Douluo Continent II: The Dragon King Suppresses the World!

"Ye Qi'an, don't be nervous. Keep going!" Senior Sister Zhang Lexuan encouraged him with a smile.

Ye Qi'an nodded. It would be a lie to say he wasn't flustered. This was the first time he had ever experienced a blind date like this, and probably the last. With that thought, he took a step and stepped directly onto the water. He floated on the water without sinking and then walked step by step toward the female students on the other side.

The students on both sides, who had been laughing and joking and preparing to watch the fun, suddenly fell silent and stared in astonishment at Ye Qi'an, who was wearing a mask.

Ye Qi'an moved slowly, walking on the water without even creating a ripple. He stopped when he was about fifteen meters away from the female students. As they got closer, the female students could see his face clearly.

Although Ye Qi'an was wearing a mask, they could tell that he was not very old. Moreover, they felt a subtle pressure emanating from him, which made them unconsciously feel awe.

"I came here for only one person. All the beautiful flowers in the world cannot compare to the gentleness between your brows, Nana, don't you agree?" Ye Qi'an said gently, while looking at the girl wearing a straw hat.

As soon as Ye Qi'an finished speaking, a slight commotion arose in the crowd, and everyone's eyes turned towards the female students, seemingly searching for the person Ye Qi'an called "Nana".

A moment later, a graceful woman slightly raised her head, her eyes tinged with shyness beneath her bamboo hat. Though her full face was obscured, her slightly flushed cheeks revealed the turmoil within her.

"Qi An, you..." Gu Yuena spoke softly, her voice as melodious as a silver bell.

Ye Qi'an gazed at her quietly, his eyes filled with tenderness, and said, "Ye Qi'an would never hold Gu Yuena's hand by mistake. Nana, could you take off your straw hat for me?"

Gu Yuena was slightly taken aback. She gently bit her lip, hesitated for a moment, and then slowly raised her hand to take off her bamboo hat.

Her long, silver hair cascaded down like a waterfall, swaying gently in the night breeze. Her delicate face was even more beautiful and captivating under the moonlight, and her amethyst-like eyes sparkled with mesmerizing light.

The surrounding students were all deeply attracted by Gu Yuena's stunning beauty. For a moment, the scene was completely silent, with only the sound of a gentle breeze.

Ye Qi gazed quietly at Gu Yuena and said slowly, "Nana, from the first moment I saw you, I knew that you were the only one I would ever pursue in my life. In my heart, only you can make my heart flutter, only you can make me feel true happiness. Every smile, every gesture of yours is deeply imprinted in my mind and I can never forget it."

"Is everything you said true?" Gu Yuena's voice carried a hint of uncertainty and expectation.

Ye Qi'an's eyes were firm, and he answered solemnly, "Everything you said is true. From the first moment I saw you, my heart found its home."

Tears of emotion welled up in Gu Yuena's eyes. She lowered her head slightly, but the corners of her mouth involuntarily turned up.

When the male students saw that Gu Yuena had successfully had her hat removed, they cheered. One of the students with weaker cultivation even lost his balance in his excitement and almost slipped off the water lily.

Ye Qi'an walked up to Gu Yuena, took her hand, turned around to look at everyone, and slowly said, "Now that I have found my true love, I will not lift the hats of the other fairies in this part, leaving you some opportunities. However, if anyone is foolish enough to affect Nana's mood, I will really kill them. I mean what I say."

Ye Qi'an's words were resounding and made everyone present feel a chill. He held Gu Yuena's hand tightly, as if it were the most precious treasure in his life, which no one could violate.

Gu Yuena raised her head slightly and looked at Ye Qi'an. A warm feeling welled up in her heart. She knew that from this moment on, she had someone she could rely on, someone who was willing to shelter her from the wind and rain and protect her for the rest of her life.

The surrounding students exchanged glances, moved by Ye Qi'an and Gu Yuena's deep affection, yet also in awe of Ye Qi'an's domineering declaration. They knew that Ye Qi'an was not just talking; his strength and determination were not to be underestimated.

This first segment was meant to showcase individual abilities, and Ye Qi'an succeeded without using any soul power or soul skills, relying solely on his words. The elders and teachers on the ferry boat in the distance couldn't help but nod in approval, and even Elder Xuan watched with a smile on his face.

It's important to understand that the female trainees were all dressed in identical long dresses that covered their entire bodies, with conical hats on their heads and veils hanging down more than three feet. To most people, they looked indistinguishable.

In this pitch-black night, Ye Qi'an was able to find Gu Yuena among nineteen female students. This could not be explained by the word "familiarity." Seeing Ye Qi'an's high-profile performance, Zhang Lexuan's pretty face revealed a smile.

"Next, Xu Sanshi, it's your turn," Zhang Lexuan said.

Xu Sanshi gave a no-questions-asked gesture, and Beibei said, "Good time is fleeting, let's begin. Sanshi, go for it!"

Xu Sanshi moved, and the Xuanming Tortoise Shell Shield in his hand flew out and landed gracefully on the water. Xu Sanshi soared down and landed right on the shield. He slapped his palms back, and the shield immediately glided on the water like a small boat, leaving two trails of water as it rushed towards the female student.

"Nannan, I'm here!" He shouted, and the Xuanming Tortoise Shell Shield suddenly accelerated, quickly arriving in front of the female students.

With about ten meters to go, Xu Sanshi gently guided the Xuanming Tortoise Shell Shield with both palms, bringing it to a steady stop. He had mastered the Tang Clan's unique skill of controlling cranes and capturing dragons. He wasn't in a hurry at all, standing there carefully observing from left to right.

However, Xu Sanshi also withdrew his gaze at the right time. Feeling Ye Qian'an's fierce gaze not far behind him, he dared not look at Gu Yuena. You know, when Ye Qian'an says he will kill, he really will. No matter who he is, once he sets his mind on something, he will not give up until he achieves his goal.

In that brief moment, he had already locked onto his target. The Xuanming Tortoise Shell Shield activated again, propelling his body toward the fourth female student on the right. The female student standing on the water lily seemed to move slightly. Xu Sanshi was already very close to her; ten meters was just a blink of an eye.

With a light tap of his toes on the Xuanming Tortoise Shell Shield, Xu Sanshi landed directly on the water lily leaf where the girl was standing. The girl on the leaf couldn't resist any longer. She lightly touched the center of the water lily, where it had the strongest weight-bearing capacity, and then she soared into the air. Her right leg rose high, directly over her head, her long, straight thigh billowing up. Her white dress billowed up as she slashed down, heading straight for Xu Sanshi.

Faced with the downward kick, Xu Sanshi made an unexpected move. He neither used the Xuanming Tortoise Shell Shield to block nor dodge, but let the kick land on his shoulder.

In mid-air, Xu Sanshi crouched down, dissipating some of the force of the downward strike. At this moment, his toes had already touched the water lily leaves. Just as the lake water was about to flood into them, a layer of black light suddenly surged from Xu Sanshi's body, as if his whole body was being supported by this light. He then clasped his hands together and grabbed the ankle that had struck his shoulder.

The female student clearly did not expect that Xu Sanshi would take her kick without dodging or avoiding it.

"Nannan, I love you. I will never fight back or talk back." Xu Sanshi said with deep affection, holding her foot up.

"Get out!" the female student shouted angrily, pulling her right foot back abruptly. Xu Sanshi's tightly gripped hand suddenly loosened, and she, quite impressively, performed a backflip on the spot.

She flipped over, but her hat naturally fell off as well. Xu Sanshi flashed and jumped up from the water lily leaf. His right hand had somehow grabbed the veil, and with a forceful pull, he ripped the veil and hat together.

With his feet landing on the Xuanming Tortoise Shell Shield that was already waiting on the water's surface, Xu Sanshi smiled as he looked at the girl who had stood up again opposite him and said, "Of all the waters in the world, I only drink from one. Nannan, I love you." As he spoke, the Xuanming Tortoise Shell Shield beneath his feet instantly broke through the water's surface, carrying him back to his original position.

Her long purple hair cascaded over her shoulders, and a blush of annoyance lingered on her pretty face. More than two years had passed, and Jiang Nannan was even more beautiful than before. Her exquisite face was further enhanced by the pale golden light emanating from the water lilies at her feet. Her slender, almost perfect figure, and her large eyes, filled with resentment, glared fiercely at Xu Sanshi.

She knew that her strength was not much different from Xu Sanshi's. Even if the other party was stronger than her, it was impossible for him to find her in such a short time. There was only one person who could do this, and that was Huo Yuhao. Jiang Nannan looked at Huo Yuhao with doubt and resentment in her eyes.

The next few to appear were all quite conventional. Especially after Gu Fan was taught a lesson by two senior female students from the inner academy, he now avoided those two senior female students as much as possible, and even went to the side to lift the hats of the girls on the outer perimeter. It was unclear whether the girls' defenses were too strong or the brothers who made the move were too timid, but after five or six people made their moves, none of them succeeded.

There were forty male trainees, arranged in rows of thirteen. Ye Qi'an and his group were already halfway through the first row.

"Hey, are you all born in the year of the Yellow Croaker? Why are you all swimming along the edge? For love, you need to have a 'whatever' spirit. Otherwise, how will you win the hearts of girls?"

Zhang Lexuan said with a smile. With her encouragement, the next few male trainees performed much better. Although they were still somewhat unsatisfactory, they were much better than the previous ones, and finally managed to lift their hats.

Of the seventeen female trainees, four have now revealed their true appearances.

Before He Caitou and Huo Yuhao appeared, a six-ring Soul Emperor named Chu Qingtian appeared. He was very fast and rushed straight towards Han Ruoruo, who had previously used the Golden Rope. Chu Qingtian flashed and arrived at Han Ruoruo's side. He reached out with his right hand and grabbed at the veil hanging from Han Ruoruo's hat like lightning.

"You've got some nerve!" Han Ruoruo snorted coldly, raising her right hand to block his.

Chu Qingtian did not confront her directly. Suddenly, his third soul ring shone brightly, and amidst the flashes of lightning, he vanished.

"Hmm?" Han Ruoruo exclaimed in surprise. Her golden rope appeared instantly, but the lightning bolts did not only shoot at her. Instead, they scattered in all directions, with some flying towards Wu Ming, the Golden Crow Saintess who was closest to her.

Wu Ming subconsciously raised his hand, and a layer of golden-red flames spread outward, forming a barrier around his body. But at that moment, a large bolt of lightning pierced through the defensive layer set up by the Golden Crow True Fire, and a hand actually reached out from the lightning, grabbed the bamboo hat on Wu Ming's head, and lifted it off.

Immediately afterward, Chu Qingtian transformed into lightning once more. In the blink of an eye, he was back a hundred meters away, landing steadily on the water lily leaf. "Senior Sister Wu, thank you for the favor."

Wu Ming raised her hand to touch her pretty face, and surprisingly, she didn't react. Instead, her face flushed red. Han Ruoruo chuckled and said something to Wu Ming, but Wu Ming lowered her head, seemingly lost in thought.

Ye Qi'an glanced thoughtfully at Chu Qingtian, then shook his head. This kid's future is ruined by Wu Ming. I feel sorry for him.

Huo Yuhao's methods were also endless, successively removing five bamboo hats: Han Ruoruo, Ling Luochen, Xiaoxiao, Wufeng, and finally Ma Xiaotao. Compared to Ye Qi'an, Xu Sanshi, and Huo Yuhao, He Caitou's actions were the most astonishing.

"Caitou, it's your turn next. We need to speed things up in the first round!" Beibei called out to Caitou.

"Oh," He Caitou responded, having already devised a plan.

He Caitou made a move that surprised everyone—facing the nineteen female students, he knelt on one knee and raised his right hand. All they saw was a flash of black light, and a huge soul-guided cannon was slung over his shoulder.

"No way, bro, you're not here for a blind date, you must be here to cause trouble, right?" one of the students said.

Not only were the male students on this side startled when He Caitou took out the Level 7 Fixed-Equipment Soul Guidance Cannon, but the female students on the other side were also on edge. In an instant, soul rings and martial souls of various colors appeared one after another, making the Sea God Lake quite lively.

Elder Xuan's lips twitched violently. Fan Yu had already stood up abruptly and was cursing angrily in He Caitou's direction: "Damn it. This is a matchmaking event, do you think this is a battlefield? Put away the fixed-mount soul-guided cannon for me."

"Oh." He Caitou responded, put away the soul-guided cannon, and touched the water lily leaf with his toe. With a "splash", the center of the water lily sank into the water, almost breaking under his foot, while He Caitou himself only jumped less than two meters.

The soul-guided thrusters suddenly emitted a bright light behind him, propelling He Caitou's body diagonally upwards. Before long, he appeared above the female students.

"Everyone, watch out!" With that, He Caitou's hands moved simultaneously, and a large number of black iron lumps flew out of his hands and fell into the water.

What was that? This was the common thought in the minds of all the female trainees. After seeing He Caitou's previous performance, they subconsciously assumed that it must be some kind of powerful explosive. At this moment, almost all the female trainees made the same move - jumping upwards.

Nineteen figures leaped up simultaneously. The dark, iron lumps also plunged into the water, but nothing happened. He Caitou chuckled, pointed his right hand downwards, and a beam of light fell straight into the water, suddenly illuminating the entire surface. Then, hundreds of beams of light surged up from underwater and shot out, instantly covering all the female students.

Some quick-thinking female students immediately used defensive soul skills, while others, not sensing any threat, were struck by the beam of light with a gentle impact while still in surprise.

Of the nineteen female trainees, in addition to the few whose hats had already been lifted, the hats of three others were blown off by the airflow emitted from the beam of light.

He Caitou chuckled in mid-air, and another soul-guided cannon appeared on his shoulder. Before the female students could react, he had already fired the cannon, and he himself was propelled backward by the strong propulsion.

At this moment, less than a third of the nineteen female students were still wearing straw hats, including the third female student on the left who Huo Yuhao had initially focused on.

The pace of the first segment quickened significantly, with the male trainees taking the stage one after another, each displaying their unique skills. Some attempted to take shortcuts, but perhaps because He Caitou had left such a deep impression on the girls, none of these male trainees who tried to cheat fared well. During the segment, two more men fell into the water. After this first segment, only thirty-six of the original forty male trainees remained, while three of the female trainees were still wearing straw hats.

After this first stage of mutual appreciation, the emotions of all the inner court students were completely stirred up. Most of the male students were looking at the girls they admired. Among the female students who had already revealed their faces, the most beautiful was still Gu Yuena. Her elegant and stunning appearance was almost unparalleled in the entire Shrek Inner Court.

Next came the reshuffling. The rankings were recalculated based on the number of female trainees' hats removed in the first round. Huo Yuhao, with five hats removed, rightfully took the first place in the first row.

…(End of this chapter)