Xie Xie still had his eyes fixed on the direction that Yue Zhengyu had departed toward, and his emotions were thrown into complete disarray. Xu Lizhi's heartfelt confession had acted as a potent dose of encouragement for him, but Yue Zhengyu's failure made him feel very uneasy. He had always known that Yue Zhengyu and Xu Xiaoyan were pretty much a couple even before attending this event, so why had she suddenly turned her back on him?
Even Yue Zhengyu had failed, what chance did he have?
"Boy Number 16, if you don't step forward now, we'll take this as a sign that you've given up!" Lan Muzi reminded.
"Xie Xie!" Tang Wulin's voice suddenly sounded in Xie Xie's ears. Only then did he abruptly return to his senses. "Huh? Were you calling me?"
Lan Muzi turned to him with a resigned expression. "If you're number 16, then I was indeed calling you. It's your turn."
Xie Xie was quite surprised that his number was drawn right after Yue Zhengyu's, and as his lotus leaf began to drift forward, his body wobbled due to his tumultuous emotions, and he hurriedly stabilized himself again.
At this moment, he could feel his own heart pounding at several times its normal resting rate. His face was completely flushed, and even though he'd prepared extensively for this moment, he was still filled with anxiety when the time actually came for him to make his public confession. What do I do? What do I do? What if she rejects me?
What do I do? What do I do? What if she rejects me?
"You may begin now," Lan Muzi urged.
Screw it!
Xie Xie took a deep breath, and he even had to circulate his soul power before his complexion returned to normal. He raised his head in a determined manner, casting his gaze toward the row of female participants, but as soon as he caught sight of her face, all of the courage he'd just mustered up immediately seeped away again.
"I, I..."
Xie Xie found himself unable to say anything else aside from that. This was the first time that such a situation had arisen during this segment.
Tang Yinmeng smiled, and encouraged, "Don't be so nervous, Junior Disciple Brother; surely a self-introduction can't be more difficult than the final exam you took!"
A wry smile appeared on Xie Xie's face. "Perhaps it actually is more difficult for me. Like Zhengyu, I also have someone I like, but I'm even less fortunate than him because the person I like has most likely never reciprocated my feelings."
Lan Muzi said, "Junior Disciple Brother, if I recall correctly, you're a member of Shrek’s Seven Monsters. Do all members of Shrek’s Seven Monsters have hearts made of glass?"
"Of course not!" Xie Xie objected in a vehement manner. Lan Muzi had successfully goaded an emotional response out of him by mentioning Shrek’s Seven Monsters.
"My name is not nervous!" Xie Xie blurted out, and the entire Sea God's Lake instantly burst into laughter around him. Even the elders of the Sea God's Pavilion sitting on the boat couldn't help but chuckle.
Xie Xie buried his face into his hands and contemplated jumping into the Sea God's Lake. This was way too humiliating!
"It's alright, just calm down and speak your mind. Lizhi could do it, so why can't you? Don't think about the result; keep yourself in the present and say what you need to say." Tang Wulin's voice sounded beside Xie Xie's ears, and he finally calmed down somewhat.
"Please be quiet," Tang Wulin suddenly said in an indifferent voice, and he hadn't spoken very loudly, but all of the students present, including even Lan Muzi, who was an eight-ring Soul Douluo, felt their hearts shudder upon hearing this voice.
Everyone could detect that the voice was imbued with an overwhelming sense of authority, and the mental image of a pair of calm eyes suddenly appeared in everyone's minds, making their hearts stir in response.
Long Yue turned to Tang Wulin with a surprised look in his eyes. Even at his cultivation rank with his powerful martial soul, he was still struck by the urge to obey when Tang Wulin uttered those simple words.
Thus, all of the raucous laughter died down within the span of just a few breaths.
All of the elders of the Sea God's Pavilion sitting on the boat were also quite stunned by this turn of events.
Zhuo Shi and Feng Wuyu exchanged a surprised glance with one another. They could obviously tell that this was Tang Wulin's voice, but why was his voice so...
"It's not just a simple matter of spiritual intimidation; there seems to be something else there. How strange, it's as if there's some kind of unfathomable power between heaven and earth that's resonating with him. I've never sensed anything like this before," Light Dark Douluo Long Yeyue mused in a surprised manner, "When did a little guy like him appear in the inner court? He's only a four-ring Soul Ancestor, but his spiritual power has at least reached the Spirit Abyss realm, and he can communicate with natural energies in such a unique manner. How interesting."
Zhuo Shi took a moment to muster up his courage before interjecting, "Sister Yue, he's my disciple."
Regardless of how much seniority Long Yeyue had over them, she still insisted that they refer to her as a sister.
Feng Wuyu also hurriedly chimed in, "He's my disciple as well; he's learning to forge from me."
If Long Yeyue were to suddenly say something like "why don't I take on another disciple?", then they would be completely devastated.
Long Yeyue merely shot a glance at them in response. She could clearly tell what they were thinking, and she simply nodded without saying anything.
On the surface of the lake, Xie Xie slowly removed his hands from his face and put on a wry smile as he said, "I'm sorry for losing my composure. I'm not normally like this, but I guess the occasion is really getting to me. I met you through a complete coincidence, and the first time I saw your true appearance, you almost beat me to death, and that's not the only time that's happened. However, it's perhaps precisely because of this that you left a deep impression in my heart. You're very powerful; far more so than I am, and in the past, you've taunted me and made no effort to hide your disdain for me. Only then, when my heart began to throb with pain, did I come to realize just how important you'd become in my heart.
"You're a person of few words, and you don't speak much to me, either, but whenever anyone needs help or has encountered any difficulties you're always the first to lend them a helping hand. Beneath that cold exterior of yours, you have a kind and warm heart. I'm no match for you, both in terms of aptitude and power, and you once said that I'll only have the right to pursue you after I become more powerful than you. I was a pretty lazy guy, but from that moment onward, I began to work as hard as I could, not because I wanted to catch up to my friends, but because I didn't want to be left too far behind by you. But despite all my efforts, you're working just as hard and constantly progressing. Why won't you stop for a bit and wait for me? Why can't you at least give me even the slightest chance?"
At this point, Xie Xie's speech was finally beginning to flow, and his emotions had also returned to normal. He still wore a wry smile on his face, but his heartfelt words had completely silenced the spectating disciples who had laughed at him earlier.
"To put it frankly, I'm not as fat as Lizhi, but I have far thicker skin than him. During these past years, I've confessed to you countless times, and I'm always hanging around you whenever I have some spare time, hoping that you'll notice me and give me some attention, but you never gave me a chance. Alright, I understand; I know that I'm not worthy of having you. Perhaps I'll never be able to become more powerful than you during this lifetime. However, what I have to tell you is that I've really given everything I have. I've trained so hard that I've even thrown up blood, but I still refused to stop. I'm giving everything I have every single day in the hope that I can surpass you one day.
"Prior to stepping onto the Sea God's Lake, my heart was still filled with hope. I thought that with this special atmosphere and with so many people watching, surely I'd have a slightly better chance, but now, I've completely calmed down," he finally looked up and turned toward the woman of his desires as he spoke, and he continued, "Yuanen, I'm sorry for harassing you throughout these past years, but I have to tell you that even though I'm a bit of a clown who doesn't appear to take anything seriously, I'm serious about you. I've pursued you for many years, and in contrast to Lizhi, I'm not as easy to satisfy. I want to be with you, and if that's not possible, then I'd rather leave. Perhaps my heart wouldn't hurt as much if I didn't have to keep seeing you every day. Hence, I'm laying myself completely bare here. If you still don't want me, then please give me a clear rejection. After that, I won't ever harass you again, and I'll stay far away from you, praying that you find your true love someday."
Yuanen? Yuanen Yehui?
Not everyone was aware that the woman of Xie Xie's desires was Yuanen Yehui. Everyone looked on in complete silence as Xie Xie extended a slight bow in Yuanen Yehui's direction with a dejected expression on his face.
Yuanen Yehui also looked on in silence as Xie Xie returned to his original spot, but her lips were tightly pursed, and she was wringing her hands behind her back. At the very least, her expression appeared to be completely stoic and emotionless, but internally, was she actually as calm as she seemed?
Lan Muzi heaved a long sigh before giving Xie Xie a thumbs-up. "Raw and passionate confessions are always the most moving. If Zhengyu had been aware of this, perhaps... Anyway, let's continue. Next up is..."
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