Chapter 388

Chapter 388: Awakening Something (4000 words)

“Wow, it’s so beautiful.”

Zhu Cici and the others arrived at Coral Sea, their eyes lighting up instantly.

This boundless Coral Sea had all sorts of corals standing tall on the ground. Flowers that only bloomed in the underwater Dragon Palace were now flourishing, and colorful fish swam around leisurely.

Zhu Cici felt as if she had entered a fairyland.

This was a sight one could never see on land.

But as she gazed around, Zhu Cici suddenly thought of Ming. “It would be great if Ming were here too.”

Zhu Cici sighed inwardly.

It wasn’t that she hadn’t considered not inviting Ming along.

After yesterday, though, Zhu Cici felt somewhat embarrassed to face Ming, and naturally, she didn’t feel comfortable inviting him either.

But no worries!

After participating in the Four Seas Ceremony, there would still be plenty of opportunities to interact with Ming! “Cici, let’s check out that side,” Ling Bisheng suggested.

When Ling Bisheng saw the bright sparkle in Zhu Cici’s eyes, he knew they’d come to the right place.

Perhaps this visit would leave a better impression on her heart.

“Yes, let’s take a look together,” Zhu Cici nodded, but she called out to all her companions, not just Ling Bisheng alone.

This left Ling Bisheng feeling slightly disappointed.

Ling Bisheng seemed to realize that even if Cici’s heart felt empty or lost, he wasn’t necessarily her first choice.

Not long after, Zhu Cici and the group reached a lake.

They thought they might have seen wrong, but indeed, there was a lake under the sea. Honestly, if it weren’t for the fish swimming around like birds in the air, they would’ve thought they were on land.

Because within the Dragon Palace, there were mountains and water, making it indistinguishable from the surface world.

By the lakeside, many cultivators held fishing rods, fishing in the lake.

Fishing with a rod in the ocean? If told aloud, no one would believe it.

Some were fishing while others sold rods. Many residents of the Dragon Realm set up stalls by the lake, selling bait and rods, and their businesses looked pretty good.

Fishing on land wasn’t unusual, but fishing underwater gave a different sensation altogether. Every visitor wanted to try it.

Zhu Cici noticed some sea creatures with dragon horns approaching the lake.

The group guessed that these were likely the royal families from other seas.

At every Four Seas Ceremony, younger generations from other oceans came to gain experience and recognition from elders.

Zhu Cici and her companions quickly turned away without giving them much attention.

However, Zhu Cici avoided looking at others, but others couldn’t help but stare at her.

Despite the abundance of beauties in the area, Zhu Cici stood out transcendentally.

Her aura was such that once you noticed her, your eyes wouldn’t easily leave her.

Soon, those royals from other seas also took notice of Zhu Cici.

They pointed and whispered among themselves.

Zhu Cici paid no mind.

For her, having been the center of attention since childhood due to her exceptional beauty, this was nothing new.

“Look, those royals from other seas are coming over,” Fang Yu warned his companions.

A few young dragons approached Zhu Cici’s group, the males showing anticipation while the females carried an air of arrogance and disdain.

Their dissatisfaction was understandable. These two female dragons were already stunning beauties, with noble identities.

Always being the focus of attention, their pride was shaken when someone more beautiful than them appeared, stealing everyone’s gaze.

“Are you all from White Deer Academy?” asked the dragon youths, bowing politely.

“That’s correct,” Zhu Cici replied with a slight bow, followed by Fang Yu and the others.

“And who might you be?” Zhu Cici asked curiously.

“My apologies, I am the Third Prince of the Eastern Sea—Ao Jin,” introduced the Eastern Sea’s Third Prince. “This is the Fourth Prince of the Southern Sea Ao Yin, this is the Second Prince of the Western Sea Ao Tian, and this is my sister Ao Yiner and my cousin, the Seventh Princess of the Western Sea Ao Zizhi.”

“Greetings, I am Zhu Cici from White Deer Academy,” Zhu Cici smiled. “Is there something specific you need?”

“Not really, we’ve heard much about White Deer Academy and especially of a Miss Zhu known for her unmatched talent and beauty. We’ve always wanted to meet her. Today, during the coral bloom, we noticed a strong scholarly aura among you all. And your grace is truly remarkable, so we decided to inquire. Turns out, it really is Miss Zhu and your esteemed company.”

Ao Jin spoke very politely and tactfully, showering Zhu Cici with compliments throughout his speech.

Given his handsome appearance, any other woman would’ve been thrilled.

Unfortunately, he faced Zhu Cici.

In terms of status, Zhu Cici was not only the sole daughter of the First Marquis of Qi Kingdom but also the personal disciple of the Dean of White Deer Academy—her status matched or even surpassed the dragon princes.

And speaking of looks, Zhu Cici ranked among the top ten beauties on the Red Beauty List.

Thus, his flattery and sycophancy barely registered with Zhu Cici, leaving her completely unaffected.

Even her companions, like Miao Feng, rolled their eyes internally.

What was this nonsense about “remarkable grace”? They all knew it was merely attraction to Zhu Cici’s appearance.

“You flatter us too much,” Zhu Cici smiled graciously, acknowledging his words with a bow.

“Since we’ve met, if you don’t mind, how about we stroll together?” Ao Jin proposed.

“Of course, please lead the way,” Zhu Cici responded openly.

As a representative of White Deer Academy and facing nobility from the Eastern, Southern, and Western Seas, Zhu Cici couldn’t refuse—it would be rude.

“Miss Zhu, please.”

As they sat beside Zhu Cici, casual conversation flowed, with others like Yu Wen Xi joining in.

“Why don’t we have a little competition?” Ao Yin suggested to Zhu Cici and her group.

“A competition?” Yu Wen Xi and others asked curiously.

“Exactly.” Ao Yin nodded, smiling.

“This lake is called Ten Thousand Fish Lake, filled with rare and valuable sea fish. During the coral bloom, the Dragon Empress allows everyone to fish for three days using only rods—not nets.

Why don’t we compete? From now until noon, let’s see who catches the most and the most valuable fish. The person with the lowest rank will treat us to lunch. What do you say?”

“I think it’s a good idea,” Ling Bisheng agreed, unwilling to lose to these noble heirs.

“Let’s go, that old man is selling rods. Let’s buy one,” Ao Zizhi chimed in enthusiastically.

After purchasing rods and bait, they cast their lines into the lake and began fishing.

“Brother, why does this seem so troublesome?” Ao Yiner complained, sitting beside her brother, clearly bored.

She saw fish flying around daily; why bother fishing now?

She wasn’t unaware of her brother and cousins’ true intentions.

From the perspective of White Deer Academy scholars, they assumed their relatives were simply trying to get acquainted with White Deer Academy and show interest in Zhu Cici.

Unbeknownst to them, their brothers and cousins had deeper motives to approach Zhu Cici.

Not only her brother but also their cousins had received orders to make contact with Zhu Cici during the Four Seas Ceremony.

The ultimate goal was to win Zhu Cici’s heart and marry her.

Although Zhu Cici’s background, identity, and even her beauty and strength made her entirely qualified to be the Dragon Clan’s empress,

Ao Yiner felt her father and uncles placed excessive emphasis on Zhu Cici, hinting at some hidden agenda.

“You don’t understand.”

Ao Jin chuckled, shaking his head at his sister.

“Zhu Cici has many suitors. Even though our statuses aren’t low, hers isn’t either. She’s the personal disciple of White Deer Academy’s master, making her status equal to ours. Winning her heart won’t be easy.

We must approach slowly, cater to her preferences, and not rush things.”

Ao Yiner rolled her eyes at her brother. “Will fishing really win her favor?”

Ao Jin laughed. “Who knows? Maybe.”

Ao Jin stopped talking, focusing on the calm lake surface.

While Ao Jin’s words sounded light-hearted, his expression revealed anticipation, as if waiting to catch something significant! Meanwhile, following Lord Turtle’s advice, Ming headed to Coral Sea to meet a man named Mr. North Sea.

Ming asked Lord Turtle, “Who exactly is this Mr. North Sea?”

Lord Turtle just smiled mysteriously. “You’ll know when you get there.”

Ming didn’t press further and proceeded directly toward Coral Sea.

He noticed many people heading in the same direction.

Coral Sea had its annual flower season.

Yes, flower season.

Coral Sea was just a general term.

Actually, Coral Sea was a vast underwater garden where all the sea flowers bloomed each year, attracting many citizens of the Dragon Realm to admire the floral sea.

Coincidentally, it was also the time of the Four Seas Ceremony, bringing in numerous visitors.

Upon arriving at Coral Sea, Ming was genuinely impressed.

Even someone who loved flowers as much as Ming was momentarily mesmerized.

Indeed, Coral Sea was breathtaking.

Citizens of the Dragon Realm and visiting cultivators moved gracefully through the floral sea, blending harmoniously with nature, creating a picturesque scene.

Ming ventured deep into the floral sea, following the address given by Lord Turtle. The mysterious Mr. North Sea resided amidst a blue jade coral forest deep within.

Apparently, it wasn’t hard to find.

But halfway through, Ming paused, sensing something unusual.

Not far above, something felt off.

Ming activated his Dao Pattern Eye and scanned the area.

His Dao Pattern Eye had evolved three times, and with his current Dragon Gate Realm cultivation, few things could escape his vision.

His brow furrowed as he spotted dense scholarly energy swirling above the lake.

So intense was this energy that droplets of ink fell into the lake.

If that wasn’t enough, Ming noticed strange spiritual energy emanating from the ground, seemingly trying to connect with the scholarly energy.

This scholarly energy appeared to be awakening something.

Recommendation for a friend’s book:

“Doomsday: Weekly Refresh Eccentric System”

Synopsis—

My name is Ding Zhen, a boy from the mountains.

Doomsday arrives, bodies litter the ground.

Good news: I can refresh a system every week.

Bad news: The systems I refresh weekly seem… off.

[This week is the Dating System. Mission triggered: A beautiful girl actively throws herself at the host. Please date her and make her blush!]

Ding Zhen sighed, looking at the zombie before him, half a face gone, drooling uncontrollably, trying to bite his neck:

“Beautiful girl? You call this thing beautiful?”

A few days later, Ding Zhen and a girl sat atop a hill, watching the stars, the wind brushing her hair, carrying a rust-like scent.

“Do you know? You’re the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen. When I saw you, I felt your eyes contained stars.”

“Hoooo!”

“Naughty~ Don’t move~”

Ding Zhen picked up a round object from the ground.

“Here, let me put your eyeball back in.”

Romance, Doomsday, Harem, Comedy