Challenge

Having experienced a series of unexpected events, Ai Fei's voice carried a barely perceptible tension as she spoke into the soul-guided microphone:

"Yes, yes, please welcome the next Your Majesty—Your Majesty Lan Fuzi from the eighth group!"

At this moment, Lan Fuzi was experiencing a brief "brain freeze" due to the outrageous actions of the previous contestants. Suddenly hearing her own name, she visibly stiffened, subconsciously raised her hand, pointed to her nose, and asked with a somewhat bewildered tone, "Me?"

Standing to one side of the stage, Ai Fei couldn't help but twitch her lips when she saw Lan Fuzi's slightly bewildered expression.

However, compared to the previous "hidden dragons and phoenixes," this contestant's reaction at this moment seemed somewhat naive.

Ai Fei silently prayed, "It's better if he's a little silly, at least he won't do any more weird tricks."

Then, she raised her hand in a gesture of respect, her tone softening. "That's right, Your Highness Lan Fuzi, please step forward and express your feelings to Your Highness the Silver Dragon Princess."

"Calm down, you must calm down." Lan Fuzi took a deep breath, trying to calm the tension in her heart.

She lacked experience in large-scale events and had only a vague understanding of the marriage proposal process, but thinking of the "outrageous" actions of the first four contestants, she breathed a sigh of relief—nothing could be worse than "finding a friend to return to the village," "giving lollipops," or "confessing to an outsider," which gave her more confidence.

And upon closer reflection, after the outrageous actions of those four Demon, her chances of a successful confession had nearly doubled.

Naruto Uzumaki, Uchiha Sasuke, GG Bond, and Cheng Liuxiang are definitely out of the running, not to mention Nan Fusheng, although he hasn't appeared yet, has already been revealed to be "married".

With this calculation, five of the top ten are already guaranteed to be eliminated, and she only needs to beat the remaining four, which doubles her chances of winning.

Lan Fuzi stepped forward, looked up at Gu Yuena on the Matchmaking Platform, and said earnestly, "Miss Gu Yuena, when I first saw you on the Soul-Powered Television, I was immediately awestruck by your beauty."

"I really like you. You're so beautiful, and I can feel it. Your beauty is pure and untouched by the world. I don't know why, but from that moment on, I had a special feeling for you, a natural urge to be close to you."

"So, I came. Actually, I ran away from home, but I still came, and I don't regret it at all. If you choose me, I will treat you well, for the rest of my life. This is my little gift."

As soon as he finished speaking, Lan Fuzi gently flipped his wrist, and a delicate sandalwood box appeared in his palm.

She carefully opened the box, and a peculiar bead came into view—the bead was completely transparent, but inside it was surrounded by eight colors: blue, red, green, yellow, cyan, black, purple, gold, and white. The iridescent light flowed slowly within the bead, giving it an indescribable and strange texture.

Even from a great distance, one can feel the special energy contained within it.

This is...

Even with Gu Yuena's extensive knowledge, she was startled when she saw this bead.

Lan Fuzi seemed to have thought of something, and a hint of sadness appeared in her eyes. "This is a keepsake left to me by my father. My mother told me that I should only give it to someone I truly love."

This is my most precious thing. I'm giving it to you today to let you know that my feelings for you are absolutely genuine. If you choose me, it will belong to you from now on, but please take good care of it. Xie Xie.

Gu Yuena's eyes flashed, and she gently shook her head. Her melodious voice resounded throughout the entire arena via the Soul Tool Amplifier:

"I cannot accept this gift, even if I choose you—it is too precious. Thank you for your kindness; I can clearly feel your sincerity. Xie Xie you."

Although most of the Spectator did not recognize the eight-colored bead, they could judge its value from Lan Fuzi's expression and Gu Yuena's reaction—the fact that the Silver Dragon Princess took the initiative to refuse it and even emphasized that she "felt sincerity" was enough to show the weight of this gift.

Immediately, a noisy discussion arose in the Spectator.

Gu Yuena lowered her eyes slightly. She had already seen through Lan Fuzi's identity. She originally thought that the other party was just a special Deep Sea Demonic Whale King, but now, seeing the items that the other party took out, she couldn't help but look at this same-sex suitor in a different light.

Inner Core! And it's at least the Inner Core of a Ferocious Beast whose cultivation level was close to that of a god in its lifetime!

Gu Yuena shook her head inwardly. She didn't know whether to say that Lan Fuzi was too sincere or too innocent. It was just a Martial Arts Tournament for Marriage, yet he was willing to bring out such a treasure!

Seeing this, Ai Fei finally felt relieved and quickly took over the conversation:

"It seems His Majesty the Lan Fuzi's gift is indeed extraordinary; even His Majesty the Silver Dragon Princess has sensed its value and your sincerity. So, Miss Gu Yuena, do you have any questions for His Majesty the Lan Fuzi, or any requests for a friendly exchange?"

"I have no problem, and there's no need for sparring." Gu Yuena gently shook her head, her tone calm.

There were no outrageous nitpickings, no strange gifts, and no confessions to unrelated people— Lan Fuzi's presentation finally brought this chaotic Martial Arts Matchmaking Convention for marriage back to normal.

Ai Fei secretly breathed a sigh of relief, and her professional smile returned to her face.

"Thank you for your sincere presentation, Your Majesty Lan Fuzi. Please return to the contestant queue and wait a moment. Next, we will continue with the draw. This time, the selected contestant from Sixth Group is Your Majesty Yu Longyue! Let's give him a round of applause!"

At this moment, Yu Longyue slowly raised her head, her gaze calmly fixed on Gu Yuena on the Matchmaking Platform. After taking a deep breath, she gently ran her right hand across her cheek.

With this action, the disguise that had been concealing his true appearance was removed, revealing a stunningly beautiful face that could outshine any woman in the world. His long hair cascaded over his shoulders, and his features possessed both the spirit of a young man and the gentleness of a woman.

"My name is not Yu Longyue, nor do I come from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan." Her voice was clear and firm, resonating throughout every corner of the Ming Capital Grand Stadium through the soul-guided microphone. "My real name is Tang Wulin, the current Sect Master of the Tang Sect, and also the Sea God Pavilion Master at the Shrek Academy."

These words caused an instant deathly silence, followed by a deafening uproar— the Tang Sect, the organization recently labeled a "traitorous organization" by the Federation;

Shrek Academy, once the number one academy on the continent, remains a sacred place in the hearts of countless Spirit Master even though its strength has declined.

The mere fact that these two names were publicly mentioned at this Martial Arts Matchmaking Convention to find a husband was enough to cause a huge uproar.

Before the Spectator's gasps could subside, Tang Wulin took a step forward, his gaze sharp and fixed on Gu Yuena on the high platform. His voice carried a suppressed urgency. "Gu Yuena, I've come to participate in this Martial Arts Tournament for Marriage, not for fame or fortune, not for power, but only to ask you for an answer."

"In your eyes, is everything we've been through just calculation, without a shred of genuine affection? Is there truly no future for us?"

Her voice trembled slightly, yet remained firm, "And you now—are you Gu Yue, or Na'er?"

The questions that had been weighing on her mind for years were finally voiced in one breath.

The moment the words left his mouth, Tang Wulin felt as if a huge weight had been lifted from his chest, and he felt much lighter. However, his gaze remained fixed on Gu Yuena, unwilling to miss a single expression on her face.

The complicated relationship between Gu Yue and Na'er's identities remains the Sharpness thorn in Tang Wulin's heart.

She wasn't stupid; her years of adventures and the subtle hints from "Old Tang" in her mind had already led her to guess part of the truth. But she refused to believe it, nor was she willing to define this relationship based solely on speculation.

She chose to ask her question under the watchful eyes of the Continent-Wide Broadcast, solely to seek a clear answer, unwilling to suffer the same fate as Light Dark Douluo Long Yeyue, who was left with lifelong regret due to youthful hesitation and misunderstanding.

Whether the answer is good or bad, she is prepared—even a complete rejection would bring this long-term relationship to a clean end.

However, she chose not to mention the secret of her transition to womanhood.

After all, Tang Wulin has always been presented as a male. Even if he were to reveal his female face at this moment, the Spectator would only marvel at how "the Sect Master the Tang Sect Clan is even more handsome than a woman," rather than questioning his gender.

Such perception is not without basis. Just like Sea God Tang San from 20,000 years ago, after awakening the Blue Silver Emperor Martial Soul, his flowing long hair and handsome face led countless people who saw his statue for the first time to mistake him for a woman. There were even quite a few people who charged at the statue.

Tang Wulin was certain that he would be categorized as "excessively handsome" at this moment.

"Another incident..."

The host Ai Fei, felt dizzy and lightheaded, and her hands and feet were ice-cold.

As a veteran radio host, today is undoubtedly the biggest Waterloo of her career - she had just stabilized the situation through Lan Fuzi's normal performance, but in the blink of an eye, she faced such a subversive identity reversal, which even brought up the sensitive topic of "Tang Sect's betrayal".

She stood there, her fingers trembling slightly, momentarily at a loss for how to control the situation.

The Spectator was thrown into unprecedented chaos, with shouts and gasps rising and falling.

The ordinary people who had been looking forward to the "Silver Dragon Princess's Selection of a Husband" were now feeling overwhelmed. A Matchmaking Tournament had taken such a dramatic turn, with twists and turns and a jumble of information that left many feeling dizzy and confused.

On the platform, the face of Qian Gu Dongfeng, the master of the Spirit Pagoda, instantly turned ashen, and a chilling aura emanated from his body.

However, he did not immediately give the order to take action—today's conference Continent-Wide Broadcast via Soul Tool Satellite, Spirit Pagoda was of utmost importance; he could not be the one to "first disrupt the order."

Seeing the unrest among the high-ranking Federation officials beside him, Qiangu Dongfeng immediately raised his hand to calm them down. At the same time, he used his Soul Power to quickly communicate with them, and with the help of his years of accumulated connections and vested interests, he quickly stabilized these Councilor who were inclined to support the Spirit Pagoda.

"Tang Sect, Shrek..."

Qiangu Dongfeng's gaze was fixed on Tang Wulin below, his eyes flashing with cold light.

He knew very well that Tang Wulin's daring appearance alone at this conference dominated by the Spirit Pagoda meant that there must be forces from the Tang Sect and Shrek lurking around the Stadium, ready to provide support at any time.

"However, I'm not unprepared. Now that you're here, don't expect to leave unscathed." With that thought, a cold smile curled at the corner of Qiangu Dongfeng's lips.

Fortunately, to prevent any unforeseen circumstances, he had specifically asked his father and elder brother to come, and with the help of the people from the War God Temple, he was absolutely confident that he could wipe out Tang Wulin and the forces behind him in one fell swoop.

On the Competition Platform, Tang Wulin remained standing, his gaze fixed on Gu Yuena on the Matchmaking Platform, awaiting the answer that would determine her future.

When Gu Yuena on the high platform looked at Tang Wulin's face, she was slightly surprised that his appearance had suddenly become more refined, but she did not investigate it further, taking it as a subtle change in some kind of soul guide disguise or Martial Soul characteristic.

Her expression was calm, her tone as indifferent as ice, as she slowly spoke, "You've mistaken me for someone else. I am Gu Yuena, neither the ' Gu Yue ' you speak of, nor the so-called ' Na'er '."

She paused slightly, her gaze sweeping across the room, seemingly concerned about the potential impact on public opinion, before continuing:

"As for the 'feelings' you mentioned, I urge Tang Sect Leader Tang to be mindful and refrain from making irresponsible remarks, lest others misunderstand. From beginning to end, I have always been a member of the Spirit Pagoda and have had no personal entanglements with the Tang Sect or Shrek Academy."

These words, spoken clearly and distinctly, resonated throughout every corner of the Stadium via the Soul Tool Amplifier, without the slightest hesitation or ambiguity.

At this moment, the consciousness that is in control of this body is Gu Yue's —since choosing to join hands with Nan Fusheng, she has severed all past entanglements and is determined not to waver again.

She didn't bring out her Na'er personality because she wanted to completely sever Tang Wulin's hopes in the most resolute way, and also to put a firm end to her choice.

"Empty! Empty! Empty!"

When Gu Yuena finished speaking, Tang Wulin felt as if his heart was being gripped tightly by an invisible hand. Intense pain spread through his veins to every part of his body, and each heartbeat was accompanied by a tearing agony.

She was mentally prepared, but she was still overwhelmed by this cold and resolute statement—it wasn't a perfunctory excuse, but a firm denial, a declaration to completely sever ties.

She looked up and Matchmaking Platform Gu Yuena on the marriage proposal stage with eyes as cold as ice, devoid of any warmth. That sense of unfamiliarity made Tang Wulin instantly realize: what the other party said was true, and perhaps only he himself remembered all the things from the past.

"Call--"

Tang Wulin took a slow, deep breath, his chest rising and falling gradually calming down, and the pain in his eyes was replaced by a hint of determination.

She straightened her back, looked up at Gu Yuena again, and her voice was slightly hoarse:

"I recall that the rules of the Martial Arts Matchmaking Convention included a 'challenge round'—at this moment, I, Tang Wulin, as a contestant, issue a challenge to Her Majesty the Silver Dragon Princess Gu Yuena. I wonder if you would accept?"

She didn't act on impulse.

Today, she is not only here for herself, but also bearing the identity of the Tang Sect Master and the Sea God Pavilion Master Shrek Academy. If she leaves in disgrace after being rejected, she will not only become a laughing stock, but also bring shame to the Tang Sect and Shrek Academy.

In the Spectator, the Light Dark Douluo Long Yeyue, the Affectionate Douluo Zang Xin, and the Emotionless Douluo Cao Dezhi were all watching this scene. The eyes of the entire continent were also focused on this place, and she could not back down.

Even if she can't win the heart of the beauty, she will still demonstrate the spirit of the Shrek Academy and the dignity of the Tang Sect in this highly anticipated showdown.

This battle has nothing to do with love; it's solely about defending the honor of oneself and the forces behind one's back.