Book 3, Chapter 40: Board The Ship

After Tan Zhi motioned at the ship, Chen Chuan sized it up. It appeared to be nearly three hundred meters long. It had twelve decks and was painted a light blue color.

The lights inside the ship and the special effects lights outside shone on the dark surface of the ocean, creating a dream-like atmosphere.

The bow of the cruise ship was pretty thick, while the tip was curled backward, as if there was a curved horn growing on the bow. Perhaps that was how the cruise ship got its name.

“Rhinoceros’ Horn can accommodate three thousand passengers and has more than one thousand five hundred service crew members. This time, it’s going to be anchored at Oceanway District’s port for three days. We’ll have a whole day of fun up there. I heard that there’s going to be a few exhibition matches today, and some of the participants are Martial Valor University students in name, but you know what that really means.”

Tan Zhi shrugged at that.

Chen Chuan couldn’t help but remember what Wu Ruo had told him. The university’s external students had to participate in various tournaments and exhibition matches. Such matches were really popular among the citizens. However, it had only been a short while since Chen Chuan arrived at Central City, so he hadn’t seen them himself.

“After we get on, let’s explore the place first. There’s going to be an event tomorrow that I’m sure you’ll be interested in. Rumors have it that it’s going to be a high-caliber fight between Third Limit martial artists.”

“Third Limit martial artists in an exhibition match?” Chen Chuan was quite surprised. Most Third Limit martial artists had a certain degree of status and seldom fought in exhibition matches.

“Not all Third Limit martial artists want to work for companies and the government.”

The tone Tan Zhi subconsciously adopted made it sound like he scoffed at the companies and government. “Do you know about the wilderness faction? They’re a martial arts faction that stays far away from civilization.

“They believe that martial artists can only obtain true strength by casting aside all advantages brought by civilization and throwing themselves into the wilderness. They train by fighting against wild beasts, other people, and the power of nature.

“These people aren’t averse to the idea of communicating with the world around them, though. They often invite martial artists to train and fight them in the wilderness. They also don’t say no to others inviting them to fight outside the wilderness.

“One of the wilderness faction members will be participating in the exhibition match this time.

“The other side is a martial artist sent forward by Azure Dragon. Apparently, his synchronization rate with his implant is more than 90%. In other words, he has tamed it.”

“Tamed?”

“It’s just a phrase. It simply means that he’s really compatible with his implant. Those who have a low synchronization rate often have to take anti-mutation medicine and can only draw out a few effects.

“But as more people get the implants, there’s bound to be a few who are perfectly compatible with them. The companies need such people to prove to the market that their products are good, which is why they’re willing to promote fights like this.

“Still, the wilderness faction insists on never stepping foot on Central City soil, so they chose to fight on the cruise ship. This is a contest between the civilized and the primal, so it’s going to be worth watching.”

It’s true that matches between Third Limit martial artists are rare to come by,

Chen Chuan thought.

“You said it’s tomorrow?” he asked for confirmation.

“Yes. If nothing goes wrong, it’ll be tomorrow. The exact time is kept secret. In any case, we just need to wait. I heard that some of Central City’s upper-class members will also show up for the match.”

“Will they even understand it?” Chen Chuan asked.

Forget even seeing their techniques, when it came to fights between Third Limit martial artists, the average person wouldn’t even be able to see their movements clearly. At most, they would just be there for the excitement.

“Apparently, the two martial artists will be fighting in an aquarium. The water resistance will slow them down. Besides, we’re close to Central City, so our Realm Passes are still functioning. They’ll filter out the waves and air bubbles created during the fight.

“By the way, we might also receive domain superfrequency adjustment. It’ll allow our brains to receive more information for a short period of time. While we might get nauseous and dizzy afterward, medicine will overcome those symptoms.”

They drew closer to the port while talking. Chen Chuan looked over to the ocean and saw quite a number of ships anchored at the port. However, when he saw a certain cruise ship, his eyes stopped on it for a moment.

He had seen it before on the Resolution Department’s platform. It was True Treasure, the Gong family’s cruise ship.

It was still here?

He immediately checked the Resolution Department’s platform and found that the Gong family was still negotiating with Eternal Shore, so they hadn’t left.

Based on the information he had received before, the Gong family wasn’t supposed to come to Central City. They only came because they needed to bring the passengers who jumped into the ocean. However, since the cruise ship was still around after such a long time, it was safe to assume that their original plans had been canceled.

The convertible arrived at a parking lot full of luxurious cars. Once Tan Zhi parked, he brought Chen Chuan to the dock. A number of speedboats were anchored there. Rhinoceros’ Horn had sent them to pick up its passengers.

Once they got on a speedboat, its engine roared to life, and it left behind a curved white line on the surface of the ocean. As water splashed into the air, the speedboat charged to the cruise ship.

They weren’t alone. Other speedboats set off from the dock from time to time, and they were all headed to the cruise ship.

As they got closer, the giant cruise ship practically filled up Chen Chuan’s vision. Simple lift platforms hung down to bring them up.

Soon, Chen Chuan and Tan Zhi arrived at an open platform on the side of the ship, where armed security guards and crew members stood on either side. Tan Zhi took out an invitation card and connected to the cruise ship’s contact interface through his Realm Pass.

A crew member then verified his identity. The moment he was sure nothing was wrong, a security guard removed the barrier rope, and the crew members bowed respectfully as they invited Chen Chuan and Tan Zhi inside.

The two of them walked into the cruise ship through the corridor behind the checkpoint. After walking up a flight of stairs, they arrived on a spacious deck. As Chen Chuan stood there, he felt the ocean breeze against his skin. From here, he could see the vast ocean and most of the port behind him. Above him was a night sky covered in stars, while bright light surrounded him.

Tan Zhi turned to him. “How is it? Not bad, right? I’ve reserved a guest room. Let’s put our things down and have some food. Then, we can watch some shows.”

“Sure.”

With a crew member leading the way, Chen Chuan and Tan Zhi passed through a deck passage and entered a long, narrow cabin corridor. Then, they found their rooms—Room 1453 and Room 1454.

Chen Chuan’s room was Room 1453. It was a rectangular cabin of about twenty square meters with a balcony that overlooked the ocean and Central City.

Chen Chuan set his luggage bag in the closet near the door and pulled the sliding door shut before going into the bathroom across from the closet to wash his face. Then, he left the cabin.

As for Lightning Shock and the Frost King Saber, he carried them with him. He would never be apart from these two weapons.

After a while, Tan Zhi came out as well. He had changed into a fitting suit and had a ceremonial sword strapped to his waist. Once he shut the door, he beckoned at Chen Chuan. “Come on. Let’s go eat.”

They left the passenger cabin area and went to the deck. Soon, they found the food and beverages section. It was a long counter situated under a canopy. Fast-paced music with strong beats wafted into their ears, and Chen Chuan could smell the aroma of alcohol and desserts. Around them was a sea of people, giving the place a lively air. As he walked around the place, the raucous atmosphere made his footsteps faster and lighter.

They were not going to eat at the food and beverages section, though. Instead, they went to the cruise ship’s restaurant. Two attendants opened the door for them, and an attendant came forward and asked them if they had any requests before bringing them past a few crystal candle stands to a four-person table.

Tan Zhi seemed to be contacting someone. After a while, he said, “Nice. They’ve boarded the cruise ship too. Let’s order our food first. They’ll be here soon.”

Once they sat down, the menu appeared on their Realm Passes, and they set up their orders.

First were the appetizers. Tan Zhi ordered Moy-style onion soup, Marchishe grated cheese, lemon scallops, raw salmon slices, and a glass of honey milk.

Chen Chuan checked the menu and ordered spring rolls, sautéed shelled shrimp, mushroom soup with shredded chicken, crispy tofu, and a glass of sweetened purple sweet potato.

Two people in Martial Valor University’s uniforms walked over to them. The young man and woman both carried rapiers. Based on their looks, they appeared to be siblings. The woman seemed to be more mature, while the man looked like he was around two years younger than his sister and had a livelier appearance.

Tan Zhi laughed when he saw Chen Chuan’s face. “Do you think they’re siblings? You’re wrong. They’re just good friends who have no romantic feelings for each other, but they often train together because they get along so well.

“Their families, who find each other an eyesore, thought that they’re dating, though. In order to prove that they weren’t, they changed their faces behind their families’ backs to look like siblings. This annoyed their families even more, since they don’t know the truth. We almost died laughing when we first saw them.”

When Chen Chuan saw them walk over, he stood up with Tan Zhi. The young man offered a hand to Chen Chuan. “Hello, Chen Chuan. I heard about you from Tan Zhi. I’m Pan Xiaode, and she’s Qi Huixin. Let me be clear, we’re not siblings.”

“Tan Zhi already told me, but after you confirmed what he said, I’ve grown to trust him even more,” Chen Chuan joked.

Pan Xiaode laughed at that. After exchanging greetings, they sat down. Pan Xiaode and Qi Huixin began ordering their food.

Qi Huixin didn’t seem to like talking much, like a true introvert. Pan Xiaode was the one talking through the entire meal. He seemed like a truly lively person. It made Chen Chuan wonder how they managed to become best friends when their personalities were so different from each other.

Just then, Pan Xiaode turned to Chen Chuan and said eagerly, “I heard that you’re not a recommended student, but got your slot to come here entirely through your own efforts. Want to spar after our meal?”