Body Resounds a Hundred Times, Divine Bones Form! First Trial Cleared!

Sea God's Mountain stood at the very center of Sea God Island, surrounded by pure seawater. It was the forbidden ground of Sea God Island and the place where the Sea God was worshipped!

"You've made up your mind? You want to complete the First Trial this year?" Bo Saixi looked calmly at Haiming standing before her, though there was something indescribable in her tone.

"Yes, Teacher."

Haiming took a deep breath and gazed at the towering Sea God's Mountain, his eyes filled with determination.

"This time, you only obtained a ninety-thousand-year Soul Bone and a sixty-thousand-year Soul Bone. The enhancement they gave your body is not as great as you imagined. Previously, you reached the hundredth level through your own strength. My estimate now is around three hundred levels. It would already be impressive if you reached four hundred levels after a year, but to complete the trial, you must pass the one thousand and first level."

Bo Saixi sighed softly. If she could leave Sea God Island freely, she would certainly take Haiming to hunt several hundred-thousand-year Sea Soul Beasts, gather a full set of Soul Bones for him, and then have him attempt the trial.

"Teacher, after the hundredth level, the pressure of every level is far greater than the one before it. You actually think I can reach three hundred levels?"

Haiming was slightly surprised. He had not expected Bo Saixi to hold such high expectations for him despite her usual rationality.

"But, Teacher, if I don't pass the First Trial soon, won't the later trials take even longer?" Haiming smiled and shook his head.

Sea God's Nine Trials were trials for inheriting a godhood. The first trial alone was already this difficult; Haiming could hardly imagine how challenging the remaining eight would be.

"Since that's the case... then do your very best."

With a wave of Bo Saixi's hand, a leaf brimming with vitality appeared before Haiming.

"This was bestowed upon me by Lord Sea God back then. It is a leaf condensed from the power of the Goddess of Life, capable of healing all injuries. As long as you reach three hundred levels, I will give it to you."

Looking at the leaf Bo Saixi handed him, Haiming smiled faintly, gently placed the folding fan in his hand on a nearby stone, then took a deep breath. With a light tap of his feet, he soared like a swallow toward the heavens!

Ten levels!

Twenty levels!

Fifty levels!

All the way to the hundredth level, Haiming felt no pressure at all. When he stepped onto the hundred and first level, he did not feel the suffocating oppression from before. Instead, he only sensed a faint resistance.

It could work!

The improvement in physical fitness brought by the Soul Bones had lessened the pressure of Sea God's Light. Haiming stuck out his tongue and licked his lips, his gaze toward the Sea God's Temple above filled with aggressive fervor!

One hundred and second level!

One hundred and tenth level!

One hundred and fiftieth level!

After surpassing his previous limit and reaching the hundred and fiftieth level, Haiming's chest began to feel tight. He instinctively summoned his Martial Soul. The phantom of a blue Giant Whale floated behind him, its pale blue radiance nourishing his body as it endured the constant pressure.

One hundred and eightieth level!

Two hundredth level!

Hiss!

Haiming stopped. Looking up at the stairs, he silently activated Meditation and Sacred Barrier. Three hundred levels was Bo Saixi's expectation of him, but it was also the minimum standard he had set for this challenge!

"In my previous life, I was useless. I ate, drank, and played around all day. Other than going downstairs to pick up deliveries, I barely exercised at all. I don't know whether it was your help that allowed me to transmigrate into this world. Over these six years, although I have been cultivating constantly and every day has been the same, I have felt a sense of fulfillment."

Haiming raised a hand and pressed it against his chest. His heart was utterly calm, so calm that he could not hear a single sound!

Two hundred and first level!

Meditation's blue radiance seeped into Sacred Barrier's golden light. Haiming's right arm and left leg both faintly emitted a pale blue glow!

Two hundred and second level!

The pressure here was more than ten times greater than at the hundredth level. The instant Haiming stepped onto the two hundred and second level, his throat went dry, and his unsteady upper body nearly tipped backward.

This feeling reminded him of the first time he had come beneath Sea God's Light. Back then, it had seemed to be the same.

But now, he was countless times stronger than he had been then!

"Two hundred and third!"

Haiming clenched his teeth. This was still far from his limit!

He did not possess the profound Mysterious Heaven Skill to help him redirect the pressure.

Nor did he have some mysterious domain to help lessen it.

He could only rely on his own flesh and blood to endure Sea God's Light's merciless trial!

By the two hundred and fiftieth level, tiny tears had begun appearing across Haiming's body. Strands of blood gradually dyed him red.

At the foot of the mountain, Bo Saixi's grip on her staff tightened slightly, and her expression was no longer as placid as an ancient well.

"Lord Sea God, isn't this First Trial far too harsh?"

In a daze, she seemed to recall the day she had brought Haiming into Sea God's Mountain.

One thousand and one levels—though she was a level ninety-nine Peak Douluo, even she could barely endure it. Haiming had only just turned six!

Even if Haiming became a Titled Douluo within ten years, so what?

He still would have no way to complete the trial!

[Don't think so much. I wasn't the only one who designed this First Trial. He can complete it. Of course, he can only complete it. Only after completing it can he...]

Bo Saixi could not fully understand Poseidon's words, but there was one thing she was certain of: from beginning to end, Poseidon had been watching Haiming's trial.

"Hm? Has he reached the three hundredth level?"

When Bo Saixi came back to her senses, the trembling youth above had already placed one foot onto the three hundredth level. He now looked like a man made of blood, with every capillary in his body bleeding. Dizziness, nausea, and countless other sensations flooded his mind, making him unable to think properly.

[Can you still hold on?]

Kyogre's question echoed in his mind. After shaking his head, Haiming crouched on the three hundredth level, panting heavily. He forcibly suppressed the urge to spit out a mouthful of blood and began meditating cross-legged.

He did not even have the strength to answer Kyogre.

In the deep sea, a trace of approval flashed through Kyogre's crimson eyes. The Trainer he had chosen was quite impressive!

On Sea God's Mountain, Haiming endured the pain throughout his body. Even while meditating, he had to withstand the suffocating pressure. If his second Soul Skill, Meditation, did not require conscious control, he might have already lost focus and been forced out.

Since he had come this far, how could he not keep pushing forward to break through his limits!

About half an hour later, Haiming took a deep breath and stood up. He had not recovered, but at least the chaotic Soul Power within his body had been calmed.

Looking at the distant Sea God's Temple, then glancing back at the one-third of Sea God's Mountain he had climbed, Haiming cleared his mind and placed one foot onto the three hundred and first step!

I'm not greedy!

Just one more level. One level is enough!

His body was bent down by the pressure once more, and blood began spilling from the corners of Haiming's mouth. This time, it was not bleeding from surface blood vessels—his internal organs had begun to suffer the impact!

Looking at his faintly trembling legs, Haiming swallowed a mouthful of bloody foam. A metallic taste immediately rose in his throat.

One more level. I'm not greedy. As long as I try my best, it's enough. Even if I fail, it doesn't matter!

Pfft!

A mouthful of blood sprayed across Sea God's Mountain. Haiming felt his heart beating at least half again as fast as usual!

I've already reached the three hundred and second level. Might as well make it a nice round number!

Raising his somewhat cracked right leg, Haiming stepped onto the three hundred and third level!

Blood dripped into his shoes, leaving a glaring crimson footprint upon the stairs of Sea God's Mountain!

Three hundred and fourth, three hundred and fifth, three hundred and sixth... three hundred and tenth!

Haiming's breathing had become quite weak. He turned his head with difficulty and looked at the string of blood-red footprints behind him, a surge of pride rising in his heart!

Limits were meant to be broken!

Without accumulating small steps, one could not travel a thousand miles. Without gathering small streams, one could not form rivers and seas.

As long as he advanced bit by bit, he would definitely pass the First Trial within a year!

Turning around, Haiming prepared to slowly withdraw from Sea God's Light. His goal was to pass the First Trial within a year, so there was no need to ruin his body today.

[Not continuing? You are at your absolute limit right now. Sea God's Light has only just begun to show its true effect.]

Kyogre's voice stopped Haiming mid-turn. He looked at the stairs above with some confusion, unable to understand what Kyogre meant.

"Open your mind and use the imprint atop your head to sense Sea God's Light."

An ethereal voice entered Haiming's ears. He unconsciously opened his mind, and in an instant, the stairs of Sea God's Mountain burst forth with ten thousand rays of blue light, drawing the attention of everyone on Sea God Island.

"That direction is Sea God's Mountain!"

Within the Sea Dragon Divine Pillar, Sea Dragon was meditating. He sensed the abnormality on Sea God's Mountain immediately and instantly thought of his grandson, who was undergoing his trial. In his panic, his figure flickered as he raced toward Sea God's Mountain!

At the same time, six figures sped toward Sea God's Mountain from all directions across Sea God Island!

On Sea God's Mountain, Haiming felt himself entering a wondrous state. In this state, he could actually see the bones within his own body?

"Huh? What's going on?"

Haiming lowered his head, surprise filling his eyes.

The bone in the little toe of his left foot had turned golden after Sea God's Light erupted with blue radiance!

[What do you think golden bones represent?]

Kyogre's voice echoed in Haiming's mind. Haiming swallowed, ignoring the metallic taste flooding his nose as his voice began to tremble.

"You mean... a god?"

Blue light continuously poured into Haiming's body. The gold upon his bones seemed capable of multiplying, gradually spreading toward other parts of his body!

Kyogre's voice disappeared, and the ethereal voice from before vanished as well, as though all of this had merely been Haiming's own imagination.

Hoo~

Haiming exhaled once more, then slowly drew in a deep breath. Enduring the stabbing pain from his ribs, he raised his left foot and carefully took another step upward.

The speed at which his bones transformed into gold increased by the slightest amount!

"Does continuing upward mean I can accelerate the evolution of my bones?"

Haiming bit the tip of his tongue. Looking at the Sea God's Temple, which seemed within reach yet remained impossibly distant, he said, "I'm going for it!"

His teacher below had the Goddess of Life's leaf anyway. Since he could not die from this, he might as well push himself to death!

Within Sea God's Temple in the God Realm, Poseidon tapped the armrest of the Sea God Throne with satisfaction. The eruption of Sea God's Light and the transformation of Divine Bones had all been within his expectations, yet he had not watered down the trial in any way, nor had he provided the examinee with even the slightest assistance.

The earlier voice had not been his—or rather, it had not been his current self. It was a sentence he had buried in Haiming's mind the instant he bestowed Sea God's Nine Trials. Once Haiming broke through one hundred and eight levels and reached his ultimate limit, he could begin transforming his bones into Divine Bones with the aid of Sea God's Light.

Originally, this was something that should only have been done during the inheritance after the Ninth Trial. However, the inheritors of the Angel God, Rakshasa God, and Asura God were progressing far faster than Haiming.

There were conflicts between gods. As one of the main gods, Poseidon had more or less had some friction with those three gods.

Gods could not interfere in the affairs of the continent. If the other inheritors wanted to make a move against Haiming, he would have no strength to resist at all.

Thus, after discussing it with Kyogre, Poseidon decided to take a risky approach. He increased the difficulty of the trials on Sea God Island so Haiming could improve himself as much as possible, lest he be unable to protect himself after leaving Sea God Island.

"I didn't cheat. Even if the God Realm Committee comes knocking, I can still say that~"

Poseidon vanished from Sea God's Temple with great satisfaction. Of course, no one would come looking for him anyway.

On Sea God's Mountain, Haiming had now reached the four hundredth step. The bones of his entire left foot had turned golden. That reassuring golden color had begun spreading toward his calf, while faint golden light also appeared on the toes of his right foot.

Crack!

A faint sound came from within Haiming's body.

Because Sea God's Light had fully activated to help Haiming temper his Divine Bones, the pressure exerted on him had weakened considerably. At the same time, the emergence of Divine Bones had greatly strengthened his endurance. Thus, he could stand on the four hundredth step, merely panting instead of being crushed down!

At the foot of Sea God's Mountain, Sea Dragon and the others stood beside Bo Saixi. His gaze was fixed on Haiming halfway up the mountain. With their strength, they could clearly see the string of blood-red footprints.

"One thousand and one levels... Sea Witch, what was our trial task back then...?"

Starfish Douluo's expression was grave. They all knew about Haiming's Sea God's Nine Trials, but they had not known that the First Trial required him to climb to the summit of Sea God's Light!

"We all had one hundred and eight levels."

Sea Witch floated in the air, her delicate face filled with concern.

Back then, they had needed Bo Saixi's help even for one hundred and eight levels. Could Haiming truly pass one thousand and one levels now?

On Sea God's Mountain, Haiming advanced one step at a time. The blood-red trail had already stained more than half the stairs of Sea God's Mountain.

Looking at the Sea God's Temple, now not far away, Haiming took a deep breath, endured his physical and mental exhaustion, and continued upward.

At this point, every bone in his body except his ribs and skull had transformed into golden Divine Bones!

Crack!

The sounds within his body continued. He was now only one hundred and one levels away from the Sea God's Temple!

[How does it feel?]

"Better than ever...!"

Haiming drew in a deep breath, then let out a long cry. He raised his exhausted legs and charged toward the Sea God's Temple!

As he sprinted, a string of crack, crack, crack sounds rang out without end. They were the sounds of the bones within his body advancing and being replaced by Divine Bones!

Crack!

The hundredth sound!

Haiming closed his eyes. The last portion of his skull had completely turned golden. He now ignored the pressure of Sea God's Light entirely, golden radiance pouring from within him to without!

"Crossing the entirety of Sea God's Light, trial passed. When faced with limits, you pressed forward bravely. Courage and perseverance will accompany you onward! The First Trial is complete. Sea God affinity increased by ten percent. Current total: ten percent!"

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Only one chapter today. I don't want to keep writing Sea God's Light; the longer it goes on, the bigger the Soul Power loophole becomes. We'll move on to Tidal Body Tempering.