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The vast golden light that enveloped Gu Yuena did not condense into complex patterns or marks like Xuan Ming, but slowly converged, and finally condensed into a simple and mysterious golden ring between her smooth eyebrows.
The ring was not dazzling, but it seemed to contain some kind of ancient contract power, which complemented her silver-purple eyes, adding a bit of holiness and depth.
Sea Girl Douluo, Xiaobai, and the six sacred pillar guardians who came from afar were all stunned, looking at each other, their eyes full of confusion and puzzlement.
A golden light? A ring? What kind of assessment level was this? Such a bizarre sight had never appeared in the records of Sea God Island!
At this moment, a gentle voice, yet filled with supreme majesty and vicissitudes of life, sounded slowly:
"This isn't the top level test, it's the Sea God Nine Tests."
The moment the voice sounded, all the soul masters of Sea God Island, including the seven holy pillar guardians and Xiaobai, were all shocked, and expressions of incomparable piety and awe instantly appeared on their faces. They all bowed in the direction of the Sea God Temple.
"Great offering!"
A figure appeared silently on the platform of the Holy Pillar of the Ama.
She was dressed in a luxurious red robe and held a gorgeous scepter that was much longer than her height. The scepter was golden in color, and a huge golden gem was inlaid on the top of the scepter.
She had a beautiful face and looked no more than thirty years old, but her deep eyes seemed to contain endless years and wisdom, with the vicissitudes and gentleness of someone who had seen through the world.
She stood there, as if she were the center of the entire ocean, vast and majestic, yet with a gentleness that embraced everything.
It was the great priest of Sea God Island, Sea God Douluo - Bo Saixi!
Bo Saixi's gaze first fell on the clear golden trident mark on Xuan Ming's forehead. A complex emotion flashed in his eyes, including relief, expectation, and a hint of imperceptible... emotion.
She nodded slightly: "Sea God Nine Trials... I finally waited for you."
Then, she turned her gaze to Gu Yuena, looking at the golden ring between her eyebrows, and slowly spoke, her voice gentle to clear up everyone's confusion:
"Her assessment wasn't part of any of the hierarchical systems established by Lord Sea God. It was a ring of contract, derived from even more ancient rules."
"Her assessment consists of only one task: assistance. Assist the successor of the Sea God's Nine Trials and complete all his trials."
Bo Saixi's eyes swept over the crowd, his tone calm but with unquestionable majesty: "The contract has been made, and we will live and work together. His success is her success. And if he fails..."
Bo Saixi paused for a moment, a trace of solemnity flashing in his eyes that had seen so much vicissitudes of life: "...They will bear the consequences of failure together."
Live and die together!
These four simple words shocked everyone!
This means that Gu Yuena has completely tied her fate to Xuan Ming.
On Xuan Ming's road to becoming a god, she will be the most steadfast companion and guardian, rising and falling together!
Xuan Ming listened quietly, his face showing no surprise. This result seemed to be something he had anticipated.
He turned his head to look at Gu Yuena, who was also looking at him. There was a calmness in her silver-purple eyes, and even a hint of calmness as if she was relieved of a heavy burden.
This contract that completely binds the fate of the two people is not a bondage to her, but the best destination.
"Your aura is very strange." Sea God set his eyes on Xuan Ming.
"Can you show me your martial spirit?"
Her tone was gentle, and she was simply curious, not demanding anything.
Xuan Ming was silent for a moment, then nodded.
He slowly raised his right hand, palm facing up.
Buzz——!
An indescribable atmosphere of ferocity and death suddenly spread!
The dark red light gathered and condensed frantically in his palm. It was not the soul ring that appeared, but the strange spear that seemed to be made of solidified blood that emerged out of thin air!
The moment the blood spear appeared, the air around it seemed to solidify, the temperature dropped sharply, and a soul-shaking cold murderous intent spread out like a substance, even making the skin of several surrounding holy pillar guardians feel a bit of chill.
The spear body was dark red, as if countless souls were wailing and struggling inside, yet they were forcibly bound and melted into one.
It quietly hovered above Xuan Ming's palm, trembling slightly and emitting an extremely dangerous aura.
However, in stark contrast to this terrifying and ferocious appearance and aura, Xuan Ming's eyes were still calm and almost indifferent, without any sign of being eroded by the desire to kill, as if what he held in his hand was not a weapon to slaughter all living beings, but just an ordinary tool.
This extreme sense of contradiction made everyone who saw this scene feel a chill and horror from the bottom of their hearts.
A hint of unconcealable surprise finally flashed across Bo Saixi's deep and calm eyes.
She stared at the dark red blood spear, her brows slightly furrowed, as if she was sensing and identifying something.
After a moment, she slowly spoke, her voice filled with uncertainty and deep solemnity: "This martial spirit... is truly peculiar. Its foundation seems to be built on endless slaughter and death, condensing unimaginable murderous aura and... fragments of resentment."
"What did you do to it?"
The spirit of a soul master is an extension of his soul and power. Its growth is closely related to his cultivation, character, and experience.
This young man only has soul power of level 70. Although it is extremely thick and pure, far exceeding that of his peers, it is absolutely impossible and incapable for him to support such a "monster" filled with such huge killing energy and chaotic will!
The level of power contained in this blood spear and the violent desire that almost tears everything apart have far exceeded the scope of the Soul Saint realm and even touched the edge of a higher level.
This is definitely not something that can be achieved through natural growth. It must have gone through some kind of unimaginable and almost taboo "ripening"!
Xuan Ming was silent for a moment. "I used it to kill tens of thousands of people in the Slaughter City, and then I used it to devour the blood pool that had accumulated there for a thousand years."
"City of Killing?" Sea God repeated in a broken voice.
Behind her, Sea Girl Douluo, Xiaobai, and several other Holy Pillar Guardians who had not yet left in the distance, all changed color when they heard the words, with horror and disbelief written all over their faces!
City of Killing!
Although they were far away on the Sea God Island, they knew something about the forbidden place on the Douluo Continent. In fact, as the high priestess, Bo Saixi knew more about the City of Slaughter than anyone else on the Douluo Continent.
Sea God stared at Xuan Ming intently, trying to find any sign of hesitation, fear, or being eroded by power in his eyes.
But all she saw was an abysmal calm and a heart-pounding, absolute self-control.
He knew exactly what he was doing and what it meant, but he still chose this path and...successfully controlled it.
At least that's what it seems like for now.
Bo Saixi took a deep breath and forced herself to suppress the turmoil in his heart.
She finally understood why this young man's aura was so strange, why his martial spirit was so ferocious yet so "calm".
He took an unprecedented and extremely dangerous shortcut!
With the accumulation of the entire Killing City as nourishment, he forced his martial soul to reach an extremely terrifying height!
This also explains why Lord Sea God would impose nine trials... Perhaps, only divine power can truly purify or control this murderous weapon imbued with the power of the ultimate evil?
Bo Saixi's eyes became extremely complicated, with shock, solemnity, worry, and even a hint of...admiration.
"You're...very bold."
In the end, this was all she could say.
There was no need for her to elaborate on the risks and costs involved.
Xuan Ming retracted the blood spear, and the suffocating murderous aura dissipated: "I just chose the fastest way."
Bo Saixi looked at him deeply and didn't ask any more questions.
Everyone has his own path and choices. Since Lord Sea God has recognized him, then everything he does may have its reasons.
"The Nine Tests of Sea God have begun, your first test..." Bo Saixi's eyes looked a little unnatural.
As the chief priest of Sea God Island and the spokesperson of Sea God on earth, she could naturally clearly perceive the content of the assessment that Xuan Ming was undergoing.
However, precisely because she knew the content of this first test, she couldn't help but feel a little doubtful, and even began to doubt - did Lord Sea God really fully approve of this young man?
Because the content of Xuan Ming's first assessment is extremely special, it can even be said to be... harsh and dangerous to the extreme!
[The First of the Nine Tests of the Sea God: Reshape your will and achieve absolute control.]
[Content: Within three months, thoroughly purify and reshape the chaotic pseudo-soul within the Blood Spear Martial Soul, formed from endless slaughter and resentment, and endow it with a new, absolutely loyal core will. Complete absolute control over the Blood Spear, completely subjugating its ferocious nature and eliminating the danger of backlash.]
[Note: The Blood Spear's foundation has reached the limits of the mortal realm. The chaotic will within it is extremely dangerous. If you are not careful during the reshaping process, it may cause it to completely run wild, backfire and destroy its master, destroying his soul. Success will lay the foundation for a god, failure will lead to eternal damnation.]
Three months!
Not only must one purify the terrifying murderous resentment that has accumulated for countless years and is almost tangible, but one must also reshape the spirit's will, give it a brand new core, and achieve absolute control!
Bo Saixi knows the difficulty and danger involved better than anyone else.
She was frightened by the ferocity and chaos of the blood spear after just a slight perception.
It was almost like a condensation of the filth and violence accumulated in a forbidden place for thousands of years! Want to completely purify, reshape, and control it within three months?
Even for a demigod and peerless Douluo like her, it is an impossible task!
What's more, Xuan Ming's current soul power is only level 70, and he has not yet obtained the seventh soul ring. In essence, he is still in the Soul Saint realm.
To use the body of a Soul Saint to accomplish such a feat that is almost divine in nature?
Bo Saixi even felt that the content of this first test wasn't a test, but more like a... warning, almost a punishment? Or perhaps a correction and pressure for Xuan Ming's "shortcut" behavior?
Lord Sea God... is he really that optimistic about him? Or is there something else behind this?
...
The divine world.
In the magnificent temple shrouded in clouds and mist and flowing with immortal light, six figures gathered in front of a huge light mirror condensed by pure divine power.
The mirror clearly reflected everything that happened on the Sea God Island: the ferocious blood spear in Xuan Ming's palm, the shock and solemnity in Sea God's eyes, and the golden trident mark that finally appeared on Xuan Ming's forehead and the contract ring between Gu Yuena's eyebrows.
Apart from Sea God, the god of the sea who dominates Sea God Island, the other five are none other than the five great gods who control the order of the divine world and have boundless power - the God of Good, the God of Evil, the God of Life, the God of Destruction, and the God of Shura.
"The Silver Dragon King's aura... although weak, and seemingly fragmented and reshaped by some force, its essence remains unchanged." The Goddess of Life spoke softly with a hint of worry, and pity flashed in her vibrant eyes.
"Is it too... cruel to tie her fate to that child's like this? The tragedy of the Dragon God should not be borne by future generations."
She always felt sorry for what happened to the Dragon God and believed that killing them all was not the solution.
The God of Destruction was surrounded by a dark purple aura of destruction. His voice was low and oppressive: "The hidden danger must be eliminated. The risk of losing control of the Dragon God's power is too great."
He paused, his gaze sweeping over the Goddess of Life, the aura around him subsiding slightly. "But... since Life deems it necessary to observe, then let's observe. If he can truly control this power and guide the Silver Dragon King towards order, it wouldn't be a bad thing for the God Realm."
His attitude remained tough, but he obviously attached great importance to the opinions of the Goddess of Life.