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 light mirror clearly reflected the entire process of Xuanming separating the Heart of the Sea God, integrating it into the trident and handing it to Poseidon, as well as his final "apology" remarks.

An eerie silence fell over the temple.

Poseidon's expression froze completely, his mouth slightly open, his eyes fixed, as if he had seen something utterly incomprehensible.

He originally only wanted to use the fourth assessment as an excuse to push Bo Saixi and Xuan Ming together, hoping to create a beautiful story and also solve the lifelong marriage and future problems of his own high priest... But he never expected that Xuan Ming would play by his own rules!

He actually used such a self-destructive method to peel away the Heart of the Sea God?!

They even gave it away as an "apology gift"?!
Feeling guilty just because he killed Tang Chen?!

"Wait, wait..." Poseidon's voice trembled slightly as he pointed at the mirror of light and looked at the other god-kings. "This kid... is he out of his mind?! Did I give him the Nine Trials of the Sea God for him to play around like this?!"

The playful smile on the face of the God of Evil vanished completely, replaced by a look of seriousness and... utter exasperation. He rubbed his temples, feeling that things had completely veered off course.

“He’s gone too far…” the evil god muttered. “This kid… he’s not susceptible to emotional blackmail at all. He has his own set of logic and code of conduct that’s extremely obsessive.”

He looked at Xuanming's pale yet resolute back in the mirror of light, his tone tinged with disbelief: "He would rather endure the pain of being stripped of his divine possessions and settle his so-called 'debt' in this almost 'even' way than follow the script of 'severing ties' that we set up... Poseidon, your fourth test is practically dancing on his minefield!"

The goddess of life looked at him with pity: "That child... he's suffered too much. He's too cruel to himself."

The God of Kindness sighed softly: "He quantified all his emotions and responsibilities into 'debts' that could be repaid... Isn't this a kind of ultimate loneliness and self-protection?"

The Asura God, who had been silent all along, slowly turned his head, his cold, blood-red eyes like the sharpest knives, fixed firmly on Poseidon.

Although he didn't speak, the murderous intent and questioning in his eyes almost materialized:
Look what you've done!

'He's not afraid of life-or-death trials. Ascending the Heavenly Staircase, battling powerful enemies, reshaping his martial soul—he risks his life for every challenge! Why do you have to add this emotional drama?'

'Now look what's happened! We've forced him to the point where he has to 'pay his debt' by stripping away the Heart of the Sea God!'

'His spiritual power has already broken through the Divine Origin Realm, and with the assistance of the Silver Dragon King and the Heart of the Dragon God, his success rate in forcibly breaking through to the Divine Realm is already quite high! If he really becomes disheartened, or feels that he has repaid his debt and no longer wants to play this 'Divine Trial' game with us, and directly runs off to desperately try to break through to the Divine Realm...'

What's the point of all this effort we put into observing, testing, and guiding?!

'Just to force out an uncontrollable, potentially resentful, maverick god?!'

Poseidon felt his scalp tingle and was almost sweating profusely under the gaze of the Asura God.

He knew what the Asura God meant; Xuanming's current state was like a bomb about to be detonated.

They originally intended to control his growth pace and temperament through a relatively "gentle" divine test, but now, Poseidon's "shenanigans" may very well force Xuanming to jump out of the game and start his own thing!
A new god who breaks through on his own, is not bound by the divine inheritance system, and is still full of resistance to their "tests" is definitely a huge variable that the divine realm does not want to see!

“I…I didn’t know he would do this…” Poseidon tried to explain, but his voice lacked confidence.

He originally thought that at most Xuanming would refuse Poseidon, or the two of them would have some kind of struggle, but he never expected that this guy's way of solving the problem would be so simple, brutal, and ruthless!

The God of Evil sighed, looking in the direction where Xuanming had disappeared in the mirror of light, his eyes filled with complex emotions: "It's no use talking about this now. The key question is, what to do next? This kid has stripped away the Heart of the Sea God; in his mind, the fourth trial is probably already a failure. What will he do next? Will he really directly attempt to break through to the God Realm?"

The atmosphere inside the temple became even more somber.

They realized that they might have underestimated Xuanming's resolute heart and his self-contained, obsessive logic from the very beginning.

To continue "controlling" his growth trajectory, a different approach is probably needed. Poseidon's fourth test was undoubtedly a disaster; not only did it fail to achieve its purpose, it may have even backfired. The Asura God withdrew his murderous gaze and looked back at the mirror of light, his cold voice echoing throughout the temple:
"Be prepared for the worst."

"If he really chooses to force his way through... we must make a decision before he succeeds."

Is it acceptance, suppression, or... destruction?
This potential threat, which they themselves "forced" into existence, has already become a headache for several god-kings.

“Gu Yuena,” said the God of Kindness.

"Now we can only let Gu Yuena try to persuade them."

The Ice Dragon King has already sacrificed himself, leaving only a trace of his dragon soul imprint, which is no different from being truly dead. In this world, the only one who can still persuade Xuan Ming on this matter is Gu Yuena!

“I will communicate with her,” sighed the goddess of life.

"I hope she will listen to me for a bit."

……

Poseidon Island, deep within the Ice Crystal Castle.

Xuanming fell into a deep sleep again, his face pale and his breath weak. Fortunately, Gu Yuena's power of creation and the Dragon God's origin stabilized his injuries, and the damage to his soul was slowly recovering under the nourishment of the resources left by the Evil Emperor.

Gu Yuena sat on the edge of the bed, looking at Xuanming's sleeping profile, her silver-purple eyes filled with heartache and a hint of helpless anger.

This stubborn mule! Once he's made up his mind, not even ten dragons could pull him back! Even though there are better solutions, he insists on choosing the most painful and extreme one.

Just as she was feeling troubled, the golden ring mark between her brows, which represented a faint connection with the divine realm, suddenly began to flicker slightly, and a gentle yet vibrant divine thought attempted to establish a connection with her.

Gu Yuena frowned slightly, hesitated for a moment, and then relaxed her mental defenses.

"The Goddess of Life?" she conveyed her thoughts.

"It is I, Silver Dragon King." The gentle voice of the Goddess of Life rang directly in her consciousness, with a hint of barely perceptible urgency. "To make a long story short, everything you did on Douluo Star, especially Xuanming's actions just now, has been seen by the God Realm."

Gu Yuena wasn't too surprised; it was normal for the gods to look down on the mortal realm.

The goddess of life continued, "This nine trials of the sea god is not the sole intention of Poseidon, but is jointly presided over by the five of us god-kings."

Upon hearing this, Gu Yuena's mind was slightly shaken.

The attention of five god-kings is completely different.

"Our purpose is not to make things difficult, but to observe and test," the Goddess of Life said candidly. "The problems left behind by the Dragon God have always been a thorn in the side of the divine realm. We want to see if Xuanming, this variable, truly possesses the ability and temperament to resolve this hidden danger. If he can prove himself, the divine realm will not only not hinder him, but will also do its utmost to help him. A new, powerful being, who may even reach the level of a supreme god-king, is also a blessing for the divine realm."

Gu Yuena remained silent, quickly processing this information.

She understood these five god-kings: the Asura God, who governed order and valued stability above all else, was bound to be wary and even hostile towards the dragon race and her; the God of Destruction, who cared about the divine realm itself, would not allow any potential threats.

Evil and good are difficult to fathom, but without the special existence of Xuanming, they would most likely side with Shura.

The only one who might truly have a shred of pity for the Soul Beast race and the Dragon race, and offer them a glimmer of hope, is the Goddess of Life, who represents life and creation.

Her words are quite credible. (End of Chapter)