"Young lady, I didn't expect you to actually know about the Sea God's Nine Trials, and you even have the Heart of the Sea God in your hand. It seems you came here specifically for the Nine Trials, didn't you?" The woman slowly floated in front of Ning Rongrong and spoke.
"Rongrong, be careful. This woman is far from simple—her cultivation surpasses even my peak, probably on par with the Snow Empress," Bingdi warned gravely.
"Indeed. The aura of the ocean on her is extremely thick. If we fought at sea, I'm afraid I wouldn't be her match," Xuedi agreed, which was rare praise for a human from her. Compared to this woman, Tang Hao from the Extreme North is hardly worth mentioning.
"That's right. My purpose here is exactly to become the next Sea God!" Ning Rongrong admitted directly. "Senior, are you perhaps Poseidon Island's High Priestess Bo Saixi, the legendary Limit Douluo who once overshadowed the Soul Master world?"
"It seems you've done your homework. You have talent and ambition. To think the one I've been waiting for turned out to be a young girl like you…" Bo Saixi sighed. The appearance of a Sea God inheritor should have delighted her, but remembering her unresolved wishes, she felt a deep melancholy.
"Senior, this is a letter from my husband to you. Please read it." Ning Rongrong suddenly took out a letter and handed it to Bo Saixi.
Tianlin always liked to have backup plans. He wasn't worried about Ning Rongrong's safety in general—she had protective talismans and could summon him or Chen Xin at any time. But one danger could not be ignored: Bo Saixi herself.
Tianlin knew well that when the Nine Trials were completed, if the inheritor hadn't reached level 99 Limit Douluo, the High Priestess would have to sacrifice herself for the godhood to fuse with the inheritor. But Bo Saixi did not want to die—she was still waiting for Tang Chen.
In the original story, she even considered killing Tang San, Tang Chen's great-grandson. If Ning Rongrong reached the sixth trial, Bo Saixi would show no mercy.
Moreover, during these god trials, even Chen Xin could not intervene. As Ning Rongrong's husband, Tianlin could not take this risk lightly.
"Your husband knows me?" Bo Saixi was surprised. The girl before her was, at most, seventeen or eighteen. Her husband must be about the same age. Bo Saixi looked only around thirty, but she was actually over 120 years old—old enough to be Ning Fengzhi's grandmother. How could this girl's husband possibly know her and even write her a letter?
Bo Saixi took the letter curiously and opened it. There was only one sentence, but it shook her to the core:
"Senior Bo Saixi, please protect my wife and assist her through the trials. As repayment, before Rongrong's seventh trial begins, I will bring Tang Chen to see you."
"Your… your husband knows where Tang Chen is?" Bo Saixi asked, her hand trembling.
Ning Rongrong nodded. "Yes, Senior. My husband said he and Tang Chen are both inheritors of godhood. But Tang Chen's inheritance has been interrupted, and another god interfered during his trials. Please rest assured—my husband always keeps his promises. Although the letter mentions 'before the seventh trial,' he may even bring Tang Chen earlier."
"No, he won't. Even if he resolves Tang Chen's issue early, he won't bring him before your seventh trial. I must admit, your husband is truly a formidable man." Bo Saixi understood the letter was both a request and a negotiation.
Somehow, this man had anticipated she might try to kill the inheritor during the sixth trial, and had set up a deterrent while using her desires against her.
The letter told her: if she wished to see Tang Chen, she must guarantee Ning Rongrong safely reached the seventh trial, thus removing her desire to kill her during the sixth, and even requiring her to assist Ning Rongrong through the first six trials.
He was also sure she dared not attack Ning Rongrong outside the trials, as Ning Rongrong was now the Sea God's inheritor. Bo Saixi's duty was not just to not harm her, but to protect her; if she broke this, the Sea God she worshipped would be the first to punish her.
"Such meticulous thought. This girl really has a husband who's always thinking of her." Bo Saixi felt a twinge of envy. If only Tang Chen had been like Tianlin and not so stubborn, she wouldn't have waited so many years alone.
"Don't worry, I will look after you. I just hope your husband keeps his word and brings Tang Chen to see me."
"Thank you, Senior," Ning Rongrong said gratefully.
"Um, Senior!" At this moment, a timid voice beside Ning Rongrong spoke—it was Huanyin, who didn't receive a trial. "Senior, did the Sea God not grant me a trial because my talent is too low?"
Bo Saixi shook her head. "No. Even the least talented will get a white-level trial if they come sincerely. Your talent may not match the others, but a purple-level trial would not be difficult for you."
"Then why?" Huanyin asked, confused.
"Because, by the Sea God's command, I am to grant you a different trial." Bo Saixi tapped her staff to the ground. A golden ray shot out from the staff and entered Huanyin's body.
A divine mark appeared on Huanyin's forehead. Unlike the others' pentagrams and hexagrams, hers was a unique symbol—shaped like a musical note, much like Ning Rongrong's trident.
"Could this be... a God's Trial?" Yufeng exclaimed. His wife, like Ning Rongrong, had been granted a god's trial.
Though this trial was surely not as high-level as the Sea God's Nine Trials, it was still a god's trial—a higher honor than any ordinary test.
"Senior, what is this?" Huanyin grew more confused. Her talent was the weakest of all—how could she suddenly qualify for a god's trial?
"This is the mark of the God of Music. The Sea God is a first-level god, but has many second- and third-level gods under him. The God of Music is a third-level god who manages music at the Sea God's palace. Recently, while performing in the God Realm, she sensed profound, mysterious music from the mortal world and sought its source, eventually finding you here on Sea God Island. She asked the Sea God to let her bestow her god trial upon you in place of the Sea God's test."
"Could it be the Yaoguang musical score Tianlin gave me?" Huanyin immediately thought. Tianlin once said the Yaoguang score was created by a musical prodigy, and that if she could comprehend it, she'd achieve great things in music.
Now she realized Tianlin had underestimated the score—not only would it help her achieve, it had directly attracted a god's attention!