Ruan Jin's female companion covered her mouth and chuckled. "They must be. Why else would they be allowed up here?"

"It's my fault," Ruan Jin said with an air of regret. "As the Head of the Ruan Family, I failed to discipline Ruan Lan properly, allowing her to become so promiscuous. It's my—"

SLAP!

Before Ruan Jin could finish, Hu Yanjie struck him across the face. "Apologize to Ruan Lan!" he roared.

Hu Yanjie was furious. It was one thing for Ruan Jin to lie and cheat him out of his money, but how could a man use such venomous words against a woman? And his own relative, at that!

"You motherf—"

Ruan Jin flew into a rage, grabbing a stool to smash over Hu Yanjie's head. But before he could, the security guards sprang into action. All eight of them swarmed him, pinning him to the deck.

Ruan Jin was losing his mind. "I'm a VIP! Are you all blind? How dare you restrain me! I'm filing a complaint!"

However, the head of security, who had rushed to the scene, completely ignored Ruan Jin. He looked at Xu Lai respectfully and asked, "Sir, how would you like to handle this?"

This security captain wanted nothing more than to kick Ruan Jin to death. What kind of moron was this, daring to offend a guest of Eighth Master and Su Daiyi?

Xu Lai remained silent.

Ruan Lan said lazily, "They mentioned they wanted to jump from here."

"Understood." The security captain gestured with his hand. "Throw him overboard!"

"I have a VIP card! You can't do this!" Ruan Jin was completely panicked. It was November; the seawater was cold enough to freeze a man to death.

The security guards hesitated for a moment.

Seeing this, Ruan Jin let out a breath of relief, his eyes filled with venom. "You bitch, you're courting death!"

"You're the one courting death!" the captain said coldly before turning back to his men. "Do my words no longer carry weight? I will take full responsibility for whatever happens!"

That was all they needed to hear.

The guards no longer hesitated. They dragged Ruan Jin to the railing and hurled him from the third deck of the cruise ship. His screams were exceptionally clear as night began to fall.

The security captain then turned to Ruan Jin's female companion. Her legs were trembling with fear. "No, I don't want to... AHHH!!!"

Another splash echoed through the night.

The deck fell silent.

"Much better," Ruan Lan said, a smile playing on her lips.

Li Li hesitated. "He's still a member of the Ruan Family, after all. Should we throw him a lifebuoy? We're still several kilometers from the shore, and that water must be freezing."

"Ah!" Ruan Lan smacked her forehead. "I completely forgot about that. Brother-in-law, can you summon a couple of sharks? If he has sharks chasing him, Ruan Jin won't feel the cold while he swims."

"Wow, Ruan Lan, you're a devil!" Yu Xiaoxiao exclaimed.

Xu Lai couldn't help but sigh. Indeed, you could offend anyone in the world, but you should never offend a woman.

But he still decided to grant his sister-in-law's request.

He snapped his fingers, and two tiger sharks appeared in the nearby water. A moment later, the hysterical screams of Ruan Jin and his companion pierced the air.

"Sharks! Help! Help us!!!"

At first, the onlookers thought it was a joke, but then they actually saw two shark fins slicing through the water's surface.

Their gazes toward Ruan Lan were now tinged with fear. It's like her words have some kind of power... She's not someone to be trifled with. Definitely not.

"It's time. Have fun, and call me if you run into any danger," Xu Lai said with a smile before heading toward the fourth deck of the cruise ship.

Ruan Lan didn't ask where he was going. Instead, she pulled out her phone and started recording a video. Seeing Ruan Jin's pathetic figure being chased by sharks, she said gleefully, "These sharks are so cute."

Everyone: "..."

***

Sea Temple Island had been cleared.

As Xu Lai arrived on the deck, the twelve martial artists participating in the Sea Crossing had all finished their preparations.

Xu Lai's gaze swept over them.

Besides himself, the eleven other martial artists all stood with their backs straight, their eyes shining with vigor. They were all on the older side; only Xu Huang was slightly younger, though even he was over fifty.

"Mr. Xu, you must be careful. They are all Martial Arts Grandmasters, and they will not show any mercy," Old Jiang Ba said anxiously. He wasn't just worried about whether Xu Lai could successfully complete the Sea Crossing; he was terrified for Xu Lai's life.

Old Jiang Ba knew Xu Lai was strong, but facing eleven other Grandmasters, who could guarantee they would emerge unscathed?

Xu Lai didn't respond. His gaze was fixed on Xu Huang, who stood arrogantly before the Wan Family Head.

This man... he has the faint aura of a Sea Demon about him.

As if sensing the gaze, Xu Huang turned, his eyes locking onto Xu Lai with an icy stare. A cruel smile spread across his lips.

Xu Lai returned a smile of his own.

"His name is Xu Huang, a peak Seventh Grade Grandmaster. He's known for a signature skill called the Xuantian Finger," Su Daiyi whispered, sharing the intelligence she had gathered. "In the last Sea Temple Festival, he killed four people."

"I have more than just the Xuantian Finger. I have other trump cards, too. I just wonder who will be able to force my hand," Xu Huang said with a broad smile. "I hear your name is Xu Lai. To dare wade into these troubled waters, you must be a Martial Ancestor as well. Why, then, is your name not on the Sky Ranking?"

"The Sky Ranking cannot bear my name," Xu Lai replied calmly, his hands clasped behind his back.

This was the primary reason he had left a sword for Hua Country next to the Sky Ranking.

"Ridiculous."

All eleven Martial Ancestors frowned simultaneously, their gazes turning frigid. They had never heard of a Martial Arts Grandmaster named Xu Lai. The martial artist hired by the Su and Jiang Families was likely a mere peak Sixth Grade.

It was one thing that his Boundary was the lowest, but to speak with such arrogance... he was simply courting death!

The Sky Ranking.

For all martial artists, it was a sacred monument that could not be sullied.

Those who disrespected it—died!

"I'll be taking your head," Xu Huang declared, pointing a finger at Xu Lai from across the deck before leaping into the air.

"Let the Sea Crossing begin!" Wan Yuanshan bellowed.

BOOM!

BOOM!

BOOM!

At his command, a wave of intense drumming erupted from the fifth deck. The sound was like the charge of a thousand-strong army, reaching every corner of the cruise ship. A tense, grim atmosphere spread throughout the vessel.

Guests on the first three decks heard the noise and rushed to the railings, their eyes widening as they saw shadows leaping from the deck above.

Over a dozen figures hovered three meters in the air before slowly descending onto the surface of the sea, their footing as stable as if they were on solid ground.

Everyone was stunned.

"Holy shit!" a man in the crowd yelled, breaking the momentary silence.

"Newton's coffin lid can't hold him anymore..." a science student stammered.

"Are these immortals?"

"Is this real? How can they fly? How are they not falling?"

A buzz of discussion erupted, filled with a mixture of disbelief, belief, and pure shock.

At first, when the Wan Family was selling tickets, most people hadn't taken the main event seriously. They just wanted to attend a party hosted by one of the East Sea's wealthiest families. They never expected to witness such a breathtaking scene.

Ruan Lan was dumbfounded. She pinched Li Li's cheek hard. "Does that hurt?"

"...It hurts like hell!" Li Li cried, tears welling in her eyes.

"So, it wasn't a dream," Ruan Lan mumbled in a daze.

"BEGIN!!!"

Wan Yuanshan roared again. The great drums thundered like rolling clouds, striking seven hundred and seventy-seven times before falling silent.

The decennial Sea Crossing... had officially begun

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