The Beauty CEO's Personal Expert
Chapter 409 - 405: Arriving at the Venue

Chapter 409: Chapter 405: Arriving at the Venue

The next day.

Under the ’gentle’ touch of Xia Yue’s fingers, Ling Chen, who was suffering from last night’s hangover, finally came to his senses.

Looking out the window at the calm sea, Ling Chen felt puzzled. It had been one night; why hadn’t the passenger ship docked yet?

After freshening up, a waiter delivered a sumptuous breakfast directly to his room. It must be admitted that the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion indeed had substantial financial resources, as everyone on the ship was enjoying five-star treatment.

After breakfast, there was a gentle knock on the door of the suite. Wei Jiahao got up to open it and saw Zhong Yang outside, asking, "Does Mr. Zhong need something?"

Zhong Yang said with a smile, "We have arrived at our destination."

Ling Chen asked with a puzzled face, "Aren’t we still at sea?"

"Mr. Ling, you’ll know in a moment."

Then, everyone packed up their luggage and followed Zhong Yang to the deck of the passenger ship. As far as the eye could see, there were only the azure-blue waters and the rolling waves, not even a single island or boat in sight.

Ling Chen stood among the Eight Eccentric Fighters, looking around, and saw people continuously arriving on the deck. There were about twenty people in total, all invited guests for the Heavenly Mechanism Great Ceremony, mostly men, with women accounting for less than a third. Their ages were around thirty to forty years old, and each person carried with them a weapon, either a knife or a sword, all wrapped in cloth.

Waited for about five minutes, someone in the crowd suddenly exclaimed, "There’s a ship coming."

Ling Chen looked up and saw a pure white luxury liner approaching from the southeast. Seeing that luxury liner, Ling Chen was slightly amazed and immediately understood, asking Zhong Yang in astonishment, "Is that the venue for the Heavenly Mechanism Great Ceremony?"

Zhong Yang merely smiled and said nothing, apparently agreeing with his guess.

Tsk tsk!

Such extravagance! To actually hold the Heavenly Mechanism Great Ceremony on that luxury liner—how much money would that cost?

As the luxury liner drew near, Zhong Yang immediately arranged for staff to lower the motorboat to transfer the guests from the passenger ship to the luxury liner.

Once aboard, Ling Chen followed Qiu Yong and others, led by the attendants, straight to their rooms. Along the way, Ling Chen, driven by curiosity, constantly scanned the surroundings, observing the environment on the luxury liner.

Before them, many guests had already boarded, gathering in groups of three to five on the deck, engaged in animated discussions, and pointing at the passing guests, sizing them up.

Especially when the Eight Eccentric Fighters appeared, almost everyone’s eyes were drawn to Qiu Yong and the others.

The Eight Eccentric Fighters had a resonant reputation in the Martial Arts community because everyone knew that even if the Eight Eccentric Fighters were not on the Heaven and Earth Dragon and Tiger List, they each had their own remarkable abilities, no less skilled than those ranked masters. Moreover, the Eight Eccentric Fighters shared common hostility against enemies and moved forward and back as one. Provoking any one of them would incur the collective retaliation of all eight.

Therefore, in the Martial Arts community, there were very few who dared to provoke the Eight Eccentric Fighters, unless they possessed great strength or a powerful background.

Entering the third tier of the luxury liner, Ling Chen was immediately captivated by the interior decoration. The vessel was designed with an antique style in mind, resembling an old-timey inn. Although doors and windows were made of steel structures, they were coated with wood-colored wall paint, supplemented with other ancient decors, making one feel as though they’ve stepped into an ancient city, marvelously beautiful and brimming with an antique charm.

To protect the privacy of the guests, each room was a separate unit. Everyone was provided with their own private room. Considering the identities of the eight oddities, their rooms were arranged together, adjacent to one another.

Upon entering the room, although mentally prepared, Ling Chen was still fiercely astonished by the opulence of his quarters.

A living room, bedroom, plus a separate bathroom and washroom were included. Aside from the antique decor, all facilities were fully equipped. Ling Chen noticed that even an ordinary-looking chair in the living room was no simple object; it was crafted from expensive rosewood, as were the other tables and chairs.

Indeed, this was the luxury of the wealthy.

Ling Chen couldn’t help but sigh internally; the cost of the luxury liner, coupled with its interior decor, was probably unimaginable.

Just as he was thinking, a ’knock, knock, knock’ came from the door outside his room.

Ling Chen got up to open the door and was immediately taken aback by the middle-aged man standing at the entrance. He exclaimed with surprise, "Mr. Ye?"

Ye Liangyong smiled slightly: "Ling Chen, long time no see."

"Mr. Ye, please come in." Ling Chen joyfully welcomed Ye Liangyong into the room, asking, "Mr. Ye, how did you know I was here?"

"You are a Tiger List expert, so you must have been invited. I just checked the guest registration list and found your room number, so I came to see you." With that, Ye Liangyong patted Ling Chen’s shoulder, laughing, "My boy, you’re doing quite well for yourself, becoming one of the eight oddities. It is truly unexpected."

Ling Chen laughed it off and casually mentioned, "Ah! Mr. Ye, did Mr. He not accept the invitation this time?"

"Master will not be attending this kind of gathering. Only experts from the Tiger List and Dragon List are invited to the Heavenly Mechanism Great Ceremony. The experts on the Earthly List wouldn’t limit their vision to a measly Heavenly Mechanism Great Ceremony—that would be beneath them. Besides, Earthly List experts have gatherings exclusive to them." Ye Liangyong paused momentarily, then continued, "Ling Chen, as a representative of the younger generation, what are your thoughts?"

"My thoughts?" Ling Chen asked in confusion, "What thoughts?"

Ye Liangyong looked surprised: "Don’t you know the rules of the Heavenly Mechanism Great Ceremony?"

Ling Chen shrugged; he truly was unaware. Qiu Yong hadn’t mentioned anything, and his purpose for attending the Heavenly Mechanism Great Ceremony was straightforward—to keep the appointment with Yi Shuiyan and settle their scores.

"You really are rash, coming here without knowledge of anything." Ye Liangyong shook his head helplessly and explained: "Well, let me tell you, the nature of the Heavenly Mechanism Great Ceremony is similar to a martial arts competition—victors are kings, and winners receive numerous substantial rewards. However, the competitors are divided by age groups. Like you, you belong to the finest of the young generation. If you compete, your opponents will be people of your age group, but..."

"But what?"

"From what I know, there are several experts among the young competitors this time. Ling Chen, have you ever heard of the Newcomer List?"

"No."

"Before each Heavenly Mechanism Great Ceremony, the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion will compile a Newcomer List. Only those young experts with excellent talent and tremendous potential can make the list, and this time is no exception. Furthermore, considering the abundance of rising stars on this Newcomer List, the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion has specially increased the rewards. If you can stand out and claim one of the top three spots, not only will you have a chance to receive dan medicines and Martial Arts Heart Methods gifted by the Pavilion, but you will also meet the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion Master and join the Pavilion. Usually, only experts on the Earthly List have the privilege of meeting the Pavilion Master; this time, the Pavilion is setting a precedent. It’s very rare, so you might want to seize the opportunity."