Negotiations

Of course, Internal Cultivation is far more important and useful than English. Even if you're not a martial artist, you still need to cultivate it. However, many people cultivate Internal Cultivation strength that is weak and doesn't have any practical use in combat. For example, the most popular internal strength in Germany Daoist School is health-preserving Internal Cultivation. If you cultivate this Internal Cultivation to level ten, you might live longer than someone who has reached the Spirit Transformation stage, but when used to fight, its power is about the same as cotton.

On the other hand, Si Ming's reputation has spread, and everyone has an accurate understanding of his abilities.

With martial prowess at the Spirit Transformation level, unfathomable stamina, and a special Internal Cultivation that allows for rapid recovery, no one would dare to challenge such a person without absolute confidence. At least, those who do not regard martial arts as their lifelong goal and simply treat it as a hobby would not dare to do so.

The impact of reputation on a martial artist is that great. Two martial artists of equal strength, one unknown and the other known throughout the world, will face each other with the courage of a newborn calf not afraid of tigers. But when facing the latter, they will inevitably hesitate, not only because of whether they can win, but also because they will worry about being ridiculed for overestimating their abilities.

After an awkward five-minute wait, a new challenger finally stepped onto the stage. However, the challenger immediately admitted that he was no match for Si Ming and only wanted to have a friendly spar to experience what it was like to fight Spirit Transformation level martial artist. He hoped that the match would end there.

Faced with such a challenger, Si Ming couldn't use the "hitting someone like hanging a painting" technique to embarrass his opponent, so he had no choice but to defeat him in the normal sparring mode.

Moreover, Si Ming believed in the principle of "treating others with respect and reciprocating with even greater respect." Since the other party explicitly stated that he wanted to experience the feeling of fighting against a strong opponent, he couldn't just punch him away and had to drag it out for more than ten moves.

As it turned out, before leaving the ring, the opponent specifically thanked Si Ming, leaving him both amused and exasperated.

Once someone sets a precedent, others follow suit in droves. After all, the pressure of challenging a Nascent Spirit Transformation level martial artist is simply too great, but asking for guidance is much easier. In fact, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity; normally, if you wanted to spar with someone, they wouldn't even give you a second glance.

For martial arts enthusiasts in particular, the allure of sparring with a master of the Spirit Transformation is no less than that of a beautiful woman standing naked in front of them, striking a seductive pose – it's truly irresistible.

So, after a brief period of being ignored, everyone rushed to get onto the stage, but their motives were completely different from before.

Si Ming hadn't expected a perfectly good arena battle to turn out like this, but as long as he could achieve his goal, he wasn't particularly concerned about the process.

Although the journey took a bit astray and deviated from the intended path, it ultimately reached its destination and achieved its initial goal—that very evening, Fu Feng came to apologize.

"Hey, Fu, what brings you here?"

Si Ming went to the door and took a closer look. This guy had actually followed the ancients and wrapped thorns around his back and tied them with rope.

Fu Feng lowered his head and said in a low voice, "I have offended you in the past. Please forgive me for being classmates with Si Ming."

Si Ming nodded and said, "So you've come to apologize, but you're not being sincere at all. With a martial artist's physique, a thorny branch is just a tickle; it would have to be at least a spiked club to be worthy."

Although he had anticipated that he might be humiliated, Fu Feng still turned red from the sarcasm. He didn't look up, afraid that the other person would see his resentful eyes and reject his apology.

"If carrying this spiked club can earn Si Ming's forgiveness, I'll go find him right now."

"Never mind then, 'bearing the blame' sounds weird. I accept your apology. If there's nothing else, please leave. I need to rest." With that, Si Ming turned to close the door.

"Wait a moment!"

Fu Feng had originally hoped that since the other party was a disciple of the great hero Yan Jinghong, he might have the gentlemanly demeanor of repaying evil with kindness. As long as the opponent was willing to admit his mistake, he could show his magnanimity and let bygones be bygones. However, judging from Si Ming's reaction, he clearly had not inherited his master's noble character.

He gritted his teeth and said, "What will it take for you to stop the challenge tomorrow?"

Si Ming stroked his chin and said, "So that's what you came for. I thought you really realized your mistake and sincerely wanted to repent... Fine, I didn't want you dead anyway, but you owe me an apology."

Fu Feng was overjoyed and was about to speak when Si Ming interrupted him, "The apology I'm talking about isn't this kind of private apology. What's the use of this kind of apology? Heaven, earth, you, and I know it all. If you deny it later, do you think I can produce any evidence to prove that you actually apologized to me?"

"So what do you want?"

"It's simple. Tomorrow, have the school organize a temporary assembly. You write a letter of repentance, read it aloud in public, and make sure it's sincere. Let people feel your heartfelt apology and know that you are genuinely repentant. Then I will accept your apology in public and announce the termination of the ring battle."

This is clearly a surrender ceremony of a defeated nation!

Fu Feng, suppressing his grief and indignation, said, "Killing someone is merely a matter of beheading them, but you sir, don't you think it's excessive to humiliate me in this way?"

Si Ming coldly replied, "I don't think so. It's only because I'm strong enough that I could set up a ring and forcibly turn the tide. Anyone else would have been tricked to death by your broadcast. They would not only have to flee Sun Wu University in a sorry state, but they would also be disgraced when they returned to China, their reputation ruined and never able to rise again. I'm just using their own methods against them. Since you're willing to make a decision that ruins someone's reputation, you must be prepared to bear the same consequences."

"If I agree to your request, my life will be over."

Once he publicly admits his mistake and leaves behind a huge stain on his reputation, Fu Feng can't guarantee that Huyan Lie will still acknowledge him as his disciple.

Temporary workers receive such low wages, do so much work, and even take the blame for their superiors. They are so considerate, sensible, and capable, yet they are still fired at the drop of a hat.

The reason he agreed to the school's visit to apologize was to quell the matter and protect his own interests. If he couldn't do that, why should he wrong himself? Losing his status as a disciple of the Spirit Transformation stage and being stigmatized would ruin his life, and he would never have a chance to rise again.

Si Ming chuckled, "It's not like if you don't agree, there's still hope for you in this lifetime."

"If I promised you, I'd be the only one who would perish. If I didn't, the school would be finished too, but they still wouldn't let you, the murderer, go. Rather than me dying alone, we'd all die together," Fu Feng said indignantly.

"To take them down with me? You think too highly of yourself. Yes, I've offended Sun Wu University, and they'll definitely hate me, but I'll also gain immense fame. There are pros and cons, but the pros outweigh the cons. After all, I'm not Nation of Valor. Once this is over, I can just pack up and go back to my Su State. Do you think Sun Wu University will send experts across borders to deal with me?"

"I..."

"Alright, you don't need to say anything more. I don't think you understand your situation at all. There's an old saying that goes, 'It's better to fight a smart person than to say a word to a fool.' You seem shrewd, but you're actually a fool. I have nothing to say to you. If you had really agreed to apologize in public, I would have been a little reluctant to give up my great reputation. But now, I have no regrets."

Si Ming unleashed a palm strike, shoving the man out the door. He then slammed the door shut and turned to Yu Shuying inside, saying, "That guy's a complete idiot."

Yu Shuying, with her legs crossed, agreed, "This guy only has petty cleverness, not true wisdom. In his current situation, he either needs to cultivate an image of unyielding strength, fight to the end, and never admit defeat, using you to elevate his position. At that point, the school might even grit its teeth and support him. Or he can completely surrender, throwing away all his pride, arrogance, and integrity, agreeing to everything he's told, and then biding his time to seek revenge later. Unfortunately, he can't do either. He has neither the courage to fight to the end nor the shamelessness to swallow his pride. His fate is already sealed."

Chapter 647 Negotiation

Si Ming invited Yu Shuying to his room that evening, not to do anything pleasing, but to have her oversee the negotiations on his behalf.

This negotiation certainly doesn't refer to Fu Feng. He doesn't deserve to be treated with respect. Even if it were his master, Si Ming would use the same methods to drive him away.

Strength is the foundation of a martial artist's confidence. Back then, Si Ming had to rely on the Profound Armor and take advantage of Huyan Lie injury and escape to cut off his arm. Now, even without any equipment, he can beat the other half to death with his bare hands. Since even if the other party is cornered, he can't threaten him, Si Ming naturally won't take this master and disciple pair seriously.

Unfortunately, Huyan Lie was cunning and shrewd, and he acted as if he didn't know anything even if you killed my disciple. Unlike the kind of villains who couldn't wait to jump out and protect their juniors, he was very patient, which made it difficult for Si Ming to find an opportunity to drag him down.

The negotiation partner that Si Ming needs to deal with carefully is Sun Wu University. This top Nation of Valor university has produced many Spirit Transformation stage experts and its influence extends throughout the business, political, and martial arts worlds. It has immense power. Si Ming wants to use the other party as a stepping stone to rise to the top, so he must also guard against the other party's retaliation.

Although he just told Fu Feng that at worst he could just pack up and go back to Su State, and Sun Wu University couldn't do anything to him, that was indeed true. But the problem was that he still had to participate in the Martial King Cup and stay in Nation of Valor for a semester. During that time, the other party would have plenty of opportunities to make a move. As the local bully, even if Sun Wu University didn't use any drastic measures, they could still use some tricks to make Si Ming lose face.

However, even knowing this, Si Ming would not give up tomorrow's arena battle. This was a great opportunity for him to build his reputation, enough to make him famous in one battle, and its significance was no less than that of a scientific researcher winning the Nobel Prize.

Although Si Ming possessed martial prowess comparable to the Peak Spirit Transformation and was a Grandmaster Candidate, he was not well-known in the martial arts world of the Sea Continent. When people mentioned him, they mostly regarded him as "Yan Jinghong's disciple." This made it easy for him to play the role of a weakling who actually outsmarts others, but Si Ming was not a face-slapping maniac. He had no interest in slapping second- or third-rate martial artists and preferred to simply use his reputation to scare people away.