Chapter 84: Down

When the words "17‑year‑old Soul Douluo" were spoken, many of the female trainees' eyes lit up, especially the younger ones.

What being a 17‑year‑old Soul Douluo means is crystal clear to them as inner‑court trainees.

Chen Qiye said nothing, stepped forward, and over Sea God Lake a vast sheet of ice instantly formed, a bone‑chilling cold that even Ling Luocheng, whose martial soul is ice‑type, could not help but feel.

Immediately, eight orange soul rings rose from Chen Qiye's feet: orange, orange, orange, orange, orange, orange, orange, orange.

The eight orange‑red soul rings hovered beneath Chen Qiye's feet.

The terrifying configuration of Chen Qiye's soul rings exuded an aura that forced those present to unleash their martial souls to counter the breath of a beast older than 200,000 years.

After speaking, Chen Qiye did not write a number tag; instead, he turned and returned to the lotus leaf.

"Brother, are you still letting us live? We thought you were just bragging, but you really are a Soul Douluo. How could such a monster exist in this world? Brother, how are we supposed to survive… "

The senior behind him forced a wry smile and spoke.

"Yuhao, it's your turn." Sure enough, Bei Bei's call rang out.

Huo Yuhao inhaled deeply, his mood calm; his demeanor was naturally composed. With a light tap of his toe on the lotus leaf, he floated away, weightless, while the little snow maiden on his shoulder did not stir at all.

Drifting five or six meters forward, Huo Yuhao's toe brushed the water, and the cold condensed into a sheet of ice that supported his body as he slid ahead.

"My name is Huo Yuhao, seventeen this year. Control‑ and Strong‑Attack dual‑path Battle Soul King, sixth‑rank Soul Instructor."

He stopped there, and the female trainees opposite wore surprised expressions; the most impatient, the Golden Crow Holy Maiden, could no longer hold back. She raised her hand and said, "Hold on. Senior Sister, I'm a bit confused—may I ask him a question?"

Zhang Le Xuan replied, "One. No precedent."

"Fine." Wu Ming readily agreed and asked Huo Yuhao, "You didn't pile on titles just to attract girls, did you? Control and Strong‑Attack dual‑path—how does that split? Do you have two martial souls? And you're a sixth‑rank Soul Instructor, only seventeen, a universal warrior?"

"Chen Qiye aside, he can't be serious, can he?"

Huo Yuhao gave a slight smile and said, "Senior sister, hello. I indeed have two martial souls: the primary is control‑type, the secondary is strong‑attack, and I also practice the Soul Instructor path. I just returned a few days ago from an exchange at the Sun‑Moon Royal Soul Instructor Academy."

Wu Ming was stunned and asked in surprise, "Dual‑born martial souls?"

Huo Yuhao was somewhat famous in the outer courtyard, but to the inner courtyard he meant little, especially since he had been away for over two years; even those who once remembered him would have forgotten. When the words "Dual‑born martial souls" were spoken, many female trainees' eyes lit up, especially the younger ones.

What Dual‑born martial souls mean is crystal clear to them as inner‑court trainees. Once a Soul Master's cultivation reaches the titled Douluo level and the second martial soul's soul rings are completed, even at merely ninety‑one levels he can contend with Super‑Douluo‑rank masters. Moreover, Huo Yuhao's Dual‑born souls—a control and a strong‑attack—are a perfect pairing.

Yet however versatile Huo Yuhao may be, he is not as formidable as Chen Qiye, the Soul Douluo.

Finally, it was Xu Sanshi, who was last in line, that took the stage.

Xu Sanshi's expression was slightly sour; evidently, Jiang Nannan's failure to leave a light for him in the previous round had hit him hard.

He still used the Xuanming Turtle Shell Shield as a small boat, stepping on it as he glided out. The water beneath the shield produced oddly few ripples, as if the shield had merged with the water.

Jiang Nannan frowned slightly, turned her head away, and did not look at Xu Sanshi approaching her.

Xu Sanshi slowly stopped ten meters away from her.

"Nannan, I'm back again. I don't even know how many times I've confessed to you. The brothers keep asking me how to chase girls; I tell them you need boldness, attentiveness, and thick skin. Especially thick skin—you must have it. Drop your pride, persist relentlessly, and you'll eventually have a chance."

A few light chuckles rose among the male trainees, but Xu Sanshi did not smile; his expression remained solemn.

"Nannan, ever since I first saw you I've liked you. I know I once gave you a terrible impression. Yet we've known each other for years, from youth to adulthood, up to now. Whatever I feel for you, you can see it. I can tell you that for you I would give everything, even my life. I know perhaps today's answer won't differ from before, but I still must try; even a sliver of chance I won't let slip. Nannan, open your heart, give me a crack, and I will give you all my love and passion."

Xu Sanshi's confession sounded unremarkable, even bland. Yet within that flat tone lay a suppressed something. His gaze was steadfast and obsessive, but deep inside flickered intense emotional turbulence.

Jiang Nannan finally turned her head. Their eyes met, and she was startled to see two streams of tears sliding down Xu Sanshi's calm face, his eyes reddening.

In that instant, Jiang Nannan's delicate body trembled slightly; no thousand words could match the shock of Xu Sanshi's tears falling before everyone.

All these years, she knew exactly how Xu Sanshi treated her. She also knew his words were not empty; he truly would sacrifice his life for her. Yet why did she still haggle? Was the past really worth such calculation? Still, that one incident left an indelible impression.

At this moment, more than a minute had passed since Xu Sanshi left his seat, yet no one urged him.

No matter how the Sea God Fate Matchmaking Gathering was arranged, in the face of genuine feeling everyone was willing to wait. All eyes were fixed on Jiang Nannan, ten meters ahead of Xu Sanshi.

Jiang Nannan bit her lip lightly, watching the tear‑soaked Xu Sanshi, his seemingly calm face; she opened her mouth several times but could not speak.

"I understand," Xu Sanshi said without waiting long, a grim smile crossing his face. He suddenly spread his arms and fell backward as if stripped of strength.

As he fell backward, his gaze never left Jiang Nannan, tears streaming down his face, his eyes filled with love, reluctance, and grievance.

"Splash!"

Water sprayed everywhere. Xu Sanshi and his Xuanming Turtle Shell Shield vanished in a flash of black light like lightning. Falling into the water meant he left the matchmaking gathering. Even in the instant before submerging, his tears did not lessen. A man's tears are not shed lightly; he simply had not reached the point of sorrow.

From the day he met Jiang Nannan until now, six full years had passed. For six years Xu Sanshi pursued relentlessly, repeatedly confessing. Yet he always received rejection, because six years ago he committed a mistake that cast a heavy shadow in Jiang Nannan's heart.

In six years he invested immense effort, yet he always met rejection.

Xu Sanshi kept waiting for the moment when clouds part and the moon shines. Yet the answer he received remained negative.

Staring blankly at Xu Sanshi's plunge, Jiang Nannan felt as if her soul had left her; her legs gave way and she sat down on the lotus leaf. Had Huo Yuhao not already frozen the leaf beneath into ice, she too would have fallen into the water!

"Bastard, bastard, bastard!" Jiang Nannan suddenly wailed.

"Why? I turned you down so many times, why won't you give up? You're a grown man, why are you crying? Why are you crying?"

Seeing Jiang Nannan sobbing uncontrollably, everyone fell silent. The female trainees wanted to console her but had no idea how. After all, no one knew what truly transpired between her and Xu Sanshi.

Jiang Nannan wept, curled on the lotus leaf, her voice hoarse. Inside, countless suppressed emotions churned.

Gazing at the glittering Sea God Lake surface, she trembled and whispered, "Bastard, don't go…"

Six years of Xu Sanshi's meticulous care—risking his life for her, shielding her from foes, sheltering her from storm—she too is flesh and blood! How could she not know all this? Yet she could never accept him because the past shadow was too heavy.

But just now, today, when she saw the usually joking, mischievous guy calmly shedding tears for her, the suppressed feelings inside her could no longer be restrained.

The sudden emotional collapse finally broke her defenses. As she watched Xu Sanshi fall backward into the water, she felt she might lose him forever. That moment's panic turned into despair.

"Bastard, don't go…"

Jiang Nannan wept weakly, her inner despair growing stronger. She finally realized she truly could not lose the rogue who clung to her daily.

"Splash!" A voice suddenly emerged from the ice beneath Jiang Nannan, a head popping up.

Jiang Nannan instantly fell silent, her tear‑blurred eyes looking.

The person wiped lake water from his face, eyes slightly swollen, but a broad grin appeared: "Bastard's here."

Jiang Nannan stared, the guy's cheeky grin no longer repulsive.

From despair to regained hope, her emotions erupted like a volcano; she leapt forward, diving into the water and forcefully pushing the bastard back into it.

「Damn it! 」

Xu Sanshi couldn't speak at all; he had been pressed so hard that he was blowing bubbles in the water.

Happy bubbles! The female trainees stared wide-eyed; the female trainee closest to Jiang Nannan had red eyes too: 'It's so passionate, so moving.'

Xu Sanshi tightly held Jiang Nannan, and only with difficulty did he emerge from the water. At this moment, both of them were completely soaked.

They gazed at each other in the water. Xu Sanshi gently helped Jiang Nannan move the hair blocking her eyes from her forehead.

'It's you who called me back! You have to take responsibility for me.'

Jiang Nannan's pretty face flushed with a blush; she lowered her head and softly said, 'I'll think about it.'

'I'll wait for you even if it takes a lifetime.' Saying this, Xu Sanshi firmly held her in his arms. Jiang Nannan only resisted slightly, then buried her head in his shoulder, refusing to lift it no matter what.

'Clap clap clap...' applause sounded. Both male and female trainees used applause to bless this loving couple.

Xu Sanshi raised his left hand, forcefully swung his fist once, turned around, looked toward Huo Yuhao's direction, and extended his thumb toward him.

Xu Sanshi is not a god, and it's impossible that everything he did before was just an act. How could he have returned at the most crucial moment? There's only one reason—Spirit Detection Sharing.

It was Huo Yuhao who timely transmitted Jiang Nannan's reactions, even her voice, to him through Spirit Detection Simulation Sharing. Only then did Xu Sanshi shift from despair to ecstasy, rushing back to Jiang Nannan's side in the nick of time and finally winning the beauty's return. If he missed this opportunity, once Jiang Nannan regained her senses, he would likely have to go through great trouble again. Moreover, even he himself wasn't sure whether, after this deep despair, he could ever regain his former enthusiasm.

Therefore, at this moment, he felt genuine gratitude toward Huo Yuhao. What is brotherhood? This is brotherhood! Coming through in the clutch.

Huo Yuhao smiled faintly; his blood was boiling as well. Watching Xu Sanshi and Jiang Nannan embrace in the water, he felt his own emotions surging violently, yearning.

As the host, Bei Bei turned away at this moment; in his eyes, tears likewise welled up. At this moment, he intensely missed his lover. Xiao Ya, where exactly are you? 'Hey, you two have broken the rules. This is only the third segment, and you've already gone straight to the final segment.' Zhang Lexuan said with a smile.

Xu Sanshi laughed and said, 'Senior Sister, it's all my fault; I'll make it up to you later. Let's go ahead first.' He didn't want anyone to see Jiang Nannan's soaked state. The Xuanming Turtle Shell Shield suddenly turned into a mass of intense black light, enveloping him and Jiang Nannan as they headed toward the shore.

Zhang Lexuan smiled and waved her hand, saying, 'Bless you two, remember your confession to Nannan just now.'

'Certainly.' Xu Sanshi's voice came from afar.

'In this segment, the female trainees take turns appearing, introducing themselves, choosing the male they like, and going to his side. The male trainees should stand apart; it's not ruled out that someone with great charm could attract more than one female trainee. At the end of this segment, if a male trainee hasn't been favored by any female trainee, then sorry, you will leave our matchmaking event this time. The remaining people will continue with the final segment.'

(End of chapter)