Tian Zhong burst into a triumphant laughter; his mission this time was not only to become the chairman of the Alliance in China's cosmetics world but also to take down Lin Chen.

Watching Tian Zhong leave with a cold smile, the people following behind him looked at Jin Mingzhu with pity on their faces.

They knew that by openly declaring her support for Lin Chen just now, Jin Mingzhu had offended the East America Group, and the outcome was destined to be obliteration alongside the Starlight Group.

At this moment, the crowd that had originally surrounded Jin Mingzhu avoided her like the plague, as her choice amounted to opposing Tian Zhong, and her fate was certainly not going to be good.

At this time, a few shareholders following Jin Mingzhu had grim expressions. An old man with a pale face said, "Chairwoman Jin, how could you make this decision without the board's agreement?"

"Yes, the Starlight Company is just a newly established small enterprise, and it would be effortless for the East America Group to destroy it. Aren't you just seeking death by aligning with them?" A few other shareholders also criticized Jin Mingzhu one after another.

Glorious Group had always ranked at the top in China's cosmetics industry, and once merged with East America Group, it would reap many benefits, profits would not decrease but increase instead. However, no matter what, the shareholders could not understand why Jin Mingzhu would place her bets on a soon-to-be-bankrupt Starlight Group.

Facing the criticism of everyone, Jin Mingzhu's face showed a bit of determination, "I believe in Lin Chen."

"You... it's over, you will be the ruin of Glorious Group!" Several people stamped their feet and pounded their chests with ashen faces.

Just then, a welcoming shout came from the entrance, "Starlight Group's Chairman Lin Chen, General Manager Xue Ying, have arrived!"

Hearing this voice, the entire hall quieted down, and everyone's gaze fixed on the entrance.

Under everyone's gaze, Xue Ying, accompanied by the senior management of Starlight Group, slowly walked in.

Jin Mingzhu's spirits lifted as she looked towards the people of Starlight Group, but she frowned slightly, as she could not find Lin Chen.

This guy, why didn't he come? Could it be that he was afraid?

At this moment, Lin Chen was in the restroom, staring at the changes within his body in shock.

"System, what's happening to me?"

Lin Chen felt a burning sensation within his body, as a miraculous energy continuously emerged within his Dantian.

"Ding dong, congratulations to the host 'Lin Chen,' you are about to break through to Golden Core!"

Inside the Dantian, a strange energy slowly gathered, like a vast river extending to every corner of his body.

Is this the Golden Core?

A surge of ecstasy filled Lin Chen's heart. In that instant, he felt an endless strength throughout his body, and even the surrounding Spiritual Energy seemed to be at his command.

Lin Chen's consciousness sunk into his Dantian, where a Golden Core floated within, surrounded by wisps of pale green Spiritual Energy that circulated slowly, ready to respond to his command.

Lin Chen's eyes were tightly closed, next door a couple was kissing, in another room a waiter was cleaning, and the environment within dozens of meters around him was projected into his mind like a film.

"Is this what it's like to be a Golden Core expert?"

That feeling of controlling everything left Lin Chen ecstatic. Stepping into the Golden Core was the true sign of becoming a powerful expert, and only then could he step onto another threshold of cultivation!

To challenge this barrier, Lin Chen had put forth immense effort during this time. Unexpectedly, one night of cultivating with Xue Ying, merging Yin Yang Qi, had propelled him into the Golden Core Realm!

His eyes flew open, and a streak of golden light flashed through Lin Chen's eyes before disappearing in an instant.

Lin Chen's arm rocketed forward in a punch, and with a loud bang, the force of the air even smashed a huge hole in the wall.

"Ah!" A scream rang out from the women's bathroom on the opposite side.

Lin Chen glanced over to the adjacent room, catching sight of a swath of pure white.

Darn, Lin Chen dared not linger, hurrying out of the bathroom. The power contained in this punch was many times stronger than anything before!

"Tian Zhong, it looks like I really should thank you for this setup you've prepared for me!" Lin Chen said with a cold smirk.

As the music in the hall started to play, the Huaxia Cosmetics Summit officially kicked off.

Wearing an air of triumph, Tian Zhong walked toward the center, speaking in fluent Mandarin with a smile, "I am delighted that our Dongmei Group can organize this summit. Even though Dongmei Group originated in the Island Nation, Huaxia is our biggest market. This year, the cosmetics industry has developed rapidly, with many excellent companies emerging.

Of course, there are also bad apples, such as the recently formed Xingchen Group. They've been accused of stealing others' formulas and adding toxins harmful to the human body, causing great damage to the entire industry and the consumers.

The purpose of this summit is to integrate resources, weed out these bad apples, and form a cosmetics alliance to jointly strive for the prosperity of Huaxia's cosmetics market."

He had barely finished speaking when a wave of enthusiastic applause erupted around him. Tian Zhong's face darkened, "Is the chairman of the Xingchen Group, Lin Chen, present? We need you to give our entire alliance an explanation."

Tian Zhong's provocative words echoed in the hall, and the whole place went silent. All eyes turned towards the Xingchen Group's location.

Xue Ying's complexion changed slightly; she hadn't expected Tian Zhong to target Xingchen Group right from the start, but since he had called them out, she had to stand up for the time being.

"Chairman Lin will arrive shortly. You say we've stolen others' formulas and added harmful substances—is there evidence?" Xue Ying stood up and said coldly.

"Evidence? Haha, with all the news on the internet, do we still need evidence?" Tian Zhong burst into laughter.

"To make money, doing such unconscionable acts, is simply despicable."

"It's that report I've seen, some girls were almost disfigured, utterly shameless."

"We need to clear these bad apples out of our cosmetics market!"

"Right, kick them out!"

Suddenly, the entire venue erupted with voices of condemnation.

Xue Ying's face turned pale, cursing inwardly, "Lin Chen, you bastard, how can going to the bathroom take so long."

"Clap, clap, clap!"

At this moment, there came the sound of clapping from the entrance, accompanied by the tap-tap of footsteps, as Lin Chen walked in slowly.

"The Huaxia Cosmetics Alliance, choosing an Island Nation person as the chairperson, how is your behavior any different from that of historical traitors? And Mr. Tian Zhong, you speak so highly of morality and ethics, yet engage in such shameful acts. The things you mentioned, those must be the deeds of your Dongmei Group, right?"

"Nonsense!" Tian Zhong eyed the approaching Lin Chen, his eyes narrowing slightly.

"Is that so? Who's spouting nonsense will become clear very soon. Everyone, please look at the big screen, the show is about to begin!" Lin Chen said with a faint smile.

At that moment, the big screen in the center of the hall suddenly lit up, showing a news program from the Huaxia TV station.

"What's this about, Lin Chen? Are you inviting us to watch the news?" Tian Zhong scoffed.

"Be patient, the highlight is about to begin." Lin Chen smiled lightly, his gaze mocking as he looked at Tian Zhong.