"Confirmed!"
Xiao Wu and the others nodded seriously.
"Young man, I hope you have the strength to back that up when the time comes."
Bo Saixi gave Chu Chengzhou a deep look.
Chu Chengzhou: "..."
It seemed his little scheme had been seen through?
But it didn't matter. The position of the Sea God had already been pre-empted by Xiao Wu, who had bonded with the Heart of the Sea God.
Once Xiao Wu initiated the Sea God's Nine Trials, the highest-ranking individual on the Sea God Island wouldn't be Bo Saixi, the grand priestess, but Xiao Wu, as the inheritor of the Sea God's divine position.
The Sea God Island was ultimately the territory of the Sea God Poseidon. While Bo Saixi was called the grand priestess, in reality, she was merely a divine servant—and only the current divine servant, not the sole one since Poseidon became a god twenty thousand years ago. Compared to the sole inheritor, which position held higher status was self-evident.
Just then, seven figures flew toward them from the distant sky.
The seven figures consisted of six men and one woman, all experts at the Title Douluo level—the Seven Holy Pillar Douluos of the Sea God Island.
The earlier roar of Little Black and its terrifying evil aura had swept across the skies above the Sea God Island, so naturally, the Seven Holy Pillar Douluos couldn't have missed it. However, their strength was far inferior to Bo Saixi's, which explained their slower arrival.
"Greetings, Grand Elder!"
Upon arriving, the Seven Holy Pillar Douluos immediately bowed to Bo Saixi.
"You've arrived just in time. Sea Dragon, these are travelers from the continent with exceptional talent. Handle the subsequent arrangements."
Bo Saixi nodded slightly and spoke to Sea Dragon Douluo, the leader.
"Yes, Grand Elder!"
Sea Dragon Douluo, a burly man appearing to be in his thirties, bowed in response.
Then, Bo Saixi's figure vanished into the sky.
"Friends, please follow me."
Sea Dragon Douluo turned to Chu Chengzhou and the others.
Though the five youths before him appeared young, Sea Dragon Douluo dared not put on airs as a Title Douluo.
To say nothing else, the massive black winged tiger beneath them exuded a heavy sense of threat. Even as a Level 95 powerhouse Douluo and the second strongest on the Sea God Island, he might still not be able to defeat this black tiger.
Though the Sea God Island was just an island in the vast ocean, its area was quite large, with a diameter exceeding four hundred miles.
From high above, the island below was dotted with beaches, forests, numerous inland seas, several cities, and a towering yet majestic Sea God Temple located at its center.
Led by Sea Dragon Douluo and the other Six Holy Pillar Douluos, Chu Chengzhou and the others headed toward the Sea Dragon Holy Pillar.
The other six Holy Pillar Douluos stayed behind—they wanted to see what level of trial the talented youngsters, mentioned earlier by the Grand Elder, would receive.
Not long after, they arrived at a pond.
Strangely, this inland pond, which should have been calm, roared like the ocean, surging without wind.
Surrounded by sandy beaches and dense forests, the pond had a diameter of about five hundred meters. In the center, two hundred meters from the shore, stood a triangular platform with a peculiar stone pillar.
The pillar was about ten meters tall, shaped like a sharp cone. At its top was a special sculpture, and its surface was engraved with countless intricate patterns. Strange energy fluctuations emanated continuously from this peculiar pillar.
As Chu Chengzhou retracted Little Black and observed the surroundings with Xiao Wu and the others, Sea Dragon Douluo rose into the air, flying to the stone pillar on the triangular platform in the middle of the pond. He announced loudly, "Friends, according to the rules of the Sea God Island, land-based soul masters who wish to undergo the trials of the Sea God must first cross the inland sea and reach the Sea Dragon Holy Pillar to qualify."
As he spoke, a shimmering blue halo appeared behind Sea Dragon Douluo. Then, the Sea Dragon Holy Pillar behind him suddenly lit up, and a deep blue light surged upward from its base to its tip.
In an instant, centered on the top of the Sea Dragon Holy Pillar, a ripple of blue waves spread out, forming a curtain-like barrier above the inland sea.
Clearly, the trial for crossing the inland sea had been restricted in scope.
Sea Dragon Douluo knew that Chu Chengzhou and the others were no ordinary individuals. For them, the small trial of crossing the inland sea was redundant, but as a devout follower of the Sea God, he absolutely wouldn't break the rules of the Sea God Island.
"Brother, do we really have to challenge a Title Douluo? This Sea Dragon Douluo doesn't seem weak. If you don't step in, we probably can't beat him, right?"
Xiao Wu whispered to Chu Chengzhou.
The Seven Holy Pillar Douluos: "..."
Little girl, shouldn't you remove the word "probably"?
"That's definitely unnecessary. If this Sea Dragon Douluo truly fights, there aren't many Title Douluos on the continent who could defeat him. He'll definitely hold an ocean back (go easy)."
Using his spiritual power, Chu Chengzhou noticed numerous thousand-year marine soul beasts resembling dried noodles swimming in the inland sea. He waved his hand dismissively.
He vaguely remembered that in the original storyline, there were two ways for challengers to cross the inland sea to the holy pillars.
One way was to cross over the surface, breaking through the endless waves stirred up by the holy pillar Douluo.
The other was to pass underwater, dealing with the soul beasts in the inland sea.
For example, the inland sea near the Seahorse Holy Pillar contained seahorse soul beasts matching the Seahorse Douluo's martial soul. By analogy, since Sea Dragon Douluo's martial soul was the sea dragon, the soul beasts in this inland sea should also be sea dragons.
However, though sea dragons weren't pure-blood true dragons, they were one of the dominant species in the ocean, with top-tier bloodlines. Given Sea Dragon Douluo's strength, it wasn't realistic for him to control a large number of sea dragons. Instead, he likely controlled some thousand-year sea snakes.
Perhaps Sea Dragon Douluo's sea dragon martial soul was just a slightly dragonized sea snake? Hmm, more accurately, a sea python.
"Hold an ocean back (going easy)? Isn't Sea Dragon Douluo already releasing seawater?"
Ning Rongrong asked, puzzled.
Chu Chengzhou: "..."
"Cough, well, Nana, Rongrong is a support-type soul master. You take care of her later."
Chu Chengzhou said to Hu Liena.
Among the four girls, Ning Rongrong was a support-type soul master and not skilled in combat. Though Xiao Wu was the strongest, Chu Chengzhou didn't plan to let Xiao Wu carry Ning Rongrong through the trial.
He could tell that while the four girls appeared harmonious on the surface, Xiao Wu and the others subtly resented Hu Liena.
After all, the three sisters hadn't interacted much with Hu Liena before, and in their eyes, she was "Little Five," so naturally, they disliked her.
By having Hu Liena help Ning Rongrong, even if they didn't become close friends afterward, sisterhood was built bit by bit.
"Mm."
Hu Liena nodded.
At this moment, Xiao Wu stepped forward and said, "Let Big Sister Xiao Wu go first. I'll scout the path for you."
As she spoke, Xiao Wu summoned her Soft Bone Rabbit martial soul, and seven soul rings—yellow, yellow, purple, black, black, black, black—lit up around her.
The Sea God Island wasn't the mainland, and Xiao Wu knew there would be bigger challenges ahead. So, this time, she didn't disguise the years of her soul rings as she usually did. Instead, she openly displayed them.
"Hiss—"
Instantly, Chu Chengzhou heard one distant and six nearby gasps. The Seven Holy Pillar Douluos all wore shocked expressions.
"This girl's seventh soul ring… its years seem nearly on par with our ninth soul rings?"
Looking at Xiao Wu's soul ring configuration, Sea Witch Douluo couldn't help but send a telepathic message to the other Holy Pillar Douluos after recovering from her shock.
She could clearly see that although Xiao Wu's seventh soul ring was black, it carried traces of red, undoubtedly indicating a soul ring older than ninety thousand years.
Moreover, this was the first time she'd seen a soul master, aside from Grand Elder Bo Saixi, with a ten-thousand-year fourth soul ring.
While it was true that soul masters on the Sea God Island could undergo the Sea God's trials, and these trials could increase the years of their soul rings, the cumulative rewards that increased soul ring years by more than five thousand years were unique to Grand Elder Bo Saixi.
The next moment, Xiao Wu pushed off the soft sand on the shore, her figure hurtling rapidly toward the Sea Dragon Holy Pillar in the middle of the inland sea.
Seeing this, Sea Dragon Douluo flicked his right hand, and the waves before Xiao Wu surged violently, reaching the height of the light barrier above, completely blocking all paths forward.
Like boiling water, the waves thundered and surged with overwhelming force, yet they didn't spill beyond the boundaries of the inland sea.
"Sixth soul skill, Void!"
With a shout, Xiao Wu's sixth soul ring lit up, and her entire body instantly turned ethereal. Without slowing down, she passed directly through the blockade of waves.
Sixth soul skill, Void: when activated, the user enters an ethereal state, immune to all non-energy-based physical attacks and reducing any energy-based attacks by 50%.
The surging waves in the inland sea weren't energy illusions but actual seawater manipulated by Sea Dragon Douluo using the Sea Dragon Holy Pillar—a physical phenomenon.
With her body in an ethereal state, Xiao Wu naturally "phased through walls," passing straight through the waves.
Wave after wave surged fiercely, but Xiao Wu cut through them all like splitting bamboo.
Xiao Wu's speed was incredibly fast. By the time Sea Dragon Douluo realized it, she had already approached the holy pillar.
Seeing Xiao Wu nearing the holy pillar, Sea Dragon Douluo raised his hand again. The Sea Dragon Holy Pillar behind him emitted a faint blue glow, and amidst the surging energy, a massive wave made of condensed energy surged up, attempting to block Xiao Wu once more.
Sea Dragon Douluo could see that Xiao Wu's sixth-rank soul skill allowed her to negate physical attacks, but such a skill surely couldn't be excessively overpowered. If it could completely negate physical attacks, it surely couldn't also completely negate energy attacks, right?
Indeed, that was the case. Xiao Wu's Void soul skill could negate physical attacks, but energy attacks were only reduced by 50%. Ordinary waves could be "phased through," but against energy waves, she couldn't simply "phase through."
Of course, this wasn't Sea Dragon Douluo deliberately making things difficult for Xiao Wu.
According to the rules of the Sea God Island, land-based soul masters who could negate physical attacks needed to face energy waves to qualify for the trial.
However, Xiao Wu's expression remained unchanged. Just as the energy-formed massive wave was about to hit her, her third soul ring lit up, activating her third soul skill: Instant Teleportation!
Instantly, a faint spatial ripple emerged, and Xiao Wu's figure flashed, disappearing from her original spot and reappearing seven meters away on the holy pillar platform.
Third soul skill: Instant Teleportation. Due to Xiao Wu's third soul ring being four thousand years old, the maximum teleportation distance of this skill wasn't limited to the five meters seen in the original storyline but extended to ten meters.
"Immune to physical attacks and capable of teleportation... Young lady, this is just a small test. Even non-marine soul masters find it not too difficult after reaching the fifth ring. You've certainly lived up to the Grand Elder's words—you're indeed exceptionally talented and qualified to undergo the Sea God's trials."
Looking at Xiao Wu, who blinked innocently at him as if asking, "Did I pass?" Sea Dragon Douluo couldn't help but chuckle.
Hearing this, Xiao Wu raised an eyebrow.
She had originally thought that Sea Dragon Douluo would personally intervene during this trial. Thus, she planned to use all her abilities to quickly reach the holy pillar.
Ideally, she would reach the holy pillar platform before Sea Dragon Douluo could act, automatically ending the trial.
But unexpectedly, the so-called trial was merely about crossing the blockade of waves.
Following Xiao Wu, Zhu Zhuqing crossed the inland sea. Moreover, Zhu Zhuqing completed the trial faster than Xiao Wu.
Her body radiated with a dark glow as her Nether Domain expanded. Using the domain skill: Nether Escape, she flashed several times and appeared beside Xiao Wu.
Domain Skill: Nether Escape. Within the domain's coverage, consuming soul power allows unlimited instant teleportation.
After the first teleportation, Zhu Zhuqing appeared at the edge of her Nether Domain.
Since the domain was under the soul master's control, how far Zhu Zhuqing could teleport determined how far the center of her domain could move. As long as the transitions were smooth, continuous teleportation could be achieved through the domain.
"Domain..."
Watching Zhu Zhuqing appear beside Xiao Wu in the blink of an eye, Sea Dragon Douluo twitched his lips.
Compared to Xiao Wu earlier, this girl was even more outrageous! It was like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut.
Then, Sea Dragon Douluo turned his gaze to Hu Liena and Ning Rongrong on the shore.
Though Hu Liena also possessed domain power, she didn't use it because the Killing God Domain offered no advantage for this trial.
Instead, Hu Liena's forehead glowed faintly as her soul bone skill, Spiritual Domination, took effect. She instantly controlled several sea snake soul beasts in the inland sea. Subsequently, both girls' soul power surged, and with a light tap of their toes, they walked on water.
In terms of soul power control, Hu Liena and Ning Rongrong were far inferior to Chu Chengzhou, but walking on water was no problem, even with the constantly fluctuating waters of the inland sea.
Whenever massive waves surged toward them, the thousand-year sea snake soul beasts controlled by Hu Liena would block their path and spout water jets to break through the incoming waves, clearing the way for them.
"Can it really be done like this?"
Watching the snakes clear the path and Hu Liena and Ning Rongrong walk on water, Sea Dragon Douluo was somewhat dumbfounded.
Soon, under the escort of numerous sea snake soul beasts, the two successfully reached the holy pillar platform in the center of the inland sea.
"Young man, now it's your turn. I wonder what surprises you'll give us?"
Seeing only Chu Chengzhou left, Sea Witch Douluo curiously asked.
That massive black tiger earlier was Chu Chengzhou's summon. Clearly, Chu Chengzhou was the strongest among the five. The lively Sea Witch Douluo was very curious.
As soon as Sea Witch Douluo finished speaking, the other six Holy Pillar Douluos immediately fixed their gazes on Chu Chengzhou.
"Elder, I won't participate. I'm only here to bring them to the Sea God Island for the Sea God's trials."
Chu Chengzhou waved his hand dismissively.
The Holy Pillar Douluos: "..."
Realizing that Chu Chengzhou wouldn't participate in the trials, Sea Dragon Douluo withdrew his gaze.
Then, Sea Dragon Douluo slowly walked to the Sea Dragon Holy Pillar, facing it with reverence glowing in his eyes. Without turning his head, he said, "One of you come forward."
Immediately, Xiao Wu and the others exchanged glances, and Ning Rongrong, the weakest among them, stepped forward and stood behind Sea Dragon Douluo.
Sea Dragon Douluo slowly raised his hands, his face full of reverence. Bringing his hands to chest level, palms facing each other half a foot apart, a faint blue light gradually appeared between his palms.
Gradually, as the blue light filled Sea Dragon Douluo's palms, it suddenly burst forth, enveloping the entire Sea Dragon Holy Pillar platform in a deep azure glow.
Then, a flash of light appeared at the base of the Sea Dragon Holy Pillar, and a beam of blue light traveled up along the engravings, reaching the top in the blink of an eye.
Subsequently, Sea Dragon Douluo, his expression solemn, turned around and pointed his right hand at Ning Rongrong.
Instantly, a column of blue light descended from the sky, enveloping Ning Rongrong's body.
Bathed in the blue light, Ning Rongrong blinked in slight confusion, clearly feeling no unusual sensations.
Soon, the color of the light began to change, shifting to white.
But in the blink of an eye, the white light disappeared, transitioning seamlessly from white to yellow, yellow to purple, and quickly turning black.
The blackness deepened gradually. Though the transformation slowed slightly this time, it continued progressing.
Watching Ning Rongrong bathed in the black column of light, Sea Dragon Douluo was stunned.
A Black-level trial? How many years had it been since the last one appeared on the Sea God Island?
And Sea Dragon Douluo knew this was only the beginning. The difficulty of the trials for this girl would far exceed his expectations!
As the color of the light surrounding Ning Rongrong changed, the lowest engravings on the Sea Dragon Holy Pillar behind Sea Dragon Douluo began turning black and rapidly climbed upward.
The black magic engravings ascended in a straight line. Under Sea Dragon Douluo's wide-eyed stare, the black engravings slowly crossed the midpoint of the Sea Dragon Holy Pillar but didn't stop. They continued climbing until they reached two-thirds of the way up, representing the highest level of the Black-level trials—the Sixth trial.
Meanwhile, in a majestic temple in the god realm, a towering figure seated on a divine throne opened his eyes.
"A hundred years have passed, and another top-tier trial has appeared?"
Murmuring to himself, the towering figure's gaze seemed to pierce through infinite space, "looking" toward the Sea Dragon Holy Pillar on the Sea God Island.
"Not bad! Hmm? What's this?"
Looking at the girl enveloped in the black column of light, the towering figure nodded in satisfaction. A sixteen-year-old soul emperor at Level 65, and a support-type soul master whose cultivation speed was relatively slow—this was absolutely unprecedented on the Douluo Continent!
As he pondered whether to give this girl a chance despite her martial soul's incompatibility due to her exceptional talent, his gaze was involuntarily drawn to a rabbit-eared girl nearby.
More precisely, it wasn't the rabbit-eared girl herself but a blue triangular object stored within her brow that caught his attention.
"Hahaha, excellent!"
The towering figure was momentarily stunned, then bursts of delighted laughter echoed within the temple.
On the Sea God Island, the black magic engravings on the Sea Dragon Holy Pillar suddenly flared brightly, nearly reaching the top.
Then, the previously black-stained engravings on the Sea Dragon Holy Pillar abruptly changed color, turning into a dazzling crimson.
The next moment, a crimson light shot into the sky, piercing the tranquil blue heavens with blood-red brilliance.
"Top-tier Eight Trials?!"
Instantly, the eyes of the Seven Holy Pillar Douluos present shone with uncontrollable intensity, and they exclaimed almost simultaneously.
At the center of the Sea God Island, in front of a special temple, Bo Saixi, who had just returned and was about to resume her rest, appeared outside the hall.
Looking at the crimson light piercing the sky from the direction of the Sea Dragon Holy Pillar, a trace of astonishment and delight appeared on Bo Saixi's exquisite face.
She hadn't expected that among the four girls who came today intending to freeload, one of them would have the qualifications to inherit her position as the grand priestess of the Sea God Island.
As the crimson light gradually faded, eight crimson dots shot out from the Sea Dragon Holy Pillar and appeared before Ning Rongrong.
Then, the eight dots transformed into eight square-shaped screens, each flashing with golden text.
The text on the first screen glowed brightly, while the text on the other seven screens was relatively dim.
After a while, the eight crimson screens converged and entered Ning Rongrong's forehead, forming a strange crimson octagram. Her previously fair skin now carried a faint crimson glow.
"Sea Dragon Elder, may I ask what the top-tier eight trials mean?"
Ning Rongrong blinked and asked Sea Dragon Douluo, who was still in shock.
Hearing this, Sea Dragon Douluo's expression turned solemn, and he said, "From what your friends called you, your name is Ning Rongrong, correct? I am Hai Yi. Greetings, Miss Ning!"
Saying this, Sea Dragon Douluo Hai Yi bowed deeply to Ning Rongrong.
"Um, Elder, what's this about?"
Ning Rongrong asked in surprise.
Though Lady Ning was pampered, this was the first time a Title Douluo had bowed to her!
"Miss Ning, the trials given by the Sea God are divided into levels. Different levels correspond to different difficulties.
Similar to soul ring colors, the levels range from white, yellow, purple, black, to red top-tier trials.
The Sea God determines the trials based on the soul master's strength and potential. The content of the trials appears in the screens just now, visible only to the challenger and the examiner.
Passing trials of different levels grants corresponding authority on the Sea God Island.
The last time a Top-tier Eight-trial challenger appeared on the Sea God Island was none other than the Grand Elder you met earlier. It's an honor for Hai Yi to serve as your examiner."
Sea Dragon Douluo explained respectfully.
Now that Ning Rongrong had obtained the top-tier eight trials, it meant that upon completing them, she would become the successor to the Grand Elder.
Such a status naturally deserved the respectful attitude of a Level 95 Title Douluo.
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