86: Five years of effort

The core area of the Pillar of Leaders, 99 floors underground.

This was the "Origin" multi-function hall, built two years ago after Chen Jun's "Marriage Urging Operation Plan Version 100.86" was declared a failure.

The scene of the 99th episode of "If You Are the One"...

Under the ambiguous pink and purple lighting, the top bigwigs of the Human Federation sat with expressions of "official business" or even "sheer boredom."

The air seemed to have frozen, with only the faint humming of the data pad floating in front of Dean Mo Heng.

And the faint sound of a sword, which carried the implication of cutting through space and made one's heart tighten, as Li Qingshan unconsciously tapped his fingertips against the armrest.

Shi Yue crossed his arms, his mountain-like sturdy body sunk into the specially made seat, his thick eyebrows locked in a frown; those tiger eyes that had once glared asteroids into pieces were now filled with impatience, as if he were attending a military meeting that concerned the survival of civilization, yet was incredibly boring.

Chu Yueyao maintained the standard professional smile of the Master of the Sky-Patrol Pavilion, but if one looked closely, one could see the corners of her exquisite mouth drooping slightly, and her gaze drifting from time to time toward the government affairs flickering on the virtual screen that she truly needed to handle.

Limitless Dragon was even more direct; his head bobbed up and down, and the faint flame patterns around his body dimmed, as if he were dozing off.

... Only Chen Jun, who was sitting in the main seat, was out of place in this dull atmosphere.

Every Saturday, Chen Jun would be full of energy, and the large characters "I am a father-in-law and I am proud" printed on the chest of his silk pajamas would shine brightly under the pink and purple lights.

He stared burning with anticipation at the entrance passage, like a gambler waiting to open a blind box, his face a mixture of expectation, excitement, and very obvious... impatience?

He rubbed his hands from time to time, as if he had already seen the beautiful scene of some lucky boy taking his daughter's hand and calling him "Father-in-law."

"The 99th episode of 'If You Are the One' begins now." Dean Mo Heng pushed up his multi-functional glasses and announced in the flat tone of reading experimental data.

He tried to ignore the low pressure emanating from the Stellar Level colleagues behind him.

"Let us welcome the first male guest."

Accompanied by the "Wedding March," which had been dug out from the ancient civilization database and contained a hint of inappropriate strangeness amidst its solemnity, the first male guest appeared.

His footsteps were heavy and powerful, as if a giant hammer were striking the ground.

The newcomer was two meters and three centimeters tall, and his crisp black military dress uniform was stretched tight by his knotted muscles, as if it would burst open in the next second.

His name was Zhao Ritian, a Planetary Level novice, from the Federal Central Guard Regiment, and he was a famous fierce general among the younger generation.

He held his head high and his chest out, full of confidence, his life magnetic field expanding without restraint, attempting to intimidate... or rather, attract the attention of the entire audience with the strongest posture.

His gaze swept across the female guest seats, carrying a sharpness of being determined to win.

Mo Heng looked at the data jumping on the monitoring board, wording his speech cautiously, while his gaze drifted from time to time toward Chen Jun, observing his reaction:

"Zhao Ritian, age 28, Planetary Level novice. Life magnetic field activity exceeds the standard value by 387%, muscle fiber density is 2.1 times the average level of the same level, nerve reaction speed... analyzed from a purely biological and eugenic perspective, he is an extremely excellent gene provider, theoretically for offspring..."

"Good!"

Chen Jun impatiently slapped his thigh, his voice loud, breaking the dullness of the scene and startling the dozing Limitless Dragon.

His eyes shone, as if he had discovered some peerless treasure, and he pointed at Zhao Ritian and said to his daughters beside him:

"Look! Look! This physique! This Aura! Standing like a pine tree, moving like the wind, at a glance, he is a man who stands tall and upright! Full of security! Xi Xi, Yao Yao, Lu Lu, what do you think? How magnificent! Dad tells you, looking for a Dao Companion, first of all, you have to look at this spirit and energy!"

The eldest daughter, Chen Xi, sat upright in the middle of the female guest seats, her simple silver Cultivate uniform setting off her tall and straight posture.

She couldn't remember how many times she had sat here; ninety-nine times?

Her face maintained the impeccable dignity and calmness of an eldest sister, and the corners of her mouth even carried a hint of a standard "polite smile."

But if someone could look into her eyes, they would find that they were already in a state of empty wandering, as if her Soul had already left this embarrassing venue and gone to some quiet Cultivate Secret Realm.

What she regretted most now was that a joke she made five years ago to resist the marriage urging had become a prophecy, and her father kept it in mind...

Hearing her father's familiar, enthusiastic sales tone, she just tilted her head slightly and responded in a calm, waveless tone:

"Dad, we are looking for a Dao Companion who shares our ideals and can study the Dao together, not hiring a personal bodyguard..."

The second daughter, Chen Yao, yawned loudly without any concealment, and her fiery red ponytail swayed with her movement.

She was wearing a crisp outfit, her arms crossed, and her slender fingers tapped impatiently on her arm.

Hearing her father's words, she sneered unceremoniously, her voice crisp and clear, spreading throughout the venue:

"Magnificent? Dad, do you have some misunderstanding about what magnificent is? For someone like this who only has bulk, believe it or not, I can make three such people cry with one punch?"

The look she gave Zhao Ritian was full of scrutiny and... a hint of eager Battle Intent, as if she were evaluating a good punching bag.

The youngest daughter, Chen Lu, was wearing a cute light pink dress, looking like the one most in line with the matchmaking atmosphere, but she almost buried her entire face behind the energy-condensed rabbit doll in her arms, which had the same bewildered expression as her current mood.

She whispered to the rabbit's ears, her voice as thin as a mosquito, but who among those present was not keen of hearing:

"Bunny, his... his footsteps are so loud, and his eyes are so fierce, like the kind of interstellar hunting dog you are most afraid of, that would chase rabbits in the starry sky..."

At this moment, Lin Wei, who had always been sitting gently in the exclusive seat behind her daughters, spoke up.

Her voice was as gentle as ever, like the warm breeze of spring, but what she said was like a precise scalpel, always able to disintegrate Chen Jun's enthusiasm just right.

"Brother Jun," she called out softly, successfully attracting Chen Jun's attention.

"This child looks quite spirited, and his strength is not bad. It's just... look at his temperament, isn't it a bit too straightforward and too rigid? If there is a small disagreement in life with Xi Xi and the others later, or some bickering, I'm afraid that when his temper flares up, he will only think about reasoning with his fists. This home is a place for love, not a martial arts arena, and if it's clanging all day long, I'm afraid it won't be peaceful."

As soon as Lin Wei's voice fell, Shi Yue's bell-like voice instinctively rang out, with undisguised disdain:

"A showy but ineffective style! The energy circulation is flashy but impractical, seemingly fierce, but actually scattered and not condensed! The stance..."

The four words "the stance is unsteady" were already on the tip of his tongue, and he could even feel the surrounding space trembling slightly because of the evaluation he was about to make.

However, at this very moment, he felt the gaze cast by Chen Jun—that gaze was full of eager expectation, a hint of "Old Shi, you understand, help me say something," and even carried a trace of the oppressive feeling of an unquestionable "family status."

This Great Emperor of Bedrock, known for his fierceness and straightforwardness, felt his throat as if it were stuck by a planet, and he choked suddenly.

His rugged face turned a little red, his tiger eyes widened, looking at Zhao Ritian on the stage who was also intimidated by his Aura and whose face was starting to turn pale, and then glanced at Chen Jun with "burning" eyes.

His chest heaved violently twice, and finally, under the gaze of everyone, especially Mo Heng who was holding his breath, he forcibly swallowed the criticism that was on the tip of his tongue, squeezing a few words out from between his teeth, his voice muffled and full of awkwardness:

"...The stance... is fairly solid! Hmm, solid!"

After speaking, he seemed to have exhausted his strength, leaned heavily back into the chair, crossed his arms, and no longer looked at the stage.

Li Qingshan had originally been prepared to comment on the several obvious redundancies and flaws in the opponent's energy circulation, but felt Chen Jun's expectant gaze sweep over.

His fingertips tapping on the armrest paused slightly, and the wisp of subtle Sword Qi that was about to escape and be used for demonstration quietly dissipated into nothingness.

He was expressionless, his thin lips parted slightly, and he gave an evaluation completely different from his usual style: "...The courage is commendable."

Limitless Dragon was awakened by Chen Jun's "Good" and was about to habitually mock, "Looks good but useless."

His dragon mouth was already open, but he met Chen Jun's "kind" gaze.

He snorted, held back his words, puffed out a small wisp of smoke with a sulfur smell, and said vaguely: "...The spirit is not bad."

Then he quickly turned his head, pretending to study the energy patterns on the ceiling.

Even Chu Yueyao, the Master of the Sky-Patrol Pavilion who managed the Federation's supervision and had an intelligence network spread across the sea of stars, had to temporarily set aside her principles under Chen Jun's "encouraging" gaze.

The perfect smile on her face remained unchanged, and her tone lightly skipped over the record of Zhao Ritian's 998 fights in the Xuntian Pavilion's files.

Although most were to uphold the glory of the Federation or out of camaraderie, she downplayed it and said: "The file record of member Zhao Ritian... uh... generally speaking, is fairly clean."

Zhao Ritian stood on the stage, his original confidence like a drawn sharp sword, rapidly melting away in the insincere, and even somewhat reluctant "praise" from these few Stellar Level bigwigs, turning into confusion and deep unease.

The two words "solid" squeezed out from between the teeth of the Great Emperor of Bedrock sounded like "begging for a beating" no matter how you listened to it.

The "courage is commendable" from the Sword Venerable of the Nine Heavens was more like an irony.

The "spirit is not bad" from the Dragon King of Prison Suppression was simply like evaluating a pet.

And the Master of the Sky-Patrol Pavilion's vague "fairly clean" made his back go cold, feeling that all his secrets had been seen through.

Just as his heart and mind were wavering, Chen Yao's impatient voice sounded again, with undisguised provocation:

"Hey! That Zhao Ritian! What's the use of just standing there posing? Aren't you a Planetary Level? Dare you go to the martial arts arena next door right now and take a punch with 30% of my strength? If you can stand and not fall, this young lady will leave the light on for you, how about that?"

Looking at Chen Yao's eyes that were burning with Battle Intent and seemed ready to pounce at any moment, and feeling the invisible pressure from the surrounding Stellar Level bigwigs that seemed to be saying "hurry up and admit defeat and get down," cold sweat poured down Zhao Ritian's forehead.

He didn't doubt at all that if he really agreed, the outcome would definitely not be as simple as "falling down."

Where is this matchmaking?! This is clearly risking one's life!!!

"I... I choose... to give up."

Zhao Ritian almost gritted his teeth and squeezed out this sentence from his throat, and then, as if fleeing from purgatory, his steps were a bit soft, and he almost stumbled off the stage, even his back showing a sense of embarrassment of having survived a disaster...

"What a good young man! Strong body, strong strength, and he's a soldier, with a good background! Why didn't he try!"

Chen Jun watched Zhao Ritian's "fleeing in panic" back, beating his chest and stomping his feet, looking heartbroken, as if he had lost millions of trillions. "You girls, your standards are too high! You can't even like this, what kind of person do you want to find?"

What he felt heartbroken about was not the male guest, but the feeling that he was one step further away from his goal of holding his grandson...

Time passed bit by bit, and soon half a day had passed.

With the last male guest—a young scholar who tried to use profound astrology theory to interpret "Soul resonance"—leaving in dejection.

The 99th episode of "If You Are the One" finally came to an end in an atmosphere that was almost like relief...

"This episode of the program ends here." Dean Mo Heng announced at a speed comparable to the speed of light, and the monitoring board in front of him went out with a "pop," as if staying for one more second would be a waste of life.

Almost the moment his voice fell, the Stellar Level bigwigs, who had been sitting as still as statues, showed a faster reaction speed than when facing an Empire raid.

"Ahem, the military has an exercise plan to look at." Shi Yue was the first to stand up, his mountain-like body bringing up a gust of wind; before his voice fell, he had already turned into a stream of light and disappeared at the door, as if he were afraid of being caught by Chen Jun for a "post-match summary."

Li Qingshan was even more silent; everyone only felt a trace of Sword Intent that was almost imperceptible flash by, and his original seat was already empty, leaving only a faint, almost non-existent determination in the air to cut off the bonds.

"The Xuntian Pavilion has busy affairs today and needs to be handled immediately." Chu Yueyao maintained an elegant posture as she stood up, nodded politely to Chen Jun and Lin Wei, her steps looking calm, but in fact, she covered several meters in one step, and in the blink of an eye, she also disappeared at the end of the passage.

Limitless Dragon yawned, and the flames around his body flashed: "Sleepy, going back to sleep." He escaped instantly.

Dean Mo Heng adjusted his glasses and said quickly to Chen Jun: "Mr. Chen, there is a new idea for the 1086th optimization plan for the comfort of the game cabin, and I need to go back to the laboratory to verify it immediately!" After speaking, he hugged a pile of virtual files and left almost running.

In the blink of an eye, the "Origin" hall, which was just "full of people," instantly became empty...

Only the pink and purple lights flickered lonely, reflecting Chen Jun's face, which had turned from expectation to confusion, and then from confusion to depression.

The female guest seats were long empty.

The moment Mo Heng announced the end, Chen Xi had already turned into a silver stream of light, leaving "elegantly" at the limit speed that a Planet-level Expert could display, heading straight to the Cultivate quiet room, as if staying for one more second would make her tainted with the atmosphere of "desperate to get married."

Chen Yao laughed, clapped her hands: "Done! Work finished! Going to find little sister Xingyao to fight!" Her figure leaped like a flame a few times, and then disappeared without a trace.

Chen Lu had long ago hugged her energy rabbit, silently merged into the shadows on the ground, and slipped away.

Even Lin Wei, who had always been gently accompanying him, looked at her husband helplessly and amusedly at this moment, gently patted his shoulder: "Brother Jun, take it slow, the children are still young, don't rush. I'll go check on the children." After saying that, she also stood up and left, leaving this "sad place" to Chen Jun alone.

In the huge hall, only Chen Jun was left sitting alone in the main seat that symbolized "father-in-law authority."

The words "I am a father-in-law and I am proud" on his silk pajamas looked particularly glaring under the ambiguous lights.

He looked around at the empty seats, the lonely air, as if silently mocking his "grand plan" that had lasted for ninety-nine episodes.

"It's the 99th episode..." Chen Jun muttered to himself, his voice echoing in the empty hall.

"Everyone slipped away faster than a starship jump... Isn't it just doing a post-match summary and improvement? Is it that scary?"

"Those boys too, looking like decent people, why is there not one who can make it?"

"When will I be able to hold my grandson...?"

He slumped in his chair, looking up at the fake starry sky simulated on the ceiling, his eyes unfocused.

Five years! Fighting wits and courage with his daughters! Five whole years!

In this world where great power is concentrated in oneself, he really longs to activate Multiple Benefits...

Who knew that this first step would be so difficult...!