Reward

One person cannot protect everyone, but rules and order can.

The establishment of rules and order will inevitably result in many unavoidable sacrifices.

But sacrifice is sacrifice. If there isn't enough power to suppress it, it's best to find a scapegoat—or become a tyrant yourself and let your comrades kill you to pave the way for them.

The woodland below returned to calm.

The voice rang out again.

"Passed the First Trial of the Red Level Assessment."

Wang Xingyu received a reward: his Soul Power increased by one level, and the age of all his Soul Ring increased by five hundred years.

Xiao Wu received a reward: her Soul Power increased by one level, and the age of all her Soul Ring increased by two hundred years.

Xiao Wu's Soul Ring age only increased by 200 years. It's unclear whether this is because she's a support character or because her performance in this level wasn't outstanding.

The next instant, my vision was swallowed up by green.

When they opened their eyes again, the two were back at the place where they had been swallowed by the grass.

The wildly growing grass blades are retreating, each one burrowing back into the ground, restoring the surface to its original smoothness, leaving no trace.

Lingxi remained standing in the same spot, but there was another person beside her— Qing Heng.

Lingxi stepped forward, reached out and helped the two up from the ground, her voice filled with genuine joy. "Congratulations on passing the First Trial."

Qing Heng followed him over.

He clasped his hands in a fist salute, his expression somewhat unnatural, as if he were trying to squeeze out a sentence he had been holding back for a long time. "My attitude was bad before, please don't mind."

Wang Xingyu waved his hand.

There was no real grudge between us. Although their attitude wasn't great before, they didn't say anything offensive, so there's no need to hold a grudge.

Qing Heng carefully examined his expression and, confirming that the other person genuinely didn't care, finally breathed a sigh of relief.

God knows what it was like when the entire Ancient Tree of Life was emitting a green glow—it was caused by the two people he rejected. At that moment, it felt like the sky had fallen.

Even if the other party is currently Red Level Assessment instead of a green level, it's still not someone I can afford to offend.

Accidentally entered the Heavenly Palace~

The images from the illusion still lingered in their minds, but both were mature enough that they were no longer significantly affected.

The First Trial is belief, which has no fixed answer; it's about whether you can stand firm in your choices.

This may explain why Wang Xingyu, despite not meeting the requirements for participating in the Goddess of Life assessment, was still allowed to participate—he wasn't a particularly evil person, and he firmly believed in his convictions.

Xiao Wu turned to Lingxi and asked the question they both cared about, "Sister Lingxi, how do we claim the reward for passing the test?"

Wang Xingyu was also curious, as they had only promised a reward but hadn't seen any sign of it yet.

Lingxi looked up in the direction of the Ancient Tree of Life: "It should be soon."

Just seconds after the words were spoken, specks of green light suddenly appeared deep within the canopy of the Ancient Tree of Life.

The specks of light drifted down through the layers of branches and leaves, slowly flying towards the two of them, one after another disappearing into their bodies.

Wang Xingyu felt the increase in his Soul Power, which was completely different from the growth brought by ordinary cultivation. It was as if a warm stream of water flowed directly into his meridians. Every time it passed through a certain place, the Soul Power there became thicker, just like the power he cultivated, without any resistance.

It's actually quite high-end.

Half a minute later, the last few specks of light disappeared between their foreheads.

Xiao Wu, Level 52.

Wang Xingyu, level 50, broke through to Soul King.

The Fourth Soul Ring, the purple Soul Ring from the willow tree that had lasted for nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine years, finally crossed that threshold under the impetus of the reward and turned completely black.

Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring.

He looked at the Soul Ring Configuration that lit up at his feet—yellow, purple, purple, and black—and tried to suppress his smile several times, but ultimately couldn't.

Finally, my setup is the same as Little San's and Xiao Wu's; I can pretend to be someone else better now.

"Not bad, Xingyu, you've broken through to Soul King!" Xiao Wu leaned over to look at his Soul Ring, her tone tinged with pride and joy, then asked, "When are we going to hunt for our Fifth Soul Ring?"

Wang Xingyu didn't answer immediately, but turned to Lingxi and asked, "Lingxi, is there God-given Soul Ring upon reaching the bottleneck?"

Lingxi nodded. "Those Black Level Assessment and above will be granted a breakthrough item when breaking through a major bottleneck, which is your Soul Ring. You can absorb it based on your own abilities, and there is no upper limit to its lifespan. Do you want to absorb it now?"

Just like the Sea God Island assessment.

Wang Xingyu thought for a moment. If there was no upper limit to the time limit, it meant that there was also no upper limit to the difficulty of absorption.

The better you absorb nutrients when you're at your peak.

Having just finished the first assessment, I don't feel too physically tired, but I am indeed a bit mentally exhausted.

Two consecutive illusionary trials have kept my mind constantly racing, taking a toll on it.

It's a pity Little San isn't here, otherwise we could have tried using Triangle Cycle to share the burden when absorbing the Soul Ring.

"Tomorrow, let's rest for the night."

Lingxi agreed and turned to look at Qing Heng.

Qing Heng walked over and led the two to a treehouse on the side, which was about the same distance from the Ancient Tree of Life to the Stone Gate.

"Gentlemen, please rest here for now. Just call out if you need anything."

His attitude was completely different from before; he even changed how he addressed people.

Qing Heng gave a few more brief instructions and then left.

The two climbed up the tree trunk and went into the treehouse.

The interior space is larger than it appears from the outside. Two beds woven from vines are placed side by side, along with a wooden table. In the corner, there is a lamp made of some unknown material, emitting a very faint, warm yellow light.

The rattan bed was much more comfortable than I had imagined; it was probably made of some kind of plant fiber, with just the right amount of resilience—neither too soft nor too hard.

Neither of them had ever lived in a house in a tree before. They each rolled over in their beds to try it out and found it quite amazing.

After only a few words, drowsiness began to creep in.

Having just passed the test and then been promoted several levels, both mentally and physically, they need time to process it all.

Before long, their breathing calmed down.

The next morning, Wang Xingyu and Xiao Wu felt they had slept very well. When they woke up, all their fatigue was gone. It was truly a place where the phantom of the Ancient Tree of Life was located.

Morning light filtered through the gaps in the tree canopy, casting dappled patterns on the ground as the four gathered beneath the Ancient Tree of Life.

Wang Xingyu stretched his shoulders and said to Lingxi and Qing Heng, "Ready?"

Lingxi and Qing Heng exchanged a glance, then simultaneously extended one hand and placed it on the rough trunk of the Ancient Tree of Life.

Green energy emanated from their palms, flowing slowly upwards along the bark's veins, spreading deep into the tree canopy.

A few seconds later, a vine hung down from the tree canopy, its entire body emerald green, its surface covered with fine golden inscriptions, shimmering slightly in the morning light.

Wang Xingyu sat cross-legged, and the Blue Silver Tree Martial Soul emerged from his palm, taking root in front of him.

The vine seemed to have a life of its own, slowly Entanglement the branches of the Blue Silver Tree, the golden inscriptions overlapping with the blue leaves of the Blue Silver Grass.

A gentle yet immense energy surged into his body along the vines. It wasn't the overwhelming surge of Soul Power, but rather like someone meticulously building something brick by brick within his meridians.

He knew that as long as he could withstand this energy for a long enough time, the age of the Soul Ring he obtained would be higher.

As for Soul Skill, the God-given Soul Ring should provide the most suitable skills.

But something else was constantly on his mind— the Soul Battlefield.

When Gu Kesi first learned about the Soul Battlefield and how Soul Martial Soul could be transferred from his memories, he was already extremely envious.

However, after Gu Kesi died, his Soul Martial Soul did not transfer; instead, it turned into a white crystal of unknown use.

The energy of the God-given Soul Ring is currently building the Soul Ring within the body. This power is completely different from the Soul Power impact when absorbing Soul Ring normally; it's more like it's tailor-made for the Martial Soul soul.

Wang Xingyu's heart stirred, and he tried to use his mind to guide the white crystal in his body, slowly pushing its power towards the Soul Ring that was forming.