The question hung in the air, making the viewers ponder and think along.
"As I said before, among one billion people, there are about sixty dormant Heaven's Chosen. These sixty people can be considered normal unless someone triggers their destiny by acting as a man-made disaster, causing their hardship to tilt and their Heaven's Destiny to awaken."
"So… in simpler terms, how rare are they exactly? Let's do the math, shall we? Here's the representation of one billion people." As he spoke, the screen changed from the mural to a blank white background, and an easy-to-understand visual began to form. A large circle appeared to represent one billion people.
It was a pie chart displayed on the screen.
"And next, here's the representation of the dormant Heaven's Chosen." As Wei Chen said this, a barely noticeable sliver appeared on the pie.
Outside, the audience watching the large screen grew confused. After a moment, someone asked, "Hey, is the screen not working?"
"I don't know, I'm not an artificer. Can an expert explain this? Is the screen broken?" another person shouted toward a nearby cultivator.
"No, the screen isn't broken," the expert replied. "It's working as intended, but the change is too small for mortals or low-level cultivators to notice."
On the massive display in the sky, the pie chart roughly ten by ten meters showed a slice only about 0.07 millimeters thick. The broadcast then zoomed in, magnifying how minuscule the proportion of the sixty dormant Heaven's Chosen truly was.
"What!? It's that small!?"
"Hahaha! The luck of anyone who accidentally awakens a Heaven's Chosen must be very terrible! Out of all this, they just happen to run into one!"
The viewers clamored, some laughing, others mocking the bastard who was unlucky enough to trigger an awakening.
Wei Chen smiled knowingly, as if he had been waiting for this reaction. He then spoke.
"Although… there's one fact I've left out." He paused, and the audience quieted. "It's clearly stated in the mural…"
The camera stopped at a particular section of the mural, showing an image of a cultivator with a dao halo above his head walking toward a group of people locked in battle.
Wei Chen continued, "It states that all Heaven's Chosen are magnetically drawn to conflict by the design of the Heavenly Dao. This means the chance of their awakening increases drastically… no, it should be said that it increases exponentially."
"So… what does this signify?" Wei Chen paused again, letting the thought linger before addressing the audience.
"Can anyone tell me how often the weak or the poor are bullied by those of higher status or hierarchy? Let's find the average number here. I'll pick three answers from the chat." Wei Chen said as he looked at the rapidly scrolling comment box.
Little Wealthy Demon: [Once a week, I think…]
Sword Dao Genius: [When I was poor, I got bullied every day, but by different people. Not all of them were powerful, some were just villagers. But if we're talking about people of higher status than me, it should be about twice a week. That's what I experienced.]
Handsome Tall and Rich – [Stellar Lotus Throne]: [Nonsense! My friends do it three times a week, some even do it every day! but it's not me! Definitely!]
After receiving the answers, Wei Chen smiled, and the screen changed into a whiteboard as the calculations began.
"For easy understanding, let's say the minimum is one and the maximum is three. So, the average would be two bullying incidents per week for one young master. Let's assume this young master isn't a cultivator and only lives for 100 years old. So… what are the chances of triggering the Heaven's Chosen Awakening mechanism?"
"Even though the population of Heaven's Chosen is only 0.00000006% among one billion people, there are two factors you all need to consider. First, Heaven's Chosen are naturally drawn to conflict by the heavenly dao itself. It's their unchangeable nature, just as certain as the sun rising in the east and setting in the west," Wei Chen paused, then continued.
"Another factor we need to consider is karmic retribution. All cultivators know the significance of karma, sowing too much bad karma will eventually make your heavenly tribulation stronger when you attempt a breakthrough. But not only that, bad karma will also deteriorate your luck and fortune in daily life, causing you to have a higher and higher chance of unknowingly encountering a Heaven's Chosen one day and triggering their awakening mechanism."
"There are several more factors to consider, but these two are the main ones. To keep it simple, the total combined chance from all factors is about 0.094% per bullying incident. The stronger the bully, the faster this chance rises. But for this example, let's say the average chance is 0.094%."
"On average, there are two bullying incidents per week for a young master, so that's 0.094% each week. In one year, there are 104 weeks. Let's also say the bully start from ten and then grows wiser with age, reducing their bullying at age thirty and stopping completely at fifty."
"So by age thirty, you have a 63.1% risk of triggering the awakening mechanism of a Heaven's Chosen if you keep bullying without stopping. After age thirty, if you reduce bullying to once a week but keep at it steadily, you'll reach a 67.9% chance by age fifty, when you finally stop."
"In conclusion, you have about a 0.094% chance each time you bully some poor soul, and the probability will keep stacking against you every time you do it," Wei Chen said with a smile.
At this moment, at a noodle stall, a young master was watching his lackey step on the face of a young noodle stall owner. He was enjoying the scene when the broadcast in the nearby square reached this part.
His face suddenly turned pale as he saw the percentages displayed. He was the exact kind of person who bullied others twice a week, just like the example described.
"You trash! What are you doing? Stop beating him immediately!" the young master roared at his lackeys.
"But young master, you said—"
Slap!
The young master slapped his lackey hard, and the lackey could only bow fearfully. The truth was, the young master had only said that the noodles weren't to his taste, and his lackeys had immediately taken it upon themselves to beat up the stall owner.
Usually, he would have enjoyed it, but today, after hearing such a shocking revelation, he didn't dare continue. Especially since he had been rather unlucky lately, his own shop had been destroyed when two cultivators fought at the inn across the street, and he couldn't do anything about it since he was merely a mortal young master.
He quickly helped the noodle stall owner up with both hands.
"Brother, are you okay? This is just a misunderstanding. I'll teach my people a good lesson when I get back, and I'll pay for the damages and your medical expenses," the young master said with a forced smile, startling the noodle stall owner.
The onlookers all knew this sudden act of kindness came because of the broadcast at the square. Otherwise, this young master from an influential family would never have acted like this.
In the broadcast, Wei Chen continued.
"As for those who want to see the full list explaining how the 0.094% chance was calculated, I'll display it on the screen for a moment. Anyone with a U-Phone can rewatch this broadcast later through the Spirit Net," Wei Chen announced, then instructed the broadcasting orb to display the detailed list of contributing factors.
A long list appeared on the screen. There were more than a hundred factors contributing to the 0.094%, but the main ones were exactly as Wei Chen had mentioned, the Heaven's Chosen's natural tendency to be drawn to conflict and the deterioration of fortune caused by bad karma.
Among the other factors, there was a third major one: the status of the bully. The higher the status of the person committing the bullying, the greater the chance of encountering a Heaven's Chosen. This factor also influenced how severe the karmic consequence would be.
Meanwhile, at the Heavenly Sword Sect, Shi Zhun and Jing Suan were watching the broadcast from their new residence. Shi Zhun was even studying the factors shown on the screen, calculating them on his own.
"What do you think, Master?" Jing Suan asked.
"Hmm… I haven't finished calculating yet, but so far, it's accurate… very accurate. What he said is highly probable. We all know karmic retribution is real and tangible. Those who can avoid it either use treasures, possess high cultivation, or perform rituals to delay or reduce it. Some of the sect's rituals, such as ancestor veneration or heaven worship, also serve that purpose to delay or mitigate karmic retribution," Shi Zhun explained.
— Meanwhile - Azure River Capital City —
At the top of the tower in the number one establishment of the red-light district in Azure River Province, the Immortal Dream Garden, sat a goddess-like woman dressed in a luxurious blue robe adorned with butterfly and cloud patterns.
She had golden pupils, red lips, and sorrowful eyes so deep that they could stir sympathy even in the heart of the cruellest criminal. Every movement and smile of hers could melt the heart of an iron-blooded general.
She was Meng Die, also known as Dream Butterfly, the top courtesan of the Immortal Dream Garden.
At this moment, she was watching the large screen showing Wei Chen's broadcast. To her, a little bird trapped in a gilded cage…. it was like a window opening to a vast new world she had never experienced before.
She enjoyed every session of the broadcast, the lighthearted tone of the man's speech, and the new perspectives he shared. To Dream Butterfly, it felt as if she could finally spread her wings and soar beyond her cage.