Chapter 952

"If you want to learn to use a gun, you must master this killing intent. Understand that what you hold in your hands is a weapon for killing, not for acting, not for scaring people, and don't even think about stopping short of killing. If you pick up a gun, you're going to kill. As long as you master this killing intent, even if you're holding a stick, you can still use gun techniques. As for skills, they are secondary and don't need to worry about them. With your current level of martial arts cultivation, you'll learn it after practicing a few times."

Under Ling Huanxi's guidance, Si Huaruo took a deep breath, swung her staff, lowered her waist and stance, raised her eyebrows, and exuded a powerful aura, entering a state of battle readiness.

"You're wrong. That's fighting spirit, not killing intent. You need to have the determination to kill, not just the desire to defeat your opponent."

"No, I'm not telling you to tense up. The important thing is your mind, not your body. And don't try to fake it; it's pointless."

"Wrong. Your killing intent is too abstract. It needs a tangible object to represent it. You're not killing with a sword, a knife, or a club, but with a gun."

Seeing this, Si Ming said in surprise, "Senior Ling usually doesn't speak more than ten words, she's as concise as possible, but I didn't expect her to be so patient and detailed when teaching martial arts."

Murong Qing sighed, "Master isn't a taciturn person. She's just not interested in other things, but she's full of enthusiasm for what interests her. Master once said that her martial arts talent was only average, and her achievements today are due to her focus. She gave up all other hobbies and devoted all her time to practicing martial arts, thus making up for the gap in talent between her and others."

Can diligence make up for lack of talent?

Si Ming didn't really agree with this. Diligence can indeed make up for shortcomings, but it only makes up for deficiencies and catches up with the average person's level, and maybe even slightly surpasses it. But if you want to pursue the peak, diligence is just the most basic requirement. No one is lazy on this path.

Even though he possessed the cheat code to instantly master martial arts, he still squeezed out time every moment to temper his body and cultivate his Internal Cultivation, daring not to slack off in the slightest. Otherwise, choosing the skill-based approach would undoubtedly be much easier—although personal preference also played a part.

Murong Qing head and said, "It's not just about diligence, but also about focus. My master said that some people can learn from many masters, but some people can only master one. She belongs to the latter, so she only practices a few martial arts styles. Only in this way can she achieve perfection."

While the two were discussing, Ji Shichen didn't forget to give Hualiu some pointers, but the content she said was quite different.

"Don't believe their nonsense about emphasizing intent over form and momentum over technique. They're close-quarters fighters, so they can use spear intent and momentum to intimidate their opponents. But we're using bows and arrows for long-range shooting. Technique is the most important thing. Just kill someone with a single arrow from afar. Trying to figure out arrow intent and momentum is a misguided path."

Hualiu nodded as if he understood but not quite. The martial arts of the Monster Race are mostly innate, engraved in their instincts. They do not need to learn them specially; they naturally know how to shoot most effectively.

Si Ming teased Yu Shuying, "Seeing others practicing martial arts so enthusiastically, what are your thoughts?"

Yu Shuying naturally wouldn't say anything that pleased Si Ming, so she said, "The Ziyue, the more tactics the players can use, and the higher the margin for error. Therefore, I wholeheartedly support your diligent practice. Those who labor with their minds govern others, while those who labor with their bodies are governed by others. Keep up the good work!"

Murong Qing closer and said, "The stronger the commander-in-chief, the lower the chance of the opponent turning the tide. If Senior Uncle Xing's cultivation is too low, he might have already been beheaded by the Demon Race, thus reversing the battle."

Yu Shuying sneered, "Those who are good swimmers drown. Those who drown are all people who can swim because they are too confident in their skills and are prone to accidents. On the contrary, people who cannot swim avoid water and are very careful, minimizing the probability of accidents and thus protecting themselves."

If I were in Thunder King's position, I would definitely prepare several decoys and carefully hide myself, not giving the Demon Race a chance to carry out the decapitation. Thunder King was too confident in his strength, which is why he chose to take the risk himself, needlessly increasing the chances of failure.

Murong Qing objected, "Having strength and liking adventure are not necessarily related. A strong person can also act cautiously. Senior Uncle Xing's choice is due to his personality. He has a tough style and naturally would not choose to retreat behind the scenes to protect himself. Moreover, if he, as the commander-in-chief, uses a double, his soldiers will easily misunderstand him as cowardly and lacking confidence, which will affect the morale of the entire army."

"The roles of commander-in-chief and strategist are different. In that situation, the Demon Race could turn the tide by assassinating the commander-in-chief, but assassinating the strategist would be useless. The commander-in-chief must stand in the open, while the strategist can remain behind the scenes. I have never wanted to be the center of attention. Our paths have been different from the beginning, so why impose them on others?"

Seeing the two arguing more and more intensely, their gazes almost sparking, Si Ming quickly stepped in to block their view and then tried to reconcile them, saying, "Actually, Shuying also cultivates regularly, but she follows the path of Gu poison, cultivating external objects first and then herself, from the outside in, which is different from us. What I said just now was just a joke."

Murong Qing paused for a moment before saying, "If that's truly the case, then I misunderstood, and I apologize."

However, her apology infuriated Yu Shuying more than her not apologizing. "Are you trying to highlight my stubborn refusal to admit my mistake by admitting it so readily?"

"I didn't mean it that way." Murong Qing's tone was completely sincere.

"Who knows? I can't hear your thoughts now!"

Yu Shuying snorted and left with a gloomy face.

Si Ming was torn, unsure whether to pursue her or stay. He wondered how those emperors with harems managed to secure their homes and protect their harems; did they all find girls as easily fooled as Hongdou?

Murong Qing said, "Go check on her; she seems very emotionally unstable."

Si Ming was grateful for the other person's understanding, but he wasn't foolish enough to immediately run after them. Instead, he asked, "What about you?"

"I'm fine, she's the one who's upset. It might sound a bit narcissistic, but I think it's my advancement to the Nascent Spirit Transformation stage that upset her. You should comfort her. At this point, anything I say will only have the opposite effect."

Si Ming gave a thumbs up and said, "What a considerate and virtuous wife!"

Murong Qing blushed slightly and spat, "You're taking advantage of my kindness. Don't try that on me. Hurry up and go after them."

Si Ming turned and ran, quickly disappearing from sight.

Upon witnessing this scene, Ji Shichen remarked with emotion, "The troubles of growing up are truly something to be aware of when you're young. Back in my youth, I often experienced them..."

Hualiu stared at her without blinking.

"... I used to read romance novels all the time. I was so innocent back then. So many years have passed in the blink of an eye, and I've long since graduated from those naive romance novels and found more mature interests."

Why are they arguing?

"Because both of them are intelligent people, and intelligent people tend to overthink, coupled with their tendency to be argumentative, which easily leads to conflict. Such people generally don't have many friends, because ordinary people are often put in an awkward position by their argumentative nature. That's why there's the saying 'it's good to be confused sometimes.'"

"The human world is truly complex," Hualiu nodded as if he understood, then praised, "Senior, you are so knowledgeable and understanding, you must have many friends."

"... Hurry up and learn archery. Don't think about these other things. Time is of the essence. The more skills you learn, the more effort you can put in."

"Oh."

On the other side, Si Ming quickly caught up with Yu Shuying and grabbed her, saying, "Murong Qing absolutely did not mean to play a trick on you."

"Of course I know something so obvious," Yu Shuying said irritably.

"Then what will you do?"

"It's precisely because I know she meant no harm that I feel even more displeased!"

"Could it be that you really did it because she advanced to the Spirit Transformation...?"

Yu Shuying retorted in despair, "That's right, I'm jealous and petty! I can't stand seeing others succeed when I'm not good enough myself. In an idol drama, I'd be a scheming female villain. So what? Who says everyone has to be as virtuous and righteous as her?"

As she spoke, she took out a pillow, wrote the three characters "Murong Qing" on it with a pen, and then punched it wildly.