Xu Sanshi took a deep breath and walked step by step toward the center of the lake's surface, which had condensed into dark red crystal.
Beams of cool soul guidance lighting fell upon the dark red crystal lake surface, scattering hazy halos that reflected into his eyes.
On the female students' side, Jiang Nannan kept her head lowered, not looking at Xu Sanshi as he approached.
However, Xu Sanshi did not do what she had expected; he did not shamelessly pester her regardless of appearances. Instead, he calmly stopped his steps between Zhang Lexuan and Han Ruoruo.
Although Xu Sanshi appeared very calm on the surface, both Zhang Lexuan and Han Ruoruo could feel the surging emotions in his heart.
Zhang Lexuan softly reminded him.
"Sanshi, you can begin."
Xu Sanshi nodded and gazed at Jiang Nannan opposite him. From the moment he first met Jiang Nannan, scene after scene of the past began to emerge in his mind.
"Nannan, here I am again. I don't even know how many times this is that I've confessed to you. My brothers kept asking me how to pursue a girl. I told them: first, you must be bold, careful, and thick-skinned. Especially thick-skinned, as long as you put down your pride, treat the girl you like with sincerity, care for her, and give for her, one day she will be moved."
Xu Sanshi's calm tone seemed to be suppressing something. The male students who had been chuckling at his words gradually withdrew their smiles.
After pausing for a moment, Xu Sanshi revealed a bitter, self-mocking smile.
"But now I understand, all of this was just my own wishful thinking. True love is equal. One-sided entanglement has no meaning. Sometimes I really envy Beibei and Tianhuang… I envy the deep feelings between them and Xiaoya, Ning Tian. The simple daily interactions they have are exactly what I have always longed for but could never reach."
"There was once a senior who jokingly called me a 'turtle guy,' saying that to win you, I had practically abandoned my dignity as a man, that it wasn't worth it. But I know the one who suffered the most was you. Because of my entanglement, I disturbed your life. And because of me, you endured that kind of harm."
"Nannan, we've known each other for so many years, from youth to adulthood, and now to this moment. How I have treated you all this time, I believe you can see it clearly. I know perhaps today's answer will be no different from before. But I still want to try. Even if there's just the slightest chance, I don't want to miss it. Nannan, could you open your heart just a little, even just a crack, for me?"
Xu Sanshi clenched both fists tightly, his gaze firm and persistent. Deep in his eyes still burned intense emotion and hopeful longing.
After silently giving for so many years, he truly wanted to receive a response from Jiang Nannan, even if it was just the tiniest bit.
Jiang Nannan's delicate body trembled slightly. Over the years, she had seen everything Xu Sanshi did for her, and she did feel touched in her heart. But this touch was still not enough to overcome the resentment buried deep within her. The hurt Xu Sanshi had caused her back then was too deep… far too deep.
Both of them remained silent.
At this moment, more than a minute had already passed since Xu Sanshi left his original position, yet no one urged him.
Jiang Nannan still kept her head lowered, refusing to look at Xu Sanshi.
Xu Sanshi did not wait long because he already knew the answer in his heart. The self-mockery on his face became even deeper.
At this point, he suddenly saw everything clearly, as if he had awakened from a dream.
There was no denying his feelings for Jiang Nannan, but at the very beginning, those feelings were rooted in guilt and indebtedness toward her, or perhaps it was just self-satisfaction.
"I understand."
Xu Sanshi let out a soft sigh, and surprisingly, there was a sense of relief in his voice.
Under everyone's gaze, he deeply bowed toward Jiang Nannan.
"I'm sorry. For all these years, I have caused you trouble. Starting from today, I will no longer pester you. Everyone has their own dreams; may we each shine in our own way."
Then Xu Sanshi turned toward Zhang Lexuan and Han Ruoruo with a bitter smile.
"Eldest Senior Sister, Senior Sister Han, I withdraw from this Sea God's Fated Matchmaking Event."
After saying this, Xu Sanshi turned and left. Reaching the edge of the dark red crystal surface, he stepped onto his Mysterious Underworld Turtle Shield and disappeared into the darkness.
At that moment, Jiang Nannan suddenly raised her head and looked in the direction Xu Sanshi had left. Her whole person seemed to have lost its soul. Her eyes reddened, and she bit her lip tightly.
Clearly, Xu Sanshi had decided to stop pestering her, yet her heart felt empty, as if in that instant she had lost something irreplaceable.
"Nannan."
Only when Zhang Lexuan's voice sounded beside her did Jiang Nannan suddenly come back to her senses. After slightly calming her emotions, she spoke apologetically to Zhang Lexuan and Han Ruoruo.
"I'm sorry, Eldest Senior Sister, Senior Sister Han. I give up my qualification for this Sea God's Fated Matchmaking Event."
Afterward, Jiang Nannan left from the other direction.
Such an opening made the atmosphere feel somewhat heavy. Discussions broke out among both the male and female students.
Xu Zihuang, Beibei, and He Caitou's gazes met briefly in midair.
On the female students' side, their impression of Xu Sanshi greatly improved. To give tirelessly for years for the girl he liked, to give with a true heart without asking for anything in return, how many people could do that? Moreover, Xu Sanshi's conditions in all aspects were undeniably excellent.
Wu Ming, who had a straightforward personality, couldn't help praising him.
"Didn't expect that kid Xu Sanshi had this side to him."
Ma Xiaotao, who was sitting beside her, also nodded deeply in agreement. The numbers they had drawn were adjacent, six and seven, respectively.
But regardless, the Sea God's Fated Matchmaking Event still had to continue.
Zhang Lexuan faced everyone and announced:
"Next, we begin the fourth segment: Predestined Across Three Lifetimes. In this segment, the female students will come forward one by one, introduce themselves, choose the male student they admire, and go stand beside him. After that, the male students should spread out a bit. No one may be charming enough to attract more than one female student. At the end of this segment, any male student who has not been chosen by any female student, sorry, you will have to leave our Sea God's Fated Matchmaking Event. Those who remain will proceed to the final segment."
Without a doubt, in this fourth segment, more male students would be eliminated.
With Xu Sanshi and Jiang Nannan having left, the numbers were now twenty-two males and nineteen females. Even if every female chose a different male, three males would still be eliminated.
However, such an ideal situation was rare. In reality, it was quite common for multiple females to choose the same outstanding male.
"Let's begin. Since Nannan has voluntarily given up her qualification for this Sea God's Fated Matchmaking Event, next, please welcome the second female student to introduce herself and make her choice."
The second female student stepped forward lightly and came beside Zhang Lexuan and Han Ruoruo. Her steps were brisk yet carried a soft, almost weightless grace.
Pink lotus flowers quietly bloomed around her. Two yellow, two purple, three black, and seven soul rings appeared at the same time.
This female student appeared to be around twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old. Her facial features were very soft; though not stunningly beautiful, she was elegantly pretty.
"My name is Hua Yao. I am thirty-one years old this year. My martial soul is the Lotus, and I am a control-type Battle Soul Saint. I only wish to find a gentle-tempered gentleman to accompany me, to live a plain and ordinary life together. That is what I pursue."
Although she was already thirty-one, among high-level soul masters, age differences were not a big issue. For Title Douluo-level powerhouses, lifespans of hundreds of years were normal. They could easily maintain a youthful appearance for nearly a century, and during that time, it would not affect childbearing at all.
Zhang Lexuan smiled gently and asked:
"Then, who is your choice?"
Hua Yao's pretty face blushed slightly. Her beautiful eyes swept across the group of male students and finally landed on a male student who appeared to be about thirty years old.
This male student was tall and slender. Though his appearance was somewhat ordinary, he had a steady and reliable temperament. In the previous rounds, he had performed very steadily. He was also a Soul Saint, with cultivation similar to Hua Yao's.
Thanks to Xu Zihuang turning the lake surface into a solid crystal, many inconveniences were avoided.
Hua Yao's figure flashed, and she was already standing beside this male student. The two looked at each other and smiled; there was a tacit understanding that needed no words.
The male students immediately burst into cheers and teasing. Finally, a good start!
Zhang Lexuan smiled faintly.
"Then, please welcome the next participant, the third female student."
The third female student was none other than Ning Tian.
Although she was also wearing the same white long dress, the temperament Ning Tian displayed was clearly different from Hua Yao's. Her hands rested gently over her lower abdomen, her steps light and graceful, exuding the refined and noble air of someone born into a great soul master family.
Two yellow, two purple, one black, five soul rings rose from beneath her feet. With a lift of her right hand, a brilliant light instantly appeared in her palm, transforming into a nine-story treasure pagoda radiating magnificent splendor. The soul rings floated upward, circling the pagoda, making it shine even more brilliantly under their light.
"Nine-layered Nine-colored?! The Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda?!"
The moment the nine-story pagoda appeared, everyone's pupils suddenly contracted — even the elders on the ferry boat were no exception.
To put it bluntly, once a Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda soul master grew up, they would possess the terrifying ability to change the outcome of an entire war.
"My name is Ning Tian, and I am an auxiliary-type soul master. Level 57 auxiliary-type Tool Soul King. Because of Tianhuang, my martial soul has finally evolved into the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda as I wished."
With a sweet, charming smile, Ning Tian came to Xu Zihuang's side and softly chanted:
"Nine Treasures turn, glazed within, First: Strength, Second: Speed, Third: Soul, Fourth: Defense, Fifth: Attack."
The Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda in her palm slowly floated out and grew slightly larger. The five soul rings around it shone in waves, one after another, steadily falling upon Xu Zihuang.
In an instant, Xu Zihuang felt his cultivation surge violently. Not just his soul power, every single attribute of his body increased by sixty percent!
Having reached the Soul King realm, Ning Tian's ability to multitask with the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda had reached the level of Five Apertures Dispersed Heart. As the sole heir of the next generation of the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, it was only natural that she could achieve this.
The gazes of quite a few male students around them instantly became scorching hot.
After ten thousand years, the legendary Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda had appeared once again. The support of a Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda soul master was the dream of every soul master.
Ning Tian simply stood quietly beside Xu Zihuang, her pretty face full of confident smiles, looking completely assured of victory.
Next, Ye Guyi came forward and instantly attracted countless gazes once again. However, she did not introduce herself. She only silently stood expressionlessly on Xu Zihuang's other side, opposite Ning Tian. In terms of aura, she instantly overshadowed Ning Tian.
Ning Tian's body stiffened slightly. She couldn't help but sneak glances at Ye Guyi from the corner of her eye.
Yu Tianhuang had been the first to lift Ye Guyi's bamboo hat; how could she not care? Moreover, Ye Guyi's appearance and temperament were in no way inferior to hers, and she had previously displayed such formidable strength.
The fourth segment continued.
After the fifth female student chose a male student, it was the turn of the Golden Crow Saintess, Wu Ming, to step forward.
Wu Ming floated out gracefully. A pair of golden wings spread open behind her back. With a flap of her wings, she soared into the air.
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