Chapter 214: Love at First Sight, Love at Second Sight What could he do by leaping two meters into the air? He Caitou immediately gave them an answer! The soul thruster behind his back erupted with strong light, propelling him forward with bedazzling speed. He wasn"t surging forward with this rapid motion, but diagonally upwards instead. He was already in midair when two enormous wings from a flying-type soul tool extended behind his back. The radiance of soul power burst forth, and he appeared in the sky above the female students in no time. The wings began to change shape at this moment. They s.h.i.+fted forward speedily, and became like the surface of an umbrella as they circled around He Caitou"s chest. Light was released downwards, a little weaker than before. He Caitou used this propulsive force to hover in the sky, and his nimble manipulations were extremely impressive. "Watch out, everyone." He Caitou"s hands began to move as he spoke. He was tall and robust, so he was dense and clumsy to a certain extent. However, his hands displayed unnatural agility as black metal lumps flew out from his hands and dropped directly into the water. There were several hundred of them. What are those? Every single young woman thought at the same time. With He Caitou"s previous performance, the girls saw him as someone who was both straightforward and extremely reckless. They subconsciously a.s.sumed those things to be some powerful explosives, and even if they weren"t familiar with soul engineers, they knew that they shouldn"t come into contact with the things soul engineers tossed out. Almost all the young women reacted the same way - everyone leapt up. Seventeen figures soared into the sky, while the black metal lumps dropped into the water one after another. But… nothing happened. He Caitou chuckled, and he pointed downwards with his finger. A single beam of light tunneled into the water, and a magical scene appeared immediately afterwards. The water"s surface suddenly lit up, and several hundred pillars of light burst out from underneath the water piercing through the lake"s surface, instantly covering all seventeen girls. What attack is this? The girls weren"t sure. However, they didn"t feel threatened at all. The speed of light was indescribably fast. Some girls who reacted fast enough unleashed their defensive soul skills, while other girls who didn"t feel threatened at all were struck by the beam of light while they were still shocked and surprised. The pillars of light didn"t represent any threat at all, and didn"t do anything to their bodies. However, there was a gentle repulsion force. Three hats! Of the seventeen girls, besides those whose hats had already been lifted, three more bamboo hats were blown away! "He"s such a liar! He was pretending before this!.." Han Ruoruo was the sharpest, and she reacted at the first possible moment. He Caitou had been setting this up ever since he had pretended to want to use a Cla.s.s 7 soul tool against them from the beginning. This was the reason why he made the girls leap into the air at the same time as he threw out those metal b.a.l.l.s, instead of defending themselves against the soul tools he had tossed out. He had managed to achieve his goal! Even though n.o.body knew how he did it, the pillars of light carrying an air flow were shot out from beneath the water. He Caitou chortled in midair, and another soul cannon appeared on his shoulder. Before the girls could react, he fired his cannon. This cannon didn"t have a specific target. Instead, he relied on the powerful recoil to fly backwards rapidly. This soul cannon was used as a soul thruster, and not only was it extremely quick, but it could be used to fly backwards, so there was no need for a soul thruster to be strapped around his chest like Huo Yuhao had. Huo Yuhao wasn"t the only one who had improved in the two and a half years at the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy. He Caitou didn"t reveal much from day to day, but his skill with soul tools was one of the highest among all the students. "He Caitou!" Fan Yu shouted angrily. The cannon sh.e.l.l He Caitou fired was coincidentally launched in their direction, and even though it landed in the water several meters away from the boat, it still caused an eruption of water and mist. Qian Duoduo laughed heartily and said, "This fella is becoming more and more mischievous. He must have been influenced by Bei Bei and Xu Sans.h.i.+." Bei Bei"s face was already starting to turn black from anger at what He Caitou was doing. Then he heard Qian Duoduo"s loud and bright voice, and his face turned even blacker. He glared at He Caitou with even more vengeful eyes. Xu Sans.h.i.+ felt even more lost and wronged. This, this isn"t my fault at all, but I"m still blamed anyway! Caitou has been with Yuhao over the past two years - what"s that got to do with me? He Caitou returned steadily to his leaf, the recklessness and clumsiness from before having disappeared entirely. He chuckled as he dropped down and waved at the girls before him, but his eyes were fixed on Xiao Xiao from beginning to end. Xiao Xiao was initially a little astonished when He Caitou made his move. She met his pa.s.sionate gaze, and her face began to heat up, so she lowered her head. However, a bald black head began to sway in her mind, and she felt as if she could see the same person from four years ago on the stage during the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Dueling Tournament, the same person who gave everything he had. Two years have gone by - how has he become even darker than before? If He Caitou knew what Xiao Xiao was thinking, he would definitely reply with tears trickling down his face, Dear, it"s nighttime! Won"t we all become a little darker than usual…? No matter how Huo Yuhao and He Caitou had accomplished this feat, the two of them managed to remove eight bamboo hats in total. Of the seventeen girls, less than a third still had their hats on, but this included the second girl from the left that Huo Yuhao had been watching from the beginning. The bamboo hat on her head still seemed as stable as ever. The rest of the first segment was much faster than before. The male students came out one by one, and everyone displayed their skills and abilities. Some people tried to play cheap tricks, but perhaps He Caitou had given the girls too strong an impression, and it didn"t end well for them. It didn"t take long before two more dropped into the water, and after the first segment, only thirty-six male students were left from the original thirty-nine. There were three more girls who still had their bamboo hats on. One of them was the girl that had caught Huo Yuhao"s attention, the one who had a hundred year soul ring, and a thousand year soul ring right afterwards. This was greatly disappointing, as he would be able to judge better if he could see her appearance. After the first segment, the inner courtyard"s students were roused, and their emotions completely worked up. Huo Yuhao was in the first row, and he could acutely feel the eyes all around him; everyone had pa.s.sionate and fiery gazes. Most of the guys were watching the girls of their dreams. Of the girls that had already revealed themselves, Jiang Nannan was still the prettiest, and her enchanting looks almost made everyone else look bad. However, everyone knew the perennial entanglement between Xu Sans.h.i.+ and Jiang Nannan, so most of the guys didn"t think about her at all. In the end, Jiang Nannan had never showed feeling to any other guy, including Xu Sans.h.i.+. They were going to switch positions next. They would be rearranged according to the number of bamboo hats they had removed in the previous round. Huo Yuhao was mercilessly placed first with his tally of five bamboo hats. Bei Bei raised his voice and said, "We are moving into the second segment. After the first round of getting to know each other, the next round is for the girls to express who they like. Therefore, the second segment is called Love at First Sight. The rules are simple - every girl will receive a switch, which is used to control the soul lamp beneath them. They will turn on their lamps for the guys, and the guys will continue into the subsequent segment as long as they have at least one lamp lit. If a guy doesn"t have a single lamp at all, then he will have to regrettably remove himself for the evening." Huo Yuhao vividly remembered that Bei Bei had told them that the second segment was the shortest. However, it was an important test for the guys - no matter how powerful you were, or how outstanding you thought you were, you would immediately forfeit if not a single girl kept her lamp on for you. There were many more guys than girls after all, so this segment was meant to simplify the situation. Huo Yuhao was at the front, and he was the first person to face this important a.s.sessment. "Please give it some serious thought, Sea G.o.d"s Fairies. You will have one minute - you have to be sure! Let me emphasize once more, if you don"t leave your lamp on for any of the thirty-six guys, then that also means that you are giving up this Blind Date, and you will have to leave this area of the Sea G.o.d"s Lake." The girls naturally had their own plans. They seemed exceptionally calm as they stood out there above the lake, and n.o.body knew if they already had someone they liked. One minute quickly pa.s.sed, and Bei Bei continued the event at Zhang Lexuan"s signal. "Alright, the second segment, Love at First Sight, shall begin. First, the Sea G.o.d"s Fairies will leave their lamps on for Huo Yuhao. During this second segment, leaving your lamps on for him doesn"t mean you will have to choose him in the end. You can give him a chance as long as you have a good impression of him, and you can also give yourself this chance. I trust that he will pay attention to the girls who leave their lamps on for him. Begin." Huo Yuhao would be lying if he said he wasn"t nervous. He stared at the seventeen girls in the distance, and could clearly feel his heartbeat speeding up. His mind was a complete blank at this moment, and no matter how good his judgment normally was, he had no idea how many girls would leave their lamps on for him. "Three, two, one." Bei Bei began his countdown, and suddenly a single golden lamp was extinguished. Huo Yuhao focused his eyes on the one who extinguished the lamp. Wasn"t that Wu Feng? There was an indifferent look on Wu Feng"s face as she raised her chin haughtily in Huo Yuhao"s direction.

Bei Bei smiled as he said, "Alright, it"s over. Sixteen lights remain. Good start, Yuhao!" Huo Yuhao only noticed the lamp that had been extinguished. He suddenly realized that the other sixteen girls, including Han Ruoruo and Wu Ming, had actually kept their lamps on for him, which was something he had never expected would happen. It was clear that during the Love at First Sight segment, both the Snow Lady and his own exemplary performance had given the girls a good impression, and only Wu Feng had extinguished her lamp vengefully. "Next, we have He Caitou. Get ready, Sea G.o.d"s Fairies." Bei Bei continued with the segment, seeing that Huo Yuhao had pa.s.sed. Huo Yuhao could feel his second senior brother immediately getting nervous not far from him. He Caitou"s eyes were wide open, he glanced towards Xiao Xiao from time to time, and his large fists were clenched tight. Beads of sweat even trickled down from his temples. This was only the second segment, but this segment was enough to prove whether Xiao Xiao had a good feeling about him. "Begin." Along with Bei Bei"s exclamation, Huo Yuhao felt as if his eyes had gone dark as many lamps were immediately extinguished. He Caitou"s situation was completely the opposite from Huo Yuhao. The aiming he did with the Cla.s.s 7 stationary soul cannon took many points from him, while his tall and robust frame along with his dark skin didn"t really fit the girls" idea of beauty. "Don"t extinguish everything, please!" He Caitou howled softly under his breath. Fortunately, two lamps remained after most of the lamps were extinguished. One lamp belonged to the enchanting Jiang Nannan, who flashed a faint smile in He Caitou"s direction with a tinge of encouragement in her eyes. However, whether He Caitou could see it from so far away was another story altogether. He Caitou felt his entire body turn soft and weak, and his s.h.i.+rt was completely drenched with sweat. This moment was like a desperate life or death fight to him. The other lamp that remained besides Jiang Nannan"s lamp belonged to Xiao Xiao. Xiao Xiao"s head was lowered at this moment, and she didn"t look up at He Caitou, but even at this distance, Huo Yuhao could see that there were two dashes of red across her pretty face. "Nannan has such a strong sense of loyalty!" He Caitou couldn"t but exclaim in admiration. Huo Yuhao chortled and said, "Why didn"t you praise Xiao Xiao, second senior brother?" He Caitou wiped the sweat from his forehead and said, "I"m nervous, Yuhao. What should I do?" Huo Yuhao forced a laugh and said, "I"m nervous too… I would rather fight an epic battle instead. Truth be told, this event is really making our hearts beat faster. I"m a little better, as I don"t really have a target, and you"re feeling more anxious and nervous because you do. Relax, second senior brother, I can tell that Xiao Xiao"s face is blus.h.i.+ng, and that means she"s probably embarra.s.sed. That"s still a good thing in the end, and at least she has kept her lamp on for you. That means you still stand a chance." "Yes." He Caitou nodded his head vigorously. It was clear that Xiao Xiao keeping her lamp on for him had greatly boosted his self-confidence. The event continued, and the girls were exceptionally cruel and savage. Huo Yuhao and the Snow Lady managed to obtain sixteen lamps, but the people who came after him didn"t even get a third of the lamps, even though their situations weren"t as bad as He Caitou"s. Very quickly, it was Xu Sans.h.i.+"s turn. Xu Sans.h.i.+ was the last in the first row, and the two rows behind him were almost entirely comprised of guys that hadn"t achieved anything at all in the first round. He Caitou was nervous on his first appearance at the Sea G.o.d"s Fate, but Xu Sans.h.i.+ was equally as nervous. He stared pa.s.sionately in Jiang Nannan"s direction, and it didn"t matter to him if all other sixteen lamps were extinguished as long as Jiang Nannan kept her lamp on for him. "Xu Sans.h.i.+, Love at First Sight. Begin." "Ding, ding, ding…" Perhaps the girls knew that this guy"s only target was Jiang Nannan, or perhaps it was because he had played dirty in the first segment, but the speed at which the lamps were extinguished was even faster than He Caitou. The lamps quickly disappeared until two remained - one was Xiao Xiao, and the other was Jiang Nannan. Just when Xu Sans.h.i.+ heaved a sigh of relief and a smile appeared on his face, Jiang Nannan decisively pressed the b.u.t.ton in her hands with a swoosh, and the pale golden lamp underneath her was immediately extinguished. The only lamp that remained belonged to Xiao Xiao. The smile on Xu Sans.h.i.+"s face froze, and his face turned ghastly pale. He even shuddered a little. "You"re so cruel, Nannan!" Xu Sans.h.i.+ shouted agonizingly, but he stabilized himself in the end. On the other side, He Caitou asked Huo Yuhao nervously, "Yuhao, Yuhao! Why did Xiao Xiao leave her lamp on for third senior brother? What"s this about?" Huo Yuhao was rendered speechless momentarily, then said, "Second senior brother, you"re confused because you"re too concerned and you think too much. Why do you think fourth senior sister left her lamp on for you before this? Naturally, it"s because we are one family, and we should support each other. It"s the same for Xiao Xiao. Do you think she can bear to watch everyone extinguish their lamps for second senior brother?" He Caitou was relieved, but he still muttered under his breath, "Sans.h.i.+ is a little more handsome than I am, this…" Huo Yuhao turned back around and decided not to bother with this guy who spouted nonsense anymore. Xu Sans.h.i.+ barely pa.s.sed this round, but the guys at the back weren"t nearly as lucky. There were too many guys and too few girls, after all - there were more than twice as many guys, and this situation meant that there were bound to be many guys who would be made to forfeit at this stage. The lamps continued to be extinguished, and when Love at First Sight finally came to an end, there were only twenty-four male students who remained. The second round alone wiped out a third of the male students. What made Huo Yuhao a little surprised was that many lamps were extinguished for Dai Huabin, but Wu Feng ultimately kept her lamp on for him so that he could remain for the next round. When he saw this, Huo Yuhao couldn"t help but wonder if they were in cahoots from the beginning. Xie Huanyue"s situation was a lot worse. When he left the scene, he was still shouting, "Fatties have no rights! Fatties have no rights after all!" Not a single lamp was kept on for him. The second round had come to an end. The twenty-four male students were rearranged once more, this time into a single row, as there were not that many left, and they faced the seventeen girls in the distance directly. Zhang Lexuan was the one who spoke this time. "I"m sure everyone has obtained a little understanding of each other after the past two rounds. We shall now proceed into the third segment - Love at Second Sight. This time, the girls have to pay attention - you won"t be able to choose as casually as you did in the second round. Once you make your choice, you will have to be responsible for it. Every guy will have one minute to introduce themselves, and you guys will come to me once you"ve finished your introduction to tell me the number of the Sea G.o.d"s Fairy that you like. Once all the introductions are complete, the girls will go through another selection round, but this selection will represent your final choice. Every girl can only choose once, and you can"t regret your choice. Once this selection is over, we will begin the fourth segment." "All guys, pay attention. You"re allowed to display the ability that you think is the most powerful while you"re introducing yourself, and you can also introduce your own cultivation levels and whatnot, as long as you feel that your introduction will be enough to attract the girl you like. I will switch up the order this time, and it will be decided by drawing lots so that we can be fair." Bei Bei stepped onto a water lily leaf and gradually floated towards the male students. He was holding some numbered sticks in his hands, and he carried out the lot drawing from left to right. The girls on the other side weren"t idling around either. Each of them now had a number on their chest, while they also switched positions. The girl that Huo Yuhao was watching who still had the bamboo hat on her head had the number "two". The lot drawing of quickly ended. Huo Yuhao"s luck was average; he was number eleven, and his position was towards the middle. The first few and the last few in the third segment were at a disadvantage. The first few to go out wouldn"t have experience, while it was easy for the girls to become fatigued and tired towards the end. Chu Qingtian, the six-ringed agility-type Soul Emperor that had been standing beside Huo Yuhao during the first round, was the first to go. Zhang Lexuan announced, "Alright, the third segment, Love at Second Sight, shall begin. Do put on a good show, boys. This is your best chance to attract the Sea G.o.d"s Fairies" attention - don"t let this opportunity slip from your grasp." "The student with the first numbered stick, step out. Remember, your performance will take place along the lake"s surface between the guys and the girls. The rules are the same, and you will be considered forfeit if you drop into the water." "Thank you, eldest senior sister." Chu Qingtian acknowledged, and he wasted no time at all as he soared into the sky. Lightning circled around his body, and he arrived on the water"s surface in a flash. "Greetings, Sea G.o.d"s Fairies. My name is Chu Qingtian." He announced his name when he was still in the air. Two yellow, two purple, and two black soul rings sparkled at the same time. He rotated once in the sky, and his third soul ring lit up. Countless streaks of lightning flickered, and his body immediately disappeared while only sounds remained in midair. "I"m twenty-seven years old, and my martial soul is the Berserk Lightning Panther. I"m an agility-type Soul Emperor, and my soul power stands at Rank 67. I am confident to say that I"m one of the fastest amongst the inner courtyard"s students. Even though I"m not exceptionally outstanding, I have a sincere heart. I have already made my decision before my partic.i.p.ation in the Sea G.o.d"s Fate today, and if any Sea G.o.d"s Fairy is willing to take me in, I will lay down my heart and follow you for eternity." The lightning bolts crackling through the sky suddenly congregated as he spoke, and came together to form an enormous heart-shaped lightning bolt. His body flickered, and he leapt out from the heart-shaped lightning bolt. He blew softly, and the heart-shaped lightning bolt flew towards the girls in the distance before it eventually dissipated in the air. He twisted in the sky and came before Zhang Lexuan with another flash of lightning, swiftly writing down the number of the girl that he liked on a piece of paper in her hands. Afterwards, he jumped back into the air and returned to his water lily leaf. Chu Qingtian had displayed his speed and control throughout the entire process. His movements were like the rolling clouds and flowing water, and there weren"t any kinks, drags or drops at all. Exactly one minute had pa.s.sed when he returned to his water lily leaf.