A Disconsolate Person

Si Ming asked curiously, "Huh? Why? Did you also win some kind of national award?"

"Didn't my mom make me take a test for Divine Arts talent before? Over the past year or so, I've learned some basic Divine Arts here and there. Then my mom visited Senior Zhu Hao and asked him to help recommend me to take the Saintess Candidate assessment. I barely passed the test. Every Saintess Candidate has to go to Linked Mountains University for further study because Linked Mountains University has the highest level of expertise in Divine Arts in the country. It's kind of a preferential policy."

"I see. But didn't Auntie Liu always hope you would live an ordinary life? Saintess Candidate —that's far more prestigious than any celebrity. You're destined to be far removed from the ordinary."

"In the past, my mother wanted me to live an ordinary life to avoid getting involved with my father's past. But now that the series of accidents in Russia have happened, trying to escape is just self-deception. My mother thinks that in this situation, acting in a high-profile manner can actually protect her safety. Since she can't avoid it, she might as well face it positively."

"I see, Auntie Liu is very thoughtful..." Si Ming nodded, then paused for a moment, surprised, "Qingqing, when did you sit here?"

The other person's interruption was so natural that he didn't even notice the problem.

"I've been here from the very beginning."

Si Ming thought for a moment but had no relevant memory of it, so he hurriedly asked, "When did you enter the room?"

"While you and Murong went into the kitchen to help Director Yao put out the fire."

"Wouldn't that have been there from the very beginning?!"

Si Ming couldn't help but reflect. In the past, he could always sense Liu Qingqing's presence. Was it because her invisibility technique had become more advanced, or because they hadn't seen each other for a year and a half, causing their intimacy level to drop below the "detection threshold"?

"By the way, I remember that becoming Saintess Candidate was announced as national news. Why didn't you tell me about something so important when we contacted each other last time?"

Yao Bilian hurriedly said, "This is truly a misunderstanding. I only learned about it from Qingqing two months ago. When the news anchor was reading the list, he omitted Qingqing's name. I estimate that the entire nation is unaware that one Saintess Candidate is missing."

Si Ming covered his face. "Auntie Liu's plan to maintain a high profile and ensure her safety was doomed to fail from the very beginning."

Liu Qingqing didn't seem to mind, continuing to eat at her own pace, and said, "Oh, by the way, my mom asked me to give you a message."

What did you say?

Si Ming pondered for a moment. Could it be that Auntie Liu also realized the plan had no chance of success, and therefore entrusted him to protect Liu Qingqing's personal safety?

"My mom told you to finish writing the Shu State Arc of 'Gods and Ghosts of the Three Kingdoms: Three Kingdoms' as soon as possible. She's given you three days. If you haven't finished it by then, she'll stay by your side and supervise you until you finish. You're not allowed to eat, drink, or sleep until you've finished."

Is she a devilishly demanding writer?

Si Ming almost forgot his identity as a part-time School of Fiction. The savior of a continent actually had to earn money by writing novels. He was glad that he hadn't allowed the worshippers from the Barbarian Continent to come along, otherwise his glorious and righteous image would have been shattered.

Come to think of it, why didn't I think of using contribution points to invite a group of martial arts masters to write for me? All I had to do was verbally describe the background setting and the general plot, and let them make up the rest. I imagine they'd have even finished the gender-bending and absurd versions of * Gods and Ghosts of the Three Kingdoms * by now!

"Three days, right? I'll finish it as soon as possible," Si Ming promised.

When Auntie Liu gets serious, she's just as good as Murong Qing. And because she's an elder, she's even more authoritative. Si Ming didn't want to see her turn into a devilish manuscript-pressuring person, so he had no choice but to make up his mind to work non-stop for the next three days.

I thought going home would be a relaxing vacation, a time to the Barbarian Continent. Back then, I could delegate all my work to Si Jingyu or Si Shuiyun, but now I can't even find someone to do it for me. And I still have to cram for my studies. Although the "export-to-domestic" method has made the exams much easier, it's not something you can just cheat your way through.

"Since Qingqing was specially admitted to Linked Mountains University, should we also take the exam for this school?" Si Ming asked Murong Qing.

"Before you came back, I discussed it with Qingqing. Linked Mountains University itself is not bad, and besides, a diploma is not very useful to me. What is more important is my own cultivation. Even if I go to university in the future, I will still have to take on the trials of the Grandmaster every now and then."

Si Ming recalled, "My master seemed to have said that my performance in the Barbarian Continent would also be included in the evaluation."

"Yes, and the assessment was rated 'Excellent,' which is the best rating, second only to 'Perfect.' You know, we usually only get a passing grade for our trial missions, and even if we perform very well, we only get a 'Good, Average.' An 'Excellent' rating is already rare, and 'Excellent,' 'Above,' is unprecedented. You could say that on the track to becoming a Grandmaster, you're already far ahead of everyone else. Yu Shuying was so motivated by this that she's been frantically taking on trial missions lately and has been going to school much less."

As Ling Huanxi's apprentice, Murong Qing was also one of the Grandmaster Candidate, but she did not show any competitive spirit. Her tone was very calm, which was quite different from her usual unwilling attitude.

"No wonder she wasn't home today," Si Ming shook his head, then smiled wryly. "Ha, it's fate. Let's see how she talks to me with that arrogant attitude now."

"You'd better not provoke her anymore. I heard from Master that she's been in a bad state lately. She's too eager for quick results and has gone too far several times, which has led to mission failures. If you provoke her any further, who knows what she might do," Murong Qing advised.

Si Ming asked curiously, "You don't seem to be in a hurry."

Murong Qing thought for a moment and replied, "The most important thing in doing things is to do your best. As long as you can achieve 'even if I could do it all over again, I couldn't do it any better,' that's enough. You must never be led by others' pace. Every step should be taken at your own pace, making the most efficient step. If you have 100% of your strength, then use 100% of your strength. If you can't help but use 120% of your strength, then you will make a mistake. It's like walking; you don't walk faster if your strides are bigger. Yu Shuying made this mistake."

Upon hearing this, Si Ming couldn't help but glance at Murong Qing in surprise. It had been a year and a half since they last met. In terms of progress in strength, he might have far surpassed the class monitor, but in terms of the improvement in mindset and State of Mind, she had actually surpassed him. Such an open-minded attitude towards life was something that some people might never understand, even until their death.

Indeed, everyone is the protagonist of their own story, and growth doesn't stop just because the "protagonist" is gone.

Chapter 406 A Disheartened Person

In the medical room of the Mohist Knight Guard base, Jiang Zhengtai examined Si Ming's body.

"The treatment method is fine; in fact, the doctor's skill level is quite high, and the prescription is correct. However, nowadays we all use prepared pills, and the ancient formulas for decocting medicine are rarely used anymore. They are too inefficient and don't include a detoxification process. What you need to do next is to rest well and replenish your vital energy."

Previously, alchemy did not replace decoction because manual alchemy was too inefficient. Often, one would spend an entire day refining an alchemy batch, and the success rate was extremely low. A success rate of 30% was considered exceptional. Furthermore, alchemy was not something that just anyone could do; it required extensive training and mastery of the relevant skills. If the timing of the heat was not properly controlled, all the materials would be wasted.

More importantly, in ancient times, any Pill Formula was extremely precious, comparable to a martial arts manual. They were often treated as family heirlooms and never revealed to outsiders. It was better to lose the knowledge than to let outsiders obtain it.

Moreover, having only a Pill Formula is not enough. Knowing when to add the appropriate ingredients is also crucial. Missing the optimal time will reduce the success rate of alchemy. These alchemy techniques are often passed down orally without being written down, making them more likely to be lost.

In modern times, the Su State has established many alchemy factories, all staffed with assembly line workers who receive systematic training. The temperature, humidity, and procedures are all monitored and reminded by automated machines, minimizing the error rate. The success rate of alchemy is generally over 90%. This has not only eliminated the original ancient formulas for decocting medicine but also eliminated 99% of the Daoist School Alchemist. They have even launched a counterattack on the Germany market, utterly defeating those who practiced manual alchemy.

The Daoist School have been studying alchemy for many years and possess many precious Pill Formula with excellent efficacy, which is indeed unmatched by the Mohist School. However, while the quality may be lacking, quantity can compensate for it. For example, in treating kidney disease, if one of my pills is less effective than yours, then I'll give you ten pills. Moreover, the total price of my ten pills is cheaper than your single pill. You can only refine ten pills a day, while my workers refine an average of a thousand pills each. It's obvious who wins and who loses.

Industrialization has always been a fast and cheap path; there is no such thing as a fast but expensive, or slow but cheap route.

Currently, the Mohist School dominates 70% of the elixir market in various countries of the Sea Continent. Other countries can only compete to some extent by relying on their own policies. In Daoist School, the Daoist school has a group of top Alchemist who rely on the brand of "millennial heritage, century-old store" to enter the high-end luxury market.

Jiang Zhengtai prescribed the medicine, saying, "Since you cultivate a fire-attribute Cultivation Body, it's best to take the Immortal Ganoderma Fire Toad Pill, along with the Jade Dragon Storax Powder to eliminate any drug toxicity. With your constitution, you don't need to worry about the dosage. Just swallow a couple as a snack whenever you feel like it, as many as you want, as long as you don't eat them as a meal."

Si Ming nodded. "I understand. Now that the diagnosis is complete, could you please take your hand off my chest? If you don't, I'm going to hit you."

"Hey, we're all men, what's there to care about? Touching him a couple of times won't hurt you."

Bang!

Si Ming threw a punch straight at the face; to deal with a scoundrel, you have to slap him in the face.