Seeing the Black Tide Again

In the crowd, Si Ming unexpectedly saw an acquaintance, not the Saintess Candidate, but the Saintess Candidate's partner. The other person also saw him and showed a similar expression of surprise. After a slight hesitation, he came over to greet him.

"Long time no see, congratulations on advancing to the selection competition."

The speaker was Yue Xuan, the Captain of the Rivers and Mountains Martial Arts School Team.

Si Ming asked, "Should I say thank you, or should I say 'please accept my condolences'?"

"Ha, defeat is common in Military School. I have no Qi Ingestion about losing to you; it's just a difference in strength."

"Thanks, but how did you know our team made it to the qualifying rounds?"

"As your defeated opponents, we naturally hope you go as far as possible. If you can win the selection tournament, it will prove that our Rivers and Mountains Martial Arts School's defeat was not unjust. At that time, people will not focus on Rivers and Mountains Martial Arts School's failure, because it will not be an unexpected upset, but a matter of course."

"Then I'll accept your kind words."

Si Ming had a good impression of Yue Xuan. He was able to let go of things easily, had a broad mind, and could face his enemies who made him lose face with a calm attitude. In this respect alone, he was better than most people in the world. It was just that he was too unlucky. He was not a villain, but he was treated like one.

"Brother, who are you talking to? Are there people you know here?"

Just then, a girl with a huge bow tied in her ponytail walked over. Her smile vanished upon seeing Si Ming, replaced by anger. "It's you! The culprit who made my brother quit the martial arts school! What are you doing here? Are you trying to show off to my brother?"

"Yue Han, don't be rude!" Yue Xuan scolded. "How many times have I told you? I lost to my opponent in a fair fight, I wasn't ambushed. It's normal for anyone to win or lose on the stage. If I treated everyone who defeated me as an enemy, I would have enemies all over the world by now. Your attitude only makes people think I can't accept defeat."

The girl said anxiously, "But... but because of this battle, you were kicked out of the martial arts school and ridiculed for overestimating yourself. You didn't even get to see your opponent who was seeking revenge..."

Yue Xuan sighed, "That's the fault of those guys who mocked me, it has nothing to do with my opponents. You can't take your anger out on others."

Si Ming was standing to the side, sorted out the clues and asked, "You were kicked out of the martial arts school? The person in charge of this martial arts school seems to be a bit dim-witted, actually doing something so stupid."

Yue Xuan was merely defeated; he wasn't seriously injured to the point of losing his full Cultivation Body. He remains an Internal Cultivation Level Nine. Instead of comforting him, Rivers and Mountains Martial Arts School kicked out a master. Are they afraid the team's morale won't be low enough?

"You have no right to say that!" The girl glared at Si Ming fiercely, but her tone quickly softened. "However, your assessment is fair enough; the owner of Rivers and Mountains Martial Arts School is indeed brainless and lacks common sense."

Yue Xuan explained, "Don't say that about the headmaster. He had no choice. The martial arts school has lost too much face this time, and someone has to step up and take responsibility. Guan Li and the others are still young, and they will continue to participate in the Martial Dao League next year. They can't take the blame, so I have to. Besides, I brought this up myself; the headmaster didn't force me."

What a kind person!

Such a kind person who is willing to take the blame is rarer than an SSR card in a certain game; we must befriend them.

Si Ming developed a favorable impression of his former rival and said, "I take back what I just said. Please accept my condolences."

Upon hearing this, Yue Xuan could only smile wryly and change the subject, asking, "Did you also come because of 'that mission'?"

Si Ming nodded and said, "My friend is also a candidate."

Yue Xuan smiled mischievously and said, "Then you two must be special friends."

Why do you say that?

"Don't you know? This mission requires a completely trustworthy partner. Ordinary friends don't qualify as completely trustworthy. Look at the partners here, they're basically all family."

Chapter 453 Farewell to the Black Tide

The mission destination was farther than expected. The group first took a car to the dock, and then took a boat across the sea, which took a total of six hours. Finally, they arrived at a small island with a military base.

"It's related to the military, and it's at sea. Surely they're not going to make us fight against the Demon Race?" Si Ming pondered, stroking his chin.

"The chances are slim; some of the invited partners aren't skilled in combat."

Yue Xuan was the one who spoke. After talking along the way, the two had become quite close. After all, they were close in age, neither of them put on airs, and they had a history of becoming friends after a fight.

Among the partners invited by this batch of Saintess Candidate, the weakest one only has a level six Internal Cultivation. Compared with ordinary people, he is much stronger, but in Yue Xuan's eyes, he belongs to the category of "not good at fighting". Although this is an era in which everyone practices martial arts, not everyone regards martial arts as a profession. Some people practice martial arts only to strengthen their bodies, while others simply practice it as a hobby.

There's a saying that goes, "Don't use your hobby to challenge someone else's livelihood." In Yue Xuan's eyes, who treats Wudang livelihood, even an uncle with Level Eight Internal Cultivation is "not good at fighting." High Internal Cultivation does not equal strong fighting power. There are many students in Linked Mountains University whose Internal Cultivation has reached level seven or eight. After graduation, they can at least make a living without worrying about food and clothing. But if they stand on the ring, Hao Shuai is confident that he can beat them to a pulp.

To roughly judge whether someone is skilled in martial arts, you first need to see if they are a martial artist, and then look at their level of Internal Cultivation. If they are not a martial artist, no matter how high their Internal Cultivation is, they are just a fat pig, unless they are as strong as Hongdou, transforming quantitative change into qualitative change.

Among the crowd, only one white-haired old swordsman was worth noting. He knelt on the ground with a sword across his thigh, closed his eyes and meditated. He had maintained this posture since boarding the ship, giving others a great sense of oppression.

According to Yue Xuan, the other party was He Jinyin, the former headmaster of Water-Severing Martial Arts School. He was a very famous martial arts master in the martial arts world of Linked Mountains City, with Internal Cultivation Level Eleven. His Water-Severing Sword Art technique was superb. In Linked Mountains City, everyone had to give him some face.

Incidentally, half of these "partners" are elders. After all, the people one trusts most are usually one's parents, followed by one's master. Peers are less common, unless one's parents' cultivation level is average, in which case one has no choice but to settle for second best.

"We've arrived at our destination. Everyone, disembark." The teacher leading the group announced from the passenger cabin.

The group disembarked one by one and arrived at the dock, where they were greeted by a group of soldiers. The leader was a very dignified middle-aged general with a spiky haircut, thick black eyebrows, a long beard, a straight back, and a sharp and capable appearance. He gave the impression of being very tough. Not only was his hair tied back, but even his beard looked like needles.

"Welcome to East Spirit Island. I am Wave-Subduing General Xing Daozhuang, the one who issued this mission. It is getting late, so please go to your lodgings on the island to rest. The mission will officially begin tomorrow. Also, please remember that this is a military zone. Do not wander around, or you will be responsible for the consequences."

Rather than bringing people to welcome them, he was more about intimidating everyone. However, no one minded this, not even the old curator who seemed to have a bad temper. This was because he was also a very famous Spirit Transformation expert, known as the "Thunder King." Moreover, unlike other Spirit Transformation experts who acted alone, he had power and subordinates. Wave-Subduing General's position was equivalent to a military region commander, in charge of a large area along the coast.

He is regarded by the outside world as a standard soldier, Thunder Rages, Wind Blows and ruthless, upright and selfless, intolerant of any wrongdoing, and extremely hostile to the demon Demon Race. He has long been at the forefront of the resistance against the Demon Race, and his Wave-Subduing Army is the first line of defense for the Su State against the Demon Race.

Si Ming knew one more thing than others: this person was a member of the Heaven's Will Palace, and his zodiac sign was "Sheep." In that sense, he and Liu Qingqing should both address each other as their senior uncle.

However, Xing Daozhuang lived up to his reputation as a selfless person. He did not treat Si Ming and Liu Qingqing differently from beginning to end. Apart from nodding to the two of them when no one else was paying attention, he did not make any other gestures and handled everything in an official manner.

Si Ming didn't mind. He knew that his master Yan Jinghong's relationship with this person was just so-so, or rather, Xing Daozhuang's relationship with all the members of the Heaven's Will Palace was just so-so. His selfless personality was inherently prone to offending people. If he hadn't been strong enough, he would have been taken down by those political enemies who disliked him long ago.

Since Si Ming never expected any special treatment from the beginning, he naturally wasn't disappointed.

After enjoying dinner at the military base that evening, everyone went to their assigned double rooms to rest. This was because the instructors required students to have partners they trusted implicitly; otherwise, while sharing a room with someone of the same sex might be fine, sharing a room with someone of the opposite sex could easily feel awkward.

If it were any other Beauty female friend, a man and a woman alone in a room might have led to some romantic encounters, but with Liu Qingqing, nothing happened that night, and before they knew it, it was the next morning.

After breakfast, Xing Daozhuang gathered everyone together and then announced the details of the trial mission.

"Perhaps some people have already inquired about this, but it's not exactly a secret. Your mission is the same as your predecessors: to purify the ley lines on an island. You'll basically have to come here once a year from now on. Generally speaking, you won't encounter any danger, but there's no guarantee that something might happen. Someone will explain the specifics to you along the way."