"Sister Huanyin, you're amazing! I didn't expect you, besides Sister Rongrong, would be the first of us to get the chance to become a god." Bai Chenxiang grabbed Huanyin's hand, full of envy.
So, there's more than one path to godhood—one doesn't have to be the strongest. Achievement in other fields can also attract a god's favor.
Huanyin's soul power wasn't much higher than hers, but her future prospects now surpassed her by a hundredfold.
"I didn't expect it, either. I'm happy, but…" Huanyin was hesitant, unsure if she should take on the trial.
Sensing her worry, Yu Feng quickly took her hand. "You can't refuse, Huanyin. I know what you're thinking. Don't worry; I'll catch up to you one day. I'll find my own godly inheritance. I won't let you go to the God Realm alone."
Huanyin's hesitation came from her concern for Yu Feng, but with his encouragement, she resolved herself.
"Senior Bo Saixi, I, Huanyin, am willing to accept the God of Music's trial. Please guide me."
Bo Saixi nodded. "Then come with me. Your trial will be different from the others. They must first pass through the Sea God's Light, but you must move the Sea God's Trident with your music and make this super artifact shine for you."
"Alright, Senior, please lead the way." Huanyin was confident. She might not match the others in strength, but in music, she was among the best on the entire continent.
"Sister Huanyin, good luck!" Ning Rongrong and the others cheered her on. The trial of a third-level god was much easier than one of the first-level, so maybe Huanyin would become a god even before Tianlin.
"Thank you. You all keep working hard, too." Huanyin bid farewell and followed Bo Saixi to the Sea God Trident hall.
The others headed toward the first trial, the Sea God's Light.
With the Sea God and Fire God's trials underway, everyone gave their all.
…
…
…
Half a year passed peacefully.
But now, the timeline reached five years after the original story. After their failed spirit-hunting campaign, Spirit Hall became even more aggressive, forcibly absorbing dozens of sects in both Heaven Dou and Star Luo empires.
At first, the two empires weren't too concerned, confident in their military strength. Spirit Hall couldn't possibly challenge the entire continent, could they?
But soon, Spirit Hall announced that, thanks to years of prosperity, in addition to the original Seven Great Sects, new ones had risen. The Seven Great Sects would be expanded to Nine, ranked with four upper and five lower.
Both empires immediately objected. Heaven Dou's reason was simple—most of the great sects were in their territory, and soul masters preferred to join them. If new sects emerged under Star Luo or Spirit Hall, it would split their numbers.
Star Luo disliked sects altogether, believing only the royal family should rule the continent. They would never agree to sects expanding in power.
But then, over a dozen kingdoms and duchies declared support for the Spirit Empire, including the wealthy Xia Kingdom (a Star Luo vassal) and the highly militarized Balak Kingdom (a Heaven Dou vassal).
The two emperors were furious. Spirit Hall had quietly gained so much support.
Xia Kingdom's wealth and Balak's army could support over 400,000 troops. The other smaller kingdoms and duchies could muster another 300,000. Combined, Spirit Hall now had close to 70,000-80,000 soul masters and 700,000 troops—far surpassing either empire.
Soul masters' combat strength far exceeded normal soldiers. The empires had once relied on numbers, but now Spirit Hall had both soul masters and armies—nothing could stop them.
"Outrageous! Spirit Hall is rebelling—they truly have wolfish ambitions!" In the Heaven Dou palace, Emperor Xue Ye roared in anger. The officials below trembled in fear.
They held high office, yet hadn't noticed Spirit Hall's rise—this was their failure.
Ning Fengzhi, present at the meeting, sneered. The Heaven Dou court was rotten to the core—who could expect this bunch to notice anything? Only under Xue Qinghe had politics been clear, but after her departure, things reverted immediately.
Only one minister, Ge Long, was worth anything—but he was a general, good for war but not for governance.
"Father, please calm down. While we failed to notice Spirit Hall's rise, they haven't noticed our changes, either. We've expanded the Tang Army to 30,000. With their repeating crossbows and hidden weapons, each can fight like a Soul Sect—enough to be a soul master corps. We still outnumber them," Xue Beng said.
Hearing this, Xue Ye calmed down. "Son, thanks to you and Earl Tang San. But the Earl has been gone half a year. Will there be any problems with hidden weapon supply?"
Tai Tan stepped forward. "Your Majesty, the young master passed on all the methods for making the basic weapons. With me overseeing it, there will be no shortage."
"Good. Thank you, beloved minister. But I don't understand—why did Balak Kingdom defect? King Kundela is my cousin, yet he betrayed me. It pains me." Xue Ye clutched his chest in sorrow.
Gu Rong, who came with Ning Fengzhi, thought: these emperors are so dramatic—angry one moment, grieving the next.