"Yeah, unmasking is easy, but the later rounds aren't as simple…" Yan Shaozhe joked.
Though midway, Cai Meier nudged him, toning down his mischief a bit.
On the boat.
The elders all grinned.
"Ha ha ha! First time seeing Su Wen get bested—too bad we can't record this…" Xuanzi took a swig, laughing boisterously.
"Thirteen? Tsk tsk…" Elder Zhuang shook his head. "Can't bear to look."
This was beyond a mere love triangle.
It was… well, no words for it. Let's just hope the kid isn't chopped up and thrown in Shrek's moat tomorrow.
He's already got too many complicated relationships.
He's tangled with soul beast royalty, too. Not sure whether to praise his ability or mourn in advance.
"Elder Mu, will he be okay?" Elder Lin frowned as more and more girls gave each other sharp glances. A handful were friendly, but most showed a hint of hostility.
If not for Su Wen's presence, they'd probably have started fighting already…
Handling one or two is easy.
But having so many, with such tangled relationships—they'd need a flowchart to manage it all. Whether he could balance them was another question.
"No worries." Elder Mu, in his lavish white robe, smiled. "Gu Yuena is the strongest, but from my observations, her temperament is pretty stable. Even if she fights, she won't go all out…"
"If it's just pulling hair and pushing, let Su Wen suffer. We'll just watch and enjoy."
"Elder Mu, never knew you were so devious!" Elder Song teased.
"..."
...
"Bei Bei, damn you!" Xu Sanshi, first place, jumped up, gnashing his teeth at Bei Bei.
Aside from Su Wen, Bei Bei was the only other one who'd confirmed a relationship and was showing off his romance.
Xiaoya had purposely made her identity obvious, allowing Bei Bei to find her, unmasking to reveal a passionate kiss on the small lotus—drawing plenty of "disdain," whistles and applause from the girls.
"Little Pavilion Lord unveiled thirteen hats—why not complain about him?" Bei Bei remarked.
"He's awesome. I'm jealous but not bitter. You are my buddy!" Xu Sanshi gave him a look of deep grievance.
"We started on the same track—why did you get the girl first?"
"I'm afraid you'll be unhappy, but I'm even more afraid you'll be too happy."
Bei Bei: "..."
The unveiling round quickly ended.
Only Gu Fan fell into the lake and was eliminated—all others passed.
All the girls had been unmasked.
Everyone was a goddess, legs for days. After this round, the mood was high.
Most boys were sneaking glances at their favorites.
This year's contestants were way above average. Even Jiang Nannan, the reigning school beauty, seemed overwhelmed—it really was a parade of beauties.
Just among the very best: Wang Dong'er, Mu Qiu'er, Gu Yuena, Zhang Lexuan… Of course, Senior Sister stood out for her gentle, watery aura.
Next was the position swap, based on the number of hats each boy had unveiled.
Yan Shaozhe announced, "The second round is called Love at First Sight. This is the girls' stage. Each will get a soul lamp, and can choose to leave it lit for a boy or turn it off. As long as one lamp stays lit for you, you proceed. If none remain, you're eliminated…"
"And girls, if you turn off all your lamps, that means you're giving up on tonight's matchmaking, and must leave Sea God Lake."
Compared to before, "Love at First Sight" was short, but cruel.
After all, there were more girls than boys, and over a dozen were there for Su Wen alone. After they chose, only 20-something others would remain.
"First up, Su Wen."
The boys' lights went out, leaving only one beam on Su Wen.
The girls were silent, but everyone expected the outcome.
"Begin!"
Just as expected—no one extinguished their lamp. The girls looked Su Wen up and down, each with their own thoughts.
"Master, I feel some pressure now," Mu Qiu'er whispered.
"This is just the beginning!" Gu Yuena narrowed her eyes. "The real rivals are the ones who stay after the next cut."
"..."
"Unanimous!" Yan Shaozhe announced. "Congratulations to Su Wen!"
All the inner court students looked on with awe.
They'd guessed what would happen, but seeing it proved memorable.
Unprecedented—a round where not a single lamp for Su Wen went out!
Next was He Caitou.
He foolishly brandished a soul cannon earlier, scaring out four hat wins but offending the girls. Without even the original novel's Xiao Xiao to leave her lamp on, all his lights went out instantly—he left, devastated.
"Aaaah!" He wailed, walking off.
Su Wen pondered.
Was He Caitou really so honest and dim? He knew from the original and from personal experience that He was shrewd; outwardly warm, but always keeping one foot out the door.
Fan Yu moved to join the Sun Moon Empire and tried to take He Caitou with him, but Caitou deflected with feigned ignorance, never getting caught.
And now, Fan Yu and the youngest disciple, Huo Yuhao, were both missing. He Caitou was still in the Soul Tool Department, acting as normal.
Truly, a leaf untouched by mud.
Perhaps only those who know his secrets could really see through his disguise. In the original, only Huo Yuhao was close to him…
When it was Tang Ya's turn, the girls politely left their lamps off, giving her and Bei Bei the spotlight—a pair of soul lamps reflecting their love.
After her kidnapping by evil soul masters, Tang Ya had been a wreck.
After a recent "operation" by Su Wen, she'd finally started bouncing back. Joining Sea God Fate was a way of facing her demons and retracing her path.
As for Xu Sanshi, even if he fooled around, his talent got him a few lamps left lit…