Thunder God's Second Trial! Xue Qinghe? Qian Renxue!

"Time limit: one year!"

Zhou Tao slowly opened his eyes.

Thunder God's Second Trial required him to defeat the emperor among plant-type Soul Beasts—the Thunder-Roaring Purgatory Vine, which possessed terrifying destructive power.

And it was a fifty-thousand-year Thunder-Roaring Purgatory Vine.

This type of Soul Beast possessed the Thunder God Bloodline and could summon terrifying Heavenly Thunder, turning an area within a thousand meters into a sea of lightning.

Even getting close to it would be extremely difficult.

Not to mention whether he could now absorb the Soul Power of a fifty-thousand-year Soul Beast and withstand the damage caused by its soul shockwaves.

Furthermore, a fifty-thousand-year Thunder-Roaring Purgatory Vine possessed intelligence. If it was unhappy, it could self-destruct.

It could be said that the Thunder-Roaring Purgatory Vine was a terrifying trial before Zhou Tao.

He even suspected that the Thunder God had given the Thunder-Roaring Purgatory Vine the same God Trial.

Making him and the Thunder-Roaring Purgatory Vine fight over the sole Thunder God Godhood.

Zhou Tao could ask Dugu Bo to help him deal with the Thunder-Roaring Purgatory Vine, but how could he prevent it from self-destructing?

After all, this kind of Soul Beast had plenty of backbone.

After self-destructing, it could even be reborn.

Zhou Tao fell into deep thought.

After a while, inspiration suddenly struck him.

"Although the Thunder-Roaring Purgatory Vine has a powerful bloodline, it is ultimately suppressed by the rules of the God Realm and cannot become a god."

"If I cooperate with it and bring it into the God Realm after becoming a god, perhaps it will willingly sacrifice itself to me."

Only then did Zhou Tao feel relieved.

"Next, I need to cultivate to the fourth realm as soon as possible, continue tempering my body, and find the Thunder-Roaring Purgatory Vine."

"When it comes to body tempering, the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well is no longer enough. I need to add some ten-thousand-year Whale Rubber so my physique can transform faster."

Heaven Dou Royal Academy.

Zhou Tao looked at the invitation from the Crown Prince's Residence. After careful consideration, he decided to meet Qian Renxue.

Before setting out, he also prepared a little surprise for Qian Renxue.

He took a carriage to the Crown Prince's Residence.

The moment he entered, his gaze sharpened involuntarily. A stunning golden-haired woman in a white dress stood there, like a fairy who had stepped out of a painting.

This woman's beauty was absolutely no less than Ning Rongrong's or Dugu Yan's.

"You must be Zhou Tao. I am His Highness Xue Qinghe's sworn sister, Qian Renxue. His Highness asked me to receive you."

When Qian Renxue saw Zhou Tao, a bright smile appeared on her beautiful face. She walked briskly over and spoke generously.

Zhou Tao's lips twitched. Was she playing dress-up?

Xue Qinghe was Qian Renxue!

"Thank you, Miss Xue."

Zhou Tao did not expose her either. He wanted to see what she was trying to do.

After entering the Crown Prince's Residence, Qian Renxue had Zhou Tao wait in the reception hall. Before long, he met Xue Qinghe.

She changed outfits rather quickly!

Zhou Tao silently grumbled.

Instead of cultivating properly, she was playing dress-up?

He soon saw the gently smiling Xue Qinghe. "Brother Xue, it has been a long time."

Zhou Tao greeted him with a smile.

"Little Brother Zhou, only a few years have passed since we last met, yet you have already made such a great name for yourself."

"You truly are the number one genius of Heaven Dou Royal Academy."

"I invited you here this time simply because I wanted to see you, my great genius."

"You met my sworn sister just now, didn't you? She has heard about you for a long time and has been clamoring to meet you."

Xue Qinghe smiled as he actually began introducing Qian Renxue. This meeting seemed to have turned into a matchmaking session.

And it was Qian Renxue, disguised as Xue Qinghe, matchmaking Zhou Tao with Qian Renxue.

Zhou Tao nearly failed to keep a straight face.

She really knew how to have fun.

As expected of a continent full of love-struck fools—everyone treated romance as their main profession, while cultivation was merely a side job.

"A radiant woman like Miss Xue has left a deep impression on me..."

Zhou Tao took the initiative to praise Qian Renxue, and Xue Qinghe beamed with delight.

Not long afterward, Zhou Tao presented the Seraph Flower and the Aromatic Silk Beauty Immortal Herb.

"This is the Seraph Flower and the Aromatic Silk Beauty. They are Immortal Herbs that can strengthen the origin of a Martial Soul. Consider them gifts for you, Brother, and Qian Renxue."

"The Seraph Flower is an Immortal Herb with a light attribute, suitable for strengthening Martial Souls with corresponding attributes."

"The Aromatic Silk Beauty can enhance the origin of all kinds of Martial Souls. It is an exceedingly rare treasure."

Xue Qinghe's face lit up with delight upon hearing this.

"Then I must thank you, Little Brother Zhou."

"I also have something good for you. I heard that you enjoy reading, so I will give you this copy of the Soul Beast Codex. It is a precious tome taken from Spirit Hall, and its records on plant-type Soul Beasts are especially comprehensive."

Zhou Tao's eyes lit up at those words. A precious tome from Spirit Hall—perhaps it contained the whereabouts of the Thunder-Roaring Purgatory Vine?

"Thank you, Brother."

After returning, Zhou Tao began examining the tome.

Hard work paid off. He finally found the whereabouts of the fifty-thousand-year Thunder-Roaring Purgatory Vine on one of its pages.

"It is actually hidden near the outskirts of the core region of the Star Dou Great Forest."

"Some Soul Beasts hundreds of thousands of years old dwell there."

"Looks like I will have to ask Dugu Bo and Sword Douluo to come with me."

The place was far too dangerous, so Zhou Tao had to bring several Title Douluos along.

Next, he began making intensive preparations.

He bought ten-thousand-year Whale Rubber to temper his body, consumed large quantities of Immortal Herbs to strengthen his origin, and cultivated in the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well.

A year later, his Soul Power finally rose from level 35 to level 40.

Then, under the protection of Dugu Bo, Ning Fengzhi, Sword Douluo, and Bone Douluo, he arrived in the depths of the Star Dou Great Forest.

Ten days later.

The five of them safely reached a mysterious valley deep within the Star Dou Great Forest.

Towering ancient trees blotted out the sky here, while thick vines coiled around their trunks like horned dragons. The air was filled with dense vitality.

There was also an intense aura of thunder permeating the entire valley.

"According to the records in the tome, the fifty-thousand-year Thunder-Roaring Purgatory Vine should be here."

He circulated his spiritual power at full force and discovered countless fine trails of lightning elements. Every plant in the entire forest contained astonishing lightning power.

The instant he stepped into the forest, Zhou Tao felt the astonishing Lightning Power.

Throughout the entire forest, every towering ancient tree seemed to have transformed into a lightning rod, turning the forest into a field of thunder.

Golden lightning flickered across the surface of every towering tree, rhythmically brightening and dimming as though breathing.

"This lightning is simply too powerful."

Zhou Tao lightly touched a tree trunk and immediately felt an intense surge of lightning power.

Having been bathed in the lightning field for so long, these trees had mutated and become lightning-attributed Soul Beasts.

After traveling for an hour, they finally arrived at the center of this vast valley.

At the center of the clearing stood an ancient altar.

The entire altar was bluish-black, engraved with intricate lightning patterns.

At the center of the altar was a massive blue-violet vine.

Boom!

Sensing someone approaching, the vines surrounding the altar wriggled madly. A vine-type Soul Beast awakened among them, its aura terrifying.

The main trunk of this vine was more than ten meters thick, its surface covered in blue-violet lightning patterns, with fine arcs of electricity coiling around every strand.