Up in front, Coco quietly asked, “Brother Lu, what are the ancient Xia family and the ancient Lu family?”
Zora, Michelle, and Meng Yue also looked over, curious.
Lu Yin answered matter-of-factly, “Just random names to deceive him.”
Coco blinked. “They sound real.”
On the other side, Xia Luo laughed. “That’s because ‘Xia’ and ‘Lu’ are both primeval surnames. Since we are accustomed to hearing those names, at first glance, they naturally sound like powers that truly exist.”
“Brother Lu, he’s still following us. It looks like he hasn’t given up.” Coco looked back.
Lu Yin snorted. “Just ignore him. Let’s go check out the Sea King’s son-in-law selection.”
After receiving such a fright, it was virtually guaranteed that Feng Mo would not kill everyone in their group. This was a positive outcome, and if luck was on their side, the Sea King’s son-in-law selection would give them the opportunity to escape. Although the Bo Duo would still give them trouble since they were being pressured by the Blackbeard Pirates, it was starting to look like they would be forced to come to the Starfall Sea themselves. They were not like Feng Mo, who could pull back and leave at any moment, but they would definitely not allow the youths to escape. Hence, the group had to participate in the selection until the tracking devices in the seniors’ bodies were removed.
More and more people gathered nearby, as the seaweed strands were not arranged in straight lines; rather, they spread out in all directions. This meant that those on the surrounding strands of seaweed had also gathered at this place to join in on the excitement.
Even if they could not qualify for the selection, they still wanted to watch.
In the distance, there was a rather magnificent ship anchored nearby. This was not a spacecraft, but a true ship that gave off a stern aura. A powerful strength seemed to spread out from it that caused those who approached to go silent.
Countless people gathered around the ship and even more continued to converge around the area. The entire area was filled with cultivators outfitted in blue ring armors. These people were soldiers of the Sea King’s Dome, and they were the soldiers of the Sea King.
The Sea King was the Starfall Sea’s most dominant overlord, but these troops were almost entirely composed of mere Limiteers and Explorers, which was puzzling.
However, Hui Daynight simply explained, “No one dares to go against the Sea King’s soldiers.”
Countless people gathered beside the ship. Soon, Lu Yin and the others discovered that their group was too large. Even if one of them qualified, each person was only allowed to bring along no more than four others. The group therefore split into three groups of four: Lu Yin, Lulu, Michelle, and Big Pao; Xia Luo, Darkvoid, Meng Yue, and Coco; and finally, Hui Daynight, Zhao Yilong, Little Pao, and Zora.
They walked into the crowd and overheard numerous discussions about the selection process for the Sea King’s son-in-law.
“Did you hear that? An expert from the Top 100 Rankings has appeared at another selection site.”
Lu Yin and the rest stopped to listen attentively, as every expert in the Top 100 Rankings would receive attention wherever they went.
“I heard that it’s Qin Chen, ranked eighty eighth on the list. Some call him ‘the Trapper.’”
“It’s not just him who came. It’s rumored that Northgate Lie is here as well. Two experts from the Top 100 Rankings have suddenly appeared.”
“Not only did experts from the Top 100 Rankings come here, but even the unequaled Limiteer, Ling Que, came. He came here to challenge someone, but he managed to rush here in time for the selection.”
“Those people are just the obvious ones. Who knows how many more hidden experts have arrived. There’s also the various heirs of the great powers. If not for all the stringent criteria that the Sea King put forth for this son-in-law selection, the number of experts coming would be many times what will actually show up.”
“Right, there’s one that says that you have to approach the strength of a Cruiser by age twenty five at the latest. It’s extremely rare to come by someone who matches those criteria.”
…
Lu Yin had not thought that Northgate Lie and Qin Chen would both come to participate in this selection, not to mention Ling Que. This selection had attracted quite a number of powerhouses, though Northgate Lie should have already surpassed the age limit.
It could be said that Lu Yin had perfectly fulfilled the Sea King’s criteria. Truthfully, since he had lost his memory, he was not certain of his exact age, but he should be under twenty five. Big Pao and Little Pao also appeared to be about twenty five. While their true strength surpassed many Explorers and they could barely hold their own against a Cruiser, they were definitely not Realmbreakers who could defeat a Cruiser. This meant that the two could not qualify by merit of their strength; only people whose talent were at the same level as the Astral Combat Academy’s student leaders could qualify after breaking through to the Explorer realm.
There was only one kind of person who could reach that level, which were the top-level disciples from great powers, such as Liu Shaoqiu. It was very normal for the strength of these youths to approach that of a Cruiser while still in the Explorer realm.
The next level after that was the experts on the Top Hundred Ranking.
The Sea King was very picky, as those who could qualify for the selection through their own power were all extremely powerful.
Starfall Sea was in a remote location, so it was unknown how many experts would attend this selection event. But despite that, two experts from the Top 100 Rankings had already appeared.
And there was also Ling Que. His strength as a Limiteer was actually comparable to an expert at the tail-end of the Top 100 Rankings. He was just a Limiteer like Lu Yin, but he would be considerably difficult to deal with.
“Hurry up! The representative is on that ship!” Big Pao was extremely excited, and he pushed people in the crowd aside as he made a beeline towards the ship.
Lu Yin and the others followed after him, and it didn’t take them long to reach the front of the crowd.
A squad of soldiers from the Sea King’s Dome appeared as one young man stood in front of the ship with an ugly expression on his face. Additionally, there was a pretty girl dressed in a youthful style aboard the ship, and her haughty demeanor carried an innate air of pride and contempt.
“You look like that, but you still dared to come out? You’re not just throwing your own face away, but also that of your parents and your unborn child as well. No, you won’t even be able to find a wife with those looks, what’s more a child. Hurry up and get lost! Don’t ruin my eyes.”
Lu Yin’s group had just arrived at the front when they heard those scathing words, leaving them staring at the girl on the ship in shock.
Someone beside them whispered, “This maid has a vicious tongue. These people are rather good-looking, or else they wouldn’t have dared to go up there in the first place.”
“Shh! Speak softer! That’s the maid of the Sea King’s daughter. She represents her mistress, so their tastes should be pretty similar.”
“But what a venomous mouth! Listen to her—she’s ripped quite a few young men apart during this time, but she hasn’t repeated herself once. Each and every one of those men is an heir to various powerful organizations too.”
“There’s no choice. When it’s the Sea King’s Dome, what needs to be tolerated will be tolerated.”
…
At this point, another man walked forward with confidence. He placed his hands behind his back as he bowed towards the beautiful girl. “Miss, it’s nice to meet you.”
“It’s not nice to look at you. You make me nauseous,” the girl replied unenthusiastically.
The man was stumped for a moment, and then he left in embarrassment.
Quite quickly, someone else walked out. But before they could even speak, the pretty girl covered her eyes. “My eyes hurt.”
That person pouted and left.
One after another, young men stepped forward, but no one managed to win the girl’s approval. Each and every one of them was roasted to the point where they started doubting their life. Amazingly, no two insults were the same.
Lulu looked at Big Pao. “Senior, it’s your turn. Go on!”
Big Pao’s face twisted, and he coughed awkwardly. “Actually, I feel like I should mull over this decision a bit more, since this is related to one’s personality-”
Before he could finish speaking, Lulu had already pushed him in front of the crowd, only for Big Pao to be greeted by a ruthless yet eloquent verbal attack. Big Pao returned with a pale face. “It’s my own fault for being born in this universe.”
Lulu laughed.
On the other side, Michelle smiled, and she then looked at Lu Yin. “It’s your turn.”
Lu Yin felt his teeth ache. “I want to qualify through my strength.”
“You can try. Maybe they prefer that method,” Lulu urged.
Big Pao tried to push Lu Yin forward, but he couldn’t make him budge an inch. “Go on, Junior. Senior feels optimistic about your chances.”
Lu Yin smiled grimly, as he would not go even if he was beaten.
The atmosphere suddenly grew heavy, as no one dared to go up.
The pretty girl looked down contemptuously from the ship. “Just a bunch of clowns.”
Lu Yin felt like this provocative girl deserved to be spanked.
Suddenly, there was a commotion in the crowd as a man walked out and gently smiled up at the beautiful girl.
Lu Yin and the rest were stunned, as the man was simply too handsome.
If a woman could be beautiful to a certain degree, then so too could a man be handsome to the same extent. Beauty was relative, but there was a certain level of handsomeness that could attract other males and even turn them gay. Such a person had just appeared, and when he boarded the ship, the smitten girl turned to keep watching his back.
The crowd suddenly erupted in various discussions. “Even a trashy Scout can board the ship? That’s just disgusting. Isn’t the Sea King’s daughter afraid that she’ll be humiliated to death?”
“Rumor has it that she’s very ugly, which is why she needs to find a handsome man.”
“I’ve heard that as well. Apparently, the Sea King wants to improve the gene pool for the next generation and has been looking for a handsome man for a long time.”
“No, I want to change my appearance. I want to be the Sea King’s son-in-law.”
“Are you looking for death? Do you think that they can’t tell? A few days ago, someone was discovered to have changed his appearance. He was beaten half to death for that! He was an Explorer too, but he didn’t dare to retaliate, and he ended up disfigured.”
…
One super-handsome man had boarded the ship, which caused a hubbub in the crowd below. However, it made them even more hesitant to step forward since the standards had become even more apparent.
It took half an hour before a newcomer arrived and went forward.
“I’m very curious about your parents; how is it that they have the confidence to allow you to go outside and scare people?”
“You look alright. At least I didn’t vomit.”
“Your face is a biological weapon.”
“What are you smiling for? You look just like a fat buddha. Our Sea King’s Dome isn’t short on money.”
“I’ll trouble you to turn around in a circle and depart, just like how your face is round.”
“Did a cucumber come alive?”
…
Lu Yin admired the girl, as she had truly not repeated a single insult even after going on for several hours.
Strange, why haven’t Hui Daynight and the rest appeared yet?
Right as Lu Yin thought about Hui Daynight, he stepped forward. Lu Yin looked over and saw that the Daynight youth seemed a little apprehensive.
In fact, Hui Daynight was decent as far as his looks were concerned. After all, the Daynight clan members all had good genes. That, combined with their distinctive black-and-white long hair, meant that they had an unconventional charm about them that many girls were fond of. This was the reason why they had divided into groups, so that Hui Daynight could qualify and take a group in with him. Now, he stared nervously at the beautiful girl, his expression looking like he was waiting for his trial to begin.
The crowd broke into an uproar again. Someone from the Daynight clan had actually come.
Everyone knew that the Daynight clan did not marry externally. Becoming the Sea King’s son-in-law meant that one had to become a member of the Sea King’s Dome. But despite such restrictions, a Daynight clan member had actually appeared. This was too brazen; was he intending to betray his clan for love?
The charming girl was stumped as well, as she had not expected a Daynight clan member to appear. She looked at Hui Daynight in shock. “Your bravery is commendable.”
Hui Daynight relaxed inwardly. Fortunately, he had not been insulted, and her tone towards him had even been rather gentle.
“But bravery cannot replace looks. Here’s a suggestion: in the future, use a mirror before you leave home,” the girl lashed out with her caustic words once again, even though her tone remained gentle.
Hui Daynight wanted to retort, but he found that he could not utter a single word. More importantly, he was afraid of being insulted again, so he simply turned around and left.
Lu Yin and the rest watched him with sympathetic expressions. How cruel.
Suddenly, a giant force struck Lu Yin from behind, and he was pushed in front of the crowd since he had been caught off guard. It was Lulu; that brat would do anything to watch Lu Yin be humiliated.
The pretty girl turned her gaze towards Lu Yin.
