Reverse Public Opinion (Continued)

Therefore, the recent occurrence of such a rapid increase in his Internal Cultivation compels him to take it seriously and carefully investigate the reasons behind it.

"Compared to daily life, the only change that has occurred these past few days is the 'Anomalies' encounter last night. Could it be that killing Anomalies can actually increase experience points? Is there really such a good thing for a 'hero' in this world?"

Using the process of elimination, Si Ming finally arrived at this answer, although there were still many doubts. For example, if such a good thing really existed, those Aristocratic Clan families would not have ignored the Anomalies and let them disappear on their own. After all, this was a great tonic that could quickly increase Internal Cultivation. No matter how great the danger, it would become insignificant in the face of the rich benefits. They should have been scrambling to deal with the Anomalies and rushing in one after another. But this was the only possibility he could think of.

"Could it be that, due to the characteristics of Internal Cultivation, only the 'Blazing Yang Battle Art' has the effect of gaining experience points by killing Anomalies?"

Si Ming couldn't be sure and felt it necessary to kill another Anomalies to verify his conjecture. Only if his Internal Cultivation increased again could he confirm that "Blazing Yang Battle Art" was indeed a warrior-style Internal Cultivation.

On the other hand, killing to increase one's merit is clearly a type of evil technique. Fortunately, the "Blazing Yang Battle Art" has no effect on humans, otherwise it would probably be universally condemned.

Although Si Ming was eager to verify his conjecture, such Anomalies things were rare, often occurring only once every two or three years, making them difficult to find. Going directly into the Hide-and-Seek Forest to try one's luck was one method, but he currently had the duty of a guard to protect Si Huaruo's safety. In addition, the Nine Arts Phoenix Fledgling Selection was approaching, and everyone was extremely busy, so he couldn't speak up at this time. He could only suppress his curiosity and wait until this event was over before asking the Si Clan to use their manpower to help with the search.

After Si Ming's expansion and the collective wisdom and efforts of the drama club members, "Puppet Show" has become very different from the original version. Si Huaruo and others rehearsed day and night to adapt to the new script, barely having time to eat. Three days passed in a flash, and soon it was time for the assessment.

The crown of the Nine Arts Phoenix Fledgling Award for Drama is not decided by a single competition, but through five stages: preliminary rounds, semi-finals, finals, and grand finals.

The preliminary round is an open audition, and all drama groups are eligible to apply. However, those with weak skills will be eliminated, while some well-known groups can directly enter the preliminary round. A small number of groups with both fame and actual achievements can directly enter the semi-finals, such as the drama club of the Emperor Peak Luofu Academy.

Today's event is the final. After rounds of elimination, only six teams remain. The final winner will have the opportunity to challenge the previous champion, which is their ticket to the grand final.

As a very close partner, Si Ming naturally obtained tickets to the event, and in good seats, even in the first few rows. The Royal Grand Theatre, which can accommodate 3,000 people, was packed to capacity, with people from the Sea Continent coming to witness this grand artistic event.

Compared to other projects, drama is undoubtedly the most popular, after all, it is open to the public and has no barriers to entry. Anyone with eyes and ears can appreciate it, unlike painting, sculpture, calligraphy and the like, which require a certain level of appreciation to understand.

"It's rare to see you here. I thought that given the terrible relationship between the two of you, you wouldn't come to watch each other's matches."

Si Ming said to Si Jingyu, who had just sat down.

"Public and private matters should not be confused. My grievances with her are a private matter, but she is now representing the Si Clan's reputation, which is a public matter, so naturally I must support her," Si Jingyu said without changing her expression.

"Impressive, magnanimous!" Si Ming gave a thumbs up. "Speaking of which, how exactly did you fall for her? You don't seem like the type to take out your anger on your children because of a senior's grudge, especially since you didn't even respect that senior."

Even Si Huamu's confidants were inside agents arranged by Si Jingyu. It can be said that Si Huamu's every move was within her expectations and there was nothing to worry about.

"... I forgot," Si Jingyu gave the same answer as Si Huaruo. "I remember when we were little, we got along quite well and often played together. My mother also wanted to take this opportunity to resolve the rift with my aunt. But I don't know when it started, we became enemies. We always wanted to compete and never wanted to lose. We couldn't stand each other. Maybe we were really enemies in a past life."

Upon hearing this, Si Ming suddenly recalled a passage he had read in his previous life: There are two kinds of feelings in the world that you cannot understand: one is the friendship between men, and the other is the resentment between women. Never ask a woman why she hates another woman. Sometimes, there is no reason. Hatred may occur at the first glance. If there is love at first sight, there must also be mutual dislike at first sight.

Suddenly, Si Jingyu raised a finger, slightly smugly saying, "By the way, she has never beaten me once so far, whether it's rock-paper-scissors, jump rope, exam scores, or anything else. Whenever we participate in a competition together, she has never won against me."

That's the root of the problem, isn't it!

Si Ming couldn't help but facepalm. The two of them said they couldn't think of a reason, but from Si Huaruo's perspective, wasn't it only natural to Dou Qi with someone her age who always beat her and desperately want to win? Shouldn't they be best friends instead of bitter rivals?

From Si Jingyu's perspective, there was probably a desire to maintain a perfect record and a fighting spirit unwilling to break her invincibility. Moreover, facing someone who challenged her every now and then, even the most magnanimous person would inevitably harbor resentment.

Si Jingyu suddenly asked, "I heard you wrote the new script?"

"I only provided an idea; it was a collaborative effort, and it can't be attributed to me alone."

Since it was something borrowed, Si Ming was embarrassed to take credit for it. It was an unavoidable situation. The drama club only had three days. If he spent two days creating a new script, Si Huaruo and the others wouldn't even have time to rehearse. They would have to refer to existing works. However, he had prepared several original scripts for the final competition. He would give them to Si Huaruo to choose from after she won.

"Going from zero to one is difficult, but going from one to two is much easier. Creativity is always the most valuable thing." Si Jingyu didn't give Si Ming a chance to be modest and praised, "I never knew you had the ability to write screenplays. You haven't written novels before, have you?"

Although she had sent people to investigate Si Ming's background, she only obtained some superficial information, such as that he was an orphan, Yan Jinghong's apprentice, a member of the Mohist Knight Guard, and where he went to school. These were all pieces of information that could be obtained from other people. As for Si Ming writing novels, he had never even mentioned it to his classmates, so it was naturally difficult for outsiders to know.

Although the Si Clan is powerful, they are only local bullies in the Nation of Beauty. In this era where information exchange is not smooth, it is not easy to obtain intelligence about someone abroad. Moreover, Si Ming has the official background of the Mohist Knight Guard, so others have to be careful when investigating him and dare not use excessive means.

"I have indeed written two books, one is already finished, and the other is still being serialized. Remember to buy a few more sets to help me increase sales," Si Ming the book titles.

At this moment, Si Shuiyun suddenly spoke up, "Your script doesn't seem to be valued. Along the way, I've heard quite a few people pessimistic about your group's performance."

If you listen carefully, you can also hear related discussions.

"It seems that one of the lead actors in the drama club at the Emperor Peak Luofu Academy had an accident and can't perform, so they had to make a last-minute replacement. Alas, how can a substitute compare to the lead actor? They probably won't have a chance to win this time."

"It's such a pity. Judging from their performance in the semi-finals, they were the favorites to win the championship, but now they're at the bottom. Even in the black market betting, their odds of winning are the highest."

"But I heard they changed the script and aren't planning to use a substitute, so maybe there's still hope."

"Changing the script at the last minute is more dangerous than changing the actors at the last minute. Moreover, their lead actress had an accident three days ago. In just three days, there isn't even enough time to come up with a good script, let alone practice lines and acting skills. This time, they have no hope."

Such discussions lingered in the audience; almost no one was optimistic about Si Huaruo and the others' performance. The few exceptions were quickly swallowed up by the overwhelming tide.

When Si Shuiyun brought up this matter, she had hoped to see Si Ming make a fool of himself or look embarrassed and unable to save face. However, to her surprise, Si Ming smiled smugly and said, "I deliberately had these rumors spread."

"Are you out of your mind to have someone spread negative news about you, or are you trying to prepare a way to save face in case you fail?"

Si Ming snorted and said arrogantly, "With your intelligence, it's difficult for me to explain it clearly to you."

"You!" Si Shuiyun retorted angrily, "You're just being mysterious. I think you've been bribed..."

"I see, this is a tactic of feigning weakness before amplifying strength, a strategic retreat to advance!"

Si Jingyu once again embarrassed her follower. She looked at Si Ming, "You first spread rumors so that everyone is pessimistic about Huaruo's performance, thus lowering expectations. When the performance officially begins, any outstanding moments will be magnified infinitely, giving the audience a sense of surprise. It's like a spring; first, it's compressed to its lowest point, and then it's suddenly released, allowing the spring to leap to a higher level than normal."

"No, it's just some underhanded tricks."

Si Ming thought to himself, "Is it really that amazing? I just had someone help me set up some anti-heroes and deliberately created the cliché of a light novel."

Si Shuiyun was taken aback, then said sullenly, "Using such petty tricks is indeed beneath you. If you really have the talent, you should conquer the audience with your acting skills openly and honestly. It's just that you're insecure and lack confidence in your script that you resort to these underhanded methods. But don't be so smug. Your methods may influence the audience, but they won't influence the professional judges."

Si Jingyu said, "Everyone has a rebellious streak. If the judges hear the rumors, they will definitely go against the grain to show their professionalism, and the scores they give will definitely be higher than normal."

Si Shuiyun said with a mournful face, "Miss, whose side are you on? I've served you for so many years, I've done my part, even if I haven't done anything great!"