Chapter 155: Cosmic Citizen Pang Ze
Translator: CKtalon
In Pang Ze’s personal space in the virtual world.
“Let me take a look at your analysis of Fang Yu.” Pang Ze looked at his son’s answer and flipped through a few pieces of paper. He then shook his head slightly and looked up at his son. “You believe Fang Yu’s future is limited and that he won’t be able to become one of the top ten experts in China?”
“Yes.” Pang Yun nodded. “Dad, you made me accept a Lv. 8 legacy, and it’s written very clearly in the legacy. The further one goes, the more important the mind becomes. As for Fang Yu, he has been favored since he was a child. His life has been smooth-sailing, and he hasn’t encountered many setbacks. It will be very difficult for his mind and will to grow… For example, it took him a long time to break through from Lv. 3 to Lv. 4. I think it will be a thousand times harder for him to break through to Lv. 5. I think it’s hopeless for him to enter the top ten in China.”
“I’ll give you a zero.” Pang Ze shook his head.
Pang Yun glared. “Zero?”
His father had given him 50 marks for Cheng Zihao, albeit a fail. However, he got zero for Fang Yu.
“Some of the things you wrote are right, but the conclusion is wrong,” Pang Ze said. “If the result is wrong, it’s naturally 0.”
“Where did I go wrong?” Pang Yun asked.
“Let’s talk about Cheng Zihao first.” Pang Ze waved his hand, and a simple video introduction of Cheng Zihao appeared beside him.
“Cheng Zihao is a member of the Cheng family. The Cheng family once controlled the Tiger Shark Group, and the family once had a wealth of hundreds of billions,” Pang Ze said. “Cheng Zihao has been attending reputable schools since he was a child. Even though his results were ordinary, he still managed to enter the best university.”
Pang Yun nodded and listened.
“But entering a good school doesn’t mean that you’re a good student.” Pang Ze shook his head. “If a genius university graduate’s educational level is set at 10, then a genius high school student’s educational level is about 5, and a genius middle school student’s educational level is about 3!”
“To put it nicely, Cheng Zihao’s educational level can only be considered 2 or 1.” Pang Ze said, “His educational level is 1-2; this can represent his level of intelligence.”
Pang Yun nodded slightly. “Genius high school students are all freaks. Genius university graduates… can reach the level of world-class experts, right?”
“Yes.” Pang Ze nodded. “There’s a huge difference in intelligence between people. Genius university graduates are indeed comparable to some top experts, so their educational level is at 10. When comparing educational levels, Cheng Zihao is as stupid as a pig.”
“A person has to know their limits,” Pang Ze said. “They have to understand their level of intelligence. How much they can do is limited by their capability.”
“Of course, people can also learn from society after stepping into the workforce, but clearly…” Pang Ze pointed at the video. “After entering society, he didn’t learn anything from society, nor did he become outstanding.”
“Instead, he offended many people in society,” Pang Ze stated. “He relied on the power of the Cheng family and the Tiger Shark Group to offend others without a care.”
Pang Yun nodded slightly.
“What’s society?”
Pang Ze gazed at his son. “Society is made up of people, and many of the people he offended in the past are people with sufficient power. It’s fine to offend one, but if he offends too many… It’s actually very dangerous to stack these powers together.”
“The ancients say that a just cause attracts much support, an unjust one finds little!”
“The ancients all know that ‘much support’ is needed, yet he offended people randomly. That makes him ‘unjust,’” Pang Ze said. “Moreover, with the arrival of the virtual world and the end of the Cheng family, his livestream company just happened to be in the right place at the right time, allowing him to gain temporary success.”
“At this time, he went crazy financing. In order to get more to finance his company, he was willing to sign a large number of valuation adjustment contracts and even some liability clauses,” Pang Ze said. “He didn’t realize what would happen if he failed to keep up with the valuation adjustment contracts. Could he really bear the responsibility?”
“He didn’t consider the risks and only thought about higher valuations and more financing,” Pang Ze said. “But in fact, his educational level is only 1-2. Moreover, he had offended many people. He had more or less suffered some obstructions in his business.”
Pang Yun listened.
“He only knew how to burn cash foolishly, but he didn’t do the accounts at all,” Pang Ze said. “How long can the cash flow last? Can it form a favorable cycle? He knew nothing; he only knew to expand market share.”
“Once the competition got a little intense, he failed to deal with it.”
“Once the industry went downhill, he immediately collapsed.”
Pang Ze shook his head. “It’s said that the survivors are king! Only businesses that can survive in harsh and cruel environments can be considered successful businesses. He was finished the moment the virtual world’s livestream industry went slightly downhill.”
“At the end of the day, he’s just a profligate son who doesn’t know his limits and screwed himself over.” Pang Ze looked at his son.
“Know one’s limits?” Pang Yun fell into thought. “Dad, what’s my educational level?”
“Genius high school students are at 5, so you’re considered 4 now,” Pang Ze said with a smile. He had focused on grooming his son since he was a child, and his son was indeed very outstanding.
“But in this society, top experts typically have an intelligence level of 8-10,” Pang Ze said. “Do you think you can win against such a group of top experts? There are many things you need to learn.”
Pang Yun nodded.
“Actually, no matter what you do, you have to understand what’s wrong,” Pang Ze said. “What are the reasons for a person’s bankruptcy? Gambling, drugs, personal debt, vile conditions for gambling, liability, and guarantees… Cheng Zihao committed many mistakes that could lead to bankruptcy. In fact, as long as you avoid these pitfalls and the company happens to be in the right place at the right time, he could’ve earned a lot.”
“Even if a person’s intelligence is inferior, as long as they know their limits and don’t do anything dangerous, they can naturally tide through the risks safely,” Pang Ze said.
“But the company needs financing to develop,” Pang Yun said.
“Remember.” Pang Ze glanced at his son. “People who aren’t capable will only harm themselves by borrowing money. A capable person can still thrive without borrowing money.”
Pang Yun fell into thought when he heard that.
“Even in financing, there are also ways. Don’t do valuation adjustments with liability clauses. Allow the investor to share both profits and losses with you,” Pang Ze said. “Although the valuation might be lower, an individual won’t have to bear much risk.”
“When the company expands, the investors can also make a killing. If the company makes a loss, the investors can bear the losses themselves.”
“Remember…” Pang Ze said, “One mustn’t stand under a dangerous wall! Don’t let yourself fall into a ‘predicament.’ Cheng Zihao got himself entangled in layers and layers of rope. If any of the ropes tighten, he’s finished.”
Pang Yun nodded slightly.
“Tell me, what did you understand?” Pang Ze asked.
“I understand that the first thing I need to do is figure out myself, understand the level of my intelligence, and know my limits. Secondly, borrowing money will only harm me if I’m not capable. If I’m capable, I don’t need to borrow money. Even if I need financing, I have to make the investors bear some of the responsibility. Thirdly, don’t put myself in a predicament,” Pang Yun immediately said.
“I can only give you 50 points for your insights.” Pang Ze shook his head slightly. “Continue comprehending when you get back. Don’t look at the surface of everything; you have to look at the essence.”
“It’s like using sets in mathematics. After eliminating the wrong set, all that’s left is the ‘correct set,’” Pang Ze said. “I just said that the reason for a person’s bankruptcy is to collect all the wrong sets. After eliminating these… you won’t go bankrupt doing the rest. Similar concepts in sets can be promoted.”
“What are the areas in which a person can fail? Excluding these means that there’s no chance of failure. What are those?
“What are the reasons for having low intelligence levels? By excluding these, can you find a way to obtain high intelligence?”
Pang Ze stared at his son. “One has to look at the essence of a matter and understand the most fundamental way of thinking.”
Pang Yun’s eyes lit up, and he immediately deduced many things. “What are the reasons for slow improvement in martial arts? Organize a set of failures. After elimination… it might be the set that leads to success.”
“Let’s talk about Fang Yu.” Pang Ze pointed to the side, where Fang Yu’s growth video appeared. “You believe that Fang Yu won’t be in China’s top ten?”
“I think his mind and will are weak and that he has suffered too few setbacks,” Pang Yun said.
“Haha… But he also broke through to Lv. 4. Moreover, he’s even more impressive among those at the limits of Lv. 4 now,” Pang Ze said with a smile. “Why do you think so?”
“It’s just a temporary advantage,” Pang Yun said.
“Son, what do you think mental consciousness is?” Pang Ze focused on his son.
Pang Yun was slightly stunned. “In the legacy I received, there are ways to assist the brain’s evolution. There are ways to visualize, hone the mind and will, and there’s also reading and putting things into practice.”
“These are all universal,” Pang Ze said. “Reading and putting things into practice are core ideas that determine how far you can go! The effects of foolishly honing your mind and will are limited. You have to have extraordinary intelligence and be able to see through the workings of everything. You even have to put your senses into practice to strengthen your mind and consciousness.”
“As for Fang Yu!” Pang Ze pointed at the video. “Didn’t you notice during his growth? He has a huge advantage.”
“Advantage?” Pang Yun was puzzled.
“Good at learning!” Pang Ze said seriously. “He was taught by his father and the other seniors since he was a child. He could focus on learning, and his achievements were even higher than his father and the other seniors. He surpassed his teachers!”
“He knows how to learn from experts and draw upon their strengths to better himself,” Pang Ze said. “Xu Jingming was his opponent, but he didn’t let his pride or stubborn thoughts get in the way. He learned from Xu Jingming and used this to break through to Lv. 4.”
“He even publicly says that he broke through by studying Xu Jingming’s nine martial arts classes,” Pang Ze said. “If he cared too much about his reputation, he wouldn’t have publicly announced his gains from Xu Jingming’s classes! However, he publicly announced it, willingly lowering himself and acting like Xu Jingming was his teacher.”
“Being good at learning and diligence at learning makes an expert,” Pang Ze said. “As he comes into contact with more and more experts, he will constantly absorb nutrients and grow.”
“In China… I think best of Xu Jingming! Second, it’s Fang Yu who doesn’t seem to have experienced many setbacks but is good at studying and is devoted to his studies,” Pang Ze said.
“Dad, you think so highly of Fang Yu?” Pang Yun found it unbelievable. “What about Liu Hai? Is Fang Yu’s potential greater than Liu Hai’s?”
“Liu Hai drew on all the schools of thought and used his whole life to integrate martial arts into it. His potential is indeed extraordinary, but he has limited himself!” Pang Ze said. “The limit is Taiji! This framework is very large, but the universe is even greater! The framework of Taiji will allow him to absorb the nourishment of the outside world and rapidly grow, but it will ultimately limit his growth.”
“Don’t limit yourself! Don’t set a limit on martial arts either.” Pang Ze glanced at his son. “Alright, go back and think about it.”
“Okay.” Pang Yun nodded. There were too many thoughts in his mind before he left.
Pang Ze watched his son leave and sighed softly. “I’m talking about others, but I’m also talking about myself. My educational level is indeed the highest on Earth, reaching Lv. 56! However, I have to know my limits… Knowing myself, I should know what I should and shouldn’t do. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have suffered so much this time.”
1
“There are countless talents in the universe.” Pang Ze tapped gently. “Connect to the virtual world.”
Whoosh.
The scene in front of Pang Ze changed.
“Welcome, Cosmic Citizen Pang Ze..” A gentle voice sounded in his ears.