Upon hearing Long Shaotian's greeting, Lin Feng came to realize this stout and brawny man was actually Chen Ming, the Hall Master of the Battle Hall of the Qingzi Sect's Jiangzhou branch.

Lin Feng scrutinized the people around Chen Ming and indeed spotted Long San, the man he had defeated in the ring not long ago. Chen Qingyun, who had tried to show off in front of Long Xiaoyun but was humiliated by Lin Feng, was also there.

Long San shared the same thoughts as Long Tianyi, insisting that Lin Feng's victory was due to scheming. He believed that if he, Long San, hadn't been so careless, Lin Feng would surely have been the one to die. Therefore, upon seeing Lin Feng, Long San wore an unconvinced expression, his eyes flashing with a fighting spirit, eager for another match with Lin Feng.

As for Chen Qingyun, he seemed to possess considerable depth. Upon seeing Lin Feng, he remained composed and smiled naturally. He even courteously greeted Long Shaotian, fondly calling him 'Uncle,' showing no flaws whatsoever...

What a little fox! Lin Feng sneered inwardly. Chen Qingyun indeed has the capital to look down on Long Xiaoyun; Long Xiaoyun, however, is far outmatched when it comes to feigning obedience.

Chen Qingyun had to act, but Chen Ming appeared much more straightforward.

"Lord Dragon, you're joking. How could I wish for your death!" Upon hearing Long Shaotian's accusation, Chen Ming responded with a smile that didn't reach his eyes, "You have yet to hand over the accounts of the Jiangzhou branch. How could I bear to let you die? Even if I wanted to curse you, I couldn't do it now..."

"Humph! Talk about handing over the accounts after you've defeated me!" Long Shaotian snorted coldly. He stopped exchanging useless pleasantries with Chen Ming; their relationship was already beyond repair, and further words served no purpose. Only by following the sect's rules could they compete in front of the sect's elders, vie for superiority, and ultimately determine the new Hall Master.

Becoming the next Hall Master was Long Shaotian's primary purpose for booking the entire cruise ship. His second goal was to use the competition with Chen Ming as an opportunity to set up an exciting life-or-death arena and earn a fortune...

The reason Long Shaotian was confident about making money was that those he had invited this time were no ordinary people. They were all prominent figures, merchants, wealthy tycoons, and officials. Each person who received an invitation to board the ship had a net worth of at least five million. Long Shaotian had invited as many as four thousand guests, and he expected no fewer than three thousand to attend.

Most of the invited guests loved betting on fist fights, and among them, many were thrill-seekers fond of wagering their entire fortunes!

This will be a huge sum of money! Although Long Shaotian was not short of money, he relished the feeling of earning it; it was exhilarating for him! Besides, the success of this event would determine whether he could continue as the Hall Master of the Jiangzhou Hall of the Qingzi Sect. This, naturally, made Long Shaotian even more excited.

"HAHAHA… Lord Dragon, no offense, but looking at this bunch you've brought, other than Long Tianyi who is slightly capable, who else is strong? They're all rubbish!" While Chen Ming laughed heartily, he glanced at the men around Long Shaotian, a triumphant expression plastered on his face.

"Isn't Long Tianyi enough?" Long Shaotian retorted with a cold smile. "Do you have someone who can beat him? Or are you planning to take the stage yourself?"

"HEHE, you'll find out when the time comes. It will definitely surprise you!" Chen Ming shot a meaningful glance at Long Shaotian, his gaze finally settling on Wu Mei, who stood beside Lin Feng, undisguised greed flickering in his eyes.

Lin Feng noticed that while Chen Ming was speaking, he and Long Tianyi exchanged a subtle glance, seemingly without any hint of animosity between them.

How strange! Upon observing this odd situation, Lin Feng made a mental note to be wary.

"Ha… What a bustling scene! So many experts are here; this trip is really not going to be boring!"

At that moment, more people arrived at the entrance of the waiting hall. A cheerful man's voice drifted in, catching the attention of quite a few people, including Lin Feng...

"Who is that guy? Why does he sound so obnoxious? It's like he doesn't take anyone here seriously!"

"Yeah, he talks as if he's just here for a pleasure cruise. He's really reckless!"

"If it weren't for the wrong place, I'd teach him a lesson myself! How dare he be so arrogant in front of me!"

...

The surrounding crowd buzzed with discussion, but a peculiar smile touched Lin Feng's lips...

He recognized the voice from outside the door—it was Zhou Yang's!

Lin Feng turned his head and, sure enough, saw Zhou Yang, dressed in a casual T-shirt and a long cloak, flamboyantly sauntering in. Behind him followed an elegant beauty, her face half-obscured by large sunglasses. This beautiful woman was, of course, Xue Qingyi...

Xue Qingyi was dressed in a thick, long, dark blue gown, appearing somewhat frail. Her skin, fairer than frost and snow, was startlingly white. The exposed lower half of her delicate face, touched by the chilly wind, glowed with a tender pink hue, involuntarily reminding one of the petals of March peach blossoms—so delicate and pitiably lovely it stirred one's protective instincts.

This was just Xue Qingyi's outward appearance. Lin Feng knew she was not frail at all. In a one-on-one duel, there weren't many present who could definitively defeat her. In a life-or-death battle, no more than three people there could escape her assassination...

What Lin Feng didn't understand was why Xue Qingyi and Zhou Yang were there. He was on a mission; why were these two getting involved?

Upon seeing Zhou Yang and Xue Qingyi, Long Shaotian was overjoyed. However hard he tried, he couldn't understand it. Why would these two experts come to the Tianxing Club last night, cause a commotion for so long, and then finally beg to board the ship and help him fight? All that mattered was that he knew Xue Qingyi and Zhou Yang were indeed experts!

Long Shaotian would never complain about having too many experts on his team!

"Mr. Zhou, Miss Xue, please come this way..." Setting aside his status as Hall Master, Long Shaotian personally went to greet them, a fawning smile on his face. Bowing and scraping, he led Zhou Yang to a long bench beside him and saw him seated.

What... Zhou Yang and Xue Qingyi are also here to fight for Long Shaotian? What's going on? Lin Feng was oblivious to the fact that Zhou Yang and Xue Qingyi were there for him, and he was still trying hard to guess their intentions...

However, under everyone's watchful eyes, Lin Feng did not greet Zhou Yang and Xue Qingyi. Instead, he suppressed the questions in his heart and waited patiently for a suitable opportunity...

Gradually, more and more people gathered in the VIP waiting hall. Lin Feng noticed that every person who walked in was extraordinary. Most of them were organization members, along with many wealthy tycoons, and there were quite a few Inner Strength experts too!

Lin Feng silently estimated that about thirty percent of the nearly one hundred people gathered in this VIP waiting hall were inner strength cultivators... which was already a considerable number! And this was just a small waiting hall.

Meanwhile, at the dock, a gigantic white cruise ship was berthed. It was a new vessel from the M Princess Cruise Company, named the Pacific Treasure, which had made its debut in the spring of 2013. It weighed 141,000 tons and had a passenger capacity of up to 3,600 people.

Under the arrangement of the cruise company staff, the guests who had been waiting for a long time in the VIP waiting hall gradually boarded the ship and were led to their reserved rooms.

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