Qiangu Zhangting was currently seated on the rostrum with veins bulging on his forehead, reflecting his tumultuous emotions. His expression was slightly twisted, and he was gripping tightly onto the armrests of his chair.
Qiangu Dongfeng was situated on the main seat, and he paid no heed to this. He had already calmed down, and in his eyes, Qiangu Zhangting's defeat wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Setbacks often acted as the best motivation for Soul Masters, and there was a severe shortage of such setbacks in Qiangu Zhangting's life.
As such, he hadn't tried to talk Qiangu Zhangting out of his foul mood. This was something that he needed to recover from on his own and convert into motivation. He was already in his thirties; if he couldn't even get over something like this, then how could he take over the reins at the Spirit Pagoda in the future?
Gu Yuena was seated on the other side of Qiangu Dongfeng. On this day, she was wearing a long golden dress, and even though she had only applied some simple makeup, she was exceptionally stunning to behold. Even some of the high-ranking federal officials on the rostrum couldn't help but steal occasional glances at her.
Qiangu Dongfeng turned to Gu Yuena before asking, "Are you confident?"
"I am," Gu Yuena replied without any hesitation.
"Alright, I'll be watching." Qiangu Dongfeng nodded in response.
Gu Yuena also nodded, but didn't say anything further.
Qiangu Zhangting finally cast his gaze toward Gu Yuena, and he wanted to say something, but refrained in the end. His brows furrowed even more tightly, and there was an invisible aura emanating from his body. He was constantly roaring at himself to become more powerful in his own heart.
Failure was a terrible feeling, especially in such a public setting, and he never wanted to have to go through this again, so he had to become more powerful!
"Alright, allow me to introduce the final courting segment of our joust for a spouse event."
Ai Fei was already beginning to announce the rules for the final stage.
"In this final stage, all 10 candidates have a chance to be chosen by Gu Yuena. Gu Yuena will be taking the stage in person soon, and all candidates will have a chance to display their sincerity, offer up presents, or deliver a speech to win her heart. On top of that, Gu Yuena can request to spar with any candidate of her choice, and at the end of this stage, she will make her choice."
The process wasn't very complex. In fact, it could be said that it was overly simplistic compared to the previous stages of the event. However, all of the spectators were eager to see the final result, so they didn't think much of this. Seeing as there wasn't going to be any foreplay, it was better to get to the point as quickly as possible.
"Now then, let's welcome our final 10 candidates into the stadium. Please give them a warm round of applause and yell out the name of the one you want to see take the Silver Dragon Princess home today!"
A wave of cheers immediately rang out on the spectator stands, and there were other names being called out, but chants of "Yu Longyue" were drowning out everything else.
"Yu Longyue, Yu Longyue, Yu Longyue!"
Qiangu Zhangting was trembling slightly as he listened to these passionate chants. How he wished that the name being chanted belonged to him!
He was supposed to be the one winning the heart of the woman of his dreams in front of all of these people, but that accursed man had ruined his plan and taken his moment under the limelight.
Even if the end result would still be the same, this shame and regret would remain with him forever.
He had never hated someone as much as this because all of the people that he hated were generally dead.
Yu Longyue, I'm going to tear you to shreds no matter the cost!
Meanwhile, Qiangu Dongfeng merely looked on in a completely expressionless manner, as if none of this had anything to do with him.
The final 10 candidates were brought onto the platform in order of the group they had emerged from, and as the third person strode onto the platform, the cheering immediately became louder.
Tang Wulin wore a vibrant smile as he waved at the spectators in the stands.
Lan Fuozi was right behind him, and she scoffed, "What are you showing off for? You're making it seem like your victory is assured."
Tang Wulin shot a glance back at her. "Are you saying that you'll win instead?"
"I..." Lan Fuozi really wanted to say that she did believe that, but she had no confidence at all. She didn't think that she was better than Tang Wulin in any aspect, and she couldn't help but think of what choice she would make if she were in the Silver Dragon Princess's shoes.
Ptui, what am I thinking? All men are so disgusting; why would I choose any of them?
Tang Wulin was naturally unaware of what she was thinking, but he could glean a lot from her displeased expression. A serious look appeared in his eyes. This was perhaps going to be a very important test for himself, and she was the key to this test.
He could already sense her presence on the other side of the courting platform. She was so close, yet seemed so far away.
Gu Yue, how will you choose today?
In reality, no one was less confident than Tang Wulin as only he was aware that this was not just some simple joust for a spouse event.
The 10 candidates were spread out in a line next to one another with three to four meters between each of them.
They were all handsome young talents, and even the oldest one among them was only in his thirties, which was very young among high-grade Soul Masters.
Of course, Tang Wulin was still the hot favorite, and aside from the chances for Yu Longyue, there were also people who had begun chanting Gu Yuena's name.
A hint of vigor and excitement suddenly crept into Ai Fei's voice as he announced, "Now then, please welcome the star of the show, Silver Dragon Princess Gu Yuena!"
The sky suddenly dimmed, and a pillar of silver light descended from above, illuminating a figure that was rising up into the air in the distance.
She wore a fluttering golden dress, and her silver hair was swaying with the wind. She was like a celestial maiden as she spread her arms open, and after what seemed like an eternity, but also only a split second, she drifted toward the courting platform.
In that instant, she was so beautiful that those who beheld her almost forgot how to breathe, and the raucous spectators were instantly stunned into silence.
In their eyes, Gu Yuena's figure seemed to have been magnified, allowing them to clearly witness her gorgeous features and perfect figure.
Even Tang Wulin was struck by an indescribable sense of excitement at the sight of her.
She had chosen a golden dress for this occasion.
He then looked into Gu Yuena's bright, purple eyes, and they didn't betray any emotion, but Tang Wulin could clearly sense that there was something contained within them.
In that instant, it was as if everything had disappeared, and the two of them were the only things left in this world.
A faint smile appeared on Tang Wulin's face as he took a deep breath to steady his emotions, while Lan Fuozi couldn't help but praise, "She really is so, so beautiful!"
She then reflexively cast her gaze toward Tang Wulin, and an indescribable feeling immediately welled up in her heart at the sight of him staring intently at the courting platform.
Gu Yuena gave the 10 candidates a slight nod of acknowledgement, and Ai Fei announced, "I'm sure everyone has been eagerly awaiting this day. Now, the 10 candidates will have a chance to put on their own displays, and in order to ensure fairness, we'll be drawing lots to decide the sequence."
A faint smile appeared on Tang Wulin's face. This moment was finally about to arrive.
"The first one to be drawn is..." Ai Fei paused slightly before announcing, "Lan Fuozi from the fourth group!"
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