was itching to see what they were. The Battle Techniques tab seemed quite self-explanatory, but he was wondering what kind of features the Heads-Up-Display had. He went into the tab to turn the setting on, and he was immediately overwhelmed with data. A bright light seemed to flash in front of him, blinding and deafening him for a short period. When he regained his hearing and sight, he stumbled around the room in a daze.

◢What the f*ck just happened?◢

In the upper-right corner of his vision, the time, day, and year were shown, as well as his Cultivation Stage. In the upper-left-hand corner, his health status was shown. If one of his body parts were injured, it would turn yellow on the HUD. If the injury were severe, it would turn orange, and if it were destroyed or rendered entirely dysfunctional, it would turn red. Zhuge Lian was disoriented for quite some time, as he'd never had something like this directly in his vision before. The heads-up display was quite helpful, and he went into the Battle Techniques tab to see what functions it had.

When he clicked into the tab, everything looked normal. However, when he looked further, he was shocked. There was a complete absence of battle techniques in his skill list! The empty white space seemed to mock him, and, at that moment, the tab looked truly punchable to Zhuge Lian.

"System, why have I not received any battle techniques? Can I have a beginner skill or technique?"

*Ding*

There are hundreds of well-known techniques for martial artists in your world and thousands of unknown techniques. Why should I bother to create a skill for you? Do you even know how time-consuming it is? Find one yourself!

Zhuge Lian thought that he was the most shameless person in the world, but clearly, the System could snatch his title in a heartbeat. He was so angry that he even cursed the System. "System, go f*ck yourself." Just then, a lightning bolt struck right outside of his window. Zhuge Lian jumped back in fright and let out a stream of curses again. It seemed like a lightning storm had arrived outside... one bolt for every curse that he had let out. Zhuge Lian was frightened at first, but then a crafty smile grew on his face.

◢If I ever need to win a fight... should I curse at the System and have it strike lightning down on my enemies?◢

*Ding*

I can see that look on your face. If you even f*cking dare, I will strike all the lightning bolts directly onto your head.

Zhuge Lian, ever the realist, found some good in the situation.

◢After so long, I have finally found true happiness... and I found it in cursing at the System!◢

Although it was only 7 pm, he felt sleepy already from his fight against Jiang Ting, and so he prepared a quick meal of instant ramen and went to bed. As his head sank into the soft goose feather pillows that adorned the front of his bed, he began to think about his future and his possibilities. With the new understanding that the System was just a tool, Zhuge Lian began to contemplate his goals in life for the first time after committing "suicide."

He wanted to become an individual at the apex of the world, pushing humanity forward... but what did that really mean? He wanted to become successful... but what was the definition of success? Both of those ideas were concepts created by humanity and judged by society, so there was no objective way to tell what would be considered as achieving those goals.

The question troubled him for hours, making him toss and turn in his bed as he contemplated what he wanted out of life. In the end, he decided that his definition of being at the top of the world meant having the most power out of all individuals and having the control and resources to change things within humanity as he wanted them to change. Perhaps this was an impossible, egotistic, or immoral goal, but it was his goal for the time being nonetheless.

He had graduated from being useless when he gained purpose by cheating death and receiving the System. Today, he graduated from being a salted fish. He had dreams, ambitions, and goals.

Today... he wasn't a failure. He wasn't a salted fish nor a tool of the System.

For the first time in a long time, he could say with conviction that he indeed was... Zhuge Lian!