Douluo Continent: Martial Soul Young Gilas, Sandstorm King!

Chapter 88 Divine Test, Rebirth in Flames!

The tall, imposing figure suddenly trembled!
It wasn't excruciating pain, but rather an indescribable, searing sensation that felt as if one's soul had been thrown into the core of a cosmic furnace, instantly engulfing the entire body!
He groaned, his face instantly turning bright red and burning hot. The blood vessels under his skin bulged out as if lava was flowing through them, clearly visible!
Lou Gao instinctively clutched his chest, where an indescribable "heat source" was throbbing wildly, each beat causing his blood and soul to boil!
Lin Xia and Young Kiras watched nervously.

On the inside of Lou Gao's exposed left forearm, the skin rapidly turned transparent like a red-hot branding iron, and a complex, mysterious, smooth, and lifelike crimson-gold phoenix mark slowly emerged and solidified at a speed visible to the naked eye!
The mark was almost identical in shape to those on Lin Xia and Young Gilas, except that its color was deeper and more restrained, as if it contained a more ancient and heavier will of fire. The golden flames flowing from its tail feathers were also more condensed, with a texture like refined gold.

Branding complete!

The Phoenix God seems to have completed the last task of His journey.

That enormous body, composed of pure flame and the essence of the sun, began to slowly become ethereal and transparent.

The molten golden light that constituted His body receded like the tide, flowing back into the core of the ore vein. His eternally burning phoenix eyes swept down one last time—his gaze lingered for a moment on the mark on Lin Xia's arm, the mark on the Young Gilas's carapace, and the mark on Lou Gao's newly branded body, which was still slightly warm.

Just as His figure was about to completely dissipate into nothingness, His enormous fiery wings, seemingly casually yet with some profound meaning, gently swayed downwards.

call--!
Inside the mine, there were piles of large and small fragments of ore that had broken off and splashed out when Lin Xia and Young Gilas were devouring the Sun Essence Ore Vein—these fragments contained far less pure and abundant energy than the core of the ore vein.

But each piece carried pure fire attribute energy and the unique aura of the sun's essence—like being swept up by an invisible hurricane, the densely packed ores, shimmering with various golden and red halos, surged toward Lin Xia and Young Gilas!
Blah blah blah!

Lin Xia and Young Gilas were completely dumbfounded, and even subconsciously took a small step back.

The next second, a small mountain of solar essence-associated minerals of various sizes and shapes appeared in front of them!

These ores exude an alluring high temperature and pure energy, illuminating the entire mine entrance with a dazzling light.

The Phoenix God's grand and gradually ethereal voice, like a final maxim, was directly imprinted on the depths of everyone's souls, carrying an undeniable majesty and a hint of... barely perceptible "pain"?
"My legacy... must not be severed... this is the foundation..."

"Don't... harm... the very essence of the sun's spirit any further..."

The moment the words fell, the last wisp of flame completely merged into the depths of the flowing liquid golden light and vanished without a trace.

The suffocating, soul-chilling divine power within the mine receded instantly like a tide, leaving only the scorching air of a survivor and the suddenly appearing, golden-red ore hill.

A brief moment of dead silence.

"Yoji—!!!"

When Young Gilas's crimson eyes, which were filled with golden flames, saw the glittering "mountain of snacks" before him, they instantly burst forth with a light even more dazzling than the essence of the sun!

The majesty of the gods and the torment of the soul were all thrown to the winds at this moment!
It jumped three feet high in excitement, its four short legs tumbling wildly in the air, and it made an excited, distorted, and incomprehensible "yo-ji yo-ji" sound from its throat.

Like a gluttonous beast that has been starving for three days and finally sees a sumptuous feast, it lunged at the small mountain of ore. Its little paws eagerly grabbed a head-sized, crimson ore that radiated rich fire energy, and its lava-like teeth eagerly "crunched" down into it, its whole body steaming with happiness.

"call……"

Lin Xia also exhaled a long, long breath of hot, stale air; her back was already soaked with cold sweat.

The pressure of facing the will of the gods was a million times more terrifying than the battle against the soul beasts.

Looking at this "suddenly appearing mine" in front of him, he couldn't help but twitch his lips, his heart filled with mixed emotions.

"This...this Phoenix God senior...is too...too benevolent, isn't he?"

They were clearly so angry that they had devoured a large portion of the mine that they personally showed up, and before driving them away, they even "thoughtfully" packed up so many scraps as rations? This action was completely beyond Lin Xia's comprehension.

However, Lin Xia ultimately maintained her composure.

Lin Xia forcibly shifted her gaze away from the tempting ores and immediately turned to Lou Gao, who was still standing there, clutching his arm, his face flushed, and breathing heavily.

The teacher's condition was clearly off; the branding process seemed far more intense than what he had experienced before.

"teacher!"

Lin Xia rushed forward and carefully took Lou Gao's arm. The arm was burning hot to the touch. He asked anxiously.

"How are you feeling? Have you noticed any changes in your body? Is there anything bothering you?"

Lou Gao seemed still immersed in the enormous impact, his eyes somewhat vacantly focused on the newly formed crimson-gold phoenix mark radiating warm energy on the inside of his arm.

The mark seemed to have a life of its own, flickering slightly with the beating of his heart.

Lin Xia's call made him slowly raise his head, his face flushed with an extremely complex expression—a mixture of unbelievable elation, the lingering fear of surviving a disaster, the bewilderment in the face of the unknown, and a suffocating feeling of being gripped by the giant hand of fate.

He opened his mouth, his Adam's apple bobbing a few times, before uttering an extremely dry, trembling voice:
"Xiao...Xiaoxia..."

The sound of the building's height was like sandpaper rubbing against pig iron.

"I...I think...I really...I've really passed the divine test!"

He suddenly raised the arm bearing the brand, as if displaying a peerless masterpiece, his excitement almost bursting forth.

"This...this god...He told me...He is...the Phoenix God! The supreme being who wields Nirvana, the eternal flame that has been created!"

“He…He gave me a test! The Phoenix Divine Test! There are…there are nine in total!”

Lou Gao's breathing became rapid, and his eyes flashed with a kind of fanatical light that Lin Xia had never seen before, the kind that only a top blacksmith would have when facing a rare divine mine, but it was soon covered by a huge confusion.

"But...but the first test...He only gave two words..."

Lou Gao took a deep breath, as if trying to imprint those two words into his soul, and exhaled them slowly and deliberately:

"Bath...fire!"

Lin Xia's heart skipped a beat! She succeeded! The teacher had indeed qualified for the Divine Exam!
He immediately pressed for details, his voice filled with barely concealed excitement and curiosity.

"Rebirth? Just those two words? Are there no other hints? Like, what needs to be done? What effect is expected? Time limit? Location requirements?"

Lou Gao shook his head blankly, his confusion deepening.

"Nothing... nothing at all. There are only the two words 'rebirth from the ashes'... directly imprinted in my consciousness... crystal clear, yet... obscure and difficult to understand."

(End of this chapter)