Chapter 23: Consequences!
At some point in time, while he was training, it occurred to him that the paths complemented each other.
And with the information he had gained 10 days ago, he became more than 99% sure of this idea.
He could easily recognize the lack of self-control and the simple mindset of both the warriors and knights of the western lands.
Their reverence of power and the way they acted told him this much.
One loved nothing more than to fight and took it as a way of life, and the others succumbed to greed and luxury like slaves.
This was something that cultivators had long since ascended from. But such a thing was obvious; this was the entire point of the spirit path.
The level of control he had seen from the older sect members, like Adam and the elder, was far beyond some of the most remarkable individuals back on earth.
He could imagine a future where cultivators used warriors as pawns instead of regular kingdoms and weaker disciples.
If such a thing happened, he wondered if the world would still be as it is currently.
As the day continued to pass.
Ken noted down weakness after weakness and any idea that had occurred or branched out from his current thoughts.
He even went as far as trying to deduce if other paths existed and, if so, what they would be all about.
Currently that was a very daring act because of his lack of information and his position, which didn't allow for very high-level knowledge, even when it came to the spirit path.
Stopping for a second, Ken couldn't help but be grateful for providence.
He couldn't imagine how hard it would have been without all of the tools he currently had at hand.
The status read his body's state and gave him systemized, simplified details.
The gacha gave him items, techniques, and much more later on, which normally would have been very hard for him to get his hands on, if not impossible at all.
And let's not mention the most important, in his opinion, the daily providence of information.
Out of the possible paths he could think of, there were currently the mind and elemental paths. Possibly mages.
Because if there are knights, then there definitely are mages.
Though he wasn't sure if they were in the same lands as the knights or were somewhere different.
And he also wasn't sure if the mind path and the elemental path were one and the same or different.
There was that possibility, seeing as the spirit path wasn't fullyrounded.
As for other paths, no matter how he thought, he couldn't be sure, but seeing as it is just him brainstorming.
He added a couple of entries. Maybe profession and weapons.
So that adds two, and seeing as the sect had spirits, maybe something like taming beasts also counted as a path?
He also added friends and allies, as well as an achievement system, possibly a reputation and glory path.
But that was just him going all out.
In the end, only time and information would tell, and he was sure some of these could be false.
That day, some of the plans had changed and new ones appeared, and Ken, for the first time in this life, decided that power was also top priority, second only to information.
As much as others would beg to differ, some habits die hard.
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Back to the current timeline, Ken decided that it was time for him to head to the Ascension tower.
The room and courtyard he owned weren't big enough for him to train with his weapon, and he was eager to try out his new powers.
The minor breakthrough in the physical path that made him more than twice as powerful as he previously was, enough, according to the system, to break a tree with a single punch, had to be tested.
And he wondered what this Ascension tower would be like.
Would it be the same as the Spirit Tower and how the novels of cultivation worlds were, where he had to fight enemies that showed up? Or would it follow the trend of this world and surprise him once again?
It had been three days since he had gotten the xian liansuo, and by now, he had perfect mastery over it, at least when it came to understanding and theoretical proficiency.
But, to actually reach that level, similar to how he had to actually use spirit forging and spirit cultivation to rise in ranks, he had to use the weapon and get his body used to it.
As Ken walked towards the Ascension tower, he couldn't help but think about a few things.
Could providence actually be called a cheat?
The way it worked wasn't the same as what the regular cheat was like.
The status was only made the way it was because that was how he imagined it to be.
It could have been a scroll or just an innate understanding of his own state.
The way he had to actually use what he was provided, and not everything was given to him on a silver platter, strength-wise.
But he chuckled soon after.
He was privy to information only the top echelon of these lands had; he got access to a gacha poll that gave him skills and weapons for free once a month.
And he didn't even have to waste time racking his head to understand techniques; they were automatically understood for him.
If this wasn't a cheat, what was?
But Ken only tensed up upon realizing this once again.
He understood something most people didn't.
Why was it that protagonists of novels always found themselves in hard situations, and even back on earth, people with noticeable talent, or even ordinary people with noticeably higher perseverance, always found themselves in increasing hardships?
It all came down to one thing.
Consequences.
Consequences of being patient, consequences of holding power, and consequences of being knowledgeable.
No one worthy enough wouldn't find themselves in situations others wouldn't be able to handle.
He knew this, and he was ready to struggle.
-----End-----
Everybody keep in mind that we are seeing the world from Ken's perspective.
Everything that is mentioned so far is from his own point of view, and information revealed so far about the world and power is something Ken already knows, either by experience from his previous life or by having it provided.
Starting next chapter, you guys will finally see some action.
The theme of the story will start to unfold itself thereafter, and I will also tweak the writing style in such situations.
The pace will slow down, and details, which are Ken's way of fighting and planning, will be hinted at consistently.
Additionally, the novel has been contracted, and worry not, there are still at least 10 chapters before I lock the chapters down.
I'm sure you find the story different from what the generic title might hint at, mainly due to my writing style.
And I have a favor to ask when it comes to this. I'm debating whether to slow down the pace more or keep it like this.
The novel is going to be long; you can expect this, though its success plays a higher role than my plans.
As a reader I know people love progress, and due to the different ways to gain strength and the many factors one can use to win in a battle, I'm sure you won't be disappointed.
Let's grow together with Ken and watch how he goes from an unremarkable character in the grand scheme of things to something far greater.
Please support the story in whatever way you can, get ready to encounter more interesting characters soon, and remember, this is not a cultivation novel.
Also join the Discord server on my profile.