Three days later, Sophie Su and Lily Liu returned to Harbor City ahead of time, while Ryan Ling led his eight tournament teammates on the expedition to Shark-Hook Island. Even though everyone knew that the Water-Breaker Sword Sect probably had some tricks up their sleeve, nobody was afraid—in fact, they were all pretty excited.
After all, they were fighting for their country—just that sense of honor was enough. Everything else was secondary.
Still, before they set off, Ryan gave them a few words of warning—going to Shark-Hook Island was way more dangerous than any martial arts tournament. Out there, there were absolutely no rules, so everyone needed to stay sharp and remember: survival comes first, never act on impulse!
Everyone nodded one by one, chatting away as their car rolled up to Wuzhou's coastal pier. Gabriel Xue was already waiting there—not in his military uniform, but dressed casually. Beside him stood seven or eight martial artists with an unmistakable soldier vibe; just one look and you could tell they were all grandmasters from the army. On the other side, a few more martial artists were either sitting or standing, apparently joining the mission too.
"Ryan, you’re right on time. Before we head to Shark-Hook Island, I need to clarify something: to avoid direct conflict between the two countries, this mission is officially a civilian Jiangdong martial artists’ operation. Besides your group, two major families from the provincial capital volunteered to join. Still, to keep everyone safe, I’ll be shadowing you with a few warships just offshore, keeping close watch. If anything goes wrong, I promise I won’t just stand by!" Gabriel Xue patted Ryan on the shoulder as he spoke.
"Thanks, Commander Xue. Don’t worry—we’ll definitely get the job done!" Ryan replied with confidence.
"That’s the spirit! Man, if only you could really be one of my soldiers—hah! Anyway, it’s getting late, let’s board!" Gabriel Xue finished just as the ship next to them sounded its horn.
"Yes, sir!" Ryan didn’t hesitate, immediately leading his pumped-up crew onto the ship. The two provincial-capital family groups followed, but Ryan could tell something was off. One group was led by a young master who seemed to be only at the innate realm, and weirdly, his eyes kept glued to the other group—the one led by a stunning rich heiress. She was actually at grandmaster level, but judging by her outfit, she looked more ready for a tropical vacation than a life-or-death battle. Her idea of 'killing a few Japanese bandits for fun' was more like a holiday activity. Besides a dozen bodyguards, she even brought four or five maids, each with their own job: one for sunscreen and makeup, one for snacks, one for clothes, and several huge suitcases packed to the brim.
Ryan was a bit surprised but didn’t say much—after all, this was Gabriel Xue’s arrangement. If the provincial families wanted in, he couldn’t really refuse. Anyway, more people meant more help, so Ryan just let it go.
Soon, the ship was underway, and the three groups each settled into their own cabin. It was only after boarding that Ryan found out the rich girl was Anqi Chen, only daughter of Stanley Chen—the top tycoon in the provincial capital. The Chen family’s wealth and influence covered all of Jiangdong, and Anqi was not only beautiful but famously picky. Ever since she came of age, every young master tried to win her favor, but she didn’t give them the time of day. Anyone with less than a billion in assets was a 'country bumpkin' unworthy of her attention; only the Ten Great Families barely made the cut. Today, the guy tagging along with her was Hayden Zheng, young master of the Zheng family—one of those Ten.
Just as Ryan had guessed, Anqi Chen came to Shark-Hook Island on a whim, wanting to prove how tough a 'noble daughter' could be. She didn’t take the Water-Breaker Sword Sect seriously at all, and Hayden Zheng was only here to suck up to her.
After hearing all this, Ryan was totally speechless. Right now, Anqi and Hayden were busy taking selfies on the deck, clueless about how dangerous things were ahead. Meanwhile, Ryan and his eight brothers were hunched over a nautical chart, discussing the waters around Shark-Hook Island—which turned out to be way trickier than they’d imagined.
Just as Ryan was getting more and more serious, a man in a suit suddenly barged into their cabin without even knocking. He blurted, "Which one of you is Ryan Ling? Our young miss wants to see him—come with me!"
"No time!" Ryan shot back, flatly refusing.
"Excuse me? Our young miss is asking for you and you dare refuse? What kind of attitude is that?" The man was totally stunned, like he’d never met anyone who could say no to Anqi Chen.
"I said I’m busy—are you deaf?" Ryan had zero patience for this kind of attitude and just barked at him.
The man’s face darkened and he gritted his teeth. "Fine, so you’re not even giving the Chen family any respect? You’ve got guts, kid. Just you wait…"
Seeing the guy get angry, Harvey “Million” Jin quickly stepped in, grabbing his arm. "Hey, bro, chill out! Our boss isn’t in the best mood. Let me talk to him for you!"
Harvey grinned and turned to Ryan, whispering, "Boss, don’t be like that—the Chen family’s got real clout in the provincial capital. No need to make enemies over something so minor!"
"Yeah, Anqi Chen is a bit spoiled, but if you can avoid offending the Chen family, you should. We’re all on the same boat right now, and since she invited you, just go along—it won’t hurt us any!" Jason Lin chimed in.
Clearly, those two knew how to handle social situations.
Ryan didn’t care about the Chen family’s reputation, but the 'we’re all on the same boat' part stuck with him. After thinking it over, he nodded and followed the guy up to the deck.
Once on deck, he saw Anqi Chen and Hayden Zheng eating barbecue. Both glanced at Ryan, looking down their noses at him.
Ryan instantly felt annoyed, but before Anqi could say anything, Hayden spoke up first: "Ryan Ling, right? New champion of the Seven-City Martial Arts Tournament—I’ve heard a lot about you. For this Shark-Hook Island trip, Miss Chen wants to hire you as her bodyguard to help butcher some Japanese scum. The pay’s good, too. What do you say? Pretty sweet deal, huh?"
"That’s right. If you’re willing, this whole suitcase of US dollars is yours!" Anqi Chen glanced at Ryan, popped open a money case packed with cash—probably ten million dollars—and snorted coldly, clearly expecting him to gratefully accept.
But before she’d even finished, Ryan flatly refused: "Not interested. If there’s nothing else, I’m leaving."
He finished speaking and turned to go.
Instantly, Anqi’s face went pale, and Hayden Zheng started yelling, "Who do you think you are, Ryan Ling? Just because you won some tournament, you think you’re hot stuff? The Chen family is inviting you, and Miss Zheng herself is asking—how dare you refuse? You must have a death wish!"
Ryan turned around and sneered, "You’re asking me for help, so of course I have the right to say no. Or do you think every guy is like you—dying to lick some rich girl’s toes? Idiot!"
With that, Ryan strode straight back toward the cabin.
"Damn it, you’re asking for it!" Hayden Zheng’s face turned green with rage. Right in front of Anqi Chen, he couldn’t hold back—he raised his fist and charged straight at Ryan.
Anqi Chen was clenching her own fists too, totally pissed off. If Hayden was going to make the first move, she was ready to teach Ryan a lesson herself.
But before she could even stand up, Hayden was suddenly hit by a massive invisible force and sent flying backward. If a few Zheng family bodyguards hadn’t caught him in time, he would’ve been thrown right off the deck.
Anqi Chen was totally stunned—Ryan hadn’t even moved, hadn’t even turned around.
"Better not mess with me again. I went easy this time, but if you mouth off again, don’t blame me if something really bad happens. We’re at sea, about to fight Japanese bandits—it’s normal for a few people to die, right?" Ryan shot Hayden a sideways glance. Hayden was fuming, and Anqi looked absolutely furious.
"Screw you! You think you can kill me? Some Harbor City bumpkin dares lay a finger on Hayden Zheng? I could crush you with one finger! What are you waiting for—get him!" Hayden wasn’t about to back down, and as soon as he finished, the Zheng family bodyguards rushed in.
"Some people just don’t know when to quit!" Ryan turned around, clenched his fist, and unleashed his aura. Instantly, screams rang out as the Zheng bodyguards were hurled into the sea, and Hayden Zheng staggered and was swept in too.
This time, Anqi Chen was truly stunned. Ryan hadn’t even directly attacked—he’d just turned around.
This guy’s strength was absolutely unfathomable!
But just then, someone screamed in terror: "Shark! Help!"