Sister Zhang smiled faintly, leading Han Ning to a middle-aged man with a slicked-back hairstyle and a refined demeanor.
Yu Yingyan, her expression composed, smiled politely. "Chairman Zhao, hello. I've heard so much about you."
"Yingyan... right? I've also heard a great deal about you. Calling me Chairman Zhao is too formal. I'm not much older than Chairman Yu, so just call me Uncle Zhao." Chairman Zhao offered a kindly smile and extended his hand to Yu Yingyan.
Yu Yingyan smiled without speaking, simply reaching out to shake Chairman Zhao's hand.
"This is Chen Shaojie, the association's security consultant." Sister Zhang's introduction for Chen Shaojie was rather brief.
"Hello..."
"And this is from the Ludao Bureau of Land and Resources..."
It had to be said, the Yongfu Commerce Association's power in Ludao was immense. Numerous officials and wealthy merchants of all ranks from the city were in attendance.
Yu Yingyan maintained her business smile, politely shaking hands and greeting every Ludao socialite present.
「7:00 PM.」
The woman who had been playing the piano stopped, picked up a microphone from atop the keys, and stood up. In a gentle voice, she said, "The banquet will now begin. Will all the leaders and guests please take their seats."
The moment she finished speaking, the room fell silent.
"Everyone, let's talk as we eat." Chairman Zhao cut the conversation short and led the way toward a round table.
Next, waiters carried out plates of exquisite dishes toward the dining tables.
Various rare seafood native to Ludao, high-quality mountain delicacies, and even some extremely precious meat from exotic beasts were prepared into delicious gourmet dishes and served.
There were several dozen guests in total, seated among a few tables. It didn't feel crowded at all, though those sitting face-to-face were quite far apart.
"Everyone must be hungry. Let's have a bite to eat first. This is a private banquet, so please relax and don't be so formal." Chairman Zhao was the first to pick up a pair of silver chopsticks, lightly turning the Lazy Susan, which was engraved with exquisite patterns at its base.
One delicious dish after another was brought to the table.
With the highest-ranking person, Chairman Zhao, taking the lead, everyone else picked up their utensils and began to eat.
'First, I'll eat something, then I'll get to business. It'd be a shame to waste such good food.'
Han Ning picked up a slice of sashimi, its surface glittering with an iridescent sheen, and popped it into his mouth.
The moment the slice of fish entered his mouth, after just a few chews, it dissolved into a warm current that rolled down his throat and into his stomach.
"Ahh~ That's nice." With the fish down, Han Ning felt a slight warmth in his lower abdomen, but his body was extraordinary, so such a minor change was nothing to him.
"Hey handsome, what's your name?"
Han Ning was seated three tables away from the main table.
Most of the people at this table knew each other.
He was the only one voraciously stuffing his face.
His uninhibited way of eating, combined with his handsome looks, finally made some of the women at the table cast aside their reservations and strike up a conversation.
"My name's Li Changxi," Han Ning mumbled, his mouth full of various delicacies.
"Changxi, what a poetic name. What do you do? You look so young, are you seeing anyone?"
A young woman covered her mouth, stifling a giggle.
"Not yet."
"The Colorful Dragon Fish slices have the effect of... enhancing a man's vigor. If you don't have a girlfriend, you might want to just have a little taste."
The young woman's words made the other women at the table break into smiles.
"Han Ning, the Colorful Dragon Fish isn't for you. You should eat more of these Silver Armored Clams. They can slightly enhance your Spiritual Power." Across the table, the same young woman who had been stifling a giggle once again took the initiative to help Han Ning out.
"Mm, thanks."
After gorging himself, Han Ning let out a satisfied burp.
Nearly eighty percent of the food on the table had ended up in his stomach.
This drew astonished gazes from the surrounding guests.
Even Chairman Zhao, who was sitting at the main table discussing business, frowned slightly. He turned to Chen Shaojie beside him and whispered, "That man looks unfamiliar. Go find out which organization's invitation he used to get in."
"Yes, I'll go right..."
Before Chen Shaojie could finish his sentence to Chairman Zhao...
Han Ning, having eaten and drunk his fill, suddenly stood up.
An enigmatic smile on his face, he slowly walked toward Chairman Zhao and Chen Shaojie at the main table.
As he walked, an overwhelmingly tyrannical Spiritual Suppression radiated from his body, sweeping across the entire hall.
Han Ning wasn't using his full strength. He increased the intensity of his Spiritual Power bit by bit, from weak to strong.
This move instantly sifted out all the hidden Extraordinary Beings present.
The ordinary people, who possessed no Extraordinary Abilities, had fainted the instant the Spiritual Suppression descended.
A few weaker Extraordinary Beings who had been hiding in the shadows grunted, their faces turning deathly pale as they struggled to resist.
'Memorize the identities of these people.'
Han Ning transmitted the thought to Xie Mingke and continued to increase the Spiritual Suppression.
"Hmph..."
Just before she fainted, Xie Mingke, who was only Tier Nine, managed to scan the faces of everyone still conscious before her eyes rolled back and she collapsed onto the table.
In the space of just a few steps.
Only Chairman Zhao, Chen Shaojie, Sister Zhang, a few unfamiliar faces, and the special envoy Yu Yingyan were still conscious, struggling to resist.
"Who... are you..."
Chairman Zhao trembled all over, trying to release his Extraordinary Power, but it was as if a great mountain was pressing down on them from the void.
As a result, he couldn't activate his Extraordinary Abilities at all and could only watch as the young man slowly approached.
Currently, Han Ning was keeping his Spiritual Suppression controlled at the level of a Tier Three Early Stage.
That these people were powerless to resist meant their Extraordinary Tier couldn't possibly be higher than Tier Six.
"Stop!"
The first to break free from Han Ning's control was the special envoy, Yu Yingyan.
She thought Han Ning was some dark operative trying to pull a hostile takeover, and her body flared with a crimson light as she reached out a hand.
A scorching red fireball, wrapped in a blast of hot air, hurtled toward Han Ning.
Before the fireball could even get within a meter of Han Ning, a sharp eagle's talon suddenly emerged from the void and swatted it away, causing it to explode.
"What is..."
Yu Yingyan's pupils constricted.
She didn't know when, but a black shadow resembling a Demon had appeared behind the young man.
A pair of bronze-colored eyes were quietly watching them.
"Who I am isn't important. Answer a few questions for me."
Han Ning extended a finger and tapped it on the foreheads of Chairman Zhao and Chen Shaojie.
His Tier Four Hypnosis Secret Technique was released.
These two small fries had no chance to resist; their eyes immediately glazed over.
"Answer me at the same time. Are you members of the Black God Association?"
"Yes... I'm a peripheral member of the organization," Chen Shaojie answered.
"I am a formal member of the organization," Chairman Zhao said woodenly.
"So it really is the Black God Association!" Yu Yingyan's face tensed, and she watched Han Ning and the people from the Yongfu Commerce Association with a wary expression.
The infatuated looks from before were completely gone.
"Tell me where the Black God Association's headquarters is," Han Ning said, looking at Chairman Zhao.
"I... I don't know either..." Chairman Zhao stammered.
"Hm?"
"S...sorry. As far as I know, the Black God Association's headquarters isn't on land. The core members are always roaming the high seas. I suspect they live on a cruise ship long-term and don't come ashore," Chairman Zhao speculated.
'A cruise ship...' Han Ning frowned slightly.
'If they're out at sea, it'll be like looking for a needle in a haystack.'
"Do you have a way for me to meet the Black God Association's upper echelons?"
Chairman Zhao lowered his head and remained silent for a moment before speaking.
"In five days, on the Blue Dream Star at Ludao Port, the Black God Association will secretly hold a bloody sacrificial ritual under the guise of a singles mixer."
"It's to retaliate against the Ludao Foreign Affairs Team for wiping out the Eternal Spring Association."
"We also received orders from above and are currently heavily promoting the Blue Dream Star cruise ship to lure more people on board."
"For 'impact'?" Han Ning raised an eyebrow.
"You all deserve to die!" Yu Yingyan seethed after hearing this, gritting her teeth.
Han Ning's face was expressionless as he asked, "What rank is a Divine Envoy within your Black God Association?"
"They are second only to the Chairman. It's rumored that there are twelve Divine Envoys in the association, known as the Twelve Disciples. Each one possesses the power to destroy a city."
'Destroy a city? That's actually not an exaggeration.'
'Based on my previous fight with that dead Divine Envoy, he had the strength of an Upper War General at the very least.'
'If he took some drugs on top of that, he was practically touching the edge of the Lord level. Destroying a small or medium-sized city would have been no problem for him.'