First Encounter with Life

After resolving the issue with Gui Mei, Yue Guan couldn't wait to drag him outside the city for a sparring session.

On one hand, it was to help his old friend familiarize himself with his newfound power as quickly as possible; on the other, he was also quite curious about Gui Mei's current abilities.

Lin Ze'an watched the two leave with a helpless sigh, then turned and walked toward his new residence alone.

However, as he passed through one palace complex after another, his footsteps gradually slowed.

He looked around at the towering, magnificent architecture, and his brow furrowed involuntarily.

"Life God King, if you wish to see me, you could be more direct. There is no need for such tests."

As he spoke, Lin Ze'an slowly raised his hand, and emerald-green energy flowed from his fingertips, sending ripples through the air.

Wherever those ripples passed, the surrounding scene of the magnificent palaces began to twist and distort.

"Crack—"

A faint shattering sound rang out, and everything within his field of vision was instantly covered in spiderweb-like cracks.

Finally, with a thunderous boom, the scene before him shattered completely like a mirror.

The fragments scattered in all directions, but before they could hit the ground, they transformed into specks of green light and dissipated.

Behind the shattered illusion, a completely different space was revealed.

As far as the eye could see, it was filled with lush vegetation, and exotic flowers and herbs of all colors swayed gently in the breeze.

The entire space was brimming with vibrant vitality, and every inch of air was permeated with the refreshing, soothing scent of plants.

Just then, a rich, pale green light suddenly converged from all directions.

It slowly condensed in front of Lin Ze'an, taking the form of an elegant figure.

A woman in a long dress appeared quietly, her entire being radiating a warm aura that made all things flourish.

She looked at Lin Ze'an and said gently, "I am very pleased to meet you, traveler from another world."

"I believe you have already sensed my presence."

As she finished speaking, a faint, elusive smile touched the corners of her lips, and the surrounding flowers swayed gently in response to her mood: "I am the Goddess of Life of this world."

Lin Ze'an was stunned for a moment, then bowed slightly to the Goddess of Life and said, "Greetings, Life..."

But before he could finish his bow, the Goddess of Life stepped forward to support him: "There is no need for thanks, and even less need for formalities."

She smiled lightly and said, "Although the authority of life you wield has not yet fully awakened, it is not inferior to mine."

"If you grow to my level, I fear you might even surpass me, so we should treat each other as equals."

She tilted her head, thought for a moment, and asked tentatively, "You may call me Little Green, and I shall call you Little An, how does that sound?"

If nothing else, the fact that this child could discover her illusion and break it so easily was something many first-level gods could not achieve.

Lin Ze'an nodded, though he felt somewhat unaccustomed to the nickname.

But looking at the Goddess of Life's sincere smile, he softly replied, "Life... Little Green."

Hearing this, the Goddess of Life smiled gently and waved her hand casually; a table woven from vines and two stump stools grew from the ground.

She sat down gracefully and gestured for Lin Ze'an to join her: "I noticed you the moment you activated that soul skill."

"I had intended to make you my successor, but now that I am face-to-face with you, I realize I was overthinking things."

With that, the Goddess of Life reached out and poured two cups of clear tea condensed from dew for them.

"Let's just consider this a way to get to know each other and have a chat," she said with a smile, pushing a cup of tea toward Lin Ze'an.

Lin Ze'an thanked her, sat down, and took a small sip of the tea.

He looked at the Goddess of Life and said with some confusion, "I thought no one would know that I am not from this world."

Hearing this, the Goddess of Life asked in surprise, "Hm? You didn't know?"

"We both possess the authority of life and can listen to the voices of all things; naturally, we can also sense those foreign auras."

Even every plant has its own uniqueness, so the aura of one world is naturally different from another.

She reached out and touched Lin Ze'an's brow lightly: "Your soul's connection to this world is not yet deep enough, much like a newly transplanted sapling whose roots have not yet fully taken hold in the soil."

Lin Ze'an nodded thoughtfully; although that was true, no one else could have discovered it besides the Goddess of Life.

"Then, Little Green, do you not mind? An outsider stirring up trouble in this world?"

Hearing this, the Goddess of Life said helplessly, "Mind? Why would I mind?"

"The only thing I mind is those who trample upon life, but you would never do that."

When a Soul Venerable faced a God King, Lin Ze'an was not afraid of her because of the aura of life she possessed, which deeply loved all things in the world.

And she trusted Lin Ze'an for the very same reason—because he possessed that same aura.

Just as the two were enjoying their conversation, a strange fluctuation suddenly swept across the area.

Lin Ze'an and the Goddess of Life stopped talking almost simultaneously.

"This is..." Lin Ze'an frowned slightly, looking at Little Green beside him in confusion.

The Goddess of Life waved her hand gently, and a verdant curtain of light unfolded before the two of them, clearly projecting the scene within Spirit Hall.

Under their watchful gaze, a phantom figure landed silently before Douluo Hall.

The figure was clad in blue and gold ceremonial robes, their features blurred and indistinct; shockingly, the guards seemed completely unaware of their presence.

"Poseidon?" the Goddess of Life murmured instinctively.

Following this, Poseidon walked straight through the tightly shut hall doors and arrived before the sacred statue of the Angel God inside.

He paused before the statue for a moment, then slowly raised his hand.

A surge of blue divine power flowed from his palm, silently seeping into the interior of the Angel God statue.

The divine power wandered within the statue, the entire process lasting for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.

When the final wisp of divine power merged into the statue, Poseidon's figure began to turn transparent, slowly dissipating into the air.

Lin Ze'an, having witnessed the entire process, felt the corner of his mouth twitch slightly as he turned to look at the Goddess of Life beside him: "This...?"

So, was this how Qian Renxue's Nine Trials of the Angel actually came to be?

The Goddess of Life at his side was wearing a look of utter confusion.

The Angel God had fallen so long ago; what was the Sea God doing? Surely he wasn't reminiscing about an old friend?

She reached out and tapped the air lightly, causing the scene in the light curtain to rewind and freeze at the exact moment Poseidon injected his divine power into the Angel God statue.

The Goddess of Life observed the flow trajectory of that divine power carefully, her brows knitting tighter and tighter.

Watching her perplexed expression, Lin Ze'an reminded her in a low voice: "Can the gods here interfere with each other's inheritances at will?"

At these words, the Goddess of Life was stunned. Surely not?

The Angel God and the Sea God were said to be friends before they ascended to godhood; even if they had a falling out later, the Angel God had already fallen—would the Sea God really be this ruthless?

Nevertheless, she slowly extended her own divine power into the Angel God statue.