The Beauty CEO's Personal Expert

Chapter 1553 - 1858: Opening Ceremony (1)

As the crowd in the venue quieted down, the man in a suit moved to the side of the stage and loudly proclaimed, "Next, please welcome Elder Tong Zhentian, the president of the Martial Arts Association, to speak to us." Accompanied by the man’s words, Tong Zhentian, dressed in a meticulously tailored Zhongshan suit, slowly walked onto the stage from one side. Upon reaching the center of the stage, Tong Zhentian cupped his fists in salute to everyone present.

"Elder Tong," the man in a suit quickly handed over a microphone. Tong Zhentian smiled and shook his head, declining the offer.

Clearing his throat, Tong Zhentian said loudly, "Today is an important and memorable day. The convening of the Martial Arts Tournament once again signifies the progress and prosperity of the Huaxia martial arts community. Here, on behalf of the organizers, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude for your presence."

Although he didn’t use a microphone, Tong Zhentian’s voice clearly reached everyone’s ears. This Inner Strength moved many martial artists present. As for the laymen, the spectators attending the Martial Arts Tournament found it incredibly magical.

"This Martial Arts Tournament is divided into four events: Invitational, Individual, Team, and Challenge." Tong Zhentian continued, "As you can see, there are four large stages in the venue, and the four events will be held on these different stages. We, the organizers, will arrange the time for the martial arts matches, and everyone can attend and watch on time. The four events will last five days, and the final winner will receive rich prizes prepared by the organizers."

After describing the arrangements for the Martial Arts Tournament, Tong Zhentian also emphasized the rules and safety issues of the venue. There’s no choice; with so many spectators, safety is of utmost importance.

The brief speech ended, and Tong Zhentian left the stage amidst applause from the audience. With the opening ceremony of the Martial Arts Tournament concluded, the next step was to watch the events. Starting first with the Team Competition, followed by the Individual and Invitational competitions. If you are a martial artist, you already know that the Team and Individual competitions are the focus, while the Invitational is more like an exhibition, just a visual indulgence with nothing much to see. As for the Challenge Competition... the Challenge is not limited by time and can be held at any moment. As long as someone challenges and someone accepts, it can start anytime.

Before everyone dispersed from the stage, a deep voice came from a nearby stage, "Qin, weren’t you very cocky just now? I am challenging you now. If you have the guts, come up here and let me see how you’ve progressed over these years."

Ling Chen looked up and observed a person standing on the Challenge Competition stage, none other than Zhou Hongyan, who had clashed earlier. This person really had an explosive temper; no sooner had Tong Zhentian finished speaking than he couldn’t wait to challenge. But it’s just as well; the opening presence of two Earthly List experts was enough to elevate the venue’s atmosphere.

Sure enough, upon hearing a challenge, most of the audience gathered around the Challenge Competition stage.

However, the stage wasn’t large, and the venue had too many spectators, making it difficult to see clearly if you were too far away. Fortunately, Su Mei and the others had prepared in advance. There was a giant LCD screen next to each stage so you could clearly see the martial arts contests happening onstage.

"Qin, you were just so impressive, how come now you don’t even dare to step onto the stage?" Zhou Hongyan continued to shout from the stage, his voice relayed through the microphones around the stage and broadcast through the speakers, echoing throughout the venue.

Ling Chen’s gaze swept over to the seats in the VIP section and noticed that the middle-aged man named Qin had already disappeared. Ha! This guy... really got cold feet and actually ran away. In the eyes of everyone, not accepting the challenge would greatly affect his reputation. It’s believed that for a long time to come, this Qin gentleman will be quite embarrassed.

Ling Chen smiled and shook his head; he was initially hoping Zhou Hongyan could set a good example, but now it seems this idea is bound to fall short.

Though he couldn’t witness the Challenge Competition, the Team Competition stage had already started. There were many teams participating this year, including Huaxia’s major Martial Arts Academies and various sect forces. Roughly estimated, there are more than forty participating teams.

Dragon Tiger Hall, known as the most prestigious force in martial arts, naturally had to participate. However, after internal discussions, no master fighters were dispatched for the Team Competition, only some young members. It’s not that Dragon Tiger Hall lacks experts, but there’s no need; the Team Competition is just a formality with the focus on participation, not on necessarily taking first place.

Initially, Ling Chen and the others organized the Martial Arts Tournament to expel Qi Yong and others from the Martial Arts Association. Now, Qi Yong is seriously injured and still lying in the hospital. Therefore, their goal hasn’t been achieved.

Ling Chen glanced around, then headed to the Command Center. He wasn’t the main character of this Martial Arts Tournament, no need to show himself publicly. His main task now was to maintain the venue’s safety and order. Moreover, he was uneasy since Xie Qian and his people hadn’t shown up yet. Sitting on a chair, Ling Chen crossed his legs, occasionally glancing at the dozens of surveillance screens in the command center.

A staff member in the command center made a cup of coffee and handed it to Ling Chen, giving him a flirtatious glance in passing.

Ling Chen smiled and touched his nose; today’s women were indeed bold. However, such women don’t catch his eye. After resting for a while, Ling Chen checked the time; it was already past eleven, time to eat. Although there were tens of thousands of spectators, Ling Chen wasn’t worried about their eating problems.

Well before the Martial Arts Tournament began, the venue had been surrounded by various snack stalls. Additionally, several large dining halls inside the venue were designated to provide meals.

Before long, someone delivered boxed meals to the staff. Just as Ling Chen was about to have lunch, the command center’s phone suddenly rang. A staff member picked up the phone and greeted the caller. It’s unclear what was said, but the staff’s complexion changed suddenly, quickly calling Ling Chen over.

"What’s wrong?"

"Mr. Ling, someone called to extort money."

"Extort?" Ling Chen was slightly taken aback, reached for the phone, and asked, "Who are you?"

"Are you the person in charge?" A processed voice came from the other end.

"Yes, what do you want?"

"Let’s make a deal. I’ll give you an account later, within half an hour, you transfer fifty million into it."

Ling Chen chuckled slightly and said, "What if I say no?"

"Then I’m sorry, half an hour later, a bomb will explode at the venue. Sir, fifty million for safety is quite a good deal, don’t you think?"

"I think it’s a bad deal. Buddy, I don’t care who you are, I think... You probably don’t know who we are."