Tang Feng stepped forward, cupped his hands in a respectful greeting, and said neither servilely nor arrogantly, "Respected Lord Sea Horse, we have come from afar with sincere intentions to seek an audience. If a test is required, we are willing to accept it."
"To accept the trial bestowed by His Majesty the Sea God, one must first cross this Sea Within a Sea without flying and arrive before the Sea Horse Sacred Pillar before being qualified to accept the trial."
Sea Horse Douluo looked at him, a slight smile playing on his lips, and said with a hint of disdain.
Tang Feng glanced back at his companions and nodded slightly.
Tai Long, unable to contain himself any longer, strode out from the line, grinning, and said, "I'll try it first!"
After saying that, he took a deep breath, and the Great Strength Gorilla Martial Soul suddenly possessed him.
His already imposing physique swelled even more, his muscles bulging like cast iron, and his arms almost reached his knees.
Five Soul Ring lit up in succession beneath his feet: yellow, yellow, purple, purple, and black.
" Fourth Soul Skill! Shock of Strength!"
With a roar, Tai Long leaped into the Sea Within a Sea!
The moment his massive body crashed into the water, he slammed his fists into the surface.
A visible shockwave spread outwards from him, the terrifying force even blasting away the seawater within a radius of tens of feet, revealing the shallow wet ground below!
The water surged outwards, creating a temporary dry channel.
Tai Long landed on his feet, and before he could even feel smug, he took off running, sprinting forward across the muddy ground.
Behind them, the seawater that had been shaken apart began to flow back, and huge waves surged, chasing closely behind.
Without looking back, Tai Long ran wildly.
As he finally stepped onto the edge of the triangular platform, the seawater behind him roared in, and he grinned and waved to his companions on the opposite shore.
Zhu Zhuqing also stepped forward, but unlike Tai Long, she didn't make a big fuss.
The Nether Civet Martial Soul silently possessed him, and his figure, like a black afterimage, skimmed across the water's surface.
With each step she took, her toes lightly touched the crest of the wave, using the momentary buoyancy to leap up again.
The surging waves became Zhu Zhuqing's springboard; she moved with astonishing speed, reaching the edge of the platform in just a few breaths.
Next, Tang Jian took a deep breath, the Clear Sky Hammer landed in his palm, and he smashed the water surface with a Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer. Using the recoil force, he rose into the air. With each step he took, the hammer wind swept across, shaking open the walls of waves beside him and forcibly creating a path.
Ye Lingling followed closely behind Tang Jian, using the surging waves he had smashed to propel herself forward quickly.
Dugu Yan was the most relaxed, as her Martial Soul inherently possessed the water attribute, making her resemble a swimming dragon in the water.
Others naturally followed suit and soon crossed the Ring Sea to the other side.
On the platform, Sea Horse Douluo looked at the ten young people who had just crossed the Sea Within a Sea, a hint of undisguised surprise flashing in his eyes.
He had guarded this Sea Horse Sacred Pillar for decades and had seen countless Soul Master come to undergo the test. Although crossing the Sea Within a Sea was not particularly difficult, it was truly rare to see so many of them pass through so calmly, like the ten people before him.
Sea Horse Douluo turned around and slowly walked to the Sea Horse Sacred Pillar. Facing the ancient stone pillar, which was entirely deep blue, all the expressions on his face disappeared, and his eyes were filled with incomparable piety, solemnity and awe.
"Someone is coming up."
His voice wasn't loud, but it reached everyone's ears clearly.
Tang Feng and his companions exchanged glances.
Tai Long took a deep breath and was the first to step forward.
He walked behind Sea Horse Douluo, mimicking his posture, and looked up at the Sacred Pillar that pointed straight to the sky.
Sea Horse Douluo slowly raised his hands to his chest, palms facing each other with a half-foot gap between them.
A faint blue light began to appear in the center of his palms. The blue light grew stronger and stronger, and when it reached its peak, the light suddenly burst forth, and the entire platform of the Sea Horse Sacred Pillar was enveloped in a blue glow.
The light was not dazzling, but it inspired awe, as if one were at the bottom of the deep sea, gazing up at the sunlight spilling onto the water's surface.
Immediately afterwards, the patterns on the Sea Horse Sacred Pillar began to light up.
Those intricate, ancient patterns were illuminated one by one by blue light, from bottom to top. In the blink of an eye, all the patterns on the entire Sacred Pillar were shimmering with that special blue light.
A blue beam of light descended from the sky, instantly enveloping Tai Long.
Tai Long's body stiffened slightly within the pillar of light, then relaxed. He raised his head, letting the light permeate his entire body.
The color of the light beam began to change.
Blue, white, yellow, purple.
The purple gradually deepened, eventually turning into a deep black!
Sea Horse Douluo's pupils contracted slightly.
Black light patterns had spread across the entire Sacred Pillar. Then, four beams of black light shot out and appeared simultaneously in front of Tai Long, transforming into four square light screens.
Golden text slowly appeared on the light screen.
The four beams of light converged, transforming into four points of black light that Tai Long's forehead. A black four-pointed star appeared between his eyebrows.
Sea Horse Douluo's lips twitched slightly, and he gave a wry smile:
" Black Level Four Trials. The same level as my initial exam."
Tang Jian couldn't help but step forward, clasped his hands in greeting, and asked, "Senior, what are the Black Level Four Trials? Could you explain them to us?"
Sea Horse Douluo nodded slowly, his gaze sweeping over everyone, and began to explain:
" The Lord Sea God's trials are divided into different levels according to difficulty. From lowest to highest, they are White, Yellow, Purple, Black Level, and Red."
" Lord Sea God will bestow different assessments upon each person based on their aptitude and potential. Among them, white and yellow levels only have one assessment; starting from purple level, the number of assessments varies, with purple level having one to three assessments and Black Level having four to six assessments."
He paused, then pointed to the black four-pointed star between Tai Long's eyebrows:
"The number of lights just now represents the specific number of assessment items. He has four stars between his eyebrows, which means he needs to complete four Black Level Assessment."
"After accepting the Lord Sea God's test, land-based Soul Master must complete one assessment every year; Sea Soul Master, on the other hand, must complete one assessment every ten years. Only after completing one assessment will the next one appear."
His tone turned serious, carrying a hint of warning:
"If the task is not completed within the time limit, or if the participant evades or abandons it, the seal of the Sea God on his forehead will shatter, instantly annihilating the participant."
"I can only wish you good luck."
After he finished speaking, a brief silence fell over the platform.
Tang Jian took a deep breath, stepped forward, and smiled, "Please, Lord Sea God, grant me a test."
Sea Horse Douluo frowned slightly. "Aren't you going to reconsider?"
Oscar smiled calmly and continued, "Senior, we're here to be tested. If the test is too easy, how can we be motivated? How can we create miracles?"
Looking at the determined eyes of these young people, Sea Horse Douluo was slightly moved.
He didn't try to persuade him further, but silently activated the Sacred Pillar.
Tang Jian, Black Level Six Trials).
Ye Lingling, Black Level Six Trials).
Niu Zhen, Black Level Four Trials).
Bai Chenxiang, Black Level Five Trials.
Oscar, Black Level Six Trials.
With each new test, the astonishment on Sea Horse Douluo's face deepened.
How many years has it been since Black Level Assessment has been conducted on Sea God Island? The occasional occurrence of one is enough to draw attention.
But today, in such a short time, six have appeared in a row!
His gaze fell on the remaining few people, and an incredulous thought rose in his mind: Could it be...?
It was Ning Rongrong's turn.
She stepped forward, the aura of the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda subtly swirling around her. Sea Horse Douluo the Sacred Pillar, a blue pillar of light enveloping her.
The colors began to change: blue, white, yellow, purple, black!
Just when everyone thought it would be another Black Level Assessment, the black light suddenly changed!
Crystal Red!
A crimson light shot into the sky, like a sharp, crimson sword piercing straight into the heavens!
On the entire Sea God Island, almost all the Soul Master looked up at the red light that pierced the heavens and the earth, their eyes filled with shock and disbelief.
Sea Horse Douluo was completely stunned.
"Top... Top-Tier Seven Trials?!"
His voice was trembling.
In the distance, deep within the temple at the center of Sea God Island, an aged yet majestic figure slowly rose to his feet.
Bo Saixi.
She gazed at the red light and murmured, "Has it him?"
On the platform, Sea Horse Douluo suddenly came to his senses, immediately bowed slightly, and his attitude became more respectful than ever before.
The way he looked at Ning Rongrong was completely different; he even started to show concern and care for her.
Ning Rongrong was a little overwhelmed by his enthusiasm and moved closer to Oscar.
Although her Soul Power Level is similar to that of Tang Jian, Ye Lingling, and Oscar, her age advantage is obvious, and her potential is one level higher.
At this moment, as the group successively obtained the Black Level Assessment, Ning Rongrong even obtained the Top-Tier Seven Trials. Zhu Zhuqing, who had been standing next to Tang Feng, frowned slightly.
She wasn't jealous, just a little worried.
Tang Feng sensed the change in her emotions, gently took her hand, and gave her a reassuring look.
Zhu Zhuqing looked at him, the worry between her brows gradually fading away. She released his hand and slowly stepped forward.
The Sacred Pillar shone brightly once more.
Blue, white, yellow, purple, black, and crimson!
The red light shot into the sky once again, even more intense than Ning Rongrong's!
The light screen unfolded before Zhu Zhuqing, one, two... seven... eight!
Eight in total!
" Top-Tier Eight Trials!"
Sea Horse Douluo was speechless.
He stared blankly at the eight beams of light, at the red eight-pointed star that slowly appeared between Zhu Zhuqing's brows, his lips moved, but no sound came out.
Zhu Zhuqing is currently the youngest known Soul Emperor, which is an affirmation of her potential.
Seeing this, Tang Feng stepped forward and reminded him, "Senior, let's continue."
Sea Horse Douluo suddenly came to his senses, and the look in his eyes was extremely complicated.
Now, only Tang Feng and Dugu Yan remain to be tested.
Tang Feng and Dugu Yan exchanged a glance.
Dugu Yan raised an eyebrow but didn't move, gesturing for him to go first.
Tang Feng nodded slightly and slowly walked to the Sea Horse Sacred Pillar.
Blue light shone on his entire body.
The light was exceptionally intense from the start, far more blazing than anyone before. Sea Horse Douluo's pupils constricted; he had never seen anything like it before!
The light changed drastically: blue, white, yellow, purple, and in the blink of an eye, it surpassed the Black Level!
Crystal Red!
A red light shot into the sky, so intense it almost burned one's eyes.
Sea Horse Douluo held his breath, staring intently at the beam of light, which continued to change!
His heart pounded: Could it be... could it be the legendary...?
Just as the red light was about to undergo a qualitative change, an even more ancient and profound red light suddenly shone down from the sky!
The red light did not come from the Sacred Pillar, but from a higher and farther place.
Like a divine oracle, it struck the pillar of light on the Sea Horse Sacred Pillar precisely, interrupting its continued transformation.
The beam of light trembled violently before being frozen in time.
Eight light curtains slowly unfolded in front of Tang Feng.
A red eight-pointed star appeared between his eyebrows.
"... Another Top-Tier Eight Trials."
Sea Horse Douluo's voice was dry and numb.
He was completely at a loss for words. The shock he felt today was greater than he had experienced in his entire life.
Tang Feng frowned slightly and looked up at the sky.
Where did that red light that interrupted him come from? Was it from the Asura God? Or the Sea God?
He withdrew his gaze, suppressed his thoughts, and looked at Dugu Yan.