The fourth round continued. After contestant number four, Ning Tian, two more women entered. It was finally time for contestant number seven to take the stage.
Contestant number seven was Wu Ming. Almost all the boys tensed up, especially Chu Qingtian. Zhu Ziyang could clearly feel that this guy's body was trembling slightly, as if with fear, yet also excitement, and maybe a bit of nervousness. What a contradiction.
Zhu Ziyang's gaze drifted over to the central figures, landing on Chu Qingtian's face. He noticed that the expression on this guy's face was more complicated than his body's reaction. In an instant, Zhu Ziyang understood. This guy must have feelings for Wu Ming but, due to Wu Ming's temperament and her power, he was too afraid to express them.
It's true that the strong woman and weak man dynamic often causes men like Chu Qingtian to retreat.
Wu Ming fluttered onto the stage, a pair of golden wings unfurling behind her. This was her martial soul, the Golden Crow. Zhu Ziyang was well acquainted with Wu Ming; after all, the two of them had shared a bond of life-and-death on the battlefield. She was one of the core disciples of the Queen's plan, absolutely a member of the academy's inner circle, and the eldest daughter of the Wu family. Her ancestor was none other than the Shrek Academy dean who had led the academy to victory against the Sun Moon Empire, the Golden Crow Douluo Wu Zhongtian, the possessor of the Extreme Fire Martial Soul.
Compared to the three-legged Golden Crow martial soul of Wu Zhongtian, Wu Ming's family only had the regular Golden Crow martial soul. Although her affinity with the fire element was high, there was still a considerable gap between her and the three-legged Golden Crow. However, with the bloodline of the Golden Crow Douluo, it wasn't out of the question that the Wu family might once again produce another Extreme Fire wielder in the future. Currently, the strongest member of the Wu family was a level 95 Super Douluo and a member of Tianyuan Pavilion, known as Wu Lao, who stood shoulder to shoulder with Song Lao.
Speaking of the Wu family, it was impossible not to mention two other prestigious Shrek Academy families: the Xian family and the Zhuang family. The Xian family was the family of Wu Lin'er, the Martial God Douluo, and their ancestor was the one who wielded the Extreme Wind Martial Soul. The Zhuang family was the family of Zhuang Lao and Zhuang Qingzhai, whose ancestor had been the direct descendant of the Extreme Wood Martial Soul wielder.
The Wu, Zhuang, and Xian families almost always had members entering Tianyuan Pavilion with every generation. Their interests were deeply intertwined with Shrek Academy, and they were the most loyal supporters of Tianyuan Pavilion.
Zhu Ziyang thought about all this as Wu Ming flew to the center stage. Her face was resolute, and her voice carried a hint of threat as she spoke, "I am Wu Ming, 32 years old. People call me the Golden Crow Saintess. I know some of you say I'm a leftover, that I'm too old to find someone better, so I'll just settle for anyone. But if you refuse me, you're dead!"
She floated down in front of the boys, her gaze sweeping over them. The boys almost instinctively lowered their heads, too afraid to meet her eyes. But Wu Ming didn't care. She had already chosen her target. With a motion, she appeared in front of a particular boy, her golden wings pointing at the lotus leaf under his feet.
"What are you looking at? Hurry and give me the lotus leaf!" Wu Ming chastised, her voice sharp.
"Oh, oh!" The boy she had chosen was Chu Qingtian. He was completely stunned, and upon hearing Wu Ming's scolding, he reflexively agreed, stepping back a few paces without realizing the lotus leaf was limited in space.
Just as Chu Qingtian was about to fall into the water, Zhu Ziyang smiled slightly. With a thought, ice instantly formed beneath his feet, catching him and preventing him from falling. Still, he stumbled and fell.
Everyone laughed at his fall, and Chu Qingtian also snapped out of his daze.
"It seems like Ming'er's charm is really powerful; even Junior Brother Chu was so excited that he fell down!" Han Ruoruo teased with a light laugh.
Wu Ming, hearing her, didn't retort as she normally would. Instead, she looked at Chu Qingtian and asked, "Idiot, are you okay?"
"No, no, I'm fine!" Chu Qingtian quickly stood up, giving a goofy and somewhat bitter smile. "Thank you, Junior Brother Zhu!"
"No need to thank me, helping others is my pleasure!" Zhu Ziyang said with a smile.
At this moment, it was clear to everyone, even the most oblivious, that Chu Qingtian's actions in the first round weren't just spur-of-the-moment; they were planned!
"Junior Brother Chu, you've been hiding it well!" Dai Yueheng teased with a chuckle.
"Hehe!" Chu Qingtian scratched his head awkwardly, not saying anything further.
On the ferry, Elder Lin turned to another elder and said, "Old Wu, you should be happy now. Get ready to hold your great-grandson."
"Sigh! This girl has finally found someone to settle down with. That Chu kid is a bit wild, but he's not a bad match." The elder was Wu Lao, the head of the Wu family, and Wu Ming's great-grandfather.
After Wu Ming, it was time for contestant number eight, Ma Xiaotao.
Zhu Ziyang's gaze shifted toward her, and Ma Xiaotao's gaze also met his. They exchanged a knowing glance and understood each other's thoughts without needing to say a word.
"Next, please welcome the next contestant," Zhang Weiwei announced.
The moment her voice fell, Ma Xiaotao moved. A fiery path materialized beneath her feet, floating on the surface of the lake. With every step, the fiery path extended further. The sight left everyone in awe, including Zhu Ziyang, who was amazed by Ma Xiaotao's mastery of the fire element.
"I'm Ma Xiaotao, 24 years old. They say, 'A woman over twenty-four has fortune and longevity.' I wonder if you'll accept this fortune?" Ma Xiaotao spoke as she walked, her face glowing brightly in the light of the flames, her smile radiant and full of meaning.
The fiery path stretched all the way to Zhu Ziyang's lotus leaf. The crowd understood Ma Xiaotao's choice, and Zhu Ziyang, smiling, summoned a pure white ice lotus beneath her feet. As Ma Xiaotao stepped off the fiery path, she landed perfectly on the ice lotus.
The audience was once again stunned. Ma Xiaotao's control over the fire element was already a remarkable feat. Zhu Ziyang's ice lotus, however, went beyond expectations. At just twenty years old, was this truly the skill of a Title Douluo-level genius?
"With the greatest of pleasure!" Zhu Ziyang smiled as he spoke, his tone warm.
The two exchanged a smile. Jiang Nannan and Qian Lingyi in the girls' line couldn't help but grit their teeth, already plotting how to outshine Ma Xiaotao's performance.
The elder mentors on the ferry were equally impressed, each praising Ma Xiaotao's skills.
"Xiao Tao is really impressive!" an elder slapped Yan Shaozhe on the shoulder, speaking with a smile.
"Heh, she's the one who worked hard for it. I'm just an unworthy teacher," Yan Shaozhe responded with a half-smile, half-sigh.
"Her fire control is even better than mine. Ah, it's hard to admit, but I can't help it," Wu Lao said with a laugh.
After Ma Xiaotao, the next contestant was Han Ruoruo, the oldest and most talented female disciple in the inner court, already a rank 88 Soul Douluo at thirty-three. Despite her talent, she was still single, which caused some to reflect.
In a crowd where many were too talented for their peers to keep up, Han Ruoruo and her peers had trouble finding someone who could match them. With three others—Zhang Lexuan, Zhang Weiwei, and Shen Xuyu—being equally gifted, it became even harder for someone like Han Ruoruo to find love.
Still, fate was unpredictable. Just as Zhu Ziyang was thinking about Han Ruoruo's situation, someone no one expected appeared.
Wang Yan, a man in his forties, a level 60 Soul Emperor, and an outer court teacher, stepped forward. He was also one of Cai Mei'er's nominal disciples. His public declaration of love for Han Ruoruo shocked everyone.
After a brief silence, Han Ruoruo agreed, stating that if she couldn't find a soulmate, she would be willing to spend her life with someone who shared similar views.
The elders on the ferry, unsure how to respond to this unconventional pair, reluctantly accepted Wang Yan's proposal, provided he made some guarantees.
What those guarantees were, however, remained a topic for later.
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