Turning Public Opinion Around

"When you're acting, you must be able to use Divine Dao Arts, right?"

"Of course, I can use both martial arts and Divine Arts. Sometimes, to simulate a blizzard scene, I will summon a deity to bring down a heavy snowfall on the stage."

This is also one of the important reasons why dramas can be popular all over the Sea Continent. The people in this world have martial arts and True Qi, and can fly over rooftops, split stone tablets, prevent fire and freeze ice without the help of props. Therefore, a drama can completely perform the atmosphere of a blockbuster movie. No post-production is needed, and movie special effects can be achieved on the spot. This has also hindered the promotion of television. After all, there is a screen between them, and it cannot compare to the atmosphere now.

As soon as Si Huaruo finished speaking, she immediately thought of Si Ming's idea and exclaimed, "You mean, the deity from the Si Clan will perform the puppet show?"

During the last battle with the Ghostly Monsters, Si Ming had seen the Si Clan's personal deity, who happened to be a little girl. Her size matched the doll in the story, and as a deity, her "unapproachable" nature perfectly matched the doll's character.

"Summoning deities to act is something no one has ever done before. Usually, they are only asked to help with spells, create the appropriate environment, or act as background."

The gods are not so easy to command, especially when it comes to delicate tasks. Some they cannot do, and some they are too lazy to do. In comparison, they prefer simple and clear commands like "Kill him for me."

However, while ordinary deities might refuse Si Huaruo's request, the Si Clan's exclusive deity would not.

Si Ming added, "Since it's a deity of the Si Clan, it will surely dance, which fits the plot perfectly. Besides, according to the script, the puppet is to be thrown into the fire. With True Person, we have to consider how to prevent them from being burned, but with a deity, we don't have that problem."

Basically, the summoned deities are actually avatars of the original deity. Destroying them doesn't matter, just like the night Si Huaruo summoned a deity that was destroyed by the Anomalies. In this case, it will not cause harm to the original deity.

After considering it for a while, Si Huaruo made up her mind and said, "If it works, let's go with this script. I'll send out activity notices to the drama club members now and get rehearsed as soon as possible."

Although there were still classes in the afternoon, the importance of the Nine Arts Phoenix Fledgling Selection Event made the classes seem insignificant. Si Huaruo quickly obtained leave permission and also asked for leave for the other members.

Upon hearing that there was a new script that could be completed before the judging began, everyone was full of enthusiasm and rehearsed enthusiastically without any complaints.

Si Ming's script was very rough, only an outline was completed. So the group practiced while refining the lines and details. They had rich acting experience and sometimes could even deviate from the script and improvise, and they did a pretty good job.

The drama club practiced until late at night, just before the school was about to close. They reluctantly left, promising to continue practicing early the next morning. At times like these, every second counts, and every extra practice session is a good thing—it's a matter of collective honor, so no one complained.

"Thank you so much this time. I didn't expect you to come up with such a wonderful story. Without your help, this performance would have been terrible... By the way, you're not a disciple of School of Fiction, are you?"

On the way back to the Water Mirror Manor, Si Huaruo suddenly asked.

"I wouldn't call myself School of Fiction, but I have indeed published two novels."

Si Ming briefly introduced his hastily completed novel, "Ghosts and Gods Metropolis," and his ongoing novel, "Gods and Ghosts of the Three Kingdoms."

Si Huaruo's eyes lit up. "You actually have published works? No wonder... I'll definitely read your masterpiece when I have time."

"I hope you'll be more considerate then."

The two chatted as if they had endless things to say, so the journey home seemed exceptionally short, and they arrived at the Water Mirror Manor in the blink of an eye.

"You've had a long day, you must be tired. Go and get some rest. I'll go back and revise the script a bit more, and refine the details."

"Thank you so much. I promise you, your hard work will not be wasted. My classmates in the drama club and I will give the best performance to bring your work to life, so that all the audience can experience the beauty of this story."

Si Huaruo didn't stand on ceremony. She knew that at this time, what was needed was not insincere advice, but a performance with all her might to truly express her gratitude.

She's always been straightforward and doesn't like to play tricks; once she takes off her mask, she becomes even more genuine.

After saying goodbye to Si Ming, Si Huaruo returned to her residence. As soon as she pushed open the gate, she saw her mother Si Huamu, waiting for her.

"You've done a good job. It's been much easier than I expected to get on good terms with the young clan leader's brother so quickly. I hope you'll keep up the good work and try your best to bring him to our side."

Although she received praise, Si Huaruo couldn't be happy at all. In fact, she felt a surge of irritation. If she accepted her mother's praise, it would be tantamount to admitting that her relationship with Si Ming was not genuine but rather a calculated attempt to curry favor with him. This made her feel insulted and belittled.

If it weren't for the fact that the speaker was her mother, she probably would have lost her temper on the spot.

Si Huamu then asked, "How confident are you about your chances in this year's Nine Arts Phoenix Fledgling Selection?"

"The preliminary rounds shouldn't be a problem; the finals will depend on how well we perform on the day." Si Huaruo felt much better after recalling the story Si Ming had told her earlier that day.

"Then you must work even harder and win the crown of the Nine Arts Phoenix Fledgling. Only then can you stand on equal footing with Si Jingyu..."

After a moment of silence, Si Huamu made up her mind and said, "The ancestral worship ceremony is in a month. I want you to challenge Si Jingyu on that day. If you can defeat her in front of all the clansmen, we can reclaim everything we've lost!"

Si Huaruo glanced at her mother's seemingly possessed expression, then hesitated to speak.

She knew very well that there was no point in saying anything at this point; her mother had already gone further and further down a path of no return, and she was being dragged forward along with her.

Although she was unwilling, she lacked the courage to struggle or resist.

At that moment, Si Huaruo felt an extremely strong urge to confide in someone.

Chapter 292 Reverse Public Opinion

After saying goodbye to Si Huaruo, Si Ming returned to his room and used the little time before bed to practice the body tempering chapter of "Water Moon Precious Mirror". His talent allowed him to instantly learn martial arts techniques and maximize the effect of training. However, even so, the tempering of his body still had to be done step by step, and he could save at most more than 80% of the time compared to ordinary people.

Midway through his practice, Si Ming suddenly felt something strange and quickly stopped, sitting cross-legged and circulating his internal energy.

A moment later, a blinding light emanated from his body, almost turning him into a golden statue, as if the Buddha had descended. It took a while for the light to subside.

"This is... Internal Cultivation breakthrough to level six?"

Si Ming sensed the True Qi within his body and discovered that he had not only broken through the sixth level barrier, but had also surged forward significantly, almost reaching the mid-sixth level.

"That's strange. How could this happen so suddenly? I didn't encounter any extraordinary events today. I wasn't taught any skills by a master, nor did I eat heavenly materials and earthly treasures. It couldn't possibly be the food from the school cafeteria, could it?"

After a moment's thought, Si Ming dismissed the possibility. Although the food provided by the Emperor Peak Luofu Academy was delicious and the ingredients were of top quality, it couldn't possibly have such effects. Otherwise, the students of this school should all possess unparalleled Internal Cultivation.

"Speaking of which, I felt a restless energy during the day, like there was some pent-up energy inside me that I couldn't release. I thought it was just puberty, plus I've been surrounded by women these past few days, so I'm starting to get aroused. But now it seems there's more to it than meets the eye."

Internal Cultivation has always been Si Ming's weakness. He has lost a lot of hair trying to find a way to speed up his cultivation. You should know that half a year ago, his Internal Cultivation had already reached the peak of level five and was on the verge of level six, but he just couldn't break through. On the one hand, his physical aptitude was limited, and on the other hand, the cultivation method of "Blazing Yang Battle Art" had its limits.

Ordinary martial artists cultivate Internal Cultivation, and the deeper their cultivation, the higher their efficiency in absorbing the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi, and the faster their Internal Cultivation grows. However, the Blazing Yang Battle Art is different. It can only absorb the light shining on its body, so there is an upper limit. The total amount of light energy absorbed per unit time is limited by the external environment, and it cannot be accelerated even if you want to.

This allowed Si Ming to advance rapidly when his Internal Cultivation was still shallow, but as his level increased, the speed became slower and slower. In fact, his solar energy absorption rate did increase, almost reaching 100% conversion, but unfortunately, his body surface area was only so small. Even if he took off his underwear and acted according to circumstances, he still couldn't increase it much.