Just as everyone was feeling puzzled, a voice echoed from afar.
"You will soon understand what Tidal Training is. This trial will be overseen by me personally."
A figure clad in red appeared before them—Bo Saixi. She looked more solemn than ever, with a hint of something different in her eyes. Yang Xiong noticed that Bo Saixi seemed to be glancing at him intentionally or unintentionally.
After speaking, Bo Saixi led the group directly away from the direction of the Sea God Mountain. Though her pace wasn't particularly fast, it was perfectly rhythmic, and every step seemed incredibly light.
Seeing Bo Saixi's demeanor, everyone quickly followed behind her, struggling to keep up.
They walked for over two hours, passing through forests, climbing hills, and even catching sight of the other seven Holy Pillars of the Sea God Island. By now, they had essentially gained an overview of the island's general layout.
The Sea God Island was a massive landmass, with a diameter likely exceeding 400 kilometers. It resembled a unique continent, featuring nearly all types of terrain.
At this moment, the group began to hear a thunderous roar, like waves crashing against a beach—but far more powerful than ordinary waves. The rumbling sound shook their souls, as if their minds were being struck by an overwhelming force.
Yang Xiong's senses were sharp—he could feel a peculiar spiritual energy embedded within the sound, making it deafening.
Under Bo Saixi's guidance, they arrived atop a towering peak, over a hundred meters high. The entire mountain was pitch-black, barren of vegetation, seemingly composed of some unique type of rock.
When Yang Xiong and the others reached the summit, the scene before them was breathtaking.
What greeted them was an enormous valley, circular in shape with a gap where endless seawater surged in.
The entire valley was constructed of black stone, appearing incredibly hard.
As the seawater rushed into the valley through the gap, the once calm waters transformed into raging torrents, pounding relentlessly against the valley walls. The highest waves reached hundreds of meters, one after another, unceasing. Between the waves, one could feel both the vastness of the ocean and the awe-inspiring might of nature.
The endless roar was soul-shaking, as if nothing in existence could escape the power of these waves. Yang Xiong and the others felt infinitesimally small, as if facing the boundless sea itself.
Bo Saixi began her explanation: "This is the location of your third trial: the Furious Waves Abyss, one of the wonders of the Sea God Island. Even the most powerful sea soul beasts in the world wouldn't dare approach here. Do you know how this Furious Waves Abyss was formed?"
As she spoke, Bo Saixi unexpectedly fixed her gaze on Tang San, her eyes carrying a deeper meaning.
Tang San quickly responded: "Senior, was this valley formed by the waves crashing against it?"
Bo Saixi replied calmly: "You're correct. The entire valley was carved out by the relentless pounding of the waves. Over countless years, the rocks have been compressed under the endless waves, becoming harder than fine iron and incredibly dense—a unique feature of the Sea God Island."
Tang San, still puzzled, asked: "Senior, what exactly is our trial content?"
Without further acknowledgment, Bo Saixi unleashed nine soul rings, and a deep blue martial soul silhouette emerged behind her.
The martial soul appeared towering and majestic, exuding boundless power akin to the vast ocean, its presence almost godlike.
This was the Sea God Martial Soul, one of only two divine-level martial souls in existence. Bo Saixi's Sea God Martial Soul was of the same caliber as Qian Renxue's Seraphim Martial Soul, ranking among the most elite martial souls in history. It was also one of the rare martial souls with an innate domain.
At this moment, Bo Saixi seemed like a deity incarnate. Her nine soul rings gleamed brightly—an unprecedented configuration of eight black and one red. The surrounding crowd was utterly astonished.
Simultaneously, Bo Saixi emitted a radiant blue glow that illuminated the entire Furious Waves Abyss. The once tumultuous waves became eerily calm.
Seeing this, Yang Xiong's heart tightened. This wasn't just the effect of her martial soul's domain—it seemed as though Bo Saixi herself had merged with the ocean, wielding its immense power.
At this moment, thirteen massive pillars emerged from the sea. Each pillar stood over fifty meters tall, with a diameter of about one meter. Atop each pillar was a small cross, adorned with five tiny rings.
Whether it was Yang Xiong or the others, everyone was awestruck by Bo Saixi's display of power. Such thick pillars, forged from special metal, must have weighed an unimaginable amount—let alone supporting all thirteen simultaneously.
Bo Saixi, however, remained calm: "This is the site of your trial. For Black-Level Four Trials, six hours; for Black-Level Six Trials, eight hours; for Red-Level Seven Trials, nine hours; and for Red-Level Eight Trials, fourteen hours. Initially, you may reduce your time slightly, but starting now, over the next 365 days, your average time on the Silver Sinking Pillars must meet the durations I just mentioned—or you fail the trial."
Everyone swallowed nervously. They finally understood the meaning of "Tidal Training"—standing on the Silver Sinking Pillars while enduring the relentless pounding of the waves.
Bo Saixi continued: "Everyone's trials are identical, so positions are not fixed. However, Yang Xiong is undergoing double the tidal training—his position is separate."
Upon hearing this, Yang Xiong quickly glanced toward the sea. Sure enough, among the thirteen Silver Sinking Pillars, one stood conspicuously forward, seemingly prearranged. Yang Xiong's group of eight stood together, while Tang San's group of six was closer.
Before anyone could react, a blue light enveloped everyone. Their bodies seemed completely immobilized as they were swiftly transported to the pillars—even Yang Xiong was shocked. In that instant, his martial soul seemed entirely suppressed, leaving him without any means to resist.
Before Yang Xiong could respond, the five rings atop the pillar locked onto his body, securing his waist and limbs. He was unable to move freely.
In that moment, his martial soul, soul rings, and even soul bone skills were completely restrained, rendering him powerless—reminiscent of his time in Slaughter City.
The others were similarly affected, their martial souls, soul rings, and soul bone skills fully suppressed, leaving them as helpless as lambs awaiting slaughter.
At this moment, the previously calm sea grew turbulent again, with colossal waves surging skyward, threatening to engulf everyone.
Fear filled everyone's eyes, as if they were facing the vast ocean or a monstrous beast.
A wave over fifty meters high crashed toward them, slamming first into Yang Xiong and then sweeping over the others.
The air around them was displaced, suffocating them, and their bodies felt battered by the waves.
Enduring the pain, the initial suffocation gradually subsided, leaving everyone shaken. If judged solely by the intensity of this first wave, perhaps this trial wouldn't be so difficult.
But before they could recover, a second wave struck, compounding the impact on their already battered bodies.
Under the relentless assault of successive waves, everyone was drenched, even their hair soaked, as if experiencing a prolonged drowning sensation. Yet there were brief moments between waves for respite.
As time passed, everyone began to grasp the terror of this trial and the extreme physical torment it entailed.
Most of the participants were Soul Sages or a few Soul Emperors, considered mid-tier in the soul master world, with relatively strong abilities.
However, under the continuous onslaught of waves, it wasn't just their bodies being battered—their very souls seemed under attack.
Especially unsettling was the mysterious energy carried by the waves, which penetrated their skin and began impacting their muscles, meridians, bones, and even bone marrow.
After countless impacts, their bodies began to grow numb, as if struck repeatedly by skilled fighters. Their soul power was rapidly depleting.
Once their soul power was exhausted, they could only rely on their physical endurance. The numbness gave way to excruciating pain, akin to being tormented in hell.
Yang Xiong was familiar with this sensation—it was the deep, bone-piercing agony he experienced during every breakthrough in body refinement.
…
As the Tidal Training progressed, the pain intensified for everyone.
Among Yang Xiong's group of eight, Huo Wu and Shui Bing'er were the first to succumb. Though they were top-tier Soul Emperors, their physical conditioning was inferior to that of Soul Sages, and they lacked top-tier soul bones.
In contrast, Oscar and Ning Rongrong, despite being support-type soul masters, were higher-level Soul Sages with multiple soul bones, including crucial torso soul bones. Their physical conditioning rivaled that of combat-oriented soul masters.
As for Yang Wei, Qin Shuang, and Feng Xiaotian, their physical strength was commendable. Yang Wei possessed multiple soul bones, and even as a tool-type soul master, his physical prowess matched that of beast-type soul masters.
Feng Xiaotian and Qin Shuang, both top-tier beast-type soul masters and Soul Sages, fought with all their might to endure.
In comparison, Tang San's group of six faced greater challenges. Among them were four Soul Emperors, including Tang San and Xiao Wu, whose physical conditioning couldn't necessarily surpass that of Ning Rongrong and others.
As time passed, even Zhu Zhuqing and Dugu Yan, two proud and resilient young women, couldn't withstand the torment and gradually passed out.
Following them, Huo Wu and Shui Bing'er also began to lose consciousness.
Next, everyone else collapsed, even Tang San, Qin Shuang, and Yang Wei—the physically strongest among them—succumbed to the relentless waves.
Of Yang Xiong's group of eight, aside from Shui Bing'er and Huo Wu, the rest were now Soul Sages. Among the seven, Qin Shuang and Yang Wei had the best physical conditioning. Qin Shuang, with her powerhouse martial soul and soul bones, and Yang Wei, equipped with three quality soul bones, stood out.
The only one still enduring in the Furious Waves Abyss was Yang Xiong. He seemed increasingly invigorated, his fighting spirit soaring.
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