The Systems Challenge - Chapter 10: My Gem

He had four disobedient disciples, who now achieved success, won recognition and established their own sects.

The embarrassing thing is that it was him who drove those four out of his sect to make them independent.

But one day he had an incident and lost his cultivation. His life was hanging by a thread. Wandering around, he walked into his third disciple’s territory.

What should I do?

Mountains and seas can be tamed, days and nights can disappear.

Only you, the exceptional you, refuse to give up.

——

A man blessed with fortune, the best in his generation, had an accident and started anew; broken in body but firm in spirit, he now uses his wisdom to guide his evil disciples back to the right path.

Notes :
The title 参商 (Shēnshāng) has two meanings:
1) Constellations Shen (ch. “Three Stars mansion”, eu. Orion) and Shang (ch. “Heart mansion”, eu. Antares), which never appear at the same time.
2) Two friends/relatives who are separated/estranged and irreconcilable.

- Description from Novelupdates

Waking up in an unfamiliar world with no memories, I had only one advantage—a mind filled with knowledge of fictional tropes, clichés, and common sense learned from countless novels.At first, I thought I was trapped in a romcom nightmare when I started triggering events like “Helping a Girl on a Rainy Day”, “Damsel in Distress”, and “Tripping Into the Heroine’s Arms.” Naturally, I shut those nonsense down before they could escalate. No forced romances. No misunderstandings. No cringe.But something was clearly off.The world wasn’t just a slice-of-life comedy.Beneath the cliché academy setting, there were whispers of awakening powers, hidden dangers, and a brutal magic academy entrance exam.And every challenge I prevented or manipulated was an opportunity to grow stronger.[Title Earned: Background Character.][Achievement Unlocked: Firm Mind.][New Skill Acquired: Background Character's Aura.][New Ability Acquired: Anti-Narrative Influence.]I may be just a background character, but if fate insists on throwing these events at me, I’ll turn them into stepping stones.Let the protagonists play their scripted roles—I have my own path to power.

Jack Somnus was a mid-wealth professor of economics and a trading advisor for the powerful Johnson family. But after years of working for the Johnsons, he was abandoned without a word. He was laid off without as much as a severence package. Jack’s life got worse when he lost his wife. Depressed and alone, he got into an unfortunate accident. Instead of dying, he travels back in time to his teenage years. Now, Jack has a second chance to live the life he always wanted. He wants to be the one who controls, not the one being controlled. But his time travel hides a deeper secret, one that might throw him for a loop. [WARNING: CONTAINS EXPLICIT EROTIC SCENES]

“I really feel like having one of those special macarons from the cafeteria today. You think you could get me one?”I sit diagonally behind the heroine in class. I’m basically her errand girl.“We are [friends] , after all.”…And I’m happy to do it.