The Beauty CEO's Personal Expert
Chapter 432 - 428: Rookie Preliminary Contest

Chapter 432: Chapter 428: Rookie Preliminary Contest

At this moment, a massive cargo ship sails over the ocean surface, with over a dozen suit-clad, armed guards patrolling the deck. On the spacious deck, there are also three helicopters, with several men busy maintaining and adjusting them.

In the cargo hold beneath the ship, more than twenty staff members sit in front of computers, rapidly typing away on their keyboards, surrounded by precision equipment blinking in red and green lights.

"Target One in position!"

"Target Two in position!"

"Target Three in position!"

"..."

Following the announcement from the staff, a young man in a suit briskly approaches a refined and scholarly-looking middle-aged man, reporting, "Mr. Yun, all preparations are complete."

Mr. Yun turns around and directly walks over to the large screen hanging on the wall, nodding at the young man, "Begin."

"Yes."

Soon after, a real-time image appears on the large screen. In the azure sea, an underwater machine equipped with a camera slowly moves forward.

Dozens of seconds later, the underside of a giant ship comes clearly into view on the screen.

As the machine approaches the bottom, two mechanical arms slowly extend out under the remote control of the staff.

"Mr. Yun, all six packages have been installed."

"Good, have them retrieve the machine, don’t let the other side detect it."

"Understood." As soon as he says this, the young man asks, "Mr. Yun, when do we start the operation?"

"There’s no rush; my people have not yet arrived. Let’s wait a bit longer."

...

After lunch, Ling Chen takes a short rest and then follows Qiu Yong and others to the conference venue to participate in the afternoon’s newcomer competition.

Sitting in the seating area, Ling Chen immediately feels a soft gaze upon him. Looking up, he sees Zhu Xiaozhu on the opposite stand watching him. He smiles and gives a light nod.

At this moment, Shi Su, who is beside Zhu Xiaozhu, seems to notice their interaction, her eyes coldly fix on Ling Chen, as if a layer of frost has formed on her face.

Ling Chen touches his nose and turns his head away, no longer looking at the woman.

Although Shi Su is Zhu Xiaozhu’s master, Ling Chen has no fondness for her.

At two o’clock in the afternoon, the attendees for the venue are all present, and the host Zhou Qi, as usual, mounts the stage, giving a fist salute to all the seated guests.

"Everyone, this morning’s competition for spots was just an appetizer; the main event is this afternoon. You are all already aware of the prize for this newcomer competition, so I won’t repeat it and will just announce the rules. This year’s newcomer competition is divided into two rounds. The first round is for the bottom five of the Newcomer List, plus Ling Chen who won his spot this morning, making a total of six people. The winner among these six will compete with the top five of the Newcomer List for the top three spots."

Hearing this rather unfair rule, the crowd looks at one another, their faces a mix of astonishment.

"Elder Zhou, isn’t this rule somewhat unfair? Why don’t the top five newcomers participate in the competition together?" Someone in the stands questions, "Even if one of those six emerges victorious, they will surely be drained in energy and physical condition after successive battles, and it will be even more troublesome if they’re injured. How can they then compete with the top five newcomers in such a state?"

"That’s right." Another person immediately agrees, "I also feel it’s unfair; those six are at too much of a disadvantage."

Faced with the opposition and doubts of the crowd, Zhou Qi presses his hand down, signaling everyone to quiet down.

"I understand that you find the rules set by Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion unfair. However, Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion has always been fair and impartial in its actions and will not favor anyone. The Pavilion has made this decision after careful deliberation and has entirely considered the six contestants."

"Elder Zhou, what do you mean by that?"

"Since everyone wants to know, let me just tell the truth. There’s a large gap between the strength of the top five and bottom five of the Newcomer List. The newcomers ranked in the top five possess strength not inferior to Dragon List experts, as I believe everyone saw in the match between Song Ge and Liu Yunsong that day. As a Dragon List expert, Liu Yunsong was utterly defenseless against Song Ge. By contrast, the few ranked in the bottom five of the Newcomer List only possess Tiger List strength. With such a huge disparity, do you think it’s interesting to put them together?"

Seeing that everyone is stunned by his words, Zhou Qi smiles and says, "We have arranged this also with the safety of the newcomers in mind, of course, I do not rule out the possibility of a dark horse. However, if there really is a dark horse, I believe they will stand out in the competition. Apart from that, I’d like to remind you all. Each of you is a member of the Martial Arts community, survival of the fittest, it all comes down to who has the stronger fists. It’s cruel, but that’s reality. To become a strong person, how can one reach the pinnacle without going through hardships and obstacles?"

After Zhou Qi’s stirring speech, everyone falls into silence, and no one objects to the rules set by Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion anymore.

Survival of the fittest, this is the unchanging law for millennia.

If, as Zhou Qi said, the strength disparity is so great, then the six of them indeed have no qualifications to challenge the top five of the Newcomer List.

"Alright, I’ve said all that needs to be said. Since no one objects, let’s proceed with drawing lots to determine the opponents." After saying that, Zhou Qi gestures grandly, and Zhong Yang immediately runs up the stage, handing a bamboo tube with six bamboo sticks to Zhou Qi.

"Please, all newcomers come up to the stage."

Without a word, Ling Chen steps onto the stage. At the same time, the other five newcomers rise from their seats and step onto the stage one after another, gathering around Zhou Qi, sizing up those who could very well become their opponents.

To Ling Chen’s surprise, among the five newcomers, there is a young woman with a delicate face, tender and elegant, looking about twenty-one or twenty-two years old.

Seeing that all six are present, Zhou Qi speaks, "There are three sets of matching numbers on the six bamboo sticks, and those with the same numbers will be in one group. Begin."

Once the other five have drawn, Ling Chen doesn’t need to draw to know who his opponent is.

Shi Tao, a youth of similar age to himself, ordinary-looking with a hooked nose, thick eyebrows, large eyes, and very thick lips, seems like a straightforward person.

After looking at the bamboo sticks in the hands of the six, Zhou Qi points to the exquisite young woman and another youth next to her.

"Xiao Wan, Luo Yu, let’s start with you two."

The two nod their heads and immediately step down to prepare.

Ling Chen returns to his seat and finds Ye Liangyong has unknowingly taken a seat behind him.

"Mr. Ye, why have you come over?"

"I switched seats with someone else."

"Is there something you need from me?"

"I’ve just been asking around about those few people’s details, so I wanted to come over and tell you, to help you be prepared."

"Ye has been considerate." Qiu Yong smiles, "Ling Cheng, know yourself and your enemy, and you will never be in peril. No matter who your next opponent is, you must not underestimate them, learning more is always good."

"I know, Big Brother."

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