A Gaze from the Divine Realm!

"Hahahaha! I told you my Wang Kun had what it takes to be a Soul Master."

As soon as Lin Hao stepped out of the wooden house, he heard a triumphant burst of laughter.

Wang Kun's father stood proudly among the crowd, patting Wang Kun on the shoulder with a look of satisfaction.

The villagers around them offered their congratulations too.

Innate Soul Power of level 0.5 was still Soul Power. It meant Wang Kun could cultivate and someday become a respected Soul Master, rising above the station he had been born into.

For these simple villagers, that was the greatest wish of all.

"Lin Hao, Lord Su Haitao said you have Innate Soul Power too. Do you want to become a Soul Master?"

"Grandpa Village Chief has one more work-study place available. It would let you study at Vast Sea City Junior Academy and train to become a Soul Master."

Old Luo Rui walked up to Lin Hao and spoke kindly.

"Grandpa Village Chief, I'd like to go."

Lin Hao hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

Even twin divine-level Martial Souls needed time to grow. The junior academy would give him a place to develop in the early stages.

"Good, good! I'll make the arrangements right away. Stay home, and I'll come get you in a few days."

Once the crowd dispersed, Lin Hao hurried back home.

The Sea God Trident and Asura Demon Sword were waiting for him to examine them.

Back in his room, Lin Hao eagerly raised his right hand. Soul Power gathered, blue-gold light converged, and an ornate, ancient-looking halberd appeared in his palm.

Golden patterns wound around the Sea God Trident, while pale blue light flowed across its surface like water. It radiated a majestic pressure that seemed capable of subduing the world.

After admiring the Sea God Trident, Lin Hao summoned the Asura Demon Sword.

The Asura God was the god of slaughter and order, and his weapon radiated a terrifying aura of killing intent.

The Asura Demon Sword was a massive blade that inspired a bloodthirsty sense of dread.

The Asura Demon Sword carries too much killing intent. I'd better train with the Sea God Trident first. Besides, I've spent six years spearing fish. I'm much more familiar with a trident than a sword.

The awakening record Spirit Hall gave me lists a trident, too. If I use the Sea God Trident later, I can say it mutated after awakening.

After examining both Martial Souls and giving it some thought, Lin Hao made his decision.

He put away the Asura Demon Sword and sat cross-legged with the Sea God Trident in hand, his expression solemn. Before long, a golden bead appeared in his hand.

The bead looked as though it had been carved from the finest golden crystal, perfectly clear and flawless. Stranger still, a faint layer of golden mist swirled endlessly inside it.

A God-Given Soul Ring!

Choosing the Tang San template had not only granted Lin Hao twenty levels of Soul Power out of thin air, but also given him two God-Given Soul Rings.

He did not know whether he would receive more later, but the sooner he used them, the sooner he could enjoy their benefits.

Gold light flashed. The bead flew above Lin Hao's head and dissolved, pouring dense golden mist over his body.

He felt no pain, only comfort throughout his entire body, as though the God-Given Soul Ring's power had belonged to him all along.

Beyond Lin Hao's sight, rings of light appeared around him. At first they were pale yellow, but as time passed, their color deepened until they slowly turned purple.

While Lin Hao absorbed the Soul Ring, two gods in the distant Divine Realm sensed it at the same time and turned their gazes toward Douluo Continent.

"The aura of the Sea God Trident?"

"I still have a descendant alive on Douluo Continent?"

A great question rose in Poseidon's mind.

Interesting. Someone who can awaken my power—isn't that a successor chosen by heaven? This divine position is destined to be passed on.

Before he could work out where this descendant had come from, Poseidon was overwhelmed with delight.

He immediately raised a hand and sent down a Divine Edict!

"Grow stronger quickly. I can hardly wait."

Within the Asura God Temple, doubt flickered through the Asura God's crimson eyes.

"I have no children. Why do I have this feeling?"

"Could someone have arisen naturally in the lower realm?"

The Asura God himself was an innate deity born of the universe, so the idea was hardly strange to him.

I'll watch a little longer. If he proves suitable, I may finally have the right successor.

Remembering that it was not his turn to oversee the Divine Realm's central authority, the Asura God resisted the urge to intervene in the lower realm. Instead, he sent a trace of his power into Slaughter City on Douluo Continent.

Sea God Island!

The long-quiet Sea God Hall suddenly shone with blue-gold light.

Inside, Bo Saixi's expression changed. She knelt devoutly in the hall.

A moment later, Bo Saixi rose with a complicated expression. "Lord Sea God's descendant... Is it finally time?"

Her eyes flickered. Bo Saixi composed herself and walked out of the hall.

The Seven Sacred Pillars were already waiting outside. When Bo Saixi emerged, all seven bowed respectfully.

"Great Enshrined!"

"Lord Sea God has sent down a Divine Edict. The Sea God Successor has appeared. I'm going to bring him back. Guard Sea God Island and reassure its residents."

Leaving the stunned Seven Sacred Pillars behind, Bo Saixi departed and vanished from sight.

Unaware that he had drawn the attention of two gods, Lin Hao had finished absorbing both Soul Rings. He went to the shore to test his new Soul Skills.

Two Soul Rings radiating a regal purple aura circled him, giving off a gentle glow.

Lin Hao's Soul Power had risen smoothly to level twenty-three.

"Hah!"

Lin Hao let out a long shout toward the sea. Waves of Soul Power spread outward, stirring ripples across the water.

He summoned the Sea God Trident and activated his First Soul Ring.

"First Soul Skill: Thousand-Layer Water Screen!"

The seawater seemed to answer an unseen summons. It rose in streams that surrounded Lin Hao.

Thousand-Layer Water Screen summoned seawater to form a shield that absorbed incoming attacks. It could also become a net of water to bind enemies.

It was a Soul Skill suited to both attack and defense.

Not bad. It covers both offense and defense, and the Soul Power cost is practically nothing.

After getting a feel for his First Soul Skill, Lin Hao activated his Second Soul Ring.

"Second Soul Skill: Raging Sea Waves!"

The sea breeze abruptly stopped. Everything seemed to freeze in place.

Then an even more terrifying storm gathered.

A towering wave suddenly rose behind Lin Hao and crashed forward. It was as though his opponent would be fighting not a Soul Master, but one of nature's calamities.

Boom!

The wave struck. Everything within a thousand meters of Lin Hao's view looked as though it had been plowed over.

Not bad at all. The sea gives it a boost here, but it shouldn't be much weaker inland. Even a Soul Ancestor probably couldn't withstand that strike.

Overall, Lin Hao was satisfied with his two Soul Skills.

Just as he was about to practice the Golden Thirteen Halberds, every hair on his body stood on end. It felt as though something terrifying had descended.

He whipped his head toward the sea.

A Red-Clad Woman stood silently on the water, studying him from head to toe.