The Angler's Ultimate Trial

Sea God Island.

The sea was turquoise beneath a blue sky, and the beach was white as silver.

A massive Sacred Pillar stood at the island's center. Azure from top to bottom, it radiated a gentle glow and pierced the clouds.

Lin Yuan, Dai Mubai, Zhu Zhuqing, Oscar, Ning Rongrong, and Ma Hongjun stood before the Sacred Pillar. Tang San and Xiao Wu had yet to arrive.

The Sea Horse Sacred Pillar's guardian stood beside it, tall and slender, his body shrouded in blue light and his gaze as deep as the sea.

Sea Horse Douluo said, "Sea God Island does not welcome outsiders unless they pass its test."

Dai Mubai stepped forward. "What test?"

Sea Horse Douluo pointed at the Sacred Pillar. "Place your hands on it. The Sea God will grant you your trial levels."

Dai Mubai went first, pressing his palm against the Sacred Pillar.

Black light flashed, and a line of words appeared on the pillar: Black Level Six Trials.

Sea Horse Douluo nodded. "Not bad. Black Level Six Trials. You may remain on the island."

Zhu Zhuqing stepped forward: Black Level Five Trials.

Oscar stepped forward: Black Level Six Trials.

When Ning Rongrong stepped forward, brilliant blue light burst from the Sacred Pillar, and golden words appeared: Top-Tier Seven Trials.

Sea Horse Douluo's expression changed. "Top-Tier Seven Trials? That hasn't appeared in decades."

Ma Hongjun stepped forward: Black Level Six Trials.

Then it was Lin Yuan's turn.

He walked up and placed his hand on the Sacred Pillar.

The pillar shook violently. Blue light surged so fiercely that everyone had to squeeze their eyes shut.

Sea Horse Douluo staggered back three steps, his face paling.

"What... what is this?"

A line of large golden characters appeared on the Sacred Pillar, each one seemingly burned into place with light.

Sea God Nine Trials: Fishing Assessment.

Sea Horse Douluo froze. "Fishing Assessment? There's never been such a trial in the Sea God Nine Trials!"

The system chimed:

[Ding! Sea God Nine Trials (Fishing Variant) activated. Objective: Complete nine trials through fishing. Reward: Eligibility to inherit the Sea God Godhood (variant).]

Lin Yuan looked at the golden words on the Sacred Pillar and grinned.

"Interesting."

Sea Horse Douluo stared at him for a long while. "You... who exactly are you?"

Lin Yuan pulled out his Fishing Rod. "An angler."

Sea Horse Douluo fell silent for three seconds. "The First Trial: pass through the Sea God's Light. See the steps behind the Sacred Pillar? There are three hundred and thirty-three. Reach the top, and you pass."

Lin Yuan glanced at the steps. Dense blue light covered them, and each step held tremendous Soul Power pressure.

An ordinary person would be crushed until they could barely move.

"What do I need to catch?"

Sea Horse Douluo frowned. "What?"

Lin Yuan cast his rod. The hook flew toward the steps shrouded in the Sea God's Light, caught a streak of light on the first step, and tugged.

The light covering the entire step came free, condensed into a Light Pearl, and landed in Lin Yuan's hand.

Sea Horse Douluo's mouth fell open wide enough to fit a fist. "You can do that?"

"The Sea God's Light is Soul Power too. Soul Power is spiritual energy, and spiritual energy can be caught." Lin Yuan absorbed the Light Pearl, and his Soul Power rose.

On the second cast, he caught the light from the second step.

On the third cast, the third.

Standing beside him, Sea Horse Douluo's expression went from shock to numbness. "Are you planning to fish the light off all three hundred and thirty-three steps?"

"Mm."

"How long will that take?"

"Time is the one thing an angler never runs out of."

Three days later, Lin Yuan had fished all three hundred and thirty-three steps and absorbed three hundred and thirty-three Light Pearls.

Soul Power +5 levels. Current Soul Power: level 55.

Sea Horse Douluo looked at the bare steps, then at the Fishing Rod in Lin Yuan's hand, and let out a long sigh.

"The Second Trial. Break through the encirclement of the Ring Sea."

The Ring Sea.

Waves raged across its surface, rising sky-high. Countless Sea Soul Beasts swam below, their dense black silhouettes darting through the depths.

At the center of the Ring Sea, an enormous white shark surfaced, baring sharp teeth.

The Demon Soul Great White Shark King, Xiao Bai.

Xiao Bai spoke in a shrill voice. "Want to get across? Beat me."

Standing on the shore, Lin Yuan cast his rod. The hook entered the water, but instead of catching a Sea Soul Beast, it snagged a reef on the seabed.

Xiao Bai asked, "What are you doing?"

"Chumming the water."

Lin Yuan pulled a large handful of bait from his pocket and scattered it into the Ring Sea. As it spread through the water, Sea Soul Beasts swarmed toward it.

Xiao Bai glanced down, then suddenly froze.

Mixed into the bait was a distinctive scent carrying the aura of an ancient, unusual beast.

Powder from the Ten Headed Fierce Yang Serpent Inner Core.

All the Sea Soul Beasts stopped at once and turned toward the man holding the Fishing Rod on the shore.

Xiao Bai surfaced, her expression changing. "You carry the aura of a hundred-thousand-year unusual beast."

"Mm."

"They're afraid of you."

"Mm."

"Then why not use that aura to subdue them?"

"If I subdued them with my aura, they'd remember fear. If I fed them bait, they'd remember the taste."

Xiao Bai was silent for a long time. Thousands of Sea Soul Beasts around her were silent too, all staring at Lin Yuan.

Then Xiao Bai smiled. The expression looked especially strange on a shark's face.

"Go on across." Xiao Bai swished her tail. "Next time, bring another flavor. This one's too spicy."

System notification: [Ding! Second Trial complete. Soul Power +5 levels. Current Soul Power: level 60. Sea God Island Access unlocked: Yellow Level.]

Sea Horse Douluo stood on the shore and watched Lin Yuan stroll calmly through the teeming ranks, a hundred-year sea fish dangling from his rod after leaping onto the hook of its own accord.

"The Third Trial: Tidal Body Tempering."

Every day, Lin Yuan sat by the sea and fished when the tides were at their fiercest.

The waves battered his line, dragging his whole body from side to side.

Huge waves crashed against him, but he did not budge. His hand stayed on the rod.

By day he fished, and by night he caught Sea Soul Beasts.

One day, two days. One month, two months.

A year later.

Lin Yuan reeled in his line, jumped down from the reef, and stretched.

His skin had turned a healthy wheat-brown. A dozen or so scars from the reefs marked his arms and back, and his Soul Power had broken through to level 65.

Sea Horse Douluo held Lin Yuan's record, his expression conflicted.

"No one undertaking the Sea God Nine Trials has ever reached level 65 by the Third Trial."

"Because I didn't waste time fighting."

"Then what were you doing?"

"Fishing."

Sea Horse Douluo looked down at the record. It read: "During the Third Trial, caught 372 Sea Soul Beasts. Released 370. Kept two for food. Evaluation: Exceeded requirements."

Sea Horse Douluo asked, "Why did you keep only two?"

"That was enough to eat." Lin Yuan hoisted the Fishing Rod onto his shoulder. "Anglers aren't greedy."

Sea Horse Douluo was silent for a moment, then asked, "Why didn't you kill them?"

Lin Yuan glanced at him. "Because then they'd be gone."

"What would be gone?"

"The fish for next time." Lin Yuan headed toward the island. "Catch one, kill one, and sooner or later this sea will be empty. Release them, and you can catch them again. A steady stream flows for a long time."

Sea Horse Douluo stood where he was, watching Lin Yuan's back. It struck him that this young man was unlike anyone else who had come to Sea God Island for its trials.

Others came to Sea God Island to grow stronger, to claim Godhood, to gain power.

This man seemed to have come to Sea God Island simply to find somewhere to fish.

And when he fished, no one took it more seriously.

The system chimed:

[Ding! Third Trial complete. Current Soul Power: level 65.]

[Notice: Fourth Trial unlocked. Shark-Whale Battle. Ensure the Demon Soul Great White Shark King survives. Reward: Soul Power +5 levels, Sea God Affinity +30%.]

Lin Yuan looked at the system notification and suddenly remembered something.

"System."

"Mm."

"You said to make sure Xiao Bai survives. Who's going to kill her?"

The system was silent for two seconds.

[Answer: Spirit Hall. They've learned of Sea God Island, and Bibi Dong is very interested in the Sea God Godhood.]

Lin Yuan tightened his grip on the Fishing Rod.

"Bibi Dong..."

"When she comes, how many people will she bring?"

The system did not answer.

But far out at sea, a black sail was slowly rising over the horizon.