Seized by the System

As such, Fang Ning stayed in the valley and concentrated on his cultivation.

Sir System was cruel. Fang Ning could only witness the sunrise and sunset. He did not have a watch and could not tell how much time had passed.

He could only rely on the traditional way of recording the time. When sunrise came, he made a record.

In the past, he would remember wrongly, but not this time.

After all, he woke up early every morning to cultivate and never slept in.

Of course, this was credited to the “Atmospheric Morality Technique”, which required the cultivator to train early in the morning and experience the Path of Morality of nature instead of isolating oneself.

This sort of routine had to go on for ten years. It used to be unfathomable for Fang Ning.

Later, he gradually got used to it. He thought, before he turned eighteen, didn’t he suffer for ten years for his education as well?

Excluding the rare holiday periods, he had to wake up early in the morning as well and began studying at 7 am. It was slightly better in elementary school, but when he got to junior high, he studied in the morning and at night.

His schooling days were exam-oriented and lacked substance.

He only understood that if he did not push himself to a certain limit, he would never know how much potential he really had.

When he recorded the 400th sunrise, the sound of a System Notification rang.

“The Host’s cultivation of the ‘Atmospheric Morality Technique’ has been successful and has reached the Intermediate Level.”

Fang Ning listened to the sound of the notification with calmness. He was neither sad nor happy.

As long as he put in the effort, he would reap the rewards.

“Quite an impressive feat. You managed to reach the Intermediate Level in just a year or so. Looks like there’s hope for you to complete this ultimate test.” Sir System was astonished.

This was the first time Sir System had spoken in over a year.

Fang Ning knew that the System would only show up when it realized that he had hope of passing the test.

He replied wanly. “Actually, it’s nothing. It’s all within my expectations. I have this potential all along, it’s just that I’ve never shown it.”

“Oh, really?” Sir System pondered curiously.

Fang Ning sensed something odd about the System this time around, but he did not ask further questions. Instead, he continued to focus on his cultivation.

The 800th day passed and the System Notification rang again.

“The Host’s cultivation of the ‘Atmospheric Morality Technique’ has been successful and has reached the Advanced Level.”

This did not affect Fang Ning’s mood.

“I’m stunned. Looks like I was wrong after all. I’ve always thought that you were hopeless, but you’re in fact extraordinary.” Sir System commented.

“Hehe, it’s nothing. I have gone overboard at times in the past, but this is normal behavior for most people.” Fang Ning replied emotionlessly.

“Oh, is that so?” His words seemed to have struck a chord with the System.

At long last, on the 3200th day, which also marked the beginning of the ninth year —— it had not been ten years yet, as ten years would have at least 3650 days ——, Fang Ning heard the last System Notification.

“The Host’s cultivation of the ‘Atmospheric Morality Technique’ has been highly successful and has reached the Legendary Level.”

“Sigh, I don’t feel too happy hearing this notification. It’s all about reaching one’s goal in the end after all.” Fang Ning stood in front of the wooden house and commented monotonously with the book in his hand.

Yes, the book, which was as tall as his shoulders, was a reprinted edition given to him by the System… It was not the book that was huge, but Fang Ning was not a particularly tall person at 1.68 meters in height.

“Sigh, since your cultivation is successful, I won’t hide from you any longer. In fact, I shall stop seizing you and my mission is completed.” Sir System said.

“What?” Fang Ning sensed something was wrong and his behavior returned to normal.

He asked impatiently. “What on earth happened outside? You didn’t seek my advice in these nine years, don’t tell me you went down the wrong path? No, the gods have clearly made an agreement that they will do something thirty years later if the humans do not move out. I don’t think you have that many opponents on Earth? Even if you don’t consult me, there would hardly be problems with your behavior.”

“Sigh, we’ve underestimated the gods. They’re deities after all. The virus you contracted last time that gave you a fever seemed to affect your body, but it was actually an attack on me. It might look like an insignificant virus, but it was targeted towards a loophole in my Maxim. Indeed, we’ve underestimated the gods. To be gods, they naturally would have to master at least one Heavenly Axiom Maxim. Their comprehension of the Maxims is far beyond our presumptions.” Sir System explained in anguish.

The world suddenly spun around Fang Ning. He was appalled that the once mighty Sir System who vanquished its enemies with ease was now about to give up.

He kept asking in fright. “How could this be? System, are you sick?”

“To put it simply, I’m like Bai Shixin, and I’ll become a crap System in the future, much like a loser. Till then, I’ll not only fail to seize you and farm monsters for your training, but I’ll also use up a lot of your skills in order to sustain my existence. Your daily cultivated Vital Energy has to be supplied to me, or else, I’ll keep regressing until I reach your level.” Sir System explained slowly.

It was then that Fang Ning grasped the whole meaning of the situation. Was not Sir System about to regress from a System that cheated and seized to an old advisor Grandpa who absorbed the protagonist’s skills?

He was shocked, yet he did not cultivate the “Atmospheric Morality Technique” for naught and he was calm again.

“In that case, there’s no other choice, but at least you’re alright. As long as we’re alive, there’s still hope. We’ll just have to take things slowly and I’ll definitely cultivate diligently from now on. I can also learn alchemy and make some pills for you to restore your powers. If all else fails, we still have property and land for rent and we can spend the money on the medicine. Remember, I’ve converged the Heavenly Axiom of an arcane realm and it will soon become a bustling commercial hub. By merely collecting toll fare, I’m able to provide for you.” Fang Ning analyzed the circumstances meticulously and tried his best to console the grieving System.

“Eh, no wonder you could unlock three Heroic Achievements. You’re indeed one who values loyalty, unlike those who take advantage of others for their personal gain.” Sir System was touched by Fang Ning’s words. It hesitated for a while before adding. “Since you’ve decided to do this, I’ll tell you the only solution to this problem.”

“What’s the solution? Tell me now. No matter how big the problem is, I’ll help you to resolve it.” Fang Ning asked hastily.

“That virus only attacked a loophole in my Maxim, but it couldn’t have predicted that I’ve transferred a part of my Maxim to that old book a long time ago, that is your precious game book. Although I’ve crashed, I can still transfer the remaining Maxims that are still in effect to the book and let it store most of my functions. With this method, you can still be seized and you’ll have a mini System that trusts you completely.” Sir System revealed.

“And what will happen to you?” Fang Ning was concerned.

“Naturally, I’ll slowly disappear. I’m an amalgamation of Maxims, and after I’ve finished transferring the Maxims, I’ll no longer exist.” Sir System replied wanly. “But don’t you worry, I was never a living being. I’ve never materialized in the past, and I won’t exist in the future. It’s just a return to the origin.”

“How can this be?!” Fang Ning immediately declined. “I used to be a loser Host and you might be a loser System later. You’ve become useless, so what? Are you saying that I, Fang Ning, am the kind of person who judges a relationship based on profit and value?”

“Eh… Do you really mean what you say? I’m no longer capable of peeking at your thoughts and I can’t tell whether you’re speaking from the bottom of your heart.” Sir System answered weakly.

“Of course I mean it. I might be lazy, but I’ve always been one to appreciate loyalty. In a game, there would be at least 99 Loyalty Points. I’ll never abandon you just because you have become redundant.” Fang Ning stressed this firmly.

“Then you must consider things carefully. If you pick the latter option, you still have the opportunity to become a saint or a holy being; Should you choose to sustain my existence, however, Vigilante A will lose his reputation and your cultivation will be much slower as compared to your peers. By that time, many people will want to take over your position. Even if you let Vigilante A disappear, they will also put the blame on your true identity and many innocents.” Sir System said gravely.

Fang Ning comforted the System. “Don’t worry, we already have a backup plan. All those important people will be placed inside the arcane realm. I won’t give our opponents the chance to get their revenge on us.”

All of a sudden, the System Notification appeared.

[The Host has completed Obsession: Indispensable System and unlocked the special Heroic Achievement: Never Gonna Give You Up. The Host has received the Mythical-grade skill: Biomechanical Fusion. Skill effects: Once the skill is activated, the Host’s soul will temporarily fuse with the System and possess the System’s characteristics. Attacks on the soul will be disregarded.]

“System, you’ve indeed turned evil…” Fang Ning mused.

When he saw the real System Notification, he already knew that this was the final test of fear!

His greatest fear was losing Sir System one day.

That was his greatest fear and nothing else.

“Eh, this lousy Maxim ruined my charade again.” Sir System saw this and felt embarrassed. “Okay, I’ll tell you the truth. Actually, ten years did not go by and of course, you didn’t achieve the Legendary Level. You only used up one month and didn’t achieve anything with your cultivation. Those notification sounds were effects made by me…”

“You don’t have to explain, I knew it was too good to be true!” Fang Ning was unmoved by this. “You dared to trick me today. Just you wait, I’ll have my revenge.”

“Woah, toodles…” Sir System noticed its Host was fuming with rage and quickly vanished.

At that very moment, the valley faded away and the System Space re-appeared. Fang Ning returned to his starting point.