After unveiling Xiao Xiao's veil, Huo Yuhao chose to end his round.
Next up was He Caitou. This guy was truly goofy—at first, he even considered using a Grade 7 soul tool shell to force the Sea God Fairies to take off their veils. It wasn't until Dai Yueheng reminded him that he realized that wouldn't fly. Still, as a soul tool genius, he had some clever tricks up his sleeve. In the end, he managed to unveil the veils of four Sea God Fairies.
The rest of the male students also displayed their own talents, heading toward the remaining Sea God Fairies whose veils hadn't yet been removed. In the end, out of the twenty-one Sea God Fairies, only three still wore veils. Meanwhile, the forty-two male students had been reduced to thirty-nine; aside from Ye Liu, who drew everyone's ire, two others were disqualified for cheating and falling into the water.
With the conclusion of the first round, Mutual Affection, the male students' enthusiasm had been thoroughly ignited. Quite a few were now like starving wolves with glowing green eyes, eager to pounce on the Sea God Fairies, who seemed like delicious little lambs.
The second round was about to begin. This time, the order of appearance was determined by how many veils each male student had removed. Since Zhu Ziyang had unveiled four veils, he ranked first, followed by He Caitou, who also removed four.
"Next is the second round," Dai Yueheng announced loudly. "After getting to know each other in the first round, now it's time for the girls to express which boys they like. That's why this round is called Love at First Sight."
"The rules are simple. Each female participant has a switch to control the soul lamp on her lotus leaf. They will light their lamps for the boys they like. Any boy who receives at least one lit lamp can continue to the next round."
"But if no one lights a lamp for a certain boy... I'm afraid he'll have to leave the event."
Zhu Ziyang raised an eyebrow. So-called Love at First Sight... wasn't this just based on looks? If a girl had no interaction with a boy, then the only reason she'd light a lamp for him is that his appearance fit her taste. There was no second possibility.
After all, humans are visual creatures.
Zhu Ziyang wasn't concerned at all. He had Jiang Nannan, Ma Xiaotao, and Qian Lingyi on his side. Even just going off looks, he was very confident.
Dai Yueheng continued, "Ladies, please consider carefully. You have one minute. Make your decisions wisely!"
"Also, I must stress that if any of you don't light a lamp for at least one of the thirty-nine boys, that means you forfeit the matchmaking event and must withdraw from the Sea God Lake."
The girls pondered silently. Their expressions didn't betray much, but their minds were clearly active.
After a minute, Zhang Weiwei gently said, "Alright, time's up. Let's begin the second round, Love at First Sight."
"First, Sea God Fairies, please cast your lights for Zhu Ziyang. Just a reminder, lighting a lamp for a boy doesn't mean you must choose him in the end. If you have a good impression of him, give him a chance—and yourself as well. He'll notice who supports him too."
"Let's begin!"
Zhu Ziyang wore a calm, faint smile, as if the judgment of twenty-one girls meant nothing. Frankly, with his spiritual cultivation, he had long attained a state of tranquility. This situation, which would make most people nervous or awkward, was far less stimulating than teasing Zhang Lexuan while carrying Jiang Nannan on the Moon God Shuttle. Ahem, too far...
"Three! Two! One!" Dai Yueheng's countdown ended.
All twenty-one soul lamps remained lit.
"Excellent! Twenty-one lamps! Zhu Ziyang has started us off with a bang!" Dai Yueheng praised, his voice carrying a hint of emotion. "As expected of Zhu Ziyang!"
Zhu Ziyang's smile deepened slightly. He wasn't surprised. Of the twenty-one girls, those who knew him obviously would light up. Those who didn't would've been impressed by his performance in round one. Even if they didn't know him, leaving a light was a sign of goodwill. After all, anyone who made it into Shrek's inner court wasn't average.
Zhu Ziyang's full twenty-one lights placed heavy pressure on the others—especially He Caitou, who was sweating nervously.
"Second, He Caitou. Sea God Fairies, please get ready," Dai Yueheng announced. "Begin!"
As the words fell, the Sea God Lake seemed to dim. Lamps extinguished one after another. It was brutal.
In the end, two lamps remained lit—Tang Ya and Xue Weiwei.
It was both good and bad. Good, because He Caitou wasn't eliminated and could proceed. Bad, because the two girls who left lamps were both already 'friends'—wives, essentially—of others. The girl he liked hadn't lit a lamp for him. Though he knew it was one-sided, people always hold on to a shred of hope.
His eyes dimmed slightly, but he still smiled and said, "Xiao Ya and Weiwei are so loyal!"
"You'd better treat Beibei and Xu Sanshi to a meal," Zhu Ziyang said, teasing.
"Heh heh! Of course!" He Caitou replied sheepishly.
The next few participants did reasonably well—none matched Zhu Ziyang's peak, but none flopped like He Caitou either. Most earned six or seven lamps.
Then it was Xu Sanshi's turn. Unlike his predecessors, he was totally calm. After all, he already had a partner and didn't care about flirty attention.
"Xu Sanshi, Love at First Sight, begin!"
Clink clink clink... Almost simultaneously, twenty of the twenty-one lamps went out. Only one remained glowing—Xue Weiwei's.
"Uh... why doesn't this feel like a win?" Xu Sanshi muttered, mildly frustrated. He knew the girls had coordinated this, but he couldn't complain. They meant well.
Helplessly, he took the title of last place—just vacated by He Caitou.
"Xu Sanshi, acting like he's been wronged when he's the lucky one," Zhu Ziyang chuckled.
"Exactly!" He Caitou agreed, nodding.
"Senior Brother, do you think Weiwei and Teacher Ya coordinated that?" Huo Yuhao, who had taken off one veil, stood beside Beibei and asked curiously.
"Yeah," Beibei nodded, his face also a bit odd—he had already foreseen that when it was his turn, likely only Tang Ya would light a lamp for him. For some reason, he found himself envying Zhu Ziyang.
Soon, Huo Yuhao's turn came. He was visibly nervous. He knew he wouldn't get shut out, but still—what man doesn't want lots of girls to like him?
"Huo Yuhao, Love at First Sight, begin!" Dai Yueheng called, subtly glancing at the boy who had repeatedly defeated his younger brother Dai Huabin. He was intrigued.
Surprisingly, Huo Yuhao received quite a few lights: Tang Ya, Xue Weiwei, and Xiao Xiao, of course—but also the second, seventeenth, and twenty-first girls who still wore veils, plus Wu Ming and several others. Sixteen lamps lit in total. While not as many as Zhu Ziyang's twenty-one, it was still the second highest.
Then it was Beibei's turn. As predicted, only Tang Ya's lamp remained lit. Beibei could see her gloating and smug expression across the lake.
He smiled helplessly.
After that, Zhu Ziyang wasn't especially focused. Among those he watched was Dai Huabin. As a Dai Clan heir already engaged to a girl from the Zhu Clan, his appearance at this matchmaking event was shocking—not just to Zhu Ziyang, but also to host Dai Yueheng, who wore a visible scowl. But technically, Dai Huabin hadn't married yet, so he hadn't broken any rules.
Still, his identity was no secret. A man with a fiancée sneaking into a matchmaking event? Naturally, every girl extinguished their lamp—except for a girl named Wu Feng. She was also the only one who didn't light a lamp for Huo Yuhao earlier.
Zhu Ziyang stroked his chin thoughtfully. These two were targeting Xiao Huo, huh? His smile widened. When it comes to watching drama, the juicier, the better.
After Dai Huabin, the first official elimination of the round occurred. Xie Huanyue received no lamps and had to leave. The chubby guy roared in grief, "Fat guys have no rights!"
Unfortunately...
Joy and sorrow are not shared equally between people.
The others just thought he was being loud.
(End of Chapter)
---
This Fanfiction Has Been Completed on Patreon, There is 2 Chapters Ahead of Release for Free Members on my Patreon.
Support me if you like this Fanfiction.
Patreon,com/Fallen_Archangel_
(Remove comma for dot.)
Leave a 5 star Review and a Power Stone.