The Sea Dragon City was not large. If it weren't for the four city gates and brick walls, Li Xun would have thought it was a mountain village.
Although small, it had everything one needed. Along the way, there were various shops, and the surrounding residents were exceptionally friendly, not discriminating against Li Xun's group despite their different attire.
This was also related to the God Trial marks on their foreheads.
Seahorse Douluo led the group directly to the city lord's mansion, which was the best building in this small city. He probably didn't want to lose face in front of outsiders, especially since there were two Super Douluos in the group.
Li Xun didn't refuse. Why suffer when you can enjoy comfort while traveling?
After a brief chat, Seahorse Douluo, seeing how at ease the group was, quickly excused himself. He realized he had suddenly become an outsider in this home.
In the nearly 200 square meter super-large living room, Li Xun and the others sat facing each other.
Ning Rongrong grinned, constantly rubbing the golden trident mark on her forehead with her fingertips: "Brother, I just looked at it, isn't it beautiful?"
"Vain," Li Xun rolled his eyes, casually leaning back on the sofa, but unexpectedly leaned into empty space and accidentally fell onto Zhu Zhuqing's lap.
"What a crappy sofa," Li Xun adjusted his position, taking the opportunity to rest his head on Zhu Zhuqing's smooth thighs.
Everyone was already used to this, only marveling at how much thicker Li Xun's skin had become.
Li Xun wasn't embarrassed at all: "Rongrong, don't get too excited yet. Have you noticed something missing from the mark on your forehead?"
Ning Rongrong was stunned. She took out a mirror from her Soul Guiding Device and looked at herself from different angles: "Is there something different? I didn't notice."
"Look carefully, isn't there a piece missing from the center of the trident on your forehead?" Li Xun lazily turned over, causing Zhu Zhuqing to push him.
Ning Rongrong had never seen the trident pattern before, and only after Li Xun's reminder did she notice that the golden trident pattern on her forehead was indeed missing a hole.
"Brother, is there a problem with this?"
"Mm, look at my forehead and you'll understand."
Ning Rongrong was startled and quickly leaned in: "The inverted triangle on your forehead does look like an enlarged version of the missing piece from the center of the trident!"
As she spoke, Ning Rongrong rubbed Li Xun's forehead with her finger.
"Now compare it with the Vast Sea Cosmos Cover," Li Xun raised an eyebrow.
The others became interested upon hearing this. After comparison, they found that the golden triangular pattern on Li Xun's forehead was exactly the same as the Vast Sea Cosmos Cover.
"Didn't the High Priest call this Vast Sea Cosmos Cover the Heart of the Sea God? Now do you understand?"
Li Xun pushed away Ning Rongrong's small hand: "Now you need to work harder, otherwise who knows, one day your Godhood might be replaced by me."
Ning Rongrong was almost crying from frustration. Earlier when Li Xun said other gods might not be interested in her, she was a bit unconvinced. She didn't expect that even after the Divine Artifact had chosen its master, it would still be fickle!
Li Xun picked his ear: "But don't worry, I won't compete with you for this Godhood. But shouldn't you show some good performance?"
He had always been quietly considering becoming a god, and after this incident, it further aroused some of his vigilance. After all, gods were once humans too, with their own emotions. It's always better to have a backup plan.
Ning Rongrong held the Vast Sea Cosmos Cover, feeling angry and almost wanting to smash this so-called Divine Artifact. But after thinking for a moment, she couldn't bear to do it and carefully put it away.
Pouting and thinking for a while, she finally bowed her head to reality and quickly went over to give Li Xun a massage: "Brother, what's your first trial?"
"Passing through double Sea God's Light."
"Is our task the same? What about you, Zhuqing?"
"The same."
The location of the Sea God's first trial was on a small mountain on Seagod Island. This place was a forbidden area on Seagod Island and also the location of the temple dedicated to the Sea God, also known as the Island within the Island.
This time, Li Xun and the others' trial was to climb the stairs from the foot of the mountain to the temple.
However, because everyone's God Trial level was different, the number of steps each person needed to climb was also different.
A purple-robed Sea Soul Master looked at the marks on Li Xun and the others' foreheads with reverence: "Honored guests, if you want to enter the forbidden area, your first goal is to pass through the water area surrounding the mountain ahead."
Following the purple-robed Soul Master's guidance, Li Xun and the others looked ahead. They saw a small island shrouded in a faint golden light. Due to the different angles of sunlight, the entire mountain peak was illuminated and shimmering. From their position, it looked like a golden mountain.
At the foot of this mountain, there was a body of water like a moat. The water surface was now sparkling, reflecting a colorful glow in the sunset.
For the group, this kind of terrain-crossing challenge was no longer new and couldn't hinder them.
Li Xun and Zhu Zhuqing each carried one person, and in an instant, they arrived at the foot of the divine mountain, startling the sea beasts waiting to ambush intruders underwater.
"I have the fewest steps, let me try first," Dugu Yan looked up at the divine sculpture on the mountain that seemed to be made of white jade, and lifted her right foot onto the stairs.
As soon as one leg passed through the thin golden barrier protecting the divine mountain, Dugu Yan felt a resistance coming at her.
But for someone at her level, although there was pressure feedback from the first layer, it wasn't very noticeable. However, everything changed when she stood on the second step.
The pressure coming from all sides made Dugu Yan's heart tighten. She quickly retreated down the steps and explained the situation to the others.
Li Xun had anticipated this situation: "As they say, pressure is the driving force for progress. It seems that the first trial is not only a test for us but also a catalyst that can enhance our strength."
"If I'm not mistaken, as we climb higher up the stairs, the pressure we experience will also increase. This will continuously temper our physical bodies, making us stronger."
Zhu Zhuqing and the others nodded, always trusting in Li Xun's words.
"Brother, what should I do? There are over 300 steps!"
When Ning Rongrong stepped on the first step, she didn't feel much, but when she stepped on the second step, she immediately realized something was wrong. If the pressure continued to increase at this rate, she found that her limit would be around 40 or 50 steps.
"It's okay, I'll help at crucial moments. What you need to do now is to train your physical body well," Li Xun said, then indicated that Ning Rongrong could apply a layer of Amplification to herself before taking on the challenge.
If other aspects were excluded, the Sea God's trials were actually very beneficial for Soul Master cultivation. They were all very young now and in the prime of their training period. Unless necessary, Li Xun didn't want to cheat for them.
After all, except for Dugu Yan who was slightly older, they were only sixteen years old now. No matter how you calculated it, they had plenty of time.
Li Xun nodded seeing the three of them working hard, then lifted his leg and walked towards the stairs.
There were still many things to do, and he wouldn't stay here for long. This time was more about training for Ning Rongrong and the other two. He just needed to come and pass the trial within a year.
Failing the God Trial results in annihilation. Interesting.
A flash of light flickered in Li Xun's eyes.
(End of Chapter)