Mutual Attraction
"..." Liang Fan was speechless.
Remembering his own persona, Si Ming felt a mischievous urge and turned to ask Si Jingyu, "Who is more handsome, me or the Earth Emperor Duke Wei?"
Si Jingyu said earnestly, "You are extremely handsome; how could Duke Wei possibly compare to you?"
Si Ming nodded in satisfaction, then asked Liang Fan, "Who is more handsome, me or Duke Wei?"
Liang Fan to himself, "Are you crazy?" but didn't want to take it seriously. Besides, between Linked Mountains University and Earth Emperor University, it was obvious that the university would favor the students from the same hometown. So he laughed it off and said, "Duke Wei is not as handsome as you."
Si Ming sighed, patted Liang Fan on the shoulder, and said, "You can't be too honest. When you're on someone else's turf, you still have to give them some face."
Such shamelessness was beyond Liang Fan's comprehension; he could only give a thumbs-up and admit defeat before pulling his companion away to keep his distance.
With the hearing of Spirit Transformation Grandmaster, Wei Mengchen naturally heard Si Ming's conversation. Since Si Ming hadn't deliberately lowered his voice, almost everyone around him heard it, and they couldn't help but chuckle. Some who hadn't heard clearly whispered among themselves, asking questions, and when they found out what was going on, they couldn't help but laugh too. In an instant, the atmosphere changed from a teen idol drama to a stand-up comedy performance, and the venue was filled with a joyful atmosphere.
Despite his inner turmoil, as the host, Wei Mengchen naturally couldn't step down and argue with Si Ming. However, the interruption caused him to forget his carefully crafted, attention-grabbing speech. He stood there for ten seconds before remembering it.
Si Ming quickly felt a series of resentful gazes, all from students and teachers of the Earth Emperor University. After all, he had ruined their carefully prepared show. Imagine, the Earth Emperor University had finally cultivated a Spirit Transformation cultivator, and they were definitely thinking of using the Spirit Transformation title to establish their authority. Now, all of that was ruined.
However, a glance won't kill anyone; instead, it proves that he's powerless to retaliate. Si Ming only feels relieved, but he knows when to stop. He doesn't continue the farce, otherwise he would only appear impolite and deliberately disruptive.
Setting aside the superficialities, Wei Mengchen's speech essentially explained the lottery ceremony.
The draw for the Martial Dao League is not a simple matter of each person drawing a number. According to past practice, the host country needs to organize a small test, and the scores of each representative in the test will determine their competition numbers.
The significance of doing this is that it can distribute the seeded teams to different regions in a fair way, avoiding situations where strong teams meet in the first round. If it were a draw, it would be necessary to use behind-the-scenes manipulation. While it might be acceptable to manipulate behind the scenes once or twice, it is easy to be criticized if it is used too often.
According to Wei Mengchen's explanation, the draw will not take place in the afternoon, but in the evening, at the back mountain of Earth Emperor University. The rule is that within two hours, seven number plates randomly distributed on the mountain must be found, and whoever holds the number plate at the end of the time limit will get the corresponding competition order.
The seven numbers are 1, 9, 17, 25, 33, 41, 49, and 57, which are evenly distributed across the eight competition zones to ensure that the teams do not meet in the first three rounds. The last spot naturally belongs to the host team.
For strong teams, they will try their best to win the number, since playing against weak teams will definitely save a lot of energy, and it is easy for players to get injured in a match between strong teams; for weak teams, they will naturally do the opposite. For example, if teams with the strength of champions and runners-up meet in the first round, one of them will be injured in the battle, and their ranking can be pushed up.
Of course, there are also some teams that have no ambition and no interest in the results. They don't care what number they draw, and they treat the lottery test as just a formality and don't take it seriously.
"... That concludes the explanation regarding the random sampling test. If you have any questions or anything you don't understand, please feel free to contact our staff here. We have also arranged hotel accommodations for you, and a party will be held after the random sampling test. We kindly request that all representatives attend."
After the meeting was adjourned, Si Ming was about to follow the volunteers to their accommodations Si Jingyu said, "Young Master, leave the chores to me. Since you still have some free time, why don't you take a stroll around the campus? After all, it's a rare opportunity to come here."
Since the other party was determined to continue the charade, Si Ming didn't refuse their offer and began wandering aimlessly around the Earth Emperor University.
Normally, there might have been volunteers to help guide them, but because of the farce that just happened, which embarrassed Earth Emperor University, naturally no one came to repay the evil with kindness. However, Si Ming didn't care and was happy to enjoy his freedom and peace and quiet.
Library, garden, martial arts hall...
The Earth Emperor University covers a vast area, comparable to a small city. Even the back mountain where the lottery test was held nominally belongs to them. Therefore, there are many things to see. Si Ming strolled around a unique building and, after crossing the central lake, arrived at a bamboo forest.
Outside the bamboo grove, a student was drawing, but he wasn't drawing bamboo; instead, he was drawing a girl standing under the bamboo. The girl was wearing a Western-style maid outfit, and Si Ming immediately became interested. So he quietly walked over and stood behind her.
Black lines are drawn on a white background. The white is the canvas on the easel, and the black is a line drawn with a black pencil. It is a thin, neat, straight horizontal line, a sketch drawn with a pencil. The boy did not notice Si Ming at all. He stared intently at the canvas, his handsome face with a sickly pale expression.
For a moment, Si Ming mistook the other person for an elderly man over sixty, whose meticulous, almost neurotic features and somewhat weary, or rather melancholic profile made him seem like a sage who had grown tired of the unchanging state of affairs. However, the other person's eyes held the passion and will that befitted a young man.
Contradictory things became different entities, yet they merged together without any rejection.
Seeing that the other party didn't mind, Si Ming stood behind and watched. In the blink of an eye, the lines on the draft increased. He didn't have any talent in painting, but after all, he had a Beauty was a national-level master. Under the influence of her, he had developed some eye for painting. Therefore, he could see that the young man's fair fingertips had the unique talent and temperament of a painting genius.
The pencil tip, sharpened with a knife, moves swiftly back and forth on the white canvas, drawing lines with unwavering clarity, almost making one wonder if the artist has never even looked at the canvas. The brushstrokes are delicate and profound, perfectly matching the impression given by the artist's profile.
The boy suddenly spoke up, "Painting is beautiful because a fleeting moment becomes eternal here."
These words were clearly directed at Si Ming, who raised an eyebrow and simply said, "Agreed."
An artist paired with an artsy type—perfect match.
The boy's gaze remained fixed on the canvas, never wavering, as he continued, "Being a maid is truly a wonderful profession. The way they wholeheartedly serve others is elegant and leaves a lasting impression, like a fine wine—just a one-centimeter change in skirt length can completely transform its appearance."
Si Ming wanted to know where the other party had learned this information, so he echoed, "No objection."
"You have the scent of a maid on you; it seems we're kindred spirits," the boy said with a sense of kinship.
You can even smell that!
Si Ming looked up at the maid who was a model. She was petite and delicate with pretty and charming features. She was indeed a rare beauty, but unfortunately, she did not fit his aesthetic.
"Too flat-chested, that's a pity. A maid should be voluptuous; fullness is a symbol of capacity and service, the source of life. This maid is clearly not enough, not nearly enough."
The boy put down his paintbrush, sighed, and said, "What a pity. It seems we can't understand each other. I didn't expect you to be such a shallow person who can't grasp the meaning and charm of flatness."
They exchanged a glance and instantly understood that they were irreconcilable enemies, just like the sweet and savory factions, neither willing to compromise. The previous feeling of mutual respect was just a beautiful misunderstanding.
Chapter 770 Mutual Attraction
"Judging from your expression, did you perhaps encounter something interesting?" Si Jingyu asked.
Si Ming nodded and said, "I met an interesting person. Although he's not Spirit Transformation Grandmaster, he's stronger than that Wei Mengchen who was just showing off."
He recalled the complex aura of the boy who painted, a blend of age and youth, and the madness hidden beneath his calm expression, and guessed, "There's a high probability he's practicing some kind of Super Martial Dao Cultivation Method."
"What's the reason?"
"I have a vague feeling that it might be because practitioners of the Super Martial Dao Transcendence are attracted to each other."
Although it was just a guess, Si Ming felt that the probability was over 90%. For a martial artist of his level, intuition was sometimes more reliable than evidence that could be seen with one's own eyes.
"More superpowers and Super Martial Dao practitioners... it seems this Martial Dao League isn't as boring as I imagined," Si Ming said, stroking his chin.
When Si Jingyu first arrived in the Barbarian Continent, she heard about the Super Martial Dao Cultivation Method from Si Ming. She knew that it was a martial art that transcended the constraints of traditional martial arts, had excellent effects, but also hid great hidden dangers.