Weapon System 33. Transforming Myself (1)

On his way home, Zhang Mingjing mulled over the events that had just transpired. The notion of three people controlling a single hammer seemed almost childishly naïve; in fact, everything that had happened—right down to the sealing away of the sun—struck him as oddly juvenile.

“Why do you think it’s childish?” the Five-Dimensional Space Thought Model inquired.

“These things belong in wild flights of fancy, in novels, don’t you think? It all clashes so much with reality.”

“Clash? Not in the least! I think all of this is far too basic. Here in three-dimensional space, there are so many ideas I can’t even put to use. If we were in five-dimensional space, I’d be ten times more impressive.”

“Oh, maybe for you. But for me, everything happening right now feels out of place with reality.”

“Hahaha… What is reality? When humans first tried to fly by strapping on wings, they crashed like mud. Didn’t others find that childish, too? Out of place? And when the first prototypes of cars appeared, weren’t they also considered childish—totally out of sync with a world filled with horse-drawn carriages and manure? The river flows ever eastward, its waves wash away all the heroes of the past. What you see as reality today will be outdated in a hundred years.”

“Uh… maybe you’re right.”

“To a child, the world has countless possibilities. The older one gets, the faster those possibilities vanish, until only what is visible and tangible remains. That’s what comes of losing your imagination! So keep your mind open—cultivate a childlike heart.”

“That makes sense… You haven’t been around long, but you can argue even better than Zhang Yidao!”

...

Although he had taken Catherine and Jeremy as disciples some time ago, only now did the three of them truly come together as a team, ready to cooperate and fight side by side.

Yet Zhang Mingjing harbored doubts about his ability to work well in a team.

“I’ve always been a loner since childhood. I really don’t know if I can work well with them.”

The Five-Dimensional Space Thought Model teased him, “A loner? You make yourself sound like some heroic wanderer. Wasn’t it just that you wanted to stay home and play video games, so you avoided people on purpose?”

“That’s not the whole story! There’s also…”

“There’s also the constant chaos at home caused by Zhang Yidao and Xiao Nüxia, which left you with a psychological shadow. You felt inferior, so you were afraid to interact with classmates. That’s called low self-esteem.”

“Yeah… wait, are you prying into my private memories?”

“Why would I need to pry? I’m inside your consciousness right now. Those negative memories swirl around me like sewage—filthy and swarming with bugs. I can’t even escape them. How could you possibly understand the hardship and helplessness I endure?”

“Enough!”

“Ah, but originally, nothing is inherently stained. The love-hate entanglements of Zhang Yidao and Xiao Nüxia are their own, but you took it all to heart.”

“I get it now!”

“That’s good. What family isn’t a bit flawed? So many people get by just fine. Still, your family is truly something else. You’re lucky you turned out as well as you did.”

“Some comforter you are!”

“You’re flattering yourself. When did I ever say I was comforting you? I’m just mocking you.”

“Ugh… your way of talking—”

“It doesn’t matter what I say. Now you have the chance to build a team and face your past social regrets head-on. Isn’t that a good thing?”

...

“Fine! Is there anything you say that isn’t good?”

...

Although meditation had quickly restored Zhang Mingjing’s physical strength, mentally he still felt unrested.

When he got home, he didn’t even bother taking off his Daoist robes; he tossed his hat aside, pulled his mask down to his chin, and collapsed onto the sofa. Then he summoned a real Coke, took a couple of satisfying sips, and felt comforted by the presence of Feathered Transformation and Ascension, who nestled close by. Only then did his body and mind feel in harmony again.

“Now that you have the hammer and a team, you need to establish a whole new lifestyle if you want to keep moving forward,” the Five-Dimensional Space Thought Model said.

“What new lifestyle?” Zhang Mingjing asked lazily.

“Recover your strength in ten minutes, always be energetic and constantly refine your practice.”

“What’s so hard about that? Didn’t I manage it today?”

“Physically, yes. But your mindset hasn’t caught up.”

“What mindset?”

“Habit. People have a fixed habit of thinking that after exhausting the body, you must rest for a long time to recover. Otherwise, you feel uncomfortable.”

“That’s a very… peculiar outlook.”

“Hmph! Today, your body had already recovered, but as soon as you got home, you flopped onto the sofa like a pile of refuse and summoned your pets for a psychological massage. That habit is a major hindrance to your progress.”

“You’re being way too harsh! And who would throw a pile of refuse on their own sofa? And summoning pets? Show some respect for Feathered Transformation and Ascension!”

“A habit is a program that controls your life. To change yourself, to become strong, you must rewrite it.”

“I never said I wanted to change, let alone become strong.” Zhang Mingjing continued to lounge on the sofa, sipping his drink slowly.

“Your laziness exposes all living creatures to the threat of monsters. You’re failing in your duty as a super-being!”

“Ugh! You’re even more long-winded than Zhang Yidao. Can’t I have any private space?”

“You have too many flaws in your lifestyle. I advise you to rewrite your habits.”

“Flaws? Fine, I admit it. So how should I rewrite them? What should they be like?”

“Make them suit your current situation.”

“My current situation? I don’t get it.”

“You’re now a true powerhouse. Ten minutes of meditation restores all your fatigue. So your mindset should accept this reality, instead of feeling the need to keep resting for comfort even after you’ve recovered.”

“You just don’t understand. That’s called enjoying life.”

“That attitude will cause you to regress into an ordinary person and lose your chance to become a charismatic superman.”

“Oh, please! Charismatic superman, really? I just want to be a lazy man with a ‘tired heart.’ At least that’s my authentic self.”

...

The Five-Dimensional Space Thought Model mocked him again, then promptly wrote and implanted a temporary attitude program.

Suddenly, Zhang Mingjing no longer felt fatigued; it was as if his soul had been charged with energy. He glanced at the Coke, lost interest, and sat up straight from the sofa.

But he wasn’t stupid. The abrupt shift in his mood was obviously the work of the Five-Dimensional Space Thought Model.

“Hey, this is your doing, isn’t it?”

“I just implanted a temporary boost program.”

“How am I not already energized? Is it wrong to enjoy life?”

“There’s nothing wrong with enjoying life—except when you’re a super-being and paired up with me, haha…” The Five-Dimensional Space Thought Model burst out laughing and fell silent.

“Come on!”

Now Zhang Mingjing felt extremely positive, but being overly positive was boring, too.

He paced back and forth in his room, unsure what to do.

“See what you’ve done? Now I’m absurdly bored and restless!” he complained.

“With all this energy, why not study or meditate and cultivate yourself?”

“Meditate? Are you possessed by Zhang Yidao? Why don’t you just implant a study or cultivation program in me? Because if it’s up to me, I really don’t feel like doing it.”

Hearing this, the Five-Dimensional Space Thought Model was delighted and immediately implanted a meditation program.

Sure enough, Zhang Mingjing suddenly wanted to meditate, but his subconscious was all too familiar with such tricks and immediately protested, “You really did it, didn’t you? This is too much! Forced action never yields good fruit, you know? I’m not a robot; you can’t just go around installing programs in me like that!”

Grumbling, he nonetheless found himself heading toward the little meditation room, and even as he prepared to meditate, he kept complaining. But the moment he closed his eyes, he fell silent and quickly entered a meditative state.

Yet this session was different from all the previous ones. He was now compelled to absorb the essence of traditional culture, meticulously organized for him by the Five-Dimensional Space Thought Model.

After a while, he began to grumble again, even in his meditative state.

“A little knowledge goes a long way! What era is this? Why do I have to learn so much traditional culture? I should be learning the latest science and technology!”

“You’re human, not a machine. Understanding more about the humanities is always beneficial, especially for elevating your state of mind.”

“Now you’re even regulating my learning. I’m seriously lacking in personal freedom here—I suspect you’re trying to hijack and control me.”

“Look at you—so unmotivated, always complaining even in meditation. Hurry up and rewrite your habits!”

In fact, in a few more minutes, Zhang Mingjing would realize that all the Five-Dimensional Space Thought Model was doing was elevating his state of being. Only by continually raising his level could he gradually shake off the confines of three-dimensional thinking, ultimately integrating perfectly with the Five-Dimensional Space Thought Model and becoming a true super-being.

“My painstaking efforts—you’ll be grateful for them one day!” the Five-Dimensional Space Thought Model said.