Sea God Fate
On the day of the Sea God Fate.
Yun Jingheng was awakened by the soft rustling of the lantern cables on the lake outside his window.
He lay on the bed for a few seconds, staring at the diamond-shaped spots of light on the ceiling, then got up to wash and change into the clean casual clothes folded on the back of the chair.
Ya Li had brought the clothes over and hung them up a few days ago; the collar was ironed perfectly, and all the buttons on the cuffs were still there.
The cold water splashed on his face completely sobered him up.
I didn't sleep well last night. I had a few dreams that I can't remember the details of, but I do remember seeing a red light flashing in the dream. When I woke up, I found that it was the light from the lanterns outside the window reflecting on the ceiling.
He draped the towel on the rack, walked to his desk, and habitually glanced at the defense terminal directly connected to the Star Pavilion.
How about... updating the recognition library first? Then running a full-area scan again. I thought about it last night, but I was too sleepy then, so I figured I could do it this morning.
The door was pushed open just as my fingers touched the edge of the control panel.
The number of people who can enter his room without knocking in the Sea God Pavilion can be counted on one hand.
Ya Li stood at the door, dressed in a formal robe today. Her hair was neatly styled, and she wore a pair of pearl earrings. She looked dignified and energetic.
Her gaze swept over Yun Jingheng's shoulder, glancing at the densely packed data interface on the terminal screen behind him, before precisely locking onto his finger that hadn't yet pressed the button.
"Stop looking, go help out first." Her tone was no different from when she called him to dinner—gentle, but leaving no room for argument.
She came in, patted the back of his hand that was still resting on the control panel, very lightly, but pulled him up from the chair with a precise angle that was irresistible.
"The Sea God Fate only happens once a year, with thousands of people watching it. Do you know how busy the logistics are? Your dad went out at dawn, and your mom got up before daybreak to check the guest list. And you, you're just sitting here staring at the screen."
"I wasn't spacing out; I need to update the recognition database. There were some yellow alerts last night—"
"Why are you in such a hurry, you yellow one?"
Ya Li had already pushed his shoulders and pulled him up from the desk, then casually grabbed his coat from the back of the chair and stuffed it into his arms. Her movements were smooth and fluid, clearly showing that she had a lot of experience in pushing her son out the door.
"Red is the real danger, yellow is just the system being affectionate, you're more worried than your dad. First, go to the logistics department to urge them on the allocation of backup energy for the lanterns, then go to the island in the middle of the lake to confirm the third test pull of the lifting cable, and on the way back, stop by the canteen to see if the supply is sufficient."
Yun Jingheng was pushed to the door by her, and he glanced back at the terminal.
Ya Li followed his gaze and glanced at him, then reached out and rubbed the back of his head, a little harder than usual, as if soothing a cat that always wanted to hide in the grass.
"Alright, my son, my darling, the Sea God Fate is the most exciting day at the Shrek Academy. All the Titled Douluo in the academy are here. Who dares to cause trouble?"
Yun Jingheng stood in the corridor, the morning light streaming in from the east window, bathing him in a warm golden glow.
With Shrek's current fighting strength, let alone causing trouble, even Titled Douluo- level Evil Soul Master would have to think twice before coming.
"Okay, okay, I'll go."
He shook his head, temporarily putting the yellow warning aside, and hurried downstairs.
At the end of the corridor, you can hear someone downstairs shouting, "Prepare for the third test pull of the lifting cable!" You can hear the clanging of bamboo frames as the lanterns are pulled up on the Sea God Lake. You can hear an early-rising disciple from the Outer Court practicing his singing by the lake, singing a tuneless version of the Sea God Fate theme song.
The logistics officer had been waiting for him at the stairwell for a while, carrying a stack of allocation slips. When he saw him appear at the corner, he rushed over and stuffed the top one, the allocation slip for the backup energy of the lanterns, into his hand.
Yun Jingheng took the document, glanced at it, signed it, and then asked about the preparations for several key milestones. The steward answered each question, and only then did he nod and walk towards the island in the middle of the lake.
On the island in the middle of the lake, the disciples in charge of the lifting cable are conducting their third test pull.
Several thick cables, each as thick as a child's arm, stretched from the edge of the floating platform to the underwater anchor point, emitting a dull hum each time they were tightened.
The disciple in charge saw him approaching and was about to bow when he waved his hand to indicate that it was not necessary. He squatted down to check the wear and tear on the cables, then looked up to check the balance of the lantern frame. After confirming that there were no problems, he signed the inspection record.
After leaving the island in the middle of the lake, he went to the cafeteria again.
Long queues formed at the breakfast stalls in the cafeteria, filled with early-rising students from the Outer Court, chattering about who would confess their love to whom that night.
He stood next to the food counter and glanced at the supply. He then confirmed the amount of food prepared for lunch and dinner with the cafeteria staff. The Sea God Fate was a full-day event, with the audience staying from morning till night, so the cafeteria's supply pressure was more than double that of usual.
While deftly tossing the food in the wok, the cafeteria lady told him that she didn't know where Xu Lizhi had gone; he hadn't come to help for the past few days, and they were all too busy because they didn't have enough staff.
Yun Jingheng picked up the conversation and said, "He's probably busy with something else," his tone no different from usual.
The cafeteria lady didn't notice what flashed across his eyes when he said that.
After leaving the canteen, he went to three or four more places: the guest reception area of the Sea God Pavilion, the safety passage of the outer lake viewing platform, and the material allocation window of the logistics warehouse.
At each place he arrived, someone was waiting for him to sign a form. As soon as he finished signing one form, someone would hand him the next one. Ya Li's arrangements were so meticulous that she didn't give him any time to go back to his room.
By the time he finally finished the last thing he had to do, it was already afternoon.
He stood in the lobby on the first floor of the Sea God Pavilion, leaning against a pillar to catch his breath, when he suddenly remembered the identification database that hadn't been updated that morning.
But then I thought about it again. The whole day had passed, nothing had happened, all the Titled Douluo were there, the defensive array was functioning normally, and even the cafeteria had cooked two more pots of braised pork than usual.
It's probably just the system being affectionate with him.
He picked up his cup, took a sip of water, and decided to go back and update before the official start of the Sea God Fate event, since a little more time wouldn't make a difference.
As dusk fell, the sun sank below the horizon of Sea God Lake, and the sunset on the horizon gradually changed from orange-red to deep purple before finally merging into the background of the night.
Lanterns lit up one after another on Sea God Lake, with two winding ribbons of light stretching from the island in the center of the lake all the way to the viewing platform on the outer lake, as if someone had pulled the Milky Way down from the sky and laid it on the water.
The main lamp in the center of the island in the lake has not yet been lit. It was the signal that the Sea God Fate was officially starting. At this moment, it just stands quietly in the night, the silver vines wrapped around the lamp body gleaming with a faint cold light under the moonlight.
The viewing platform on the outer lake was already full of people.
The Outer Court disciples occupied the first few rows. Some stood on tiptoe by the railing, peeking out; some used binoculars to study the lantern arrangement on the island in the lake; and a few bolder ones were secretly betting on who would successfully confess their love tonight.
The rows behind were occupied by Inner Court disciples. They were more relaxed than those from the Outer Court, chatting in twos and threes, leaning against the backs of their chairs. Occasionally, someone would point to the island in the middle of the lake and tell the person next to them which lantern they had helped make.
Further away in the VIP section, guests from various factions took their seats one after another. The representative of the Tang Sect sat in the front row on the left, led by Zang Xin.
The people from the Spirit Pagoda sat on the right, and several young disciples in white uniforms were talking in hushed tones. The leader was a middle-aged man with a stern face, whose gaze occasionally swept towards the island in the middle of the lake, his eyes filled with a scrutinizing look.
The teachers from various departments of the academy were scattered throughout the audience, serving both as spectators and as a means of maintaining order. Occasionally, a few white-haired elders could be seen in the crowd, wearing the traditional robes of the Sea God Pavilion, sitting in the best seats with gentle and composed expressions.
Several people arrived early.
Xie Xie and Xu Xiaoyan sat in the front seats of the outer lake audience area, with a bag of unopened baked buns between them.
Xie Xie said, "The view from this spot isn't very good," but his gaze kept drifting towards the island in the middle of the lake. Tonight, the main event of the Sea God Fate event was held there, and all the participants' introductions, compatibility tests, talent shows, and confessions would take place on the floating platform in the middle of the lake.
Yuanen Yehui sat next to Xie Xie, holding a half-read tactical analysis document in his hand. He looked up from the paper and subtly glanced at the surrounding environment of the audience.
Tang Wulin sat on the side of the aisle, holding Communication Soul Tool in his hand. The screen was lit up, and the chat interface with Xu Lizhi was still stuck several days ago.
Gu Yuena sat quietly next to Xu Xiaoyan, her long silver hair gleaming with a cool white luster in the warm light of the lanterns, her gaze fixed on the main lamp on the island in the middle of the lake that had not yet been lit.
Ye Xinglan was the last to arrive.
She had just come from the training field, wearing a clean jacket over her school uniform, her hair still damp from being washed but not completely dried.
She sat down next to Yuanen Yehui.
"Why are you so slow?" Xie Xie poked his head out of the bag of baked buns.
"I just went to fix the lights for Jing Heng," Ye Xinglan said, her tone exactly the same as usual.
Xie Xie nodded. "Jing Heng, aren't you sitting here with us?"
"He'll be here soon." Gu Yuena observed the surrounding decorations with great interest.
The high-ranking members of the Sea God Pavilion ascended the main stage directly opposite the island in the middle of the lake.
Yun Ming walked at the front, wearing a formal dark blue robe today, the golden sea patterns embroidered on the lapel shimmering under the light of the lanterns.
Ya Li followed half a step behind him, her pearl earring swaying gently with her steps.
Cai Yue'er walked beside Ya Li, holding a cup of hot tea in her hand. Her glasses reflected the lights on the lake, making it impossible to see the expression in her eyes.
Yun Jingheng stood in the shadows at the edge, holding a schedule of tonight's events in his hand, but his eyes were not on his watch.
His gaze was slowly moving along the lake shoreline.
He was counting.
The outer lake viewing platform has three exits, each guarded by two guards; the floating platform on the island in the middle of the lake has four directions, each guarded by a fixed Inner Court disciple to maintain order; below the surface of Sea God Lake, the Soul Power flow of the defensive array is normal.
The air was filled with laughter and chatter. Some people were fixing the lanterns, while others were mimicking the gestures used when confessing their love to their companions. Xie Xie was shamelessly fighting with Xu Xiaoyan for the last baked bun in the outer lake audience seats.
Everything was the same as in previous years: lively, safe, and ordinary.
The main light in the center of the island in the lake suddenly turned on.
A golden beam of light shot into the sky from the Sea God Lake, and two figures appeared on a high platform on the lake's surface.
The top of the pillar of light burst open in mid-air, transforming into countless tiny specks of light that slowly drifted down, landing on the lanterns, on the floating platform, and in the eyes of everyone who looked up.
Cheers erupted from the stands.
Lan Muzi's clear voice, imbued with Soul Power, resounded throughout the entire lakeside:
"Sea God Fate Sea God Lake, welcome to the annual matchmaking event. I am Lan Muzi, and this is Tang Yinmeng. Tonight, we will be hosting this grand event."
Tang Yinmeng smiled faintly, her voice gentle yet clear. "It is an honor to stand here. The Sea God Fate is not only a place to seek a good match, but also a place for us to demonstrate our strength."
Lan Muzi continued, "Without further ado, the male and female contestants will stand on either side of the lotus leaves. Falling into the water means elimination. The first competition will be about securing a foothold."
Tang Yinmeng announced loudly, "The Sea God Fate Blind Date Event is now beginning!"