"He took the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud!" Poseidon's voice rose, and the blood-red patterns in the palace began to pulse erratically. "Show some respect for the rules. Whoever gets the item first gets the candidate. What kind of move is it for you to swoop in halfway and steal him?"
"Rules?" Asura God sat up straight, a glint of amusement flashing through his mismatched eyes. "Poseidon, the language of geniuses is first come, first served. You took the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud and left it sitting there for hundreds of years without doing anything. You kept sleeping up in the heavens, while I watched him carve his way out of Slaughter City blade by blade."
"So what?"
"So he is my candidate," Asura God said. "You were one step too late."
Poseidon's expression darkened. He walked up to Asura God, dark currents churning in his sea-blue eyes. "Old Asura, don't give me that. You and I both know how Sea God Island's examination system works. With the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud on him, the Sea God Trial will activate automatically the instant he sets foot on Sea God Island. He is already at sea. In a few days, he will reach the island, and once the trial begins, he will become the Sea God's inheritor."
Asura God raised an eyebrow. "Then shall we make a bet?"
"What bet?"
"When he reaches the island, your Sea God Trial and my subsequent Divine Examination will begin at the same time. Let's see whom this child ultimately chooses." Asura God tapped a finger against the armrest. "If he chooses you, I will withdraw my divine sense without another word and never interfere again. But if he chooses me..."
"If he chooses you, I will give up the Sea God Legacy's spot," Poseidon finished