Could I Ask You for a Favor, Senior?

Bo Saixi nodded to them and said:

"Only yourselves can help you. This is the only hint I'll give you. Of course, I wouldn't be so sure of your guess if you hadn't already figured it out."

"Each test that follows will be more difficult than the last. You will need to put in even more effort."

"Thank you, senior. But, could I trouble you with a favor?"

Lin Xia said to Bo Saixi.

"Tell me. As long as it's not related to the trials you need to endure, I will try my best to fulfill your request."

Bo Saixi's eyes flickered, and for the first time, everyone realized that even an aura of nobility could be intimidating.

To them, the Sea God Douluo before them was no different from the sea itself—both were unfathomable depths.

Lin Xia said:

"I hope you can have someone provide us with some food and water. Plenty of water would be best, as you can see."

As he spoke, he pointed to his tattered clothes, which were almost soaked through with sweat, blood, and dust and stuck to his skin, and then to his equally disheveled companions behind him, who looked as if they had been pulled out of the mud.

Xie Yue's short, silver hair was matted together with sweat, while Hu Liena's long, dark red hair had lost its luster.

Yan's robust body was covered with scabs formed from tiny bloody cuts.

Dugu Yan's dark green skirt was torn in several places, and Ye Lingling's cool and aloof face was also stained with dirt.

Sea God Island enjoys a spring-like climate year-round, quite unlike the outside world.

As they climbed the stairs through the Crossing Sea God's Light, everyone's clothes were soaked through with sweat from the extreme pressure, and were further torn by their own dissipated Soul Power and the impact while resisting the pressure.

Although everyone has a change of clothes in their Storage Soul Tool, there isn't enough clean water to take a bath and thoroughly wash the clothes.

I'm afraid it won't be long before the smell from my body comes out, which is really unseemly in this sacred forbidden area and will also affect my state of mind.

"If we have enough food and water, we can stay here and continue our cultivation, so as not to waste this precious year."

Lin Xia's voice was slightly hoarse from exhaustion, but her eyes remained calm and resolute.

He knew all too well how astonishing the tempering effect of this double Sea God's Light was; every moment spent there meant an improvement in his strength, and he was absolutely unwilling to waste it.

Bo Saixi looked at Lin Xia with some surprise, a barely Frisk hint of approval flashing across her eyes, which seemed to hold the weight of countless ages. She said:

"Are you planning to stay here indefinitely?"

She had assumed they would return to Sea Horse City to rest first.

Lin Xia took the initiative to make the decision for everyone, his tone leaving no room for doubt, which was his responsibility as the core of the team.

"Every minute and every second of this year is extremely important to us. Senior, please grant our request."

His companions behind him, including Xie Yue who had just endured the terrifying repulsive force, all nodded silently, their eyes showing no objection, only the same determination.

Hu Liena even clenched her fists secretly, and the red seven-pointed star on her forehead glowed slightly.

Bo Saixi smiled slightly, a smile like the melting of an icy sea, instantly softening her suffocating majesty and bringing an indescribable sense of approachability.

"All right."

Her ethereal voice carried a hint of agreement.

"I will instruct people to prepare for you."

She paused, her gaze falling on the Ring Sea behind them, nestled at the foot of the mountain like a sapphire, shimmering golden in the setting sun, and added:

"Oh, by the way, the seawater in this Ring Sea in front of you has a very low salinity and is extremely clean. It contains a gentle Sea God's Power, so it's perfectly fine to use it to cleanse your body, and it even has a slight benefit in restoring your strength."

Lin Xia was overjoyed, and a relaxed smile finally appeared on his tense face. Without him saying anything, everyone bowed to the supreme Grand Pontiff of Sea God Island and said in unison:

"Thank you, Grand Pontiff!"

Bo Saixi nodded slightly, acknowledging the gesture.

She said nothing more. Her long, azure dress, seemingly formed from the purest seawater, moved without wind, and her long, sea-blue hair shimmered with a Mew luster.

The next moment, her figure, like water vapor merging into the sea breeze, silently and without warning faded and disappeared from the spot.

There was no fluctuation of Soul Power eruption, no distortion of space, as if she had never truly existed here, or as if she had completely merged with this world, with the towering Poseidon Sea God Mountain, and with the Ring Sea beneath her feet.

The power of a peak Titled Douluo -level expert has reached an inconceivable level of control over space.

As Bo Saixi departed, the immense, boundless, and invisible pressure that had enveloped everyone's hearts suddenly dissipated. The air seemed to regain its flow.

"Call--!"

Almost simultaneously, several sighs of relief were heard.

Yan plopped down on the cool, smooth rocky ground of the Ring Sea with a dull thud. He rubbed his still slightly aching chest and shoulders, wincing in pain.

"My God... This Grand Pontiff is even more suffocating than the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King... When she looked over, I felt my Soul Power freeze."

The black six-pointed star mark on his forehead seemed to have dimmed a bit.

Xie Yue did not sit down. He leaned on his Moon Blade, his silver eyes fixed on the spot where Bo Saixi had disappeared, and said in a deep voice:

"A level 99 Peak Douluo, the Sea God's representative on earth... truly deserving of the title. Simply standing before her is a test of one's will."

He recalled the feeling of being almost unable to think under the gaze of those deep eyes.

"Lin Xia!"

Hu Liena quickly walked to Lin Xia's side, her purple eyes filled with concern and heartache. She took out a clean handkerchief, wanting to wipe the dried blood and sweat stains from his face.

"How are you? Double the pressure..."

She couldn't imagine the terrifying pressure Lin Xia was enduring alone.

Lin Xia gently brushed her hand away, wiped her face haphazardly with her sleeve, and forced a reassuring smile, though the smile seemed somewhat strained due to exhaustion and chapped lips.

"It's alright, I can handle it. This pressure... is a tempering furnace."

He looked down at his clothes, which were also covered in dirt and scabs, making it almost impossible to tell their original color. He felt a strange sensation within his body, as if it had been completely emptied out and then Sheer Force injected with a faint warm current—a sign that his body was instinctively absorbing external energy after his Soul Power had been exhausted to the extreme.

Every recovery after reaching a limit is an opportunity for a leap forward.

Ye Lingling's clear, cold voice rang out.

"Everyone should treat their external injuries first. Although most of the impact from being thrown back was absorbed by your Soul Power, you still have quite a few lacerations to your skin and muscles, as well as the backlash from overexertion."

Her Nine Heart Begonia Martial Soul had quietly emerged in her palm, radiating a soft aura of life, and began to heal some obvious abrasions on Dugu Yan, who was closest to her.

Dugu Yan smiled gratefully at her, then looked at Lin Xia.

"Lin Xia is right, the cultivation effects here are amazing. But Sheer Force to cultivate when you're in such poor condition will only make things less effective. Once you get clean water and food, you can wash up and then adjust your breathing to recover; the effects will be much better."