Senior Brother Sun didn’t unveil the mystery of the box on the right. Instead, he led Chen Chuan and the three others deeper into the exhibition hall.
Inside, the display shelves were filled with strange creatures from the ocean. Every last one of them was bizarrely shaped, and so were so grotesque they made one’s skin crawl.
Senior Brother Sun smiled and explained, "So of these things look unsettling, but they aren’t actually dangerous. In fact, they have very strict environntal requirents that we have to maintain around the clock.
They’re mainly for our more discerning guests on board. These clients have seen it all, so only sothing visually bizarre and intensely stimulating can satisfy their palates."
Chen Chuan agreed. Of all the things he had seen, only the Red Sea Worm had caused his Second Self to show signs of turning ethereal; none of the other creatures had elicited such a response.
He took the opportunity to look up information about the Red Sea Worm on his Realm Token. The creature could secrete a potent toxin; an ordinary person would be poisoned rely by touching it.
For a Third Limit Fighter, however, this toxin posed little threat. It would either be blocked externally or quickly tabolized.
The creature still possessed so combat ability on land, but it was no match for a fierce terrestrial predator.
’So when Senior Brother Sun said they were releasing this thing tomorrow just to spice up the fight, he probably ant it was just for show.’
By the ti they finished touring the entire inner exhibition hall, more than an hour had passed. The four of them hadn’t even realized they had been engrossed for so long.
As they ca out, Senior Brother Sun told them, "Our Canglong Company’s business operations are expanding rapidly, which has also attracted hostility from many competitors. Every year, we face deliberate attacks and sabotage. Our security team is in dire need of new blood, and we welco any talented students to join us."
With that, he handed a blue Jade Card to Chen Chuan, Pan Xiaode, and Qi Huixin respectively, saying with a smile,
"This has our Canglong Company’s insignia on it. With this card, you can board any of our ships moored offshore or in a harbor at any ti. It’s a lovely night. I hope you all have a pleasant evening. I must be going now."
After Chen Chuan’s group of four thanked him and parted ways, Pan Xiaode watched his departing figure and remarked, "That Senior Brother Sun seems like a good guy."
Tan Zhi said, "Senior Brother Sun has always had a great reputation at the academy. He’s middle managent at Canglong Company now, so he doesn’t have to get his own hands dirty with fighting and killing anymore."
Pan Xiaode just grunted in acknowledgnt, showing no real interest. He preferred fighting and killing to managing people. "It’s still early," he asked. "Where to now?"
Tan Zhi thought for a mont. He first suggested checking out the casino downstairs, but when no one responded, he proposed watching the band the cruise had hired. This ti, Chen Chuan and the other two didn’t object. The performance turned out to be surprisingly good, and the four of them watched until nearly ten o’clock before returning to their rooms.
The next day, the cruise ship arranged a morning of water skiing, towed by speedboats. In the afternoon, there was a scuba diving event to chase and catch fish.
This type of activity was extrely popular among Fighters. Participants wore special diving suits and split into competing teams. The goal was to snatch a complete set of multi-colored fish from other teams within a ti limit, all while ensuring the fish remained unhard.
The four of them naturally ford a team, chasing and competing against several other teams of Fighters. Pan Xiaode had an absolute blast.
Chen Chuan had previously undergone underwater infiltration training with He Xiaoxing, so for him, this activity was purely for entertainnt. Still, it was a rare chance to relax.
The recreational activities continued until evening. They had been inford that afternoon that the duel between the two Third Limit Fighters would take place at seven o’clock. So at five-thirty, the four of them returned to the ship, rinsed off, had dinner at the restaurant, and then made their way to the fighting deck.
Upon arriving at the fighting arena, they found that it was already filled with quite a few people. They weren’t the only Wuyi Students present, either; so upperclassn had also shown up, but neither group showed any intention of greeting the other.
This was normal. Even at the sa academy, everyone had their own clique. It was common for people not to know each other, or even to dislike one another. So, they made no effort to socialize.
After the four of them found seats, Chen Chuan glanced around. The circular arena was packed with a dense crowd of people, though most were just realistic projections. Still, their presence added to the atmosphere.
He then turned his gaze to the center of the field. A massive aquarium extended high up, almost reaching the ceiling and encompassing the entire central space. On either side were a water gate and a channel, but for now, the tank was empty. That must be the arena for the two Fighters.
Not far away, sitting diagonally across from them, was Gong Zhanyi. Despite the high-level match about to begin, he seed sowhat distracted.
The Steward walked over and shook his head.
"Still nothing?"
Gong Zhanyi was surprised and couldn’t hide his irritation. "Did we misjudge? No, he has to be here. I’m sure of it. He must be in this very arena. We have to get him, no matter the cost—"
The Steward interjected at the right mont, "Young Master, this is a Canglong Company vessel."
As if doused with a bucket of cold water, Gong Zhanyi instantly cald down.
The various overseas islands feared Canglong Company above all else. Dashun wouldn’t interfere in the affairs of the Island Countries, but Canglong Company dealt with them constantly due to business matters. The power this corporation wielded made them deeply wary; now was certainly not the ti to antagonize them.
He suppressed his frustration. "We’ll wait. Let’s watch the match first."
At the sa ti, many people outside the arena were also watching this fight with keen interest.
Everyone was eager to see the outco: would the Implant Fighter prove superior, or was the Wilderness Sect as formidable as they claid to be?
Most people saw it as a showdown between the Implant Faction and the Wilderness Sect.
In truth, every individual is different. Even if one side were to lose today’s match, one couldn’t simply conclude that their entire faction was weaker.
However, if the Implant Faction won, various corporations would undoubtedly publicize the match extensively, deeply embedding their philosophy into the public consciousness. Once that kind of ideological implant took root and ford a stereotype, it would be incredibly difficult to change.
At 6:55, the arena doors slowly swung shut, and all the lights inside blazed to life.
"Here they co!"
A wave of anticipation swept through the crowd, and all eyes turned in unison toward the fighting stage.
Chen Chuan looked down as well, just in ti to see a lean man walk in from the right. He had thick, bushy eyebrows, and his hair and beard looked unkempt. His fingernails and toenails were thick and yellowed, curving into sharp hooks. His face was sared with greasepaint, and he radiated a savage, untad aura.
His muscles were lean and defined, taut yet flexible. He carried no weapons, wearing only a homade, form-fitting wetsuit.
At that mont, the Implant Fighter erged from the opposite tunnel. Compared to his opponent, he was utterly unremarkable, with a plain face and no morable features. The surprising thing was the complete absence of any discernible traces of Implants on his body.
Chen Chuan couldn’t help but take a second look. The man’s appearance was no different from an ordinary person’s, and his movents were steady and fluid. Without the prior introduction, it would be impossible to imagine that this was a Fighter whose body had been almost entirely replaced with Implants.
’So this is what a compatibility rating of over ninety percent looks like.’
As the two n took their places, water began to pour into the aquarium, gradually rising until it subrged them completely.
This duel was rely a martial exchange for which the two Fighters were borrowing the venue. The Rhino Horn was simply providing the space. Out of respect for the two combatants, there was no official comntator, nor were their nas revealed.
The discussions on the Realm Token, of course, were another matter entirely.
Outside the arena, the other passengers on the cruise ship were staring at their Realm Tokens with a mixture of novelty and tension. The discussion forums had been buzzing from the very start.
Soone posted a question: Won’t those two drown fighting in there?
An answer appeared almost imdiately: so advanced Fighters can breathe underwater. Besides, if the fight isn’t too long, holding their breath wouldn’t be difficult for them at all.
Below that, soone else began to explain in detail just how Fighters could accomplish this. The explanation was so thorough and used such professional terminology that it imdiately drew a wave of awe and praise.
In contrast to the boisterous spectators outside, the Fighters inside the arena were relatively calm. So wore serious expressions, only occasionally using their Realm Tokens to communicate.
While Third Limit Fighters from the Wilderness Sect and the Implant Faction had sparred before, they had never competed so openly in the public eye. Today’s duel could influence the future of combat, and it might also have a personal impact on each of them. They had no choice but to pay close attention.
By now, the aquarium was completely full. Suddenly, an opening appeared at the bottom of the tank, the water pressure creating a visible vortex. The hole would close after a mont, only to reopen in another spot. Sotis two would open, sotis three.
A ssage from the organizers imdiately appeared in the comnt section, explaining to the audience that this was done to add an elent of unpredictability and difficulty to the fight, as agreed upon by both Fighters.
Chen Chuan couldn’t help but watch more closely. Though it seed like a minor change, when two opponents of equal skill were fighting, the slightest external variable could be the weight that tipped the scales of victory.
He then shifted his gaze back to the two n, ntally assessing their combat strength.
He had crossed blows with Third Limit Fighters a few tis before, but he himself had never truly reached that realm. ’How exactly do two Third Limit Fighters battle each other? I need to watch this carefully.’
Just then, the sound of a drum reverberated through the entire arena. He instantly realized that the duel... had begun.
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