Exhibits

When Pan Xiaode voiced this suggestion, Qi Huixin, who had remained quiet until now, suddenly looked up, clearly quite intrigued by the idea. Tan Zhi said, "Let's not, alright? Isn't our daily sparring and training enough? This is supposed to be downtime, and tomorrow we have a high-level fighting match to watch. Let me save up some excitement, will you?" Pan Xiaode thought it over, scratched the back of his head, and said, "Classmate Tan makes a good point, huh. But if we have to wait until tomorrow, how should we kill time later?" Tan Zhi offered a suggestion. "There's a ballroom here, and I heard quite a few famous figures will be showing up this time. Why don't we go dance for a while later...?" Pan Xiaode and Qi Huixin traded a glance and shook their heads, clearly having little to no interest in the proposal. As for Chen Chuan, he was fine appreciating others dancing, but dancing himself? He lacked the interest as well. He'd rather spend that time going back and practicing a few rounds of Orthodox Sanshou. Seeing none of them were keen, Tan Zhi shrugged and said, "Fine, forget it then. I heard the *Rhino Horn* also invited the Sun Band to perform this time, but that won't happen until after the official departure. We won't get to see it anyway." "The Sun Band?" Pan Xiaode's eyes lit up. "I really like their songs too." Then he added with annoyance, "Not until the ship officially departs? What a shame. If only it stayed docked for a few more days." After just a few more words, however, the conversation inevitably drifted back to fighting. Chen Chuan chatted with Pan Xiaode for a bit and discovered that the young man possessed a remarkably solid theoretical foundation, with a deep understanding of how various weapons were wielded. That was no small feat; most fighters focused on a single specialty, and someone well-versed in so many was quite rare, so Chen Chuan continued the discussion with him. Qi Huixin joined in this time as well. The three of them delved deeper and deeper into their discussion. Occasionally, Pan Xiaode would even stand up to demonstrate a few moves, completely indifferent to the gazes of those around them. Tan Zhi could only look on helplessly, wearing an expression that practically screamed *I give up on you people*. Once they finished their meal, Pan Xiaode suggested heading over to the fighting arena first. Even if the main event hadn't arrived yet, watching the undercard matches wouldn't hurt. And so the four of them left the restaurant, each boarding a single-rider electric tour cart. Guided by their boundary credentials, they drove up the ramp toward the fighting arena on the ninth deck. What made the *Rhino Horn* unique was that it had an entire deck dedicated as a "fighting deck." Whenever the cruise ship docked somewhere, it would stay for two or three days and host an offshore fighting tournament. Moreover, the event's inner arena was closed to non-fighters; only fighters who had at least reached the First Limit were permitted to watch in person. When they arrived at the deck and walked straight toward the inner arena, the security personnel merely glanced at them before letting them through. Anyone trained in fighting could instantly discern your foundation from your stride and rhythm of movement. Not to mention that three of their group were wearing Wuyi uniforms, and the cadence of their walk alone marked them as seasoned fighters. Once inside, the boundary credential Chen Chuan wore dimmed momentarily before brightening again. He found himself standing inside a circular arena reminiscent of a colosseum, surrounded by densely packed rows of spectators. In reality, these were passengers aboard the cruise ship. Although unable to watch in person, they could choose to project their simulated likenesses here through boundary points. So long as these passengers stayed in their cabins, the scene inside the arena could be projected around them. In a way, this merged the people inside and outside the ring into one audience, ensuring neither side felt any lack of atmosphere while still maintaining actual physical distance. Just as the four of them arrived, a match happened to be getting underway, so they casually picked seats and sat down. Since it was only an ordinary match, the commentator briefly introduced the backgrounds and origins of both competitors. Under the glare of the lights, the two fighters entered one after another. The first to appear was a fighter from a martial arts school. He held a broad cleaver blade and wore protective leather armor. His exposed arms bore numerous scars, and his gaze was calm and restrained—a demeanor that made his wealth of combat experience immediately apparent. His opponent was entirely different. Prominent implant seamlines crisscrossed his bare upper body, and one of his hands had been modified into a ferocious, oversized pincer. As he stepped onto the stage, he ripped away the apron hanging below his abdomen, instantly drawing gasps through the boundary credentials. His lower half completely resembled a cross between a shrimp and a scorpion. His ventral tail pressed close against the ground, where three pairs of jointed legs supported his weight. From below his waist all the way to the tail, he was encased in a shrimplike carapace. Combined with the massive pincer, the man was practically a humanoid prawn. Chen Chuan observed him for a few moments, yet held little confidence in his combat capability. The man was equipped with only a single pincer. Although he relied on those shrimplike legs to stabilize his center of gravity, moving and turning at high speed would inevitably throw him off balance. Still, going by what Tan Zhi had said, these exhibition matches existed so corporations could peddle their products. Retaining one human hand was likely just to highlight the contrast between the two sides. Just then, the commentator's voice echoed through the boundary credentials again, explaining that this fighter utilized a new model of combat implant introduced by Ferris Wheel Company, exceptionally well-suited for maritime combat, with multifunctional ventral claws tailored for seafaring platforms. On the light screen before them, the fighter's modifications were listed one by one: artificial gills, prosthetic lung units, reinforced heart, pressure-adaptive membrane, waterproof secretory glands... Furthermore, this fighter had also undergone underwater sensory modifications developed in collaboration with Bolun Company, granting him the ability to breathe underwater while moving freely beneath the surface. The commentator even added in a joking tone that, if desired, modifications for underwater reproduction could also be incorporated, which instantly provoked a burst of laughter from the crowd and prompted several inquiries about prices. Chen Chuan understood now. This match wouldn't feature the thrilling combat he had hoped for; it was merely a channel for certain corporations to showcase their "goods" to potential buyers. He shook his head, stood up, and said, "Excuse me, everyone. I'm not interested in this sort of match." With that, he began walking out. Pan Xiaode stood up as well, muttering, "Yeah, not much to see here." Qi Huixin said nothing, simply standing in silence and walking out after them. "Hey, wait for me!" Seeing all three of them leave, Tan Zhi found no fun in sitting alone, so he shrugged and chose to exit as well. Just as the four of them were leaving, inside a private box less than twenty meters away, Gong Zhanyi was seated within. A steward came up beside him and bowed. "Young Lord, we've conducted a sweep, but we haven't found him yet." Gong Zhanyi said coldly, "Wei Wusheng is a martial fanatic. He won't miss a fighting event like tomorrow's. He will definitely show up. The *Rhino Horn* departs for its long voyage the day after tomorrow. We must find him and recover the item before then." "Understood." After giving his instructions, Gong Zhanyi shifted his posture and looked down at the two men who had already begun fighting below. "I heard there are also Wuyi Academy students among the fighters here?" The steward answered, "Yes. Ever since that vice headmaster at Wuyi took office, he has been pushing for this. However, those students aren't formal students, merely external students recruited from outside." Gong Zhanyi remarked, "What's the point of external students? If they were formal students, there might actually be something to see." "That would be rather difficult, I'm afraid." Gong Zhanyi dismissed the doubt. "Since this vice headmaster has already pried open a crack, as long as the incentives are high enough, it might not be impossible in the future." Meanwhile, Chen Chuan and his companions had stepped outside. Before they could decide where to go next, they saw a young man walking toward them clad in traditional fighting attire and cloth shoes. A warm, genial smile rested on his face, and his skin possessed a lustrous sheen. Tan Zhi said, "It's Senior Sun." He went up and shook Senior Sun's hand, then introduced Chen Chuan, Pan Xiaode, and Qi Huixin. Senior Sun shook hands with each of the three and welcomed them. Chuckling, he said to Tan Zhi, "Junior Tan, I saw you guys go in for just a moment before coming right back out. Matches like that were never meant for people like you to begin with, so it's no wonder you found it boring. Tell you what—come with me. I'll show you something I guarantee you've never seen before." With that, he turned to the security personnel waiting a short distance away. "I'm going to take a walk with my juniors. Don't follow us." The guards tactfully withdrew. Pan Xiaode couldn't help asking curiously, "Senior Sun, what are you taking us to see?" Senior Sun smiled. "You'll know once you see it." He led the four of them back to their electric tour carts. Driving along the corridor down into the ship, they eventually arrived at an interior exhibition hall located in the vessel's belly. Two objects draped in black cloth stood here, illuminated by spotlights overhead. Senior Sun walked over to one of them and whipped off the covering cloth, revealing a square glass display case. Through the glass, the four of them could see a great worm coiled within. It possessed a segmented body with sharp bristles along both flanks and a massive barbed crest atop its head. Its flesh appeared translucent, glowing with a soft luminescence from the inside, visually estimated at four to five meters from head to tail. Chen Chuan observed it closely and noticed that his Second Self showed faint signs of blurring. It wasn't severe—at a level even an ordinary person could endure—yet it was undoubtedly caused by the creature's influence. Pan Xiaode asked in astonishment, "Senior, what the hell is this thing?" Senior Sun chuckled. "This isn't just any hellish thing. This is a 'Red Sea worm,' provided by Canglong Company to spice up tomorrow's fight. Two combatants—now throw this creature into the mix—wouldn't that make things even more thrilling?" Tan Zhi asked, "Will they agree to that?" Senior Sun said, "Of course. If they didn't agree, I wouldn't bring it out. After all, we must respect fighters, wouldn't you say? If trust is broken, they might never come to us for this kind of match again." Pan Xiaode looked around, pointed at the taller object draped in black cloth to the right, and asked, "Senior, what's that one?" Senior Sun looked at the four of them and said in an unhurried voice, "That one? That's also something we prepared. But allow me to keep you in suspense for now."