The Great Tengu was a demon god in Japanese legends. It was said to be the incarnation of a shooting star, bringing disaster and misfortune, possessing immense Divine Power, and being both worshipped and feared by humans.

However, in Qin Heng's eyes, it was merely an inferior demon at best. Its possessed form had the strength equivalent to the seventh level of Qi Refinement, and its true form was at most at the Foundation Establishment Stage, or even just the peak of Qi Refinement—hardly worth mentioning.

Yet, such a Japanese demon god had possessed the body of the martial arts exchange group's instructor that China had sent to Japan. Qin Heng did not believe this to be a coincidence.

An Yue woke Jiang Tai up, and Xie Cheng cast a Spell, beginning to question him. It was then learned that before boarding this cruise ship, Jiang Tai had come into contact with a Japanese man named Tsuchimikado Ryūichi. He was one of the Martial Artists sent by Japan for an exchange in China, and Jiang Tai had work-related interactions with him. Before departing, Tsuchimikado Ryūichi gave Jiang Tai an amulet, which Jiang Tai accepted, keeping it with him ever since. Beyond that, there was nothing else.

After questioning him, Qin Heng withdrew the Spell, and Jiang Tai fell back into unconsciousness.

Qin Heng held the charm in his hand, his eyes slightly narrowed. "This amulet is indeed a vessel for the demon god," he said in a grave tone. "The strength of that Great Tengu just now was enough to overturn this cruise ship. It seems Tsuchimikado Ryūichi intended to consign everyone on board to a watery grave."

"Immortal Venerable," An Yue said seriously, "the Tsuchimikado family is the foremost onmyoji family in Japan, said to be descendants of the great onmyoji Abe no Seimei. It's not an ordinary family."

"Hm," Qin Heng nodded slightly. "An Yue, go back to our country and take this amulet to Qingzhu. Have her investigate this Tsuchimikado Ryūichi."

This was not him meddling unnecessarily. His intuition told him that this matter was far from simple. On this cruise ship, there were ordinary tourists and members of the martial arts exchange group heading to Japan—strictly speaking, none of them were important people. Yet that Japanese man decided to use a demon god's incarnation, comparable to an Innate Grandmaster, to destroy and obliterate them. It was akin to using a sledgehammer to crack a nut. Definitely abnormal. There must be another agenda. The first thing to do is to put Tsuchimikado Ryūichi under covert surveillance.

The man is currently in Tianhai. With Chen Qingzhu investigating openly, and An Yue and Jing Chen Kimmother surveilling covertly, they can ensure nothing will go wrong. Jing Chen Kimmother's strength is comparable to the peak of Qi Refinement and can avoid many accidents.

"Yes, Immortal Venerable." An Yue took the amulet and, without hesitation, turned and jumped into the sea, ready to make her way back to the country by treading water.

WHOOSH!

Qin Heng exhaled, infusing a stream of Mana into An Yue's body, making her Internal Force inexhaustible and boosting her strength to the Innate level for a short period. This instantly allowed her to stand firm on the sea surface, as if on solid ground. She dashed off at great speed, disappearing from sight after not too long.

After taking care of everything, Qin Heng returned to his room.

When questioning Jiang Tai earlier, I used a Spell. Since Jiang Tai was unconscious when answering, no one on the ship recognizes me anymore. Qin Heng was happy with the quiet, waiting peacefully for the cruise ship to reach Japan.

「The next morning」

The luxury cruise ship arrived at the port in Tokyo Bay. Qin Heng walked with the other ordinary tourists, while Jiang Tai, accompanied by two other Open Force Martial Artists, led over a hundred young martial arts students from all over the country off the ship.

Among the tourists, many were aware of the Chinese martial arts delegation's visit to Japan for an exchange. Some had even boarded this luxury cruise specifically for this event. Now, seeing this group of more than a hundred people disembarking in unison, they couldn't help but take a few extra glances.

Below the ship, over fifty luxury cars—including Bentleys, Ferraris, and Porsches—were lined up. A group of Japanese stood by, evidently government workers dispatched to meet the Chinese martial arts delegation. Behind these workers stood over a hundred Japanese in various martial arts uniforms, their auras soaring. All of them were Martial Artists, likely members of the Japanese martial arts team.

The martial arts exchange between the two countries was, after all, a matter of national pride. This was not the same as the Tianhai fighting exchange event; this was an official national-level exchange, with both China and Japan representing their respective countries. Because of this, both parties had agreed to send Martial Artists who were not too strong to avoid any serious injuries or loss of life. After all, if one's strength was insufficient, they wouldn't be capable of inflicting life-threatening harm. Therefore, the Chinese martial arts delegation only included three Open Force instructors; the rest of the hundred-plus team members were essentially just there to make up the numbers.

Jiang Tai, leading Zhuo Si off the ship, caught sight of the throng of Japanese Martial Artists at the port, and his expression changed dramatically. He stopped in his tracks, his eyes wide with surprise and disbelief.

The head of the Gichin Kenjutsu Ryuchi Dojo, the master of Sanhedo Hall, the leader of the Kimura one-sword Style... How could they be here? They are all Transcendence Realm Grandmasters! And those Martial Artists behind them, numbering over a hundred, with their stable breath, well-proportioned muscles, and hidden sharpness in their eyes—they are clearly experts who have mastered Hidden Force! Three Great Grandmasters, a hundred Hidden Force experts! Is this seriously the composition of the Japanese martial arts exchange team!?

"What is the meaning of this!?" Jiang Tai, his face ashen with rage, fixed his gaze on the Japanese government officials preparing the welcome and shouted, "Why would Japan send such strong people? Tsuchimikado Soichiro, explain yourself!"

Previously, it was agreed that the exchange would be friendly, so China sent only three Open Force practitioners and a hundred-plus students who had not even mastered Open Force. Yet unexpectedly, Japan, which had initially agreed upon a mild-mannered approach, ended up dispatching three Grandmasters, accompanied by over a hundred experts who had mastered Hidden Force! It was utterly deceitful! This led to a situation where the Chinese guiding instructors weren't even as strong as any random member of the opposing exchange team!

Tsuchimikado Soichiro, a senior official of Japan's Ministry of Sport and in charge of the Sino-Japanese martial arts exchange meeting, naturally recognized Jiang Tai. He responded with a smile, "Since it's a martial arts exchange, a contest of skills is inevitable. And since there's a contest, one must give their all. Wouldn't it be wrong not to send our strongest? Who would want the weakest?"

He spoke as if it were the most obvious thing, the smug smile on his face clearly mocking Jiang Tai.

"You... You're utterly shameless!" Jiang Tai trembled with fury.

He had realized the truth. China had been outmaneuvered; the Chinese officials in charge had all been deceived by Japan. Initially, it was agreed that both sides would send teams that weren't too powerful and exchange amicably. The Chinese side had faithfully adhered to the agreement, but Japan had shamelessly sent their strongest team!

At that moment, Iwamura Natsuo, the master of Sanhedo Hall, stepped forward. He glanced at Jiang Tai and the hundred-plus Chinese martial arts students and suddenly burst into laughter. "HAHAHA! Three low-ranking Samurai and over a hundred worthless trash—this is your strongest Chinese martial arts exchange team? Is this the caliber you have?"

Upon hearing this, the Japanese Martial Artists behind him all burst into laughter.

"Isn't it said that China's Martial Dao is ancient and powerful? How come it's just a few pitiful cats—too weak!"

"Just three low-ranking Samurai—or in Chinese terms, three Open Force practitioners! Is that all China, with its billion-plus population, has to offer? HAHAHA! That's hilarious!"

Iwamura Natsuo shook his head lightly, looking at Jiang Tai, and laughed, "HAHAHA! Actually, I have a suggestion. How about this: you guys just forget about competing. Just kneel down right here, acknowledge defeat with a kowtow to Japan, then board the ship and head straight back to your country. That way, you can also spare yourselves some physical pain. HAHAHA!!"