Dispelling Doubts

Si Ming looked at his palm and frowned. By combining his own power with the Vajra Demon-Subduing Power, his strength alone had already surpassed the limit of the Spirit Transformation Realm. Even so, he could not hurt his opponent. Didn't that mean that his opponent could block all attacks from the Spirit Transformation level?

"No, it's just that this martial art is more effective against powerful and forceful techniques. If it were a technique like Sword Qi that concentrates power into a single point, it would be less affected. It seems I'll have to find a way to keep the Wheel-Turning King Sword with me from now on."

Thinking of the weapon, Si Ming immediately ran back to the ruins of the building, searched around, and quickly found the Collapse Sword that Lin Qingtong had dropped. This thing looked very heavy, and if the Peacock Woman ran with this thing, she definitely wouldn't be able to escape.

"Ha, reality isn't a movie. There's no such scientifically impossible scenario where you get knocked out of your weapon this time, but come back with the same weapon next time. I'll accept this trophy. Let's see what weapon you use to fight next time."

Si Ming drew the sword and found it to be unexpectedly heavy. He didn't know what material it was made of. He had originally estimated it to be about a hundred pounds based on steel, but now that he held it in his hand, he realized it was probably more than two hundred pounds, and was definitely close to three hundred pounds. No wonder he lost to Lin Qingtong in a strength contest.

"Without this weapon, Lin Qingtong's martial arts skills will likely be diminished. By the way, speaking of that woman wearing the peacock mask, although her voice is completely different, her tone sounds very similar to someone else's. Is it a coincidence, or is she deliberately misleading me?"

After thinking for a while, Si Ming couldn't come up with an answer. In the end, he decided that instead of guessing randomly, it would be better to verify it by meeting the person in person.

The next morning, as soon as Si Ming arrived at the activity room of the Second Martial Arts Club, Nie Wanzhi came over with a notebook and asked, "Si Ming, you've finally arrived! I've encountered several problems while practicing my Internal Cultivation. Could you help me figure out how to solve them?"

Si Ming took the notebook and glanced at it. It was filled with his understanding and analysis of the Internal Cultivation chapter of the "Shi Moon Dharma Scripture), and also left several insightful questions. You would never have thought of these if you hadn't practiced diligently.

"You've decided to switch to cultivating this Internal Cultivation technique?"

"Of course, Si Ming means well, how could I let you down? I'll listen to you, I'll first switch to studying this 'Shi Moon Dharma Scripture,' and then follow the path of Yin and Yang harmony." Nie Wanzhi nodded vigorously, her eyes showing no hesitation. "You tell me what to do, I'll learn it exactly, no questions asked!"

"Oh, that's good. I'll try my best to help you."

Si Ming was a little confused. Yesterday, he was so resistant, insisting on seeing his true strength, but now he's become so obedient. Could it be that the palm print he left yesterday is working?

Chapter 446 Clarification

Si Ming found Yu Shuying and told her about what happened last night. After all, Yu Shuying also had a grudge against Lin Qingtong and Remote Heaven Society. Moreover, everyone has their own expertise, and it's better to leave such matters of conspiracy and intrigue to those who are good at them. Just like when they were in the Barbarian Continent, he always passed the problems on to Si Jingyu.

"Based solely on the information you provided, we cannot deduce their plans. However, since they are so attached to Linked Mountains City, they clearly have ulterior motives. I will mobilize the Azure Flood Dragon Gang to gather intelligence." Yu Shuying made a cautious judgment.

Si Ming, "Actually, after what happened in Russia, I used my master's connections to investigate the Remote Heaven Society. I found that this organization is very mysterious. Even with the intelligence network of the Mohist Knight Guard, we could only gather some fragmented pieces of information. Despite having no fewer than ten Nascent Spirit Transformation experts, they haven't done anything that has shaken the world. Their footprints can be found in various countries of the Sea Continent, yet there is no connection between their actions. They don't seem to be an evil organization that wants to destroy or rule the world. We have absolutely no idea what their purpose is."

Yu Shuying said, "Every organization has its purpose; otherwise, it would lack cohesion. Judging from the fact that no member has leaked information, the Remote Heaven Society must have a clear objective. The longer they prepare, the more it proves that their ambitions are grand, and it's only a matter of time before they slip up."

Si Ming nodded. In the end, this world is ruled by force. No matter how brilliant the plan, it must be executed by force. Conspiracy and trickery may cover things up for a while, but the moment the plan is transformed into action, all the cards will be revealed. This is different from Earth. Therefore, the "Mutual Aid Society conspiracy theory" that hides behind history and secretly manipulates the world order has no market here.

Even if you are an economic master or a political genius, if you encounter a martial arts expert Laozi only knows how to act recklessly and doesn't care what nonsense you spout, you can only send out the corresponding strong person to take action. You can't stay behind the scenes forever.

"Could they create a massive metal-transformed army? Lin Qingtong, with her metal-transformed body, is no less powerful than a Nascent Spirit Transformation cultivator if they don't use their ultimate techniques. In normal combat, she might even have a slight advantage. If their metal-transformation technology is further improved, allowing ordinary people to become experts—not necessarily reaching the Spirit Transformation level, but just reaching the average level of Level Eight Internal Cultivation master—would be enough to create a power advantage and establish an elite army that would be invincible."

"If they can do that, we'll just surrender. We're not national leaders anyway, they won't try to take our positions," Yu Shuying said casually, seemingly quite philosophical. "However, I think that's highly unlikely. Judging from Lin Qingtong's deliberate invitation to you, this technology is still far from mature. It's most likely still in the theoretical testing phase, with at most one or two successful cases. That's why they're so eager to collect more data."

After a pause, Yu Shuying continued, "If we're looking for test subjects, the Li State has plenty. They have as many refugees as they want, so they're not short of guinea pigs. Logically speaking, there's no need for them to pay special attention to you. Therefore, I speculate that there are two possibilities: one is that the success rate of metallization is very low and the cost is very high, making it impossible for researchers to conduct large-scale experiments; the other is that there are requirements for test subjects, such as an Internal Cultivation level of eight or above. Those below this level will die during the metallization process, making it difficult for them to find willing test subjects—it's possible that both restrictions exist simultaneously."

Si Ming leaned towards the second possibility: not everyone is a martial arts fanatic like Lin Qingtong, willing to risk their lives to pursue a higher realm. In this world, Internal Cultivation masters have no worries about food and clothing. If they don't seek great wealth and status, they can live a very comfortable life. Ambitious people want to become Spirit Transformation experts through their own efforts, while those without ambition are content with a peaceful life and seek stability. Therefore, the vast majority of people are unwilling to risk trying human experiments, which sound very unreliable.

"That makes sense. There's no need to worry right now. The enemy is in the shadows while we are in the open. All we can do is wait for them to make their move."

Si Ming was somewhat disappointed that he couldn't use the power of the Mohist Knight Guard to investigate, because so far, the Remote Heaven Society Tian Society hadn't committed any heinous crimes. It was a mysterious organization rather than an evil one, so the Mohist Knight Guard wasn't very wary of it and hadn't listed it as a wanted target.

Just then, a bell rang throughout the campus.

"I have to go now, it's time for my elective class."

Yu Shuying leaned on the table, waved her hand, and said, "You can go now. I've been busy with gang affairs lately, I'm exhausted. I'll take a nap in the activity room first."

"Aren't you going to class?"

"Skipping required courses and skipping elective courses—isn't this the established practice among university students?"

"This is the norm for juniors and seniors, right? Freshmen rarely skip classes; as far as I know, everyone is quite diligent and eager to learn."

Si Ming recalled his college days in his previous life. In his freshman year, he was proficient in everything and never needed to review for exams. He consistently scored at least 80 points in every course, and even 90 points wasn't difficult. However, in his junior and senior years, he worked desperately to pass every final exam, spending every day in the library and study rooms, claiming that 60 points was enough and 61 points was a waste.

Unfortunately, Yu Shuying couldn't hear Si Ming's thoughts. She lowered her head, closed her eyes, and her breathing immediately became slow and long, as she drifted off to sleep.

"Wow! You fell asleep in less than five seconds! Are you Nobita Nobi?"

Si Ming muttered a complaint, but didn't wake the person. Instead, he gently closed the door to the activity room, hung up a "Do Not Disturb" sign, and then used his light-footed skills to quickly run towards the music classroom for the next class.

Just as he arrived at the classroom door, the bell rang, and Yuezheng Yao arrived at the same time, bumping into each other.

"Oh, classmate, you're late for class. That's not good. You should sit in your seat early and wait for the teacher in the classroom. That's what a student should do," Yuezheng Yao teased playfully.

"Teacher, weren't you late too? Entering the classroom early so the students don't wait up should set a good example. That's the professional ethics a teacher should have."

As Si Ming retaliated, he secretly glanced at the other person's hands, but saw no signs of injury.

That's strange. Could it be that the woman wearing the peacock mask wasn't her?

No, it's also possible that the injury was forcibly suppressed using some method.

Si Ming narrowed his eyes slightly, pondering whether he should punch the other party to test their sincerity in the simplest way.

However, after considering it for a while, he gave up on this tempting idea because he wasn't very confident that Yuezheng Yao was the Peacock Woman. Rather, the only clue he suspected was that the two spoke in a similar way. He couldn't find any other similarities. Their heights were different, their voices were different, and he didn't know about their cultivation levels. In any case, he had never heard that the Empress was a martial arts master.

Hmm, the breasts seem to be about the same size, but these things can have different curves depending on the bra you wear, so that can't be used as a basis for doubt.

Considering that Yuezheng Yao is a master of performance, if he throws a punch with the idea of "stopping at the crucial moment to avoid hurting the opponent," he will most likely be seen through, and then the test will lose its meaning.

If he throws a punch with the mindset of "going all out and showing no mercy," what if Yuezheng Yao isn't the Peacock Woman and gets seriously injured by his punch?

With insufficient evidence and caught in a dilemma, Si Ming decided to wait and see.

"What are you daydreaming about? Hurry up and go inside!" Yuezheng Yao urged.