Even more surprisingly, the Shadow Demon Squid left behind a 100,000-year-old Torso Bone.
After absorbing the power, Zhu Zhuqing's Soul Power reached level 86, and her physical strength and all her attributes increased by 50%.
There are also two Soul Bone Skill.
The first one, " Abyssal Stealth ".
Once activated, her body will enter a deep, alternate dimension, isolating her from all detection. She can move freely within it and observe everything outside from the abyss. When she chooses to emerge, her first attack will deal 300% more damage and inflict a five-second absolute paralysis with dark attributes.
The second one, " Body of the Abyss ".
Once activated, for half an hour, in any shaded area, her life and Soul Power recovery speed increases by 300%. During combat, the cost of all Soul Skill is reduced by 30%.
One provides a stealth attack boost, and the other provides rapid recovery and reduced skill consumption in the dark. These two Soul Bone Skill elevate Zhu Zhuqing's finishing ability and sustained combat capability to a whole new level.
When the five arrived at the city lord's mansion in Seahorse City, Tang Jian and the others had already come out to greet them.
After half a year apart, the changes in everyone were equally astonishing.
Tang Jian has passed the Fifth Trial. With half a year of arduous training, his Soul Power has reached the peak of Level 87. Even more surprisingly, he has successfully condensed his First Soul Core, and his aura is much more solid than before.
Oscar also passed the Fifth Trial. With the reward from the Fifth Trial, he broke through to Level 80 and absorbed God-Given Soul Ring. Relying on his solid foundation, he obtained a 100,000-year Eighth Soul Ring, and his Soul Power reached Level 83.
He also has two Eighth Soul Skill.
The first one, " Divine Protection Sausage," grants the user one absolute immunity to attacks. If struck by a fatal attack, it automatically triggers an invincible shield that lasts for three seconds and immediately restores 50% of the user's health and Soul Power.
The second one, " Divine Light Sausage," purifies all abnormal statuses, including poisoning, dizziness, and slowing, and increases all attributes by 80% for three minutes.
These two Soul Skill transformed Oscar from a simple buff-type support into a strategic figure capable of influencing the course of battle.
(PS: Some readers reported that the God-Given Soul Ring only provided one skill, so I changed it to two. All subsequent versions will have two skills.)
Ye Lingling also broke through to Level 80. However, she did not have God-Given Soul Ring, but Tang Jian gave her one. After absorbing it, Ye Lingling also obtained a 100,000-year Eighth Soul Ring, and her Soul Power Level 83.
Her Eighth Soul Skill also consists of two.
The first one, " Life Protection," instantly heals all friendly units within a 500-meter radius, restoring 60% of their health, and also removes all common status ailments.
The second one, " Life Bloom," designates a teammate and instantly heals all injuries, restores 100% of health and Soul Power, removes all abnormal statuses, and instantly returns them to their peak condition. However, it can only be used once a day.
These two Soul Skill made Ye Lingling a true "Fountain of Immortality." With her around, the team's survivability increased by more than double.
Everyone else also made progress.
Dugu Yan is level 86, Ning Rongrong Level 79, Bai Chenxiang is level 76, and Tai Long and Niu Zhen are both Level 75.
Everyone is striving towards higher goals.
There were still three months left until the end of the Fifth Trial.
Tang Feng decided to complete the assessment first before hunting for the Ninth Soul Ring.
After resting for a night, Zhu Zhuqing took the lead in the challenge the next day.
She chose to launch a combined attack from Sea Witch Douluo and Sea Star Douluo. Although the two Titled Douluo ' combined attack was well-coordinated and overwhelming, Zhu Zhuqing, with the help of her External Soul Bone Dark Gold Dreadclaw and her powerful Eighth Soul Skill, and with Ning Rongrong's amplification, managed to hold off the two Titled Douluo for a full hour.
In the end, she won with great difficulty, and a familiar voice echoed in her mind:
" In the Fifth Trial the Top-Tier Eight Trials, I defeated the combined attack of two Sacred Pillar Guardian, thereby increasing my Soul Power by one level and raising the age of all my Soul Ring by two thousand years."
The third purple Soul Ring beneath her feet had been there for over nine thousand years, and its color had deepened considerably.
On the third day, Dugu Yan began the assessment.
With the help of top-tier support characters Ning Rongrong and Ye Lingling, and the sustain provided by her Soul Core, she spent three days challenging and defeating seven Sacred Pillar Guardian.
Every battle was a tough one. Every battle was extremely difficult for her. But she persevered step by step and made it through.
When she defeated the last Sacred Pillar Guardian, the golden trident mark on her forehead shone brightly.
Sea God Affinity increased by 15%.
The overall affinity reached 55%.
Next, it was finally Tang Feng's turn.
His opponent was the combined attack of the seven Sacred Pillar Guardian.
Seven Titled Douluo attacked simultaneously. Sea Dragon Douluo launched a frontal assault, Sea Spear Douluo unleashed a deadly penetration, Sea Delusion Douluo used illusionary interference, Sea Horse Douluo employed steady restraint, Sea Ghost Douluo launched a stealthy surprise attack, Sea Star Douluo used binding control, and Sea Maiden Douluo unleashed a sonic attack.
The seven worked together seamlessly, combining offense and defense, and surrounded Tang Feng at the core.
Tang Feng did not back down.
He unleashed the Clear Sky Hammer, and eight Soul Ring lit up beneath his feet in succession. He unleashed the Clear Sky Nine Absolutes Techniques of Clear Sky in succession, directly attacking the seven Titled Douluo. Gravity Domain and Clear Sky Domain were activated simultaneously, suppressing the entire field. The unpredictable changes of the Flame Dragon Wings and Soul Bone Skill kept him invincible.
Ning Rongrong stood outside the battle circle, the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda shining brightly, amplifying his power wave after wave.
The Soul Core spun rapidly in his dantian, providing him with a continuous source of Soul Power. The Clear Sky Domain also continuously absorbed the Soul Power of the seven Sacred Pillar Guardian and fed it back to itself.
This battle lasted from dawn till dusk.
The seven Titled Douluo launched a fierce attack, Tang Feng countered with great force. He did not use his Eighth Soul Skill, as that skill was too powerful, and he was afraid of causing casualties and affecting Ye Lingling's assessment.
Therefore, he relied solely on his powerful physical strength, profound Soul Power, exquisite hammer techniques of the Clear Sky Nine Absolutes, and the agile movements of the Flame Dragon Wings to continuously wear down the seven people. Although he occasionally faced perilous situations, he remained steadfast.
Finally, after a full day of fighting, the seven Sacred Pillar Guardian ran out of Soul Power and stopped fighting at the same time.
The strongest Sea Dragon Douluo gave him a deep look, nodded slowly, and said helplessly, "Actually, you had already won, you just didn't use your killing move."
Tang Feng sheathed his Clear Sky Hammer, panting heavily and drenched in sweat. He smiled and replied, "Thank you for your guidance, seven seniors. You flatter me! It was just a friendly spar, not a life-or-death battle! I have benefited greatly from fighting with you seven seniors for a day."
At this point, everyone had passed the Fifth Trial.
Ye Lingling: " The Fifth Trial the Black Level Six Trials: Heal all examinees and Sacred Pillar Guardian. No one died. Through this, my Soul Power increased by one level."
Ning Rongrong: " The Fifth Trial the Top-Tier Seven Trials, assisting everyone in completing the challenge, increases Soul Power by one level and the age of all Soul Ring by one thousand years."
Tang Feng: " Top-Tier Eight Trials, Fifth Trial: Defeat the combined attack of seven Sacred Pillar Guardian. Passed. No reward."
The group returned to the city lord's mansion and sat in a circle in a side hall.
The joy of having just completed the Fifth Trial had not yet faded when a new challenge lay ahead.
Tang Feng spoke first, his gaze sweeping over the crowd:
"Information about the Sixth Trial has been released. Has everyone received it?"
Everyone nodded in agreement.
Dugu Yan frowned slightly and slowly said, "My Sixth Trial is to defeat the combined attack of the Seven Sacred Pillar Guardians."
Tang Jian smiled and said, "Don't worry, Sister Yan, my assessment is to assist you."
Ye Lingling said softly, "My Sixth Trial is also to assist you."
Oscar said, "Me too."
Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing nodded at the same time.
Dugu Yan looked at them, her frown finally dissipating. The combined attack of seven Titled Douluo was indeed difficult for her to handle alone.
However, with the assistance of Tang Jian, Ye Lingling, Oscar, Ning Rongrong, and Zhu Zhuqing, the odds are much higher for a team of six against seven, even though they are one person behind.
Finally, everyone's eyes fell on Tang Feng.
Tang Feng said helplessly, "My sixth test is to defeat the Sea God Douluo Poseidon."
Everyone was stunned.
Defeating Bo Saixi? That's Level 99 Peerless Douluo, who had the advantage of both time and place on Sea God Island. Although Tang Feng is a genius, he's only Level 90 after all; the gap is too big.
Oscar scratched his head and asked cautiously, " Brother Feng, you didn't see wrong, did you?"
Tang Feng smiled wryly, "I also hope I'm wrong."
He noticed everyone's worry, suppressed his own helplessness, and said seriously, "Therefore, I must first obtain the Soul Ring of the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King."
"With my current strength, my chances of defeating Bo Saixi are less than 30%. But if I can absorb the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King's Soul Ring and Soul Bone, and with the support of the Soul Core, I'll have a much better chance."
Yang Wudi said in a deep voice, "Then let's go and meet the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King first."
Dugu Bo chuckled, "I'd like to see just how powerful that nearly million-year-old Deep Sea Demonic Whale King really is."