[After finishing my conversation with Su Ming, I told him that from now on, he must remember that no one on Sea God Island was worthy of receiving his formal courtesies.]
[Even I, as the Sea God's high priestess, was no exception.]
[Immediately afterward, I instructed Ou Ya, also known as Sea Horse Douluo, to convey my order throughout Sea God Island: until Su Ming completed Lord Sea God's trials, he was to remain an honored guest of Sea God Island.]
[Aside from helping Su Ming complete the trials, they were to meet all his needs on Sea God Island to the best of their ability.]
[And since Su Ming had begun the Sea God's Nine Trials through the Sea Horse Sacred Pillar in Seahorse City, he would stay in Seahorse City for the time being.]
[Finally, I instructed Sea Horse Douluo to summon the other six for a meeting at Sea God Hall the following day.]
"Wonderful!" Sea Horse Douluo Ou Ya exclaimed excitedly as he watched the Heavenly Screen.
He really was lucky. He was the one who had welcomed Lord Sea God's successor, and the latter had even taken up residence in Seahorse City.
It was a golden opportunity to be the first to catch the moonlight from a waterside pavilion.
Even though the high priestess in the Heavenly Screen had not clearly explained the true meaning of the Sea God's Nine Trials that Su Ming had begun, he himself was not particularly clear on it either. It was his first time seeing them.
But judging by the importance the high priestess attached to him, his future self would surely treat Su Ming well, without the slightest neglect.
[After instructing Sea Horse Douluo on what he needed to do, I turned to Su Ming again, offered him my blessing, and reminded him of one very important thing.]
[Of the Sea God's Nine Trials, he had to complete at least one each year. Otherwise, all his previous efforts would be wasted.]
[It was then that Su Ming asked me a question: if he failed the trials, would the outcome be the same as for those who failed the Red Trials and Black Trials? Would he die too?]
[At that question, my expression changed and turned cold. I answered Su Ming earnestly and gravely.]
[I told him that since he had begun the Sea God's Nine Trials, he must never let a thought of failing the examination enter his mind.]
[From the moment he inherited the Sea God's Nine Trials, success was the only thought allowed in his mind.]
[Because Su Ming's examination also concerned the survival of all of Sea God Island. For Lord Sea God's successor, the consequences of failure were absolutely not as simple as death.]
[They were even more terrifying than death.]
[All I could say was that Su Ming still did not understand what I meant by the Sea God's successor.]
[After saying those words, I left.]
"Being the successor means becoming the next Sea God..." Bo Saixi said pensively.
She naturally understood why her future self had been angry.
Bo Saixi did not blame Su Ming for asking such a taboo question.
After all, in the future timeline, there was no Heavenly Screen, so naturally no one could know what being the successor truly meant.
Without the Heavenly Screen's revelations and the earlier information about the Angel God, people on the continent were unfamiliar with matters concerning gods. To them, it was no different from listening to legends.
[Although I vanished from Su Ming's sight, I did not go far. Instead, I followed him in secret, looking forward to seeing how he would perform.]
[Led by Sea Horse Douluo, Su Ming arrived at the forbidden ground on Sea God Island.]
[The so-called forbidden ground was Sea God Hall, where Lord Sea God was worshipped. It was the only building atop Sea God Mountain.]
[The Ring Sea lay between the small island and the large island, blocking the way. The place where Sea God Hall stood was the true Sea God Island, also known to the islanders as the Island Within an Island.]
[Only Sea God Island guardians who had passed an examination at or above the Purple-Level Examination were qualified to climb the steps and enter Sea God Hall to worship Lord Sea God.]
[Otherwise, they would be blocked by the Sea God's Light.]
[Sea Horse Douluo also kindly told Su Ming that if he found the trial impossible while attempting it, he must not force himself.]
[As long as he quickly retreated down the sacred mountain, he would naturally come to no harm.]
[Moreover, among the many trials, the Sea God's Light was probably the only one that was not very dangerous to attempt, so there was no need for too many misgivings.]
I really am eager to get ahead! Sea Horse Douluo Ou Ya nodded to himself as he watched himself on the Heavenly Screen.
That was right. This was the ambition to get ahead.
Only by seizing every opportunity could he make better progress.
[As Su Ming reached Sea God Island and prepared to set foot on the steps, I began to look forward to it from the shadows.]
[Although this was the first time the Sea God's Nine Trials had appeared in Sea God Island's history of over twenty thousand years,]
[I was certain that the First Trial of the Sea God's Nine Trials, like the First Trial of many examinations, involved climbing the steps. The only difference was the number of steps to be climbed.]
[I began to wonder how difficult the First Trial would be for Su Ming, the Sea God's successor.]
[The examination I had begun all those years ago was the Top-Level Eight Trials. The First Trial required me to climb to the 228th step.]
[Beginning at the 220th step, the next six steps had been like hell to me. Even after more than a hundred years, I still could not forget them.]
[And that had only been the beginning. Each subsequent trial had been harder and more dangerous than the last.]
[But I believed in Su Ming. He was the person Lord Sea God favored and had chosen; he would surely succeed.]
[Of course, I also had a little thought of my own. I wanted to see just how outrageous the Sea God's Nine Trials were, and where I had fallen short.]
"Yes, just what kind of aptitude does it take to become Lord Sea God's successor?!" Bo Saixi watched the Heavenly Screen curiously.
She was very curious about the youth named Su Ming, who had undergone an examination at such a young age and begun the legendary Sea God's Nine Trials.
Just what kind of monster did one have to be to win Lord Sea God's favor?!
It would certainly have been a lie to say she was not jealous.
Of course, as high priestess, Bo Saixi was also happy for Lord Sea God.
After all, the greater the successor's talent, the stronger he would surely be in the future.
Only then would Lord Sea God's illustrious name not be tarnished.
In the Ring Sea, Xiao Bai, the Demon Soul Great White Shark King, also watched the Heavenly Screen curiously. "How will this Su Ming's talent compare with my old master's?"
As a Soul Beast, she was more straightforward by nature and would only submit to the strong.
Aside from the people of Sea God Island, the whole world was watching to see what the Sea God's Nine Trials entailed.
Countless living beings were eager, all wanting to see with their own eyes what the Godly Examination was like.
Just what kind of examination could serve as a god's test for selecting a successor!