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Outside the Sea God Temple, even as Xuan Ming intended to forcefully break open the temple doors and clarify things with Bo Saixi, the golden trident mark on his forehead suddenly erupted with an unprecedented dazzling light!
A vast and majestic stream of information, irresistibly poured into his mind, its content instantly freezing him in place. Even Gu Yuena, who had always been cool and composed by his side, showed a rare trace of bewilderment in her eyes.
[Seagod Nine Trials, Fourth Trial: Severing Emotional Ties, Achieving Mental Clarity.]
[Content: Sort out and clarify your emotional entanglements, and make clear decisions with relevant women (including but not limited to those who harbor affection for the examinee, or those for whom the examinee has feelings). Either establish a relationship and walk hand in hand; or sever emotional ties, with no further connection. No longer be ambiguous, indecisive, leading to unclear intentions, only to increase worries and karma.]
[Hint: This is a crucial step for stabilizing your mind and clarifying your true self. Without mental clarity, the path to God Position is difficult. Emotional entanglements are also obstacles to cultivation, requiring a resolute heart to sever or confirm. Time limit: one year.]
Xuan Ming: "..."
Gu Yuena: "..."
Both were speechless for a moment.
The content of this Fourth Trial, compared to the previous rigorous tests of reshaping his Spirit, ascending the Heavenly Steps, and dealing with the Rakshasa inheritance, was a sudden change in style, appearing particularly... bizarre and personal.
Is this serious?
Just as Xuan Ming was stunned by this sudden and strange trial, Sea God Poseidon's divine read, tinged with a hint of mischief and undeniable authority, once again accurately entered his mind:
"You brat! Don't play dumb! I don't care about others, but don't tell me you haven't noticed Bo Saixi's feelings for you! She waited for that blockhead Tang Chen for decades, and just when she was finally getting over it, you came along and stirred things up again! Now Tang Chen is gone, and her mind is even more confused! You must handle this for me!"
"Either give me a clear answer and take responsibility! Or sever ties completely and make her give up entirely! Don't keep her hanging on like this!"
"When did I keep her hanging?" Xuan Ming looked bewildered.
Since he came to Sea God Island to begin his God Test, what kind of life had he been living?
Where would he find the leisure time?
"I don't care. If you dare to bully her or make her sad, hmph hmph..." Poseidon's divine read carried a strong threat.
"Hmph, this God will make sure none of those little girls you brought pass a single God Test!"
This almost shameless threat made a vein throb in Xuan Ming's forehead.
The reward for the First Trial was the Asura God's god-bestowed spirit ring, so the content of the First Trial was most likely set by the Asura God. The second round was the God of Evil's god-bestowed spirit ring, meaning it was set by the God of Evil.
Similarly, the third round was most likely set by the God of Destruction.
And now, this inexplicable Fourth Trial was 100% orchestrated by that old scoundrel Poseidon!
"Severing emotional ties"? It sounded so high-minded! It was clearly "deal with my High Priestess, or I'll make things difficult for you"!
Xuan Ming felt a headache coming on.
Of course, he could feel Bo Saixi's unusual concern and... perhaps even feelings that she herself hadn't fully realized, for him.
But he had always deliberately avoided it, partly because of Tang Chen's existence, and partly because his own emotions were already a mess, and he didn't want to get involved further.
But now, Poseidon had directly brought the matter to the surface, linked it to the God Test, and even threatened him with Hu Liena and the others' futures!
This was simply too shameless!
Just as Xuan Ming was suffering from a headache due to Poseidon's almost shameless threat, and even began to wonder if the old man was bored—
Deep within the Sea God Temple, in Bo Saixi's sleeping quarters.
A similarly vast, yet distinctly different, golden divine light silently descended, enveloping Bo Saixi, who was sitting quietly on the edge of the bed.
Bo Saixi's delicate body trembled slightly, a hint of surprise flashing in her sea-blue eyes, then she focused her senses on the assessment information appearing in her mind.
[High Priestess of Sea God Island, Bo Saixi, has triggered a hidden God Test: Trial of the Heart.]
[Content: Obtain Xuan Ming's Heart and successfully seize the Sea God's Heart from his hands.]
[Time limit: one year.]
[Reward: Sea God inheritance qualification.]
[Hint: This assessment is independent of Xuan Ming's Seagod Nine Trials, and its success or failure does not affect your duties as High Priestess, nor does it affect Xuan Ming's assessment progress. However, this is your only path to a God Position.]
Bo Saixi: "..."
She was completely stunned, her graceful and beautiful face filled with disbelief.
Obtain Xuan Ming's Heart? Seize the Sea God's Heart?
What... what kind of assessment was this?
Bo Saixi's heart rate suddenly accelerated, and her fingers tightened slightly around her staff.
The content of this assessment was simply too... direct, and too shocking. Obtaining Xuan Ming's Heart meant that she needed to make that deep-minded, emotionally reserved young man open his heart to her, and even... fall in love with her?
And seizing the Sea God's Heart was even more difficult than ascending to heaven; it was not only the key to the Sea God's inheritance but also deeply bound to Xuan Ming's soul.
But the six words "Sea God inheritance qualification" were like magic, stirring up a storm in her heart.
Becoming the Sea God meant that she would no longer be the High Priestess forever trapped on Sea God Island, waiting for others to return, but a God who could truly control her own destiny and even protect this sea area!
This temptation was too great for her, who had guarded Sea God Island for nearly a century.
But the method of this assessment... for her to actively approach Xuan Ming, to "obtain" his heart? This made her feel a blush and a sense of helplessness.
She had never experienced anything like this, especially at the delicate moment when she had just confirmed that her obsession with Tang Chen had dissipated, and that special feeling for Xuan Ming was quietly budding.
This was almost like... like the Sea God was deliberately playing matchmaker, and also like conducting an extremely cruel test.
What should she do?
Should she follow the stirrings of her heart, try to get close to the young man who had repeatedly made her heart tremble, and seize this opportunity to break free from the shackles of fate?
Or, out of fear of failure and inherent modesty, choose to give up this only chance to become a God, and continue to be the High Priestess who was always calm, but also always confined?
...By the Ring Sea, waves gently lapped against the shore.
Hu Liena, Ning Rongrong, Zhuqing, Xiao Wu, and the others had just exhausted themselves breaking through the Ring Sea's blockade, completing the Second Trial, and were now sprawled on the beach, gasping for breath. Bi Ji's gentle healing green light enveloped them, repairing their physical fatigue.
However, before they could catch their breath, the marks representing the assessment on their foreheads lit up simultaneously, and the information for the Third Trial irresistibly poured into their minds.
[Sea God Test, Third Trial: Seeing into One's Heart and Nature.]
[Content: Clarify your emotional ties with Xuan Ming and define your relationship. Whether as a companion, a close friend, or a fellow traveler, you must be honest, resolve ambiguity, and achieve mental clarity.]
[Time limit: one year.]
[Hint: This trial concerns your true heart and also affects subsequent assessment opportunities.]
Everyone: "..."
For a moment, the beach fell into an eerie silence. Everyone's face flashed with complex and unspeakable expressions, some shy, some struggling, some bewildered, some determined, but without exception, they tacitly did not speak out the content of the assessment, only lowering their eyes, each with their own thoughts.
Bi Ji looked at the group of girls who had suddenly become quiet, a hint of understanding flashing in her emerald eyes. She looked up towards the direction of the magnificent temple on the Sea God Mountain Peak, she could clearly sense that Xuan Ming and the Lord had returned.
Moreover, judging from Xuan Ming's even deeper, abyss-like aura, his Third Trial had obviously been successfully completed.
It's just that she didn't know if things went smoothly for the Lord... As night fell, Sea God Island was enveloped in silence.
Xuan Ming stood alone on the mountainside of Sea God Mountain, looking at the Sea God Temple on the peak, its doors still tightly closed and enveloped in a soft golden light, his brows tightly furrowed.
Bo Saixi was avoiding him, and this inexplicable Fourth Trial was like a shackles. The Sea God's meaning was clear—no matter what he chose, he could not hurt Bo Saixi's heart.
But emotions were precisely the area he was least skilled at handling. Just thinking about facing Bo Saixi's sea-blue eyes, which seemed to be able to encompass everything but might now be filled with complex emotions, and having to give a clear "explanation," he felt a sense of powerlessness.
"It seems the reward for this Fourth Trial is out of reach..." Xuan Ming sighed inwardly, almost already foreseeing the outcome of a failed assessment.
Since the reward was hopeless, he decided to give up and focus on how to maximize his own strength. Anyway, his current accumulation already had the foundation to forcefully break through to level 100.
Currently, the Blood Spear's nine spirit rings were complete, especially the ninth spirit ring, which was a million-year-level Ring of Destruction, with infinite power.
As for the Black Dragon Martial Soul, it now had four million-year spirit rings, with five slots still empty.
It was not difficult for him to fill these five spirit rings.
He had a good chance of persuading Snow Empress and Ice Empress to sacrifice, as their relationship was not shallow, and this was also a way out for them.
Xiao Wu and A Rou... Xuan Ming hesitated slightly. But he quickly firmed his resolve. Anyway, he now had absolute certainty of becoming a God, and resurrecting them was only a matter of time. He believed they would understand.
The last empty slot... perhaps he could discuss it with Bi Ji. As a healing-type Spirit Beast of over 500,000 years, her spirit ring quality was extremely high, and its attributes also had a certain compatibility with his Black Dragon Martial Soul.