Spirit City, Angel Inheritance Ground.
Unaware of the passage of time in the outside world, Qian Renxue wearily extended her hand, wiping the blood from the corner of her mouth with her sleeve, and arduously took another step upward.
She was now only half a step away from the final stair, but her body had reached its limit.
Yet, remembering how Li Xun had flaunted his superiority before her, an inexplicable surge of strength emerged from within, pushing her other foot onto the 333rd step.
Golden light scattered throughout the inheritance ground like a divine miracle.
Bathed in the sacred radiance, Qian Renxue's fatigue and injuries rapidly faded, while streams of pure Soul Power flowed into her body.
[Angel Nine Trials First Trial: Ascend the Divine Stairs - Passed. Reward: Three levels of Soul Power, 5% Angel God Affinity]
Feeling the surging power within her, Qian Renxue's face lit up with joy, her heart filled with happiness.
She hadn't expected the God Trial rewards to be so generous. With these three additional levels of Soul Power, she had now reached level 77.
I can catch up!
After glancing at the content of the second trial, Qian Renxue's eyes flashed, her vermilion lips curling: "Let's see you provoke me again..."
At the same time, in a Soul Hunting Forest within the Starfall Empire.
Such artificially relocated and bred Soul Beast reserves were common throughout the continent, mostly established through cooperation between Spirit Hall and the two great empires, serving as welfare for commoners.
Entry only required a small amount of Gold Soul Coins or a Spirit Hall token.
The place where Tang San currently found himself was one such Soul Hunting Forest located in the Star Luo Empire, not far from Dragon Rising City.
The Rakshasa God's second trial required devouring five hundred Soul Beasts, but didn't specify their age.
"Finally completed."
Tang San smiled slightly as the last trace of life energy entered his body, his Blue Silver Grass discarding the desiccated Soul Beast corpse.
As his Blue Silver Grass mutated, he had gradually been using it more frequently. Compared to the Eight Spider Lances, Blue Silver Grass converted life energy into Soul Power more rapidly, becoming his primary method for power advancement now.
Although the Eight Spider Lances could also convert life energy into Soul Power, the conversion rate was slower and had limits, so he now primarily used them to enhance his physical constitution.
Using these two abilities in alternation allowed for simultaneous improvement in both areas.
[Rakshasa God Second Trial: Devour Five Hundred Soul Beasts - Completed. Due to low completion quality, reward: Spirit Ring upper limit increased by five hundred years]
A majestic divine voice echoed in Tang San's mind, causing him to frown:
"Low completion quality? Could there be additional rewards for exceeding the requirements? No wonder there's no Soul Power level reward this time."
This realization brought Tang San some regret. He had originally chosen this approach to complete the task easily, never expecting it would cost him an enhancement opportunity.
But regret aside, although he had only devoured low-level Soul Beasts, their massive numbers had pushed his Soul Power to level 70.
This counted as another form of gain, Tang San comforted himself.
As gray-black energy enveloped him and tremendous power surged into his body, Tang San watched his first two Blue Silver Grass Spirit Rings turn purple.
A wave of joy rose in his heart - the satisfaction of growing stronger.
Including the first trial, each of his Spirit Rings had now increased by six hundred years.
"A thousand-year first Spirit Ring—this must be unparalleled across the continent!" Tang San's eyes gleamed, a smile curling at the corners of his lips.
In a void at the edge of the God Realm.
Through her Divine Sense, the Rakshasa God detected Tang San's current state of mind and curled her lips in disdain.
Her original intention for the second trial was to make Tang San break his agreement with the Star Dou Great Forest, creating inner conflict and guilt to see if it could alter his character.
Unexpectedly, Tang San had exploited a loophole in her task and cleverly completed it, which left her somewhat displeased.
If this continued, Bibidong might prove more entertaining than Tang San.
Lying back on her soft chair, the Rakshasa God flicked her finger in the void, sending a speck of gray-black light piercing through the emptiness.
"Still, this Tang San is leveling up quite quickly and remains much calmer than Bibidong in adversity. At this rate, he might very well catch up to Bibidong's cultivation. It would be a shame to discard him so casually."
Let's see what you'll do when you face this task.
The Rakshasa God chuckled softly, but her smile froze when her gaze inadvertently swept over Seagod Island.
If only I had influenced that kid back then—not only could I have annoyed the Asura God, but I would have also secured a promising seedling.
So close...
In the mortal realm, just as Tang San was immersed in the joy of his gains, a divine voice suddenly echoed in his mind.
[Rakshasa God Trial, Third Trial: The Apostle of God Shall Not Be Deceived. Defeat the Mediocre Teacher Yu Xiaogang without using your Martial Soul, and walk the path that belongs solely to you.]
Tang San stared at the task, momentarily stunned in place.
Having passed two Rakshasa God Trials already, the immense rewards had convinced him that the trials were real and that the gods truly existed.
But this task gave him pause.
Although he and Yu Xiaogang had fallen out, and some of the latter's theories had been refuted by him and Li Xun, the help Yu Xiaogang had once provided was undeniable.
The Soul Guiding Device, a standard of living far beyond Holy Soul Village, guiding him out of that small town—even if he wouldn't admit it aloud, he still remembered the moment from his childhood when he kowtowed and bowed to him as his teacher.
Although Yu Xiaogang had pointed him in the wrong direction for cultivation, it had to be said that without him, Tang San might have ended up in a completely different situation, perhaps even worse than his current state.
Because back then, his father was too despondent... Tang San sighed inwardly.
The twilight of late autumn was the sun's final glow, the autumn wind rustling the leaves as warmth gradually faded.
Tang San leaned against a Solitary Bamboo and slowly sat down, his heart in constant turmoil, wrestling with his thoughts all afternoon.
"Teacher... Li Xun, Clear Sky Sect, Spirit Hall..."
The sky gradually darkened.
The Soul Hunting Forest at dusk was shadowy and eerily quiet, like a beast poised to devour at any moment.
Tang San rose slowly, brushed off the dust, and turned to look at the Solitary Bamboo behind him. "Teacher did indeed affect my state of mind for a time. This must be what Taoists call an inner demon, as the rumors say."
He sighed. "I am a member of the Tang Sect and should not be troubled by such matters. I ought to forge my own unique path in this world."
"Teacher, we were once master and disciple. Though you led me down a winding path, I do not blame you. It's just that our fate has come to an end, and I have enemies I must face..."
Star Luo Empire, Luofeng Town.
This place was very close to the Heavenly Dou border. Due to the tense relations between the two great empires over the past two years, the people living here had been constantly shrouded in a sense of unease.
However, because it was near the Star Dou Great Forest and yielded abundant resources, though fearful, they couldn't bear to leave.
And Yu Xiaogang, needing research materials, had also chosen not to withdraw from this area.
He had already lost everything—Xiao San, Liu Erlong, the Blue Lightning Tyrant School, Shrek Academy, and even Bibidong.
With all these connections gone, he had to handle everything himself. But what could a mere twenty-ninth rank Soul Grand Master achieve alone in the wild?
He couldn't defeat Soul Beasts of higher levels, and when investigating materials, he was either mocked or dismissed as a fraud.
As a result, his research progressed very poorly.
(End of Chapter)