The light inside the Sea God Hall held the solemnity of ten thousand years of history.
Golden light spilled down from the dome, falling upon the statue of the Sea God, carved entirely from deep-sea jade, making it seem almost to breathe.
But he only glanced at it before turning his gaze to the seemingly unremarkable black staff not far away.
He knew better than anyone that this seemingly ordinary object was the divine artifact bearing the Sea God's authority: the Sea God Trident.
Yet at that moment, the artifact lay dormant in silence. Only the inheritor who passed the Sea God Seven Trials would be worthy of awakening it.
Bo Saixi led him through the main hall and into an elegant room at the back.
The furnishings were simple yet luxurious, and the air carried the faint fragrance of sea blossoms. Beyond the window stretched the azure sea, a pleasant sight.
Bo Saixi turned to look at the child before her, a gentle smile on her face, though her eyes were unusually serious. "Little Qing, from this moment on, you are the Holy Son of Sea God Island. On this island, your status is supreme. No one is worthy of receiving your courtesy—not even me."
Ye Qing was slightly taken aback. He hadn't expected Bo Saixi to accept his identity so quickly.
It seemed the rules of Sea God Island were even stricter than he had imagined.
"The only thing you need to do now is cultivate with undivided attention and increase your Soul Power. Then, step by step, pass the trials Lord Sea God left behind and ultimately bring the Sea God's glory back to the world."
At that, she paused, then softened her tone as she reminded him, "If you need anything, or have any questions about cultivation, you can come to me at any time. My room is right next door."
With that, she turned and left. The door closed softly, leaving Ye Qing alone in the room.
Ye Qing walked to the window and gazed at the waves churning outside. He let out a helpless sigh.
To outsiders, becoming the inheritor of the Sea God was an enormous stroke of fortune, but he had other plans in mind.
Rather than the Sea God Inheritance, he was more inclined toward Asura God and Angel God.
Asura God hardly needed an introduction. He was, after all, a God King.
As for Angel God, the answer was even simpler.
His Martial Soul was Seraphim, part of the Angel lineage.
If the two were to merge, his future achievements and cultivation speed would surely surpass those he could attain through the Sea God Godhood.
But...
"What a pity..."
At the thought, Ye Qing clicked his tongue softly. Then his gaze sharpened, and he thought, It's too early to worry about that. The most urgent thing now is figuring out how to deal with Tang San.
He and Tang San had no grievances between them. They could even be called fellow countrymen, since they had both come from another world.
But that didn't stop him from seeing the other man as his greatest threat.
He knew that once Tang San inherited the Asura Godhood, his nature would never allow him to tolerate someone with the potential to threaten him.
By then, even if Ye Qing became a god, he would inevitably be constrained by Tang San. Reaching the position of God King would be harder still.
"So I have to strike first. Otherwise, I'll be the one to suffer if I act too late..."
Ye Qing lightly tapped the window ledge with his fingertips. A cold glint flashed in his eyes as he decided, Looks like I'll have to start laying the groundwork early.
Meanwhile, after leaving Ye Qing's room, Bo Saixi went straight to the main hall. She knelt before the Sea God statue, clasped her hands together, and closed her eyes, sinking into communion with the Sea God.
She wanted to understand why the Sea God had chosen a child with an Angel Martial Soul as his inheritor.
She also wanted to know what they should do next.
Yet a quarter of an hour passed, then half an hour...
The statue remained silent. No divine message came.
Bo Saixi slowly opened her eyes. A flicker of confusion crossed them, but she soon let it go.
"Lord Sea God must be busy with affairs in the Divine Realm and have no time to respond." She gave it no further thought. After bowing respectfully, she rose and left the main hall.
What she didn't know was that, at that very moment, Poseidon was suffering a splitting headache in the Sea God Hall of the Divine Realm.
At the center of the hall stood a peerlessly beautiful goddess, dressed in a golden gown, with six radiant wings unfurled behind her.
She held the Angel Holy Sword in her hand, her lovely face flushed with anger. She was none other than Angel God.
The divine aura surrounding her had nearly solidified, and the seawater in the hall rippled under its pressure.
She was clearly furious, on the verge of exploding.
It was understandable, really. Seraphim was far superior in quality to the Six-Winged Angel, so it was only natural that Angel God would take an interest in its wielder.
What she hadn't expected was that before she could act, the Sea God would strike first.
"Poseidon, why don't you tell me what you think you're doing?" Angel God's voice was cool, but her suppressed fury was impossible to miss.
Poseidon sat on the Sea God's throne and furrowed his brow, feigning composure. "Angel, you barged into my Sea God Hall with the Holy Sword in hand. Isn't that rather rude? If you dare to keep acting so recklessly, I'll report you to the God Realm Committee!"
"Report me?"
Angel God was nearly laughing with rage at the Sea God's words.
The fire in her golden eyes burned hotter as she berated him. "You stole my inheritor, and you still dare bring up the God Realm Committee? I'd like to see whether they'll side with you, the Sea God who's snatching someone else's inheritor, or with me!"
Poseidon's heart lurched, but he continued to play dumb. "What inheritor? I don't know what you're talking about."
"Stop pretending!"
Angel God stepped forward, pointing the Holy Sword straight at Poseidon as she demanded, "That child who awakened an Angel Martial Soul on Sea God Island should have been my inheritor! You had all those people with water-type Martial Souls to choose from, yet you just had to steal mine. What are you up to?"
"What do you mean, your inheritor?"
Poseidon stuck out his neck and flatly denied it. "That child was born and raised on Sea God Island, and awakened his Martial Soul here. Naturally, he's an inheritor of my Sea God! Are you saying he belongs to you just because his Martial Soul is an Angel?"
"Isn't that exactly what it means?"
Angel God laughed in her fury and pinned a damning accusation on the Sea God. "The Angel Martial Soul has been the foundation of my Angel lineage's inheritance since time immemorial. When has Sea God Island ever had an Angel Martial Soul in all its ten thousand years? I say you sent someone to Spirit Hall to abduct him!"
"Utter nonsense!"
Sure enough, Poseidon shot to his feet at those words, the seawater around him surging. "That child is an orphan born and raised on Sea God Island. He has nothing to do with your Spirit Hall! He's on my Sea God Island, so he belongs to my Sea God. There's no way I'm handing him over!"
Although he didn't know why someone with an Angel Martial Soul had appeared on Sea God Island, there was no way he would hand the child back to Angel God.
"Well, isn't that a fine 'no way'!"
Angel God raised the Holy Sword, and golden divine power soared into the sky as she threatened, "Today, I'll see whether you can protect him!"
In an instant, divine light intertwined within the Sea God Hall. The pressure from two colliding forces of supreme divine power swept in every direction, even changing the color of heaven and earth.