"Hold on tighter. There's still such a big gap," Li Xun said, looking at the space between himself and Zhu Zhuqing.
Zhu Zhuqing pursed her lips, a blush flashing across her cheeks. She tightened her arms around him, her eyes instinctively avoiding Ning Rongrong's gaze.
Feeling the softness against his chest, the corners of Li Xun's mouth curved into a smile. He pulled Zhu Zhuqing tight and quickly dashed up the steps.
Zhu Zhuqing's task for her Eight Trials was to climb two hundred and sixty-three steps. In what felt like an instant, Li Xun had already carried her past the halfway point.
Unlike a semi-support Soul Master like Dugu Yan, her physical constitution was stronger, so she didn't feel much discomfort from the tide-like pressure. What truly made her uncomfortable were the gazes of Ning Rongrong and Dugu Yan.
Squirming uneasily, Zhu Zhuqing slowly closed her eyes. Her shyness immediately lessened a great deal.
Li Xun glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. A mischievous smile appeared on his face as he gave her a light squeeze. A suppressed grunt instantly reached his ears.
By now, Zhu Zhuqing's cheeks were like ripe peaches. Feeling the heat on her rear, she buried her head in the crook of Li Xun's arm like an ostrich.
Time always flies.
For Li Xun, two hundred and sixty-three steps were but a moment's effort. When his feet stood firmly on the step, a streak of blood-red light shot into the sky. Compared to the phenomenon when Dugu Yan passed her trial, a trace of golden radiance was hidden within it.
As the crimson-gold energy surged into her body, a voice entered Zhu Zhuqing's mind: [Top-tier Eight Trials, traversing the Sea God's Light, complete. Soul Power increased by two ranks, Spirit Ring age limit increased by one thousand years.]
Her aura suddenly surged. The colors of the Spirit Rings at Zhu Zhuqing's feet began to change, with the first two slowly turning purple.
When it was all over, six Spirit Rings—four purple and two black—shone dazzlingly at her feet, and her Soul Power had reached level sixty-eight.
Zhu Zhuqing's eyes flew open in pleasant surprise. She hadn't expected the God Trial's rewards to be so generous. "Brother Li Xun, don't worry about me. Go help Rongrong complete her trial first."
Li Xun laughed heartily. Amidst Zhu Zhuqing's cry of surprise, he picked her up and rushed back down the steps.
They were already seventeen and would be eighteen in another year. He felt it was necessary to help desensitize Zhu Zhuqing a bit; being so shy all the time wouldn't do when they were out and about.
Down below, Ning Rongrong was already stomping her feet in impatience. She had seen the changes in both Zhu Zhuqing and Dugu Yan after they passed their trials. The jealousy in her heart had long since vanished, replaced only by an urgent desire for the rewards.
How could Dugu Yan's Seven Trials compare to hers? And although Zhu Zhuqing had the Eight Trials, she was still inferior to her, because she had the Nine Trials!
Seeing Li Xun put Zhu Zhuqing down, Ning Rongrong hurried forward with a beaming smile. She didn't say a word, but the urgency in her eyes was plain to see.
"Look how anxious you are." Li Xun patted Ning Rongrong on the head, then held out his arms.
Ning Rongrong had been waiting impatiently for a long time. She quickly wrapped her arms around Li Xun's neck. "Brother, what kind of rewards do you think I'll get?"
Although it was a question, Li Xun could hear the hint of showing off in her tone.
He thought for a moment, considering the rewards for the Nine Trials, and gave a mysterious smile. "It should be better than you could ever expect. You'll have to keep your composure then."
"That's the same as saying nothing at all!" Although Ning Rongrong complained, she couldn't hide the smile at the corners of her mouth.
Finally, she peeked over Li Xun's shoulder and made a face at Dugu Yan.
At that moment, Zhu Zhuqing and Dugu Yan were also watching for the results. Having just received their own upgrades, they naturally knew the difference between the rewards of each level.
One hundred and fifty steps were passed in an instant, but it was an exceptionally difficult experience for Ning Rongrong. Although she had worked hard to improve her physical constitution over the years, as a pure support-type Soul Master, there was a limit to how strong she could become.
Li Xun noticed her condition and quickly used his healing ability to protect her. But this ability wasn't omnipotent; while it could ensure Ning Rongrong suffered no injuries, the pressure still remained.
Two hundred… two hundred thirty… two hundred sixty…
As the number of steps grew higher, Ning Rongrong's face became increasingly pale, and even breathing became difficult.
Her chest heaved violently as she gasped for fresh air.
Feeling the soft body in his arms, Li Xun unleashed his God of Slaughter Domain. One by one, eight Spirit Rings—one yellow, two purple, two black, and three red—emerged beneath his feet.
A powerful aura instantly enveloped both him and Ning Rongrong, and the pressure on them immediately lessened.
Seeing this, Poseidon, who had been observing from above, was startled. "It's only been three or four months, yet he's obtained another hundred-thousand-year Spirit Ring."
"Level eighty-five… It seems the time I have left is truly running out," Poseidon murmured in disbelief.
She had never seen anyone cultivate so quickly. She had just done a quick calculation; if nothing unexpected happened, Li Xun would very likely become a Title Douluo before the age of twenty.
As for the realm beyond Title Douluo… with the God Trials in place, Poseidon didn't think it would be difficult for him.
Li Xun's Eighth Soul Ring lit up. A halo of azure light slowly spread outwards, forming a hundred-meter-wide barrier that superimposed itself on the God of Slaughter Domain.
The originally stark white killing intent instantly turned grim and cold, and a desolate, murderous aura slowly emanated from Li Xun. Yet, Ning Rongrong, who was in his arms, remained completely unaffected.
Their speed was still increasing, and they quickly surpassed the three hundredth step. As their feet landed on the final platform, a golden light shot up into the sky from both Li Xun and Ning Rongrong.
The golden imprints on their foreheads shone brilliantly. A pillar of golden light descended from the sky, enveloping the two of them.
[Traversing the Double Sea God's Light trial passed. As it was completed through joint effort, the reward will be split evenly. Sea God Affinity increased by 2.5% for each.]
The golden pillar of light shattered, turning into specks of brilliance that surged into Li Xun and Ning Rongrong's bodies. A blue light flashed on Ning Rongrong's forehead, and the two were instantly enveloped by a warm power, the feeling of exhaustion vanishing completely.
"That's it???" As the light faded, Ning Rongrong stared blankly at Li Xun, finding it hard to believe.
The corner of Li Xun's mouth hooked up. He tilted his head, raised his eyebrows, and fought back a laugh. "What more did you want?"
"Where's my reward? What the hell is two-point-five percent Sea God Affinity!" Ning Rongrong frantically sensed the changes within her body. "Nothing happened at all!"
"You said it yourself, it's Sea God Affinity. What's wrong with being rewarded with a little more closeness to a god?" Li Xun finally let out a laugh.
What damn Sea God!! Ning Rongrong was on the verge of a breakdown.
She already had the lowest cultivation among the four of them. Now, the other two had received substantial improvements while she had made no progress. Wasn't this gap just going to get wider and wider?
"Oh my, isn't this our future Sea God, Ning Rongrong? What's wrong? Is your reward going to far surpass ours?" Dugu Yan judged the situation from her expression and quickly came over to get her revenge.
"..." Ning Rongrong stared straight at the sky, despondent.
Zhu Zhuqing slowly came up from the foot of the mountain. "Rongrong, don't worry. Since you are the one chosen by the god, I'm sure he won't let you suffer a loss."
"Even half of my rewarded Sea God Affinity was taken away! What kind of god's chosen one am I!" Ning Rongrong wailed, instantly drawing laughter from the other three.
Just then, the sky suddenly changed color. Dark clouds rolled in, blanketing the entire sky in an instant.
(End of this chapter)