It's Up to You

"No need!" Sea Spear Douluo refused without hesitation, his tone even more impatient than before. "Our Sea God Island has its own healing methods; there's no need for you to trouble yourself!"

This was quite blunt, almost a direct slap in the face.

Standing behind Ning Fengzhi, Sword Douluo Chen Xin frowned almost imperceptibly. His aura instantly became as sharp as a drawn sword, and an invisible sword pressure spread out, making the surrounding air seem to freeze slightly. He was clearly displeased with how Sea Spear Douluo treated Ning Fengzhi.

Ning Fengzhi, however, seemed completely oblivious, his smile unchanged. Instead, he gently gestured to Chen Xin, telling him to calm down.

"I see, I was being presumptuous." Ning Fengzhi nodded readily, his tone still gentle, even carrying a perfectly appropriate hint of apology. "In that case, I won't bother you any longer."

He acted extremely generously and understandingly, as if he really just came to express his concern, and did not pester him after being rejected.

After saying this, he bowed slightly to Sea Spear Douluo, then turned and left leisurely with Chen Xin, without showing the slightest disappointment or dissatisfaction, as if he had really just come to give an insignificant greeting.

However, in the instant he turned around, a very faint glint of light flashed in the depths of his gentle eyes.

Sea Spear Douluo stared blankly at Ning Fengzhi's decisive departure, his tension eased slightly, but his doubts remained. He simply found these mainlanders hypocritical and troublesome, and stopped thinking about it, turning back to worry about the dejected Luochuan and the others.

Little did he know that Ning Fengzhi this trip.

Being rejected after personally coming to express his "goodwill" was within Ning Fengzhi's expectations. He hadn't really hoped to gain the trust or acceptance of Sea God Island immediately. This contact was more like testing the waters, leaving a vague impression in their minds that "the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had shown goodwill."

The invisible game often unfolds quietly in these seemingly ordinary interactions.

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As long as one person joins or becomes close to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, Ning Fengzhi is confident that he can figure out the method for Sea God Island to increase the age of Soul Ring.

certainly...

Ning Fengzhi also wanted to figure out why the Soul Power of this generation of the Spirit Hall had increased so rapidly.

Ning Fengzhi sat calmly in the VIP seats, watching the upcoming matches with a composed expression, but the turmoil in his heart could not be calmed for Jiujiu. His gaze occasionally swept over the several young men and women with amazing auras in the Spirit Hall First Team's rest area, especially the two Six-Winged Angel Soul Saint who had not yet gone all out, and the mysterious support-type Soul Saint Bian Que.

"A Soul Emperor or Soul Saint at fifteen..." This thought swirled in his mind like a nightmare. As the sect master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect School, he had witnessed the continent's most outstanding geniuses and possessed the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, hailed as the number one support-type Martial Soul in the world. He knew firsthand the difficulty of Soul Master cultivation. According to the norm on the continent, breaking through to Soul Emperor before the age of twenty-five was already a rare genius; a Soul Emperor at twenty was considered an unparalleled prodigy; and fifteen... This completely overturned his understanding.

Even Ning Fengzhi himself is only a level 79 Soul Saint. Although his inability to break through is due to a flaw in his Martial Soul, the fact is that he, the sect leader of the number one support sect in the world, will be surpassed by a junior who is the same age as his daughter.

The civilization of the Douluo Continent suffers from a break in continuity. The glorious era of Soul Tool has long been lost to the annals of history, and the cultivation methods that have been passed down to this day can be described as "primitive." The mainstream approach relies on the Soul Master's own talent to accumulate Soul Power through meditation and arduous training, supplemented by medicinal diets and Mimicry Cultivation Environment with limited effects, which are controlled by some large families or sects. This model is inefficient and extremely dependent on individual aptitude and the accumulation of resources.

This is precisely why those "unorthodox and heretical methods" that can rapidly enhance Soul Power are so tempting. For example, some Fallen Soul Master inherit forbidden methods that cultivate by plundering the Soul Power, life force, or even soul of others. However, such methods are often accompanied by huge side effects and cruel costs, and have always been the target of the Spirit Hall's severe crackdown. Most of these Soul Master eventually escape or are exiled to the Slaughter City.

"If it weren't for the fact that their Martial Soul all possess strong positive attributes of light, holiness, or uniqueness..." Ning Fengzhi to himself, his gaze lingering particularly on Xiang Yu and Qian Renxue's Six-Winged Angel, Arthur's Holy Sword Holy Shield, and Dongfang Jing's Blazing Sun Divine Radiance, "I would almost suspect that the Spirit Hall is secretly raising a team composed of Fallen Soul Master."

The attributes of light are usually contrary to those sinister and plundering methods. This is a barely valid reason to rule out evil magic, but it cannot explain their terrifyingly fast cultivation speed.

"Spirit Hall... what exactly do you possess?" Ning Fengzhi's fingers tapped unconsciously on the armrest.

He recalled fragmentary records in ancient books about secret techniques or wondrous objects that might have existed in ancient times and could greatly accelerate the cultivation of Soul Master, but those had all become legends with the loss of the Soul Guidance Civilization.

Did the Spirit Hall find some ancient ruin? Or have they cracked some lost secret technique?

Or is it... related to their legendary belief in the Angel God? The owner of the Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul already has an extraordinary cultivation speed, but to be this fast is simply too astonishing.

The Sea God of Sea God Island, the Angel God of the Spirit Hall?

Could the legends be true? Do gods really exist in this world?

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Thousands of miles away, far from the hustle and bustle of Spirit City, in a desolate mountainous region, a suffocating atmosphere of oppression and bloodshed permeated the air. A figure was frantically fleeing in an extremely disheveled state, his clothes tattered and stained with mud and dark blood, his body surrounded by a cold, God of Evil, yet extremely unstable purplish-black energy fluctuation. It was Tang San, who had become Fallen Soul Master and was undergoing the Rakshasa God's Trial.

His eyes were filled with exhaustion, madness, and extreme resentment. If it were an ordinary Soul Master, or even a Soul Douluo- level expert, chasing after him, he would be confident that with Tang San's cunning and unpredictable fighting style and endless Hidden Weapon and poison techniques, he could outmaneuver him and even find an opportunity to counterattack.

But the terrifying aura that followed him like a shadow, chilling to the bone and filled with insane hatred, came from Bibi Dong!

At this stage, Tang San has not yet taken the "Looking Through Autumn Water" drug, his Purple Demon Eye cultivation has not yet reached its highest level, and he has not cooperated with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect Hidden Weapon.

At this stage, Hidden Weapon and poison are not very effective against Bibi Dong, whose Martial Soul is the Death Spider Emperor.

At the same time, Tang San also felt helpless about Rakshasa God's "stinginess," as the reward for passing the First Trial was pitifully small.

Chapter 231 It's Up to You

As Tang San felt his Soul Power rise from level 45 to level 47, and as the faint, yet chilling and sinister, Rakshasa Divine Power merged into him, his face showed no joy, but rather a barely concealed gloom and mockery.

Soul Power increased by two levels, Rakshasa Divine Power affinity increased by five percent... Heh, that sounds pretty good.

Tang San sneered inwardly, but it only 'sounded' good.

As a god-king in his previous life, Tang San had incredibly high standards. Compared to the two, Rakshasa God's "reward" seemed as meager as charity in his eyes!

Tang San clearly remembered how generous and lavish the rewards were when he took the First Trial of the Sea God in his previous life, "Crossing the Sea God's Light".

His Sea God Affinity increased by 5%, and during the assessment, thanks to the pressure of the Sea God's Light, his Soul Power naturally broke through from level 68 to level 70! This was entirely due to a combination of his own efforts and opportunities, not a direct gift from the divine test.

After the breakthrough, the Sea God immediately bestowed a divine Soul Ring upon him.

With his unwavering will and powerful physique, he absorbed the energy for a full hundred days, raising the age of his Soul Ring to a terrifying 100,000 years!

After absorption, his Soul Power soared to level 74.5!

Having experienced the Sea God's generous rewards, the Rakshasa God's rewards seem rather stingy.

In his First Trial Rakshasa God, he endured the psychological torment of murdering his master, devoured Yu Xiaogang and Zhao Wuji, and committed such heinous crimes, yet all he gained was a mere two-level Soul Power at the Soul Ancestor level and a vague 5% affinity.

The Rakshasa God is utterly disgraceful to all First-Level God!

The thought flashed through Tang San's mind again, filled with disdain. He knew all too well what this so-called "divine affinity" was. To put it bluntly, it was just a progress bar for becoming a god.

Before achieving 100% affinity and truly inheriting the divine position, the benefits of this affinity are negligible. It merely makes it slightly smoother when he mobilizes the Rakshasa Divine Power, and its improvement in actual combat strength is almost insignificant.

Thinking of this, he missed the "convenience" of inheriting the Asura God in his previous life even more.

"Why bother with such a complicated test..." Tang San scoffed inwardly. In his previous life, he had hardly experienced any proper Asura God Trial. He relied entirely on the Asura God's "cheating," using Xiao Wu's special status as the Asura Sword Sheath to directly infuse him with a massive amount of Asura Divine Power in one step.

The so-called "affinity" was instantly maxed out, and a divine position was directly bestowed upon him—how swift and decisive! Unlike now, where he still has to struggle bit by bit under the rules of this evil god to earn this pitiful "charity."

This huge psychological gap made Tang San increasingly dissatisfied with the Rakshasa God, and at the same time strengthened his resolve: he must complete the assessment as soon as possible, obtain enough power to get out of his current predicament, and then... perhaps he could look for an opportunity to see if he could once again vie for a higher godhood, such as the Asura God that he regarded as "his own possession".

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Whatever contempt and scheming Tang San felt in his heart, Rakshasa God, sitting in the dark corner of the Divine Realm, was completely indifferent, and might even have enjoyed watching his unwillingness and struggle with a hint of pleasure.

Her code of conduct was completely different from the Sea God's upright and honorable way of carefully cultivating his successor.

The Sea God's trials are step-by-step gifts, designed to guide and elevate; while the Rakshasa God's trials are essentially a meticulously designed torture, a path of depravity that leads the successor to continuous decline through extreme pain and betrayal. She enjoys the process, not the result.

This is why Bibi Dong, who was exceptionally talented in her previous life, spent such a long time in her divine trials, her heart twisted to the extreme, before she finally managed to become a god.

Her divine power, filled with darkness, depravity, and resentment, is itself a poison. As the inheritor wields it, their minds are constantly eroded. If they are not careful, they will be completely lost in the indulgence brought by the power, and ultimately become puppets completely controlled by the Rakshasa God's consciousness, rather than the true masters of the divine position.

Moreover, the Rakshasa God is arguably one of the stingiest deities in the Divine Realm. She is too lazy to even prepare a decent place for her own inheritance, and has always sneakily tried to undermine the Asura God by using the Asura God's trial ground in the human world— the Slaughter City —to select and torture her own candidates.

After Tang San completed the First Trial, a cold, malicious divine thought entered his mind:

The Second Trial of the Rakshasa: The Path of the Hunter.

Content: Slaughter the Man Faced Demon Spider clan, and use their resentment and poison to refine your External Soul Bone and Martial Soul.

Duration: One year.

The determination of this assessment content was also the result of Rakshasa God's "weighing". Her initial idea was to directly have Tang San hunt down the possessor of the Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul, which would best satisfy her perverse tastes and hatred for the Angel God. But the reality is that there are only four people in the world who possess the Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul: two level 99 Limit Douluo (Qian Daoliu and Qian Xunji), and the remaining two are both Soul Saint.

Sending Tang San, who's only level 47, to deal with them? That's no different from sending him to his death. Although Rakshasa God enjoys seeing his successor suffer, he doesn't want to destroy a toy that seems to have "good potential" so quickly.

Looking at Tang San's unfortunate state—with enemies all over the continent and being relentlessly hunted by the Spirit Hall —she hesitated for a long time before reluctantly setting this relatively "pragmatic" Second Trial.

"Alright then," the Rakshasa God's malevolent thoughts swirled, "Let's upgrade this kid's Eight Spider Lances first, and use the venom of the Demon Spider to completely corrupt and transform his Martial Soul, making him more like a proper killing tool. As for the rest... we'll deal with that later."

Her gaze then fell upon the woman, Bibi Dong, who was also filled with pain and hatred.

"Two heirs..." A more sinister plan took shape in her mind. "That seems more interesting. Let's find an opportunity to subject that woman to a divine test as well. Let them see each other as mortal enemies, grow stronger through hatred, and only the one who survives will be qualified to become the new Rakshasa God."

She couldn't wait to see the incredibly dramatic expressions on Tang San and Bibi Dong's faces when they learned they were both candidates for the Rakshasa God. There was no better drama than seeing them devour each other in agony.

At this moment, Tang San's eyes grew even colder after receiving the Second Trial. Hunting the Man Faced Demon Spider clan? This suited him perfectly. The Eight Spider Lances originated from the Man Faced Demon Spider; if he could devour the essence of the entire clan, he would surely undergo astonishing evolution. This Rakshasa God had finally done something "useful."

He licked his lips, a bloodthirsty glint in his eyes, and his figure merged into the darkness. His path of depravity, guided by the Rakshasa God, was leading him step by step into deeper darkness.

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Spirit City, the first round of fierce and brutal elimination matches has ended, leaving some elated and others heartbroken.

The second round of the competition is underway, but that's none of the people from Sea God Island's business anymore.

Unlike the other eliminated teams, the Sea Spear Douluo did not pack up and leave the city that symbolized the authority of the Spirit Hall.

He sat alone in the room arranged by the Spirit Hall, his brows furrowed, pacing back and forth. His usually dignified face was now filled with worry.

He wasn't worried about the loss in the match; wins and losses are common in war, and with a monster lineup like the Spirit Hall First Team, losing wasn't shameful. What truly troubled him was the dejected and conflicted look on Luochuan Chuan's group of kids after the match.

If these kids were just making empty boasts, saying things like "I won't come back until I win the championship," then Sea Spear Douluo would definitely give each of them a good whack on the head, give them a good scolding, teach them a lesson they wouldn't forget, and then drag them back to Sea God Island by the ears to punish them as they should. Young people suffering a little setback and getting a lesson is nothing to worry about.

The problem is... these ignorant and unlucky kids!

When they left Sea God Island, they actually made a vow in front of the statue of Sea God!

I swear in the name of the Sea God, if I fail to achieve my goal...

This is an extremely serious and sacred constraint for Sea Soul Master who regard the belief in the Sea God as the highest meaning of life.

Sea Spear Douluo himself was one of the most devout believers of the Sea God, and he simply could not casually say, "It's okay, come back with me." To do so would not only be a trampling on the faith in these children's hearts, but to some extent, it could even be considered a desecration of the Sea God's majesty. He could not, and dared not, "forgive" such a vow on behalf of the Sea God.

"Sigh..." Sea Spear Douluo sighed deeply and sat heavily in his chair. On one side was the ironclad rule of Sea God Island —those who pass the Black Level or higher assessment must protect Sea God Island for life; on the other side was the vow made by the children in the name of the Sea God, a vow that could no longer be fulfilled. It was simply an unsolvable deadlock.

He rubbed his throbbing temples, his gaze sweeping over the blank sheet of paper on the table. Finally, he made up his mind.

"This matter is beyond my control," he muttered to himself.

He picked up his pen, dipped it in ink, and began to write respectfully. He wanted to record everything that had happened here—the course of the competition, the terrifying strength of the Martial Soul Hall Team, the children's vows, and the predicament they were now facing—in the most urgent way possible, through the special channels of Sea God Island, to be sent to the distant overseas, to be presented to the highest authority of Sea God Island, the Sea God's representative on earth—High Priest Bo Saixi.

Only the High Priestess is qualified to represent the will of the Sea God and make the final decision on this matter. Should the children be forcibly brought back so that she can personally intervene to break the bondage of the oath? Or should she make an exception and allow them to remain on the continent to seek other opportunities to fulfill their oath?

Faced with this incredibly difficult choice, Sea Spear Douluo decided to return it to Bo Saixi intact. In the days leading up to the reply, he and the Sea God Island Team could only remain temporarily in the Spirit City, a place that filled them with immense oppression.

He sealed the written letter using a special method, summoned a trusted subordinate, and solemnly ordered him to depart immediately. Watching his subordinate leave, Sea Spear Douluo looked out the window at the towering Pope Palace of the Spirit Hall, his heart filled with complex and indescribable emotions. He vaguely sensed that this trip to the continent would probably not end so simply.

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Pope Palace

Qian Xunji is leisurely arranging the behind-the-scenes scheme for the next round of the lottery.

Qian Renxue sat beside him. Although she had won the competition, she was not happy; instead, she was quite depressed.

Because the Spirit Hall Third Team was eliminated.