Chapter 502: Battle "System" and "Rank"

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Since the book began, readers have consistently asked why there are no combat system level settings.

Actually, this book has a system, but no levels.

**Part One: The Book's Power "System"**

Taking martial artists as an example, their power equals Martial Arts + Cultivation/Insight + Artifacts.

Martial Arts encompass strength, agility, stamina, proficiency, and so on. (Martial artists also practice some auxiliary divine abilities, such as Young Master He's Clone Technique or the Substitute Technique. For martial artists, these are categorized under Martial Arts.) Martial arts skills are improved through repeated practice and combat.

Cultivation/Insight refers to a martial artist's understanding of combat. Consider the boxing match between Tyson and Holyfield: Tyson charged forward, while Holyfield continuously created distance. Fighters who can last 12 rounds should have comparable martial arts skill levels, so what determines the victor? I believe it's their grasp and choice of self, opponent, environment, and timing, as well as their steadfast will.

Cultivation/Insight is enhanced through experience and enlightenment. It is said that different individuals possess different states of mind and beliefs. Therefore, it's difficult to assign levels or judge superiority; one's own progress is self-evident.

As for artifacts, they need no further explanation.

By extension, a Spellcaster's power equals Supernatural Abilities + Cultivation/Insight + Artifacts.

A Curse Master's power equals Summoned Creatures, Curses + Cultivation/Insight + Artifacts.

Please infer the rest on your own.

Some might find this setup too simplistic. However, the Great Dao is inherently simple: from one comes two, from two comes three, and from three come all things.

The finest ingredients often require only the most basic cooking methods.

A beautiful and elaborate kaleidoscope is actually composed of only three mirrors.

Even the most complex and intricate computer architecture, at its core, is nothing more than 0s and 1s.

This diverse, vibrant, and ever-changing world operates on very simple underlying logic, which gives it more vitality.

**Part Two: Power Levels**

This book does not have power levels.

I (Jiu Fang) understand that for many readers accustomed to 'levels,' the absence of such a system can feel unsettling, leaving them adrift and seeking something to anchor onto.

My first work included level settings from beginning to end, but it also felt constrained throughout, preventing me from fully exploring its potential. That's why I abandoned 'levels' afterward.

In my view, conventional level systems tend to encourage readers to adopt a God's-eye view, comparing the strengths of both sides and evaluating the fight based on their understanding of the system. For instance, they might predict whether a battle should be an easy win, a difficult win, or an impossible one. The 'excitement factor' then often relies solely on winning against a higher level, seeing others repeatedly shocked.

Levels provide readers with a coordinate for positioning, but they also limit the reader's perspective, causing them to overlook whether the combat itself is exciting, logical, or innovative.

The excitement of combat lies in its uncertainty, whereas level divisions make battles rigidly constrained.

Fewer restrictions lead to better performance; this is one of the truths life teaches us.

If this book had power levels, General Baili would have turned and fled the moment he encountered the protagonist, thus avoiding losing an arm. Likewise, the protagonist's scene of riding into battle and striking down Hong Chenglue during the Battle of Hanhe would not have happened, because Hong Chenglue was clearly more powerful than him.

Whether someone is strong or weak, good or bad, powerful or not, or if there's a chance for a comeback, should only be determined by exchanging blows and testing their skills, not by directly measuring them with complex numbers or parameters.

This is true in reality, and a novel that draws from reality yet transcends it should also abide by this principle.

I (Jiu Fang) hope to evaluate the combatants' skill levels through the process of the battle itself, rather than predicting the outcome based on their levels.

Since this is a Xianxia world, battles should be both exciting, imaginative, and comprehensible, not just a screen full of death rays, explosions, and collapses.

For instance, it's hard to write an exciting battle process for something like 'Iron Sand Fist' against 'Seven-Level Collapse' while shouting slogans. (I'm not trying to disparage other works; every author has a unique approach, and comparisons are not appropriate. Understanding is paramount.)

The ability to write exciting battles is a challenge for me as an author, and it is also where I (Jiu Fang) find enjoyment.

I will do my utmost, and I welcome your monitoring.