The sky was a cloudless expanse of clear blue, stretching from one end of the horizon to the other, as if the entire dome had been washed clean by water, making it incredibly transparent.
Below lay the deep blue ocean, its surface shimmering with fragments of golden light under the sun. Occasionally, a school of flying fish would leap from the waves, only to quickly dive back into the water and vanish.
The massive cruise ship was like a moving steel fortress, its sturdy bow cleaving through the heavy sea, sending up sprays of snow-white foam on both sides.
It had been exactly five days since they left the port of Tianhai City. For these five days, there was nothing but the ocean in all directions, without even a glimpse of land. What awaited them next was a long voyage lasting over two months.
Fortunately, this giant ocean-going cruise ship was extremely well-equipped, with all kinds of facilities for training and entertainment, so it didn't feel boring or unbearable.
This evening, a formal banquet was being held on the cruise ship, intended to give the members of the exchange groups from Douluo Continent and Star Luo Continent an opportunity to get to know one another.
By early evening, before the sky had fully darkened, the cruise ship staff had efficiently completed the setup of the banquet hall.
Soon after, personnel from both countries began to enter one after another. The men had changed into crisp formal wear, while the women wore elegant evening gowns of various colors, and the previously empty hall gradually became lively.
This banquet was not complicated; there were no long-winded speeches or special ceremonial segments, just a venue provided for the personnel of both countries to socialize on their own.
Huo Yuhao, Gu Yue, Tang Wulin, and Xu Xiaoyan were sitting at an inconspicuous round table in the corner of the banquet hall.
They had deliberately chosen this secluded and quiet spot, chatting idly while observing the scene of clinking glasses and social interaction around them.
Those military and political dignitaries from both countries gathered in small groups, holding wine glasses, with polite smiles on their faces. They would occasionally clink glasses or converse, looking harmonious, as if they were old friends reuniting after many years.
However, Huo Yuhao's mental force was incredibly sharp, and he clearly caught countless probing gazes and watertight diplomatic rhetoric behind those smiles.
He knew that while these people appeared to be chatting and laughing on the surface, they were actually just engaging in superficial pleasantries to probe each other's bottom line.
The hypocrisy of the adult World had perhaps long become a skill these politicians had to master, as natural and instinctive as breathing.
Meanwhile, the youths from the exchange groups of both countries were sitting separately at several tables on the other side of the hall, clearly divided, and it seemed that no one had any intention of taking the initiative to cross over and socialize.
"Whoosh!"
A figure passed through the groups of people chatting in the banquet hall like a gust of wind, and finally sat steadily in the empty chair beside Tang Wulin. It was Xie Xie.
He wore an undisguised expression of excitement on his face; he had just gone to gather intelligence.
After sitting down, Xie Xie immediately leaned forward, lowered his voice, and said mysteriously to the others: "I just followed my teacher around for a while, and I've finally managed to get a rough idea of the situation with the delegation from both sides."
"The people our Federation sent this time are no simple characters. Look over there."
Everyone looked in the direction Xie Xie gestured with his chin, only to see several heavy-hitting figures sitting at the most prominent large round table in the center of the banquet hall, whose aura was clearly different from the others.
Xie Xie lowered his voice and introduced them as if reciting a list of treasures: "You should all recognize the middle-aged man in the center wearing a dark blue formal suit and a silver-gray tie—he is Pan Wen, the current Secretary-General of the Federation."
"The one on the right wearing a military uniform is Lieutenant General Kou Kui of the Federal military, from the Central Army Corps. I heard that his troops are fully responsible for the security of this inspection team."
"The woman on the left is even more incredible; she is Tang Liyue, the fifteenth War God of the War God Hall..."
Xie Xie introduced the big shots from both countries one by one. As a Disciple of the Tang Sect Speed Hall master, gathering intelligence was a skill he had to learn.
After introducing the bigwigs in politics and the military, Xie Xie turned his attention to the area where the younger generation of the exchange groups were seated.
He first turned his head and pointed to a position one table away to their left, where several boys and girls of similar age to them were sitting.
"If it were in the past, for an inspection team of this level of exchange between two countries, the Academy representative for the Federation would naturally have been Shrek."
Speaking of this, Xie Xie's voice suddenly paused, and the excitement that had been on his face just a moment ago instantly subsided.
At the mention of the destroyed Shrek Academy, everyone's mood involuntarily dampened; after all, they had all once been Students of Shrek Academy.
However, half a year was enough time for them to learn to compose themselves. After a brief silence, Xie Xie took a deep breath and continued: "Shrek Academy is gone, so this time, the Federation's Academy representative has been replaced by the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy."
"The young man sitting over there is named Long Chen, who has also been on the Young Genius List. It is said that his Spirit is the Bright Sacred Dragon, and his strength is quite remarkable."
"The other two are named Xue Liushuang and Weng Daimin, both of whom are also outstanding talents of this year's Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy."
After introducing his own side, Xie Xie turned his gaze to the area further away in the banquet hall: "Over there are the people from the Monster Academy in the Star Luo delegation."
Before setting off, they had all more or less done some homework on the Star Luo Continent, so they naturally knew the great reputation of this Monster Academy.
Since its inception, this academy had been modeled after Shrek Academy, and its motto was also "only accepting monsters, not ordinary people." Every Student who could enter the Monster Academy was a top Genius carefully selected from the younger generation of the Star Luo Continent.
Xie Xie was just getting into the swing of things, lowering his voice to comment one by one on the attire, demeanor, and temperament of those Monster Academy Students.
However, he hadn't spoken more than a few sentences before he suddenly paused.
He saw that a young girl had suddenly stood up from the table in the distance.
Her movements were not hurried, her skirt swaying gently behind her, and her gaze passed through the groups of people chatting in the banquet hall, looking straight towards their corner.
This girl looked to be around their age, with long, golden hair as radiant as sunlight draped softly over her shoulders, and a few strands of hair hanging by her ears, making her exquisite and bright face appear even fairer, like porcelain.
Most striking were her azure eyes, as clear and bright as the purest sapphires. As her gaze shifted, it carried an innate nobility and confidence, clearly indicating an extraordinary background.
Xie Xie's eyes widened, his mouth slightly agape, and the rest of his commentary, which hadn't been spoken yet, was stuck firmly in his throat.
Watching the golden-haired girl walking towards them step by step, Xie Xie muttered in a low voice: "She... she seems to be coming our way. Could it be that she's coming for me?"
However, the girl's footsteps stopped steadily in front of Huo Yuhao. Her azure eyes swept across the faces of Xie Xie, Tang Wulin, Xu Xiaoyan, and Gu Yue one by one, finally fixing firmly on Huo Yuhao's face.
The corners of the girl's lips lifted slightly, blooming into a bright and radiant smile.
She clasped her hands lightly in front of her, bowed slightly in a standard aristocratic greeting, and her voice was as crisp and pleasant as silver bells: "Hello, I am Dai Yuner of the Star Luo Empire."
Seeing Dai Yuner take the initiative to step forward and introduce herself, Tang Wulin and Xu Xiaoyan didn't think much of it, assuming it was just a young Genius from the Star Luo Empire coming over to say hello out of courtesy.
Xie Xie, however, straightened his back, flattered, and put on what he considered to be his most handsome smile.
However, Huo Yuhao narrowed his eyes slightly; the other party's surname was enough to make him "vigilant."
In the Star Luo Empire, the surname Dai is the surname of the Imperial Family.
Leng Yaozhu had reminded him before they set off that the Star Luo Imperial Family would take the initiative to approach him. Had they really come this quickly?
Dai Yuner looked at Huo Yuhao, her azure eyes filled with undisguised curiosity and scrutiny.
The corners of her lips still held that bright and frank smile, as if she had already done her homework, and she asked: "You must be the number one on the Federation's Young Genius List, Spirit Transmitting's Huo Yuhao, right?"
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A/N:
I hope all of you are enjoying this story so far. I would appreciate some Power Stones if you can spare any. Leave a review if you like the story. Thank you.