Ma Xiaotao had no idea what happened after the Fire God's projection vanished. When she emerged from that mysterious space and opened her eyes, her expression had already shifted from confusion to joy and excitement.
She had received the inheritance of the Fire God and initiated the Fire God Nine Trials. Between her brows now shone a golden-red flame mark, symbolizing a divine trial candidate. She couldn't help but reach up to gently touch the center of her forehead. Though intangible, the mark radiated a faint heat.
Recalling the contents of the Fire God's First Trial in her mind, Ma Xiaotao quickly glanced around in search of Diwu Huan'er.
Diwu Huan'er wasn't far away. She, too, had been bathed in the Fire God's light, and had now been released. Her large, confused eyes were locked on Ma Xiaotao in a daze. Ma Xiaotao immediately noticed that her forehead also bore a flame-shaped mark—though hers was silver-white.
"Huan'er?" Ma Xiaotao called softly.
"Sister Xiaotao!" Diwu Huan'er rushed over like she'd found her anchor. "Did you hear that voice too?"
"Mm!" Ma Xiaotao understood immediately and smiled. "I received the Fire God's inheritance and have begun the Fire God Nine Trials. What about you, Huan'er?"
"Fire God's inheritance?!" Diwu Huan'er gasped in awe, looking at Ma Xiaotao with envy. "That's amazing, Sister Xiaotao! You actually earned the recognition of a god!"
"Just lucky, that's all," Ma Xiaotao laughed. "Even I didn't expect it. But you still haven't told me—what's your situation?"
"Oh, right!" Diwu Huan'er nodded. "The voice said something about a Red-Level Trial for me. Apparently, I only have one task!"
"Red-Level Trial? Just one task?" Ma Xiaotao was stunned and asked curiously, "And what's the task?"
"Let me check…" Huan'er frowned briefly, then said, "Ah! My Red-Level Trial is related to you, Sister Xiaotao."
"Oh? Let's hear it." Ma Xiaotao raised an eyebrow in surprise.
"Red-Level Trial: Assist Ma Xiaotao in completing all nine trials of the Fire God. For each trial she completes, you will receive half of her trial rewards. After all nine are complete, your final reward will be based on your performance throughout." Diwu Huan'er read the trial's content aloud.
"Ah, well then!" Ma Xiaotao blinked, a bit dazed, but quickly smiled. "Looks like you and I are fated to live and die together, Huan'er!"
Truthfully, Ma Xiaotao had always liked this mysterious girl. And now, with the divine trials linking them together, her trust and affection for Huan'er only deepened.
"Mm! I'll give you my full support, Sister Xiaotao!" Diwu Huan'er vowed earnestly. The defenses in her heart toward Ma Xiaotao were slowly crumbling.
And so, after initiating the Fire God Nine Trials in Chichen Mountain, Ma Xiaotao devoted herself fully to completing them.
Over the past three years, with Diwu Huan'er's assistance, Ma Xiaotao had already completed the first six trials. She was now on the seventh.
Thanks to the divine trial, her cultivation progressed rapidly. When she'd left the academy, she was only at Rank 74, a Soul Sage. Now, she had reached Rank 88. To leap fourteen ranks in just over three years—especially from Soul Sage to Soul Douluo—was an astonishing pace.
In truth, though, her soul power improvement was secondary. The real gains were in the advancement of her soul ring ages and the strengthening of her soul skills. Thanks to the rewards from the first six trials, her soul ring configuration had changed from the original two yellow, two purple, two black, one red, into a vastly superior two purple, four black, two red setup.
Most notably, her eighth soul ring wasn't from her Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower Soul Spirit, Kuikui. Instead, it was a God Bestowed soul ring granted during the trial. Once fused, it reached the maximum age she could handle—around two hundred thousand years—a genuine fierce beast soul ring.
After recounting everything to Zhu Ziyang, Ma Xiaotao added with a smile, "Honestly, I came back not just to cheer you on for the tournament, but also because I wanted to see what kind of god inheritance you received! When I completed my Fifth Trial, I saw the Fire God again. He told me to get closer to you—it would help my future ascension to the Divine Realm."
"Really?" Zhu Ziyang was surprised at first, but then it made sense. As the former God King of the Divine Realm, the Death God's reappearance would naturally draw attention. He smiled and said, "The God of Death—also known as the Death God—is actually one rank higher than your Fire God, Sister Xiaotao."
"Death God?" Ma Xiaotao muttered, puzzled. "What do you mean 'higher than my Fire God'? Are there ranks among gods?"
"Does it sound strange?" Zhu Ziyang chuckled. "Most mortals think that becoming a god frees you from all limitations. But the Divine Realm actually has a stricter hierarchy than the mortal world. Take your Fire God and my Death God, for example. The Fire God is a First Class God—a Lord God. But the Death God is a Super God—a God King. The gap between a Lord God and a God King is said to be even greater than the gap between a Grandmaster and a Title Douluo."
"Whoa! That's a thing?!" Ma Xiaotao's jaw dropped, her face full of disbelief.
"Otherwise, why do you think gods are so willing to pass their divine positions down to mortals?" Zhu Ziyang said, recalling something Xiao Bai had once told him. "A god position is both a qualification—and a shackle."
"Sigh… Seems like whether Divine Realm or mortal world, there's no such thing as true freedom." Ma Xiaotao sighed, then winked playfully. "Brother Ziyang, when we get to the Divine Realm, you better take care of your big sister, your future God King!"
As she said that, she tossed him a flirtatious look that nearly pulled him in.
"Heh, of course!" Zhu Ziyang laughed. "When that time comes, you, me, Nannan, and Yiyi—we'll stick together. Anyone dares mess with us, we beat them into a pig!"
"Sounds good!" Ma Xiaotao beamed, but then remembered something. "Oh right, there's also Huan'er. The Fire God said that as a First Class God, I can bring one relative to the Divine Realm. Since Huan'er helped me complete the trials, I can't just leave her behind."
"Really? That's great!" Zhu Ziyang was surprised that god candidates could bring loved ones with them to the Divine Realm—and a new idea sparked in his heart.
"By the way, who's this Yiyi? Did she also receive a divine inheritance?" Ma Xiaotao asked curiously.
"Mm. Her name is Qian Lingyi. She's a descendant of the Qian Clan from ten thousand years ago. She inherited the Angel God's position," Zhu Ziyang explained.
"Descendant of the Qian Clan? Angel God?" Ma Xiaotao's face immediately turned odd. She looked at Zhu Ziyang with admiration. "You're something else, aren't you…"
"Heh heh…" Zhu Ziyang scratched his head awkwardly. "Sister Xiaotao, let me tell you what I've been through these past years."
"Yes, yes! Tell me everything!" Ma Xiaotao perked up instantly, forgetting all else as she eagerly listened.
And so, Zhu Ziyang started from three years ago—after he and Ma Xiaotao parted ways at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well—describing everything up to the return of him, Jiang Nannan, and the other girls from the Wuhun Continent.
By the time he finished, the sun was already halfway over the horizon.
"I can't believe you've been through so much!" Ma Xiaotao sighed in wonder. "I didn't know there were so many continents beyond the Douluo Continent. And Sister Lexuan… She's actually Princess Tianxuan of the Sun-Moon Empire, making waves these past two years. I feel like I've missed out on everything!"
"No need to feel that way. There's plenty more excitement waiting for you in the future." Zhu Ziyang smiled and comforted her.
"Mm! I'm not going anywhere this time. I'm staying with you guys!" Ma Xiaotao declared boldly.
"Great! I'm happy to have you." Zhu Ziyang laughed.
(End of Chapter)
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