Chapter 886

Gaoyang Wuji stared at the martial arts hall gate, now deserted, closed his eyes, and sighed deeply, "The tide has turned."

Si Huaruo's use of her ultimate move to hold them off and buy time for Si Ming to escape further confirmed his previous guesses. By tomorrow, his opponent would have completed his "gathering of power" and his strength would undergo a transformation, reaching a new level. At that time, even a Nascent Spirit Transformation Grandmaster would not necessarily be able to win.

You Bin asked, "Is it really impossible to win?"

Gaoyang Wuji said, "Battles are full of variables, and there is no absolute victory or defeat. Before a battle, no one can guarantee that they will win. But in terms of the odds, if I was 50% confident before, by tomorrow I won't even have 20%."

You Bin said, "Is a change in the atmosphere really that significant?"

"For evenly matched opponents, if one side's strength increases by 30%, it's equivalent to creating a level of difference, which can basically determine the outcome. Moreover, arena matches limit various external factors, making variables extremely rare."

You Bin pondered, "Perhaps we can ask the Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations) and Doctors for help. They are also students of this school, and there are many top experts among them. I remember one of them has advanced to the Nascent Spirit Transformation."

Gaoyang Wuji hesitated and said, "Winning this way is only slightly better than losing."

"It's better than the whole school losing to one person. Even a humble victory is still a victory. Winners have a voice, while losers are left only to be scorned. That's the difference between a stain and a scar."

"But have you considered what if you still lose? That would be like losing everything, leaving you with no excuses whatsoever, utterly defeated. Don't pin your hopes on that Spirit Transformation doctor. He's a researcher, not a martial artist. In a friendly spar, he might demonstrate Spirit Transformation level strength, but in real combat, he can only use seven or eight tenths of his abilities. Even I'm confident I can defeat him."

Seeing that You Bin still harbored a glimmer of hope, Gaoyang Wuji extinguished it with a single sentence. "It's true that Spirit Transformation cultivator has high cultivation, but high cultivation doesn't necessarily mean strong martial arts. For example, there are a large number of idiot cultivators in Germany who only pursue immortality."

You Bin frowned and thought for a while, then finally gave up and said, "Forget it. In the end, this matter Non-Self martial arts club. Let the school leaders worry about it. We can't be fighting to the death on the front lines while they indulge in a life of luxury in the back. If Yan Jinghong's disciple really succeeds in setting up the challenge, they will be the ones most affected and the most anxious. Don't think you can sit back and relax."

Day four of the duel in the arena.

On his fourth journey to the martial arts hall, Si Ming keenly sensed something different. Although the gazes cast from both sides of the road were still filled with intense hostility, different voices were emerging from them.

"One man against many, with unparalleled courage, he will reach the summit and laugh at all heroes!"

His supporters appeared in the crowd. Although there were not many of them, this was unprecedented. They held up various support signs and banners, most of which praised Si Ming's courage and bravery, and some even said things like "He who steals a hook will be punished, he who steals a country will become a king."

These "outliers" naturally faced hostility from others, sparking controversy.

"Are you even students of Sun Wu University? How can you support the enemy in bullying your alma mater? Don't you have any shame?"

"Bah! They've made it perfectly clear they want to slap you sissy Military School in the face. It has nothing to do with the Lu School, so why can't we support them?"

"We are all students of Sun Wu University. At this time, we should unite against a common enemy and focus on external forces, instead of fighting amongst ourselves and becoming a laughingstock to outsiders."

"Oh, so you only think about unity when there's an external enemy. Why don't you ever shout about unity at other times? Besides, what qualifications do you Military School have to represent Sun Wu University, and what qualifications do you have to speak on our behalf? Before you shout about unity, you must first learn to value the demands and rights of ethnic minorities, respect our culture, and grant us full freedom of speech!"

Si Ming felt that there was a subtle deviation in the content of the argument between the two sides. It was as if he had become a fuse, igniting the long-standing conflicts, but the impact of the explosion had nothing to do with him.

However, it was ultimately someone else's business, so he didn't take it to heart. He walked all the way to the entrance of the martial arts hall and, as always, saw Cheng Xin and Xin Jia.

"Come on, take a look at the newly published school newspaper. Today, every page is about you."

Si Ming took a newspaper from Cheng Xin. The headline on the first page was a poem. "Having fought countless battles, he claims he never wields a blade; born with eyes that scorn all others." The accompanying picture was of Si Ming standing on a ring, facing numerous challengers alone.

This photo is very skillfully taken. The close-up shot shows Si Ming from behind, while the distant shots show the challengers below the ring and the audience in the stands. This creates two stark contrasts: Si Ming is alone, while his opponents are countless, including the audience members who all have fierce expressions, creating an aura of "I will go alone even if a million people try to stop me." Furthermore, due to the principle of perspective, Si Ming's back appears exceptionally tall, while his opponents appear exceptionally small in comparison.

The two contrasts bring the photo to life, making it incredibly compelling. If you add the caption, "Do you want to be a coward for life, or a hero, even for just a second?" it would be enough to get people's blood pumping and make them want to grab a sword and go to war immediately.

However, Si Ming soon discovered that only the first page was written in a relatively serious manner, recounting the ins and outs of the entire event and the process of the three-day arena battle. The other pages inevitably deviated from the topic and were filled with personal opinions, such as headlines like "The entire school's elite couldn't defeat one person; the school should reflect on the education system," "A farce unfolds, the Military School loses face, and Nation of Valor will be the biggest loser," and "Friendly nations are astonished; the country is on the verge of collapse."

What is all this nonsense?!

Because he was a beneficiary of the existing system, Si Ming carefully considered his words: "Isn't your news agency's stance a bit biased?"

Cheng Xin said without any concern, "This is the kind of thing that's been going on in Nation of Valor lately: reflecting on the system and discussing new ideas. Especially since France recently carried out reforms and abolished the privileges of the nobility, everyone is thinking about whether the military merit system should be modified."

Besides, college students love discussing national affairs and criticizing current affairs. Talk of fairness and justice, or exposing corruption, is all nonsense. Nobody reads your reports. What's the use of eloquent writing if no one reads them? Expanding the newspaper's influence and getting more people to pay attention to your reports—that's the professional quality a journalist should have."

"Only professional ethics are emphasized, but moral integrity is ignored?"

"Of course we should talk about it, so we write what people like to read. That's what it means to wholeheartedly serve the people!"

Cheng Xin spoke with such confidence that Si Ming was speechless. They were already chanting the slogan of serving the people; how could he criticize them for not having a high enough moral standard?

Well, it's not really my business anyway. I should focus on the battles to come and see who the challengers will be today.

When Si Ming arrived at the central training ground, he found that the banner was hanging properly on the beam, not only undamaged but also seemingly reinforced and protected.

The first challenger, unsurprisingly, was the guy who tried to force a fight yesterday. He introduced himself as the Captain of the Sun Wu University martial arts team, with the surname Gao Yang and the given name Wuji.

Gao Yang is a very ancient surname. It originated from the ancient emperor Zhuanxu, who was also known as Gaoyang. Later, people adopted his ancestor's name as their surname. In modern China, the surname Gao Yang is basically extinct, and everyone has changed it to Gao. However, it is still recorded in history. For example, the story of the ancient debater Gaoyang Tui is recorded in the "Master Lü's Spring and Autumn Annals".

When Gaoyang Tui planned to decorate his house, the craftsman advised him, "It's not a good time yet. The wood isn't sturdy enough. If you apply paint to it, it will definitely warp. Decorating a room when the wood isn't strong might look good now, but it will surely fall into disrepair later."

Gaoyang Tui retorted, "According to you, wood will become stronger and stronger, while paint will become lighter and lighter. How could a house possibly fall apart if it uses increasingly stronger wood to support increasingly lighter paint?"

The craftsmen had no choice but to accept the order and complete the decoration work, and soon the house fell into disrepair.

This story suggests that Gaoyang Tui was likely School of Names of eloquence, capable of silencing experts in their respective fields.

However, it's all for naught. Reality won't change just because you win the argument. Idealism is just empty talk, and if you dare to conduct empirical research, reality will slap you in the face.

What Si Ming found interesting was that Gaoyang Wuji was a disciple of the Lu School, not a disciple of the Military School. He wondered if Gao Yang Wuji had heard this story and had deliberately made up for his lack of knowledge about craftsmen in order to avoid repeating the same mistake.

Perhaps because of his status as a disciple of the Lu School, he was not mocked by the banners. Gaoyang Wuji spoke politely and gently, without any harshness, which was completely different from the previous aggressive and hostile challengers.

As soon as they clashed, Si Ming knew that this Gaoyang Wuji was the real deal, worthy of being the Captain of the school team. In terms of strength, he was no less than Gu Xinglie from yesterday. Moreover, because Gu Xinglie had been involved in the military for a long time, he was more skilled in melee combat, while Gaoyang Wuji frequently participated in various martial arts competitions, so he was more proficient in arena battles, making him more difficult to deal with.

However, Si Ming had taken Yu Shuying's advice before coming, and used stronger forces in this battle. He was more aggressive in the fight, so it was easier for him. There was no stalemate. He pressed Gaoyang Wuji all the way and won in less than ten minutes.