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

……

The following morning, atop the highest sea cliff on the eastern side of Poseidon Island.

The rising sun is slowly ascending from below the sea, painting the sky and sea in a magnificent orange-red and golden hue.

The sea breeze, carrying a fresh, salty scent, caressed the two people sitting embracing on the cliff top.

Poseidon leaned against Xuanming's chest, feeling the steady heartbeat and cool body temperature from his chest. Her sea-blue eyes gazed at the magnificent sunrise, and a serene smile, unlike anything she had ever seen before, played on her lips.

Having lived for over a hundred years, she had never felt so light and so... fulfilled in body and mind as she did at this moment.

All the shackles, obsessions, and inhibitions vanished in last night's desperate act of honesty.

Xuanming looked down at the profile of the person in his arms, which appeared exceptionally soft in the morning light, and his icy blue eyes had lost some of their usual sharpness.

He stopped worrying about morality and saving face. As he had told Brigitte and the others before, he was inherently a "selfish" person. Having made his choice, he accepted it with equanimity.

This rare peace may be the last bit of time he has left to squander.

There are less than six months left until the end of the fourth exam.

In the next six months, he planned to completely relax and stop thinking about those heavy promises, the unpredictable future, and the irritating scrutiny of the divine realm.

Consider it... the last breath before the storm.

No one disturbed them. Gu Yuena, Xue Di, and the others had already seen through everything and tacitly chose to remain silent, even deliberately avoiding this sea cliff.

They all knew what Xuanming was carrying, and they understood how important this moment of tranquility was to him and to Poseidon.

At this point, it's pointless to worry about who came first.

By choosing to stay by Xuanming's side, they had already accepted this complicated relationship.

Rather than disrupting this rare peace, it is better to protect the tranquility he needs at this moment.

Even if they have to fight over a man, that's a matter for the future.

For the next month, Poseidon Island seemed to enter a strange period of tranquility.

Xuanming spent most of his time with Poseidon. Their figures were often seen on the edge of sea cliffs, in the ring-shaped sea, and even in the deep sea.

Xuanming devoted all his efforts to helping Poseidon become familiar with and master the complete Trident of Poseidon.

Poseidon, the god of the sea, who should have been "just and impartial," appeared unusually "unconventional" and biased at this moment.

He directly imparted his insights into the use of the Trident of the Sea God and the powerful divine skills he had created to Xuanming without reservation, all through his divine sense.

When Xuanming inquired via divine sense why he didn't directly impart the knowledge to Poseidon, Poseidon's reason was so confident that it left everyone speechless:

"You're quick-witted and a fast learner! You learn first, then slowly teach Ceci. It will definitely be more detailed and effective than me guiding you from across dimensions! That's called... teaching according to aptitude! Yes, teaching according to aptitude!"

Xuanming was speechless at this shameless old man and didn't bother to expose his thoughts.

Poseidon possessed exceptional talent and, having completed the eight trials of Poseidon, was a demigod with an incredibly solid foundation.

Now that she has gained the approval of the Heart of the Sea God and the complete artifact, and with the Sea God herself secretly giving her the green light, her path to inheriting the Sea God's position is theoretically a smooth one.

However, both Poseidon and Xuanming understood one thing: true divine succession is by no means a simple transfer of power and replication of skills.

What Poseidon needs to do is not to become a second Poseidon, but to forge his own path and condense his own authority as a sea god, based on understanding and mastering the essence of the power of the sea.

Only in this way can she truly assume the divine position and even surpass her predecessors in the future.

This process takes time, requires reflection, and, most importantly, a catalyst.

With Xuanming by his side, Poseidon felt completely at ease. He believed that with Xuanming's extraordinary comprehension and insight into the nature of power, he would be able to better guide Poseidon.

He could almost see a new sea god, surpassing his predecessor, being born under his "wise" guidance in the future sea god's temple in the divine realm.

...The tranquil teaching time by the sea cliff was eventually broken.

One evening a month later, Gu Yuena appeared silently atop the cliff. Her silver-purple eyes swept over Xuan Ming, who was guiding Poseidon to comprehend the rhythm of the tides. Without further ado, she spoke directly:

"It's time to leave."

Xuanming paused, naturally understanding what she meant. His brows furrowed almost imperceptibly, his tone carrying a hint of resistance: "There's no need to go to Qian Renxue's side. You and I both know her temper; this matter is beyond resolution. Meeting her will only lead to arguments and awkwardness, nothing will come of it."

Gu Yuena looked at him, her gaze calm yet unwavering: "I'm not discussing this with you, Xuanming. Either you go over there yourself and make things clear, or,"

She paused for a moment, then said, "I'll go and 'invite' her over. As for whether anything unpleasant will happen during this process, I can't guarantee that."

Xuanming looked at Gu Yuena's "I mean what I say" expression and felt a wave of exhaustion. He knew that Gu Yuena was truly capable of doing it.

"I understand." Xuanming sighed, his tone tinged with helplessness. "I'll go with you."

He held no expectations. Because of Bibi Dong's existence, an insurmountable chasm existed between him and Qian Renxue from the very beginning.

His relationship with Hu Liena was already an unspeakably complicated situation for Bibi Dong. If he were to become entangled with Qian Renxue as well, the harm to Bibi Dong would be immeasurable.

He was fully aware of this and would never cross the line.

Gu Yuena glanced at him, seemingly seeing through his thoughts, and added, "I don't expect anything from you and her. I just want a clear and thorough break between you and her. Whether it's completely cutting ties and never seeing each other again, or finding another way of getting along that you can both accept and that won't lead to future conflicts, that's something you need to discuss yourselves."

Xuanming nodded silently. This was perhaps the only feasible way at the moment.

He turned to look at Poseidon, a hint of apology in his eyes.

Poseidon smiled gently at him and said softly, "Go ahead, it's better to resolve this sooner rather than later. I'll wait for you here."

She understood Xuanming's difficulties and knew that Qian Renxue's situation was unavoidable. She wouldn't make a scene; she would only choose to support him.

Xuanming nodded silently.

He turned to look at Poseidon beside him. Poseidon's sea-blue eyes held understanding and a hint of barely perceptible worry as she gently squeezed his hand: "Go, and come back soon."

Xuanming hummed in agreement, said nothing more, and together with Gu Yuena, they transformed into streams of light and left Seagod Island.

Instead of directly traversing space, they chose to fly, at a moderate speed, as if giving Xuanming time to think, or perhaps observing the world below.

As their figures swept across the coastline and officially entered the skies above Douluo Continent, Xuanming keenly sensed an atmosphere different from before.

The atmosphere in the Martial Soul Empire has changed significantly since he left. The clamor of its previous frenzied expansion and conquests seems to have subsided, replaced by a...highly tense and oppressive atmosphere.

The Soul Master patrols on the streets were strictly disciplined, with sharp eyes. Most of the passersby hurried along, their faces less numb or fanatical than before, and more cautious and... fearful.
Clearly, Bibi Dong's iron-fisted methods and the absolute violence she had previously displayed had a powerful deterrent effect.

Those Soul Masters who profited from war and plunder had their restless claws forcibly suppressed.

However, this calm maintained by top-tier military force is like an ice sheet built on a volcano.

Xuanming was well aware that this kind of stability, which relied heavily on top-level military deterrence, was extremely fragile.

The foundation of the Martial Soul Empire was not solid; in fact, it could be described as a disorganized mess.

Why do those Soul Masters who are affiliated with the Spirit Hall support the Empire? No matter how loudly they shout their slogans, they cannot conceal their desire for power, resources, and plunder.

Today, Bibi Dong's iron-fisted rule, while ensuring the basic survival of the lower classes, has severely damaged the vested interests of these Soul Masters.

They used to be able to act arrogantly and domineeringly because of the power of the Spirit Hall, but now they are easily offended and may even lose their heads.

Fear may suppress greed for a time, but it cannot eliminate it.

If the top-level deterrence weakens in the slightest, or if external pressure increases, this suppressed rebound will erupt even more violently, tearing this seemingly powerful empire to shreds in an instant.

The Spirit Empire today is like a forcibly bundled haystack; its exterior is neat, but its interior is full of dry tinder, ready to ignite a raging inferno with just a spark. (End of Chapter)