The next second, Ning Fengzhi changed the subject and asked, "Do you have more?"
Something that could increase soul power and aid in breaking through bottlenecks? A great treasure!
Since this "whale gel" came from a hundred-thousand-year marine soul beast, it meant this item was of very high quality with an extremely high effectiveness ceiling.
Even if it didn't work for Chen Xin or Gu Rong, it would likely help a peak Level 89 Soul Douluo break through to Level 90.
Cultivating new Title Douluos wasn't easy, but achieving a Level 89 Soul Douluo was considerably simpler.
Chu Chengzhou: "..."
"Forget it, keep it for yourself!"
Seeing Chu Chengzhou's reaction, Ning Fengzhi knew he had more, but as an elder, he couldn't be too greedy.
However, the whale gel Chu Chengzhou gave him opened up new possibilities for Ning Fengzhi.
There was no need to elaborate on the difference between a 90,000-year ninth soul ring and a 100,000-year one. On the continent, traces of 100,000-year soul beasts were rare, but in the ocean, there must be many 100,000-year marine soul beasts.
After all, the ocean was far vaster than the soul beast forests on land, and few soul masters ventured into the sea to hunt for souls.
Even if the compatibility between the soul ring and martial soul wasn't high, as long as there was no attribute conflict, a 100,000-year ninth soul ring would certainly be much stronger than a 90,000-year one. Not to mention, one could also obtain a precious 100,000-year soul bone and valuable items like whale gel, which helped break through bottlenecks.
With the current strength of the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Clan, hunting a 100,000-year marine soul beast shouldn't be impossible, right?
A Level 97 Chen Xin, a Level 96 Gu Rong, plus two elders who had condensed soul cores and successfully broken through the Level 89 bottleneck to advance to nine rings—with his assistance, four Title Douluos working together should be able to hunt a 100,000-year marine soul beast without issue, right?
Hmm, Chu Chengzhou's strength wasn't bad either. If needed in the future, calling on him should suffice.
If your father-in-law asks for help, how could you, as a son-in-law, refuse?
Thinking this, a smile appeared on Ning Fengzhi's face.
The Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Clan will rise under my leadership!
"Ning Uncle, Bone Grandpa, in a few days I'll be taking Rongrong and the others out for training. Rongrong probably won't return for the next two years."
Chu Chengzhou mentioned sending Ning Rongrong and the others to the Sea God Island for training.
"Training? Where are they going that requires such a long time?"
Ning Fengzhi frowned and asked.
"Sea God Island! It's a place where a deity named the Sea God established a legacy. The fundamental purpose of setting up this legacy, aside from spreading faith, is to select an outstanding successor.
Training on the Sea God Island will greatly accelerate their strength improvements."
"The Sea God Island? What's the connection with the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud (Vast Sea Heaven Cover)?"
Ning Fengzhi was a smart man and immediately linked the two together.
Chu Chengzhou nodded and said, "The Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud is a token of that Sea God. As for why it ended up in the hands of the Tian Dou Empire, I'm not sure."
"A divine token, a divine artifact? It seems the Tian Dou Empire made a big loss!"
Recalling the conditions he agreed upon with Emperor Xue Ye earlier, Ning Fengzhi chuckled, feeling amused after initially thinking it was a bit painful.
"By the way, will there be any danger?"
After indulging in a little schadenfreude, Ning Fengzhi pressed further. Beside him, Gu Rong also looked at Chu Chengzhou.
As a father and grandfather, they weren't overly concerned about whether Ning Rongrong's strength would improve quickly—they cared more about the safety of their beloved daughter and granddaughter.
"There shouldn't be any danger."
Chu Chengzhou shook his head.
"Why would the Sea God Island let you freeload off them?"
Ning Fengzhi voiced his doubts.
If it were him, Ning Fengzhi wouldn't allow just any stranger to gain the qualification for training.
After all, since it was training, the Sea God Island must provide some resources, right? Otherwise, how could the trainees' strength improve so quickly?
"There are requirements. The prerequisite for participating in the training is joining the Sea God Island. But once our power grows and we become strong enough, where can't we go in the world?"
Chu Chengzhou waved his hand dismissively.
Ning Fengzhi: "..."
Gu Rong: "..."
It was confirmed—he was rebellious by nature, a born troublemaker!
After seeing off Ning Fengzhi and the others, Chu Chengzhou called over Xiao Wu and the other two.
"Xiao Wu, Rongrong, Zhuqing, take a look at this treasure!"
Chu Chengzhou said with a smile.
"Tsk~, vulgar! It's still broad daylight!"
Blushing slightly, Ning Rongrong teased.
Little brain, dirty dirty dirty...
"Cough cough~, Rongrong, if you want to see my 'big treasure,' we can do that tonight. But the treasure I'm referring to now is a real one."
Clearing his throat, Chu Chengzhou waved the exquisite wooden box in his hand.
"Pfft—"
Xiao Wu and Zhuqing couldn't help but laugh, looking playfully at Ning Rongrong.
Ning Rongrong: "..."
Ning Rongrong blushed deeply and glared at Chu Chengzhou.
"Brother, hurry up and open it. Let Rongrong see your treasure!"
Xiao Wu said with a grin.
Chu Chengzhou smiled and opened the wooden box, lifting the brocade cloth covering it.
Instantly, a dazzling divine light burst forth from the box.
The Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud looked extremely peculiar, entirely azure, crystal clear, shaped like a three-dimensional triangle, seemingly carved from sapphire, only palm-sized.
Within its crystalline azure glow, a divine aura shimmered, and strange energy fluctuations continuously emanated from it.
Moreover, on this blue triangular pyramid, wavelike patterns rippled, not carved but appearing alive. With each flash of blue light, the surrounding objects were bathed in a faint divine glow.
"What a beautiful treasure!"
Looking at the radiant blue object in the box, Xiao Wu couldn't help but exclaim.
"Does this treasure have a name?"
Zhuqing asked curiously.
"This is called the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud..."
Before Chu Chengzhou could explain the treasure, Ning Rongrong interrupted.
"The Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud? Isn't that the national treasure of the Tian Dou Empire?"
Ning Rongrong widened her eyes and asked in astonishment.
Shaking his head, Chu Chengzhou replied, "It used to be, but now it belongs to us. I had Dad get it from Emperor Xue Ye."
"Tsk, poor Dad~... poor Emperor Xue Ye!"
Hearing this, Ning Rongrong sighed and shook her head.
At first, Ning Rongrong wanted to say her dad was pitiful, but then she realized it was Emperor Xue Ye who was most unfortunate.
Her dad was pitiful because exchanging the national treasure with Emperor Xue Ye undoubtedly cost him dearly.
But Emperor Xue Ye was pitiful because he made a losing deal—and one that would make him spit blood upon discovering the truth.
"What do you mean?"
Zhuqing asked.
"Didn't this jerk just say that in a few days we're going to train on the Sea God Island, the inheritance site of the Sea God?
I've heard of the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud before, but I always thought the Tian Dou Empire's national treasure was just a high-grade soul-guidance device. Now it seems, it's actually a divine artifact!
Zhuqing, I bet even if Emperor Xue Ye demanded a hefty price from my dad, he still sold this divine artifact cheaply!"
Ning Rongrong declared confidently.
The young lady wasn't slow-witted, and her Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda martial soul was already hinting at her—the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud she now saw was the most valuable treasure she'd ever encountered, far surpassing even soul-forged armor.
Plus, the name of the treasure clearly linked it to the Sea God. This Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud was undoubtedly a legendary divine artifact—and one left behind by the Sea God who backed the Sea God Island.
"Not bad, my Rongrong is truly clever!"
Chu Chengzhou praised.
"Of course!"
Ning Rongrong proudly puffed out her chest.
It was somewhat regrettable—though the little demoness's figure wasn't bad, it still fell short compared to the big cat.
"You're right, the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud is indeed a divine artifact—a crucial component of a powerful divine artifact.
If you can gain its recognition and successfully bond with it, you'll receive a tremendous opportunity. Who among you three wants to try?"
The tremendous opportunity Chu Chengzhou referred to was the position of the Sea God.
Currently, there were only five supreme God Kings in the Douluo universe, and Poseidon, the Sea God, was a 1st Class main god. If a soul master could inherit the Sea God position, it would truly be akin to ascending to heaven in one step.
It must be said that the Sea God, Poseidon, as a 1st Class main god, was capable of crafting the super divine artifact: the Trident of the Sea God. And just two thousand years after becoming a god, he was undeniably impressive, worthy of being called the strongest under the five great God Kings.
Hearing this, Xiao Wu pondered for a moment and asked, "Is this an opportunity related to becoming a god?"
"Mm!"
Chu Chengzhou nodded.
"Don't you want it for yourself?"
Xiao Wu frowned and asked.
"I have my own opportunities."
Chu Chengzhou shook his head.
He had cheats and wasn't suited to become a divine successor.
And if he were to inherit a divine position, he wouldn't settle for the Sea God's seat!
With the Killing God Domain in hand, wasn't the God King position of the Asura God tempting?
Though he didn't know who to approach to initiate the Asura God trials, Slaughter City surely held clues, and the Killing God Domain he obtained in the past was undoubtedly the ticket to the Asura God trials.
"Rongrong, Zhuqing, you two go ahead! Xiao Wu is the eldest sister, and her cultivation talent is better than yours."
Taking a deep breath, Xiao Wu addressed the two.
A deity possessed endless life. As a Soul Saint at just 16 years old, Xiao Wu was confident that she could become a god in the future. This kind of opportunity should be left for her younger sisters, whose talents weren't as strong as hers.
As soon as Xiao Wu finished speaking, Ning Rongrong turned to Zhuqing and said, "Zhuqing, I'm the second sister, and I'm a support-type soul master. You should go! Big jerk, you'll find me another divine inheritance, right?"
Saying this, Ning Rongrong looked at Chu Chengzhou with pitiful eyes.
At this moment, Zhuqing shook her head: "No, the Sea God sounds like a water-attribute deity. My Nether Spirit Cat martial soul definitely wouldn't have high compatibility. You two should go instead!"
"Alright, stop pushing it onto each other. If you keep deferring, who knows if the Sea God will even consider you worthy!"
Seeing the three sisters push the opportunity onto each other, Chu Chengzhou rolled his eyes and spoke irritably.
"Xiao Wu, you're the eldest sister. You go first!"
Chu Chengzhou looked at Xiao Wu.
In terms of talent alone, Xiao Wu was indeed the best among the three sisters and the most likely to gain Poseidon's approval.
However, Chu Chengzhou wasn't sure if Poseidon would mind Xiao Wu's identity as a transformed soul beast.
Ordinary soul masters couldn't see through Xiao Wu after her growth period, but Poseidon, as a 1st Class main god, surely could.
After hesitating for a moment, Xiao Wu nodded.
"Brother, what should I do? Just inject soul power?"
Picking up the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud, Xiao Wu examined it for a while and asked.
"Inject spiritual power, but don't use too much—one thread is enough."
Injecting soul power would only allow temporary use. To gain the recognition of Poseidon's divine consciousness within the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud, spiritual power had to be injected.
Of course, if Poseidon's divine consciousness didn't recognize her, injecting spiritual power would be useless. Great beings wouldn't bother with random passersby.
For gods with endless lifespans, time was the least of their concerns. They had enough patience to wait for an excellent successor.
Slightly nodding, Xiao Wu carefully released her spiritual power and probed toward the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud in her hand.
The next moment, Xiao Wu felt an indescribable mighty force violently repel her spiritual power. For a moment, her mind went blank, and she collapsed stiffly toward the ground like a machine shutting down.
Xiao Wu's spiritual power wasn't weak. At the Soul Saint level, her soul power could enhance her spiritual power via her over 90,000-year-old Favorable Wind Ear external soul bone, plus daily cultivation of the spirit-refining technique Eternal Thought. In terms of spiritual power alone, she was no weaker than an ordinary newly minted Title Douluo.
However, compared to the vast spiritual energy fluctuations she encountered within the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud, there was simply no comparison—they weren't on the same level.
"Xiao Wu!"
Seeing Xiao Wu faint, Ning Rongrong and Zhuqing were immediately alarmed.
Fortunately, Chu Chengzhou acted swiftly, catching Xiao Wu before she hit the ground.
Just as the three were preparing to examine Xiao Wu's condition, the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud in her hand suddenly flew into the air and directly struck her forehead.
"Bang—"
A slight collision sound rang out. The triangular pyramid-shaped Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud failed to pierce Xiao Wu's forehead and fell to the ground due to the rebound force.
Poseidon's divine consciousness: "..."
Such a sturdy forehead for a little girl?
The next moment, the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud emitted an unusual blue light and struck Xiao Wu's forehead again. Instantly, its sharp tip pierced a small wound on her forehead.
As crimson blood flowed, the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud spun once and flattened itself against the wound on Xiao Wu's forehead, as if it were alive.
As Xiao Wu's blood continuously infused into it, the originally blue light fluctuations of the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud gradually turned red.
"Jerk, will Xiao Wu be alright?"
Ning Rongrong asked Chu Chengzhou worriedly, and Zhuqing also looked over.
When the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud first struck Xiao Wu's forehead, the two sisters hadn't reacted in time. But when it struck her forehead the second time, they reacted instantly.
However, just as they prepared to intervene and grab it, Chu Chengzhou stopped them.
"It's fine—it's a good thing!"
Since the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud reacted, it meant Poseidon's divine consciousness inside had noticed Xiao Wu. This was a good sign.
If there had been no reaction, that would have been bad news.
It would mean that even someone as talented as Xiao Wu couldn't gain Poseidon's favor—or that the Sea God strongly opposed a transformed soul beast inheriting his Sea God position.
After a long while, perhaps having absorbed enough blood, the light halo on the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud receded, detaching from the wound on Xiao Wu's forehead. It spun once, seemingly conscious, first hitting her shoulder, then rolling down her arm, finally landing in her palm.
Unlike its previous dazzling brilliance, the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud now, though still entirely azure, resembled an ordinary sapphire, with only a faint red glow flashing at its core.
Meanwhile, within the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud, invisible to Chu Chengzhou and the others, a point of blue light blossomed, transforming into a towering yet somewhat illusory figure.
The illusory figure's gaze penetrated the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud and fell upon the unconscious Xiao Wu outside.
"How many years has it been? Finally, someone who can withstand the Vast Sea's power has appeared!
A Soul Saint at sixteen—what a prodigy! She deserves to be my divine successor!"
The towering illusory figure thought to himself with satisfaction.
Even with Poseidon's discerning eye, he was astonished by Xiao Wu's talent.
Of course, as the wealthy Sea God, if he were willing to invest heavily, Poseidon could also cultivate a sixteen-year-old Soul Saint. But he could clearly sense that this girl bore no trace of divine power.
In other words, Xiao Wu wasn't the work of any deity from the god realm. Her achievements today were all thanks to her own efforts and perhaps some unrelated opportunities.
Additionally, he could perceive that Xiao Wu wasn't an ordinary Soul Saint. The quality of her soul power, her physical attributes, and her spiritual power all far surpassed those of soul masters at the same level. Excluding differences in soul power level and number of soul rings, she could easily rival a newly minted Title Douluo.
Such a prodigy wasn't precisely the one he had been searching for as his successor?
As for this girl being a transformed hundred-thousand-year soul beast?
In Poseidon's eyes, whether soul beasts or humans, they were all part of the masses. He didn't discriminate against soul beasts or view transformed soul beasts with prejudice.
It was precisely this philosophy, along with a bit of strength, that allowed him to be revered by all sea creatures in the past, gaining the faith of countless marine soul beasts and forging the Sea God position.
Moreover, many of the current deities in the god realm weren't originally human.
Take the Goddess of Life, one of the five supreme God Kings, whose original form was the Tree of Life. Calling her a soul beast wasn't wrong.
Or the God of Destruction, another of the five supreme God Kings, whose original form was destruction liquid—also non-human.
"Hmm?"
Suddenly, Poseidon's divine consciousness noticed Chu Chengzhou, Ning Rongrong, and Zhuqing outside.
This youth was also a Soul Saint? And those two girls, though only at Soul Emperor, weren't far from Soul Saint either.
Clearly, Chu Chengzhou's current absolute mastery techniques couldn't hide his presence from a deity's divine consciousness.
To encounter four geniuses surpassing even his younger self all at once?
Could it be that, after twenty thousand years, geniuses in the Douluo Continent had become commonplace?
Poseidon's divine consciousness: Talents come every year, but this year there are especially many. Was deciding on my divine successor too early?
Night fell.
In a daze, Xiao Wu felt someone feeding her something.
The aroma was strong, smooth, and after swallowing, she felt warm all over, incredibly comfortable.
After a while, the delicious food stopped, and realizing there was no more feeding, Xiao Wu became dissatisfied and was about to scold when a familiar voice reached her ears: "If you don't wake up, I'll eat the rest myself!"
Instantly, Xiao Wu opened her eyes.
What greeted her was Chu Chengzhou, smiling. In his left hand, he held a bowl, and in his right, a spoon—clearly, he had been feeding her.
Beside Chu Chengzhou, her two younger sisters watched her with concern.
"I want more!"
Looking at the whale gel in Chu Chengzhou's bowl, though Xiao Wu didn't know what it was, its rich aroma attracted her.
"Open up~"
Smiling, Chu Chengzhou said.
"Ah~"
Before long, the entire bowl of whale gel was consumed by Xiao Wu.
Earlier, during the process of bonding with the Sea God's heart, Xiao Wu lost quite a bit of blood. Whale brain was a highly nourishing substance, and a bowl of it was enough to restore her quickly.
"Xiao Wu, do you feel anything unusual?"
At this moment, Zhuqing asked with concern.
"My spiritual power feels stronger, but my body feels a bit weak. However, my stomach feels warm, so it should be fine."
Touching her stomach, Xiao Wu smiled.
"That's good! Jerk said this is whale gel, a highly nourishing substance. Xiao Wu, you'll recover quickly."
Ning Rongrong pointed to the empty bowl in Chu Chengzhou's hand.
"Xiao Wu, try injecting soul power into the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud now."
Chu Chengzhou handed her the now subdued Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud.
"It won't suck my blood again, will it?"
Taking the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud, Xiao Wu hesitated.
"Don't worry, it's already bonded with you. It won't suck blood anymore."
Chu Chengzhou shook his head reassuringly.
Although Poseidon's divine consciousness hadn't appeared, Chu Chengzhou knew that the position of the second-generation Sea God was likely pre-determined.
Of course, obtaining the ticket was one thing, but whether she could succeed ultimately depended on Xiao Wu completing the Sea God's nine trials.
"Oh~"
Nodding, Xiao Wu cautiously injected a thread of soul power into the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud.
When her soul power entered, suddenly, brilliant blue light erupted. The Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud seemed to come alive, its divine aura circulating, restoring its previous dazzling appearance.
Wavelike blue light rippled and fluctuated in the room, and strange patterns appeared on its surface. Xiao Wu could clearly feel the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud's craving for her soul power and instinctively increased her input.
As Xiao Wu continued to pour in soul power, the blue light grew stronger. Amidst the shining light, the azure triangular object slowly floated up from her palm, stopping only when it reached her face, where it began to rotate uncontrollably.
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