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

Chapter 322 The Second Trial: Ascending the Nine Heavens Mysterious Ranks
……

All the eyes of the gods finally focused on the God of Asura.

The air inside the temple seemed to freeze, with only the images flowing in the mirror reflecting everything below.

This rigorous test, orchestrated by the God of Asura, has now been met with a near-mad response from the two individuals being tested.

Xuanming's splitting of the soul triggered a heavenly tribulation, and Gu Yuena retrieved the dragon clan's supreme treasure. Every step they took seemed to be a test of the rules set by the divine realm with their lives.

The Asura God stared intently at the light mirror, looking at the nine-colored crystal in Gu Yuena's palm that emitted a faint yet supreme aura, and then at Xuan Ming beside her, whose aura had changed drastically and who had undergone an astonishing transformation.

He remained silent for a long time.

On his cold face, a complex mix of emotions flashed by—shock, scrutiny, and even a hint of... emotion that he himself was unaware of.

His original intention in setting up the test was to force Gu Yuena to take action and test her attitude and bottom line.

But he never expected that Gu Yuena's "action" would be so decisive, so... reckless!
This has gone far beyond the scope of "testing".

This is clearly... a desperate gamble!

"They're both crazy."

"..."

An even more eerie silence fell over the scene.

Although Hu Liena and the others did not know what was in front of them, seeing Poseidon's horrified expression and the faint nine-colored light in Gu Yuena's palm that made their souls tremble, they vaguely realized that Gu Yuena's disappearance was not what they had imagined... desertion.

Xuanming remained silent for a moment, looking at Gu Yuena's exhausted and weak appearance, and slowly asked, "Was it worth it?"

He hadn't expected Gu Yuena to go this far, even bringing out the Heart of the Dragon God. In this way, the Dragon Clan had absolutely no way out.

Gu Yuena met his gaze, and a faint yet stubborn smile suddenly appeared on her pale face: "You said that you have to walk your own path. The path I chose has nothing to do with whether it's worth it or not."

Upon hearing this, Xuanming was slightly taken aback, then chuckled and shook his head, saying no more.

Some choices, once made, need no further questioning of their worth; one must simply move forward.

He reached out, his palm flowing with gentle soul power, and gently pressed it against Gu Yuena's smooth forehead, slowly transferring the pure energy from the dragon bone that had just been restored into her nearly depleted body.

"Go and rest first."

Gu Yuena did not resist. Feeling the nourishment of that gentle power, her tense mind relaxed slightly, and a strong sense of fatigue surged up like a tide, causing her body to sway slightly.

Xuanming caught her.

As Poseidon watched this scene, looking at the faint yet terrifying nine-colored light in Xuanming's hand, and then at Gu Yuena's unfathomable aura, the endless doubts and shock in his heart finally turned into a silent sigh.

The secrets and burdens these two young people carry are probably far beyond her imagination.

What kind of being has Lord Poseidon attracted to this test?

……

The next day, at the foot of Poseidon Mountain.

Xuanming stood quietly on the white sand beach, his gaze fixed on the winding white jade staircase that seemed to reach straight into the clouds.

Above the steps, the golden light of the sea god remained vast and magnificent.

His gaze fell on the figures struggling to climb the steps.

Hu Liena, Ning Rongrong, Zhu Zhuqing, Xiao Wu, Dugu Yan, Ye Lingling, Arou...

They are still undergoing their respective "Crossing the Light of the Sea God" tests.

Three months have passed, but their progress is astonishing!
Perhaps it was the intense stimulation from Xuanming's repeated reckless and extreme actions, or perhaps it was the motivating effect of supporting each other and fighting together under such high pressure, that caused these girls, who were already top-notch in talent, to unleash a tenacity and growth far exceeding their own potential!

Even Ning Rongrong and Ye Lingling, who are pure support type and relatively weak in physique, have already steadily climbed to a height of more than sixty steps!
They were drenched in sweat, their soul power fluctuating violently, but their eyes were exceptionally firm, and every step they took was incredibly steady.

Arou, who has the highest cultivation level, is a 100,000-year-old soul beast in human form with profound foundation. After obtaining the seventh divine soul ring and greatly increasing her strength, she has left everyone else in the dust and has already broken through the terrifying height of the 100th step!
Following closely behind was Hu Liena. With the huge boost from the Nine-Tailed Heavenly Fox Martial Soul and the Killing God Domain, she had already reached level ninety!
After that, Dugu Yan, the Azure Phosphorus Serpent King, was shrouded in poisonous mist, Xiao Wu used her soft skills in combination with her invincible golden body, and Zhu Zhuqing's Netherworld Cat moved like lightning. All three of them reached a height of more than eighty steps!

This terrifying collective progress deeply shocked the seven Holy Pillar Guardians who had been closely watching them!

Seahorse Douluo, Sea Dragon Douluo, and the others exchanged bewildered glances, their eyes filled with disbelief. "This...it's only been less than three months!" Seahorse Douluo's voice was hoarse. "At this rate, they probably...will all complete the assessment in less than a year!"

"Monsters... what a bunch of monsters..." The Sea Maiden Douluo covered her mouth, her sky-blue eyes filled with astonishment, "The stimulation brought by Xuanming has driven these children mad..."

Poseidon stood quietly to one side, watching the girls on the steps who were gritting their teeth and persevering, constantly breaking through their limits. A complex sense of satisfaction appeared on her beautiful face.

These children's potential and character truly exceeded her expectations.

The existence of Xuanming is like a whetstone, sharpening them in the most cruel way.

Xuanming stood quietly to the side, watching everyone's hard work.

His second test was delayed, and since the first test was completed, the light of the sea god seemed to have lost its suppressive effect on him. Even when he stepped onto the steps, he could not feel any pressure.

He tried to combine his killing domain and colorless domain, putting pressure on himself to hone his skills, but the effect was far inferior to the pure, boundless pressure of the light of the sea god, which originated from the gods.

That oppressive feeling that could push him to his limit, or even beyond it, was the best way for him to quickly consolidate and enhance his power, but unfortunately, he could no longer use it.

In the realm of gods, within the temple.

The light mirror clearly revealed Xuanming's seemingly calm state, which actually concealed a sense of "disorientation" and "desire for pressure".

The God of Evil looked at Xuanming's restless appearance and couldn't help but twitch his lips. He complained to the other God Kings, "This kid... does he have some kind of misunderstanding about the word 'rest'? He just crawled out of that test that almost killed him, and his soul bone hasn't even been properly nurtured yet, and he's already complaining about being too slow? Can't he just take a break for a while?"

The goddess of life shook her head helplessly: "His heart... has long been accustomed to moving forward under heavy pressure. Suddenly losing that pressure will only make him feel uneasy."

The God of Kindness smiled gently: "Perhaps, this is the reason why he is able to keep breaking through his limits."

The Asura God stared expressionlessly at Xuanming's "bored out" and even "sexually frustrated" appearance in the mirror of light, his cold gaze flickering slightly.

He originally intended to let Xuanming rest for a while to fully consolidate the gains from the first trial, especially since the evolving killing soul ring and the damage to his soul level needed time to repair.

But now it seems... this kid can't stay still at all.

The God of Evil stroked his chin, a wicked glint in his eyes: "Since he's in such a hurry, so eager for pressure... let's just grant his wish."

He turned to the God of Asura and smiled, "Asura, how about setting the content of the second test as 'Crossing the Light of the Sea God and Ascending the Nine Heavens Mysterious Steps'? Simple and direct, it's perfect for testing the results of his first test. However..."

He paused, his smile turning somewhat playful: "We need to add some restrictions. Once he steps into the Light of the Sea God, the remaining power of the Ice Dragon King and the Fire Dragon King, including the energy of the dragon bones sealed within him, will be completely unusable. He can only rely on his own pure power to climb. What do you think?"

This suggestion made the eyes of several god-kings flicker.

Reaching the top of the Nine Heavens Mysterious Steps is no simple climb; the pressure increases exponentially with each step, and the 1,001 steps are truly an insurmountable barrier.

Sealing off the dragon bones and dragon soul means that Xuanming will lose one of its greatest energy reserves and trump cards, instantly increasing the difficulty!
The Asura God pondered for a moment, a sharp glint flashing in his blood-red eyes: "Alright. Since he pursues the limit, then let him reach the limit."

An invisible wave of divine thought crossed planes and descended upon Seagod Island.

As Xuanming gazed at the steps, the golden trident mark on his forehead suddenly heated up, and detailed information about the second trial flooded into his mind:

[The Second Trial of the Sea God: Traverse the Light of the Sea God and Ascend the Nine Heavens Mysterious Steps.]

[Additional Restrictions: During the assessment, the use of the remnant soul power of the Ice and Fire Dragon King and the energy of the sealed dragon bones is prohibited. Only one's own soul power, martial soul, domain, and soul bone abilities may be relied upon.]

[Timeframe: Six months.]

"Ok?"

Xuanming, who was about to turn around and ask Poseidon if he could practice with him, stopped in his tracks.

Ascend the Nine Heavens Mysterious Steps?

Are you sure this isn't a joke?

Over the past three months, he had also talked with Poseidon about the Nine Heavens Mystic Steps on the more than 800 steps.

Although the Nine Heavens Mystic Steps are nominally 1,001 levels, in reality only the first 108 levels are used for testing, and more are only used on very rare occasions.

Throughout the tens of thousands of years of history of Poseidon Island, the highest assessment requirement for the Nine Heavens Mystic Ranks was only the 228th level, which Poseidon attempted.

As for what comes after, Poseidon said that it was not meant for people to climb.

Poseidon once admitted that even with her current cultivation level of 99 Peerless Douluo and demigod body, if she were to reach the top of the Nine Heavens Mystic Steps with the Sea God's Light fully activated, she would have to exert all her strength and even exhaust herself to reach the top!
Even a demigod is like this... Although his strength has greatly increased, he is only a level 80, seven-ring Soul Douluo. In six months, without the help of the dragon bone, he has achieved the goal of reaching the top, which even a demigod needs to do with all his strength.
(End of this chapter)