At the same time, at the intersection of the Third Ring Town and the Second Ring Town
At this moment, the streets were practically deserted.
A huge stage rose from the ground.
Around the stage, there were more than forty ghost messengers standing in a row.
They remained expressionless, forming a human wall within the crowd.
Separate the enthusiastic crowd from the playing field.
"Phoenix Emperor live the Phoenix!"
"Let's get started! I've never seen a husband-recruiting drama like this before!"
The frenzied cheers nearly lifted the sky off Soul Return Town.
These townspeople, who possess immortality yet are utterly bored.
Everyone is eagerly anticipating this once-in-a-century performance competition.
Amidst the bustling crowd of spectators.
Zhao Yan Shadow member of the China Sharp Blade Squad, was chatting with Guo Shuai in a corner with a fairly good view.
After the previous misunderstanding was cleared up, and considering that both parties are Huaxia Person...
The relationship between the group has indeed become much closer.
As for Han Fei and Circle, Tu Xiaowu took them to find jobs.
Guo Shuai happened to run into them, and that's how he met Zhao Yan Shadow came here.
Looking at Guo Shuai, who was carefree and munching on a sesame seed cake beside him, Shadow couldn't help but sigh and say something.
"I never expected... that he's actually your team captain."
Upon hearing this, Guo Shuai stopped chewing.
He scratched his head, then chuckled and corrected him earnestly.
"Hey girl, let me correct you, that's not our captain!"
"It's our boss!"
Zhao Yan, listening from the side, was completely bewildered and wore a puzzled expression.
"Is there a difference between the titles 'captain' and 'boss'?"
"Aren't they all the same—team leaders?"
"Nonono!"
Guo Shuai raised one index finger and shook it in front of Zhao Yan.
"The difference is huge."
I respect the boss as much as I respect a god!
Guo Shuai patted his chest.
"If it weren't for the boss, I, Guo Shuai, would have died on the first night long ago, not even a bone fragment would be left."
"If it weren't for the boss, I'd probably still be a useless piece of trash with no strength to even kill a chicken!"
"Who do you think you are to stand here and chat with a bunch of top special forces soldiers?"
Zhao Yan and Shadow exchanged a glance, both seeing deep shock in each other's eyes.
As top military personnel in China, they knew all too well what that look meant.
That was neither obedience to superiors nor reverence for the team commander.
It's a belief!
They instantly understood that they had no need to say anything more in this team.
That was a leader who dictated the course of the government!
While everyone had their own thoughts...
"Waaaaah! Waaaah!"
Two horn calls echoed above the stage!
The previously noisy and bustling crowd fell silent instantly at the sound of those two horns.
All eyes turned to the sky.
A tall figure gracefully descended from mid-air.
The person who arrived was none other than Shangguan Shuyi, the Phoenix Emperor's right-hand woman.
She was wearing a black and white Daoist robe, and her black and white twin ponytails swayed slightly in the wind.
He landed in the very center of the stage, his right hand folding up a folding fan, while his left hand held an antique bronze mirror.
"Lord Phoenix Emperor has an order!"
"The first stage of the groom selection competition is about to begin!"
Shangguan Shuyi raised the bronze mirror in her hand.
"The list of participants is now being announced! Candidates whose names are called, please come to the stage!"
"Zhang San!"
Yang Zhi!
"The Lu Mingfei..."
As each name was read out, more and more people appeared on the stage.
It wasn't until the tenth name was called that Guo Shuai and the others in the audience finally recognized someone.
"Tenth place, Zhao Yan!"
"Arrive!"
As a veteran by nature, Zhao Yan instinctively stood at attention and gave a military salute.
After realizing what had happened, he gave an awkward laugh and prepared to squeeze through the crowd to go on stage.
Guo Shuai stared at him, his eyes wide with shock.
"Really? Grandpa Zhao, you're so old, why would you participate in this kind of matchmaking competition?"
Zhao Yan turned around and waved his hand cheerfully. "Hey! It's all about participation!"
"This old man isn't after women; it's mainly for the two treasures in Phoenix Emperor's possession."
After saying that, he strode onto the stage.
Guo Shuai turned to look at the Shadow beside him. "Aren't you going? This competition doesn't seem to have gender restrictions."
Shadow shook his head, his expression grave. "I'm not going. I need to go find someone first."
"One of the Big Boss in our team has gone missing in town."
"I'm going to meet up with Vice Captain Xin An next, and we'll go find him together."
"Looking for someone? What does your Big Boss do in town?"
Guo Shuai asked enthusiastically, "Maybe I can help you."
"His chosen profession was [Jailer]."
The Shadow answered.
"Oh my! What a coincidence!"
Guo Shuai slapped his thigh, "My son Circle also works for the government in this town's jail!"
"I'm going to deliver his food anyway, let me go with you, that way we can keep each other company!"
Shadow thought for a moment, then nodded in agreement. "Okay, let's go find Xin An first!"
"He's probably setting up a stall in the south of the town to sell things right now, all to meet his sales targets."
The two then hit it off immediately, turned around, and squeezed out of the crowd.
On the stage, Shangguan Shuyi continued reading the names.
"Twenty-fourth place, Aeria Alice!"
The moment the name was uttered, the townspeople below the stage erupted in a howl of wolves!
"Aaaaaah! It's Alice!"
Alice! I love you!
"Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!"
"..."
The scene was so crazy that it was unimaginable.
Among the crowd, three members of the Eagle Squad were waving. "Go, Captain!"
Amid cheers, the stunning Aeria walked onto the stage.
As luck would have it, he happened to be standing right behind Zhao Yan.
He naturally leaned close to Zhao Yan's ear and whispered a greeting.
Hello, Grandpa Zhao!
"Want to come to my room for a drink after the game?"
"No, no, I'm too old. You young people should do this!"
Zhao Yan felt goosebumps rise all over his body, and he waved his hands repeatedly in refusal, silently taking two steps to the side.
He doesn't want to grow old and have a weakened sphincter that can't keep the valve shut!
"Thirty-first, Qin Jiudao!"
As soon as the words were spoken, a majestic figure stepped onto the stage!
The Heavenblade Dragon King stood there expressionless.
That's his real name.
Zhao Yan's gaze sharpened, and he silently memorized the name.
"Qin Jiudao... This is excellent intelligence! The real name of the Heavenblade Dragon King has never been recorded in the databases of any country in the world!"
"Thirty-second place, Muraguchi Nissuu!"
No one responded from the stage.
Shangguan Shuyi frowned, raised her voice, and repeated it twice more, "The Muraguchi Nissuu! Where are they?!"
"How dare someone be late for this kind of selection! They're asking for trouble!" Shangguan Shuyi gritted her teeth in anger.
Meanwhile, in the crowd below the stage, Corporal Morishita had been lying in wait for a long time, was sweating profusely with anxiety!
He searched everywhere for Muraguchi Nissuu's figure at the village entrance.
Little did they know that their own family members had long been treated like trash and thrown into the septic tank by Guo Shuai.
It looked like Shangguan Shuyi was about to lose her temper and disqualify him.
Corporal Morishita and had no choice but to bite the bullet and rush onto the stage to take his place!
"Private Marseille! Private Marseille!"
As soon as Morishita onto the stage, he immediately performed a Dogezuo a deep, prostration gesture), kneeling on the ground and frantically kowtowing in apology.
But Shangguan Shuyi didn't give him a friendly look at all.
Phoenix Emperor specifically instructed that the rules must be strictly followed and the competition treated rigorously!
"Being late is a violation and shows contempt for the competition!"
Shangguan Shuyi snorted coldly, and with a flourish of her pen, she made two strokes on the initial performance data.
Initial performance: Negative 50 taels!
This means that everyone else starts from zero.
And before this little rascal even started running, it was buried in the ground!
Corporal Morishita lay on the ground, but felt a sense of relief.
"Phew... As long as I'm not eliminated outright, this mess isn't my fault anyway!"
"Let him pay off his debts himself when the adults get back."
So he kowtowed again to express his gratitude and obediently joined the line.
Zhao Yan squinted at him, sneering inwardly.
"That accent, that way of apologizing—he's obviously a Japanese!"
"He's definitely up to no good. Once the match starts, we'll find a chance to take him down in the chaos."
Just then, Shangguan Shuyi cleared her throat and looked at the last person on the list.
"The last one... thirty-third place, Jiangnan!"
"Boom!"
Upon hearing this name, the elderly townspeople who had lived for thousands of years froze in their seats!
Qin Jiudao, standing on the stage, had his pupils constricted.
"Jiangnan?! Is this name... someone else with the same name?!"
Qin Jiudao's hands began to tremble uncontrollably.
"How could it be exactly the same as the Dragon God's real name?!"
His eyes scanned the audience, trying to find that familiar figure.
Zhao Yan also craned his neck in curiosity.
He had already learned his real name, which needed no further explanation, from Guo Shuai: Jiangnan.
He wanted to see this peerless genius, hailed as the number one person in the new era of China.
What kind of face does it actually have?
However...
After Shangguan Shuyi shouted three times in a row, there was still no sign of Jiangnan!
"Good! Very good!"
Shangguan Shuyi laughed in anger, the veins on the back of her hand holding the folding fan bulging.
"Phoenix Emperor was absolutely right!"
"This guy named Jiangnan is indeed a troublemaker who disregards the rules!"
We must target them severely!
Without hesitation, she picked up her pen and drew three strokes after Jiangnan's name!
Initial performance: Negative 500 taels!!!
"I'd like to see how you, a mere constable, manage to pay off this 500 taels debt in a single day!"
"Could they possibly arrest all the criminals in the town? And then they'll overtake everyone and take the top twelve!"
Shangguan Shuyi put away the list, glanced at the sky, and announced it loudly.
"The auspicious hour has arrived! I hereby declare the competition officially open! No one late will be waited for!"
Qin Jiudao sighed inwardly when he saw that Jiangnan still hadn't appeared.
"It must be that Phoenix Emperor, out of consideration for past relationships, deliberately added this name to the list as a memento."
"How could it be such a coincidence that there's a second Jiangnan in Soul Return Town?"
He shook his head and glanced at the constable's token assigned to him at his waist.
Next, all he needs to do is go on a killing spree to arrest criminals in the town and boost his performance record.
He changed into his flying fish robe, and with a flash, disappeared from the spot.
Zhao Yan also looked away with some regret.
"What a pity, I didn't see him."
His job is a [laborer], and he wants to earn enough silver tickets in one day to advance to the second stage and enter the Second Ring Town.
We have to work our butts off carrying those heavy bags.
He straightened his clothes and turned to get back to work.
As for Aeria, those who know, know.
As soon as the competition was announced to begin, she immediately struck several seductive poses on the stage.
She immediately seduced dozens of male townspeople with gleaming eyes, and they marched in a grand procession toward Green Moon Tower.
"Shameless bitch!"
Shangguan Shuyi and the female townspeople below the stage all spat, "Shameless in broad daylight!"
As the contestants left one after another, Shangguan Shuyi raised the bronze mirror in her hand high.
"Fellow townspeople! This is the [Heaven-Peering Mirror]!"
"The upcoming matches will be broadcast live in their entirety!"
"Oh oh oh oh ho ho!!!"
The townspeople erupted in cheers that shook the heavens once again.
With this thing, they won't need to run around stalking anymore.
And on a tall pavilion not far from the stage.
The "Sage," who had been secretly observing the situation, smiled, "It's finally begun..."
Although he couldn't see with his eyes covered by a gray cloth, his mental energy was locked onto the Heaven-Peering Mirror.
"We must obtain the key to the secret of this Soul Return Town..."
"Only..."
The Sage frowned slightly. "Where did my chess piece go?"
"How did that person get up there? I don't even know him."
"Could it be... that the Muraguchi Nissuu is disguised as someone else?"
The Sage gazed at Corporal Morishita's sleazy appearance in the Heaven-Peering Mirror, filled with doubt.
Just then!
"Whoosh!"
A whooshing sound suddenly came from behind the Sage!
"Get out of the way!"
With a delicate shout, a blur of a figure riding a flying sword flew past the Sage, almost grazing his scalp.
It almost knocked him off the attic!
"Are you blind?! You old fool!"
The afterimage of the Daoist remained suspended in mid-air. Liu Ruyan, enraged, pointed at the Sage and began to curse him.
"Are you just sitting on the roof like a statue because you have nothing better to do?!"
"Don't you know this airspace now belongs to me, the Sword Emperor?!"
The Sage was startled by this sudden turn of events and broke out in a cold sweat.
He thought Yue Tian had come to ambush him again!
Immediately afterward, a surge of rage welled up inside him!
"You bastard! I haven't even said a word after you bumped into me, and you're already cursing at me?!"
The Sage, enraged, laughed, and a wisp of black smoke rose from his palm.
He was prepared to teach this arrogant fool a lesson right away!
However, just as he raised his head, preparing to expel the black smoke...
The Sage man as a whole...
I was completely stunned!
Because he just noticed!
Rather, it was because of the woman who kept referring to herself as "Sword Emperor"...
He was even riding a man dressed in a flying fish costume!!!
Jiangnan sat languidly on Liu Ruyan's shoulders, arms crossed, looking down at him without any emotion.
"Tick-tock..."
A bead of cold sweat slid down the Sage's forehead.
His outstretched hand began to tremble!
I wasn't stunned by this bizarre design!
He recognized that aura!
That man's scent!
That's a force that can withstand countless reincarnations!
No matter how many times you change your appearance, you can never hide the fluctuations of your soul!
That was a soul that, thousands of years ago, single-handedly brought endless Nightmare and fear to all the Evil God!
"Dragon... Dragon God?!!"