Guo Feng, the father of the twitching "strategist" Guo Yan, was not a man to be trifled with. As a Platinum 7-Star expert and a seasoned businessman, he didn't reach his position by shouting at teenagers.
While his son, Guo Yan, was locked in his room trying to figure out how to stop hiccuping, Guo Feng was sitting in his private study, reading a report on a certain 1-Star student named Xiao Fan.
"Father, you have to punish him!" Guo Yan wailed from behind the door. "He ruined my reputation! He made me confess my plan! He's a demon!"
Guo Feng sighed, sipping his spirit tea. "No, Yan-er. He didn't ruin your reputation. Your failure ruined your reputation. You calculated everything but forgot the most important variable in the universe: Destiny."
Guo Feng had seen "Luck-Eaters" before. They were rare, chaotic, and usually became the pillars of the world—or the reason for its destruction.
"I won't fight this boy," Guo Feng whispered, his eyes gleaming with wisdom. "If the heavens protect him, fighting him is like spit-balling at a hurricane. Instead, you will become his friend. Or at least, his most useful 'victim.'"
The School Life: The "Slow" Grind
Meanwhile, Xiao Fan was discovering the downside of his new life. Now that everyone was afraid to touch him—lest they slip on a banana peel or admit their deepest secrets—his growth had slowed down to a crawl.
[Ding! Warning: Environment too peaceful. Luck-based growth is stagnating.]
[Current Cultivation: Bronze 1-Star (Early Stage).]
[Talent Progress: 2-Star (Low) — 15% (Qi absorption speed increased by 20%)]
"So let me get this straight, System," Xiao Fan said, laying on a patch of grass. "I only get the 'good stuff' when my life is in danger? That's a terrible business model. I just want to nap and get rich."
[Response: High risk, high reward. In a school of 'cautious' students, your luck has nothing to 'backfire' against.]
Xiao Fan sighed. He tried to meditate, but his 1-star high talent (which was still technically 'trash' compared to geniuses) made absorbing Qi feel like trying to fill a swimming pool with a straw.
"Bro, this is boring," he muttered. "I need something to happen."
The "Unusual" Talent Skill: Bronze Awakening
Since he had officially stabilized his Bronze rank, it was time for his second talent skill to manifest. Because his talent was growing faster than his actual strength, the skill was... unique.
[Ding! Bronze Rank Talent Skill Unlocked: 'The Safety Dance.']
[Effect: When the Host is in a situation where he should be embarrassed or harmed, his body will involuntarily perform a perfectly choreographed, highly rhythmic dance move that dodges the threat.]
"A dance move? System, I'm a cultivator, not a K-Pop star!"
[Note: It is highly effective at demoralizing opponents. Nobody wants to lose to a guy doing the 'Moonwalk.']
The Meeting of the "Genius" and the "Lucky"
Guo Yan, under strict orders from his father, approached Xiao Fan the next day. He wasn't hiding in bushes this time. He was carrying a box of high-grade Spirit Pastries.
"Xiao Fan," Guo Yan said, his voice trembling slightly. (The hiccups had finally stopped, but the trauma remained). "My father... he says I was a fool. He wants me to apologize. And he sent these."
Xiao Fan looked at the pastries. His 'Eye of the Grifter' saw a golden glow. "Pastries? Bro, you're trying to poison me? Because if you are, you'll probably end up choking on a crumb."
"No poison!" Guo Yan shouted, jumping back. "It's 100% pure! I promise! HIC!"
(Even when telling the truth, the trauma made him hiccup).
Xiao Fan laughed. "Relax, bro. I'll take the food. But tell your dad if he wants to 'invest' in me, he needs to send more than just carbs. I need a challenge. This school is too safe."
Just as he said that, a Silver-rank training dummy nearby malfunctioned due to a loose bolt (another coincidence). It spun out of control, its iron arms swinging toward Xiao Fan's head at 100mph.
Xiao Fan didn't even see it. But his body suddenly jerked. He did a smooth, low-angle Limbo slide.
The iron arm whistled inches over his chest, smashing into Guo Yan's box of pastries instead, sending powdered sugar everywhere.
Xiao Fan stood up, brushed a bit of sugar off his shoulder, and looked at the destroyed box. "See? I told you. Danger follows me, bro. You might want to stand a bit further back."
Guo Yan stared at the smashed dummy and the perfectly fine Xiao Fan. He finally understood his father's words.
"I... I think I'll go back to the library," Guo Yan whispered. "Safety is underrated."
The Slow Path Ahead
Xiao Fan realized that while his talent was rising—allowing him to process Qi faster—his actual "Level" would only jump when things got chaotic. He was now a 2-Star Low Talent trapped in a Bronze 1-Star body.
He was like a high-performance engine inside a beat-up old scooter.
"Well," Xiao Fan grinned, popping a salvaged pastry into his mouth. "If the world won't bring the chaos to me, I guess I'll just have to go find some trouble. But first... nap time."