The instant the booming voice fell silent, space twisted around Lin Chuan, forming a vortex.
The vortex moved slowly and gently. The solid space around him seemed to turn to water, transforming into purple-black energy that was entirely drawn into his body.
Lin Chuan's consciousness drifted back to the scene from before the Nine Asura Trials had begun.
Meanwhile, he himself felt an indescribable energy flow into every limb and bone.
A faint, metallic sword-song rang out within him, accompanied by waves of killing intent that grew ever more intense.
The sword's killing aura was sharp and unstoppable.
Lin Chuan immediately sat cross-legged and began refining and comprehending this Killing Sword Intent.
Killing intent and Killing Sword Intent complemented each other. As he comprehended them, the two forces merged, and the surging, fearsome killing intent became pure and sharp in an instant.
He could clearly feel his strength increasing.
Once Lin Chuan had fully comprehended the Killing Sword Intent, the killing intent around him carried the sword's sharpness and deadly aura.
At the same time, purple-black energy flowed into his body, causing all the Spirit Rings beneath his feet to appear involuntarily.
His Soul Ring Configuration of yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, and red transformed into purple, purple, purple, black, black, black, and red.
The First Soul Ring and Second Soul Ring both rose to two thousand years, while the third rose to seven thousand years and the fourth to over twenty thousand years.
The remaining Spirit Rings also gained several thousand years, more or less, making Lin Chuan's Level 78 Soul Power even more robust.
It might still take some time to break through to Level 79, but it wouldn't be long.
The reward this time wasn't limited to an increase in the age of his Spirit Rings. More importantly, Lin Chuan seemed to have gained a clearer sense of the world around him.
This was the reward for the "new" Asura God Trial: an affinity for comprehending the Law.
The new godhood born when Giratina's divine nature devoured the Asura Inheritance retained the same Nine Trials, but nothing else remained unchanged.
The godhood and its rewards had both been corrupted and transformed.
The Asura Power affinity that should have been awarded had become a trace of insight into the Asura Law.
Those who inherited the ordinary Asura legacy could only walk along the solid path already forged for them. They couldn't escape it; they could only follow the road.
They might be spared the wind and sun outside, but they could only follow the path carved by those who came before, whether it was right or wrong.
Thinking back to what had happened, Lin Chuan asked Giratina in his mind:
"If we corrupt the Asura Inheritance and turn its rewards into insight into the Asura Law, can we corrupt other inheritances too?"
Giratina replied proudly:
"Of course. We're corrupting the inheritance, not accepting it."
"After we corrupt them, just think of those inheritances as trials you enter a secret realm to undergo."
Hearing that explanation, Lin Chuan immediately thought of the other godhood inheritances—the Sea God Inheritance.
The most direct way to confirm it would be to obtain the Heaven Dou Empire's national treasure, the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud.
The Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud was, in essence, the Heart of the Sea God made manifest. When someone touched it, it would assess them and recognize them as its master. That meant they had been chosen to become the Sea God.
That wasn't something he needed to think about just yet, but he had a way to obtain it.
His relationship with Qian Renxue wasn't bad. If he talked to her, she might be willing to give it to him.
While Lin Chuan was lost in thought, the Second Trial of the Nine Asura Trials appeared before him.
Nether Blood Sea, Ten Thousand Soul Tempering:
Descend into a sea of utmost evil, where hundreds of millions of resentful spirits will cling to you and devour your soul. Use your Soul Power as a guide to refine the spirits' malice while holding fast to your heart and resisting their influence. This trial tests the resilience of your Soul Power and your ability to control evil.
Failure Penalty:
If the resentful spirits retaliate, their malice will clog every meridian in your body. You will endure a hundred days of bone-piercing pain before the backlash dissipates.
This was another trial to temper his mental strength. It was meant to ensure that he could hold fast to his heart amid all manner of deception and hatred, without being swayed by outside forces.
But a failure penalty had been added as well. It wasn't severe, but it was enough to make a person suffer for a while.
Judging by what had happened before, the First Trial must have had a similar penalty for failure.
Perhaps he would have to endure the pain of a real death on the spot or something of the sort, only less severe.
From its requirements alone, it was clear that this Second Trial was much harder than the First.
After a moment's thought, Lin Chuan withdrew from the trial. He had no intention of completing the Second Trial right now.
Half a month later.
It was a bright, sunny morning. Sunlight spilled across the courtyard, and the Blue Silver Grass growing between the bricks swayed in the breeze, unyielding.
Lin Chuan sat cross-legged in a recliner, palms turned skyward, rapidly absorbing and refining the surrounding energy of heaven and earth.
Even with the help of Immortal Herbs, a Spirit Saint needed far more Soul Power to break through than a Soul King—several times as much.
In the original story, Tang San and the others had gained seven or eight levels as Soul Ancestors. But as Spirit Saints, they probably wouldn't gain even two.
His breakthrough would still take some time, so when he sensed someone outside, Lin Chuan had already stopped cultivating.
The old, worn wooden door was pushed open from the outside with a creak.
The face of the person opening it appeared through the gap.
The girl had long, narrow fox eyes, their outer corners tilted slightly upward as if she were secretly smiling. Her lips were soft and pink, lightly pursed. Her gaze held excitement, curiosity, and a searching look, along with a subtle hint of hesitation.
Her light golden hair fell in glossy, distinct layers, part of it pinned up, lending her a neat look with a girlish touch.
Her overall bearing was cool, with a trace of bewilderment—as if she were a shy little fox cautiously searching an unfamiliar place for something in particular.
They hadn't seen each other for several months, and the short hair he remembered had grown long.
It lent her bewitching, alluring air a touch of domestic charm.
At the same time, the girl caught sight of Lin Chuan reclining in the chair. He was even more striking than she remembered.
At last, she was face-to-face with the man she loved. Unable to hide her delight, she pushed the courtyard gate open, dashed inside, and threw herself at him.
"Stupid Lin Chuan, you've been staying here without even coming back to see me. Don't you miss me at all?"
She complained, but she didn't look unhappy in the slightest. Feeling his presence close by, she was positively glowing inside.
Lin Chuan looked helplessly at Hu Liena, who was speaking muffledly against his chest. He poked her flushed cheek with a long finger and asked curiously:
"What are you doing here? Did Ling Yuan bring you?"
At that, Hu Liena pinched Lin Chuan hard at the waist, annoyed.
"Don't change the subject. Who said you could ruin the mood?"
"Instead of asking that, you should pay more attention to me. Anyway, Sister Ling Yuan will be here soon, along with my brother and Yan, and... Zhu Zhuqing!"
At the mention of Zhu Zhuqing, Hu Liena's gaze grew even more furious. She clenched her fist and shot Lin Chuan a threatening look.
"Is there something going on between you and that Zhu Zhuqing?"
She was adorable like this. Even when angry, those alluring fox eyes always held a bewitching charm, while her personality remained utterly girlish.
"Nothing's going on."
Lin Chuan's expression remained calm. His conscience was clear.
Hu Liena didn't believe him. She scrutinized him suspiciously.
"Whatever. You're the one making all these girls fall for you. If I catch you doing it again, you're finished!"
"Got that?"