Dai Yun'er
The sky was a clear, cloudless expanse of azure stretching from one end of the sea to the other, as if the entire dome had been washed clean.
Below lies the deep blue sea, its surface shimmering with glittering, fragmented gold light under the sun. Occasionally, a school of flying fish leaps from the waves, only to plunge back into the water and disappear in an instant.
The enormous cruise ship resembled a mobile steel fortress, its sturdy bow cleaving through the thick sea surface, sending up white, snow-like waves on either side.
Five days have passed since they left the port of Skysea City. For the past five days, all they have seen is the sea, not even a sliver of land in sight. What awaits them now is a long voyage that will last for more than two months.
Fortunately, this giant ocean liner is extremely well-equipped, with all sorts of places for spiritual practice and entertainment, so it doesn't feel boring or unbearable.
Tonight, a formal banquet is being prepared on the cruise ship, as an opportunity for the exchange groups from the Douluo Continent and Star Luo Continent to get to know each other.
As evening approached, before it was completely dark, the cruise ship's staff quickly and efficiently completed the setup of the banquet hall.
Then, people from both countries began to enter the venue one after another. The men changed into sharp formal suits, while the women wore elegant evening gowns of various colors, and the originally empty hall gradually became lively.
The banquet was simple, with no lengthy speeches or special ceremonies; it was simply a venue for people from both countries to interact freely.
Huo Yuhao, Gu Yue, Tang Wulin, and Xu Xiaoyan sat at an inconspicuous round table in the corner of the banquet hall.
They deliberately chose this secluded and quiet spot, chatting casually while observing the lively scene of people clinking glasses around them.
The military and political leaders from both countries gathered in small groups, holding wine glasses and wearing polite smiles. They clinked glasses and chatted, appearing harmonious, as if they were old friends reuniting after many years.
But Huo Yuhao's Divine Power was incredibly sharp; he clearly sensed countless probing glances and impeccable diplomatic language behind those smiles.
He knew that these people were all smiles and laughter on the surface, but in reality they were just being polite and probing each other's intentions.
Hypocrisy in the adult world may have long become a skill that these politicians must master, as natural as breathing.
The teenagers from both countries' exchange groups sat separately at several tables on the other side of the hall, seemingly none of them intending to cross over and interact with the group.
"Whoosh!"
A figure moved like a gust of wind through the small groups of people chatting in the banquet hall, and finally sat down steadily in the empty chair next to Tang Wulin. It was Xie Xie.
His face was filled with barely concealed excitement; he had just gone to gather information.
After sitting down, Xie Xie immediately leaned forward, lowered his voice, and said mysteriously to the group, "I just followed my teacher around and have pretty much got a general idea of the situation of both delegations."
"The people from our Federation this time are no ordinary individuals. Look over there."
Everyone looked in the direction Xie Xie slightly raised his chin, and saw several important figures sitting around the most conspicuous 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 they were old friends, "You should all know the middle-aged man in the middle wearing a dark blue suit and a silver-gray tie, he Pan Wen, the current Secretary- Federation."
"The one on the right in military uniform is Lieutenant General Kou Kui of the Federation Army, from the Central Legion. I heard that his unit is in charge of security for this inspection team."
"The woman on the left is even more remarkable; she's Tang Liyue, the fifteenth War God of the War God Temple..."
Xie Xie introduced the important figures from both countries one by one. As a disciple of the head of the Tang Sect 'Agility Hall, intelligence gathering was a skill he needed to learn.
After introducing the political and military bigwigs, Xie Xie turned his attention to the younger generation in the exchange group.
He first turned his head and pointed to a table to their left, where several boys and girls of similar age were sitting.
"In the past, for a delegation of this level of exchange between the two countries, the representative from the Federation's academy would naturally be Shrek."
At this point, Xie Xie's voice suddenly stopped, and the excitement that had been on his face vanished instantly.
Upon hearing the mention of the now-defunct Shrek Academy, the group's spirits immediately dampened, as they had all once been students of the Shrek Academy.
However, half a year was enough time for them to learn to sort out their feelings. 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 Imperial Soul Master Academy."
"The young man sitting over there is called Long Chen. He was also on the Youth Genius Ranking. It is said that his martial soul is the Radiant Sacred Dragon, and his strength is quite remarkable."
"The other two are Xue Liushuang Weng Daimin, both outstanding students of this year's class at the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Master Academy."
After introducing his own group, Xie Xie turned his gaze to an area further away in the banquet hall. "That's the Monster Academy group from the Star Luo Delegation over there."
Before setting off, they had all done some research on the Star Luo Continent, so they naturally knew the name of this Monster Academy.
From its inception, this academy has been modeled after the Shrek Academy, with the same principle of "only accepting monsters, not ordinary people." All students who can enter Monster Academy are top geniuses selected from among the younger generation of the Star Luo Continent.
Xie Xie was getting into the swing of things when he lowered his voice and began to comment on the clothing, demeanor, and overall presence of the students from the Monster Academy one by one.
However, he suddenly stopped after saying only a few words.
Suddenly, a girl stood up at the table in the distance.
Her movements were unhurried, her skirt swaying gently behind her, her gaze passing through the small groups of people chatting in the banquet hall, and looking straight at their corner.
The girl looked to be about their age, with long, golden hair as bright as sunlight flowing smoothly over her shoulders, a few strands falling beside her ears, making her delicate and bright face appear even whiter and more like porcelain.
What is most striking are her deep blue eyes, as clear and bright as the purest sapphires, with an innate nobility and confidence that shines through, clearly indicating an extraordinary background.
Xie Xie's eyes widened, his mouth slightly open, but the rest of his comment got stuck in his throat.
Watching the Golden-Haired Girl walk towards them step by step, Xie Xie muttered to himself, "She... she seems to be coming this way. Is she coming for me?"
However, the girl stopped steadily in front of Huo Yuhao. Her azure eyes swept over Xie Xie, Tang Wulin, Xu Xiaoyan, and Gu Yue, finally settling firmly on Huo Yuhao's face.
The girl's lips curled up slightly, revealing a bright and radiant smile.
She gently clasped her hands in front of her, gave a slight bow in a standard noble greeting, and said in a clear and melodious voice, as pleasant as a silver bell. "Hello, I am Dai Yun'er from the Star Luo Empire."
Seeing Dai Yun'er take the initiative to introduce herself, Tang Wulin and Xu Xiaoyan didn't think much of it, assuming that she was just a young genius from the Star Luo Empire coming over to say hello out of courtesy.
Xie Xie, flattered, straightened his back and put on what he considered his most handsome smile.
However, Huo Yuhao narrowed his eyes slightly; the other party's surname alone was enough to make him "wary".
In the Star Luo Empire, the surname Dai is the royal family's surname.
Leng Yaozhu had warned him before he left that the Star Luo Imperial Family would approach him on their own initiative, but they arrived so quickly?
Dai Yun'er looked at Huo Yuhao, her deep blue eyes filled with undisguised curiosity and scrutiny.
The same bright and confident smile remained on her lips as she asked, as if she had done her homework, "You must be Huo Yuhao, the number one Chuanling on the Federation Youth Genius Ranking?"