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After Yang Xiong and his group confirmed the content of their trials, they were warmly received by the Seahorse Douluo. After all, among this group, there were three individuals undergoing Red-Level Trials, especially the final participant with the Red-Level Eight Trial—his probability of passing was exceptionally high.
Through their interactions, the Seahorse Douluo had come to feel Yang Xiong's extraordinary physical prowess and Title Douluo-level strength, far surpassing that of ordinary people. Even as a land-based soul master, it seemed unlikely that passing the trials would be particularly difficult for him.
Moreover, after communicating with the Seahorse Douluo, Yang Xiong's group gained a clearer understanding of the situation on the Sea God Island, as well as Tang San's group.
Tang San and his companions had arrived at the Sea God Island about three months earlier than Yang Xiong's group. From what they heard, Tang San's group appeared quite disheveled when they first arrived.
…
Approximately four months ago, Tang San organized a team of seven people to set out from Tian Dou City, preparing to head to the Sea God Island for training.
This group consisted of Tang San, Xiao Wu, Dai Mubai, Zhu Zhuqing, Yu Tianheng, Dugu Yan, and Ma Hongjun.
Apart from the original five members of Shrek Academy, two additional members—Yu Tianheng and Dugu Yan—joined them.
Yu Tianheng's family had been exterminated, leaving him burdened by vengeance. However, he was currently only at the Soul King level, far too weak to influence any major events. He could only train under the protection of Dugu Bo at his residence.
Eager for revenge, Yu Tianheng decided without hesitation to follow Tang San to the Sea God Island after hearing Tang San and Yu Xiaogang's introduction. Despite the dangers, it was also the best way for him to improve his strength.
As Yu Tianheng's girlfriend, Dugu Yan naturally accompanied him to the Sea God Island as well.
However, in terms of strength, Tang San's group was considerably weaker compared to the original Shrek Seven Monsters.
When Tang San prepared to head to the Sea God Island, he was only at Level 63, while Xiao Wu was at Level 62. Apart from these two, there wasn't a single Soul Emperor among them.
Yu Tianheng was at Level 56, Dugu Yan at Level 55. Though they were considered top-tier among peers, overall, they were just average.
Dai Mubai was at Level 57, Zhu Zhuqing at Level 53, and Ma Hongjun, shockingly, was only at Level 49.
In terms of strength, everyone in the group could potentially reach the Soul King level before the age of 25, which was already stronger than the Golden Generation of the Spirit Hall. However, even with normal cultivation, it would be challenging for anyone, including Dai Mubai, to break through to the Soul Emperor level before turning 25.
After making various preparations, Tang San's group boarded a carriage and departed from Tian Dou City.
By an uncanny coincidence, Tang San's group encountered the same gang of wolf bandits from the original storyline. With the combined strength of their seven members, they swiftly annihilated all the bandits and made some gains.
Additionally, they acquired the Dragon Abyss Boat in Hanhai City, much like in the original story.
After braving numerous perils at sea, the group finally arrived at the Sea God Island.
However, this journey was far more arduous and dangerous than depicted in the original storyline.
Although Tang San's group possessed exceptional talent, they lacked social experience and had no prior experience at sea. As a result, they encountered the same group of pirates from the original story.
Without the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud, when they faced the Deep Sea Demon Whale King, the group nearly perished on the spot.
Fortunately, the Dragon Abyss Boat was incredibly fast, and Ma Hongjun could fly, allowing them to narrowly escape with their lives.
By the time they reached the Sea God Island, everyone was covered in wounds and looked utterly miserable.
Nevertheless, the group remained extraordinarily resilient, determined to participate in the Sea God Island trials and join the island.
The trials, presided over by the Seahorse Douluo, turned out to be less than ideal.
Among them, Tang San received the Red-Level Seven Trial, the highest trial level among the group, and the only Red-Level Trial.
Xiao Wu received the Black-Level Six Trial. Her innate full soul power was commendable, especially since she was one of only two Soul Emperors in the group.
In comparison, the others fared significantly worse.
Yu Tianheng, Dugu Yan, Dai Mubai, and Zhu Zhuqing all received the Black-Level Four Trial. While their talents and martial souls were quite good, even Zhu Zhuqing, who had slightly inferior aptitude, had grown rapidly over the years. In terms of cultivation talent alone, she had surpassed Hu Liena.
Ma Hongjun, on the other hand, only received the Purple-Level Three Trial—he was the only Soul Ancestor in the group.
Compared to the others, Ma Hongjun's decision to come to the Sea God Island was largely due to Flender's arrangements.
Without the Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower, Ma Hongjun's cultivation speed had noticeably slowed over the years. Moreover, after leaving the Tian Dou Imperial Academy, without Flender and Yu Xiaogang keeping an eye on him, he became increasingly indulgent.
Thus, despite relying on a noble family and becoming the son-in-law of a family head, ensuring he had ample resources, the lack of supervision proved to be the most detrimental factor. This led to Ma Hongjun's physique becoming even more obese, and due to excessive indulgence, the effects of his demonic fire worsened, potentially jeopardizing his future.
According to Yu Xiaogang's explanation, the Sea God Island was predominantly populated by water-attribute soul masters, which might help suppress Ma Hongjun's demonic fire to some extent.
Flender and Ma Hongjun shared a deep bond akin to that of Tang San and Yu Xiaogang—a profound teacher-student relationship.
Ultimately, under Flender's arrangements, Ma Hongjun followed Tang San's group to the Sea God Island for training.
Initially, Tang San's group was confident, believing the Sea God Island trials wouldn't pose much of a challenge.
However, when they reached the Sea God's Light, they were utterly stunned.
During their first attempt to traverse the Sea God's Light, the results were abysmal—so poor that they felt an overwhelming sense of despair.
Typically, a Black-Level Four Trial required ascending 98 steps of the Sea God's Light, a Black-Level Six Trial required 118 steps, and a Red-Level Seven Trial demanded 136 steps. The difficulty of the trials was immense.
Of course, Ma Hongjun's Purple-Level Trial didn't qualify him to traverse the Sea God's Light, nor could he cultivate beneath it.
After Tang San's group attempted the climb, they were left astounded, even harboring a sense of fear.
Among everyone, the best performer wasn't Tang San but rather Xiao Wu.
Xiao Wu managed to reach around the 60th step independently. Although her martial soul was the Soft Bone Rabbit, beast-type souls provided far greater physical enhancement than weapon-type souls. Moreover, she was the only Soul Emperor with a beast-type martial soul.
Even with all his efforts, Tang San could barely reach the 58th step.
Keep in mind that Tang San lacked two domains compared to the original storyline—the Blue Silver Domain and the Killing God Domain. Both would have played a significant role in overcoming the Sea God's Light.
As for the others, their performances were even worse.
Dai Mubai reached the 33rd step, while Yu Tianheng climbed to the 32nd step.
Dugu Yan reached the 28th step, and Zhu Zhuqing only managed to climb to the 26th step.
Upon seeing these results, despair filled everyone's eyes.
From the current situation, only Tang San and Xiao Wu seemed to have any hope of completing their trials. For the others, there was no glimmer of possibility.
Especially as the steps of the Sea God's Light ascended, the pressure increased exponentially, sometimes even undergoing qualitative changes. For instance, the gap between the 30th and 40th steps—though only ten steps apart—was vastly more difficult than imagined.
At this moment, Tang San's group exchanged glances, each feeling a sense of bewilderment.
Without the Blue Silver Domain or the Killing God Domain, Tang San couldn't use domains to assist others, nor could he discover any loopholes to bypass the Sea God's Light.
To make matters worse, there wasn't a single auxiliary-type soul master among them. They couldn't even support or cooperate with one another. Passing the Sea God's Light would have to rely entirely on individual effort.
Seeing everyone's despondency, Tang San recalled his experiences training under the waterfall. He realized that under the intense pressure of the Sea God's Light, their cultivation speed had indeed increased significantly compared to before.
Thus, under Tang San's encouragement and analysis, the group not only exerted their utmost effort daily to ascend the Sea God's Light but also began cultivating on its steps.
Their cultivation speed did improve, but the gap between their current abilities and the requirements of their trials remained vast.
Though Dai Mubai and the others trained with extraordinary perseverance and diligence, even after a month of training, they couldn't make significant progress in climbing the steps. Gradually, their confidence waned into despair.
For Dai Mubai and the six others, their deficiencies weren't merely a few levels of soul power—they also lacked the transformative effects of immortal herbs on their bodies.
In the original storyline, after consuming immortal herbs, not only did the characters experience substantial increases in soul power, but their aptitudes and adaptability were also greatly improved.
Another point to consider was that, having failed to win the championship in the Soul Master Tournament, they hadn't received the tournament's reward of soul bones. Thus, among Tang San's seven members, aside from Tang San, none possessed soul bones, which significantly enhance physical strength beyond imagination.
Therefore, even though their cultivation speed improved somewhat under the Sea God's Light, it still fell short of expectations.
In the eyes of the Sea God Island inhabitants, Tang San's group was merely struggling desperately. It was clear that within a year, none of them would pass the first stage of the Sea God's trials—and their deaths would be inevitable.
However, Dai Mubai tried to console everyone. He recalled how he personally invited Yang Xiong to join them at the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect. At the time, Yang Xiong declined due to being preoccupied, promising instead to arrive later, though the exact timing was uncertain.
Yang Xiong had mentioned some details about the Sea God Island and expressed that if he came, Ning Rongrong and Oscar might accompany him. With their auxiliary support, there was a chance they could pass the trials.
Hearing this, Tang San felt a bitter taste in his mouth. He had led everyone to the Sea God Island for training, yet now they faced life-threatening danger and might need rescuing by Yang Xiong and his group.
Tang San had always been proud—not only did he believe in his own exceptional strength, but he also considered himself the leader of the Shrek group. Back in the Shrek team, he was primarily responsible for devising tactics.
But after five years, everything seemed to have changed. Not only had the gap between him and Yang Xiong widened, but Yang Xiong now stood backed by a colossal force.
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