A Romantic Showdown Looms

On the France royal passenger ship bound for Su State, Si Ming and his group rested in the lobby. Although it was not impossible for them to cross the sea directly back to their country with their cultivation levels, there was no need to exhaust themselves. Just like a sprinter doesn't always run and walk.

This passenger ship was used exclusively by the France royal family. Han Hao used it to send everyone back to their country to express his gratitude for saving their lives. The passenger ship was not very spacious, since it was not actually used for passenger transport, but the interior was very luxurious, and there was a top-notch chef to provide three meals and snacks.

Yan Jinghong needed to recuperate, so he didn't move around much. He sat in his seat and read through the internal intelligence sent by the Mohist Knight Guard. Ling Huanxi was not a restless person either, so she quietly guarded him from the side without moving. Because her skin was unusually fair, she was easily mistaken for an ice statue.

Si Ming went to the deck to enjoy the sea breeze for a while. When he returned, he saw Murong Qing writing in a small notebook. He went up to her and asked, "What are you writing? A diary?"

"No, I'm writing a summary of this trip to France, reflecting on the mistakes I made, learning from them, and avoiding repeating the same errors next time."

"As expected of the class monitor, he's so serious about everything he does. He's a great role model for everyone."

Si Ming felt that someone like Murong Qing could succeed in any industry, the only difference being the timing and the level of success. Even if she lived on Earth, it would be the same. As the saying goes, the most feared thing in the world is "seriousness".

Murong Qing didn't object to the title of class monitor, as she was already used to it, and said, "Since you also think it's worth learning, you should put it into action, not just talk about it."

"Okay, okay, I'll also make a summary and record..."

Si Ming picked up a pen and paper, closed his eyes and thought for a while, then sighed, "No, it's not good enough. Although there are some flaws in the details, the overall performance is too perfect, so I can't find anything to reflect on. Sigh, I'll give myself a score of 99, and deduct one point to avoid arrogance."

"You've been so proud you've practically splayed your peacock tail, and several days have passed. Haven't you recovered from that state yet?" Murong Qing her notebook and said seriously, "I admit that the vast majority of the credit for this great victory belongs to you, but it's all in the past. Do you intend to live in the glory of the past forever?"

Si Ming stroked his chin and nodded, saying, "That makes sense. Let's consider this point deducted as a sign that there's still room for improvement."

Murong Qing satisfaction, like a teacher seeing a student understand her good intentions. She then patiently guided him, saying, "You must admit that your success this time had a lot of luck involved. But luck can't always be good; it always comes and goes. So you should study even harder and strive to shoulder the responsibility of a wise person next time, even without relying on luck, and continue to bring glory."

"Forget it then, I'm not cut out for this."

"Huh?"

Si Ming scratched his head and chuckled sheepishly, "I know my own limitations, so don't really think of me as a smug fool. The reason I became the brains of this operation was simply because we lacked a suitable candidate. Of course, I'm not saying you, Murong Qing, are unsuitable, but we're all about the same, so I volunteered... How should I put it? Doing things you're not good at really makes you confused. Although we succeeded somewhat haphazardly, let's leave the professional work to the professionals. There's really no need to take someone else's position."

This was not the outcome Murong Qing wanted, so she quickly advised, "There's no need to give up so quickly. Everyone starts from knowing nothing. No one is born knowing everything. Learning more about related knowledge might bring unexpected gains."

"Forget it. From now on, I'll just carry a wise strategist with me. Liu Bei is already so resourceful, what use is Zhuge Liang? At the same time, I should focus my learning on areas I'm better at, and I'll reap greater rewards that way. Besides, if I give up now, doesn't that mean that as a wise strategist, my success rate is 100%?"

Si Ming is very carefree; he just wants to win one round and leave, so he won't be fooled.

Yan Jinghong opened his eyes and glanced at Su Yingbo, recalling his discussion. He didn't know whether to praise his disciple for being humble and self-reflective or criticize him for lacking ambition.

"However, when it comes to learning from our mistakes, there's one point I think we can focus on more in the future," Si Ming.

"Which point?"

"Propaganda for the Remote Heaven Society."

Si Ming pondered the language for a moment and explained to Yan Jinghong, "To be honest, a month ago, probably only we Su State took the Remote Heaven Society seriously and regarded them as vicious and wicked people. People from other countries Remote Heaven Society. After all, the Eternal Barrier was too far away and they did not have a corresponding concept. Therefore, they did not have a serious sense of vigilance towards the Remote Heaven Society."

If the Remote Heaven Society to become a cult that commits all sorts of evil deeds, then when rumors spread that the new France emperor might Remote Heaven Society, the France people would definitely try to verify the truth and would not allow the Remote Heaven Society act recklessly. Moreover, people like Shentu Chuang would not be able to appear openly on the streets.

Therefore, we should find a way to ruin the reputation of the Remote Heaven Society, pinning crimes like murder, robbery, child trafficking, and indecent assault on them. After all, they are an evil organization with a bad reputation, and they have no channels to speak out; they can't possibly come forward to deny having done such things.

Murong Qing, "To slander an organization that aims to destroy the Divine Pillar and break the Eternal Barrier, whose members are mainly elites and include many Spirit Transformation stage experts, as a swindling and fraudulent gang, it seems unlikely that anyone would believe it?"

"People like you and me naturally wouldn't believe it, but the common people will, and that's enough. It's meant for ordinary people anyway, the purpose is to create an environment completely unsuitable for the Remote Heaven Society to survive in, turning them into sneaky rats." Si Ming asked Yan Jinghong, "You wouldn't even protect the reputation of such an evil organization, would you? For example, insisting on pursuing the truth or something like that?"

"No, the Mohist School aren't that rigid. Since the other side is already an enemy of the nation and even the entire Sea Continent, there's no need to talk about chivalrous code. This is a public feud, not a private one, so we should use every means to strike back at the opponent. But will this method really be effective?"

"I guarantee it will have a miraculous effect. The Remote Heaven Society couldn't have appeared out of thin air; they must have a foundation. And since they are few in number, they can't just shut themselves off from outsiders. As long as we ruin their reputation, once they slip up, someone will report them."

Si Ming understood the power of public opinion far better than people of this era. While it was unrealistic to imagine drowning the enemy in a sea of people—in a world with extraordinary divine power—it was essential to make everyone aware that "the Remote Heaven Society is no good."

Yan Jinghong nodded and said, "Let's give it a try."

Soon everyone returned to Su State. Since the semester was not yet over, Si Ming and Murong Qing went back to Linked Mountains University for classes.

Si Ming had completely given up on his studies and was just muddling through life. Anyway, he knew he wouldn't be able to attend classes peacefully in the future. He also had a new mission: to focus on cultivating the Vacuum Zero-Energy Furnace, making up for his last weakness, and making rapid progress in his Internal Cultivation.

To be honest, even though he possesses the combat power of Spirit Transformation, and is even among the top Spirit Transformation experts, Si Ming still gives the impression of being a very capable young man. He is not respected as a Spirit Transformation Grandmaster because Internal Cultivation is the mainstream value in this world. If you want to be unique, you have to put in more effort.

If there were no other choice, that would be one thing. But now that there's a broad road ahead, Si Ming won't deliberately ignore it or try to be different by pretending to be weak and being looked down upon.

"Moreover, once I advance to the Nascent Spirit Transformation, a blissful life awaits me, filled with the fragrance of romance and surrounded by beautiful women. Not only will my later life be blessed, but even my lower body will be fortunate! Hehehe—"

As Si Ming imagined a life of debauchery in his mind, he strode into the classroom with excited steps, wiping the drool from the corner of his mouth. But before he could find a seat, Hao Shuai grabbed him.

"You're finally back!"

"Do you really think that way about me? Sorry, I'm not interested in men, not even crossdressers."

I'm not interested in men either!

"So what do you want from me?"

"It's not me looking for you, it's someone else looking for you."

Hao Shuai's face showed envy, jealousy, and hatred. He grabbed Si Ming's collar and shouted, "You already have beautiful girls like Murong Qing Hongdou by your side, yet you still have a stunningly beautiful fiancée outside!"

"Fiancée?"

Si Ming thought to himself, "Where did this new setting come from? How come I didn't know there was such a wonderful perk?"

"Stop pretending! They've already come knocking on our door. That transfer student just arrived in our class, and before the boys even had a chance to argue about who pursued her first, she introduced herself as your fiancée. If you weren't away from school, everyone would have given you a thorough interrogation."

"Where is she?" Si Ming looked around but didn't see any unfamiliar faces.