Lin Qiu's divine sense was as unyielding as iron. A golden figure stepped out from between his brows and stomped the illusion to pieces in one blow.
The Fourth Trial: Inner Demons.
The inner demon had barely emerged, and hadn't even had time to speak, before it was frightened into vanishing on the spot by the domineering aura of someone who acknowledged no one but himself.
The Fifth Trial...
The Sixth Trial...
Until the end of the Seventh Trial.
Lin Qiu remained seated cross-legged where he was. Even the creases in his clothes hadn't shifted.
The Soul Power within him had already surged through the bottleneck at Level 70, unstoppable as a mighty force, after this series of "supplements" and the cleansing rush of Mother Qi of All Things.
Level 71.
Level 75.
Level 78.
In the end, it came to a steady stop at the threshold of Level 80.
Peak Soul Saint!
With just one more Soul Ring, he could officially enter the Soul Douluo realm.
"That's it?"
Lin Qiu rose to his feet, feeling that he hadn't had enough.
This so-called trial of the God of Destruction felt like starting a new game with a max-level character and replaying the beginner village dungeon.
There hadn't been the slightest challenge.
Just then, a purple-black beam of light descended from the heavens, piercing straight through the roof of the Pope Palace and enveloping Lin Qiu.
It was a divine reward.
A jet-black bead, its surface flowing with dark golden divine patterns, slowly floated before him.
The energy contained within this bead was ten times greater than that of the previous seven trials combined.
[ Ding! Congratulations, host, on passing the Seven Trials of Destruction (overwhelmingly surpassed the required progress). ]
[ Reward acquired: one Destruction Origin God-Bestowed Soul Ring. ]
[ System automatically optimizing... ]
[ Optimization complete: Removed the hidden controlling will within the Destruction Divine Sense, retaining only pure law energy. ]
[ Quality upgraded: Starting at one hundred thousand years, it can automatically grow according to the host's physical limits. ]
Hearing the system's notification, Lin Qiu nodded with satisfaction.
Although the system was a little unhinged most of the time, it was pretty reliable at crucial moments like this.
It had even thought to remove the "extra baggage" hidden in the divine sense for him.
"My Eighth Soul Ring is taken care of."
Lin Qiu reached out and grasped the bead.
Without a moment's hesitation, he crushed it.
Boom!
A torrent of energy, violent beyond compare, instantly poured into his body.
If anyone else tried to absorb a God-Bestowed Soul Ring of this caliber, even a Titled Douluo would have to proceed with extreme caution and prepare all sorts of supplementary medicines.
But Lin Qiu was different.
Golden light blazed in his Bitter Sea, while Mother Qi of All Things flowed through his meridians like a divine furnace that had subdued the ages, forcefully refining and compressing the violent energy.
Ten minutes later.
A Soul Ring, blackish red with dark golden patterns along its edges, slowly rose from beneath his feet.
The aura it gave off was even more terrifying than that of the hundred-thousand-year Soul Ring on Bibi Dong.
"Level 80."
Lin Qiu clenched his fist.
Feeling the strength within him, powerful enough to tear apart mountains, a brilliant smile appeared on his face.
"So this is the power of a Soul Douluo?"
"No."
"More accurately, even without using Soul Power, my physical strength alone should be enough to pin that so-called Level 99 Qian Daoliu to the ground and rub him into the dirt, right?"
Of course, this was only his guess.
He'd have to test it to know for sure.
"Time to head out."
Lin Qiu straightened his clothes and pushed open the secret chamber door.
Outside the Pope Palace.
The sun was shining.
Lin Qiu took a deep breath of fresh air, feeling exceptionally refreshed.
By his reckoning, he'd been in seclusion for several days.
"I wonder how that girl Xue'er is doing."
Lin Qiu rubbed his chin.
He'd been doing a mission earlier and had built Ning Rongrong up a little too much.
"I'd better go make it up to her."
Having made up his mind, Lin Qiu set off toward the Worship Hall.
Qian Renxue was still posing as Xue Qinghe, but she returned to the Worship Hall every so often to report to Qian Daoliu and train.
She happened to be in Spirit City these past few days.
He had just reached the foot of the God Mountain where the Worship Hall stood.
A golden figure dropped from the sky without warning, blocking Lin Qiu's path.
The newcomer wore golden robes and had a full head of white hair and beard. Though his face was old, it was rosy, and his skin was as smooth as a baby's.
With his hands behind his back, he gave off not the slightest trace of Soul Power. Yet, simply standing there, he seemed like the incarnation of light, inspiring people to bow down in worship.
The Grand Pontiff of Spirit Hall.
A Level 99 Peerless Douluo.
Qian Daoliu.
In the past, or if it had been anyone else, they would have dropped to their knees and kowtowed at the sight of this great figure.
But Lin Qiu merely stopped and gave the old man a once-over.
"Well, if it isn't Grandpa Qian."
With his hands in his pockets, Lin Qiu greeted him as casually as if he were chatting with the old man next door. "What brings you down the mountain for a stroll today?"
At that form of address, the corners of Qian Daoliu's mouth twitched uncontrollably.
This kid was as disrespectful as ever.
If anyone else dared speak to him like that, the holy light would have purified them to ash long ago.
But when it came to Lin Qiu...
Qian Daoliu took a deep breath. A warm, kindly smile spread across his face, with even a hint of ingratiation.
"Xiao Qiu, you've come out of seclusion?"
Qian Daoliu's voice was so gentle it could have dripped water. "Your aura is restrained, and your spirit shines from within. I presume your cultivation has advanced considerably?"
His attitude was so outrageous that even Lin Qiu was taken aback.
He was the Holy Son, sure, but he belonged to Bibi Dong.
Although Qian Daoliu and Bibi Dong maintained a semblance of peace in public, behind the scenes they were sworn enemies.
In the past, the old man hadn't exactly threatened to kill him whenever he saw him, but he'd certainly acted like, "Don't bother me."
Had he taken the wrong medicine today?
What Lin Qiu didn't know was that Qian Daoliu was also falling apart inside.
Just a few days ago, when Lin Qiu had caused such a commotion in the plaza, the Angel God Statue in the Worship Hall had inexplicably begun to tremble.
It wasn't the kind of trembling that signaled a divine manifestation.
It was... fear!
That's right. After serving the Angel God for so many years, Qian Daoliu was feeling fear in the emotions transmitted by the statue for the first time.
Then, a Divine Oracle descended.
Its message was simple—and utterly absurd:
"No matter what that young man named Lin Qiu does, go along with him. You must never offend him! If you can make him happy, then even if you have to bring him a basin of water to wash his feet, it will be worth it!"
Qian Daoliu had been stunned on the spot.
Your Excellency, Angel God, you're a god!
The exalted, pure, and flawless Angel God!
Why did this Divine Oracle sound so... much like a lovesick lapdog?
But a Divine Oracle could not be disobeyed.
So Qian Daoliu had deliberately waited here today to put the "lapdog" policy into practice.
"Not bad. I was just doing some casual training."
Lin Qiu thought the old man was acting a little strangely, but couldn't be bothered to look into it. "I'm going to see Xue'er. She's up there, right?"
"Yes, yes, she is!"
Qian Daoliu nodded repeatedly and stepped aside to clear the way. He even helpfully extended a hand in a "please, after you" gesture. "Xue'er is praying in front of the Angel God Statue. She'll definitely be delighted to hear you're here."
Five-star service.
Before you continue