Poseinan lay on his back on the beach.
His face was pale, and he looked utterly exhausted, yet the corners of his mouth curled into a carefree, triumphant smile.
"Hahahaha, Sister Xiao Bai, I really did it!"
"I didn't let the old man down, did I?"
When he had first transmigrated and become the Son of Sea God, he had felt immense pressure.
Because of his father, the gods had placed great hopes in him. That very weight of expectation had left him at a loss.
He was afraid he wouldn't be like the transmigrators who had come before him in his previous life.
After all, in his previous life, he had been just an ordinary person.
As the old saying went, "He who would wear the crown must bear its weight."
But when the crown was so heavy that its heir couldn't lift it, it became a kind of sin.
Poseinan had been afraid, too. What if his Martial Soul underwent a mutation? What if he hadn't inherited his father's talent...
But now, he had utterly crushed every last obstacle!
Not just the Soul Skill, but absorbing the Soul Ring had been fraught with peril, too.
Yet Poseinan had persevered through it all, thanks in no small part to the iron will he had forged over all those years in the Divine Realm, tempered beneath his father's pressure.
Even someone with the same physique would likely have struggled to accomplish the feat of making their First Soul Ring a three-thousand-year one.
Seeing the boy, exhausted but brimming with confidence, Xiao Bai played along enthusiastically: "Of course! Our Little Nan Nan is the greatest Soul Master in all of Douluo Continent, from the very beginning to the present day!"
Of course, she meant every word.
As the Sea God's mount, she had waited countless years, longing for the next Sea God to appear.
Now that this hope had finally arrived, she was happier than anyone. She wanted to give everything to protect him, even... her life!
"Sister Xiao Bai, you're really laying it on thick!"
Poseinan wasn't about to let a little success go to his head.
He slowly sat up and gazed out over the distant Endless Sea, his heart surging with bold ambition. His tone suddenly sharpened. "But I'll prove it with time."
"I, Poseinan, am the undisputed greatest of all Douluo Continent!"
Tang San had relied on the Tang Sect Secret Arts from his previous life to become one with two gods.
Huo Yuhao had relied on Tian Meng handing him a cheat to become the God of Emotions, and later even ascended to God King of Emotions.
As for him, Poseinan...
Even without any cheats, even with nothing but this divine blood coursing through his veins, he would prove himself.
"If the enemy can come to us, so can we!"
The young man gripped a phantom trident and stood on the beach, facing the surging sea, his spirit soaring.
"Well said!"
Xiao Bai's eyes brimmed with admiration. This was the master she had sworn her loyalty to.
Poseinan's gaze darkened. The Sea God Trident, which had been a mere phantom, gradually solidified and floated before him.
The golden patterns engraved on the trident radiated a majestic divine light.
Though this wasn't the Sea God Trident's true form, the cold gleam flowing along its prongs was enough to make one's eyes sting at a single glance.
"Wrath of the Sea God!"
This was a technique that pursued the utmost in attack and speed.
Poseinan gripped the trident tightly and fixed his gaze on the sea before him, his eyes instantly surging with intensity.
"Now!"
Misty water vapor clung to the trident.
The calm waves around them instantly grew rough and turbulent, as if they would devour every living thing.
He swung the trident in his hand with all his might.
The trident shot toward the distance, trailing a crescent of razor-sharp light.
The sea shuddered. A sharp whistle split the silence, and the raging waters were instantly cleaved apart.
"Boom!"
A tremendous explosion thundered into the sky.
The trident plunged straight into the sea. The tranquil waters were instantly stained red, and a gigantic creature slowly surfaced.
Seeing that something had happened, Xiao Bai immediately rushed over. "Th-this is...!"
Once she got a clear look, she stared in disbelief. "You killed a thousand-year-old Evil Tiger Demon Whale with a single strike?"
The Evil Tiger Demon Whale was one of the highest-ranked Sea Soul Beasts in these waters, second only to the Deep Sea Demon Whale!
At the same level, an Evil Tiger Demon Whale could even go toe-to-toe with the land-dwelling overlord, the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear.
That was thanks to its formidable offense and defense.
But the terrifying power of Wrath of the Sea God had shattered its skull outright, leaving its corpse horrifying beyond words.
Once Xiao Bai had recovered, she hurriedly asked, "Little Nan Nan, how did you find it?"
Even she, a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, hadn't sensed it just now.
Poseinan clasped his hands behind his back and withdrew his Martial Soul, his expression calm. "When I was in the Divine Realm, Father once took me to the Endless Sea. There, he used his pressure to help me hone my perception. I'm no less sensitive to the sea than any of you."
Xiao Bai could only sigh with envy. "As expected of the born master of the sea!"
"But by rights, your First Soul Skill shouldn't have been able to pierce its defenses. The defense of a thousand-year-old Evil Tiger Demon Whale is comparable to that of an ordinary ten-thousand-year Soul Beast."
Xiao Bai's confusion remained.
Poseinan smiled as he explained. "I have my First Soul Skill to thank for that. It has an armor-piercing effect. Any armor facing my Wrath of the Sea God is weakened by thirty percent."
"And unless I stop attacking for more than ten seconds, that armor-piercing debuff won't fade."
Xiao Bai fell silent.
A long while later, she looked at him with a complicated expression and finally managed to get one word out:
"Monster!"
A Soul Skill with armor-piercing was already incredibly powerful for an ordinary Soul Master.
But yours comes with an armor-piercing buff that won't fade as long as you keep attacking?
Any defensive Soul Master who runs into you is in for a world of pain!
No, not just defensive Soul Masters.
Soul Beasts, too!
After all, wasn't a Soul Beast's greatest advantage over humans its formidable body?
But if one ran into Poseinan, wouldn't it be doomed?
Xiao Bai drew a deep breath and took a few steps back. "Little Nan Nan, I think I'd better keep a little distance from you."
Poseinan chuckled and leaned closer. "Hehe, Sister Xiao Bai, there's no need. We're family. Why would I use Wrath of the Sea God on you?"
Xiao Bai let out a sigh of relief and pinched his cheek. "At least you have a conscience. I'd hate for letting your old man ride me for over a thousand years to go to waste!"
"Little Nan Nan, I'm your mount now."
"Really?"
"Of course! From now on, you can ride me by day or by night. You're the next Sea God, after all."
For some reason, a mischievous grin curled Poseinan's lips.
Was she talking about the kind of riding he was thinking of?
Riding Xiao Bai by day, and riding Xiao Bai by night?
"Hehehehe!"
Xiao Bai shuddered with revulsion at the sound. "Hey, hey, hey, why are you laughing so creepily?"
Poseinan hastily gathered his thoughts. "Ahem! It's nothing, nothing. I just thought of some important matters concerning the succession on Sea God Island."
"Sister Xiao Bai, stand guard for me. I plan to strike while the iron is hot and absorb my Second Soul Ring, too."
"Okay."
Xiao Bai didn't ask a single question. She simply stood quietly watch over him.
Poseinan adjusted his condition, then sat cross-legged once more to focus and crushed the golden light in his hand.
Thanks to his experience from last time, the absorption went incredibly smoothly.
It took barely the time to burn a stick of incense.
The instant he opened his eyes again, two thousand-year Soul Rings rose beneath Poseinan's feet.
The second ring's deep hue was already edging toward black.
Eight thousand years—the Second Soul Ring!