As the divine-bestowed soul ring shattered, an immense surge of energy rushed into Yang Xiong's body.
Compared to the overwhelming force he had experienced when absorbing soul rings beyond their usual limits, the energy from the divine-bestowed soul ring felt surprisingly gentle, gradually intensifying over time.
Yang Xiong could feel the energy growing stronger with each passing moment. By the end, it far surpassed the energy he had encountered when absorbing a hundred-thousand-year soul ring.
Thinking of his long-standing goal, Yang Xiong endured the excruciating pain. Blood seeped from his body, and every inch of his skin and every bone seemed to be under immense pressure.
Both his martial soul and all his soul bones bore the brunt of the divine-bestowed soul ring's overwhelming force, pushing him to the brink of collapse.
Each time Yang Xiong teetered on the edge of breaking, the Blue Silver King head soul bone in his mind pulled him back, repeatedly restoring his calm.
The onlookers were filled with both worry and admiration.
Though they had all absorbed divine-bestowed soul rings, none of them had ever pushed themselves as hard as Yang Xiong. No one possessed his level of willpower, nor had anyone consistently broken through their limits and endured such extreme suffering time and again.
After an indeterminate amount of time, the golden energy surrounding Yang Xiong grew even denser, forming a massive cocoon. Inside the cocoon, Yang Xiong seemed to be struggling repeatedly to break free.
…
A full month later, the cocoon surrounding Yang Xiong finally began to crack as its energy was depleted.
At this moment, Yang Xiong stood naked, his skin radiating a golden hue. Every inch of his flesh resembled molten metal, making him appear like an unshakable golden giant. Around him floated two purple, three black, and three red soul rings.
When Yang Xiong opened his eyes, they seemed to pierce through everything, as if capable of seeing through the essence of all things in the world.
The girls nearby let out startled shrieks. Yang Xiong snapped out of his euphoric state and realized he was completely naked.
Ning Rongrong, her face flushed with embarrassment, quickly retrieved some clothes to cover him.
Upon seeing Yang Xiong's eighth soul ring, everyone was filled with envy and admiration.
Among them, only Yang Xiong now possessed a hundred-thousand-year soul ring, acquired through the divine-bestowed soul ring, granting him the most suitable soul skill for himself.
After learning more, it became clear that Yang Xiong had spent a full fifty days absorbing the eighth soul ring. During this time, Ning Rongrong had stayed by his side almost constantly.
The others took turns keeping watch, even Dai Mubai and his group remained near Yang Xiong's side.
During these fifty days, no one relaxed. Instead, they meditated and trained, striving to improve their own strength. They now truly understood the difficulty of the Sea God's trials, realizing they would need to rely on themselves—perhaps even Yang Xiong might not always be able to help them.
Yang Xiong carefully assessed his soul power. To his astonishment, it had reached a terrifying Level 88.
In truth, Yang Xiong had already neared Level 80 two years ago, during the final stages of the Sea God's Light trial.
Over the past two years—including nine months crossing the Circular Sea and a year of Tidal Training—his soul power had steadily increased. Passing three Sea God trials consecutively had boosted his soul power by three levels, and absorbing the divine-bestowed soul ring had brought him to Level 88.
By comparison, the others had seen even greater increases in their soul power. Oscar and Ning Rongrong had both reached the bottleneck of Level 80, though their exact levels were unclear since they hadn't absorbed new soul rings yet.
Yang Wei and Qin Shuang had reached Levels 79 and 76, respectively. Both were now top-tier Soul Sages, among the strongest fighters in their rank.
Even Feng Xiaotian had just reached Level 80, thanks to the soul power boost from the Tidal Training trial. In terms of raw soul power gains, he was one of the biggest gainers among Yang Xiong's group, nearly catching up to Oscar and Ning Rongrong.
As for Huo Wu and Shui Bing'er, their soul power had also increased significantly. However, they had already reached Level 70 during the second Sea God trial. Without absorbing new soul rings, their exact levels remained unknown.
This meant that five members of the team—Ning Rongrong, Oscar, Feng Xiaotian, Shui Bing'er, and Huo Wu—now needed soul rings. Even Yang Wei, at Level 79, would soon require one after passing the fourth trial.
In comparison, Tang San's group also showed impressive soul power levels. Tang San had reached Level 77, while Xiao Wu was at Level 76.
However, Tang San lagged far behind his original storyline counterpart. Due to differences in soul bones and the secondary awakening of his martial soul, his seventh soul ring was merely an ordinary ten-thousand-year ring, and his eighth might not even reach a hundred-thousand-year level. As a result, the effects of Tidal Training were noticeably weaker—he couldn't endure as long as his original counterpart.
Among the rest, Dai Mubai and Yu Tianheng had reached Level 70 and now lacked soul rings.
Zhu Zhuqing and Dugu Yan were at Levels 67 and 69, respectively, nearing the threshold for their seventh soul rings.
Yang Xiong's eyes narrowed in thought. According to the original storyline, everyone who completed the trials would receive an additional divine-bestowed soul ring—but this was contingent on Tang San being the inheritor of the Sea God's legacy.
Now, no one in Yang Xiong's group had undertaken the Sea God's Nine Trials. It was uncertain whether the Sea God would still reward them with another divine-bestowed soul ring.
Considering the soul power levels of Ning Rongrong, Oscar, and the others, failing to acquire soul rings would make it nearly impossible to pass the fifth Sea God trial.
After some deliberation, Yang Xiong spoke: "For now, let's focus on helping Shui Bing'er and Huo Wu obtain soul rings. After that, we'll figure out how to complete the fourth trial. In the meantime, everyone should take a break. We've been through consecutive trials, and our nerves are stretched too thin—it's best to relax for a bit."
Upon hearing Yang Xiong's words, everyone headed to the Seahorse City to recuperate.
Yang Xiong carefully examined his martial soul and soul rings, especially the blood-red eighth soul ring. Not only did it exude immense pressure, but upon closer inspection with his spiritual power, Yang Xiong discovered eight golden patterns within the ring.
Yang Xiong was overjoyed. The eighth soul ring had reached eighty thousand years, meaning his ninth soul ring could potentially absorb a million-year-level soul beast.
After obtaining the eighth soul ring, he had gained two excellent soul skills.
Eighth Soul Ring 1st Soul Skill: Asura Wrath
Channeling all his strength into a single strike, this attack amplified his power countless times, shattering the air and delivering a devastating blow to enemies from a distance. Infused with the killing intent of the Asura, it ignored defenses and could obliterate anything in its path.
Eighth Soul Ring 2nd Soul Skill: Asura Blood Prison
When using this skill, Yang Xiong became akin to an Asura incarnate, enveloping hundreds of meters around him in a massive blood-red world. Within this domain, he was the absolute ruler. Enemies' spiritual power and soul power were halved, while his own abilities doubled. Any foe was at his mercy unless their spiritual power surpassed his, in which case they might break free.
Upon seeing these two soul skills, Yang Xiong was utterly astonished. Asura Wrath was a pure power-based attack skill infused with killing intent, maximizing his strength for both close and ranged combat. It fully unleashed the potential of his martial soul.
Meanwhile, Asura Blood Prison was a spiritual skill with domain-like characteristics, even resembling a control-type ability. Its power was incredibly formidable, especially in terms of dealing damage to enemies.
More importantly, his domain seemed to have evolved. He had seemingly reached the pinnacle of the Killing Domain. When using Asura Blood Prison, he was on the verge of touching the threshold of the legendary Asura Domain—a true god-level domain.
Yang Xiong now turned his attention to the content of the next trial.
"Top-Tier Eight Trials, Fourth Trial: The Battle of the Whale & Sharks. Assist the Great White Shark clan in repelling the Evil Tiger Whale clan. Eliminate at least half of the Evil Tiger Whales and severely wound the Evil Tiger Whale King."
Yang Xiong found this trial peculiar. Given the combined strength of his group and the Great White Shark clan, defeating the Evil Tiger Whale clan shouldn't be overly difficult. Compared to the original storyline, this trial seemed much simpler—it didn't include killing the Evil Tiger Whale King.
Yang Xiong grew suspicious. Could the Sea God really intend to leave the Evil Tiger Whale clan for his chosen successor? Unfortunately, neither he nor Tang San had received the Sea God's Nine Trials, so perhaps the Sea God planned to spare the Evil Tiger Whale clan for now.
Yang Xiong didn't dwell on it further. Instead, he joined Ning Rongrong and the others in leisurely exploring Seahorse City.
Everyone donned relaxed seaside attire, exuding an exotic charm.
The girls wore dresses from the Sea God Island, showcasing their figures and drawing admiring stares from Feng Xiaotian and others.
The girls transformed into shopping enthusiasts. After three years of relentless training, they indulged in a rare moment of relaxation, buying everything in sight and nearly emptying the shops of Seahorse City.
Yang Xiong, along with Oscar and Yang Wei, also dressed in Sea God Island attire, donning sunglasses. They lounged by the beach, savoring fine wine, basking in the sun, and enjoying the sea breeze.
Feng Xiaotian, seizing the opportunity, stuck close to Huo Wu like a loyal dog, ready to serve her at any moment—only a wagging tail was missing.
Even Dai Mubai and Yu Tianheng joined Yang Xiong's group, feasting on grilled meat and enjoying the ocean breeze.
Tang San, however, seemed troubled. Even during downtime, he remained focused on intensive training, occasionally accompanying Xiao Wu on walks.
This was the group's routine during the day. At night, everyone went their separate ways.
Yang Xiong spent his evenings alone with Ning Rongrong in their room, cherishing this rare time together after three years apart. Their bond had grown even stronger during this period, reigniting their passion and deepening their connection.
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