109: Nationwide Audition

The Pillar of Leaders, Ancestor Chen's Office... the atmosphere here was filled with tension and busyness... On the massive holographic star map, the stars representing the Federation's territory were covered by countless flickering light points, each representing an "eligible outstanding youth" who had passed the initial screening.

Data streams, like a surging river of stars, frantically refreshed on the virtual screen... "Report! Tianlong Star has initially screened out 375,821,403 candidates who meet the 'basic standards'!"

"Report! The urgent supplementary list for Beiming Star has been uploaded, adding 120 million new candidates!"

"Dean Mo Heng! How are the computational results of your 'Son-in-Law Potential Assessment Model Version 3.0'? Can it withstand such a massive data flow?"

Dean Mo Heng's hair was disheveled, and his glasses reflected wildly jumping data as he excitedly roared:

"No problem! The model has been upgraded to version 3.1415926! It has incorporated 127 new indicators such as 'micro-expression stress resistance analysis' and 'predictive instinctive reactions to Sun Body pressure'... Guaranteed precision! Guaranteed efficiency!"

On the other side, Shi Yue, wearing that ridiculous "Federation Good Citizen" cultural shirt, was roaring into a communicator:

"What?! That so-called once-in-ten-thousand-years Genius from your planet is actually afraid of spiders?! How dare someone with such psychological fortitude even apply? Get him rejected! Immediately! Right now! I don't want such a coward as Ancestor Chen's son-in-law!"

Chu Yueyao, like the most precise central processor, coordinated the overall situation, her voice still calm but astonishingly fast:

"Notify the governors of all Star Domains: final 24 hours! Ensure all candidates complete 'basic information verification' and 'preliminary genetic affinity testing'! All 'Shadow Guards' of the Xuntian Pavilion are to be deployed for cross-auditing, absolutely no stains or potential risks are allowed to exist!"

The entire Federation began to operate frantically because of Chen Jun's sigh, "I want grandchildren"... Resources, manpower, and computing power were unprecedentedly dedicated to this matter.

This was no longer a simple son-in-law selection; it was a strategic operation concerning the "core happiness" of civilization!

If "If You Are the One" was just Chen Jun's small amusement park at the Pillar of Leaders back then.

Then this nationwide open selection was truly a grand event for the Federation!

...Meanwhile, on Zhiyuan Star, District Seven, inside a cheap internet access cabin called "Snail Shell."

A young man who looked to be in his early twenties, with a handsome face but a pallor from long-term malnutrition, was idly browsing the interstellar network.

His name was Li Mo, a genuine F-rank Aptitude, who grew up in an orphanage.

His life trajectory was supposed to be like his parents': silently working in a factory or service job for a lifetime, then marrying a girl who was also F-rank... having a child who would most likely also be F-rank, then sending them to an orphanage, repeating the cycle... At this moment, his screen was flooded with news of "Ancestor Chen's Son-in-Law Selection."

If not for the "people-benefiting plan" a while ago, he wouldn't even have had time to surf the internet.

"Tsk tsk, it's really infuriating to compare yourself to others," Li Mo mumbled, chewing on a synthetic nutrition bar.

"Ancestor Chen's daughter... what kind of person must she be? She could probably blow me into elementary particles with a single breath, right?"

He casually clicked on the registration link, which claimed to cover the entire Federation and required filling out 888 items of information, purely out of curiosity to "see how complicated this thing really is."

"Name? Li Mo. Aptitude? F. Cultivation? None. Family background? Parents deceased, no car, no house, savings?... Uh, three-digit credit points."

He filled it out, laughing to himself, treating his "tragic" Family background as a joke.

"Hobbies? interstellar match-3 District Seven's highest record holder, good at repairing old models of household robots, can make a decent... instant noodles?"

"Future life plans? Uh... hope to find a job without night shifts, with enough salary to upgrade my gaming equipment, and find a girl who doesn't mind me..."

"Impression of Princess Chen? ...Dare not have an impression."

"If selected, what do you think you can bring? ...I can fix the Princess Your Highness's game console? Or... teach her to play interstellar match-3?"

He filled it out haphazardly, completely with the mindset of "it's impossible anyway, might as well have some fun"... He even attached a selfie of himself making a silly "V" sign at the camera at the end.

Finished, click submit.

"Done! Let's see how long it takes the System to send me a rejection letter for such outrageous information!"

Li Mo chuckled, put the matter out of his mind, and continued to dedicate himself to his great cause of interstellar match-3... He didn't know that his crappy application form, like a speck of dust in the massive data, had been... captured by Dean Mo Heng's powerful and abnormal assessment model.

Not because of his Aptitude, but because his "data characteristics" were too abnormal!

Among countless application forms filled with "heavenly talents," "profound backgrounds," and "lofty ambitions"... Li Mo's information, full of "lying flat," "sincerity," and "low-brow interests," was like a plain... rat dropping mixed into a bowl of delicacies?

No, in Mo Heng's model, this was called an "extreme sample"!

"Warning! Extreme low-potential sample detected! Data authenticity as high as 99.99%! Its 'psychological stress resistance index,' 'life satisfaction,' 'material expectation value,' and other indicators are negatively correlated with high-pressure environments, possibly possessing... unique 'survival wisdom'?!"

This report, as an appendix to the "diversity analysis," was reported layer by layer, and finally... by some strange twist of fate, it was placed before Chen Xi, along with ninety-nine other "top elite" profiles from various Star Domains, filtered by the model.

Chen Xi, as the eldest daughter, bore the heavy responsibility of "testing the waters" for her younger sisters... ah no, of "setting an example."

She looked at the hundred holographic profiles before her, ninety-nine "favored children of heaven" who were imposing, sharp-eyed, and whose profiles were so dazzling they hurt the eyes, and she felt a wave of irritation... Her gaze, almost numb, swept over the profiles:

"XXX, Innate Star Body, Planet-level early stage, the youngest academician of the Federation Academy of Sciences..."

"XXX, direct descendant of a Stellar Level Family, War God Peak, once single-handedly slain a giant beast of the star sea..."

"XXX,..."

...Each one was as perfect as if custom-made on an assembly line, and each pair of eyes was filled with ambition and calculation.

Until... she saw Li Mo mixed in among them.

F-rank Aptitude, no cultivation, parents deceased, unemployed, hobbies are playing games and repairing junk, life plan is to find a job without night shifts and... teach the Princess to play interstellar match-3?

It even came with a silly "V" sign selfie.

Chen Xi was stunned.

Then, she let out a "puchi" and couldn't help but laugh.

It wasn't mockery, but a... long-lost feeling of seeing a "living person."

In this pile of meticulously crafted, utilitarian, perfect reports, Li Mo was like a potato that accidentally rolled in, carrying the scent of earth, so real that he was a bit... cute?

She recalled her father's days in District Seven, recalled Uncle Goudan's rough and genuine smile... A strange impulse made her click on Li Mo's detailed profile, even retrieving the unconscious, rambling recording he made when he registered.

"...Ancestor Chen's daughter, she must be as dazzling as the stars, right? For a mud-dweller like me, even thinking about it feels like blasphemy... But if I could really meet her, just bragging about it would be enough for ten lifetimes! Hehe..."

Listening to that voice, with a hint of petty citizen cunning and pure fantasy, the smile on Chen Xi's face deepened.

Perhaps... this is what Father wanted to see?

A life that is... not so "perfect," but real and relaxed?

Chen Xi, possessing the Innate Martial Body, commanding endless resources, was destined to be Stellar Level, or even higher!

Did she still need an ambitious Dao Companion to add icing to the cake?

No!

What she needed, perhaps, was someone who could make her father happy and make her feel relaxed and unburdened.

With enough origin crystals, even a pig could take flight, so why strive?

Isn't it better to lie flat?

A thought, like lightning, flashed through Chen Xi's mind.

She took a deep breath, pointed at Li Mo's incongruous profile, and said to the assistant sent by Chu Yueyao, who stood beside her, in an undeniable tone:

"Him."

Assistant: "...Ah? Your Highness, are you... are you sure? He's F-rank..."

Chen Xi glanced at the assistant indifferently, the majesty of a Planet-level Peak and an elder sister naturally flowing out: "I'm sure. Go notify them."

...When Li Mo received the respectfully worded "initial selection passed" notification letter, stamped with both the Xuntian Pavilion and Ancestor Chen's Office seals.

He was cheering in an internet cafe for breaking a level in interstellar match-3.

He rubbed his eyes, read it over a dozen times, and then pinched his thigh hard.

"Hiss—it hurts! Not a dream?!"

His first reaction was: "Holy crap! Are scam methods so high-tech now?! They can even forge Xuntian Pavilion's seal?!"

However, the next moment, his apartment door was knocked upon.

Outside the door stood two War General Rank powerhouses, dressed in Federation military officer uniforms, their aura as profound as the sea...

They wore the most "amiable" smiles they could manage, but to Li Mo, those smiles were more terrifying than the fangs of a star sea giant beast.

"Mr. Li Mo?" the leading officer spoke, his voice as gentle as possible.

"Congratulations on passing the initial selection. We are commanded to escort you to the capital star, Kunlun Star, for the next round... uh, 're-examination'."

Li Mo looked at the shining general's star on the other party's shoulder, then at the half-eaten synthetic nutrition bar in his hand, and his brain completely crashed.

"I... I seem to have... really... won the lottery? And it's... the biggest lottery in the entire Federation?!"

...When Li Mo, as if in a dream, was "invited" onto a small spaceship so luxurious it exceeded his imagination.

Crossing the star sea to the Pillar of Leaders, and then, trembling, standing in the repeatedly expanded reception hall of Chen Jun Manor... he saw the legendary "guardian of civilization," Ancestor Chen!

Chen Jun was still wearing his silk pajamas, languidly lounging in the "Myriad Enjoyment Eternal lounge chair," looking with interest at this young man who seemed flustered and whose Aptitude was touchingly low.

"F-rank? Hmm, not bad, pure and upright, a good piece of son-in-law material... uh, good material," Chen Jun nodded, his tone carrying an unfathomable meaning.

Li Mo's legs went weak, and he almost knelt on the spot: "Ancestor... Ancestor Chen... I... I'm just an ordinary person... I..."

"Ordinary people are good!" Chen Jun waved his hand, interrupting the stammering Li Mo, "I like ordinary people! Honest! No pretentious nonsense!"

He looked at Chen Xi, who was slightly flushed but had firm eyes: "Xi'er, good taste! This kid, he just makes people feel at ease!"

Chen Xi bowed slightly: "All at Father's discretion."

Chen Jun then looked at Mo Heng, Shi Yue, and others who had rushed over upon hearing the news, their faces a riot of colors... "Mo Heng," Chen Jun said languidly, "my son-in-law here, his Aptitude is a bit poor, but that's not a problem, is it?"

Mo Heng instantly perked up, quickly pushed his glasses, and loudly declared: "Absolutely no problem! Ancestor Chen, rest assured! The Academy of Sciences' latest research shows that as long as they are young, with a sufficient amount of origin crystals infused, coupled with targeted gene induction and life structure optimization, even a... uh, an F-rank citizen, we have absolute confidence to push them to Planetary Level within a hundred years... no, within fifty years! With enough time and resources, Stellar Level is not a pipe dream!"

He was furiously calculating in his mind:

Two thousand-plus Stellar Level miners condensing origin crystals day and night, how terrifying would that energy be?

Let alone Li Mo being a person, even if he were truly a pig, Mo Heng had the confidence to enlighten him into an elite!

Shi Yue also patted his chest and guaranteed: "Ancestor Chen, rest assured! I, Old Shi, will personally supervise his Body Refining! I guarantee his foundation will be tougher than star steel!"

Li Mo listened, dumbfounded.

Planetary Level? Stellar Level?

These terms, for him, only existed in news and legends before!

Now... it seemed they were about to come true?

Just because... he was going to marry Ancestor Chen's daughter?!

...Chen Jun nodded contentedly, then seemed to remember something and sneered:

"Speaking of origin crystals, someone even wanted that Empress Aisara of the Empire to be my maid? Is that necessary? A Stellar Level Peak, her efficiency in condensing origin crystals is more than a thousand times that of an early Stellar Level."

He paused, a look of disdain on his face:

"Empress? Is she as useful as the 'Supreme Interstellar Fantasy Invincible Edition' doll my Weiwei gave me?"

"Have her as a maid? Can she be more considerate than a doll? Can she smell as good as origin crystals?"

Chen Jun pouted, a look of utter disdain. As long as she couldn't give birth, to him, she really wasn't as useful as a doll.

Everyone: "..."

The big shots' mouths twitched, their hearts furiously complaining, but their faces still had to maintain the respectful smile of "Ancestor Chen's profound insight."

Li Mo was even more bewildered, only feeling that Ancestor Chen's way of thinking... was truly as vast as the star sea, unfathomable!

And so, Li Mo, this poor boy from Zhiyuan Star's District Seven with F-rank Aptitude, was thus confusedly designated as the fiancé of Ancestor Chen's eldest daughter, Chen Xi... When the news spread, the entire Federation was shaken once again!

Countless young talents beat their chests and stamped their feet, unable to believe that they had lost to an F-rank "good-for-nothing"?!

But soon, a new argument began to circulate: "Ancestor Chen is returning to simplicity! He is searching for the true meaning of humanity! He is telling us that strength can be cultivated, but a pure heart is the most important!"

Chen Jun, contentedly lying in his lounge chair.

"Grandson... hehe, my precious grandson... is coming soon..."

"No need to compete at all, just lie flat... waiting for my grandson..."

"Then! ..."

"I can lie flat more happily..."