Divine Exam Rewards: Everyone's Improvement
After sailing on the high seas for several days, Xia Yang and his group finally returned to Sea God Island aboard the Demon Soul Great White Shark, Xiao Bai.
We arrived at dusk.
The afterglow of the setting sun dyed the sea a golden red, and the outlines of distant islands appeared and disappeared in the twilight.
Xiao Bai slowly docked beside the wooden pier at the harbor.
Then, she flicked her tail, and the splash of water gently sprinkled on the people resting on her back.
"We've arrived at Sea God Island. You can go down now."
Xiao Bai's voice rang in everyone's ears.
Xia Yang was the first to open his eyes and took a deep breath of the salty air.
The sea breeze caressed my face, bringing a familiar scent.
"Ah, we've finally arrived!"
Liu Erlong stretched out his arms, relaxing his body, which was slightly stiff from the long voyage.
Her graceful figure was especially captivating in the sunset.
However, Xia Yang was not in the mood to appreciate it at the moment.
The continuous rough seas for several days left everyone exhausted.
"Xiao Bai, thank you, goodbye!"
Xia Yang patted Xiao Bai's back and said softly.
"Goodbye."
Xiao Bai responded, then turned and swam into the deep sea, its figure gradually disappearing beneath the shimmering surface.
Xia Yang and his two companions leaped onto the dock, the wooden planks beneath their feet creaking slightly.
They smiled at each other and then headed towards their residence in Sea Spear City.
Before long, the city gates of Sea Spear City came into view of the three of them.
By this time, the sun had completely sunk below the horizon.
The bright moonlight rose quietly, its silvery glow spilling across the stone-paved streets of Sea Spear City, draping the island city in a hazy veil.
"Brother Xia, look over there, it's Ah Yin!"
Tang Yuehua gently nudged Xia Yang, pointed to a familiar figure on the street ahead, and said.
Xia Yang looked in the direction she was pointing and saw Ah Yin walking alone on the street, the moonlight casting a long shadow of her.
"They must have just finished today's Tidal Body Refinement and are only now going back to rest."
Xia Yang analyzed.
"Ah Yin--!"
Tang Yuehua waved and called out.
The figure in front turned around upon hearing the sound, and upon seeing who it was, immediately revealed a joyful smile.
"Yuehua! Xia Yang! Erlong! You're back!"
Ah Yin hurried over, her eyes filled with surprise, and said, "Why are you back so soon? Did the Divine Exam go well?"
"It went fairly smoothly."
Tang Yuehua explained with a smile, "Actually, we weren't much of a help in this Divine Exam. Killing that 100,000-year-old Evil Orca King was entirely thanks to Xiao Bai and Brother Xia."
"You can already kill Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast?"
Ah Yin looked at Xia Yang in surprise, her eyes filled with disbelief.
"Hehe, I have even more amazing skills."
Xia Yang said, half-jokingly.
No sooner had he finished speaking than a sharp pain shot through his lower back.
It turned out that Liu Erlong had seen him flirting with Ah Yin, so she secretly reached out and pinched his waist.
"Hiss--"
Xia Yang gasped and quickly dodged.
"Erlong, you went too far."
"Serves you right, who told you to talk nonsense?"
Liu Erlong rolled her eyes at him, then took Ah Yin and Tang Yuehua's hands and said, "Ah Yin, Yuehua, let's go, don't pay attention to this frivolous guy."
"Okay, let's go."
Ah Yin covered her mouth and chuckled softly. The three women walked forward hand in hand, their silvery laughter echoing in the night.
Xia Yang watched their retreating figures, shook his head helplessly, and muttered to himself, "Three monks have no water to drink, this is going to be difficult to deal with."
Despite saying that, a smile crept onto his lips as he quickly followed.
Before long, the four returned to their residence in Sea Spear City.
This is the resting place arranged for them by Sea God Island, a charming little courtyard filled with flowers characteristic of Sea God Island.
That night, Tang Yuehua and Liu Erlong stayed in Ah Yin's room to rest, while Xia Yang returned to his own room alone.
After drifting at sea for half a month, I can finally lie on a stable bed and get a good night's sleep tonight.
Although the bed was a bit hard and the bedding had a damp feel from the island, Xia Yang quickly fell asleep.
Meanwhile, in the next room, three women were still awake.
In the room after the lights were turned off, moonlight streamed in through the window, casting a soft glow.
The three lay side by side on a bed, initially silent, with only the sound of their even breathing rising and falling in the darkness.
Finally, Liu Erlong broke the silence first, saying, "Ah Yin, between you and Xia Yang... is it...?"
She hadn't finished speaking, but her meaning was already quite clear.
Ah Yin was silent for a moment before softly saying, "He and I... I'm sorry... I knew he belonged to both of you, I shouldn't have..."
"What's there to apologize for?"
Tang Yuehua turned to face Ah Yin and said, "It's only natural that someone as outstanding as Brother Xia would attract you."
"Besides, we already have Erlong and me, so having one more won't make a difference."
"Yuehua is right."
Liu Erlong sighed, his voice unusually clear in the darkness.
"Adding one more won't make a difference."
"However, we need to make this clear: three people is already too many. We can't let him bring any more people home in the future."
Although Liu Erlong is straightforward, she also has her own considerations in this matter.
She knew she was a newcomer and had no right to criticize Ah Yin.
At this moment, what she wanted to do more was to win over Ah Yin and Tang Yuehua and form an alliance among the three of them, so that Xia Yang would not provoke other women in the future.
"I think Erlong is right."
Tang Yuehua agreed, saying, "Three people are already quite a lot; we really can't let him continue his womanizing."
"Ah Yin, what do you think?"
Liu Erlong pressed for an answer.
In the darkness, upon hearing Liu Erlong's question, Ah Yin gently covered her face with the blanket.
At this moment, her face turned bright red with embarrassment, and her voice became barely audible.
"I... I'm willing to stand with you too."
"That's right!"
Liu Erlong laughed and said, "Then it's settled."
"Alright, alright, it's time to sleep. This trip at sea has exhausted me; I need to catch up on my sleep."
The room fell silent again, with only the faint sound of the sea breeze coming from outside the window.
The three women, each lost in their own thoughts, gradually drifted off to sleep.
The next morning, sunlight bathed Sea God Island.
After getting plenty of rest, Xia Yang and the other two accompanied Ah Yin to the Raging Waves Desolation.
This is a special trial ground on Sea God Island. The surging waves constantly crash against the stone pillars standing in the sea. This is where Ah Yin conducted her third Divine Exam.
Ah Yin easily leaped onto a stone pillar and began to receive the Tidal Body Refinement.
The waves crashed against her body again and again, but she remained as steady as a rock, simply closing her eyes and concentrating her mind, circulating her Soul Power to resist the might of nature.
On the shore, Xia Yang, Tang Yuehua, and Liu Erlong began to receive their rewards from this Divine Exam.