Once the male students had lined up in position, Han Ruoruo stepped forward and said:
"Next comes the second segment. After the first segment of getting acquainted, now it's time for the female students to express who they are interested in. Therefore, this second segment is titled 'Love at First Sight.' The rules are straightforward: each female student will receive a switch that controls the soul guidance lamp beneath them. They will choose for each male student whether to turn off the light or keep it on. Any male student who receives a kept lamp from any female student can advance to the next segment. But if, unfortunately, no female student keeps a lamp for him, then regrettably, he can only leave this session of the Sea God Fate Blind Date Conference."
"Please, all Sea God Fairies, consider carefully. You have one minute. And I must emphasize: if any of you do not keep a lamp for all thirty-five male students, it also means you are voluntarily giving up your participation in this blind date conference and will have to leave Sea God Lake."
The female students' side remained very quiet, with no discussion between them; each had her own thoughts and plans. When it comes to choosing a future partner, it must ultimately be based on one's own subjective will.
One minute passed quickly. At Zhang Lexuan's signal, Han Ruoruo continued hosting.
"Very well, the second segment, Love at First Sight, now begins. First, please, all Sea God Fairies, consider He Caitou. Keeping the lamp does not mean you must ultimately choose him. As long as you have a good impression, you can give him a chance, and also give yourself a chance."
"Begin."
He Caitou, nervously clenched both fists.
But reality was just that cruel. Not to mention that his appearance truly did not meet the aesthetic standards of most girls, his earlier reckless use of a soul guidance device to directly attack had also left the female students with no good impression of him.
He Caitou only felt the light before his eyes darkened as a large swath of lamps on the opposite side quickly went out. In the end, only Jiang Nannan and Ning Tian, out of their friendship with him, kept two lamps for He Caitou in a friendly gesture.
He Caitou lowered his head in disappointment, but that was all. It was perfectly normal that his appearance wasn't appealing. Moreover, he originally had no target and no expectations, so naturally, there wasn't much disappointment to speak of.
Still, no matter what, someone keeping a lamp meant He Caitou had passed this segment.
This time, Zhang Lexuan took over hosting.
"Second participant, Yu Tianhuang. All Sea God Fairies, please prepare."
"Begin!"
Zhang Lexuan announced, and after nearly ten full seconds, not a single lamp went out. Even Wu Feng, who once harbored hostility toward Xu Zihuang, did not turn hers off. This formed a stark contrast with He Caitou earlier.
Wu Feng's decision actually surprised Xu Zihuang a little, but he could understand it. His relationship with Ning Tian was practically out in the open. No matter the reason behind it, if Wu Feng were to turn off the lamp out of spite, it would be deliberately making things difficult for Ning Tian.
Considering He Caitou's feelings, Zhang Lexuan did not overly praise Yu Tianhuang, only smiling lightly and saying:
"Good time. All twenty female students kept their lamps for Tianhuang. I hope the following male students can continue to work hard and learn from Tianhuang."
Many male students secretly complained that the female students were all shallow creatures who only cared about appearance.
Compared to the mutual appreciation of the previous round, the pace of the Love at First Sight segment was much faster. However, the female students were also quite ruthless. Apart from Xu Zihuang, whose conditions were simply too outstanding and who had displayed such terrifying talent, thus achieving such results, the rest of the inner court male students, while not as miserable as He Caitou, still didn't have more than a third of the lamps remaining for them.
The only one who could be compared to Xu Zihuang was Beibei.
Although Beibei usually loved to talk nonsense, he actually had excellent popularity among the inner court disciples. When it was his turn, he received nineteen lights; only Ye Guyi turned hers off.
From beginning to end, Ye Guyi had kept a lamp for Xu Zihuang. Some observant people began to notice this and started speculating about the relationship between Ye Guyi and Yu Tianhuang.
Worth mentioning: Xie Huanyue really fulfilled his own prophecy. Not a single lamp favored him. He left the stage screaming miserably.
After him, quite a few other male students suffered the same fate. With the number of male students nearly double that of females, some were inevitably going to be eliminated.
Finally, it was Xu Sanshi's turn. Xu Sanshi was last in line.
Like before, he still wore his bamboo hat and didn't take it off, but for fairness's sake, the earlier the position one occupied in the first round of Mutual Appreciation, the later one would appear in the second round.
Unlike Xu Zihuang and Beibei, Xu Sanshi was even more nervous than He Caitou. His burning gaze was fixed in Jiang Nannan's direction.
Back then, he truly had hurt Jiang Nannan, but at that time, he had been completely unaware of her background. Afterward, he had also done his utmost to make amends.
He never shirked this responsibility, but over these years, he felt he had done everything he possibly could, yet he still couldn't resolve the knot in Jiang Nannan's heart.
Even before participating in this session of the Sea God Fate Blind Date Conference, Xu Sanshi had already made a decision. That was why, when he suffered a setback with Jiang Nannan in the first segment, he couldn't suppress the desolate look on his face.
For him, it didn't matter if all the other nineteen lamps went out, as long as Jiang Nannan kept hers for him, it would be enough.
But he knew this was nothing more than wishful thinking.
Sure enough, Jiang Nannan didn't even glance at Xu Sanshi before decisively turning off her lamp. The pale golden light faded away, and at the same time, the stubborn determination in Xu Sanshi's heart also faded.
What surprised everyone was that although Xu Sanshi's face was deathly pale, the emotions deep in his eyes were surprisingly calm, even carrying a trace of self-mockery.
Xu Zihuang and Beibei both keenly noticed this, and their hearts sank slightly.
Now, without Huo Yuhao, whom Jiang Nannan had once seen as the classic "commoner rising against heaven" template, her mentality in this life was subtly different from what Xu Zihuang remembered from his previous life.
The overall tone of the Douluo Continent was too oppressive. Only descendants of great families and nobles could become strong. Commoners had no way to inherit powerful martial souls, and the only way to stand out was through mutation. Yet the probability of an ordinary martial soul mutating into a high-level one was already minuscule, let alone mutating into a top-tier or super martial soul.
Because of her own experiences, Jiang Nannan hated this reality. Yet she was powerless to change anything. Over time, she gradually transferred this resentment onto Xu Sanshi — someone from a great family background who had once oppressed her.
But she completely failed to consider that, in that situation back then, she had no choice at all. She was the one who had asked something of them. It wasn't that the Xuanming Sect behind Xu Sanshi had forced her into that deal.
Yet this is human subjectivity; people always only think from their own perspective.
Over these years, Xu Sanshi had suffered far more setbacks and seen far less hope in front of Jiang Nannan than Xu Zihuang remembered from his previous life.
However, with help from Ning Tian and Tang Ya, Xu Sanshi still managed, by the narrowest of margins, to pass the second round of Love at First Sight.
The second round thus concluded. A total of twelve people were eliminated. The remaining twenty-three male students were now roughly equal in number to the female students. Because of the reduced numbers, the male side also changed to stand in a single row facing the twenty female students opposite them.
Zhang Lexuan said:
"After the first two rounds, I believe everyone has gained some basic understanding of each other. Next, we will proceed to the third segment, Love at Second Sight. The order will be determined by drawing lots. Each male student will have one minute for self-introduction. The female students' side will also draw numbers. After all male students have finished their introductions, we will move to the fourth segment, Three Lifetimes Destiny. The female students will introduce themselves according to their numbers and begin making their choices. Each female student can only choose once, and once you make your choice, you must take responsibility for it and cannot regret it. After all female students have made their choices, we will proceed to the final fifth segment."
"Attention, all male students: while you are showcasing yourselves, you may simultaneously display what you consider to be your strongest abilities. You may also introduce your cultivation level, etc. Anything that can attract the attention of the Sea God Fairies is allowed. Very well, let's begin drawing lots. Ruoruo, you will be in charge of the female students' side."
Han Ruoruo nodded slightly. Together with Zhang Lexuan, they each held a bundle of wooden sticks and went to their respective sides.
The drawing didn't take long. After about half a quarter of an hour, the male students lined up according to the order they drew, and the female students had also put on their number plates.
What made Xu Zihuang a little embarrassed was that Ye Guyi and Ning Tian had once again drawn consecutive numbers. Ning Tian drew number 3, Ye Guyi drew number 4.
Meanwhile, he himself was lucky enough to draw number 1 on the male side, the very first to appear. Beibei and He Caitou drew 9 and 11, respectively, which were quite good positions.
Because the earliest appearing male students have no prior experience to reference, and by the time the later ones appear, the female students may already suffer from aesthetic fatigue.
Xu Sanshi, unfortunately, drew number 23, the very last position. What made him feel both relieved and anxious was that Jiang Nannan had drawn number 1 among the females. After he finished his introduction, he would immediately know Jiang Nannan's choice.
Zhang Lexuan and Han Ruoruo returned to the center between the two sides.
"Very well, the third segment, Love at Second Sight, now begins. Boys, you must perform well. This is your best chance to gain the attention of the Sea God Fairies. Don't miss it."
Zhang Lexuan gave Xu Zihuang a gentle smile.
"Tianhuang, you drew number one. It's your turn."
"Yes, Senior Sister."
Xu Zihuang responded calmly and walked forward to the center between Zhang Lexuan and Han Ruoruo. He nodded to both of them in greeting before turning to face the female students' side.
The moment he turned around, his deep purple eyes instantly transformed into brilliant gold. The Golden Eyes martial soul was released, and six soul rings, five black and one red, rose from beneath his feet once again.
But at that moment, a streak of black-purple light flashed through those brilliant golden eyes. He slowly raised his right hand. Black-purple lightning surged in his palm, and dazzling electric arcs flickered between his long fingers. Piece by piece, thick, angular black-purple scales appeared on his skin. In an instant, his right hand transformed into a dragon claw covered in the same scales. Every joint became exceptionally thick and sturdy, exuding a violent and ferocious aura.
The black-purple dragon scales continued to spread upward, extending all the way to his neck. Wherever the scales covered, his body took on the form of a dragon. This was the first time Xu Zihuang had used the martial soul possession ability of his second martial soul, the Purple Thunder Prison Dragon. However, this was still not its most complete form.
At the same time, on top of the original five black and one red soul rings, another blood-red hundred-thousand-year soul ring appeared.
Five black, two red, and seven soul rings revolved around Xu Zihuang's body. In this moment, his entire aura reached its absolute peak. Even Zhang Lexuan and Han Ruoruo couldn't help but unconsciously retreat several steps, instinctively releasing their soul power to resist this terrifying pressure.
Xu Zihuang's calm voice resounded throughout the entire venue:
"Yu Tianhuang, seventeen years old. Rank 69 Control/Assault System Battle Soul Emperor, seventh-level soul mentor. Twin martial souls. First martial soul: mental-attribute Body Martial Soul, Golden Eyes. Second martial soul: Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon."
There was not the slightest hint of boasting in his tone; he was simply stating facts.
The so-called youthful arrogance only exists when one's talent and ability have not yet reached the level of a true genius. When a person's talent reaches a certain level of brilliance, no one will dare to question them.
Such was the case with the current Xu Zihuang.
There was no need for him to deliberately hide his strength. He was simply the peerless prodigy who suppressed this generation. That was a fact.
All the female students stared with wide eyes. Only Ning Tian and Ye Guyi remained calm in their gazes.
Unlike Ye Guyi, Ning Tian was still somewhat surprised that Yu Tianhuang had successfully attached a hundred thousand-year soul ring to his second martial soul. The reason she remained calm was simply that she had long grown accustomed to Yu Tianhuang's ability to create miracles. Just like when he previously revealed his first five hundred thousand-year soul rings, she hadn't reacted much either.
The boy she loved would forever shine like a golden sun; the light radiating from him could never be concealed.
After slightly calming their emotions, the female students' eyes once again shone with extraordinary splendor. The fact that Yu Tianhuang possessed twin martial souls had never been publicly announced. Among the inner court disciples, only Beibei and a few others, Ma Xiaotao, and inner court senior sister Zhang Lexuan knew about it.
Even Xiao Xiao and Wu Feng, who had been in the same class as Xu Zihuang, had only seen him suppress Beibei with the Extreme Thunder version of the Tyrant Emperor Thunder Domain during the inner court disciple selection tournament back then, and had some vague guesses. Later, when Nanmen Yun'er became a core disciple and entered the inner court, she knew nothing about it at all.
What twin martial souls meant was something all the inner court female disciples understood perfectly well. Once a twin martial soul master reached the Title Douluo realm and completed the soul rings for the second martial soul, even with only rank 91 soul power, they could contend with Super Douluo-level powerhouses. Not to mention that Yu Tianhuang's two martial souls, one control, one assault, complemented each other perfectly and were both top-tier martial souls.
And even setting aside the halo of twin martial souls, all his other achievements were equally terrifying.
Seventeen years old, soul power rank 69, and also a seventh-level soul mentor.
Any one of the things Yu Tianhuang listed would be enough to make an ordinary soul master a genius among geniuses. Yet all of them were gathered in one person. They did not doubt that, in the near future, as long as nothing unexpected happened, Yu Tianhuang would inevitably become the strongest soul master on the continent.
Among soul masters, strength has always reigned supreme. When female soul masters choose a partner, what they value most is the other party's talent and strength. One could well imagine Yu Tianhuang's attractiveness to them.
Meanwhile, Ma Xiaotao, who had known all this for a long time, was paying even more attention to the fact that Yu Tianhuang had just used both martial souls simultaneously and displayed the soul rings of both at the same time. This was the embodiment of perfect control over both martial souls. She knew very well how astonishing the level of control required to achieve this was.
If he continued cultivating at this pace, once Yu Tianhuang had nine rings in both martial souls, he would be able to use the soul skills attached to eighteen soul rings simultaneously.
"This stinking brat…" Ma Xiaotao murmured in a daze.
Although she was unwilling to admit it, the current Yu Tianhuang's strength had very likely already surpassed hers. Thinking back to Yu Tianhuang five years ago, she couldn't help but feel a sense of daze, unreality in her heart.
Even someone as proud as her could only lower her proud head in front of Yu Tianhuang.
Xu Zihuang did not pay attention to Ma Xiaotao. At this moment, he was looking directly at Ye Guyi and Ning Tian.
However, he did not delay the other male students because of this. After one minute had passed, he withdrew his martial souls and returned to his position.
But Xu Zihuang's performance had directly raised the difficulty for all subsequent male students to hell level.
After all, he was simply too perfect. Even if the other male students were truly outstanding, they would inevitably be compared to him by the female students, making it difficult for their own merits to stand out.
The Love at Second Sight segment continued. No matter what, this was the last chance for those male students to showcase themselves. They had to seize it.
Several male students took turns displaying their abilities; some showed dazzling soul skills, and others displayed unique martial soul characteristics. Their ages mostly ranged from twenty-five to thirty-five, with cultivation levels mainly at the Soul Emperor and Soul Saint ranks.
It didn't take long before Beibei and He Caitou appeared one after another.
Compared to the senior brothers who had gone before them, their biggest advantage was that both had broken through to Soul Emperor before the age of twenty. Breaking through to Soul Emperor before twenty was the threshold for measuring top-tier geniuses.
Even when He Caitou introduced himself, it greatly improved the female students' impression of him. A food-system Tool Soul Emperor under twenty years old, and like Yu Tianhuang, also a seventh-level soul mentor, this was enough to prove his talent.
Finally, it was time for Xu Sanshi, who was last in line, to take the stage.
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