After Huo Yuhao lifted Xiao Xiao's veil, he chose to end his turn.
Next was He Caitou. This fool really was too honest—at first he actually considered using a seventh-grade soul tool cannon shell to force the Sea God Fairies to remove their veils themselves. Only after Dai Yueheng reminded him did he realize that was against the rules. Still, as a genius of soul tools, his creativity was undeniable. In the end, he managed to unveil four fairies himself.
The remaining male disciples also showed off their skills, each advancing toward the fairies who had yet to be revealed. By the end of the first stage, only three of the twenty-one Sea God Fairies still wore their veils, while of the forty-two male disciples, thirty-nine remained. Aside from Ye Liu, who had offended everyone, two others were eliminated after falling into the lake while trying to take shortcuts.
The first stage, Kindred Spirits, thus came to an end. The men's enthusiasm had been fully ignited—many now looked like hungry wolves, eyes glowing green as they stared at the fairies like tender lambs awaiting slaughter.
The second stage was about to begin.
This round's order was based on the number of veils each man had lifted. Zhu Ziyang, who had unveiled four, would go first, followed by He Caitou, who had also unveiled four.
"Now begins the second stage," Dai Yueheng announced loudly. "After meeting one another in the first round, it's now time for the girls to show which boys they favor. This stage is called Love at First Sight.
"The rules are simple. Each young lady has been given a switch to control the soul lamp on her lotus leaf. For each male participant, she may choose whether to leave her lamp lit. Those who receive at least one light may continue to the next stage.
"But if, unfortunately, no one leaves a light for you, then I'm afraid you must withdraw from the assembly."
Zhu Ziyang listened with mild amusement. Love at first sight? Isn't this just choosing based on looks? If they've had no real contact, then the only thing that can make a girl light up for a boy is his face. Humanity really is a race of visual creatures.
Still, he didn't mind. With Jiang Nannan, Ma Xiaotao, and Qian Lingyi alone, he already had more than enough confidence.
"Ladies, you have one minute to consider carefully," Dai Yueheng reminded them. "If you choose not to light your lamp for any of the thirty-nine men here, it will count as forfeiting the assembly, and you must leave Sea God Lake."
The women's expressions gave little away, though each was clearly considering her choice. Soon, the minute passed.
Zhang Weiwei's voice rang out, gentle yet clear: "Alright, time's up. Let us begin Love at First Sight.
"First, please light your lamps for Zhu Ziyang. Remember, sisters, lighting your lamp here does not mean you must ultimately choose him. If you find him pleasing, give him a chance—and give yourself a chance. Surely he will notice those who light their lamps for him."
"Begin!"
Ziyang stood with a faint, composed smile, as though he were watching someone else being judged, not himself. His heart was calm; nothing here could compare to carrying Jiang Nannan on the Lunar Shuttle while teasing Zhang Lexuan.
"Three! Two! One!" Dai Yueheng counted down.
And then—flash!
All twenty-one lamps shone brightly. Not a single one went dark.
"Excellent! All twenty-one lamps lit—Ziyang, you've set a fine example!" Dai Yueheng said, unable to hide his admiration. "Truly worthy of your name!"
Ziyang only smiled faintly. He had expected as much. Of the girls, many already knew him; those who didn't were surely moved by his display in the first round. At the very least, lighting their lamps to show goodwill was the safest choice. After all, anyone who made it into Shrek Academy's inner court was no ordinary person.
His perfect score left tremendous pressure on those who followed—especially He Caitou, who was sweating nervously.
"Next, He Caitou. Ladies, prepare your lamps. Begin!" Dai Yueheng called.
Instantly, the glow of Sea God Lake dimmed as lamp after lamp extinguished. The brutal scene nearly crushed Caitou's heart. Still, his good nature and loyal friends saved him. In the end, two lamps remained lit—Tang Ya's and Zhang Weiwei's.
For Caitou, this was both good news and bad. The good was that he hadn't been eliminated, and could continue to the next stage. The bad was that the two girls who left their lights for him were both women already spoken for. As for the one he truly liked—she hadn't lit her lamp at all. Deep down, he had always known it was one-sided. Yet until the final moment, he had held onto a shred of unrealistic hope.
His eyes dimmed slightly, but he still smiled and said, "Sister Tang Ya, Sister Weiwei—you're truly loyal!"
"Looks like you owe Bei Bei and Sanshi a meal," Zhu Ziyang teased with a grin.
"Hehe, of course, of course!" Caitou chuckled sheepishly.
The next few participants fared somewhere in between—none as dazzling as Zhu Ziyang, but none as disastrous as Caitou. Most received six or seven lights.
Soon it was Xu Sanshi's turn. Unlike the others, he was completely relaxed. Why would a man with a wife care about butterflies fluttering around?
"Xu Sanshi, Love at First Sight, begin!"
At once—click, click, click! Twenty-one lamps went dark in near-perfect unison. Only one remained, shining faintly but firmly—Zhang Weiwei's.
"Uh… somehow this doesn't feel very satisfying," Sanshi muttered, a bit depressed. Of course he knew the women had conspired beforehand, but he couldn't complain. They only meant well—for him and Weiwei both. With no choice, he accepted the crown of "last place" that Caitou had just vacated.
"This Sanshi—taking advantage and still pretending to suffer!" Zhu Ziyang chuckled.
"Exactly!" Caitou agreed at once, nodding earnestly.
"Senior Brother," Huo Yuhao whispered to Bei Bei curiously, "did Sister Weiwei and the others plan this?"
"Mm," Bei Bei nodded, his expression a bit awkward. He already knew what awaited him: when his turn came, only Tang Ya's lamp would remain lit. For some reason, he suddenly found himself envying Ziyang.
Soon enough, it was Yuhao's turn.
"Huo Yuhao, Love at First Sight—begin!" Dai Yueheng called, his eyes flickering with interest.
As expected, Yuhao fared well. Tang Ya, Zhang Weiwei, and Xiao Xiao lit their lamps without hesitation. Three still-veiled fairies also chose him, as did Wu Ming and several others. In total, he received sixteen lights—second only to Ziyang.
Bei Bei followed, and as he had foreseen, only Tang Ya left her lamp shining. Her face was alight with mischief, brimming with triumph as she watched him.
Bei Bei could only smile wryly in return.
The rest were unremarkable, save for one. Dai Huabin, despite being already engaged to a daughter of the Zhu clan, had still come to participate. Even Dai Yueheng, hosting the event, was left speechless with black lines on his face. Still, as Huabin wasn't married yet, it didn't technically break the rules.
Predictably, every girl extinguished her lamp—save for one, a young woman named Wu Feng. Coincidentally, she was also one of the very few who had not lit her lamp for Yuhao.
Ziyang rubbed his chin, a smile tugging at his lips. So, the two of them are after little Yuhao, are they? Interesting. The onlookers never mind when the drama gets sweeter.
After Dai Huabin came the first true elimination: Xie Huanyue. Not a single girl lit her lamp for him, and he had no choice but to leave.
The poor boy stormed off furiously, shouting, "Fat guys have no rights!"
Alas, the joys and sorrows of men are never the same. To the others, his anger was nothing but noise.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here are the chapters for today (づ￣3￣)づ╭～
"Don't forget there are 40 early chapters available on Patreo
[email protected]/facficmax10