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

……

In the realm of the gods, within a magnificent temple.

The mirror clearly reflected the absurd scene that had taken place on the shore of the lower realm—Poseidon's carefully prepared hint was perfectly interpreted by Xuanming as an "invitation to interstellar exploration."

The gods looked at Xuanming's earnest discussion of "the stars and the sea," and at Poseidon's instantly stiff, almost cracking expression, and their expressions varied.

The God of Evil stroked his chin, his eyes full of amusement: "Tsk tsk, this kid... all he thinks about is getting stronger and running away, he really doesn't care about romance at all. Poseidon, your High Priest's flirtatious glances are just for the blind."

Poseidon's face darkened as he looked at his high priest's devastated reflection in the mirror. He felt both heartache and helplessness: "Whose fault is this? Who told you to push him too hard in the previous trials? Now he sees everything as a divine conspiracy and thinks we're about to break off relations and attack at any moment!"

The God of Destruction's body crackled with purple lightning, and his deep voice rang out, tinged with solemnity: "He not only thinks this way, but he's already making preparations. Forcibly breaking through to level 100, leaving this star field, and searching for divine energy in unknown lands... This idea is very dangerous."

A "true god" who has just broken through level 100 and has not yet condensed a godhood is like an infant walking among wolves in the vast and unknown universe. The process of condensing a godhood is extremely dangerous, requiring an absolutely safe environment and enormous energy support. Taking it in an unfamiliar star field has a very low success rate, almost equivalent to gambling with one's life.

The God of Kindness frowned slightly, a hint of worry in his voice: "He has prepared for the worst. It seems that our previous test has indeed put him under immense pressure and uncertainty, to the point that he would rather gamble on that slim chance of survival than completely entrust his fate to the divine test."

"Hmph, that does show some decisiveness," the Asura God coldly commented, but deep in his eyes there was little admiration, but rather a hint of doubt.

Xuanming's "better to be a broken jade than a whole tile" nature means that if pushed too far, he might really do anything.

The god of evil turned his gaze to Poseidon, his tone clearly skeptical: "Poseidon, do you see? Your fourth test seems easy, but it might be more ruthless than all our previous tests combined! At most, we temper his will and test his abilities. But you're going to directly challenge his human weaknesses and mess with his mentality!"

He pointed at Xuanming's earnest face in the light mirror, which resembled that of an "interstellar comrade," and then at Poseidon, who looked utterly hopeless: "Look at this, does this look like someone who can end a romantic relationship? This is clearly trying to trick the High Priest into joining them on a treacherous journey through the universe! At this rate, forget about getting him to clarify his feelings; he'll probably turn everyone who's even slightly interested in him into a comrade-in-arms exploring unknown star systems!"

The God of Destruction echoed in a deep voice, his body crackling with purple lightning: "Evil is right. This test is too difficult for him. If he still can't understand it, or gives up completely out of boredom and chooses the most extreme path... wouldn't all our previous efforts and observations be wasted? We might even end up turning him into a potential enemy who harbors resentment towards the divine realm and is exiled throughout the universe."

Poseidon was rendered speechless and somewhat embarrassed.

He originally just wanted to take the opportunity to matchmake his own high priest and see Xuanming's emotional reaction, but who would have thought that this guy would not play by the rules at all!

You were able to solve so many difficult problems before, but now you can't even solve this easy one?

"Then... what do we do now?" Poseidon asked somewhat hesitantly. "Should we cancel the fourth test?"

The Asura God remained silent for a moment, his blood-red eyes flashing, before finally speaking coldly, "No need to cancel." He looked at Xuanming in the mirror of light: "The pressure has been enough. It's time to let him see some hope and room for maneuver. Let him understand that the God Realm doesn't necessarily have to be his enemy; coexistence and cooperation are possible."

"As for this fourth test..." Asura God paused, "Give him more time and observe the follow-up. If he really can't understand it, there's no need to force him. After all, our primary goal is to resolve the hidden dangers left by the Dragon God and observe whether he has the ability and temperament to handle it, rather than really forcing him to deal with these personal feelings."

The God of Destruction and the God of Goodness nodded slightly in agreement. Continuing to dwell on this matter might indeed backfire.

"But why wasn't he like this with Bibi Dong?" Poseidon asked, puzzled. "Didn't Xuanming handle Bibi Dong's matter quite well before? How come he's suddenly acting like a different person now? Has he suddenly lost his mind?"

Upon hearing this, the God of Evil let out a sneer, his eyes full of mockery: "Poseidon, use your brain. What was Bibi Dong's situation? It was a life-or-death crisis where the Rakshasa God Trial was stalled, divine power was in conflict, and she could lose control or even perish at any moment! In Xuanming's eyes, that was a real trouble and threat that required the use of power and wisdom to resolve!"

He pointed at Xuanming in the light mirror, who was still trying to analyze the "advantages and disadvantages of interstellar travel" with Poseidon, "Look at yourself now! Your High Priest is dressed up in his finest clothes, talking to him about romance, about excitement, about watching the sea side by side... In Xuanming's mind, which is filled with a sense of crisis, what kind of serious business is this? Can this be compared to life and death?"

The God of Destruction's deep voice rang out, "His mindset has become rigid due to excessive pressure. In his mind, only cultivation, combat, crisis management, and future planning are clear and definite tasks. Emotional entanglements, especially ambiguous expressions that do not pose a direct threat, are completely outside his comprehension and may even be subconsciously categorized as distractions or invalid information."

The God of Kindness nodded gently and added, "Moreover, when dealing with Bibi Dong's problem, he had a clear goal, but now this fourth test requires him to sort out his emotions and clarify his relationships... This is inherently a vague, subjective problem without a fixed solution, which happens to hit the area he is least proficient in."

The Asura God's icy gaze swept across the light mirror, finally settling on Xuan Ming's earnest yet completely off-target face, and he concluded: "Simply put, he can handle how to save a demigod on the verge of collapse, but he can't understand how to respond to a lady's subtle feelings."

Poseidon opened his mouth, looking at Xuanming, who was still talking eloquently about the "dangers of another world" in the light mirror, and Poseidon, who was staring blankly and beginning to doubt his life, and finally all his words turned into a long, frustrated sigh.

He finally understood.

It wasn't that Xuanming suddenly lost his mind; rather, it was that he simply hadn't thought about that aspect at all!

This kid's got the wrong idea!

The evil god, watching Poseidon's discomfiture, chuckled gloatingly, "So, Poseidon, your fourth test... unless you can find a way to disguise your courtship as a life-or-death crisis that requires his full attention, otherwise..."

A subtle silence fell over the temple. The several god-kings looked down at the stubborn "rock" that refused to yield to reason, and for the first time, they felt a sense of near powerlessness when facing a mortal.

This guy can pass the most rigorous tests in the craziest way, but he can also interpret the gentlest hints as the most outrageous adventure plans with the most serious attitude.

His thought process is truly amazing! (End of Chapter)