A Girl with a Heroic Ideal

Besides, this was only a problem in the early stages of cultivation. Once Si Ming had gained a solid grasp of his internal cultivation, he would be able to absorb light directly from his surroundings, without relying on the primitive method of exposing more skin to the sun.

But there was no way to shorten the process, no matter how extraordinary Si Ming's martial talent was. The Blazing Yang Battle Art did not follow the path of opening meridians and entering the dantian, but instead refined acupoints. Each acupoint refined added to his power, so it had nothing to do with talent or realm. He could only temper himself slowly, as he would in body cultivation.

This was also a characteristic of Western martial arts: they combined the cultivation of essence and Qi. Though progress was slow, power and physical condition complemented each other and grew in proportion. They, however, integrated spiritual power into their Qi and blood, thereby producing an energy known as Dou Qi.

Only when the bell rang to mark the end of the midday break did Si Ming open his eyes. He let out a breath and said, "The human heart is never satisfied, like a snake trying to swallow an elephant. Compared to before, when I couldn't even cultivate internal power, at least I've taken that first step now. My progress may be slow, but the vast majority of people have come this far one step at a time too. I mustn't let talent cloud my mind."

Fortunately, he had a mature outlook, so he quickly adjusted his mindset. Then he hurriedly dressed and came down from the roof.

He had just locked the iron door and descended the stairs when he ran into his companion and classmate, Lu Renyi. Lu Renyi curiously looked up the stairs, and after confirming that no one else was there, he looked rather disappointed.

What are you disappointed about? Do you think I haven't heard those legends about getting it on around campus?

Si Ming thought that, if only computer technology weren't so lousy nowadays, he really wanted to make a game called School Days and show them that rooftops weren't just places for confessions and outdoor trysts. They were also where Brother Makoto had fought a bloody battle.

Lu Renyi put away his disappointed expression and nudged Si Ming's arm with his elbow. "I really didn't expect it. You've been hiding your talents, huh? Without a peep, you went and hooked up with the school beauty from the next class."

"Huh? Who's that? I don't know a single person in the next class. And who picked the school beauty? Why didn't I get a ballot?"

Si Ming scoffed at the idea of a school beauty. Like "goddess" in his previous life, it had long since become a common term for flattering women. Only people who had never even attended school would confidently come up with alien creatures like the "four great school beauties."

A class beauty was at least somewhat credible. As long as the vast majority of the boys in a class approved, a girl could wear that crown. But a school beauty was far less credible. They were usually picked by little circles of fewer than ten people. If they had the guts, they should give everyone a ballot and hold a beauty pageant!

Lu Renyi's imagination wasn't as wild as Si Ming's. He simply said, "You're still pretending? She came all the way to the classroom door to wait for you. 'Excuse me, is there a student named Si Ming in your class?' She asked us herself, and you still say you don't know her."

"But I really don't. I don't even know who you're talking about. The whole school-beauty thing is too vague. There's probably one in every class. Everyone has different tastes, so there can't possibly be a universally recognized school beauty."

Some liked them a little plumper, some a little thinner. Some liked tall girls with long legs, some liked petite lolis. Some were die-hard ball fans, while others were content to be pilots. Some even liked girls with three legs. Clearly, tastes varied from person to person; there would never be a universally acknowledged number one.

Lu Renyi gave him a look that said he was no fun. "It's no fun if you take it that seriously. Anyway, it's Murong Qing, the class president next door. She's pretty, gets good grades, and is good at martial arts. Plenty of girls are on her level in looks, but you won't find half a person who, like her, has held the top spot in the grade for three years running and also won a martial arts competition."

They were middle school students, after all, and in their eyes, grades and talent were both points in a girl's favor. Once they grew up, quite a few would probably keep their distance from strong, capable women and come to prefer the gentle type who depended on men.

Si Ming tried to recall what the class president next door looked like, but his memory was quite hazy. He only had a vague sense of familiarity.

Ultimately, the previous owner had suffered from an inferiority complex. He usually kept to himself and didn't fit in, and he was even more inclined to keep his distance from "campus celebrities," too afraid to approach them. Naturally, he had little impression of her.

But when Si Ming reached the classroom door and saw Murong Qing, he recognized her instantly.

"Weren't you the girl who was running away from that toad monster?"

Chapter 20: A Girl with a Heroic Ideal

Murong Qing had a powerful presence. She was the type one could pick out at a glance even in a vast sea of people. Her features were well-proportioned and her limbs long and slender. Years of martial arts practice had left her skin firm and supple, and she was full of youthful vitality from head to toe. Though she looked a little too dashing and heroic, making her seem difficult to approach, her waist-length black hair made up for it nicely, adding enough feminine softness to match her heroic bearing.

If online media had been well developed in this era, Murong Qing would most likely have been dubbed the "No. 1 Middle School Goddess" and become an internet sensation of her generation. If she then posted a photo of herself drinking milk tea, even billionaires would probably fall at the hem of her pomegranate skirt.

Students in their final year of middle school were around fourteen years old. Many girls had yet to develop, and for the most part had only somewhat supple outlines. Murong Qing was clearly a step ahead of her peers in this respect.

Though it was only a small step now, it might become a giant leap in life in the future.

Once he overlaid the two impressions, realization dawned on Si Ming. No wonder she had been able to flee the pursuing Mighty Rhinoceros Toad for so long while carrying a child on her back, holding out until he arrived and used the Feces-Throwing Forbidden Technique. Since she had won the municipal middle school martial arts competition, such a performance was hardly surprising.

"It really was you! I never imagined you'd be in the classroom right next door! I saw you from a distance when I went to the school cafeteria yesterday at noon, but I thought I'd mistaken you for someone else. With your lightness skill, you shouldn't have been unknown if you were a student at the same school. Later, I checked the roster for the lightness skill class and found your photo. Only then did I discover that you really were a student here, and that there was only one wall between us. It's truly incredible!"

Murong Qing was a little too excited, and Si Ming could feel her enthusiasm coming straight at him. But he had never interacted with her before and assumed that was simply her personality, so he found nothing strange about it. Only those familiar with Murong Qing would have been surprised, for she was usually businesslike, serious, dignified, and meticulous.

Murong Qing seemed to realize that she was behaving a little out of character. She coughed, reined in her excitement, and said, "You possess extraordinary skills, yet you're content to be ordinary, keeping a low profile and disguising yourself as an ordinary person. I thought those stories about hidden masters were made up. I never expected there to be a real example right beside me. Thank you so much for that day. If you hadn't stepped in to save us, my younger brother and I surely couldn't have escaped the tiger's jaws. I heard you took a week off to recover from your injuries. I'm truly sorry. You didn't have to put yourself in danger."

Si Ming thought, You think I'm keeping a low profile on purpose? I just don't have the diamond drill for the job; I can't sing a hymn of loyalty.

"It's not as mysterious as you make it sound. Honestly, I hesitated that day over whether to help you. For a moment, I even thought about turning around and running. Then somehow I rushed out, and by the time I came to my senses, it was too late to regret it. I could only grit my teeth and force myself into the fight."

Hearing that, Murong Qing showed heartfelt admiration. "A coward's nature is to be afraid; a hero's nature is to be brave. Only at the most critical moment does a person's true nature reveal itself. Just as I thought, a hero's strength lies not in martial power, but in the heart."

Si Ming thought, How did you get all that from what I said? I was just trying to be modest and show I'm not that impressive. Is there any need to read so much into it?

Still, he could tell that Murong Qing had a strong ideal of heroism. It was a rather simple feeling, like the admiration he himself had felt for the heroes in cartoons as a child. He had to admit that the beautiful girl's admiring gaze made him feel a little lightheaded. He was just short of getting carried away and telling her about "the basic etiquette of showing sincerity when expressing thanks."

"After the demon tide alert ended, I asked around about you and even sought out photos of the casualties. Only when I found you weren't among them did I breathe a sigh of relief. If the worst had happened, I truly wouldn't have known how to face the guilt in my heart."

Si Ming said, "You can rest easy when you see how full of life I am now. By the way, I don't want too many people to know about this. I hope you can keep it a secret for me."

Murong Qing nodded vigorously. "I understand. Reclusive masters like you all hate being famous and prefer a low-key, ordinary life. As the sayings go, 'When the deed is done, brush off your robes and leave, hiding your merits and your name,' and 'The lesser recluse hides in the wilds; the middling recluse hides in the marketplace.' I'll definitely keep your secret."

Has this girl misunderstood something again? I hate being famous because I've been cultivating the Blazing Yang Battle Art lately. Once people start paying attention to me, I can forget about absorbing solar power at school. Otherwise, rumors that I'm an exhibitionist are bound to spread.

Si Ming didn't want to keep a low profile at all. On the contrary, he loved being in the spotlight. At least he knew his own limits: this wasn't the time to become famous, and he had no skills worth showing off yet. Fame would instead become a burden. That was also why Yan Jinghong had deliberately kept the matter quiet and out of the newspapers.

Yan Jinghong had seen plenty of the harm that came from becoming famous young. By comparison, a quiet environment was better suited to cultivation and growth. As long as one laid a solid foundation and attained a high level of cultivation, fame was only a matter of time.

Murong Qing glanced around, then suddenly lowered her voice. "I'd like to ask a question. Of course, if you don't want to answer, you don't have to."

"Go ahead," Si Ming said.

"Are you a member of the national Mohist Knight Guard?"

"..."

Si Ming thought that if he chose not to answer, wouldn't that be the same as admitting it? So he nodded.

Murong Qing's eyes lit up. "I knew it, just as I guessed! No wonder you've always been unknown. The state must have assigned you a secret mission, so you have to disguise yourself as an ordinary student, right?"

The girl had quite an imagination, but to conceal the changes that had happened to him, Si Ming could only nod and play along.

"Then may I ask what your codename is?" Murong Qing asked, a little nervously.

"...Son of Light."