Yu Yuanzhen rushed toward the pillar of bloody light, only to find that it had formed a barrier around Yu Xuan.
He immediately tried to use Martial Soul Possession to smash through it by force.
But in the next instant, he saw the barrier dissipate on its own. It turned into a bloody vortex that branded itself onto Yu Xuan's forehead, forming a sword mark.
"What is this?"
Yu Yuanzhen's pupils contracted. He hurried over to Yu Xuan, and when he saw that his son seemed unharmed, a puzzled look crossed his face.
Yu Xuan closed his eyes and sensed it for a moment. Then he abruptly opened them, his face lighting up with delight. "The Asura God's Godhood Inheritance?"
"The Asura God?" Yu Yuanzhen froze for a moment, then pressed him. "Xiao Xuan, what did you just say? Is this Asura God one of the gods from the legends?"
Legends of gods naturally circulated in the Soul Master World as well, but they were too vague and elusive for anyone to tell truth from fiction.
Yu Xuan said, "Yes, Father. He's the kind of god you're thinking of."
"The Asura God is one of the Five Great God Kings of the Divine Realm. Perhaps he saw my outstanding talent and deliberately bestowed his Godhood Inheritance on me. As long as I complete his trials, I can inherit his godhood."
"Inherit his godhood?" Yu Yuanzhen's eyes went wide, his voice filled with astonishment and uncertainty. "You mean you have a chance to become a god?"
"Yes." A smile curved Yu Xuan's lips.
"Hahaha..." Yu Yuanzhen burst out laughing, his face brimming with pride. "My son Yu Xuan has the makings of a god!"
Yu Xuan: "..."
Why did those words always feel so strangely familiar...?
Yu Yuanzhen slowly calmed himself before asking, "Did that god... God King give you any trials?"
Yu Xuan said, "The Asura God gave me nine trials in all. My First Trial is Birth of the Killing God: go to the Hell Slaughter Arena in Slaughter City and win a hundred consecutive matches."
"As for the later trials, I can't see them yet. They'll probably only appear after I pass the First Trial."
"Slaughter City?!" Yu Yuanzhen's expression immediately grew grave. "That place is extremely dangerous."
"I've never been there. I've only heard that it's a paradise for evildoers, with strange restrictions that prevent the use of Soul Skills."
Yu Xuan said, "This is the Asura God's First Trial, so I have to go. Slaughter City may be dangerous, but it can also hone my practical combat experience."
Yu Yuanzhen had no intention of stopping him, but he asked, "Is there a time limit on that God King's trials?"
"No," Yu Xuan said.
Yu Yuanzhen secretly breathed a sigh of relief. "All right, I won't stop you. But you'd better raise your cultivation further before going to Slaughter City."
"I will."
Yu Xuan wasn't foolish enough to run straight to Slaughter City. Since there was no time limit, he would at least wait until he became a Soul King or Soul Emperor before going there to train. That way, he would have a better chance of clearing it.
"Haha, these divine trials may be perilous, but a Soul Master's cultivation was never a smooth road. Earning a god's favor is already an opportunity others can only dream of."
Yu Yuanzhen smiled, patted Yu Xuan gently on the shoulder, and said softly, "Let's go back."
He had originally wanted to ask about Yu Xuan's Soul Skills, but after hearing that Yu Xuan had gained a god's favor, he no longer had much interest in them.
"All right."
Father and son left the Star Dou Great Forest together. In his excitement, Yu Yuanzhen didn't even put away the One-Horned Fire Tyrant Dragon's corpse, leaving it to the carnivorous Soul Beasts for nothing.
After the two had left the Star Dou Great Forest's territory, a ripple quietly spread across the Lake of Life in its core region.
A majestic black-haired man with golden eyes bowed to a massive dragon whose entire body was a brilliant silver. "My lord, an immensely terrifying killing aura suddenly appeared in the Star Dou Great Forest just now. It seemed to be the Asura God's divine power."
The dragon lowered her gaze to the black-haired man and said in an ethereal voice, "That was the Asura God bestowing his Godhood Inheritance upon a human youth..."
"That human youth's Martial Soul is the Fire Dragon King."
"The Fire Dragon King... Can a human body withstand that kind of Martial Soul?!" The black-haired man looked slightly astonished.
He fell silent for a moment, then looked up at the dragon. "My lord, do you need me to capture him and bring him here?"
"No. Wait until the youth comes to the Star Dou Great Forest again," the silver-scaled dragon said.
They returned to the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan.
Yu Xuan parted from his father and returned to his own three-courtyard residence.
After absorbing that Soul Ring, his Soul Power had risen by only two levels, perhaps because of its Ultimate Attribute.
The Soul Skill he had obtained was also distinctly Douluo in style.
Mystic Flame Meteor Shower.
It increased fire-attribute power by 150%, gathering countless meteors wreathed in Crimson-Gold Mystic Flame and sending them crashing down in waves.
This Soul Skill made up for his lack of a group-attack skill.
Back in his sitting room, Yu Xuan summoned the Sword of Flame Radiance, only to discover that this External Soul Bone had undergone an obvious mutation.
Its appearance had remained largely unchanged, but it now radiated a killing aura that was almost tangible. Clear, bloody lines had also appeared along its twisted, flame-shaped blade.
When he had received the Asura God's divine trial inheritance, he had also noticed the age of this External Soul Bone soaring, reaching roughly fifty thousand years.
Now that he had taken it out for a closer look, he saw that it had actually absorbed some of the Asura God's divine power to increase its own age.
Yu Xuan tried coating it with Crimson-Gold Mystic Flame, only to find that the flames had changed. They had become a deep red, a bloody crimson almost entirely free of impurities. It had also gained another Soul Skill.
Wound of Blood and Fire.
After this Soul Bone Skill was activated, any part of an enemy struck by the greatsword would feel as though a vital point had been hit, and would suffer greater damage.
If it struck an actual vital point, it could potentially kill in a single blow.
"It sounds ordinary enough, but it feels more terrifying than every Soul Skill I've had so far..." Yu Xuan pursed his lips and murmured to himself.
Just imagine: if every sword strike hit a vital point or weakness, how could an opponent fend them off?
Sometimes, two fighters were evenly matched, but if one of them exposed a single weakness, that alone was enough to put them at a disadvantage.
"Blood and fire..." Yu Xuan stroked the greatsword, its killing aura on full display, and smiled. "How about I give you a new name? I'll call you the Sword of Blood and Fire."
"That name sounds better than the Sword of Flame Radiance. Not bad!"
"I suddenly feel like the Asura God's killing aura goes quite well with the Fire Dragon King's flames..."
"Conquest, war-this is what blood and fire embody..."
Yu Xuan put away the Sword of Blood and Fire and walked out of his sitting room.
He came to the riverbank and summoned the Sword of Blood and Fire again. Activating the Soul Bone Skill, Wound of Blood and Fire, he swung his hand, sending a slash of Sword Qi across the distance toward the river.
The flames continuously evaporated the river water, leaving a crimson fissure stretching across its surface. Any water that touched the lingering flames instantly vaporized and rose into the air.
"The power is great, but it also consumes a lot of Soul Power. If I kept unleashing slashes of that level, I'm afraid I'd struggle to last even two minutes."
Sensing the sharp drop in his Soul Power, Yu Xuan looked as though he wanted to cry but had no tears.
That was only natural. After all, it was a fifty-thousand-year Soul Bone Skill, and this particular skill was somewhat special.