Chapter 157: Love at First Sight
This year's Sea God Connection event didn't have any male students removing multiple hats. Each of the nine hats was removed by nine different male students. Du Qianjue, who removed senior sister Zhang Lexuan's hat, naturally found himself in the first position for the second round due to the other male students' support.
"No objections here. After all, it's Zhang Lexuan's hat he removed!" announced Han Ruoruo with a gentle and melodious voice, indicating the end of the first round and the beginning of the second. "This next round is where the Sea Goddesses get to choose the male students. Each Sea Goddess has a switch to turn on or off the soul guide lamp at their feet. If a male student doesn't get any Sea Goddess to leave their lamp on for him, he will be eliminated," Gong Yangmo added.
"Let's begin the second round, Love at First Sight!" announced Han Ruoruo and Gong Yangmo together.
The Sea Goddesses now each held a square soul control device, which controlled the soul guide lamp at their feet. If they didn't want to keep a light on for a male student, they just had to press the switch, and the lamp would turn off.
Most male students were visibly tense, knowing this round had the highest rate of elimination, especially those who hadn't stood out in the first round. They felt huge pressure, knowing they had to make a memorable impression or face elimination.
The order for this round was determined by the number of hats each male student had removed in the previous round. Nine male students succeeded in removing hats, and there was no instance where a single student removed multiple hats.
Du Qianjue, having removed the hat of the senior sister of the Inner Court, Zhang Lexuan, was rightfully placed first for his performance. This was a great advantage, as being the first to perform, if he had left a good impression in the previous round, he would likely advance.
"Love at First Sight, first up is—Du Qianjue!" announced Han Ruoruo.
Du Qianjue stepped forward, his leaf floating out slightly, positioning him in front of the Sea Goddesses. "Three, two, one!" shouted Han Ruoruo and Gong Yangmo, "Please make your choices, Sea Goddesses!"
Silence fell...
Eighteen lamps shone brightly; not a single one was turned off. The Sea Goddesses had the option to keep their lamps on if they approved of the contestant, not necessarily committing to a choice. Du Qianjue's previous performance, although not displaying significant power, had showcased his ability to walk through the air and his skill with ice elements to create beautiful ice flowers, which continued to captivate the Sea Goddesses.
Who wouldn't want a romantic, high EQ partner who was also a genius? Du Qianjue was only under twenty but had already reached the Soul Saint level, an astonishingly fast cultivation speed.
Under these circumstances, why would any Sea Goddess turn off their lamp?
This led to the extraordinary scene of all eighteen lamps remaining lit, a first in the history of the Sea God Connection where a male student had all lamps kept on for him, especially someone not even from Shrek Academy.
Jealous exclamations echoed among the male students, with many casting complex glances at Du Qianjue, who was an outsider. Mixed feelings of envy, disbelief, and frustration were evident.
"Brother, awesome!" Chen Zifeng shouted, giving Du Qianjue a thumbs-up.
Although Du Qianjue wasn't from their academy and might even lead a Sea Goddess away, his achievement was undeniably impressive.
Seeing the other male students deflated, Han Ruoruo quickly shifted focus, "Let's have the second male student for the second round of Love at First Sight!"
As the event continued, the other male students didn't enjoy the same popularity as Du Qianjue. From the tenth contestant onwards, the elimination rate was harsh—three out of every four were eliminated.
By the end of Love at First Sight, out of over forty male students, only nineteen remained, barely more than the number of Sea Goddesses.
The male students reorganized based on the number of lamps they had kept lit. With eighteen lamps, Du Qianjue again stood at the forefront, a full grand slam achiever.
End of Chapter