Farce

These words seemed to be criticizing Si Ming, but in reality they were defending him. However, Wu Xiu clicked her tongue in dissatisfaction after hearing them.

The bespectacled man smiled and said, "Now we have four votes. I wonder what Brother Xing, who is known for his strictness and impartiality, has to say?"

Xing Daozhuang said in a detached tone, "His performance in the war between humans and demons was evident to all. At least I don't think any of you here could have done better than him if you were in his shoes. On the contrary, the Divine Pillar of the Li State Heaven-Defying Society. Before that, we didn't receive any warning or take any precautions. This is clearly a serious oversight in intelligence work!"

The bespectacled man's smile froze instantly, and he shook his head helplessly, saying, "This is indeed my responsibility, and I will reflect on it later. But for now, let's discuss Brother Yan's recommendation."

Xing Daozhuang said expressionlessly, "This young man's abilities and character have been proven. I agree to let him become a member of the Heaven's Will Palace."

All five acquaintances he had contacted voted for Si Ming, which was within his expectations. Putting aside issues like morality and character that are greatly influenced by personal feelings, Si Ming had achieved tangible results in every operation, and these were real achievements. As long as the other party did not harbor personal grudges, they would not deny his achievements.

But the most difficult part is yet to come, because the remaining three have never interacted with him or actually observed him. As the saying goes, seeing is believing, and Spirit Transformation Grandmaster are a group of extremely self-centered individuals. They firmly believe that their own knowledge far surpasses what others say, and they may not be willing to believe the evaluations of the previous five. Si Ming is still missing one vote. Even if these three adopt a cautious attitude of "I will not comment on things I do not know," Si Ming's becoming a member of the Heaven's Will Palace will still fall through. It doesn't even matter if one person opposes it or everyone else agrees.

So far, the Cang Baiyi who seemed hostile has not made a statement, and the bespectacled man has been picking fights repeatedly. Si Ming felt that his future was in jeopardy.

At this moment, Tu Wangyue said, "I agree."

This was an unexpected vote, which helped Si Ming achieve his first condition.

The bespectacled man didn't ask why, probably because he had just been retorted by Xing Daozhuang. However, Tu Wangyue took the initiative to explain, "This young man has established a martial arts organization in the Barbarian Continent, making martial arts manuals public so that everyone in the Barbarian Continent can learn martial arts. This act inherits the spirit of the former Grandmaster who benefited the world, and he is a model for us Mohist."

Si Ming suddenly remembered that when he dealt with the Purple-Pupiled Spirit King, it was Tu Wangyue who used the Sacred Sword to cleave the barrier between the two realms and send Murong Qing over. She must have known about his actions in the Barbarian Continent.

The bespectacled man looked at the Cang Baiyi and asked, "What's Brother Cang's opinion?"

I agree.

Cang Baiyi's answer surprised Si Ming, who had thought that the best outcome would be if the other party did not object.

"I trust Yan Jinghong's character. His personally trained disciple must have inherited the spirit of my Mohist School. Moreover, since he stood here, his mind has been as calm as a mountain, unmoved by our words. He is truly unperturbed by honor or disgrace. For someone his age to have such a mindset, he is destined for greatness in the future... no, he is already a great man. I find no reason to object."

Si Ming didn't really care whether he could become a member of the Heaven's Will Palace this time. He was still young and had plenty of time to spare. Even if he didn't succeed this time, there would be plenty of opportunities in the future.

Moreover, he had already tasted fame and fortune in the Barbarian Continent. The affairs of the Heavenly Martial Alliance annoyed him to no end. Even though he gave a large portion to Si Jingyu, the rest still gave him a headache. From that time on, he knew that he was not cut out for politics and that it was better to be a martial artist.

Both Daoism and Buddhism advise people to be indifferent to fame and fortune, and to see through the illusions of fame. But how can one be indifferent to fame and fortune, or to see through the illusions of fame, if one has never tasted them or possessed them?

Si Ming's level of thinking wasn't that high. Before he had power, he was indeed full of curiosity and imagined the life of having great power. But after experiencing it in person, he found that it wasn't as wonderful as he had imagined. Perhaps some people like the feeling of using power to order others around, but he wasn't that kind of person. He preferred a purer life. Rather than using power to coerce others into obedience, he preferred to use his fists to teach others to obey.

"The supreme martial arts master, wielding the Dragon-Slaying Saber, commanding the world with absolute obedience"—this is the realm he truly yearns for. Once he attains the cultivation of the supreme martial arts master, he will naturally be able to command the world with absolute obedience. Whether or not he becomes a member of the Heaven's Will Palace has no impact on his own cultivation level. Therefore, he can face the votes of his seniors with a calm attitude.

Even so, Si Ming hadn't expected to receive such a positive evaluation from the Cang Baiyi. He couldn't help but wonder if he had been wrong from the start, and if the other man and his master actually had no prior conflicts, but rather admired each other greatly?

Indeed, judging people by their appearance is a bad idea. Perhaps the other person doesn't dislike you, but just finds you attractive.

As Si Ming was pondering, he met the gaze of the Cang Baiyi. The man smiled at him, and Si Ming was instantly shocked because the smile was so comical that it reminded him of Yao Ming's smile, one of the three most popular emojis on the internet in his previous life.

The Cang Baiyi probably realized this too, and immediately suppressed his smile, reverting to his stern and glaring demeanor.

Si Ming had nothing to say and could only pretend he hadn't seen anything.

"Brother Chen, what's your opinion?" Yan Jinghong asked the bespectacled man.

The bespectacled man chuckled, "I'm the kind of person who always follows the crowd. Since everyone agrees, I naturally won't object."

Yan Jinghong nodded. Although he knew that the other party's claim of following the crowd was all nonsense, he didn't have the habit of criticizing it and didn't care. He continued, "In this way, everyone present agrees. In the end, only Teng Baixin, who didn't come, is left. I will pay him a visit to ask for his opinion."

Tu Wangyue said, "No need. Before I came, the Artisan King sent someone to tell me that he fully agrees with the results of everyone's negotiations. Whether you agree or disagree, he has no objection."

Yan Jinghong thought for a moment, then shook his head and said, "It would be best to go and ask him in person. This matter is different from other issues; his personal opinion is crucial and can determine the final outcome."

Wu Xiu sneered, "Asking is pointless. Teng only cares about the weapons he forges; he's never been interested in anything else."

Zhu Hao also said, "Let's just consider this matter approved for now. If Brother Teng objects, we can cancel it later. Now, let Si Ming choose a zodiac animal."

Yan Jinghong was not a pedantic person. After a moment's thought, she nodded in agreement and then said to Si Ming, "The vacant positions are 'Dragon' and 'Monkey.' You can choose one."

Chapter 723 Farce

Among the twelve zodiac animals, the dragon is the most special one, because the other zodiac animals are all common animals in reality, while the dragon belongs to mythology. In addition, the former Grandmaster Xiao Xuan chose the dragon, so this position inevitably carries special significance.

For Si Ming, he personally prefers the monkey. When he was a child, his favorite cartoon character was Sun Wukong, the Monkey Great Sage Equal to Heaven. Almost every China person has a "Sun Wukong complex" in their heart, whether it is admiring Sun Wukong's great Divine Ability, worshipping the rebellious Great Sage Equal to Heaven, or simply being fascinated by the image of Sun Wukong. Almost every child has tried to imitate Sun Wukong's actions, such as putting their hands in front of their foreheads to look around, or trying to spin a stick left and right—not counting using both palms to Kamehameha, even though the other person is also called Sun Wukong.

Therefore, in Si Ming's mind, Monkey also symbolize rebellion, cleverness, and freedom, which he felt perfectly matched his own personality. Coincidentally, this position was also empty, which was like a perfect opportunity to strike someone who was sleepy.

Just as he was about to give the answer without thinking, Pan De's words suddenly flashed through his mind. "The book 'One Fuck for Ten Thousand Myriad Years' was written by someone who witnessed the union of a dragon and a phoenix." He couldn't help but recall the pleasure of the previous few nights, and his heart fluttered, and he lost that sense of solemnity.

This disturbance dampened Si Ming's urge to speak. Suddenly, he noticed his master Yan Jinghong's gaze, turned around, and found his master looking at him with expectant eyes.

Yes, I'm not alone anymore. I have other people's expectations on my shoulders, and I need to protect the people around me. I can't just live for myself.

The grudges between his master and Martial Uncle Xiao flashed through Si Ming's mind. He then remembered that the "Supreme Plain Decay True Scripture," which had a great influence on him, was passed down from his Uncle-Master. In a sense, he had also inherited Xiao Xuan's mantle.

"Hey kid, hurry up and say which one you want to choose. Do you expect us all to wait for you?" Wu Xiu urged impatiently.

Si Ming's thoughts were interrupted, and he was momentarily at a loss for what to do, so he asked, "May I ask you seniors, what is the difference between choosing the dragon or the monkey?"

Tu Wangyue said, "There's no difference. All members of the Heaven's Will Palace are equal, with no distinction of rank or position. You can think of them as number one through twelve, but cold, hard numbers can be boring."

Si Ming was taken aback. If there was no difference, there was no need to dwell on the underlying meaning; he could just choose whichever he liked.

At this moment, Ji Shichen spoke up, "If we really want to point out a difference, there is one. Each zodiac animal has a weapon as a symbol of its identity. I remember the dragon's weapon is a sword, and the monkey's weapon is nunchucks."

Monkey wielding nunchucks? The image of Sun Wukong in Si Ming's mind shattered instantly, and he lost all interest, shaking his head and saying, "Then I'll choose the dragon. I don't know how to use nunchucks."

Zhu Hao said, "You don't need to be fixated on the type of weapon. It's just a symbol, like a token. It doesn't mean you actually have to use that weapon. For example, the pig's weapon is a rake. It's hard to find a suitable martial art for such an uncommon weapon. I wonder what the Grandmaster who founded Heaven's Will Palace was thinking."

Ji Shichen also said, "The chicken's weapon is a fan, which I don't know how to use either. I only use it to fan myself when it's hot. You can just keep it as a keepsake; there's no need to worry about it too much. After Xiao Xuan became a dragon, I didn't see him switch to Swordsmanship."