‘Xu Jian’ both did and didn't understand what was going on.

He had no idea how things had gotten to this point, and didn't really know anything about the sect or his personal life, but he did know 'Xu Jian’, what event he was at, and what sect he was speaking to.

It's just that the scene 'Xu Jian’ was acting out was a scene from a webnovel of middling popularity, Black Path Of a Proud Immortal, and Xu Jian was the villainous figure who the protagonist, Lai Mingliao, finally fought at the emotional climax of the novel's first big arc. He was one of those so-called ‘cannon fodder’ types.

In his modern life, the man now known as Xu Jian wasn't really into online circles, and was slow to pick up on things that were common sense to webnovel readers. Things like “a novel with a phrase like 'black path’ in the title will be about the protagonist descending into villainy” didn't occur to him. He had read over 600 chapters of Black Path of a Proud Immortal, and got progressively more disillusioned with the raging, cold protagonist, who became nearly as detestable as his childhood tormentors. He dropped off, then, even though it had 1200 chapters all together.

After that, Xu Jian read better novels, and became an avid webnovel fan, which made him very familiar with the transmigrator trope. So when he realized what was happening, he only felt a little disoriented.

Not to mention...He had no memory of what he was doing before he became Xu Jian, but from the moment he opened his eyes, he had been hearing a vague impression of a voice.

[RENDERING DATA]

[RECALIBRATING STRUCTURES]

[RENDERING COMPLETE]

He didn't react.

[SAMPLE 433. PLEASE ACT]

‘Act…’ Xu Jian thought.

[WORLD HAS UPLOADED FAMILIAR FOUNDATION TO IMPROVE ABILITY TO ACT. PLEASE ACT]

'This is Black Path of the Proud Immortal, isn't it?’

[FOUNDATION FAMILIAR]

He understood. 'I'm in a world based on a novel so I would...feel comfortable acting…?’

[CORRECT]

'In what way should I act?’

There was a silent that seemed to be under some stress. Finally, the vague voice returned.

[DATA ACQUIRED. PATTERN FILED. SAMPLE 433: EXPRESS TRAITS “HONESTY & DESTRUCTION”]

'Is that a euphemism?’

[EXPRESS HONESTY. ACT DESTRUCTIVELY. RECEIVE REWARDS FOR ADEQUATE PERFORMANCE OF HUMANITY]

'Rewards?’ The phrasing of 'performance of humanity' was also a little unsettling.

[NUMERICAL REWARDS. ACQUIRE SKILLS AND HUMAN DESIRES. REWARDED PER OBSERVER OF ACTION]

Xu Jian decided not to think about why such a system wanted him to 'perform his humanity', or what created it. He wasn't the type to sit still and have existential dread. Instead, he focused on the here and now.

He didn't like the novel character 'Xu Jian’, and thus didn’t like the idea of pretending to be him. He also didn't like the sect. The reason their destruction was so fun to read about was because they were so loathsome. In terms of ‘trying to blend in’ and ‘just doing what the observing system says’, he thought obeying the system made more sense. He had no problem bringing on destruction in a place like this, either. But...

‘Will I be punished if I don't listen to you?’

[NO REWARD]

Really? A system that wanted him to just 'act’?

Right. Between how frightening that was and already knowing the plot of the novel, he decided he'd rather just not think about it and collect rewards. He'd presumably need them.

If the feast was happening, Xu Jian would be 24, and in two years time, the protagonist would return to annihilate him. Before that, they'd meet once or twice to establish tension, of course, but the destruction was inevitable. Lai Mingliao's rage was unstoppable. This was the beginning of his blackening. A fury that couldn't be stopped.

Xu Jian didn't know anything about cultivation or meditation or whatever it is these people did, so he stood at the head of the table, counted all the modifiers, and decided if he can talk long enough, he could definitely get something good.

He opened his mouth, and told only the truth.

---

 

So now Xu Jian was in prison.

It was underwater, for unknown reasons. A tower was built in the heart of the town, and deep under the river, deep under the earth, they'd constructed a really, really shoddy-looking prison. It was roughly carved, dripped everywhere, and freezing. Technically speaking, great prison conditions for ruthless captors, but the guards had to suffer those conditions as well. Xu Jian thought this was proof of the sect's cruel incompetence, when he read about it in the novel.

Three days had passed, and he was very hungry. He hadn’t thought of what he'd do after confessing all that. He did get a reward that wasn't numerical though.

[PATH OF WIND PROCESSING]

The system had nothing more to say. It had been repeating that since he was arrested.

He'd been trembling since he woke up during his first morning in prison, too. He suspected it was the prison's freezing temperatures, though something about it didn’t feel right.

Xu Jian spent his time being arrested sleeping, eavesdropping on the guards’ idle gossip, and doing cardio. In the modern world, he was well-versed in keeping occupied during long stretches of nothing to do in miserable circumstances. He even got fed here, which was a bonus, even if it was only once a day.

He was called on the third night. Xu Jian obediently allowed them to take him above ground, and ignored the scrutiny he earned from the people he passed. He was escorted seemingly through the entire town. The houses were built in neat lines, and the ones closer to the shore had nice, strong structures made of stone. There was even trees dotted here and there. It was built so well that it almost seemed like a modern suburb. So what the hell was with that prison?

Though, in the back of his mind, he knew. Because it was used to hold people who were considered dregs, they didn’t want to waste effort fixing it. It had probably languished for over a hundred years like that. It was hidden so far away, no one could see enough of it to criticize how shoddy it was. It was no great loss for them.

And now, he could be considered one of those ‘dregs’.

Xu Jian was delivered at the front door of the WenDian sect leader's pavilion. He cocked his head as the door opened. It was interesting to see ancient architecture in person, and he was disappointed he couldn't walk around some more.

“Come in.” The sect leader and a few elders sat at the head of the room. They all looked angry.

“Do you have anything to say for yourself, Xu Jian?” asked a man on the right.

Xu Jian had obviously been acting strangely since the banquet. Surely they didn’t expect him to argues his own case? “I spoke the truth.”

“For what reason?”

Rewards, rewards. He got an easy 100,000 points, and apparently points unlock little presents. Even though…

[PATH OF WIND PROCESSING]

He'd let it finish processing. It was probably really good.

“We should cast you out,” says an elder on the left.

“Your behaviour- too disgraceful- it's worthy of death!” Shouted another.

But the sect leader, who's name Xu Jian didn't remember, only looked sadly at him.

“Where did I go wrong in raising you?” He asked quietly.

Well, first of all, he didn't raise Xu Jian.

The sect leader took responsibility over him out of respect for his sworn brother, Xu Jian's father - who's name was also unimportant - but it's not like they lived in the same house. Xu Jian was just a spoiled boy who always got what he wanted, but had a lot of unresolved energy because he felt disillusioned with the lack of guidance or direction in his life. He felt entitled to contentment, and thus trampled over anyone who might stop him from receiving it.

Most scumbags Xu Jian knew of grew up like this. The only difference is that Xu Jian was skilled on his own merits. In the modern world, this kind of person was usually just rich.

“I accept my punishment,” Xu Jian said, just to be polite.

It didn’t help.

The next hour was a shouting match where nothing really changed. The sect leader grew sadder and sadder, while the others grew angrier and angrier. Xu Jian knew that thanks to his glowing accolades and the bias of the sect leader he wouldn't be killed or imprisoned, so he didn't particularly care about the result.

...But if they want to give him lashes, he’d take his chances fleeing the area.

Then the sect leader introduced the concept of Qi deviation, which only reignited the argument. A person like Xu Jian would, upon deviating, definitely go on a violent rampage. Why on earth it’d manifest with frailty and unerring honesty became the subject of hot debate, even moreso than his punishment.

Despite warming inside the pavilion, Xu Jian still trembled. As he thought, something was weird about that. He couldn’t afford to worry about it, though. On the bright side, it only made him look more violently ill, so he hoped it would help him make his case; besides being a man of incredible talent, the original goods also had immunity to all common illnesses. The current Xu Jian was happy to have smothered out such an infuriating bastard from the world.

Finally, a verdict;

Stripped of his status, forbidden from representing the WenDian sect, and forced into servitude.

Xu Jian saluted them. “This unworthy one thanks you for your generosity with his inferior life.”

[PATH OF WIND PROCESSING]

The ground around his feet rippled in a wave of tiny cubes, shining rainbow like an oil slick. Xu Jian flinched. It was hard to miss, but no one else reacted.

[PATH OF WIND PROCESSING]

Hm. Should have read more transmigration novels. He didn't like that.

“You've grown,” the sect leader said quietly.

Xu Jian was hauled out of the room.

[PATH OF WIND FUNCTIONAL]

Everything around him throbbed once, again in the form of cubes. His vision swam.

[CULTIVATING INFLUENCE OVER THE WIND NOW POSSIBLE. ACT]

Ah. So it was something he still had to learn. He didn't know anything about how cultivation worked, though. Oh well, a skill's a skill. It was better than nothing.

He was stripped of his fine robes and belongings. They took his sword. He was forced into a little shack hidden away out of sight, which to Xu Jian's pleasure, had a blanket over the straw mat he was meant to sleep on.

Well, well. Not only did he escape death or physical punishment, he also got to live in a place with shelter. When all was said and done, he seemed to have made a very nice life for himself.