As Xiao Wu sprinted under the Sea God's Light, inside the Sea God Temple atop the Sea God Mountain, Bo Saixi suddenly opened her closed eyes. Her beautiful gaze revealed an expression of disbelief.
Earlier, when Chu Chengzhou and the others entered the inner island where the Sea God Mountain was located, Bo Saixi had already sensed their presence and had been closely observing them ever since.
After all, Xiao Wu had obtained the Sea God Nine Trials, chosen as the inheritor by the Sea God himself. Moreover, this was her first attempt, so Bo Saixi naturally wanted to assess Xiao Wu's capabilities.
At first, everything seemed fine. Xiao Wu had exhausted her techniques and reached the eightieth step, seemingly at her limit. But then, she suddenly "flew" upward—what was going on?
Could it be that the Sea God's Light had malfunctioned?
No, impossible! Even if Bo Saixi herself were to perish, the Sea God's Light established by the Sea God would never fail!
Since there was no issue with the Sea God's Light, the problem must lie with Xiao Wu herself.
Using her spiritual perception, Bo Saixi focused on the soul power flower above Xiao Wu's head.
Just as Xiao Wu passed the three hundredth step and Chu Chengzhou was about to call out for her to stop—lest she complete the trial too quickly—Xiao Wu's soul power was fully depleted. The soul power flower above her head withered, and the divine protective light enveloping her body disappeared.
The higher the step, the greater the pressure from the Sea God's Light. The Instant Bloom technique required more soul power to resist this pressure, and with Xiao Wu's soul power already running low, it was completely drained at this point.
The next moment, a massive force struck, sending Xiao Wu flying like a cannonball.
"Boom—"
Accompanied by a series of sonic booms in the air, Xiao Wu shot into the circular sea like a projectile, creating a towering water column over ten meters high.
Fortunately, the physical resilience of soul masters far exceeded that of ordinary people, and Xiao Wu was no ordinary soul master. Otherwise, she might have suffered serious injuries from the fall.
Without delay, Chu Chengzhou activated his golden light and moved like a streak of lightning across the surface of the circular sea, retrieving Xiao Wu.
Before the marine soul beasts guarding the Sea God Island in the circular sea could react, Chu Chengzhou brought Xiao Wu back to shore.
"How are you feeling? Are you alright, Xiao Wu?"
Seeing Xiao Wu's pale face, Ning Rongrong and the others rushed over, their expressions filled with concern.
"I'm... I'm fine!"
Forcing a smile despite her pallor, Xiao Wu waved her hand weakly.
Fortunately, the Sea God's Light did not deliver fatal attacks to challengers. Once they could no longer withstand the pressure, they were immediately repelled. Xiao Wu hadn't sustained any injuries; her discomfort was solely due to the rapid depletion of her soul power.
Moreover, with a soul core within her, her soul power was quickly recovering. It wasn't a big deal.
"You've got some nerve! Only because the Sea God's Light doesn't deliver fatal blows did you manage to escape unscathed!"
Chu Chengzhou glared at her.
"Hehe, at least we don't need to worry about failing this trial anymore."
Xiao Wu chuckled awkwardly, changing the subject.
"That's true!"
Zhu Zhuqing and Hu Liena nodded.
They could both tell that if Xiao Wu hadn't expended her energy climbing eighty steps earlier and instead used Instant Bloom from the start, she would have undoubtedly reached the 365th step and completed the first trial of the Sea God Nine Trials.
"So does this mean we're about to complete our first trial?"
Ning Rongrong asked cheerfully.
The defensive secret art Instant Bloom was something all four of them had learned. The only difference was their varying levels of mastery.
"You're really clever!"
Chu Chengzhou rolled his eyes at Ning Rongrong before turning to the four girls. "Alright, let me explain what the Sea God's Light is all about.
The Sea God's Light generates immense pressure that rapidly consumes your soul power as you climb the stairs. This allows you to safely reach your limits in a short time, making your cultivation afterward far more effective.
So, you can't cheat using Instant Bloom, nor should you rush through the trial. Instead, drag out the completion of the trial until the last day to maximize its benefits."
As soon as he finished speaking, Xiao Wu, who had slightly recovered, added, "I understand! Brother, you're saying we should use the pressure of the Sea God's Light to quickly improve our strength over the year to prepare for the subsequent, even harder trials?"
"Precisely! This trial is less of a test and more of a reward.
Moreover, the difficulty of the subsequent trials will certainly not be low. Especially for you, Xiao Wu. Some of the later trials may even pit you against opponents at the level of the Sea God Douluo. The stronger you are when facing those trials, the better."
Chu Chengzhou nodded seriously.
Although Xiao Wu didn't have twin martial souls, he assumed the Deep Sea Demon Whale King would likely be one of the trials in the Sea God Nine Trials, just as in the original storyline.
Who was stronger—the million-year Deep Sea Demon Whale King or the near-god-level Bo Saixi?
Near the Sea God Island, Bo Saixi was undoubtedly stronger. After all, with just one buffing soul skill, her strength could easily surpass the threshold of godhood, and she could also harness the power of the Sea God.
However, in distant waters, especially underwater battles, the Deep Sea Demon Whale King would undoubtedly reign supreme.
Bo Saixi's configuration of eight black rings and one red ring was impressive, but for a super Ferocious Beast like the Deep Sea Demon Whale King, such a configuration was insufficient. The combined years of her nine soul rings were still far less than half of his age!
Speaking of the Deep Sea Demon Whale King in the original storyline—it was truly foolish. A marine soul beast choosing to fight Tang San on land, completely neglecting its home-field advantage.
Of course, considering the Deep Sea Demon Whale King had no backing while Tang San had two patrons—one being a supreme god king—its fate was sealed.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Wu and the others widened their eyes in shock.
Especially Xiao Wu, whose eyes were the widest.
Opponents at the level of a Sea God Douluo?
The Sea God Nine Trials required at least one trial to be completed each year. By this logic, within nine years, she would have to elevate her strength from her current Soul Saint level to defeating a Level 99 Limit Douluo?
Was the Sea God Nine Trials really this difficult?
Well, considering it led to godhood upon completion, a high level of difficulty was to be expected?
"Cough~ If the difficulty becomes too overwhelming, there's no rule in the Sea God Nine Trials prohibiting external assistance~!"
Seeing Xiao Wu and the others looking a bit frightened, Chu Chengzhou added.
Xiao Wu and the others: "..."
Rolling her eyes at Chu Chengzhou, Xiao Wu began meditating and cultivating, while Ning Rongrong and the others started their first attempts.
Excluding the effects of Instant Bloom, Xiao Wu had climbed eighty steps during her first attempt.
But Ning Rongrong and the others couldn't match Xiao Wu, given their lower soul power levels.
Ning Rongrong reached the sixtieth step, Hu Liena reached the sixty-fourth step, and Zhu Zhuqing reached the sixty-sixth step.
Needless to say, the powerful physique cultivated through Unbreakable Golden Body and the high-quality soul power refined through Nine Breaths Qi Absorption were major reasons why they managed to climb sixty steps or more during their first attempts.
Of course, none of them had used amplification-type soul skills or unleashed their domains.
Given the mastery of Instant Bloom, passing the trial was no longer an issue. How many steps they could climb wasn't their priority.
What they needed and pursued was the immense pressure from the Sea God's Light to quickly push them to their limits, maximizing the efficiency of their cultivation.
In fact, after two attempts, Xiao Wu and the others began cultivating directly on the stairs under the pressure of the Sea God's Light.
Cultivating on the stairs under the Sea God's Light proved far more efficient than withdrawing once their bodies reached their limits.
Moreover, under the Sea God's Light, the recovery speed of soul power while actively practicing cultivation techniques was significantly higher than outside the stairs.
Of course, to maintain normal cultivation under the Sea God's Light, they had to stay at lower steps. If they advanced too far and recovery couldn't keep up with consumption, cultivation would be impossible.
Watching Xiao Wu and the others practicing Nine Breaths Qi Absorption on the stairs, as if they had activated a cultivation accelerator, Chu Chengzhou couldn't help but feel a pang of envy.
He wanted such excellent cultivation conditions too.
But to cultivate under the Sea God's Light, one had to become a member of the Sea God Island and undergo trials.
He was cheating the system—he dared not let the Holy Pillars of the Sea God Island inspect his body, nor expose himself under Poseidon's watchful gaze. A sudden surge in soul ring years would immediately reveal his abnormalities.
"Sigh, Sister Yuehua is also a cultivation accelerator, and I still have whale jelly..."
Chu Chengzhou thought bitterly to himself.
"Brother, go build us a house. We'll stay here for the year and not leave!"
At this moment, Xiao Wu emerged from her cultivation, discussed with Ning Rongrong and the others, and walked down the stairs to speak to Chu Chengzhou.
With the assistance of the Sea God's Light and Nine Breaths Qi Absorption, their cultivation speed was incredibly fast. Though a year wasn't short, none of them wanted to waste any time.
After all, such an excellent cultivation environment was something even the laziest soul masters would cherish, let alone diligent ones like them.
Moreover, they knew that Chu Chengzhou would return to the mainland soon. If they returned to Hai Long City every day to rest, they'd lose significant time traveling back and forth. It was better to stay here permanently.
Without hesitation, Chu Chengzhou agreed.
However, he didn't plan to build the wooden house himself. He didn't know how to do it properly, so he left the circular sea and sought out the purple-clad marine soul master still waiting outside.
Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, a month had passed.
Though only a month had elapsed, with the aid of the Sea God's Light, Xiao Wu and the others' soul power levels had noticeably improved.
Xiao Wu, originally a Level 76 Soul Sage, had advanced to a Level 77 Soul Sage.
Ning Rongrong, previously a mid-level Level 65 Soul Emperor, had ascended to a Level 67 Soul Emperor two days ago.
Hu Liena, initially a Level 68 Soul Emperor, had risen to a Level 69 Soul Emperor.
And Zhu Zhuqing, who had reached Level 68 Soul Emperor after refining the black pearl of the Dark Evil God Tiger, was close to advancing. After a month of cultivation, she would likely break through to level 70 within two to three days.
At the foot of the Sea God Mountain, near the circular sea, Chu Chengzhou was guiding Ning Rongrong in forming a soul core.
Chu Chengzhou hadn't left Sea God Island yet. He planned to wait until Zhu Zhuqing advanced to a Soul Saint and all his sisters had formed their soul cores before returning to the mainland.
For Xiao Wu and the others at their current stage, the most noticeable benefits of having a soul core were the increased cultivation speed and rapid recovery of soul power.
Thus, aside from Xiao Wu, who already had a soul core, Ning Rongrong and the others eagerly desired to form their own.
Chu Chengzhou had taught Zhu Zhuqing and Hu Liena, as both were Level 69 Soul Emperors. With Hu Liena's strong spiritual power and Zhu Zhuqing's domain, their control over soul power was quite good.
A few days ago, both successfully formed their soul cores.
As for Ning Rongrong, after much pleading, he had reluctantly agreed to teach her a week ago.
However, despite her ability to multitask, Ning Rongrong's control over soul power was lacking, and she had yet to succeed.
At this moment, the solidified soul power spinning rapidly in front of Ning Rongrong was on the verge of collapsing into a soul core but suddenly emitted a hint of violent energy at this critical juncture.
Two seconds later, seeing that Ning Rongrong couldn't stabilize it and was about to lose control entirely, Chu Chengzhou immediately activated his Absolute Control technique. He grabbed the unstable solidified soul power, which was about to turn into a soul bomb, and hurled it into the distant sky.
"Boom—"
A loud explosion echoed, and a small mushroom cloud blossomed in the sky.
Seeing this, Ning Rongrong blushed, stuck out her tongue, closed one eye, and made a tiny gesture with her fingers, saying, "It was just a little bit off, just a tiny bit!"
"Mm-hmm, you're always just a little bit off."
Chu Chengzhou nodded solemnly.
If it weren't for him standing by to intervene, this girl would have been blown to bits by the uncontrollable solidified soul power.
Of course, this time was slightly different from previous attempts—it really was just a little bit off.
"Really just a tiny bit~!"
Ning Rongrong pouted.
"Recover your soul power. You'll likely succeed next time."
Pinching her rosy cheeks affectionately, Chu Chengzhou smiled and said.
Glaring at Chu Chengzhou indignantly, twenty minutes later, Ning Rongrong, utilizing the Nine Breaths Qi Absorption meditation technique and the passive recovery soul bone skill Soul Power Source from her left arm's soul bone, fully restored her soul power and began another attempt to form a soul core.
Not long after, thanks to repeated practice, the liquid soul power in Ning Rongrong's palm solidified, floating in front of her and rotating steadily.
At this moment, a figure streaked across the sky, about to fall into the circular sea. Quick on his feet, Chu Chengzhou activated his golden light and caught Zhu Zhuqing before she hit the water.
"Huh? Zhuqing, you've broken through to level 70?"
Returning to the shore and noticing that Zhu Zhuqing's aura had increased slightly, Chu Chengzhou exclaimed in surprise.
"I broke through earlier under the pressure of the Sea God's Light."
Zhu Zhuqing blushed slightly. After breaking through, she had momentarily relaxed her focus, only to be repelled by the immense pressure of the Sea God's Light.
"Not bad, not bad!"
Chu Chengzhou nodded approvingly. With Zhu Zhuqing's current physical condition, absorbing a divine-bestowed soul ring would surely grant her a ten-thousand-year seventh soul ring.
"Eh~, Zhuqing, you've broken through?"
Ning Rongrong, who was in the midst of forming a soul core, diverted her attention and asked with a joyful expression.
"Mm."
Zhu Zhuqing nodded.
"Rongrong, focus on forming your soul core. Don't fail this time."
Seeing Ning Rongrong distracted while trying to form a soul core, Chu Chengzhou hurriedly reminded her.
Thankfully, the solidified soul power had just taken shape, and Ning Rongrong, having gained "rich" experience from multiple attempts, narrowly avoided another failure.
"Oh~"
Responding, Ning Rongrong refocused her attention on the solidified soul power in front of her.
"Zhuqing, congratulations!"
Having sensed Zhu Zhuqing's breakthrough while on the stairs, Xiao Wu and Hu Liena exited their cultivation, walked down the stairs, and offered their congratulations.
"You're already level 77, Xiao Wu. I had to hurry up and break through. Nana, won't it be your turn soon?"
Zhu Zhuqing smiled.
"Probably... in about half a month!"
After pondering for a moment, Hu Liena replied.
Xiao Wu turned to Chu Chengzhou: "Brother, now that Zhuqing has broken through, are you going to fetch a soul beast for her? Or..."
Just as Xiao Wu was about to mention where to obtain the divine-bestowed soul ring, a voice came from the summit of the distant Sea God Mountain.
"No need."
Following the sound, they saw a majestic figure holding a scepter appear on the stairs leading to the Sea God Temple—it was Bo Saixi.
Descending slowly, Bo Saixi approached the group.
"Greetings, Sea God Douluo!"
Aside from Ning Rongrong, who was in the process of forming a soul core, Chu Chengzhou and the other four bowed respectfully.
"I must admit, you are the most outstanding young people I've ever seen. Perhaps... you truly can complete the Sea God Nine Trials!"
Looking at the four young girls before her, especially Xiao Wu with the golden trident mark on her brow, Bo Saixi couldn't help but sigh.
Over the past month, Bo Saixi had witnessed Xiao Wu and the others' efforts and achievements.
The Sea God's chosen successor was so exceptional—perhaps... this was her fate!
For Bo Saixi, if the day of sacrifice truly came, the more outstanding the Sea God's successor Xiao Wu was, the more justified her sacrifice would be.
"I don't deserve your praise, but I'll do my best!"
Xiao Wu, unaware of the deeper implications, responded somewhat proudly.
"Hehe~"
Hearing this, Bo Saixi chuckled and then turned to Zhu Zhuqing: "Zhuqing, I've brought you an opportunity today."
With that, Bo Saixi raised her right hand, flipped her wrist, and revealed a golden bead in her palm.
This golden bead resembled the most precious golden crystal, flawless in every way. Most peculiarly, a faint golden mist continuously fluctuated within it, similar to the golden mist that surrounded them under the pressure of the Sea God's Light.
A flash of golden light, and the golden bead floated into the air, stopping in front of Zhu Zhuqing.
Instinctively, Zhu Zhuqing reached out and grasped the golden bead.
"Senior, what is this?"
Examining the golden bead in her hand, Zhu Zhuqing asked.
Bo Saixi smiled slightly and explained, "All those who have received Black-level or higher trials bestowed by the Sea God are granted the opportunity to receive a divine-bestowed soul ring when they encounter their first bottleneck.
There's no need to hunt soul beasts. The divine-bestowed soul ring grants the most necessary soul skill and a soul ring with years reaching the maximum limit one can endure."
"This is the divine-bestowed soul ring?"
Xiao Wu couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.
"Huh? You've seen it before?"
Bo Saixi was somewhat astonished. It seemed Xiao Wu and the others were familiar with the divine-bestowed soul ring?
Upon hearing this, Xiao Wu and the others looked at Chu Chengzhou.
They had already heard about the effects of the divine-bestowed soul ring from Chu Chengzhou and knew they could obtain one for free on the Sea God Island. However, they hadn't expected that an unabsorbed divine-bestowed soul ring would appear as a golden bead.
"Hehe~"
Chu Chengzhou chuckled but said nothing.
"It seems you've had some unique opportunities. No wonder you refused to join the Sea God Island."
Bo Saixi remarked meaningfully.
"Senior, may I ask something?"
This was an awkward topic to respond to, so Chu Chengzhou changed the subject.
"Oh? Go ahead."
Bo Saixi smiled and nodded.
"Earlier, Senior mentioned that those who received Black-level or higher trials could obtain a divine-bestowed soul ring. If that's the case, shouldn't all the Douluos on the Sea God Island possess hundred-thousand-year soul rings?
After all, if they saved the divine-bestowed soul ring for level 90, even without any soul bones, they could handle a ten-thousand-year ninth soul ring."
This question puzzled Chu Chengzhou. Though the Seven Holy Pillar Douluos hadn't displayed their soul ring configurations in front of him, according to the original storyline, none of them possessed ten-thousand-year soul rings.
After a moment of contemplation, Bo Saixi replied, "Theoretically, that's correct. Although I don't know the exact upper limit of the years granted by the divine-bestowed soul ring, it's at least enough to reach a hundred thousand years.
However, theory is one thing, and reality is another. When Hai Yi and the others underwent their trials, their soul power levels weren't very high—they were far from the Title Douluo realm—and the difficulty of the trials was considerable. They had to choose the present rather than plan for the future.
Moreover, who can guarantee they will definitely reach the Title Douluo realm?"
"I see!"
Chu Chengzhou finally understood.
The population of the Sea God Island was limited, with only seven to eight thousand people on the entire island.
With such a small base, even though the majority were soul masters with decent genetic potential, how many truly gifted prodigies could emerge?
Leaving aside Bo Saixi herself, the Seven Holy Pillar Douluos likely had innate soul power levels of only seven or eight.
After all, with divine trials to undertake, if their innate soul power had reached nine or full innate soul power, their soul power levels wouldn't have all remained below the Level 95 Title Douluo threshold.
With innate soul power levels of seven or eight and facing trials with over seventy percent mortality rates, it was natural for them to use the divine-bestowed soul ring immediately to gain stronger soul rings and soul skills to face subsequent trials.
Otherwise, if they died, leaving the divine-bestowed soul ring unused, wouldn't they die with regret?
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