Chapter 268

Five days later, it was time for the highly anticipated Haishen Affinity event to begin.

As the sky gradually darkened, perhaps because the upcoming Haishen Affinity Matchmaking Convention was about to be held, a subtle romantic atmosphere began to emanate from Haishen Dao, which is encircled by Haishen Hu.

On the island, Shilake Academy inner court students wearing red uniforms began to gather in twos and threes toward the place where the Haishen Affinity Matchmaking Convention would be held.

Since Shilake Academy's Soul Tool Department had only recently developed, the inner court students still focused mainly on martial soul, each showing their abilities, and they quickly gathered by the lakeside.

All who had gathered were male students; no female students were in sight. The lake was pitch black, and amidst the spreading mist, it was hard to see anything.

At that moment, a large boat came from afar, its lights blazing. The inner court students certainly recognized it as the biggest ferry on Haishen Hu, yet at that time the boat was already full of people.

Sitting on the boat were the Senior Elders of Haishen Pavilion and the four deans of the two major departments, their faces all bearing smiles, looking very festive.

Those inner court students who had previously participated in the Haishen Affinity Matchmaking Convention knew exactly what was going on, while some first‑year participants were filled with anticipation.

Academy life, study, and cultivation were undoubtedly dull, but this event offered young male and female students a rare chance to showcase themselves and find a lover.

The large boat did not come this way; instead, it stopped in the middle of the lake.

Suddenly, Yan Shaozhe's expression on the boat changed; he poked Xuanzi, who sat beside him, and excitedly said something while pointing toward the male students.

Xuanzi, who had been listlessly drinking, was also startled by his words, quickly turning to look in the direction he pointed, his face full of disbelief.

Not only him, but everyone on the boat changed expression, rose together, and looked toward the direction Yan Shaozhe had just pointed, their faces full of excitement.

Their strange behavior left the male students puzzled, utterly bewildered as to what had happened.

Just then, beams of light suddenly leapt from the lake water; as the light rippled, the first to appear were, astonishingly, eighteen beams of light.

Wow—

The attention of the male students on the shore shifted instantly, and some could not help exclaiming in admiration.

All eighteen beams were pale gold; on the lake surface where each beam emerged, a girl in a white long dress stood silently.

All eighteen girls wore identical white long dresses, each head covered with the same Douli (Hat) (Hat) (Hat), a three‑foot white veil hanging down, completely concealing their faces.

Against the pale gold light, they seemed like fairies gliding over the lake, their ethereal beauty dazzling to behold.

At that moment, two stronger white beams of light shone, and two figures appeared alongside them.

On the left was Bei Bei wearing a white robe, and on the right was Zhang Lexuan, the senior sister of Shilake Academy's inner court, dressed in a pale yellow long dress.

They naturally also noticed the change in expression of the teachers and Senior Elders on the big ship; Zhang Lexuan obviously seemed a bit puzzled, but Bei Bei remained unflustered, clearly having anticipated this.

His voice carried far away.

"At Haishen Hu, the Haishen Fate, ten-thousand-year Shilake Academy, when destinies are sealed in a moment, welcome everyone to the shores of Haishen Hu on this beautiful night. The annual Haishen Fate matchmaking event is about to begin; as the host of this grand gathering……"

Obviously, he and Zhang Lexuan are the hosts of this Haishen Fate matchmaking event.

His opening remarks were simple and easy to understand, allowing many participants attending this event for the first time to gradually relax and calm down to listen to his speech.

"Next, all male participants in today's Haishen Fate matchmaking event, get ready; shortly, thirty-nine pillars of light will appear in the lake. The participants closest to us, the Haishen fairies, will undertake the first segment first, while those farther back may very well fail to obtain a suitable ranking in the first segment. So pay attention: no matter what method you use, as long as you land on the lotus leaf where a pillar of light stands, you have secured a position—but absolutely do not fall into the water, or you will be disqualified from continuing in this year's Haishen Fate matchmaking event." After roughly explaining the rules of the initial segment, Bei Bei began timing.

"Then everyone, get ready—three, two, one……"

All the male inner-court students tensed their bodies, tightly staring at the target lotus leaves.

"Begin."

As Bei Bei called out "begin," thirty-nine pillars of light suddenly shot up from beneath the lake surface; these thirty-nine pillars were divided into three neat rows, each row spaced about five meters apart, evenly distributed across the lake surface about one hundred meters from the female students, roughly two hundred meters from the shore.

Various lights lit up on Haishen Hu, and the inner-court students instantly began to display their abilities, each rushing toward the direction where the pillars rose in their own way.

Yet no one's speed could match that golden figure.

As golden dragon wings sprouted from his back, a youth flew out at a speed beyond ordinary comprehension, arriving above the first lotus leaf in an instant and landing steadily upon it.

A sonic boom sounded behind him, and the terrifying wind pressure forced many inner-court disciples to unleash their martial souls to block it.

All the inner-court students were dumbfounded.

Most of them had just taken off, yet this person had already arrived?

Who is he? This question rose in the hearts of most inner-court students, because they suddenly realized they did not know this youth at all.

The youth wore a white close-fitting outfit, his black hair just reaching his shoulders, and his brilliant golden eyes were exceptionally gentle; merely looking at him made one feel immense warmth.

As soon as he landed on the lotus leaf, he attracted the attention of all the female students; there was no way around it—he was simply too handsome, his looks even surpassing Wang Dong's by a head.

After all, although Wang Dong is also good-looking, he appears somewhat overly feminine, so it's quite normal for those who don't know him to mistake him for a girl.

But this youth is different; he possesses the delicate beauty of a woman and the vigorous masculinity of a man, and while the boyish innocence on him is about to fade, the youthful vigor and spirit are about to emerge.

Simply by standing here, he is enough to draw everyone's attention.

And as time passed, some students with better memories also recalled his identity.

Seeing him, Xu San Shi first widened his eyes in shock, then speechlessly twitched his mouth, and shifted his gaze to the second lotus leaf.

He had originally intended to swap places with the inner-court student ranked first, but now seeing this, he thought better of it.

First place is actually this kid; competing with him would just be asking for trouble.

By the way, it's been over two years since we last saw him—has he become even more of a freak?

"Comparing people makes you angry to death," Xu San Shi thought speechlessly.

Obviously, this youth is Tang Wulin.

He had spent nearly a year burying all the dragon bones, and finally emerged from Dragon Valley.

(End of chapter)