In existing games, it’s all about how much practical resources you can get.

In an established system, the rules are already set by others. You need years of study and practice to gradually earn the recognition of those in authority. Opportunities come easily, so you grow fast—but only if you’re truly cut from the right cloth.

If the path you’ve chosen makes it inherently difficult to defy the odds, no matter how excellent or hardworking you are, you’ll always be held back by others.

The essence of an established system is that already-established authorities, each with their own territories, compete to take each other’s ground. Your effort is like trying to succeed Yinzhiping from the Quanzhen Sect—you spend all day fighting with colleagues like Zhao Zhijing for scraps just to get a glance from your boss. It’s not about whether you’re outstanding; it’s that in these zero-sum games, your excellence is severely diluted. Whether you’re a professor, a civil servant, or a doctor, it’s much the same—which is why physicians’ unions often align with civil servants.

Most of your ingenuity and accumulated knowledge will go into winning your superiors’ approval. If the director likes your report, the deputy director may not. Most of your life may be spent stuck between the two.

Established systems are better suited for people who have no ambitious ideas and don’t expect outsized rewards. The director says change it? Fine. The deputy says change it again? We’ll change it again. You work ten months and get ten months’ salary.

If we’re talking purely about making money, any job that requires you to please others and gain their approval before you can get a license or start moving forward is inherently不利.

But if you step outside the established game, you don’t need to ask for permission before you begin. Every dollar you earn goes straight into your own account. Put in 100% effort, and you get 100% return—no one to bribe, no one to please.