Chapter 649: Fairness

The scene shifted again.

He saw the joint examination before the college entrance exams. During the special recruitment exam of the Three Greats, he had given it his all. He believed his performance had been flawless. Yet, the final spot was given to Su Yueling.

Later, he found out that the Lin family had pulled some strings.

That was the first time he truly experienced what unfairness meant. It wasn’t a disparity in resources or a crushing difference in talent; it was pure power and influence. In the face of power, one’s hard work was utterly worthless.

Those scenes flashed by one after another—the injustices he had experienced, witnessed, and heard about while growing up. The contempt wealthy youths held for commoner Martial Artists. The "sponsorship" one had to accept despite possessing extraordinary talent. The natural skewing of resource allocation. Talent, background, luck, connections... these elements intertwined to form the truest Rules by which this world operated.

Beyond the scenes, the voice of that young man echoed.

"It’s unfair.

"This isn’t fair.

"On what grounds?"

Floating in the darkness, Xu Wuyi watched those scenes and listened to those voices.

Then, the imagery began to shift.

He saw his later self. The twenty-year-old Xu Wuyi had been admitted to Star Martial University and was beginning to make his mark. He stood in the martial arena of Star Martial, surrounded by countless envious gazes.

Some spoke in hushed tones.

"Did you know? Xu Wuyi is from the Lower Class; he doesn’t have any background."

"Are you serious? Then how did he make it this far?"

"Talent, obviously. Pure talent."

Their murmurs carried undisguised admiration. Xu Wuyi watched quietly.

The scene shifted again.

He saw himself after becoming a Quasi-Grandmaster. At twenty-three, representing the Federation against the Great Liang civilization, he defeated Zhou Chen, the Prince of Great Liang, with a single spear thrust. After the battle, the people of the Federation crowded around him, their eyes full of reverence.

Someone whispered, "Martial Artist Xu made a huge contribution this time. The merit rewards definitely won’t be small when we get back. He might even be granted an exception to enjoy Grandmaster Level privileges."

"Might? I have insider information! Martial Artist Xu already received Grandmaster Level clearance in advance!"

"He’s only twenty-three..."

"A Genius, a true Genius."

In those voices, there was still admiration, envy, and reverence.

Watching his past self in the imagery, Xu Wuyi suddenly realized a problem. Back then, he had been the one standing below, looking up at others. Now, he was the one standing above, being looked up to. The very unfairness that had once filled him with anger was now benefiting him.

The scenes continued to flow.

He saw more recent memories. In Wang Hanshan’s mountain residence, the old Quasi-Grandmaster invited him for tea, his words full of appreciation and closeness. In Shao Yu’s Sword-Listening Hut, the reclusive Fast Sword Grandmaster took the initiative to invite him to stay, sparring daily and talking long into the night. Chen Han invited him to drink for three days straight, treating him as a close friend despite their age gap. Su Yu made an exception to instruct him in the essence of the path of deception. Luo Qinghe, dragging his deteriorating body, discussed swordsmanship with him for an entire day.

Why were these Quasi-Grandmasters so welcoming to him? Was it because he was a peerless Genius? Because of his upright character? Or because he was likable?

Xu Wuyi knew that none of these were the main reasons. The main reason was... he was already strong enough. Strong enough to warrant their serious attention. Strong enough to sit as equals with them. Strong enough that, one day in the future, he might become a being they would need to look up to. That was why their attitude toward him was starkly different from how they treated other juniors.

This was privilege. Not a privilege bestowed by a system, but one brought about by power.

If you were strong enough, the world would make exceptions for you. Resources would skew in your favor, opportunities would open up, the strong would view you in a different light, and the Rules would make way for you. If you weren’t strong enough, you could only accept the results of distribution, accept the choices of others, and accept the arrangements of fate.

This was reality.

Floating in the darkness, Xu Wuyi quietly watched those scenes and silently pondered those questions.

Then, the imagery shifted once more.

He saw a scene he had never witnessed before. A disabled boy sat in a wheelchair, struggling to practice a Basic Cultivation Technique. His legs were atrophied, his muscles loose. Every exertion of force was incredibly difficult. But he didn’t give up. There was light in his eyes.

Beyond the scene, someone spoke.

"Allocate resources according to talent? Should disabled people like him inherently receive the fewest resources? He can’t even walk properly; how can he compete with others in terms of talent?"

The voice carried anger and indignation. Xu Wuyi fell silent.

Was resource allocation based on talent fair? To those born disabled, it was unfair. To those with mediocre talent, it was unfair. To those born into the Lower Class, it was unfair. To those with bad luck, it was unfair. But what if allocation was based on need? Would that be fair to those with extraordinary talent who worked tirelessly? Were they inherently meant to be stepping stones for others?

Xu Wuyi found that he couldn’t find an answer. The word "fairness" was easy to say, but truly defining it was nearly impossible.

The imagery continued to shift.

He saw a much grander scene. At the borders of the Federation, a tide of the Exotic Insect Race was assaulting the defense line. Countless warriors charged forward one after another, using their bodies of flesh and blood to block those ferocious Exotic Beasts. Among them was a Grandmaster who single-handedly blocked the fiercest wave of the insect swarm’s assault. Bathed in blood, he didn’t take a single step back, forcefully smothering the swarm’s offensive beyond the defense line.

When the battle ended, the Grandmaster died of exhaustion. He died, but his family received the highest level of compensation from the Federation. His children could enjoy the best education, his parents could receive the most comprehensive medical care, and his clan could obtain a massive skewing of resources.

This was privilege. But was such privilege unfair?

Xu Wuyi remained silent. The Grandmaster had used his life to protect the Federation and countless strangers. It seemed only natural that his family received preferential treatment. But what if one looked deeper? The compensation received by the families of ordinary warriors who had also died on the battlefield wasn’t even a tenth of what the Grandmaster’s family received. This was unfair. Yet, this unfairness seemed to possess a certain rationality.

Because a Grandmaster’s value truly far exceeded that of an ordinary warrior. A single Grandmaster was worth an army of thousands and could protect tens of thousands of lives. Giving his family more preferential treatment was to encourage more Martial Artists to break through to the Grandmaster Realm, to ensure that Grandmasters had no worries back home when they fought. From a utilitarian perspective, this was very reasonable.

But from the perspective of fairness, was it truly fair? Xu Wuyi didn’t know.

The scenes continued to flow.

He saw the history of the Federation. Hundreds of years ago, when the Federation was just established, it was beset by internal strife and external threats, besieged on all sides. Back then, there was no talk of fairness or unfairness; everyone had only one thought—survival. Later, the Federation found its footing and began to expand outward, competing with alien civilizations for living space. Even then, there was no talk of fairness or unfairness; it was simply the survival of the fittest and the elimination of the weak.

And then later...