The Third Trial, This Simple?
He stood up, bowed solemnly in the direction where the old tortoise's soul had dissipated, and remained standing for Jiujiu.
Gu Yuena rose from the boulder, her long silver-white dress trailing behind her. She took a few steps closer, her silver eyes sweeping over Li Xun's now composed aura, and said calmly, "The Second Trial of the Asura God, you've passed?"
Li Xun straightened up and nodded. "That's enough. Thank you for your understanding, senior."
Gu Yuena gave a soft "hmm," her gaze lingering on his face for a moment before she turned and walked into the depths of the dense forest, her clear voice carrying back, "Let's go. You still have your things to do."
Di Tian glanced at Li Xun, then at Qian Daoliu and the others, scoffed, and led the Ferocious Beast into the dense forest.
Qian Renxue quickly walked to Li Xun's side, raised her hand to brush the dust off his shoulder, her golden eyes full of concern. "Are you alright?"
Li Xun smiled at her, "It's nothing."
Qian Daoliu stepped forward, a rare hint of approval appearing on his aged face. "You withstood the second trial of the Asura God Trial, Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring, even as a Soul Emperor. Not bad."
Golden Crocodile Douluo exclaimed gruffly from behind, "Good heavens, Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring! Even my ninth spirit ring wasn't this extravagant..."
Li Xun bowed to Qian Daoliu and said, "Thank you for your protection along the way, Grand Worshipper."
Qian Daoliu waved his hand, his gaze fixed on the direction beyond the dense forest. "The matter is settled, let's go back."
The group turned and headed towards the outer edge of the Star Dou Great Forest.
Ancient trees reached for the sky, and dappled sunlight fell on everyone. Li Xun walked in the middle of the group, observing the flow of his Soul Power within his body. His aura at Level 65 was steady and profound, a significant improvement over his previous level.
Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring plus a 100,000-year-old Torso Bone —the gifts from Soul Beast sacrifice far exceeded the ordinary. He nodded secretly; this gain was indeed substantial.
After leaving the Star Dou Great Forest, Qian Daoliu his white robes and led everyone into the air, traveling swiftly back to Spirit City.
The Spirit Hall, the Worship Hall.
The palace doors closed, and sunlight streamed in. Qian Daoliu with his hands behind his back beneath the divine throne, flanked by the Six Worshippers. Qian Renxue stood beside Li Xun, their gazes all fixed on him.
Qian Daoliu slowly spoke, "The Second Trial of the Asura God has been passed. Has the content of the Third Trial been revealed?"
Li Xun's expression shifted slightly, becoming somewhat strange.
He pondered for a moment before saying, "The Third Trial... is to take Tang San to the legendary Sea God Island and receive the Sea God Inheritance."
The hall fell silent for a moment.
Golden Crocodile Douluo scratched his head and said gruffly, "That's it? Taking that kid to find Sea God Island?"
Even the Light Feather Douluo looked surprised. "Shouldn't the third Asura God Trial be more difficult than the second? Why is it..."
Li Xun coughed lightly and voiced his guess. "I reckon that Poseidon, the Sea God god, is getting anxious because he sees that I've already begun to inherit the Asura God Position. That's why he asked the First-Generation Asura God for help and set the Third Trial as this."
Qian Daoliu's aged golden eyes narrowed slightly. After pondering for a moment, he slowly nodded. "That makes sense."
Li Xun continued, "Therefore, I plan to first find Tang San, and then make a trip to the Heaven Dou Empire to obtain the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud. After that, I will set off to find Sea God Island."
Qian Daoliu looked at him and said in a deep voice, "You need to leave the Spirit Hall for the time being."
The tone was flat, yet it was a statement.
Li Xun cupped his hands in greeting. "Yes. The Third Trial is not within the territory of the Spirit Hall; this junior must go there in person."
A moment of silence fell over the hall.
Qian Renxue stood beside him, her golden eyes lowered, her fingertips unconsciously curling. Of course she Reluctance, but she also knew that no one could take someone else's place on the path of the Divine Examination. Li Xun had his own path to walk, and she—
She raised her head, looked at Qian Daoliu, and said in a calm but firm voice, "Grandfather, it's time for me to begin the Angel God Trial."
Qian Daoliu looked at her, his aged face expressionless, and nodded slightly. "Have you thought it through?"
"I've thought it through."
Qian Renxue nodded, her long golden hair cascading over her shoulders, her beautiful face serious. "He's going to walk his path of Asura, and I should walk my path of Angel. This separation is for a longer companionship in the future."
She turned her head to look at Li Xun, a faint smile curving her lips, "Go ahead, when I pass the Angel God Trial and we meet again, I won't be any worse than you."
Li Xun met her gaze and smiled, "Okay."
Qian Daoliu raised his hand, suppressing the various emotions in the hall, and said in a deep voice, "Since that's the case, everyone prepare yourselves. Li Xun, you will take Golden Crocodile and Lightbow with you as protectors on this trip. The rest of the retainers will stay behind to guard the Spirit Hall."
Golden Crocodile Douluo and Light Feather Douluo bowed in unison. "Yes, Big Brother!"
Li Xun cupped his hands again. "Thank you, Grand Worshipper."
Qian Daoliu waved his hand, turned and walked towards the divine throne. As his white robes fluttered, his aged voice drifted out softly. "Go. Don't be late."
The Soul Guidance Vehicle traveled smoothly along the main road of Mingdu, and the cheers of the people on both sides lingered for Jiujiu. Many people looked up at the chariot with eyes full of reverence.
Li Xun lightly tapped his knee with his fingertips, his gaze sweeping over the towering Sun and Sun Moon Main Tower in the distance, inscribed with soul-guiding array patterns. He spoke in a deep voice, "Did they contact Illustrious Virtue Hall in advance?"
Xu Changle reined in his silver-white warhorse, turned his head to the carriage window, and said in a steady voice, "Reporting to Master, the chief of the Illustrious Virtue Hall has received the message that a reception banquet will be held at the Imperial Research Institute tonight. All the Level Nine Soul Engineer will be there, waiting for Master to guide them on their Soul Spirit topics."
Qian Renxue nodded slightly, her Angel God sense quietly sweeping across the entire city, sensing the densely packed high-energy compression arrays underground. Her eyes flickered slightly. "The defensive array of this Mingdu is more profound than I imagined."
"This is the foundation built up by generations of the Sun Moon Empire," Xu Changle said calmly. "However, in the past, Soul Tool Technology has always been separate from the Soul Spirit System, and many researchers have been stuck here, making progress slow. The fusion idea proposed by Master in his previous message has been long awaited by the entire Illustrious Virtue Hall."
Inside the car, Li Qingyang finally snapped out of his reverie at the fascinating sights outside the window. Upon hearing the words "Illustrious Virtue Hall," his relaxed shoulders tensed again, and he muttered under his breath, "Another research institute... Are they going to do those weird soul-guiding experiments again?"
Li Mushuang tilted her head and tugged at his sleeve. "Brother, what is a soul guidance experiment?"
"Well..." Li Qingyang was about to explain when Xu Changle glanced at him through the car window, and he immediately swallowed the rest of his sentence and obediently shut his mouth.
Tang Wutong, however, was not intimidated at all, her eyes shining. "Soul guidance experiment! Can we see a cannon that fires beams of light?"
Qian Renxue chuckled and reached out to ruffle Tang Wutong's hair, "Wutong, don't worry, we'll see you tonight."
Before long, the carriage arrived at the main gate of the Imperial Palace.
The magnificent black and gold palaces are layered upon each other, with soul-guided lighting Magic Array embedded between the halls. They are completely different from traditional imperial Imperial Palace, possessing both royal solemnity and a technological feel unique to the Sun Moon Empire.
The imperial guards raised their spears and saluted in unison. Xu Changle dismounted, stepped forward, and reached out to open the carriage door.
"Master, Mistress, the Traveling Palace is ready. You may rest for a while before attending the banquet."
Li Xun stepped out of the carriage, his gaze sweeping over the majestic palace walls, and said calmly, "Alright, let's rest first. By the way, how are the arrangements for the Spirit Pagoda's branch in Mingdu?"
Xu Changle's eyes were solemn. "The land has been reserved, and the blueprints have been completed according to the plan originally set by Master. We are just waiting for Master to personally decide on the commencement of construction."
Li Xun nodded. This matter was the core purpose of his visit to Mingdu —to officially implement the Spirit Pagoda system in the Sun Moon Empire, connecting the three channels of Soul Spirit cultivation, spirit guide vehicles, and Soul Master training. This was also the most important plan he had made for his disciple Empress.
Li Qingyang followed behind, and upon hearing "Spirit Pagoda," he sighed inwardly, knowing that this trip to Mingdu was far more than just sightseeing; his master had important matters to attend to.
As the sun gradually set, the Soul Guidance Lamp of Mingdu lit up one after another, transforming the entire imperial capital into a sea of flowing starlight. In the direction of the Imperial Research Institute, lights were already burning brightly, and a group of Soul Engineer were quietly awaiting the arrival of the two god-level guests.