"A twenty-level jump—are there really no side effects?" someone asked.
"None at all…" Xiao Hongchen shrugged. "I didn't believe it either, so I tried on a prototype. It's like a soul power amplifier—any soul skill used through it is enhanced several or even dozens of times, with no harm to the user."
"Incredible," Bei Bei sighed.
Su Wen was silent.
Current battle armor technology was nowhere near the maturity of ten thousand years later.
Back then, battle armor was so common it was cheap. But not now.
Each set had to make up for lack of technique with expensive materials. Su Wen had plenty of metal and rare resources, almost rivaling future human reserves.
So he could just about manage…
No choice but to burn money. If it meant creating the most elite Shrek inspection team, that was worth it.
"Of course, you have to learn some forging skills—it's essential. You don't have to make the whole thing, but you need to forge a part yourself to build a bond with your armor." Xiao Hongchen answered every question, lowering his guard at Shrek. After all, he and his grandfather were still rebels, needing to earn trust step by step.
"Then the Forging Department is going to skyrocket…" a male student sighed.
"More than that…"
"In the future, it'll be one of the hottest majors. At this rate, even the Martial Soul Department can't compete. I'll consider switching to forging for a while."
So the trend shifted.
Cries of "Little Pavilion Lord" and "Dean" surrounded Su Wen. Watching the crowd of burly men gather around, Su Wen laughed, "Everyone in the inspection team will get a suit of armor. Once the technology's mature, you'll all be equipped, but there are conditions…"
"Wow!!" Cheers erupted.
"But don't get too excited." Su Wen smiled. "In the future, the graduation requirement will go from thirty missions to ten years of service."
"After ten years, stay or leave as you wish—but the armor stays. You can't buy it, either."
Everyone was stunned.
Some hesitated, others grinned.
Those planning to stay at Shrek were happy, while those like Dai Yueheng, who wanted to leave after graduation, were considering their options.
Ding~~~
A clear bell echoed through the inner court.
"Time's up!" Bei Bei straightened his clothes and smiled.
Xu Sanshi's eyes brightened with longing for love. Though he'd given up on chasing Jiang Nannan, he'd worked hard and was now a fifty-fourth level Soul King. He no longer dreamed of his former goddess—he just wanted a beauty.
"I'll get going." Bei Bei grinned.
"Hey, who's the host tonight?" Su Wen wondered. In the original, it was Bei Bei and Zhang Lexuan—who would it be this time?
"Heh heh…" Bei Bei winked and vanished.
"What's with that laugh?" Su Wen muttered.
People gathered by Sea God Island, most in red-and-white uniforms. Many froze when they saw Su Wen, only realizing after a reminder that the Pavilion Lord was younger than them…
It couldn't be helped—his harsh training and the weight of his name made him seem like Yan Shaozhe or Xuan Zi, even though his status was higher in the inner court.
But in reality, he had to participate in the matchmaking event, too.
When Su Wen scanned the crowd, many students looked away, whistling. Joking was one thing, but you couldn't mess with the Pavilion Lord.
Some looked even more glum.
With Su Wen here, wouldn't all the girls be attracted to him? The guy was every man's biggest rival…
Night fell.
The lake surface was pitch black, nothing visible to the naked eye.
Su Wen used his spiritual sense to detect a large ship slowly gliding over. On the bow stood a group of elders, all looking gleeful, especially Xuan Zi, gnawing on a chicken leg with a gourd in his hand, searching for Su Wen…
The ship stopped.
Then—
Beams of light lit up over the lake—thirty-seven in total, matching the number of girls. Each girl, dressed in a white gown, stood gracefully atop a lotus.
"Wow…"
The boys on shore stared, then started to cheer.
In the golden light, the girls looked like fairies. Their faces were hidden by white hats, but as inner court disciples, their figures were all stunning—few were overweight.
The boys were similar, though…
Su Wen glanced at the nearby Xie Huanyue, who was eating another bun. There were always exceptions.
At that moment—
Two more beams lit up.
On the left stood Yan Shaozhe in white robes; on the right, Cai Meier in a pale yellow dress.
Their appearance caused a stir.
"I shouldn't be here…" Yan Shaozhe smiled gently. Even without a megaphone, his voice reached the whole lake.
"But you're all too desperate for love. The original hosts joined the matchmaking festival for love themselves, so I had to step in and relive the past." Yan Shaozhe sighed, taking Cai Meier's hand.
"Back then, Elder Cai and I pledged our lives to each other at this very festival."
"Oooh~"
The crowd erupted.
Everyone loves gossip about their teachers—even their Dean.
A blush appeared on Cai Meier's beautiful face. Though over a hundred, her Titled Douluo looks made her seem like a woman in her forties.
"Therefore, the Sea God Fated Blind Date Festival officially begins!"
Yan Shaozhe grinned.
Having ignited the atmosphere, he was proud.
Getting him to host was overkill—but this festival was really super-powered: Silver Dragon King, auspicious beast, deputy dean of the Martial Soul Department…
If a fight broke out, the inner court would be turned upside down.
So the Sea God Pavilion figured only Yan Shaozhe could hold the fort…