Beat Up a Serpent First

The sea under the shroud of night was like an ancient beast opening its gaping maw, devouring all the light in the world.

Xu Xiaoyan had wanted to come to Yu Nanyuan's side, but when she saw the boundless, deep sea behind him, her face could not help turning a little pale, and she instinctively stopped in her tracks.

Yu Nanyuan knew Xu Xiaoyan had always been rather timid. The smile on his face faded, and he stepped forward to take one of Xu Xiaoyan's hands.

"Let's find somewhere to eat first."

"Mm..." Xu Xiaoyan seemed not to have recovered yet. She answered in a trembling voice, and her other hand involuntarily clutched the corner of Yu Nanyuan's clothes. It seemed only this could give her a little sense of security.

Just then, a clear voice rang out behind Yu Nanyuan and Xu Xiaoyan.

"Nanyuan! Xiaoyan!"

It was a tall, slender girl. She looked about twelve or thirteen, and her figure had already begun to develop. An elegant, luxurious purple formal dress set off her fair skin even more, making it look as smooth and delicate as congealed cream. Her long purple hair fell over her fragrant shoulders. Her lustrous eyes were also purple, though a little lighter in shade, clear as crystal. A gentle, moving smile rested on her pretty face as she walked over with elegant bearing.

Before Yu Nanyuan and Xu Xiaoyan could speak, a fragrant breeze had already swept over them.

Ouyang Zixin bent at the waist and affectionately reached out with a pair of jade-like hands to stroke Yu Nanyuan's and Xu Xiaoyan's cheeks, saying in pleasant surprise,

"I didn't expect you two to be attending tonight's banquet too."

"Sister Zixin, Grandpa and Uncle Xu specially had Xiaoyan and me come over," Yu Nanyuan answered on behalf of the naturally shy Xu Xiaoyan.

Ouyang Zixin nodded, then carefully looked Yu Nanyuan over before saying with a charming smile,

"Nanyuan, I heard everything from Grandfather. It looks like you really are all right now. That puts my mind at ease."

There were two others who boarded the Cruise Ship together with Ouyang Zixin. Walking in front was a middle-aged man of about forty. He had an imposing appearance, and even his silver Formal Wear could hardly conceal his powerful build.

Beside the middle-aged man was a girl around Ouyang Zixin's age. She was also very beautiful, with a pair of bright, vivid blue eyes. Her long golden hair was tied into a ponytail, and even the formal dress she had chosen did not have too many complicated, ornate decorations, making her look especially neat and capable.

Yu Nanyuan recognized the two of them at a glance and greeted them very politely.

"Uncle Mu, Sister Mu Xi."

The two were precisely Mu Chen, president of the Eastsea City branch of the Sun Moon Federation's Forging Masters Association, and his daughter, Mu Xi. If the future developed as it had in Yu Nanyuan's Past Life Memory, then Mu Chen, this Eight-Star Saint Craftsman, would take Tang Wulin as his disciple, and Mu Xi would naturally become Tang Wulin's senior sister.

Although he held a high position, Mu Chen acted rather amiable, smiling as he nodded to Yu Nanyuan in greeting.

In Eastsea City, far from the center of the continent, the upper classes had long since become fixed, and everyone was fairly familiar with one another. Just as Yu Nanyuan and Xu Xiaoyan were Childhood Sweethearts, Ouyang Zixin and Mu Xi were likewise close friends who could talk about anything.

With similar experiences and family backgrounds, they naturally had more to talk about with one another.

However, compared with the reserved and composed Mu Chen, Mu Xi's attitude toward Yu Nanyuan was slightly colder, or rather, more arrogant. After only giving a slight acknowledgement, she raised her head and looked back toward Ouyang Zixin.

"Zixin, that auction is about to begin. We should head over first."

Ouyang Zixin also knew Xu Xiaoyan's personality was rather timid, so she carefully reminded Yu Nanyuan, "Nanyuan, take good care of Xiaoyan. We'll head over first. See you later."

"See you later, Sister Zixin," Yu Nanyuan replied with a smile.

Although Xu Xiaoyan was relatively shy in front of people she did not know well, she had been watching Yu Nanyuan the whole time. She noticed that Yu Nanyuan's gaze seemed to linger on Ouyang Zixin and Mu Xi for an especially long time.

Once Mu Chen and the other two left, she sulked on her own again.

"Hmph!"

Suddenly, accompanied by three blasts of the ship's whistle, the Cruise Ship slowly left the dock and accelerated toward the distant sea.

Xu Xiaoyan was startled and hurriedly hugged Yu Nanyuan tightly. When she raised her head and met Yu Nanyuan's eyes, she discovered, somewhat tearfully, that after being interrupted like this, the mood she had finally managed to build up had almost completely dissipated.

But she felt she could not just let it go like that, so she pouted coquettishly.

"What are you doing?!"

"Nothing. Come on, Xiaoyan. Let's get something to eat." Yu Nanyuan laughed despite himself, took Xu Xiaoyan's hand, and walked toward the lively central area of the Cruise Ship. The Cruise Ship setting off also meant the banquet had officially begun.

The first deck had the largest space, and there were even several open-air stages in the middle. On each stage, dedicated performers acted out different plays. Much of the content of these plays had to do with those two era-defining top powerhouses: Sea God Tang San and Spirit Ice Douluo Huo Yuhao.

Some were even directly based on their personal experiences.

For example, on the first stage, the devoted actors were performing the scene in which Sea God Tang San went through countless hardships to revive his wife, Soft Bone Douluo Xiao Wu. In particular, the line "Revive! My beloved!" could be called a classic among classics.

Beside them, the actor playing Spirit Ice Douluo Huo Yuhao was also unwilling to be outdone and had begun chanting with rich emotion.

"Winter Remembrance Fist, thoughts surge like a spring!"

"Winter Yearning Sword, yearning never forgotten!"

"Hao Winter Palm, life after life!"

"Dong'er! Dong'er! Dong'er!"

Yu Nanyuan realized that choosing to come here had been a complete mistake. Forcing down the disgust in his heart, he pulled Xu Xiaoyan away at a brisk pace. Only after they rested for a while in a quiet Dessert Shop on the second deck did that double discomfort, both physical and psychological, ease considerably.

Xu Xiaoyan did not seem to have been affected much earlier and was happily tasting the delicate dessert in front of her. Every time she scooped up a small piece with her spoon and put it into her little mouth, she narrowed her eyes in enjoyment, like an obedient, lazy kitten.

At the same time, the auction in the banquet hall on the top deck officially began. Every auction item could be considered quite precious and rare. At the very least, Eastsea City had not had such a high-level auction in many years.

Even that three-thousand-year-old Winter Snow Lotus was only the third item, and as expected, Yu Zhen successfully won it for ten million Federal currency. Each item after that grew increasingly precious, and Mu Chen also won a special kind of Rare Metal.

Half an hour passed, and finally, it was time for the final auction item.

With a solemn expression, the host had someone bring a metal box onto the auction stage, then slowly opened it under everyone's gaze.

A deep blue light suddenly shone from inside the box. A strange blue bone resembling a miniature human right arm bone slowly rose into the air amid dense Soul Power Fluctuation. Its entire body was as transparent as blue crystal, and it was covered in scale-like patterns.

"Honored VIPs, this is tonight's final auction item. A Right Arm Soul Bone, taken from a Sea Serpent with Ten Thousand Year Cultivation. The Sea Serpent possesses a trace of Sea Dragon bloodline, and the Sea Dragon is a true True Dragon, a top-tier existence on the same level as the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon."

The host's introduction was very brief, because the value attached to a soul bone of this level could no longer be summed up in just a few sentences. Those who understood naturally understood, and there was no need for him to say more.

Yu Zhen remained calm, since the attributes of this soul bone were not suitable for his grandson. But Xu Xingwei, who sat beside him, could not help clenching his fists. This was precisely the goal of his trip. As for Xu Xiaoyu, he found it even harder to maintain his previous aloof image. Shock showed on his face, and his complexion flushed red.

This was a soul bone, and a top-grade Ten Thousand Year Soul Bone that could only be chanced upon and not sought!

What no one present knew, however, was that at the border between the Deep Sea Region and the Near Sea Area, a pair of enormous bright yellow eyes suddenly opened from the dark depths of the Seabed, filled with hatred and venom.