Perfecting Martial Arts

"Forget it, don't tell me anymore. I feel like my mind will be corrupted."

"Do you want to learn?"

After pondering for a while, Si Ming gritted his teeth and said, "Learn it! Why not learn it? Being able to subdue women means that this martial art can subdue nearly half of all martial artists."

He had never seen any martial art with such a wide range of counters. Most martial arts could only counter a certain attribute, and some could only counter one martial art, making their range much narrower than that of "Stem-Snapping Hand".

"You suddenly gave me a martial arts skill out of kindness. So, what do you want? Don't even mention it if you want me to sell my body." Si Ming gave me a heads-up first.

"I don't really have any requirements. Anyway, this martial art would just gather dust in my hands, and it would be a shame for such a gem to be wasted," Jiang Zhengtai paused, then took out an invitation from his pocket. "If I had to say something, I would like to invite you to my wedding."

Chapter 265 Perfecting Martial Arts

Si Ming held the invitation and thought for a moment. It Su State hadn't changed its laws to allow same-sex marriage. Could this guy be trying to scam someone, tricking a woman into becoming his wife?

That guy is undoubtedly even more despicable; he's utterly worthless in terms of both character and integrity.

However, when Si Ming opened the invitation and saw the woman's name, he slightly withdrew his disdain.

It really was that woman, Yao Bilian!

One is a wife of a gay man, the other is a husband of a gay man; it's hard to say who cheated whom, or perhaps it was "mutual affection"—this was the first time Si Ming had ever thought that "mutual affection" could be used in this way.

Jiang Zhengtai said, "I've discussed it with her. We'll get married, but it'll just be a ceremony to give both sets of parents an explanation. We'll sign a prenuptial agreement, and we won't interfere with each other's lives after marriage. We can consider adopting a child later, or doing IVF. What do you think?"

"That's good. It's consensual and doesn't bother anyone else. Many couples with mediocre relationships are like this. I thought you would resist to the end and refuse to compromise!"

Jiang Zhengtai smiled wryly, "If I were all alone, of course I could be willful, but even if I could withstand the pressure of public opinion, I would still have to consider my parents' feelings. There's no reason for them to suffer because of me. Forget about filial piety, at least I shouldn't be disrespectful. A wedding is just a formality, to prevent them from being attacked by gossip. Alas, our society is still not tolerant enough. The Mohist concept of Mohist School love is ultimately a narrow one. I hope this situation will change in the future."

Si Ming was well aware that as living standards improve, the tolerance of human society will gradually increase, and things that were unacceptable in the past will become commonplace. This is similar to the saying "laughing at poverty but not at prostitution," and in the end, the only way to restrain such behavior is through the moral values of each civilization.

"While this may be a bit harsh on you, I still have to say it: societal tolerance doesn't mean absorbing all sorts of garbage. The essence should be preserved, and the dross should be discarded. It may be cruel, but natural selection will prevail. Those species eliminated by natural evolution, who can they complain to? Either change yourself or change the environment. If you don't want to do either, but instead pray that the environment will change itself to accept you, isn't that ridiculous?"

Jiang Zhengtai said unhappily, "That's too cruel and lacks compassion. Just like those disabled people, they didn't choose to be this way; they were born this way. If we follow your view, they are all trash that should be eliminated?"

"Physical disabilities are outward and known to everyone, but mental disabilities are inward and can be disguised as normal. The two cannot be compared. What I mean by survival of the fittest is not a one-size-fits-all approach that eliminates all substandard products, but rather a fair treatment in terms of competitiveness. From this perspective, people with disabilities have already been affected by the survival of the fittest."

For example, if you're looking for a partner and you have the same qualifications, but one is physically disabled and the other is able-bodied, would you marry the disabled one out of pity? This is the biological instinct for reproduction; when it comes to matters of vital interest, cheap pity is utterly worthless.

Of course, this doesn't mean that people with disabilities are not entitled to reproduce, but rather that while their competitiveness may be reduced, they can compensate in other ways, such as wealth or talent. This is essentially a manifestation of fairness. However, compared to people with physical disabilities, people with mental disabilities do not receive the fair discrimination they deserve.

"The word 'discrimination' can actually be prefixed with 'fairness'? Is that a joke or just absurd?" Jiang Zhengtai shook his head and sighed. "You're just being indifferent. If you were disabled, would you obediently accept so-called fair discrimination?"

"I said, you either change yourself or change your environment. If you can't change the overall social atmosphere, then you have no choice but to compromise. Life is full of disappointments. Don't you encounter plenty of unfair things in your studies, life, and work? What if you're ostracized by classmates, laughed at by relatives and friends, or suppressed by your boss? You either fight back or grit your teeth and endure it. You don't want to fight back or endure it, but instead hope that those who ostracize you, laugh at you, and suppress you will change their minds and treat you with sympathy. Isn't that ridiculous?"

Jiang Zhengtai was silent for a moment, then said bitterly, "It is indeed ridiculous, so I can only compromise and grit my teeth and endure it?"

Si Ming and said, "What kind of compromise are you talking about? You openly declare that you are gay, have found a wife who can tolerate you, are not bound by marriage, can do whatever you want in the future, and your parents do not have to bear the pressure of public opinion. You are simply a winner in life!"

"No normal person is as bad as you. Those low-level employees who are bossed around at work are more aggrieved than you. Aren't you taking the discrimination you suffer too seriously? Don't older men and women with younger partners also face discrimination? They still live their lives as usual."

Jiang Zhengtai stroked his chin and smiled knowingly, "You're right. I seem to be happier than most people. Apart from marriage, I can do whatever I want. So what is this? Isn't it resistance, endurance, or escapism?"

"Yes, running away is shameful, but it's very useful."

"Haha, I'm getting off-topic. Anyway, remember to attend my wedding. I don't have many friends to begin with, and it would be embarrassing to have an empty table. I can't exactly hire people to pretend to be guests, can I?"

Si Ming waved his hand and said, "It's hard to say whether I'm considered a guest of the man or the woman!"

After spending twenty minutes learning the "Stem-Snapping Hand" technique, Si Ming arrived at the room where the Mohist Knight Guard kept their martial arts manuals. The martial arts here were not free, nor could they be bought with money. Instead, they had to be exchanged for Chivalry Points earned from completing Mohist Knight Guard missions.

The so-called public disclosure of martial arts does not mean unlimited public disclosure. Forbidden techniques, evil skills, and some cruel martial arts methods cannot be opened to the public, otherwise it will only increase the social crime rate. Only martial arts with low aggression, such as those for health preservation, grappling, defense, and body tempering, can be viewed freely.

Offensive martial arts require Chivalry Points to exchange for, and they are not cheap. However, the Chivalry Points that an average Mohist Knight Guard can accumulate in two or three years are enough to exchange for one. In any case, most people only practice five or six martial arts in their lifetime. Any more than that would be "biting off more than they can chew," as they have neither the ability nor the time. Geniuses are ultimately a minority.

Si Ming's Chivalry Points are certainly not enough, but don't forget that he also has a master who works hard every day. Yan Jinghong has an astonishing Chivalry Points; an ordinary person could not accumulate even a fraction of his in a lifetime.

Si Ming naturally wouldn't hold back. Anyone who has a powerful backer but insists on standing up for themselves is a fool. Only children would think it's shameful to call their parents after losing a fight. Adults haven't even started fighting yet, and they're already bringing out their backers to determine the winner.

His criteria for choosing martial arts are twofold: first, suitability—it must align with his own Cultivation Body attributes and compensate for any weaknesses, pursuing all-round development; second, the more difficult it is to master, the better. Since he possesses the talent for sudden enlightenment, he certainly cannot waste it. He doesn't even consider those that ordinary people can master. The conditions must be stringent, such as those that no one has mastered in the past sixty years, those that only extraordinary geniuses can enter, and those that are so profound that they require extremely high comprehension to understand. These are the types of martial arts he prefers.

It's about being unconventional, having a flamboyant personality, and not following the usual path.

"Want a martial art that you can master by slashing yourself?"

Pan De, who had been brought in as an advisor, pulled a martial arts book from the bookshelf and introduced it, "Take a look, this is the 'Pig-Slaughtering Divine Fist Saber and Saber,' which claims to cleave the path between life and death with a single punch and sever the root of right and wrong with a single saber. As long as you are willing to give yourself a saber, you will immediately have the ability to kill with a saber in mid-air. You can use your Yin God saber energy and kill people invisibly. In close combat, you can also transform the saber into a fist. The Law God and impossible to defend against. It is a unique skill that is good at both offense and defense and is fearless at both close and long range."

Si Ming squinted and said, "Do you think I'm uncultured? 'Zhi' means pig, this is basically a pig-slaughtering technique!"

"Hey, what's wrong with the pig-slaughtering knife technique? Many chivalrous heroes in ancient times were butchers. This 'Pig-Slaughtering Divine Fist Saber' was created by a butcher. He used a pig-slaughtering knife forged from thousand-year-old black iron to directly kill a great demon who had plagued the martial arts world for many years. This great demon not only possessed superb spear skills but also wore an invulnerable golden armor, known as the Hundred-Battle Golden Spear Fighter. Countless righteous masters died tragically under his spear. But in the end, he was still killed by a move that controlled the blade with qi. Even the golden armor couldn't withstand that pig-slaughtering knife. The highest level of the 'Pig-Slaughtering Divine Fist Saber' is to regard all the masters in the world as pigs. No matter who comes, he'll be slaughtered like a fat pig with one stroke."

Si Ming was dumbfounded. "This is too unconventional! Everyone else is a Baiyi- clad swordsman, with flowing robes and a cool entrance. The next level up is a heroic swordsman, radiating brilliance. Am I supposed to be a comedian by wearing a butcher's knife?"

Pan De asked in surprise, "You yourself said you don't follow the usual path, isn't that being unconventional? Here's also a copy of 'The Buried Love Thousand Threads Hand,' the ultimate technique of the once-famous Shama Aristocratic Family. Its moves are elusive and unpredictable, completely defying the norms of martial arts."

Si Ming glanced at the introduction. Putting aside the Anomalies styled portrait on the cover, the martial arts skills themselves were quite good, but he still refused.

"I already have the Five Demon Fists and the Mighty Eagle Claw Art for grappling, so there's not much point in learning another technique with overlapping effects. Let's switch to something else."

"Then you need to explain what martial arts you know first, so that we can fill in any gaps in your knowledge later."

Si Ming was stunned for a moment. He had never actually organized his own knowledge and only had a vague concept. He then carefully recalled and sorted out all the martial arts he knew.

Internal Cultivation: Blazing Yang Battle Art.

Body Refinement: Jade-Clad Dharma Body, Hundred Birds Frolics.