Venti was muttering to himself when a soft laugh suddenly came from beside him.
"Teacher, who are you thinking about?"
Bai Chenxiang, dressed in a white, fitted uniform, walked over.
She carried a plate of freshly washed grapes, her lively eyes gleaming with mischief.
Years of training had stripped away her former innocence, making her more capable—and even more charming.
Her snug uniform hugged her well-developed figure. Her long legs, in particular, looked exceptionally shapely and strong, nourished by wind-attribute Soul Power.
She set the grapes beside Venti, then sat down next to him.
"You look so pensive."
"Are you thinking about your wife?"
"If you miss her, you can go find her."
"After all, you're the city lord of the most powerful force in the world now. You could just snatch her back. Who in Spirit Hall would dare stop you?"
Venti was reaching for a grape when he heard that. His hand froze in midair.
He turned to look at Bai Chenxiang, dumbfounded. She was grinning from ear to ear.
"What do you mean, thinking about her?"
"She only left a few days ago, you know?"
"Wait..."
Venti finally caught on, his eyes widening.
"How did she become my wife?"
"I'm not even married! Where did you get a wife from?"
Bai Chenxiang spread her hands and put on an innocent expression.
"Oh, Teacher, don't pretend."
"When Sister Qian Renxue stayed at our academy, she came to see you every day."
"She brought you good wine, listened to you play the qin, and even helped you tidy your room."
"That look in her eyes—anyone who wasn't blind could see what was going on."
Bai Chenxiang peeled a grape and held it up to Venti's lips, smiling mischievously.
"Besides, we've been calling her your wife in private for years."
"Sister Shui Bing'er calls her that, and so does Sister Dugu Yan."
"Are you telling me you only just found out?"
Venti opened his mouth and swallowed the grape. It was sweet, but why did it taste a little sour as he chewed?
"You girls..."
Venti shook his head helplessly and flicked Bai Chenxiang lightly on the forehead.
"Instead of focusing on your cultivation, you spend all day scheming about nonsense."
"She and I are drinking buddies, got it? Drinking buddies."
"We're just... friends who can drink and talk together."
Bai Chenxiang covered her forehead but didn't complain. She only quietly watched Venti's profile, so handsome it was almost unfair, even when he was scolding her.
Deep in her eyes lurked a hint of infatuation, almost impossible to notice.
Drinking buddies?
What drinking buddies would quarrel with their own mother for each other?
What drinking buddies would rush back, even from a thousand miles away, when the other was in danger?
Bai Chenxiang felt a pang of sourness in her heart.
If only...
She truly wished she had been the one to meet Venti first.
Then, could they have been more than teacher and student?
Then, could she have been the one her teacher always talked about, the one everyone called his "wife"?
"All right, all right. Stop daydreaming."
Venti's voice pulled her out of her thoughts.
He pointed toward the sky.
"Look. The eighth place is about to be revealed."
Bai Chenxiang quickly hid her little thoughts and looked up at the Sky Curtain.
Above them, the golden light had completely faded.
In its place was a vast expanse of blue.
It was a deep, boundless blue, as though an endless ocean had been overturned above the sky.
Crash—crash—
The crowd seemed to hear waves pounding against the rocks. They could even smell the salty tang of sea wind in the air.
Amid the surging blue light, a huge trident slowly emerged.
Its entire body was pitch-black, but a faint golden gleam showed beneath the dark surface.
The shaft was thick and heavy, engraved with ancient, intricate wave patterns. A terrifying pressure emanated from it, as if it could subdue all the seas.
Even looking at its phantom made people feel as though they were suffocating deep in their souls, pinned beneath ten thousand tons of seawater, unable to move.
[Rare Treasure Ranking, Eighth Place: Sea God Trident!] [Type: Super Divine Artifact] [Owner: Tang Sect Master / Sea God Successor—Tang San!]
At last!
The moment they saw that familiar name, the entire continent erupted once more.
The cheers were especially deafening at Jialing Pass, where the Tang Sect's base burst into uproar.
"Third Brother! It's Third Brother!"
Ma Hongjun jumped up in excitement, his whole body jiggling.
"I knew it! There was no way Third Brother's divine weapon wouldn't make the ranking!"
"Eighth place! Higher than that Angel Holy Sword!"
Oscar's face flushed red as he pumped his fist in excitement.
"Fantastic! Let's see how those people from Spirit Hall can act so arrogant now!"
"Bibi Dong's tenth, Qian Renxue's ninth, and our Third Brother's eighth!"
"That's the difference in strength!"
Even Ning Rongrong, who was usually composed, gazed at Tang San with shining eyes and undisguised admiration.
In their hearts, Tang San was synonymous with invincibility—the man who could create miracles.
However...
Tang San, the person in question, didn't look particularly pleased.
Seated in the main seat, he stared at the rankings on the Sky Curtain, his brows furrowing even more tightly.
"Eighth place..."
Tang San murmured, his fingers unconsciously rubbing the Sea God Mark between his brows.
He wasn't satisfied.
Not at all.
In his eyes, the Sea God Trident was the Sea God's own divine weapon. It weighed one hundred and eight thousand jin and wielded the divine power to control the sea.
How could such a divine weapon rank only eighth?
"Since I'm in eighth place, that means..."
"There are a full seven treasures in this world ranked above the Sea God Trident?"
How was that possible?
Aside from the Asura Demon Sword and the Angel Holy Sword, he couldn't think of anything else that could rival the Sea God Trident.
Could it be something that Venti in Godwind City possessed?
A shadow crossed Tang San's eyes.
He couldn't stand the feeling of being outranked.
Just then, the Sky Curtain revealed the rewards.
[In recognition of the Sea God Trident's eighth-place ranking, a reward is hereby bestowed!] [Reward One: The Sea God Trident is upgraded and gains the "Demon-Slaying" trait!] [Effect: Deals devastating damage to all creatures with evil or dark attributes! In addition, every attack carries the purifying effect of Sea God's Light!] [Reward Two: Sea God Soul is bestowed upon the owner, Tang San!] [Effect: The owner's soul is directly elevated to the divine level! No matter where he is, even if separated by thousands of miles, he can draw upon the power of the sea, his Soul Power surging without end and never running dry!]
With these two rewards, Tang San's expression softened a little, though he had been dissatisfied at first.
The Demon-Slaying trait was clearly meant to counter Bibi Dong's Rakshasa Demon Scythe.
And the Sea God Soul stirred his heart even more.
A divine-level soul, and the power to draw upon the sea.
This meant that the greatest weakness he faced in battle on land had been made up for.
Even in an inland region like Jialing Pass, he would possess endless Soul Power, just as he did at sea.
"Whew..."
Tang San let out a long breath, feeling a cool, immense force flow into his mind. It was the sensation of his soul ascending.
His spiritual power spread out in an instant, as though the entire world lay within his grasp.
But even so...
As he stared at the enormous number "eight," the thorn in Tang San's heart remained.
"Not enough..."
"Still not enough."
"Eighth place alone isn't enough to give me absolute dominance."