Blue Card Starry Sky

Chapter 55 The City Lord Seeks a Son-in-Law
After a night of revelry, the city lord sent word this morning that he would be summoning everyone tomorrow. Those hoping to find husbands in the VIP guesthouse were incredibly excited; they could finally see the women they longed for! But Lan Tian wasn't so happy. He felt time had flown by and wanted to stay longer to properly manage his shop and enjoy the city's scenery.

As soon as Lan Tian got up in the morning, he went straight to the shop, accompanied by Qin Lei. Xiao Weiqing went to purchase some necessities to make accommodations first, and then find someone to run the shop. Qin Lei thought the shop was indeed excellent; it was a good location for both business and settling down. After discussing it, Qin Lei decided to open a fabric shop first, and then decide on other options based on the results. Lan Tian settled into his room with peace of mind, deciding to settle down in the shop. He would leave the affairs of the VIP guesthouse to Qin Lei, as he himself hadn't wanted to participate anyway. Now that he had his own place, he might as well settle down here and focus on his cultivation.

The next morning, the city lord sent someone to invite everyone to the imperial city. The young talents of various ethnic groups, dressed in their finest attire, entered the imperial city in a grand procession, riding in comfortable, airy, tall, majestic, and luxurious carriages arranged by the city lord. Qin Lei, along with Lan Yu and his group, followed the procession into the imperial city.

The Imperial City of the Underwater City is the City Lord's Mansion, and the City Lord is the highest administrator here. He has only one child, the princess who is being sought as a son-in-law. The City Lord dotes on his daughter, Youjia, and everything here will eventually belong to her. Therefore, all the tribes are taking this son-in-law selection very seriously. Once someone becomes the son-in-law of the Underwater City, this place will be theirs! The competition is fierce, and the City Lord of the Underwater City hopes to choose a good son-in-law who can protect his daughter. It is said that this City Lord is a powerful figure in this region, a high-level expert, and his influence is felt far and wide. Therefore, the son-in-law he chooses should not be too weak!
The magnificent palace hall was brightly lit and decorated, filled with a festive atmosphere. Fine wines and delicacies were laid out on both sides, and the city lord's seat was placed on the central platform. Guests from various ethnic groups took their seats one after another, awaiting the arrival of the city lord.

"The city lord has arrived! Distinguished guests, please rise!" the master of ceremonies announced loudly.

Everyone stood up to welcome the lord of the underwater city, hoping to catch a glimpse of the princess's beauty. A robust middle-aged man approached gracefully, his bearing magnificent yet not vulgar, noble yet not aloof—the very image of an emperor.

"Welcome to the underwater city, young elites from all races. Please forgive any shortcomings in our hospitality."

"Thank you City Lord!"

"Alright, alright, everyone please have a seat!"

"I've invited everyone here today to choose a good son-in-law for my daughter. I hope you will all perform well and strive to become my good son-in-law. Come, let's all have a drink!" The city lord was polite and amiable.

"Cheers!" Everyone drank in one gulp. After some pleasantries, the princess did not appear. Having eaten and drunk their fill, the city lord led the group on a tour of the palace. The palace was divided into a front courtyard and a back courtyard. The front courtyard was used for official business, ceremonies, and receiving distinguished guests; the back courtyard was the royal private residence, the city lord's residence and harem. So the city lord led everyone on a tour of the front courtyard to a spacious martial arts arena, the place for practice and competitions. Today's marriage selection competition would begin here. "Next, those who wish to compete to marry my princess, please register here and draw lots. We will determine the rankings through a fair and impartial competition, and then our princess will decide the final results," the master of ceremonies announced again. Everyone's purpose for this trip was to marry into the family, and they all went up to register. Lan Yu and Lan Chen also registered and waited for the competition.

Those who were going to participate in the competition went up to the stage, leaving behind only the important family members and servants who had come with them, drinking and making merry with the city lord while waiting for the competition to begin.

"Today's competition will consist of three rounds. First, we'll assess your strength training; second, we'll test your intelligence; and third, we'll have one-on-one duels. If you fail any of these rounds, you'll be eliminated. Finally, our princess will personally conduct the final round, and she will decide the winner." The master of ceremonies explained the competition clearly before starting the first round.

In the center of the stage is a device connected to a hollow pillar with markings from one to one hundred. Opposite this pillar is a large, short cylindrical column that resembles a large push-button switch. Behind this switch is a crystal ball. The interviewee first comes up and places their hand on the crystal ball. This crystal ball calculates the interviewee's rank. Then, regardless of whether the interviewee uses attribute skills or other unarmed methods to knock it down, the higher the score, the better. The pillar displays the interviewee's score. Once everyone understands, the activity officially begins.

The first to appear was a warrior from the sea tribe. Upon entering, he placed his hand on the crystal ball, which immediately began to transform, swirling with wind and clouds, various colors alternating before settling on purple. The nine tiers correspond to nine colors: red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, purple, white, and black. Therefore, this sea tribe warrior was a seventh-tier warrior, considered a high-level expert among them. Next, he walked to the large button and punched it hard. A blue column of water appeared on the hollow scale pillar, rapidly rising to a peak of seventy-five. A power-type warrior, he overwhelmingly advanced to the second round.

The next few all successfully entered the second stage based on their own strength. Lan Yu and Lan Chen, with their cyan fifth-tier crystal balls and water column levels of 65, barely passed. Among these elites, they were practically at the bottom. The highest-ranking one had a white eighth-tier crystal ball and a water column level of 82, breaking the record and becoming the only eighth-tier youth warrior here. Everyone passed the first stage smoothly; the next stage was the intelligence stage.

The questions for the intelligence test were drawn by the emcee on the spot. The questions were all inside a crystal sphere, clearly visible from the outside. Each envelope contained a question, which had to be drawn and answered immediately. The first to go was a young warrior from the Feathered Clan. His question was: How many revered figures throughout history have you memorized, and what are their ranks, attributes, and skills? Too easy; these are things everyone needs to know, so he passed smoothly. The second person wasn't so lucky. He drew a question to name more than ten attributes and skills within one minute, explaining their similarities and differences. Ten skills weren't difficult; the challenge lay in identifying the similarities and differences. Therefore, he couldn't answer within the minute and was immediately eliminated, losing his chance to enter the third round. Five people unfortunately lost in the second round due to insufficient skill. Lan Chen was one of these five. He encountered a very difficult question, and because he didn't answer in time, he was eliminated. However, Lan Yu successfully passed the second round.

Now, in the third round, the princess has to decide how to conduct the competition; she has the final say.

(End of this chapter)