Galina shyly surveyed the three men for a moment before her gaze finally rested on Zhang Bin's face. Clearly, she wanted to go on a date with him.
Ma Rufei and Chen Chaoyue felt like dying. It had been hard enough to find a stunning beauty here comparable to Zhang Bin's girlfriends, and she was even from the White Swan Country. They had been so sure they could get a date with her, especially since her reason for participating in the Hero Auction's beauty contest was to find a rich and powerful suitor. They certainly met her requirements, but she was still interested in Zhang Bin, not them. They had both altered their appearances and were no longer recognizable. So how did she end up choosing Zhang Bin? What kind of magical charm did he possess that made stunning women flock to him like moths to a flame?
Hahaha… I'm like a firefly in the night! No, no, I'm the moon in the night sky—so conspicuous that beautiful women naturally choose me. Zhang Bin laughed triumphantly to himself.
"Why did you choose him? We're not any worse than he is!" Ma Rufei demanded angrily.
"Yeah, we're far superior to him! Are you sure you didn't make a mistake?" Chen Chaoyue added, frustrated.
"He's taller than you, his skin is better, and he seems to be about my age. He's also very powerful. When that person from the Island Nation flew onto the stage just now, he wasn't the least bit surprised and even had a wicked smile on his face, so he must have been behind it. Additionally, he has a very special temperament, an air of looking down upon the world that you two lack," Galina said charmingly. "However, you two aren't ordinary people either. You have your own special qualities, and I'm sure other beautiful women will be happy to go out with you."
Her observational skills were incredibly keen to have noticed so much. Zhang Bin was secretly astonished. This woman is no simple beauty. She has wisdom, looks, and an exotic charm. She's very attractive to him.
Ma Rufei and Chen Chaoyue almost buried their faces in their hands, unable to say another word. They lost all desire to even tease her. Since she had taken a fancy to Zhang Bin, she was now his woman. What man could possibly refuse such a stunning beauty? And since she was now Zhang Bin's woman, how could they dare to flirt with her? So they started looking around for other targets. After all, there were plenty of beautiful women here.
Galina boldly asked Zhang Bin, "Sir, will you ask me out?"
Zhang Bin had never encountered such a bold and fiery foreign woman. At that moment, he felt a deep thrill, a sense that his value as a man had been thoroughly validated.
He didn't answer her directly, instead asking with a smile, "Are you prepared to leave the White Swan Country, then?"
"Ah..." Galina let out a sound of pleasant surprise. A lovely blush spread across her cheeks, making her even more beautiful. Her reply, however, was not what Zhang Bin expected. "Sir, I meant that we could start by getting to know each other as ordinary friends. If we come to an understanding and feel we're a good match, then we can talk about marriage. Only then can we discuss me leaving the White Swan Country. Besides, who knows? You might end up liking my hometown and decide to live there, so I wouldn't have to move to your country. What's more, I'm still in school and haven't graduated yet."
Zhang Bin was at a loss for words. His response had been a flirty whim, spoken without any real thought.
However, Galina was now so earnest that it made him feel a bit ashamed. He considered his words carefully for a moment before saying, "Galina, you are beautiful and pure. Any man would be drawn to you. But I have to disappoint you, because I already have girlfriends, and I love them very much."
"An outstanding man like you, how could you not have girlfriends? Of course, I don't mind that you have them. I'm not aspiring to be your legal wife; I just hope to be your confidante," Galina said coquettishly. "I'll wait for you to ask me out. Let's just start as ordinary friends."
How could any man not be drawn to such an understanding woman? Zhang Bin sighed to himself as his good impression of Galina grew.
Galina continued to chat with Zhang Bin as she poured tea for the three men. But his attention wasn't entirely on the stunning beauty before him; he was also surreptitiously observing the other powerful experts in the room.
Gradually, a look of shock spread across his face as he took in the sheer number of formidable experts.
There were at least fifty Golden Core Realm Cultivators, most of whom were from China. He was certain that one of them was Master Tianlong. Although the man had altered his appearance and was wearing a wig, the unique temperament of a Buddhist Sect Cultivator was impossible to conceal.
Master Tianlong was in a group of more than twenty people, all elderly men and women. Yet, their leader wasn't Master Tianlong or any of the other old men, but a middle-aged man who looked amiable and completely harmless.
Zhang Bin, however, saw something different. A razor-sharp light would occasionally flash in the man's eyes, chilling one to the bone, and the Oppression he inadvertently exuded was breathtakingly powerful.
Holy hell, that's blinding! He's a Cultivator at the Golden Core Realm Peak, just a hair's breadth away from Great Perfection! And he's so young… In his lifetime, he has a very real chance of reaching the Nascent Soul Realm! Zhang Bin screamed internally, a look of disbelief on his face.
Having obtained the Jade Scroll Simple from Daoist Elder Taiqing, he knew just how difficult it was to reach the Golden Core Realm Peak. It required not only an abundance of Spiritual Medicine and Elixirs but also outstanding talent for cultivation. In an era like this, with such scarce resources, cultivation was even more arduous. Reaching the Golden Core Realm Peak was truly harder than ascending to the heavens.
For instance, progressing from the Gold Core Realm Initial Stage to the Middle Stage required a special elixir: the Solidifying Crystal Pill. Without it, improvement would take an incredibly long time. Even back in Daoist Elder Taiqing's era, the ingredients for the Solidifying Crystal Pill were hard to find; now, it was naturally even more difficult.
"His name is Si Yangze. He's one of the few Cultivators in China to have reached the Golden Core Realm Peak and is an asset to the country on par with a nuclear weapon. He's from the Kunlun Sect, and he is also the Sect Master of the Daoyi Sect," Ma Rufei whispered in Zhang Bin's ear.
Zhang Bin felt as if he had just stepped in a pile of dog shit. An indescribable sense of revulsion rose in his heart, and his face twisted with disgust. He had no good feelings toward the Daoyi Sect, because they had ordered Fei Yiming to seize his Flying Sword and Spiritual Medicine—treasures of immeasurable value. As the Sect Master of the Daoyi Sect, Si Yangze was inextricably linked to that incident.
Perhaps sensing Zhang Bin's gaze and displeasure, Si Yangze shot him a cold glance before walking straight toward him.