Faced with Di Tian and the others' questions.
Seeing that the struggle for control had ended in a temporary draw, Fang Le nodded.
"Of course. However, my Soul Skills still need to be unlocked, so please wait a moment.
I also wonder if you could capture a live Hundred-Year Soft Bone Rabbit for me.
That's also related to unlocking my Soul Skills.
Oh, and if possible, please prepare plenty of food for me."
There was no need to hide anything. After all, they were more or less on the same side now.
"Unlocking them? Your Soul Skills have restrictions on their use?"
Fang Le's words immediately puzzled Di Tian.
After all, if even using his Soul Skills was restricted, Di Tian honestly couldn't see how Fang Le could be the hope of the Soul Beast Clan.
"Ah! Uncle Di Tian, it's not what you think. When Fang Le says his Soul Skills need to be unlocked, he means he has to undergo some kind of trial before he can truly use their power."
Seeing Di Tian's confusion, the Three-Eyed Golden Lion offered an explanation.
After all, she had happened to see the information about Fang Le's first Soul Skill earlier, while in his spiritual sea.
"A trial?! Does he have to undergo a trial for every Soul Skill he unlocks, or only for the first one?"
At the mention of a trial, Di Tian, an old hand from the Douluo Continent who had fallen from the Divine Realm, immediately thought of something.
A God Trial. If this boy was the inheritor of a god, and the godhood he inherited was high enough, then perhaps he really could become a hope for the future.
But after the excitement came disappointment. Even if it was a high-ranking godhood, so what?
Could it be higher than the Lord's? Unless it was at the God King level—but how likely was that?
"It's more or less what you're thinking. It counts as a God Trial, but it's not a god from the Douluo World."
Fang Le felt that since they were making a deal, he had to show them what he brought to the table.
Ideally, he could get them to invest everything in him right away.
"Th-this...! Scarlet King, go find a Hundred-Year Soft Bone Rabbit!"
Sure enough, after Fang Le revealed that he was the inheritor of a God Trial, Di Tian's attitude toward him immediately improved.
He gave an order to Scarlet King, who was standing nearby.
"If what you've said is true, Star Dou Forest will become your steadfast backer."
Di Tian looked at Fang Le with a complicated expression.
It was better to have one more friend than one more enemy.
After fate had drawn them together, Fang Le already had one foot on the same boat as Star Dou Forest.
And even if Fang Le wasn't willing, Di Tian would find a way to pull him fully aboard.
After all, a god who stood on the Soul Beasts' side was very important.
Though he didn't want to admit it, the Silver Dragon King was indeed a little overwhelmed on her own.
"I won't make any grand promises. As long as Star Dou Forest can protect me through the early stages, Fang Le will repay you in due course."
He didn't make any grand promises, mainly because he still wasn't sure how much he could accomplish.
But one thing was certain: Fang Le always repaid his debts.
After speaking, Fang Le began looking around for a tree that met the trial's requirements.
Fortunately, in this era, the Douluo Continent hadn't exploited nature as excessively as it would by the time of the third installment.
And since he was in the depths of a Soul Beast Forest, towering trees were everywhere. It didn't take long to find a suitable target.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
A rapid series of fists pounding against wood rang out through the quiet forest.
"Ugh... that really hurts!"
Though his Martial Soul had enhanced him, punching a tree with his bare hands still sent waves of pain through him.
While Fang Le gritted his teeth and punched away at the tree,
Di Tian watched the ridiculous scene with wide, blank eyes.
"What is he doing?"
God Trials weren't all grand and lofty, but they had never sunk to the point where you could pass by punching a tree!
That was so low-level—not even an attendant's trial was this easy!
Had so much time passed that the world had changed?
Had God Trials become ten thousand times easier?
Or was the god who had given Fang Le this godhood making an exception for him?
Or was this just preparation for the trial, with some other bizarre challenge still to come that Di Tian didn't know about?
"Punching a tree. One part of Fang Le's trial is to punch through a tree like that one. The other is to kill a Hundred-Year Soft Bone Rabbit with his bare hands."
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion's explanation shattered the last bit of hope Di Tian had held onto.
A trial this weak didn't look like the trial a high-ranking god should give.
"I'm back. The hundred-year rabbits are really hard to find... Uh, what's he doing?"
Not long afterward, Scarlet King came leisurely back with a Hundred-Year Soft Bone Rabbit dangling from one of his mouths.
Then he saw Fang Le madly punching the tree in front of him as if he were possessed.
For a moment, all three heads were stumped by what the guy was doing.
A simple campfire burned in their makeshift camp. The sky shifted from bright to dark, but Fang Le kept punching the tree.
Aside from Scarlet King, who stayed behind to keep watch, the Auspicious Beast and Di Tian couldn't stand the tedium and had gone wandering through the mountains and woods.
Rumble!
After hours of relentlessly pounding away at it, the tree finally toppled over.
"Whew~ finally!"
Fang Le let out a long breath and popped an unknown fruit into his mouth. The severe injuries on his fists quickly healed.
After several hours of this, he'd nearly beaten his fists numb to the pain.
Without the special ability granted by HIM's Martial Soul, his hands would definitely have been ruined.
"Finally, that's over. Hurry and kill this Soft Bone Rabbit. I want to see what kind of Soul Skill a ridiculous trial like this will unlock."
Scarlet King had been lying nearby, bored enough to count the stars. Seeing the tree fall, he too let out a long breath.
He tossed the Soft Bone Rabbit in front of Fang Le. It had been pinned in place by his fearsome aura and couldn't move.
"Mm!"
Fang Le said nothing more. Numbly, he threw a punch at the Soft Bone Rabbit before him.
Every punch landed without holding back, with all his strength.
So even though the Soft Bone Rabbit was a Hundred-Year Soul Beast with tenacious vitality,
it still died beneath his fists.
And the instant he ended the Soft Bone Rabbit's life,
a strange sensation briefly appeared, then quickly vanished.
All that remained was Fang Le staring blankly at his hands.
There was no surge of energy, just a feeling—a single thought.
Now, nothing could withstand him.
"Woohoo! Your Emperor Auspicious Beast is back!"
Fang Le hadn't yet recovered from the tedium of punching the tree.
Then he saw the Auspicious Beast bounding ahead and leading Di Tian back toward the camp.
"Did you complete the trial? What ability did you get?"
Di Tian looked at Fang Le, who was still dazed, and asked indifferently.
He'd long since given up hope.
What powerful ability could come from such an easy trial?
Even asking that felt like a waste of breath.
"Mm! It's a powerful ability. Try it out and see for yourself!"
Fang Le didn't have the energy to explain any further.
He silently willed the ability into action, then raised his right hand as if to knock on a door and quickly swung it toward Di Tian.
The attack was fast, but it was clear he wasn't using any strength.
"Heh! Huh?!"
Before you continue