The banquet was held in a grand hall, glorious and splendid, where well-dressed, diverse people were coming and going, joyfully conversing.
Wang Xu wasn't conspicuous among them; as he walked in, not even a waiter gave him a second glance.
There were many handsome men and beautiful women. Red Axe felt like Granny Liu entering the Grand View Garden, filled with curiosity for everything, his eyes darting everywhere, unable to take everything in.
"Brother Jin!"
Wang Xu waved from a distance to Jin Tun and others in their business suits. Today, people from the Red Flame Battle Group all came, with Black Whip and Blue Sword in evening dresses, while Ghost Calculator and Jin Tun were in suits, and Red Flame was fiddling with his peculiar red outfit.
"Brother Wang looks quite spirited today," Jin Tun said with a laugh, giving Wang Xu a playful punch.
"It's rare to attend such a banquet, so I mustn't disgrace our Red Flame Battle Group," Wang Xu replied with a smile.
At the entrance, several people walked in one after another, all women in evening gowns. However, Wang Xu's eyes suddenly lit up.
"Tang Yan!" Wang Xu waved.
In the distance, Tang Yan wore a snow-white gown, exposing her fair shoulders, her hair styled elegantly. She walked gracefully, like a fairy descending into the mortal world, instantly attracting many men's gazes as she entered the hall.
Tang Yan was so beautiful, indescribably so, like sacred light spreading across the earth, making people feel warm and wanting to get closer.
"Wang Xu!" Tang Yan, seeing Wang Xu, broke into a bright smile and waved.
In an instant, all eyes in the hall focused on Wang Xu, filled with admiration, envy, regret, and disappointment... various expressions. If looks could kill, Wang Xu probably would have turned into an atom by now.
"Well done, kid, quietly getting yourself an absolute beauty!" Several from the Red Flame Battle Group couldn't help but tease Wang Xu.
Wang Xu touched his nose, his face slightly red.
"Tang Yan, I've heard you've joined the Hua Zong Battle Group?" Wang Xu handed Tang Yan a glass of wine.
"Yes, I have a sister in the Hua Zong Battle Group; she introduced me." Tang Yan pointed to one of the women in a black evening gown—a queenly figure, like an iceberg. Any man approaching her felt a chill. Possibly sensing the gaze, she looked towards Wang Xu, making his heart skip.
What a powerful gaze!
At least Tier Seven strength, Wang Xu thought.
Hua Zong Battle Group was ranked ninety-seventh, with leader Hua Ying being a Tier Seven master-level powerhouse. Clearly, she was Tang Yan's iceberg-like sister.
One after another, Wang Xu saw a few familiar faces.
Ying Xing, a senior brother from the Inner Courtyard, was Tier Five during the graduation trial. Having just joined the Flowing Soul Battle Group not long ago, he had reached the peak of Tier Five, only one step away from Tier Six.
Zhang Xinglin, still in a black outfit, with cold eyes; his aloof nature kept people at a distance, silently resting his eyes in a corner.
"Senior Brother Ying Xing, how have you been?" Since he had seen him, Wang Xu naturally couldn't ignore, thus he greeted.
As soon as Ying Xing saw Wang Xu, his expression changed.
Wang Xu had reached Tier Five, and it was even the middle stage of Tier Five.
Geniuses possess pride and are especially competitive. Ying Xing thought his rapid rise from the middle to the peak of Tier Five in just a few days was impressive, but unexpectedly, someone advanced faster, especially an Outer Courtyard junior brother, making him feel uneasy.
After a few pleasantries, Wang Xu spotted someone that made him smile slightly.
Willens, a genius who once dominated the Safe Zone, powerful and formidable, rarely defeated, yet during the graduation trial, Wang Xu had tricked him, eliminated all his team members, and escaped smoothly.
That grudge was surely intense.
Willens' gaze also fixed on Wang Xu, and seeing Wang Xu's seemingly harmless smile, his anger couldn't help but rise.
Humiliation!
Absolute humiliation!
He, a dignified Tier Five genius student, had been outwitted by a Tier Four guy. The grudge had simmered within him, long yearning for release.
"Wang Xu, don't think advancing to Tier Five lets you live peacefully. Don't let me catch you in the wild; otherwise, I'll make sure you die miserably!" Willens said, his face darkening.
Like Ying Xing, Willens was at the peak of Tier Five, just a step away from Tier Six. He believed handling a newcomer to Tier Five didn't require much effort.
"You're welcome anytime," Wang Xu responded with a smile.
Even the peak Tier Six Xu Zhou had been defeated by him; what threat could a Willens pose?
In short, all former formidable opponents were now mere obstacles to Wang Xu!
The hall grew more crowded. Seeing these attendees, Jin Tun's expression turned bitter.
"All present are battle groups ranked in the top one hundred, except us."
Wang Xu inwardly marveled; being able to invite all these top-ranking battle groups took tremendous influence. Just who was the initiator of this banquet?
"Whew..." Suddenly, from above the noisy hall came the sound of a floating tool's exhaust; then the transparent skylight opened, and a dark blue flying battleship opened its entrance, casting down a light beam. Within it, a tall, robust figure slowly descended.
Flying Battleship!
Wang Xu had heard countless times that flying battleships are the vehicles of the strong, capable of supersonic speeds with special material shells, even the flying insect beasts might not be able to knock them down.
A flying battleship of forty square meters requires tens of millions of Contribution Points, larger ones break into billions directly. They're sold in the Warband Mall, with the highest price reaching three billion, truly invaluable.
Flying battleships are symbols of identity and power. Even if some can afford to buy a flying battleship, they may not be able to maintain it, as it consumes Cosmic Energy and requires various advanced hot weapons and mineral materials for upkeep. To sustain a flying battleship, one's own strength must be at least Tier Eight!
As expected, Wang Xu shifted his gaze from the flying battleship to the bulky figure descending slowly. This person's aura was mysterious and imposing, surpassing even the Tier Seven poison teacher and the dean.
Tier Eight! This person is at Tier Eight!
The bulky figure descended slowly amid people's discussions and then revealed a warm smile.
"Thank you all for personally coming to my 'Yan Cheng's' banquet, it's an honor." His voice was magnetic, with a handsome yet rugged face. Coupled with great strength, many women present were instantly captivated by him.
"Today is my sister 'Yan Muling's' nineteenth birthday, and I took it upon myself to host this birthday banquet. Muling blamed me for making such a fuss, I hope you don't mind." Starting with an apology to everyone, Yan Cheng's likability shot up.
Wang Xu chuckled; even Tier Eight powerhouses weren't as rigid as he had imagined. However, he was curious about Yan Cheng's sister, the "Holy Fairy" that Red Axe had mentioned - how beautiful could she be?
Everyone appreciates beauty, and as a man, Wang Xu naturally anticipated meeting a gorgeous woman.
At that moment, an elegant white figure slowly descended in the light beam, prompting a burst of exclamations from the crowd.
Beautiful!
Very beautiful!
A beauty not found in the human world, only in the heavens!
Wang Xu stared, but more out of surprise; this woman was the same girl he encountered in front of the Fist Power tester!
Tang Yan, standing beside him, pouted and tugged on him, causing him to awkwardly scratch his nose.
Being attracted by another beauty in front of one is taboo, no matter how beautiful, you shouldn't stare!
The hall fell silent, the attention of almost all the men was drawn to Yan Muling.
Her graceful figure was wrapped in a black crystal woven long dress, her jet-black silky hair cascading like a waterfall, her holy and noble temperament captivating all.
Under everyone's gaze, Yan Muling descended slowly, her crystalline eyes scanning the crowd, recognizing familiar faces, acquaintances, and strangers, and then... huh? That Tier Five student?
After the initial shock, Wang Xu averted his gaze; for him, no matter how beautiful, no one could surpass Tang Yan before him.
"I am Yan Muling, thank you all for attending my birthday banquet, thank you." Her ethereal and pleasant voice resonated, causing everyone to be temporarily transfixed, struggling to tear their attention away from her.
"Axe, wipe your drool, look at the way you are." Red Axe, beside him, had nearly drooled, snapped back to reality by Wang Xu's reminder, grinning sheepishly while wiping his mouth.
The protagonist had arrived, and the banquet became livelier with familiar acquaintances chatting cheerfully.
"Dean!" Wang Xu spotted the cane-supported Dean and immediately went forward to greet him.
The Dean was someone he owed a great debt for recognizing his talent, an enormous kindness.
"Hmm, although I am old, my judgment remains sharp. In just a few days, you're already at Tier Five." The Dean smiled.
The Silver Armor and Three-Eyed around the Dean also exchanged surprised glances, Wang Xu's progress was indeed unexpected for them.
The group happily chatted, during which Three-Eyed mentioned that after the graduation trials, nearly half of Yellow Dragon's students were lost, causing him to be furious for quite some time.
"Hello." During the lively conversation, a pleasant voice suddenly came. Wang Xu glanced over and immediately felt his mouth twitch.
Yan Muling.
Her crystal-like large eyes were fixed on Wang Xu as she extended her hand, behind which hostile gazes carrying killing intent emanated, causing beads of sweat to form on his forehead.
A brief handshake withstanding the pressure of many eyes, Wang Xu awkwardly smiled, "Miss Muling, hello, is there something you wanted to discuss with me?"
The Dean and the others shook their heads, Wang Xu was quite the poor conversationalist. If approached by a girl, it wouldn't hurt to chat a little or at least offer some compliments.
"I want to know how your Fist Power was so strong during the last session in the Training Room." Yan Muling blinked and asked.
The Training Room? Wang Xu suddenly understood.
The Fist Power tester retains the data of the last person who used it, unless purposefully reset to zero; otherwise, it stays until the next test refreshes it.
Wang Xu had left in a hurry then and had forgotten about this, never expecting Yan Muling to have returned after him.
"Fist Power? What Fist Power? I seldom go to the Training Room, you must have mistaken me for someone else." Wang Xu feigned ignorance; he didn't want to expose all his strengths.
Yan Muling smiled sweetly, choosing not to expose Wang Xu: "If that's the case, I'll take my leave first."
Then, with a toss of her lustrous black hair, Yan Muling turned and left.
Wang Xu sighed in relief internally, immensely fearing that Yan Muling's relentless questioning would make this publicly known, making it difficult to handle.