Tang Wulin said in a low voice, "When I was a small child, I discovered that I had the trash martial soul, Bluesilver Grass. My first soul spirit was a defective one from one of the Spirit Pagoda's failed experiments. If I had chosen to give up then, I wouldn't be standing here right now. If you even have the courage to lose weight for her, then why don't you have the courage to hear her answer? Trust me and stay here. We won't get our hopes up for miracles, but we have to give miracles the chance to take place."

Xu Lizhi lowered his head and finally nodded as he controlled his soul power to stabilize his body on his lotus leaf, but he no longer had the courage to cast his gaze toward the row of female disciples.

Tang Yinmeng wiped the tears from her face as she said, "He's right, you should stay. Don't leave until you receive a result, alright? I'll be praying for you. You're a good man, and it's not your fault that you're fat. I didn't think that the very first confession tonight would get me so emotional already."

The lotus leaf slowly returned to the third row, and everyone was looking at Xu Lizhi through new eyes. Xu Lizhi himself seemed to have also recovered from his fit of vehement emotions, and he merely stood still on the spot with his head lowered.

"Nice one, Lizhi!" Xie Xie gave him a heartfelt thumbs-up.

Yue Zhengyu also chimed in, "We support you; so believe in yourself!"

Tang Wulin didn't say anything, but he was appraising the subject to which Xu Lizhi had delivered his confession.

She was very calm, and she stood on her lotus leaf without any noticeable emotion on her face. All of the other girls who had already guessed the truth were also looking at her, but she displayed no response.

Lan Muzi said, "Boy Number 32, please provide me with the number that you've chosen later. Girls who are interested in Boy Number 32, all of you will also need to remember that during this segment, you're only able to choose one person. Yinmeng, let's continue."

On the shore of the lake, all of the outer court disciples suddenly burst into cheers as all of them yelled words of encouragement for Xu Lizhi. In particular, the students from the first grade's class one were yelling at the tops of their lungs.

In this world, not everyone was good-looking and born into prosperity. Compared to those anomalies, there were much more ordinary people. However, they also had the right to pursue love and happiness. As such, Xu Lizhi's words resonated with and inspired many people.

Light Dark Douluo Long Yeyue suddenly heaved a faint sigh as she sat on the boat. "I thought that I wouldn't ever be touched by anything during my remaining days, but I have to admit that this little fatty has really moved me. Expressions of genuine emotions are always the most touching things to behold. I've decided to take one final disciple; no one's going to try and steal him away from me, right?"

"Ahem!" A few people abruptly cleared their throats on the boat. It was quite clear that they also shared the same intention.

Atlas Douluo Yun Ming turned to Long Yeyue with a surprised expression, "It would be fantastic for the entire Shrek Academy if you were willing to take a final disciple, so of course no one's going to take him from you, Sister Yue. That little guy sure is lucky."

Yun Ming was genuinely happy. Ever since Long Yeyue's husband, the previous master of the Sea God's Pavilion, had passed away, she had constantly been in a dispirited state where she cared about nothing. If it weren't for her attachment to Shrek Academy, she would've most likely taken her own life to reunite with her husband on the other side already. Even Lan Muzi and Tang Yinmeng were only in-name disciples of hers.

A final disciple was naturally drastically different from an in-name disciple. Only a direct disciple could become one's final disciple, and this disciple was always the one that the teacher adored the most. The fact that Long Yeyue was willing to take Xu Lizhi as her final disciple meant that she was definitely going to do everything she could to nurture him. At her cultivation rank, if there were something that she wanted to do, then she could control her own life force and extend her own lifespan, and that was why Yun Ming was so elated.

The Light Dark Douluo was his senior, but even more so, she was the guardian deity of Shrek Academy. She was a stabilizing force in Shrek Academy, and even though there were very few people on the Douluo Continent who were still aware of who she was, all of the most powerful Soul Masters on the continent knew that she was still alive. The Spirit Pagoda absolutely detested her, but it was also due to her existence that they didn't dare to extend any gestures of disrespect to Shrek Academy.

In terms of powers, Yun Ming had obviously already outstripped her, but in comparison, she was the one who was more intimidating to the Spirit Pagoda. Of course, most importantly, she was like a mother figure to Yun Ming, so he would definitely like her to keep on living for as long as possible.

A faint smile appeared on Long Yeyue's face. "There's finally something interesting for me to do."

Just as they were speaking, the second male participant had concluded his speech, which had consisted of a brief self-introduction, followed by a display of his martial soul and soul rings. It was quite clear that he had no set target. He then concluded his speech with an expression of his current emotions, which was, admittedly, a rather generic conclusion.

"Number 50." The third male participant to be drawn was none other than Long Yue.

He clearly hadn't expected himself to be drawn so quickly, and he faltered momentarily before taking a reflexive glance at Tang Wulin. However, Tang Wulin wasn't looking back at him. Instead, he was currently appraising someone among the row of women up ahead.

The lotus leaf beneath Long Yue's feet slowly drifted forward, carrying him to the front of the group. He cast his gaze forward, and his eyes settled on Dai Yun'er.

He took a deep breath, and said, "I know that I'm not very well-liked here, and I'm well aware of the reason for that. I don't belong to Shrek Academy, but I came here to learn from all of you, and I hope to be able to learn something different here that would help me better myself. The Star Luo Empire also belongs to this continent, and as much as I hate to admit, we were indeed kicked out. However, I'm also a Soul Master, just like every one of you. We have a common goal and direction, which is to become more powerful. Perhaps I shouldn't be saying all this here, but what I want to express is that I bear no ill will by coming here. Also, I've very honored to be attending this match-making event. It's been a very interesting experience, and it's also provided me with a stage to express my thoughts.

"To put it frankly, I don't know what it's like to be in a relationship. I've been cultivating arduously my entire life, and in contrast with most people, my cultivation is a process of constant agony. Excruciating pain has plagued me my entire life, and sometimes, even I can't control my own emotions, so everyone calls me Crazy Long. However, even a crazy man like me has emotions. That's right, I also have someone I like. Even though I'm aware that she likes someone else, that still doesn't change the way I feel about her. I'm not particularly sure if I love her as a woman or if I simply want to cherish her like a sister, but I've watched her grow from a young age, and she is the one whom I've spent the most time with in my life.

"Hence, I've always told myself that I'm going to make her my bride in the future, and everyone around me has encouraged me in pursuing this dream. However, as I stand here today, I'm feeling very anxious because my rival in love may be too much for me to contend with. I've never feared anyone in battle, and my pursuit has always been to become the most powerful being there is. I am indeed not as handsome as him, but I can promise you that as long as I'm still alive, I will use everything I have to protect you. I was very inspired by the man who took the stage first, and perhaps I really do need some love in my life. I can't guarantee anything else, but I can promise you that I've definitely got a resolute pair of arms; that's already been tested by that woman's handheld cannon."

As he was saying all this, his eyes remained firmly fixed on Dai Yun'er this entire time. He was laying himself completely bare before her; he didn't know exactly what kind of love he had for her, but it was quite clear that she was the most suitable candidate for him to enter a relationship with. He had always known this to be the case ever since he was a young boy.

His confession wasn't all that moving, but it was very honest, and at the same time, it changed the opinions many of the inner court disciples had about him. It was quite clear that he didn't want to be ostracized; he also wished to be accepted and treated without bias.

In reality, after arriving at Shrek Academy, he'd quickly fallen in love with this place. In the past, he had always thought that even if Monster Academy were actually inferior to Shrek Academy, there wouldn't be too much of a disparity. However, only after actually coming here did he realize just how naïve he'd been.