The situation on the deck suddenly became complicated.
Arthur stared fixedly at Kim Tae-kwang, Kim Tae-kwang stared fixedly at Lin Ran, and Lin Ran stared fixedly at the food on his plate.
Caesar, after seeing Julia off and handing her over to the servants, returned to the banquet hall, his deep gaze lingering between the three.
This turn of events truly sent countless entertainment-seekers into a frenzy.
In all the pre-competition exchanges throughout the years, there had never been such a grand commotion as there was today.
And most importantly, the individuals caught in this dispute were all renowned figures!
The Royal Family of the Holy Empire, last year's runner-up – Caesar;
The Duke of the Sunset Federation, a strong contender for the championship in the last two tournaments – Arthur;
The heir of the Starlight family, hailed as the strongest main force from Korea in all these years – Kim Tae-kwang;
And the mysterious Dragon Country man who possessed the breathtaking Golden Emerald warship and could kill a group of fifth or sixth-tier awakened beings with just a glance – Lin Ran.
If these four were to clash, would they flip the entire banquet hall over?
"Brother, what do you think?"
In another unknown corner, two brothers from Sakura Country were secretly exchanging words.
The one asking was a young man with thick eyebrows and large eyes, black short hair, a long saber on his back, and a dart and a broken blade at his waist.
His body was also adorned with the mark of a green divine dragon, lifelike.
"Caesar is likely the strongest among them…"
"Then Arthur."
"The Dragon Country man is slightly weaker than Arthur, perhaps having a fifty-fifty chance against Arthur… but he can definitely suppress Kim Tae-kwang."
The one answering was a slightly older man, bare-chested, with a longbow on his back, dressed as a standard samurai.
His body was adorned with the mark of a blue divine dragon, subtly fading in and out.
The young man blinked in surprise:
"Huh?"
"Brother, you actually think that Dragon Country man is stronger than Kim Tae-kwang?! And that he can go toe-to-toe with Arthur?"
"How is that possible!"
"Whether it's Caesar, Arthur, or Kim Tae-kwang, they are all genuine seventh-tier awakened beings!"
"And that Dragon Country man is only a mere fourth-tier!"
"No matter how you look at it, he cannot be a match for any of these three."
The older man shook his head:
"My foolish younger brother…"
"Strength and weakness are never judged by these superficial things…"
"Have all the bamboo slips you've read over the years gone to the dogs?"
The young man sighed helplessly:
"Please, brother, enlighten me…"
The older man nodded:
"The most important factor in judging whether someone is a master is their heart."
The young man looked perplexed:
"Heart?"
The older man continued to nod:
"That's right, the heart…"
"One's state of mind often determines the ultimate strength."
"Take the simplest example – have you ever seen a peerless master act like Kim Tae-kwang, babbling incoherently, completely lacking in depth, and valuing trivial things above all else?"
"The other three have clearly surpassed him greatly in this regard."
"Someone who only has cultivation without a state of mind can at best be a foolish brute, dominating only among those of the same tier…"
"But only those with a state of mind can truly stand at the pinnacle of the human world and achieve cross-tier combat effectiveness."
"Even at the sixth tier and above, it's the same!"
"But unfortunately, cultivation and combat power are also objective realities…"
"So, at present, the Dragon Country man is still no match for Caesar and Arthur."
"But give it another two or three years, and things might be different!"
The young man then suddenly understood, cupped his fists, and said:
"Brother, I have learned much!"
"In other words, a strong person's state of mind is the greatest dividing line between ordinary masters and top-tier experts!"
"Then if they were to fight each other…"
The older man shook his head:
"Everyone present is a formidable individual, so it's hard for me to say for sure…"
"That's why I brought you here to observe."
"Such sudden conflicts are even better for a person's growth and progress than the straightforward battles on the arena."
The young man nodded, about to say something more, when he suddenly felt a violent tremor from the deck.
RUMBLE!
This sudden jolt caused many people to stumble repeatedly, struggling for a few moments before barely managing to regain their balance.
The countless decorations and food items in the banquet hall also fell during this tremor, a waste that was truly heartbreaking to witness.
Some people who were eating or drinking were directly drenched.
"Damn it! What the hell is going on?!"
"Did we hit a reef? Can these Sakura Country folks even steer a ship?"
"Holy crap, I just want to know, what could cause a ship this large to vibrate so violently?"
"Let's go check it out?"
"Let's go, let's go, let's go!"
The crowd that was originally intending to watch the commotion in the banquet hall, after this jolt, suddenly felt that there was an even bigger spectacle outside, and they all rushed out of the hall as if flying.
With this, Caesar, Arthur, Kim Tae-kwang, and Lin Ran, who had been mutually restraining each other, were somewhat released from the need to maintain their composure for the sake of appearances.
Caesar looked at the dispersing crowd, let out a quiet sigh of relief, gave Arthur a look, and walked out of the cabin.
Arthur shot Kim Tae-kwang a fierce glare, made a throat-slitting gesture at him, and then also left the place.
Kim Tae-kwang, true to his nature as a bully who fears the strong and preys on the weak, was timid in the face of Arthur's threat. He didn't even dare to make eye contact and immediately slunk away through the back door.
"Shall we go take a look too?"
Luo Qingyan asked for Lin Ran's opinion.
Lin Ran chuckled:
"Let's go…"
"It's all a staged act by those Sakura Country people anyway, let's just treat it like watching a movie."
Luo Qingyan blinked in surprise:
"Staged act?"
Lin Ran nodded:
"If I'm not mistaken, this should be the Demon Whale Project that Tanihiko Tanikawa mentioned…"
"I don't know exactly what they plan to do, but they definitely have intentions of targeting other countries' contestants."
As he spoke, Lin Ran relayed the intelligence he had just overheard using the wind element to Luo Qingyan.
Luo Qingyan snorted coldly:
"Good heavens, playing tricks behind everyone's back, as expected of Sakura Country… they have all sorts of schemes."
"Is their national vanity so strong that they have to find all sorts of ways to prove themselves?"
"Isn't this just covering their ears while stealing a bell?"
"It only serves to prove their guilty conscience."
Lin Ran smiled:
"Let them be… after all, you can never wake up someone who is pretending to be asleep."
"Let's go, let's join in the fun…"
"If necessary, we can also get involved and stir things up a bit with their so-called Demon Whale Project."
"Heh, they've prepared such a big surprise for us, why shouldn't we return the favor?"