[Reward: Soul power increased by one level; all soul rings upgraded to ten thousand years!]
Douluo Continent, Sea God Island.
The sea breeze swept over the top of the Sacred Pillar, carrying a salty, damp tang. Waves tirelessly battered the reefs, sending shattered white spray into the air.
A clear pillar of light descended from the Heavenly Screen high above, enveloping Sea Spear Douluo like a waterfall.
Warm, boundless energy flooded his limbs and every bone in his body. Sea Spear Douluo shuddered and instinctively activated his martial soul!
Humm-!
His level-ninety-five soul power erupted outward, the blast of air churning the surrounding seawater in every direction.
The nine soul rings appearing around him had all turned a deep, heavy black. They slowly revolved one after another, radiating the oppressive might of the deep sea.
One color, nine black rings!
The guardians of the other six Sacred Pillars gathered around, their congratulations ringing out without pause.
Sea Horse Douluo clapped his hands and laughed heartily.
"Well, would you look at that! One color, nine black rings! Old Sea Spear, you're one of a kind among the Seven Sacred Pillars now!"
Sea Illusion Douluo shook his head, marveling.
"Tsk, tsk. Not bad!"
Sea Star Douluo grinned good-naturedly.
"Brother Sea Spear, I'll have to buy you a drink sometime. Let me share a little of your luck from making the rankings!"
Sea Spear Douluo scratched his head, looking rather embarrassed.
"Just luck, just luck."
Sea Maiden Douluo covered her lips and chuckled, but her eyes shone with sincerity.
"That wasn't luck. That was your strength."
Sea Ghost Douluo stood with his hands behind his back and slowly nodded.
"Exactly. Judging by this, three of us among the Seven Sacred Pillars and the Great Enshrined should make the rankings and receive the rewards bestowed by the deities!"
Beside them, Sea Dragon Douluo clenched his fists, his eyes burning as he gazed at the Heavenly Screen, his chest rising and falling unevenly.
He, too, had begun looking forward to his own reward.
Meanwhile, Great Enshrined Bo Saixi folded her hands over her chest and bowed deeply toward the Heavenly Screen, her gentle voice filled with devotion.
"Thank you, revered deity!"
Holy Spirit Continent, Holy Spirit Mountain, Holy Spirit Temple.
The mighty figures inside the temple all looked toward the Heavenly Screen, taking in every detail of Sea Spear Douluo's profile.
Then an eerie silence fell over the entire hall.
They had been scared witless.
Scared witless by how weak he was.
They had imagined the other side would be pathetic, but not this pathetic.
Their twentieth-ranked expert was actually this weak!
Holy War Gaia rubbed his eyes, then leaned closer to examine the Heavenly Screen again, his face blank with bewilderment.
"Yellow soul rings? What are those? I've only ever seen red soul rings..."
Malefic Star stared at the line reading [Soul power level: 94] and snorted coldly.
"Level ninety-four can make the rankings? Any soul beast wandering out of our back mountain could slap him to death!"
Dragon God Hamo slowly exhaled a stale breath, a deep voice rumbling from his powerful draconic throat.
"It seems our lord was right. That really is an absurdly weak continent."
Holy Eye Muse narrowed her eyes, which could see the true nature of all things, a trace of disbelief in her voice.
"I checked three times just now... their twentieth-strongest expert's nine-ring configuration tops out at 'ten thousand years'?"
"Here, anyone whose first soul ring isn't at least ten thousand years old can't even pass the younger generation's entrance assessment."
Spiritual light rippled faintly around Qilin, who was momentarily at a loss for words.
"No wonder they dared to spout such wild boasts... they truly have no idea how high the heavens are."
"A bunch of pitiful wretches who can't even see how weak they are."
Chaos · Blake leaned against a pillar with his arms folded, an amused smile curling his lips.
"Now I understand. That isn't arrogance. It's a failure of comprehension."
"They've shut themselves away and entertained themselves for who knows how many years, without ever climbing out of their well to take a look."
On the throne, Lin Yan held a cup of warm spirit tea and leisurely took a sip.
After sleeping for so long.
At last, something entertaining to watch.
Just then, golden light flowed across the Heavenly Screen, and the section belonging to the Douluo Continent changed once more!
Inside the Heavenly Screen Livestream, the Douluo Continent's soul masters had long since lost their patience.
After all, it was time to show off.
[Yu Xiaogang: Our twentieth-ranked expert is already a level-ninety-four Titled Douluo. Has a certain barren continent been frightened to tears yet?] [Tang San: Teacher, there's no need to say so much to a backward continent. It'll make us look like we're bullying them too much.] [Ning Fengzhi: It's perfectly normal for the strong to mock the weak!] [Yu Yuanzhen: We're just showing off a little, letting the other continent feel our strength. If they beg us on the Heavenly Screen, we might even show some mercy and go over to impart our teachings. Haha!] [Bibi Dong: You just want to expand your territory. Aren't you ashamed of bullying such a barbaric land?] [Yu Yuanzhen: Speaking of bullying, isn't that what your Spirit Hall enjoys most? How does that saying go again-we never need a reason to act.] [Chrysanthemum Douluo: ...] [Bibi Dong: ...] [Dai Mubai: If you ask me, those so-called "experts" of that Holy Spirit Continent are probably huddled together and trembling right now!] [Yu Xiaogang: Hey, where are the people from the Holy Spirit Continent? Why haven't any of you spoken? Were you scared witless?] [Yu Xiaogang: You'd better thank the deities properly. If they hadn't sent down the Heavenly Screen, you would never have known that beyond every great person stands someone greater, and beyond every heaven lies another heaven!]
Holy Spirit Continent.
Countless soul masters saw the messages in the Douluo Continent's section and instantly seethed with anger.
They eagerly connected to the Heavenly Screen and entered the Holy Spirit Section!
Did those people really think they were such easy targets?
[Meng Jiu: Seriously, how does a Titled Douluo even make a ranking of the strongest? I'm just an ordinary person selling breakfast, and even I'm a Titled Douluo!] [Old Wang: Exactly! I have no idea what they're barking about over there!] [Xiao Tian: We have hundreds of deities here. Even Third-Class Deities probably wouldn't qualify for the rankings!] [Zhou Yueban: So that Sea-whatever-Spear fellow... what would he count as here? Is he stronger than the security captain at our neighborhood entrance?] [Meng Jiu: Not the security captain. The security captain is a Third-Class Deity, after all.]
Holy Spirit Temple.
Those present couldn't help laughing when they saw the comments on the Heavenly Screen.
Just what they would expect from the people of the Holy Spirit Continent.
They usually seemed so mild and friendly, but they were no slouches when it came to tearing into someone!
Douluo Continent.
The livestream instantly erupted when they saw those messages in the Holy Spirit Section.
[Yu Xiaogang: Come on, man. Ordinary people are Titled Douluo? Don't make your big brother Xiaogang laugh! Becoming a Titled Douluo would take you people a lifetime, wouldn't it?] [Tang San: Do you take us for fools? Do you understand what a Titled Douluo is? You can count them on your fingers across the entire Douluo Continent!] [Chen Xin: I practiced the sword for over seventy years before reaching level ninety-six. Yet you casually claim even breakfast sellers are Titled Douluo-did all those decades of my training go to the dogs?] [Bibi Dong: Deities? Ha! In the hundred thousand years the Douluo Continent has existed, no one who attained godhood has ever remained on the continent. They all ascended to the Divine Realm. Yet you casually claim to have hundreds of deities. You can't even lie properly!] [Yu Yuanzhen: Level ninety-nine soul power is the limit of human strength. It has been so since ancient times! "Third-Class Deities," "Second-Level Gods"-never heard of them! At least prepare a draft before you start boasting!]
Before you continue