"It's all thanks to you, A Yang!"
Ye Lingling looked at Ji Yang, her eyes brimming with gratitude.
Without Ji Yang's help, how could she ever have hoped to evolve her Nine Heart Begonia Martial Soul into the Sacred Heart Begonia Martial Soul and free herself from her Martial Soul's curse?
Winning the Goddess of Life's favor and receiving her divine trials would have been even more impossible.
As she had said, all of this was entirely thanks to Ji Yang.
Otherwise, she would still have been that little girl tormented by her Nine Heart Begonia Martial Soul, living year after year in gloom.
At the thought, Ye Lingling's gaze softened considerably as she looked at Ji Yang, taking on a different kind of affection.
That gaze, tender as water, soon caught Dugu Yan's attention.
Fairly perceptive herself, Dugu Yan immediately realized something and nearly cried out in surprise.
Could Lingling have fallen for...
Even Dugu Yan had noticed the change in Ye Lingling, so there was no chance Xiao Wu had missed it.
After a brief moment of stunned silence, she looked at Ye Lingling and Ji Yang with such jealousy that it might as well have been written across her face.
I met Brother Yang first, and I fell for him first. Even if it's you, Lingling, I still...
Xiao Wu kept muttering inwardly, feeling as though a formidable enemy stood before her.
Then she clung tightly to Ji Yang's arm, looking like she was guarding her food.
"Why does it feel like the atmosphere's changed?"
Er Ming scratched his head, baffled and rather surprised.
He was still caught up in the shock of Ye Lingling receiving divine trials.
His words made Ji Yang, Ye Lingling, and the others feel somewhat awkward.
"Ahem... let's talk about your First Trial first, Lingling!"
Ji Yang glanced at Xiao Wu, who was hugging him tightly, then looked at Ye Lingling.
Coming back to her senses, Ye Lingling flushed. She nodded and described the First Trial of the Life Nine Trials she had been given. "My First Trial is to become a Soul Saint within a year and absorb a two-hundred-thousand-year Soul Ring. Once I complete it, I'll receive a five-percent increase in Life Affinity!"
"A trial with cultivation and Soul Ring requirements? That shouldn't be difficult!"
Ji Yang nodded slightly.
Compared with all kinds of ordeals, raising one's cultivation to a specified rank and acquiring a Soul Ring of a specified age within a time limit made for a relatively simple trial.
Of course, that depended on who was taking it.
For most Soul Masters, this would rank among the hardest trials imaginable.
But for people like them, who had pills to aid their cultivation, it was all but effortless.
"What's that Life Affinity reward?"
Dugu Yan asked curiously.
She found the reward a little strange.
"It represents the state and extent of my inheritance of the Life Godhood. The higher my affinity, the greater my control over the Life Godhood and the closer my compatibility with it. Once it reaches one hundred percent, I'll fully inherit the Goddess of Life's Godhood and become the next Goddess of Life."
Ye Lingling explained.
"So that's how it works!"
Understanding dawned on Dugu Yan.
Then, recalling something, she asked Ji Yang curiously, "Tower Master, are your divine trials this kind too?"
She had not forgotten that Ji Yang was also a Deity's successor.
"My First Trial is to obtain the Divine Slaughter's Domain, so I'll have to visit Slaughter City later and undergo the corresponding trial!"
Ji Yang said without blushing or missing a beat.
Obtaining the Divine Slaughter's Domain was actually only a prerequisite for receiving the Asura Nine Trials. But Dugu Yan and the others did not know that, so they could hardly doubt him even if they wanted to.
Besides, these were divine trials they had no way to question.
"Slaughter City!?"
Dugu Yan's expression changed.
She did not actually know about the Divine Slaughter's Domain Ji Yang had mentioned, but she had heard her grandfather speak of Slaughter City.
According to the rumors, it was where Spirit Hall imprisoned or exiled certain Evil Soul Masters and criminals, and it was also a paradise for the depraved.
She had never expected Ji Yang's first divine trial to take place there.
Instinctively, she worried about his future journey to Slaughter City. But when she thought carefully about his strength and resources, it seemed she had no reason to worry at all.
A place like Slaughter City should be even less capable of stopping Ji Yang.
Ye Lingling, who had also heard of Slaughter City, felt some concern as well. But like Dugu Yan, she soon chose to trust Ji Yang.
Only Xiao Wu and Er Ming knew neither of the Divine Slaughter's Domain nor of Slaughter City, so Ji Yang had to explain them separately.
Compared with Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling, those two worried even less about Ji Yang.
Instead, something else surprised them more.
Given the abilities of Ji Yang's Bagua Alchemy Furnace Martial Soul, they had assumed the Deity behind him was something like a "Pill God" or a "Medicine God."
They had therefore thought his divine trials would involve refining medicine.
Now, it seemed that was not the case.
The Deity behind Ji Yang seemed more like a "God of Slaughter." Otherwise, why would he be required to obtain this so-called Divine Slaughter's Domain?
"Then, Tower Master, is the Godhood you'll inherit also a God King's?"
Dugu Yan continued asking curiously.
After learning about the ranks of Deities in the Divine Realm and the existence of the Goddess of Life, she was especially curious about this.
"Yes!"
Ji Yang once again answered without hesitation.
Still, that was not exactly wrong.
Once he truly received the Asura Nine Trials, wouldn't the Godhood he would inherit be a God King-level Godhood?
"So that means two of the Divine Realm's Five Great God Kings will be people from our Pill Tower in the future?"
At Ji Yang's confirmation, Dugu Yan's eyes shone with delight.
Anyone who did not know better might have thought she was the one a God King had chosen.
"There might even be more than two. I'll see whether I can help you secure a chance later. Even if I can't, helping you try to obtain a First-Level God's Godhood shouldn't be a problem!"
Ji Yang said.
He remembered that the Evil God King and the God King of Goodness had eventually run off from the Divine Realm too.
He could try to secure their Godhoods as well.
He just did not know what criteria the Evil God King and the God King of Goodness used to choose their successors.
If they were suitable, he could indeed help Dugu Yan and Xiao Wu make an attempt.
If not, they would have to choose from the First-Level Gods.
The Sea God's Godhood, for example.
With Dugu Yan's current talent, she had a very good chance of inheriting the Sea God Godhood.
As for compatibility between their attributes, that was no issue at all. It would simply depend on the Sea God's own choice.
After all, the attributes of Tang San's Blue Silver Emperor Martial Soul did not match the Sea God Godhood either. It was merely that the Blue Silver Emperor's qualities of life and inclusiveness bore some resemblance to it.
In that regard, Dugu Yan's Earth Saint Dragon Martial Soul was not inferior, nor could it be called wholly incompatible.
Of course, when it came to other Godhoods, Ji Yang had not forgotten those of the Ice and Fire Dragon Kings.
He simply had not yet truly verified whether that option was feasible.
If it really was, he would certainly have Xiao Wu and Dugu Yan choose the Godhoods of the Ice and Fire Dragon Kings.
With God King-level Godhoods available to inherit, who would choose the Godhood of a "mere" First-Level God?
Even though a Godhood itself did not limit a Deity's advancement in strength and rank, and further cultivation could still bring improvement, that often required an immense amount of time and placed exacting demands on the Deity's talent.
If they could reach the goal in a single step, why waste so much time and effort?
And then, as fellow God Kings, their influence and standing in the Divine Realm would be truly unrivaled.
Before you continue