What the Heck Is This?

Bao Liang's smile slowly froze.

Seeing that his expression was off, Meng Hongchen quickly asked, "What's wrong?"

Bao Liang remained silent for a moment, then slowly exhaled.

"Nothing.

I've finished my First Trial.

Next target: the Ten Thousand Year Heavy Space Nether Sea Dragon.

"A 100,000-year-old Heavy Space Nether Sea Dragon?"

Xiao Hongchen was the first to come to his senses, staring at Bao Liang with an expression as if he were confirming whether the other person had lost his mind.

"You've already got a 100,000-year-old Sixth Soul Ring? You're playing with fire?"

He frowned and pondered the name again.

"And the Heavy Space Nether Sea Dragon... doesn't that sound like a Sea Soul Beast? Sea Soul Beast are most likely water-attribute."

You, a Ultimate Flame Soul Master, absorbed a water-attribute Soul Ring...

Xiao Hongchen looked up at Bao Liang, his expression complex.

"Is the god behind you really alright in the head?"

Bao Liang paused for a moment.

Then, with a face full of admiration, he gave Xiao Hongchen a thumbs up.

"Ha! You dare call that person brainless? I, Bao Liang, acknowledge your title of the bravest warrior in the world."

Xiao Hongchen's lips twitched.

Bao Liang continued, "I vaguely remember telling you that the one who took a liking to me was the Destruction God King, one of the Five Great God Kings of the Divine Realm."

"And he's the oldest and strongest God King among them."

"Laugh, you are truly brave."

Xiao Hongchen: "..."

Is it too late for him to apologize now?

Meng Hongchen, sitting beside him, nodded thoughtfully upon hearing this.

"Is it too late for me to give up on this brother now?"

"Dream!"

Xiao Hongchen turned his head sharply, his face filled with shock at being betrayed by his own sister.

Meng Hongchen couldn't help but burst out laughing.

"Hehe, just kidding."

After she laughed, she looked at Bao Liang seriously again.

"However, laughing wasn't wrong either."

"A-Liang, are you sure it's okay for you to absorb that Soul Ring from the Heavy Space Nether Sea Dragon?"

"That's Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring!"

"Whether it's you or Dragon Fang, can you hold on?"

Upon hearing this question, Xiao Hongchen stopped joking.

Bao Liang did not answer immediately.

He lowered his head and thoughtfully touched his chest.

Dragon Fang is still slumbering in the Sea of Consciousness.

The mental storm that came earlier came too suddenly. In order to protect him, Dragon Fang took the brunt of the impact and has not fully recovered yet. No one knows when he will recover.

If Dragon Fang were to forcibly absorb another Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring, whether he could withstand it was one thing, but whether he himself would be burst by the power contained in the Soul Ring was another matter entirely.

Moreover, the name Heavy Space Nether Sea Dragon does sound quite strange.

"Heavy Sky", "Nether Sea", "Dragon".

Bao Liang always felt that things were probably not that simple.

Just then, the door was pushed open from the outside.

Jing Hongchen walked in.

As soon as he stepped into the room, he saw Bao Liang, Xiao Hongchen, and Meng Hongchen squatting on chairs, their heads huddled together, mimicking the Thinker, their expressions so serious as if they were discussing something that could change the course of the continent.

Jing Hongchen paused in his steps.

"What are you three doing?"

All three turned around at the same time.

Bao Liang immediately recounted the events of the Second Trial of the Divine Trial.

After hearing this, Jing Hongchen was stunned for a moment, and then her brows gradually furrowed.

"Heavy Space Nether Sea Dragon..."

He repeated the name in a low voice, his fingers tapping lightly on the table.

"Hiss—this name... it sounds familiar."

Bao Liang and the other two immediately fell silent, waiting for him to continue.

Jing Hongchen pondered for a moment, then suddenly clapped his hands.

"Oh! I remember now!"

"Isn't this Crown Prince Xu Tianran's Ninth Soul Ring?"

Xiao Hongchen raised an eyebrow slightly.

"Crown Prince Xu Tianran?"

"That's right."

Jing Hongchen nodded.

"As you all know, our Sun Moon Continent royal family has three inherited Martial Soul: the Sun, the Moon, and the Purple Brilliant Heaven Destroying Dragon."

"Xu Tianran's Martial Soul is none other than the Purple Brilliant Heaven Destroying Dragon."

"And when he acquired his Ninth Soul Ring, the Soul Beast he chose was the Heavy Space Nether Sea Dragon, which came from the ocean."

Xiao Hongchen immediately sensed something was wrong.

"That can't be right, Grandpa."

"The Purple Brilliant Heaven Destroying Dragon is of the Destruction attribute, and the Heavy Space Nether Sea Dragon comes from the ocean."

This doesn't seem to make any sense at all!

On the surface, that seems to be the case.

Jing Hongchen shook his head.

But actually, that's not the case.

He reached out and tapped lightly on the table.

"Although the Heavy Space Nether Sea Dragon lives in the deep sea and its name contains the word 'sea,' it is not a water-attribute Soul Beast in essence."

"Its true power lies in space."

"More accurately, it's gravity."

"Gravitational?!"

Bao Liang's eyes lit up slightly.

Jing Hongchen nodded.

"That's right, it's gravity."

"After Xu Tianran absorbed that Soul Ring, we realized that the Heavy Space Nether Sea Dragon's ability wasn't simply gravity suppression, but rather the ability to change the direction of gravity within a certain range."

"It can forcibly pull distant enemies closer, change the trajectory of attacks, and even use gravity to press enemies to the ground, rendering them unable to move."

"If combined with the Destruction attribute of the Purple Brilliant Heaven Destroying Dragon itself, the power of that Soul Ring would be extremely astonishing."

Xiao Hongchen, he seemed lost in thought.

"So, although the Heavy Space Nether Sea Dragon lives in the sea, it is not a water-attribute Soul Beast?"

"The ocean is merely its habitat."

Jing Hongchen said, "The pressure in the deep sea is extremely high, and the spatial structure is also unstable."

The Heavy Space Nether Sea Dragon can survive there is precisely because of its control over gravity and space.

"It may indeed contain a tiny bit of water-attribute power, but its core attribute is definitely not water."

Bao Liang nodded slowly.

"I see."

He finally understood why the Destruction God King had chosen the Heavy Space Nether Sea Dragon as his Second Trial target.

His Explosion Martial Soul has no shortage of destructive power.

Whether it's the Ultimate Flame or the power of Destruction, a direct burst of power is enough to terrify any Soul Master of the same level.

What he truly lacked was control, the ability to survive, and the means to keep the enemy within his attack range.

If he could master gravity, his fighting style would become more complete.

Imagine it.

The enemy finally managed to create some distance and prepare to avoid his explosion.

The next second, however, they were pulled back to the center of the explosion by an irresistible gravitational force.

Or perhaps the enemy's Soul Cannon had already locked onto him, but the shell was forcibly changed direction mid-flight, turning back to blast the enemy himself.

This is no longer a simple attack.

This turns the enemy's resistance into part of the attack.

Looking at Bao Liang's gradually brightening eyes, Jing Hongchen continued, "Moreover, the rewards for completing your First Trial include Destruction Affinity, Life Affinity, and a trace each of Destruction Divine Power and Life Divine Power."

"These things should help you stabilize your Soul Ring and also reduce the pressure on Dragon Fang."

"However, Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring is ultimately no ordinary Soul Ring."

"The Divine Trial has shown you the goal, but that doesn't mean you can jump into the sea with your eyes closed."

"First, we need to find out the habits of the 100,000-year-old Heavy Space Nether Sea Dragon, then prepare enough Soul Tool and backup plans."

Bao Liang nodded.

"I see."

Alright, stop overthinking.

"I will have someone investigate the matter of the Heavy Space Nether Sea Dragon."

"You should focus on stabilizing your Fifth Soul Ring and also restore your Sea of Consciousness."

At this point, Jing Hongchen suddenly took out an old-fashioned book from his Storage Soul Tool and casually handed it to Bao Liang.

Bao Liang took it instinctively.

Five large characters were written on the book cover.

The Eighteen Black Dragon Forms.

Bao Liang looked at the name, his expression becoming even more puzzled.

What is this thing?

"This is the cultivation manual I got from Long Xiaoyao."

Jing Hongchen said, "It contains his cultivation methods over the years, as well as some insights about Martial Soul and Soul Skill."

"I finally managed to see him a few days ago. I originally wanted him to take you as my apprentice, but he believed that given his status and position, rashly accepting you as an apprentice would only harm you."

"So, he gave this old man this manual."

"This way, you are given valuable experience without being drawn into either side's position."

"It's a win-win situation."

After Jing Hongchen finished speaking, she turned and left.

"Now that the goods have been delivered, I'll be leaving."

"It's true, ever since the Thousand Refinement Metal came into being, Mingde Hall and the Worship Hall have never been idle."

His voice gradually faded into the distance.

But that back view, no matter how you look at it, exudes an indescribable sense of misfortune.

Watching his retreating figure, Bao Liang couldn't help but say, "Have we been having too much free time lately?"

Grandpa Jing looks like he has a really tough life.

Xiao Hongchen shrugged.

"What can we do then? Our research on spirit metals is stuck here."

He pointed to his head.

"My current limit is only 4 feet 57 inches, yours is 4 feet 23 inches, and your dream is 4 feet 11 inches."

Xiao Hongchen sighed helplessly, "'Life' is such a vague concept; it's completely baffling."

Meng Hongchen nodded gently.

"We haven't even figured out what life truly is, let alone imbuing metal with a real spirit."

Xiao Hongchen looked at the book in Bao Liang's hand.

"Alright, let's read first."

"Let's see what cultivation insights the legendary Dragon Emperor Douluo left behind."

Bao Liang responded in kind.

He took a deep breath and solemnly turned to the first page of "The Eighteen Black Dragon Forms".

Then, all three of them froze in shock.

On the first page, there was neither the imposing aura of the Dragon Emperor they had imagined, nor any profound and unfathomable cultivation theories.

There is only one extremely complex diagram of the human body's meridians.

Moreover, there are male and female versions.

What the heck is this?