Shui Bing'er bowed slightly.
"Thank you for your praise, Lord Fire God."
The Fire God's figure faded with the divine light, and his final, resounding words echoed through the temple:
"Huang Yan, you now have level eighty-four Soul Power, the Fire God Phoenix, and a two-hundred-thousand-year spirit ring. Only now do you truly have some claim to inherit my divine position.
Rest, train hard, and consolidate your strength. I shall be watching from the Divine Realm, waiting for the day you reach the very pinnacle!"
As his words faded, the Fire God's phantom vanished.
Huang Yan let out a long breath and turned to Shui Bing'er, a confident, easy smile on his handsome face.
"Bing'er, let's go.
The trials here are over for now. There are matters awaiting us in Heaven Dou City that it's time to settle."
Shui Bing'er slipped her arm through his. A gentle yet resolute smile lit up her cool, beautiful face.
"All right. Wherever you go, I'll be with you."
Side by side, they stepped through the secret realm's barrier.
A breeze carrying the scent of trees and grass greeted them as they stepped out of the Secret Realm barrier.
Huang Yan stretched, then glanced at Shui Bing'er beside him.
"How do you feel, Bing'er?
You've spent so long training with me in the secret realm. Are you tired?"
Shui Bing'er shook her head lightly, a soft smile on her lips.
"I'm not that delicate.
With you protecting me, and the divine power in the Fire God's temple tempering me little by little, my Soul Power has actually grown purer and more solid.
But... where do we go next?
Back to Heaven Dou City, or did you have something else in mind?"
Huang Yan checked their bearings and gazed toward the southwest of the continent.