A lot of participants was in the main hall. There are two chairs in front where the Heavenly King and Queen would be sitted. And on the right corner was Shi Yan's place, a one step lower than the Heavenly King and Queen's position.
The participants was all known as the best fighter and have a high skill in martial arts.
They don't have powers because the participants was mortals came outside the kingdom, but they have an ability to protect themselves.
They indeed all men, because a shadow supposed to be a man, avoiding the love in between the master and the shadow.
The announcer go in front to take the participant's names and also to count them. As they said their names, the announcer yell it and the disciple came from the Wind Realm wrote their names using the air.
"Lou Gao Shan!" The announcer yell out the last joiner.
The announcer turn his back to tell the prince how many was the participants.
"Reply to Prince Shi, the participants was twenty ni--" the announcer didn't finished his words when another person shout
"WAIT!"
Because of that person, it catch up everyone's attention... even Shi Yan
She catches her breath as she went in front of the announcer. "Are you one of the participants?"
Her hands was in her knees as she breathing so hard."Y-yes..."
"Well then, your counted. We have already fullfill the list" the announcer said and he smiled. "What's your name? And where you from?"
"M-my... n-name..." She's gasping but made to stand up straight, and then she took a deep breath. She smile brightly before answering.
"My name is Chu Quao, sir..." she replied
"THE LAST PARTICIPANT... CHU QUAO!" As the her name announced, Shi Yan was surprised. But the queen was uneasy, she's not expecting that the man named 'Chu Quao' will be capable for being his son's shadow.
"Now that the participants was complete... thirty in total. The competition for picking the prince's shadow will BEGIN!"
As the announcer started the competition, he made a thirty tables. And also there is some things on it that can use to make a tea.
The participants sit on each chair. "I know that all of you have been trained in martial arts, but being a shadow should also know how to do simple things. Making a tea is a women stuff, but a title of 'shadow' should be all in one. Even it's a matter of man or a woman"
"In front, there are things for making a tea. Use your knowledge to know how to do it... You may start"
Each of them was starting to make a tea, some of them knew how to make a tea but the rest don't. Chu Quao did not moved and just looking on her fellows whose know how to make a tea.
She stared each of them how they make it. When the other'swas about to finish, she smiled and begin to make her own tea.
She saw a piece of leaf and a boilerpot. She place the leaf in the cup and pour some warm water on it, when she saw that the leaf already extract she take the chopsticks beside and pick the leaf.
The disciple came from the Wind Realm made the cups float in the air. He place each of them in a tray and he offered it to the prince --Shi Yan
Shi Yan was just smelling the tea, he didn't bother to taste it and just ignored if he doesn't like the smell.
Most of them was ignored but there is two cups of tea remained. He tasted tje first one, and also the second.
"Who make these cup of teas?" Ask the announcer
A guy named Xie Huan stood up, as well as Chu Quao. "Come in front"
As the announcer said, they did. They bow first and greet before letting the announcer to ask questions.
"Before I ask for your names, I will ha e a question with you two... What ingredients or how did you do this tea?"
The man named Xie Huan replied first, "Master, the tea I just made was the most special tea. I used all the ingredients on the table except for one thing, the leaf"
"How about you?" The announcer look at Chu Quao, she was just smiling all the time and it looks likes everything was normal.
"I just used the leaf" she answered, the announcer's jaw dropped.
"You must be kidding me" Chu Quao brows wrinkled.
"I am not kidding, I don't know how to joke" she said. Because of Chu Qiao's answer, Shi Yan already knew who it was.
"Ok~ay... Then let's find out who's the winner in this round"
The announcer go near to the prince and say who will be the winner. "As the prince said, the winner is... both of them!"
The queen was disagreed of Shi Yan's answer, she don't want the man named ChuQuao to be one of the winner.
"Prince, the winner should be only one. It's unfair to them if you choose two" the queen dowels
"Make a good choice, and think again who's the better person" Shi Yan didn't reply, a minutes later before he personally announced the winner.
"The winner is... STILL both of them. I choose them because their tea have the same unique ingredients, and being a shadow is also capable of doing unique things. That'swhy I choose both of them" he explained
Chu Quao felt so happy, she actually won!
After the prince's explanations they proceed to the next round, but this round will not be that easy. If the first round, no one exits. The second round, many of them will surely be removed.
"For our second round... It's a BATTLE GROUND!"