Dark clouds pressed down from above, and a tense atmosphere permeated the air. Outside Sea God Mountain, the seawater suddenly began to boil, carrying the oppressive feeling of an impending storm.
Strange streams of energy spread out from the Ring Sea. Sea God Mountain glowed with a peculiar multicolored light, and a golden beam shot into the sky, enveloping the surrounding area.
A screen of light appeared in each of their minds, displaying the details of the second trial.
[Second Trial: Without killing any Soul Beasts, break through the ring-shaped blockade and reach the opposite shore.]
Hearing the trial's requirement, the anxious hearts of Zhu Zhuqing and Dugu Yan instantly settled. The sky had just changed color so abruptly that they had thought some major event was occurring.
Hadn't they already crossed the Ring Sea when they arrived? What was so difficult about this?
Ning Rongrong looked at her own trial requirement and then at Li Xun with a worried expression. "Brother, my trial requires me not to use any Spirit Rings or Soul Skills. What about you?"
"Don't be afraid, I'm the same," Li Xun said with a reassuring look. The true difficulty of this second trial lay with Xiao Bai, the Demon Soul Great White Shark.
A normal Soul Master might be troubled if their Soul Skills were sealed, but he was different.
"Wood Release: Advent of a World of Trees." A smile touched the corners of Li Xun's lips. He clapped his hands together. Who said a Soul Master had to use Spirit Rings to use a skill?
Vines and leafy branches burst from the ground on the shore behind Li Xun. The earth, no longer covered by the Sea God's Light, was instantly thrown into the air. Layers of surging green plants rolled like ocean waves, lunging toward the Ring Sea with an unstoppable momentum.
Watching the scene from high above, a strange light flashed in Poseidon's eyes.
Although she didn't know the specific requirements of Li Xun's trial, she could see that he had not used any Spirit Ring skills.
Spirit Ring skills were the foundation of a Soul Master's power, yet Li Xun could unleash such a large-scale attack using only his Soul Power. This immediately piqued her interest.
Splash, splash...
The interweaving of seawater and greenery created waves dozens of meters high, and a series of heavy thuds echoed in the ears of every creature in the area.
"Lord Sea God! If I limit my cultivation level and only try to obstruct them, I won't be able to stop him at all!" Xiao Bai cried out to the sky from within the sea.
[As long as you do not take their lives, it is permissible.]
A short message appeared in Xiao Bai's mind. She was stunned for a moment, then her heart filled with joy, and her enormous tail slapped the water happily.
Lord Sea God had spoken to her...
Xiao Bai looked toward the shore in high spirits. Since it was Lord Sea God's request, she would have some fun with these humans.
Her massive tail stirred up an undercurrent, sweeping a large volume of seawater toward the shore.
The churning sea gave rise to a colossal wave. A twenty-meter-high wall of water rose from the ocean's surface, rolling toward Sea God Mountain with an aura of destruction.
Boom—
Azure overwhelmed green. The seawater, with its unstoppable force, slammed the vines against Sea God Mountain's invisible film. The powerful impact shattered the branches and vines, leaving them to float everywhere like ocean debris.
Some of the Soul Beasts in the sea were also affected. The weaker ones were instantly crushed into fish paste between the two opposing forces.
"I didn't kill those!" Li Xun looked up, quickly denying any responsibility while simultaneously pondering his next move.
Although Xiao Bai didn't possess as illustrious a bloodline as other 100,000 Year Soul Beasts, her strength in the sea should be boosted by another thirty percent.
Li Xun estimated that her power was likely comparable to the Titan Giant Ape's—of course, only when fighting a Soul Master in the sea.
Soul Power slowly surged from within his body.
On the sea's surface, pieces of branches, leaves, and vines, churned up by the waves, gradually gathered together. At first, Xiao Bai didn't notice.
It wasn't until the view from the seabed suddenly darkened that she saw the vines begin to grow and connect rapidly, completely obscuring the sea surface along the coast. At the same time, faint sparks of electricity flickered on the vines.
Some clueless Sea Soul Beasts were zapped and flipped over the moment they got close. Although their lives weren't in danger, their bodies twitched uncontrollably as they sank to the seabed.
Electro-fishing?
This word inexplicably appeared in Xiao Bai's mind, and she immediately flew into a rage. Her body spun rapidly, creating a massive whirlpool in the sea. At the same time, blue ripples resembling water blades appeared and disappeared within the whirlpool.
The vines obscuring her vision were shredded, and sunlight once again shone upon the sea. But before Xiao Bai could rejoice, she saw a wooden golem standing on the shore, one that was as large as three of her.
Swoosh—
With a wave of the wooden golem's hand, three figures were instantly thrown out, reaching the opposite shore in the blink of an eye.
Xiao Bai froze for a moment, then her anger flared again. One by one, dark red teeth materialized in front of her and shot toward the wooden golem on the shore.
The Demon Shark's Tooth instantly pierced the wooden golem, riddling its body with holes. The golem seemed to lose its balance and toppled toward the sea.
Boom—
Its massive body crashed into the sea, creating a deafening roar. The seawater instantly surged to both sides, and Xiao Bai hastily dodged out of the way.
Just then, a figure flashed out from behind the wooden golem's head, leaping to the opposite shore in the blink of an eye.
"You cheated!" Xiao Bai surfaced, shouting angrily at Li Xun.
Li Xun smiled. "The trial only said we had to break through your blockade. It didn't specify the method. Did you really expect me to fight you head-on?"
Xiao Bai was rendered speechless. With her cultivation, she was comparable to a level ninety-five Titled Douluo. In a direct confrontation, this human, who was just over level eighty, was indeed no match for her.
"Fine, you win," Xiao Bai said, somewhat reluctantly slapping the sea surface with her tail. A flash of light appeared, and she transformed into a human girl, stepping onto the shore.
She had long, sky-blue hair and wore a white leather outfit that perfectly outlined her figure. Although she was a slight step down from Zhu Zhuqing and the others, she was still an exotic beauty in the mortal world.
"I was planning to play with you for a bit, but I didn't expect this trial to end so quickly. I wonder if Lord Sea God will think I'm useless."
Xiao Bai pouted and circled around Li Xun.
"Don't worry, this is only the second trial. We might have to work together later on," Li Xun consoled her.
Xiao Bai was the Sea God's mount. If Rongrong or he successfully inherited the Sea God's Godhood, this creature would become his subordinate.
Li Xun was tolerant toward Soul Beasts on his side and wouldn't harbor any ill intentions for a hundred thousand year Spirit Ring.
Li Xun then chatted briefly with Xiao Bai, which could be considered letting her get familiar with her future leader ahead of time.
Just then, four pillars of light simultaneously lit up on the foreheads of Li Xun and the others.
[A combination of wisdom and strength, leading your companions through the blockade of the Hundred Thousand Year Demon Soul Great White Shark. Sea God Affinity increased by two and a half percent. Total affinity: five percent.]
Li Xun wasn't surprised by this reward, but Ning Rongrong finally had to accept this reality with resignation, her entire demeanor drooping.
With this reward, Dugu Yan's first four Spirit Rings all turned purple, which she flaunted proudly in front of Ning Rongrong.
Ning Rongrong was exasperated. "What are you so smug about? No matter how many rewards you get, aren't I still the one who will become a god in the end?"
"That's different~! After I finish getting the Sea God's rewards, I can go to another God Trial and get rewards all over again~" Dugu Yan chuckled, covering her mouth.
"..." Ning Rongrong was silent for a long while before looking at Li Xun. "Brother, do you think we could manage to get a trial from another god?"
"Probably not. After all, the Sea God does have some prestige."
Next was the Tidal Body Tempering, which Li Xun found to be insane. Twelve hours a day was completely inhumane.
Fortunately, he had healing abilities. Not only could he withstand the pressure himself, but he could also help Ning Rongrong and Dugu Yan suffer a little less.
Time on Seagod Island passed day by day, while on the continent, a storm was brewing.
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