Douluo Continent: My Martial Soul is the Black Dragon, I am the Lord of the Gods

Chapter 312 The Light of the Sea God
……

The God of Kindness's gentle gaze swept over the various God-Kings, finally settling on Xuanming in the mirror of light: "Arguing is pointless. Since fate has brought them before us, it is a test. Observe him, test him, see if he can forge a new path in dire straits, see his character, whether he can wield this power, and whether he can shoulder this responsibility."

Her words were calm, yet carried a decisive tone: "This first test will be set by you, Shura. Since you believe his foundation is unstable and fraught with hidden dangers, let's see if he can personally eliminate these hidden dangers and rebuild his foundation."

A crimson glint flashed in the eyes of the Asura God, and a cold voice rang out: "Just what I wanted. If one cannot even fully control one's own martial soul, but is instead enslaved by it, how can one talk about inheriting a godhood, or leading others? Let him taste the bitter fruit of his own actions. Three months to reshape his martial soul will? Hmph, let's see how he overcomes this tribulation!"

Within the mirror of light, the scene shifted and then settled on Xuanming's words: "[Sea God's Nine Trials, First Trial: Reshaping Will, Absolute Control. Time Limit: Three Months]".

"Devouring the essence of the Slaughter City and forcibly generating a Martial Soul... That's ruthless and audacious enough." The Asura God's cold voice rang out, carrying a hint of scrutiny that was barely perceptible.

"Unfortunately, his martial spirit is a weapon of destruction. The chaotic will within that blood spear could easily backfire on him, causing his soul to be scattered."

"This first test is a warning and correction to him! If he can't even tame the violence of his own martial spirit, what right does he have to bear greater power? And what right does he have... to touch the mess left by the Dragon God?"

Just as Xuanming had guessed, the divine realm had already taken notice of him.

From the moment he first rescued Arou and Xiaowu from Bibi Dong by drawing upon the remnant soul power of the Ice Dragon King in the Star Dou Great Forest, the familiar extreme ice aura and dragon soul fluctuations had already attracted the attention of the Asura God.

At the time, the Asura God didn't pay attention; a mere wisp of a soul couldn't cause any significant trouble.

The real turning point came when Xuanming hunted the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger and was dragged into the life-or-death arena.

That independent little world has rules that are subtly connected to the evil god.

The God of Evil used this to sense Xuanming's special nature, and even more so, the unique aura belonging to the Silver Dragon King that appeared afterward!
Despite Gu Yuena's special state, which was more like a soul vessel split from the Silver Dragon King, the God of Evil still recognized her true nature.

Afterwards, the god of evil sought out the god of good to discuss how to deal with this sudden change.

The divine realm does indeed harbor suspicion towards the dragon race, especially the Silver Dragon King. However, the root of this suspicion lies not in the lust for power or dominance, but in a deep-seated fear of the devastating war that nearly destroyed the divine realm and its many subordinate worlds, triggered by the Dragon God's madness in the past.

A group of old gods, represented by the Asura God, believed that all potential threats to the resurgence of the Dragon God's power must be thoroughly eliminated to prevent a repeat of the tragedy.

But the goddess of life firmly opposed this indiscriminate approach of extermination, and the god of destruction naturally sided with life. The god of goodness, on the other hand, preferred guidance and observation.

After much debate, a compromise was finally reached: observation and testing.

The gods of the divine realm do not show any favoritism towards humans, and the five great god-kings themselves have little connection with humanity. What they are truly worried about is whether the dragon god's mad power, capable of overturning order, will once again spiral out of control.

The problems left behind by the Dragon God must eventually be resolved; it's better to guide than to suppress. If a proper solution can be found, and it even adds new power to the divine realm, then everyone will be happy.

It was precisely because the higher-ups of the divine realm were debating this matter at the time that the Asura Divine Sense did not intervene when Xuanming left the City of Slaughter; they were observing his choice.

Originally, the Asura God intended to personally bestow the Asura God Test upon Xuanming, and let him preside over the test. However, Xuanming unexpectedly came into contact with the Vast Ocean Universe Cover, and the shameless Sea God Poseidon beat him to it, directly tricking him into going to Sea God Island.

Thus, after Xuanming arrived at Seagod Island with the Ice and Fire Dragon Soul and the aura of the Silver Dragon King, triggering the light of the Seagod, this long-suppressed debate was brought back to the forefront.

The Asura God still insists on eliminating or at least sealing the Silver Dragon King.

However, the evil god developed a strong interest in Xuanming, a human who could "devour" the City of Slaughter in a special way and seemed to be able to balance the power of the Ice and Fire Dragon King.

The goddess of life still opposes violence, while the god of destruction remains noncommittal.

Finally, the God of Kindness proposed a joint test.

These nine trials of the sea god are the vehicle for testing.

The content of the first test—[Reshaping Will, Absolute Control]—was personally designated by the God of Asura!

He wanted to see if this audacious young man truly possessed the ability to wield a deadly weapon and face his destiny, or if he was merely a pitiful creature about to be devoured by the power itself!

The God of Evil looked at Xuanming's calm face on the light screen and laughed, "Three months to purify and reshape the soul of that fierce spear that devoured the City of Slaughter... Asura, you've really set a tough challenge for me. Even I think it's a bit too much."

The Asura God remained expressionless: "If he can't even pass this first test, it proves that he is nothing but a slave to power, completely unqualified to bear our expectations, and even less qualified to face the karma of the Silver Dragon King and the Dragon God. It's better to fail early than to cause an even greater disaster in the future."

……

Poseidon Island, early morning.

The soft golden sunlight shines on the white sand and lush vegetation, and the air is filled with a sacred and refreshing energy that is invigorating.

After a night's rest, everyone gathered at the foot of Poseidon Mountain.

Before you, a wide stone staircase, seemingly carved from white jade, winds its way up to the faintly visible Sea God Temple atop the mountain.

A faint golden halo enveloped the stone steps, emanating a vast yet gentle pressure. This was the Light of the Sea God.

Depending on their respective assessment levels, they need to climb to different heights of stairs under the pressure of the light of the sea god.

“The Light of the Sea God can not only suppress soul power and temper the body, but also cleanse the soul and consolidate the foundation. It will greatly benefit your future cultivation.” Poseidon’s voice rang out gently. “Act according to your ability and do not force things, otherwise you will be bounced back by the golden light or even injured.”

Everyone nodded, their eyes filled with eagerness. Hu Liena took a deep breath and stepped onto the first step first.

A golden halo enveloped her entire body, and she suddenly felt a weight on her back, as if she were carrying a heavy object. The flow of her soul power also became somewhat sluggish. But her eyes remained firm, she adjusted her breathing, and walked upward step by step.

Ning Rongrong, Zhu Zhuqing, Xiao Wu, and others followed closely behind, each releasing their martial spirits to resist the increasingly intense pressure.

Xuanming followed behind the others and stepped into the light of the sea god.

The golden pressure descended upon him, but it was like a clay ox sinking into the sea, causing little to no ripple.

He was more focused on sensing the properties of the sea god's light while observing the situation of the others.

When Hu Liena had struggled up the thirty steps and was already sweating, she suddenly stopped, a hint of surprise and uncertainty appearing on her charming face.

She looked back at Xuanming, who was walking calmly below, and felt the omnipresent golden pressure around her. She couldn't help but say, "This feeling... is so familiar..."

This oppressive feeling that permeates from the outside in and from all directions, although different in nature and intensity, has a striking similarity in its mode of action to Xuanming's strange colorless domain!
However, Xuanming's colorless domain is more domineering and thorough, directly stripping away the senses and freezing the mind, while the light of the sea god is more inclined to gentle tempering and testing.

Fire Dancer's body erupted with intense flames in an attempt to counteract the pressure, but the effect was minimal. She couldn't help but mutter, "This oppressive feeling... it's a bit like the suffocating aura that Xuanming usually exudes?"

Shui Bing'er was surrounded by cold air, which condensed into ice armor to resist the pressure. Hearing this, she nodded slightly: "Indeed, they are somewhat similar. They are both all-round suppression, but his is more... absolute."

They had all personally experienced the terrifying power of Xuanming's dual domains combined, and now, under the light of the Sea God, they immediately sensed that familiar "feeling".

Especially Ning Rongrong and the others, recalling the days when they were suppressed into "mortals" by Xuanming using the colorless domain and subjected to various basic physical and soul power control training, although painful, now it seems that they have indeed laid a solid foundation for dealing with the light of the sea god.

At least, they are not unfamiliar with this type of oppression and know how to adjust their breathing and allocate their soul power to resist it.

Xuanming listened to their discussion with a calm expression.

He had indeed intentionally or unintentionally simulated similar stressful environments using colorless fields to hone their basic skills. And now it seems the results were quite good.

He didn't stop and continued walking uphill.

The pressure from the light of the sea god was far less intense than the complete suppression from within the colorless domain. He walked steadily and soon overtook the others who were struggling to climb, his figure gradually disappearing into the golden halo at a higher altitude.

Watching Xuan Ming's relaxed figure disappear into the distance, and feeling the immense pressure they were under, Hu Liena and the others gritted their teeth, their fighting spirit burning even brighter.

"We can't lose to him by too much! Keep going!" Hu Liena shouted, taking another heavy step.

The others also mustered their soul power and continued to charge towards their respective target steps.

In the realm of gods, within the temple.

The God of Evil watched with great interest as Xuanming climbed at a speed far exceeding that of ordinary people in the mirror of light, stroking his chin and laughing: "Interesting. Instead of figuring out how to pass his deadly first test, this kid has the leisure to compete with the Light of the Sea God here? Does he think climbing stairs is more important than taming that fierce spear?"

But then, as if he suddenly remembered something, he frowned slightly: "Wait... I remember that the pressure of the Sea God's Light on the Nine Heavens Mystic Steps is targeted, right? Only those who pass through the Sea God's Light in the assessment will be suppressed to the corresponding degree."

"This kid's first test was clearly about rebuilding his will, which has absolutely nothing to do with climbing stairs. How come he feels pressured? And judging by the intensity, it's no less than that of the top examinees?"

Upon hearing this, the gazes of the other four god-kings instantly turned to the sixth figure present—the sea god Poseidon!

Especially the God of Asura, a knowing and sharp light flashed in his cold, blood-red eyes. He stared at Poseidon, his voice carrying an unquestionable question: "Poseidon, what have you done?"

Poseidon was simultaneously locked onto by the gazes of the five great god-kings, especially the icy, murderous look of the Asura God. His smile froze instantly, and he looked somewhat embarrassed.

He coughed lightly, trying to cover it up: "Ahem... Well, perhaps the Light of the Sea God sensed the aura of the Vast Ocean Universe Cover within him and automatically regarded him as the examinee? Or perhaps he is exceptionally talented and has an extremely high affinity with the ocean, so..."

“Poseidon.” The Asura God’s icy voice interrupted him, carrying undisguised chill. “You’d better explain yourself. Did you… pull something behind the scenes?”

Poseidon felt his scalp tingle under the gaze of the god Shura. Knowing he couldn't hide it any longer, he could only give an awkward smile and touch his nose: "Well... I think this kid is quite pleasing to the eye. He has excellent physique and a strong will. He's an excellent candidate to inherit my position as the sea god! Shura, you've given him such a difficult question right off the bat. What a pity if he fails on his first test? So..."

"So when he came into contact with the Light of the Sea God, I secretly... secretly loaded him with a test module for traversing the Light of the Sea God. As for the difficulty... I set it to the standard of the top nine tests, thinking of helping him hone his skills and build a solid foundation, hehe..."

His voice grew softer and softer until it almost turned into a dry laugh.

He had no choice!
What kind of ridiculous test did Shura set? He wants Xuanming to reshape the will of the Blood Spear within three months. It's completely impossible for this kid to do it on his own!
He finally got his hands on this treasure!

Can he just stand by and do nothing?

We definitely need to give this kid some support!

The Light of the Sea God originates from the faith in the ocean, containing sacred power of faith, which in turn brings unexpected miracles.

This is the most he can do; the rest depends on the kid's own abilities.

(End of this chapter)