Within the spiritual world.
The hundred-meter-tall Asura God Statue stood in the void, its Shura divine might filling the entire spiritual world.
Su Qi raised his head and looked directly at the statue without fear, though there was a measure of respect for his own Deity.
"Lord Shura God, why did you personally descend to distribute the rewards?" Su Qi asked.
A majestic, resounding divine voice rang out from the statue's mouth.
"The rules of the God Realm are strict. Even the five supreme God Kings of the God Realm Committee are forbidden from descending to the lower realm without authorization. What has appeared now is merely a fragment of this god's divine sense left behind here."
"Boy, you exceeded expectations in completing the Asura First Trial and forcibly stirred the divine sense sealed within this god, allowing it to manifest."
Su Qi's eyes lit up. "I see. Since the Asura First Trial has been completed, can the second trial begin?"
"Not yet." Shura God spoke calmly, with a faintly satisfied smile.
"You exceeded expectations in completing the Asura First Trial, so naturally, this god will give you rewards beyond expectations as well."
"Originally, the reward for the first trial was a two-level increase in Soul Power and a 5% increase in affinity with Shura God."
"But just now, the Divine Trial rewards granted you three levels of Soul Power, increased the age of all your spirit rings by one thousand years, transformed the External Left Palm Bone Bloodshadow Hand into a Ten Thousand Year Soul Bone, and gave you three God-Bestowed Spirit Rings."
"Those were all Divine Trial rewards beyond expectations. Next, this god will grant you an additional reward. Boy, guess what it is."
Su Qi's eyes instantly gleamed, his face filled with greed.
"Could it be that you intend to reward me by letting me skip the first seven trials and directly undertake Senior Tang Chen's eighth trial?"
Shura God was so angered that he laughed.
"You wish!"
"Though this god is eager to relinquish the godhood, I place even greater importance on the mind and ability of the successor."
"Boy, listen carefully. Only fire can test true gold."
"My Asura Nine Trials are more difficult than the inheritances of all other Deities."
"Think carefully. If you had not received the assistance of opportunities left behind from your previous life, could you have broken through to forty levels of Soul Power within a year?"
Su Qi fell silent at those words.
Even if he had not been stuck at the thirty-level bottleneck, had directly obtained his Third Soul Ring to break through, and then continued cultivating his Soul Power,
he still probably could not have broken through to forty levels of Soul Power within a year.
After all, absorbing the Third Soul Ring would raise his Soul Power by at most three levels, bringing him only to level thirty-three.
He would then need to raise his Soul Power by seven levels in eight months. Was that even possible?
With the help of the Soul Meditation Method, he might have been able to accomplish it.
But for another successor, unless they absorbed several soul bones to increase their Soul Power, it would have been utterly impossible.
He had also relied on soul bones left behind from his previous life—top-grade hundred-thousand-year soul bones—to exceed expectations.
Looking at it this way, the Asura First Trial truly had been difficult.
Having understood this, Su Qi looked up at the hundred-meter Asura God Statue and said solemnly, "Then what exactly is the second trial? I assume it will be even harder than the first?"
"Boy, why are you more impatient than this god? I already said there is another additional reward for you. You don't want it anymore?"
At that, Shura God stopped keeping him in suspense and said frankly, "The additional reward this god will give you is the Asura Legacy Soul Bone."
"You should have heard of it, right? The Angel God left a set of Heavenly God Legacy Soul Bones for her descendants."
"As long as one gathers a complete set of soul bones, they can condense the Angel God Armor. Today, this god will assimilate all the soul bones on your body into Asura Legacy Soul Bones."
"From now on, every soul bone you obtain will automatically be assimilated by Asura divine sense. Once you collect a full set of soul bones, you will be able to directly condense the Asura God Armor without becoming a god or completing the Divine Trial, gaining the qualification to wield Asura divine power."
After hearing this, Su Qi was utterly shocked.
According to the original story, Tang San and Qian Renxue could only obtain their respective god armor after truly becoming gods.
Yet he did not need to become a god. He only needed to gather a complete set of soul bones to possess the Asura God Armor and use Asura divine power?
This treatment was practically the ultimate reward of the ninth Asura trial!
After the wild joy came a sinking feeling in Su Qi's heart, and a trace of worry arose.
The more outrageous the benefits, the more terrifying the price.
Shura God had just said that only fire could test true gold. He was clearly planning to temper him through extreme hardship.
So granting him permission to use the Asura God Armor in advance was undoubtedly preparation for the life-or-death Divine Trials to come.
In truth, Su Qi's guess was correct.
Shura God had long decided to hand the burden of suppressing the Golden Dragon King Seal, along with the godhood itself, to Su Qi.
The later Asura Eighth Trial and ninth trial would both revolve around the Golden Dragon King.
Although he would only need to face a sliver of the Golden Dragon King's divided soul, it would still be a near-certain death situation.
Shura God did not want Su Qi to die, so he had thought of granting the reward of Asura Legacy Soul Bones.
As long as Su Qi possessed a Martial Soul Avatar, the Asura Demon Sword Martial Soul could become the core.
Then, once he retrieved the actual Asura Demon Sword held by the King of Slaughter and fused its core with its true body, he would obtain the genuine Asura Demon Sword.
With the Asura Demon Sword and the Asura God Armor, Su Qi would have a few more safeguards when confronting a sliver of the Golden Dragon King's divided soul.
This would also allow him to adapt to using Asura divine power in advance.
As for how to extract a sliver of the Golden Dragon King's divided soul and make it part of the Asura God's Trial, that was a difficult problem.
Looking down at Su Qi, Shura God's eyes revealed a thoughtful glint.
At only seven years old, he already possessed forty levels of Soul Power.
After absorbing the two God-Bestowed Spirit Rings shortly, his Soul Power would surge. Combined with the three levels of Soul Power gained from the Divine Trial reward, he should be able to directly reach the fifty-level bottleneck.
The reason three God-Bestowed Spirit Rings had been granted was precisely because Su Qi's fifty-level bottleneck had been considered in advance.
Once he absorbed the third God-Bestowed Spirit Ring and broke through the fifty-level bottleneck, Su Qi would become a seven-year-old Five-Ring Soul King.
With such cultivation speed, not even Tang Chen could achieve it. Even if Shura God himself cultivated anew as a soul master, he would be unable to do so.
Not only did Su Qi possess the Innate Shura Sacred Body, he also had opportunities from his previous life assisting him. He had practically been born to inherit Shura God's Asura Godhood!
If even he could not complete the Asura Nine Trials, then no one in the vast starry river governed by the God Realm could possibly complete them.
Therefore, there was no need to consider backup plans or place hope in Tang San or other successors.
From now on, he should be single-minded like Sea God and cultivate only one successor.
And Su Qi was the only successor he had chosen!
Having made up his mind, Shura God seemed to become a different person. Divine blood boiled within him, and his indifferent divine nature completely faded away.
It seemed he truly would have to be stubborn this once!
"Little Su, I'll call you that from now on."
Shura God suddenly changed how he addressed Su Qi and smiled freely. "As for why I am additionally granting you the Asura Legacy Soul Bone reward, you do not need to know yet, lest it distract you."
"Now, I will release the contents of the Asura Second Trial. I hope you continue working hard and strive to begin the third trial soon."
As his words fell, the hundred-meter Asura God Statue vanished from the spiritual world and turned back into a wisp of divine sense, lying dormant once more.
At the same time, a cold, imposing, low voice sounded.
[Asura Second Trial begins: Hunt a soul beast with a Deity bloodline and use it as a spirit ring. Complete within three years!] [Trial reward: Soul Power increases by two levels. The Deity bloodline spirit ring produced by that soul beast evolves into a Shura God Ring, and affinity with Shura God increases by 10%.]
The instant the low voice faded, Su Qi's consciousness left the spiritual world and returned to his body.
Standing before his own tomb, he stared excitedly at the three blood-red balls of light in his hands. They were the three God-Bestowed Spirit Rings.
"Forget the Asura Second Trial for now. I should hurry and absorb the spirit rings to advance."
As he pondered, Su Qi had already drawn one blood-red ball of light back into his body.
The other two blood-red balls of light slowly floated into the sky, transforming into two blood-red God-Bestowed Spirit Rings.
At this moment, forty-three levels of Soul Power had accumulated within his body. The meridians throughout his body were already blocked and swollen.
If he did not absorb the spirit rings and advance soon, releasing this congested Soul Power, his meridians would inevitably be damaged!
Before you continue