The Seventh Soul Ring, 190,000 Yearsdusk.
On the sea, a shimmering golden light illuminates the Sea God Temple on Mount Poseidon, making it appear even more sacred and majestic.
After trying them all and taking a short rest, Dai Yao and the others gathered together and began chatting about their day's gains.
"Everyone knows the results of today's attempt. Apart from me, Zhuqing climbed the highest number of steps, reaching ninety-three; followed by Wutong at eighty-nine, Yanyan at eighty-seven, and Rongrong also did well, reaching fifty-seven."
After speaking, Dai Yao turned his gaze to Bai Chenxiang, unsure of what to say, and offered encouragement:
"Xiangxiang is quite impressive. She reached the fifteenth floor and even broke through to the forty-sixth level."
Bai Chenxiang revealed an expression that was more like a smile than a cry. Although she had been discouraged by Dai Yao and the others, the number of steps that the girls around Dai Yao had climbed was far higher than hers. Even Ning Rongrong, who was about the same age as her and was a support-type Soul Master, had climbed to the 57th step.
The stark difference in their abilities left her feeling utterly defeated.
"Sect Master, you don't need to comfort me. I know I'm terrible."
Bai Chenxiang lowered her head, her expression somber.
Ning Rongrong and Dai Yao exchanged a glance, then walked to Bai Chenxiang's side, put their arms around her shoulders, and comforted her:
"Don't worry, Xiangxiang, we are in a special situation. You are not as bad as you think. At your age, you have already reached the Soul Master level. You would be a key player in the Soul Master Competition! You don't need to underestimate yourself."
Bai Chenxiang's heartache lessened somewhat. She wiped away the tears that wouldn't stop flowing from the corners of her eyes and nodded heavily. Ning Rongrong sat down beside Bai Chenxiang and continued their discussion.
Zhu Zhuqing made no attempt to hide her worry and asked Dai Yao for help:
"Brother Yao, everyone's attempts have yielded good results. After a year, there is a high probability that the assessment will be completed. Wutong's task is simply to climb the 136th step."
"Rongrong only managed to climb 57 steps this time, but her mission requires her to climb 228 steps. That's too difficult for Rongrong. Rongrong is a support-type Soul Master, and it's impossible for her to complete the mission in just one year."
"Brother Yao, what should we do?"
Ning Rongrong's heart tightened, and she looked at Dai Yao with complicated emotions. She had given it her all in today's attempt, and she knew very well that as a support-type Soul Master, she couldn't possibly complete the top-level eighth trial on her own. In a daze, she couldn't help but look at Dai Yao, at her only support.
Dai Yao smiled easily, and his calm demeanor immediately eased the tension in everyone's hearts.
"Don't worry, Rongrong. I'll carry you up all 228 steps, even if I have to." The rules don't say it's forbidden, so it should be allowed, although the assessment rating might be a little lower.
Hearing Dai Yao's guarantee, Ning Rongrong had no doubt that he couldn't do it, because just now, Dai Yao had already climbed the 187th step. While feeling a warmth in her heart, she couldn't help but roll her eyes at him, feigning arrogance as she said:
"I don't want you to carry me. I'll ask Zhuqing, Sister Yan and Sister Wutong to help me. They can also help me complete the assessment."
During her wedding, she was terribly bullied by Dai Yao. The two talked a lot, and she finally understood why Dai Yao would rather go to the Spirit Hall than join the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School. Although she could understand, the memory still made her grit her teeth in hatred.
Now, she still clings to Dai Yao, but she always wants to go against him, venting all the grievances she had felt while waiting for him.
"Exactly! We can help each other out, we don't need you!"
Dugu Yan quickly went to Ning Rongrong's side and cheered her on.
Dai Yao smiled helplessly. Since their marriage, Dugu Yan and Ning Rongrong had completely lost the obedience they had shown when they were reunited after a long separation. The two quirky people together sometimes made Dai Yao happy, but sometimes they gave him a headache.
However, what made Dai Yao happiest was seeing Dugu Yan and Ning Rongrong no longer troubled by sect affairs and instead unleashing their true nature.
This is because it means that Ning Rongrong and Dugu Yan feel relaxed and comfortable around him, which is why they acted this way.
Immediately, Dai Yao said seriously, "Everyone just tried it, and without Rongrong's assistance, so we don't need to worry about whether we can complete the assessment. Our domains can also amplify each other, achieving a synergistic effect greater than the sum of its parts."
"The difficulty of completing the assessment has been further reduced."
"But that's not the most important thing. During the climb, everyone should have felt that the speed at which our soul power was consumed increased significantly under that enormous pressure. This has a multiplier effect on our cultivation."
"We might be able to finish the assessment ahead of schedule, but we should try to avoid that. The Light of the Sea God is our true opportunity. Cultivating within the Light of the Sea God will significantly accelerate our strength improvement. Therefore, we must make full use of the assessment time and wait until the final deadline before taking the assessment."
Everyone seemed to be deep in thought, while Dugu Yan nodded in agreement. After her martial soul evolved, although Dugu Yan's soul master category changed from a control-type soul master to a power-attack type, her ability to think flexibly as a control-type soul master did not disappear.
She vaguely realized the effect of the Sea God's Light, but she didn't fully understand it.
Dai Yao was finally able to reveal the secrets of the Light of the Sea God. After explaining the situation to the Soul Masters of Sea God Island, he explained that he would need to stay on Sea God Mountain for a long time and would lack food and water. After the Soul Masters of Sea God Island made arrangements for him, Dai Yao immersed himself in cultivation.
Sitting cross-legged on the ninetieth step, after adapting to the pressure of the ninetieth step, Dai Yao took out the divinely bestowed soul ring.
Within the golden pearl, it seemed as if life was surging within.
He had waited far too long for his seventh spirit ring. When he went to the Star Luo Empire, time was of the essence, and he didn't have time to search for it. Later, when he had the time, he absorbed the spirit ring of the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger, but inadvertently created his third spirit.
He reached level 70 early on, but hadn't been able to absorb a soul ring for a long time, which troubled him for a long time.
Now, with the divinely bestowed spirit ring, he can strive to obtain the best spirit ring based on his own physique.
The importance of the seventh spirit ring to a spirit master is self-evident; the stronger the spirit ring, the more terrifying the effect of unleashing the true form of the spirit. In the original novel, Tang San exerted all his strength to finally obtain a 100,000-year spirit ring, and Dai Yao's goal is the same.
"A 100,000-year soul ring!"
A determined glint flashed in Dai Yao's eyes.
With a thought, the golden bead floated up and drifted to Dai Yao's brow. Then, as if sensing something, it cracked open. Golden droplets slowly imprinted themselves onto the trident mark between Dai Yao's brows.
After absorbing the golden pearl, the golden trident mark seemed to come alive, and Dai Yao's whole body emitted a faint golden light.
Just then, with a roar that resounded throughout the universe, the White Tiger Martial Soul instantly possessed him. The eight wings of the White Tiger on his back spread out, and the Dark Gold Terror Claw Bear Soul Bone in his left hand also pierced out. Not only that, a white domain also slowly appeared.
Asura Domain.
With the White Tiger Dark Gold Transformation and the White Tiger Titan Transformation activated simultaneously, Dai Yao instantly boosted his condition to its peak to meet the test of the Golden Pearl.
A dense golden mist began to permeate around Dai Yao, with wisps of gold continuously flowing into his body. Intense pain began to burn Dai Yao, but with a thought, the White Tiger's Eight Wings instantly enveloped him, forming a large cocoon.
The explosive force, like a tidal wave, raged through Dai Yao's body. Under the influence of the Blue Silver Emperor Soul Bone, Dai Yao clearly felt much more comfortable.
From childhood to adulthood, he absorbed spirit rings that exceeded his age limit. When he got his sixth spirit ring, he absorbed all the essence of Xiao Wu's sacrifice. He also consumed two kinds of immortal herbs, the Eight-Cornered Ice Grass and the Blazing Apricot Blossom, as well as two external spirit bones, the White Tiger Eight Wings and the Dark Gold Terror Claw Bear Palm Bone, and the Blue Silver Emperor's spirit bone. Dai Yao's physical qualities far exceeded those of ordinary titled Douluo.
Furthermore, the influence of the Chaos Green Lotus since childhood has greatly increased Dai Yao's physical strength.
Therefore, Dai Yao was absolutely confident in obtaining a 100,000-year spirit ring, but his goal didn't stop there. He wanted to reach even higher! A 200,000-year spirit ring was qualitatively different from a 100,000-year one. If he could obtain a 200,000-year spirit ring—a beast-level spirit ring—with the help of a divinely bestowed one, the boost it would provide would be unimaginable!
So even if his body was in great pain, he was happy to endure it.
After all, he had experienced this kind of pain countless times. From childhood to adulthood, every time he absorbed a spirit ring, he would go through this excruciating pain. Only when he was a Soul Emperor, absorbing Xiao Wu's 100,000-year spirit ring, was it the easiest time.
The raging torrent of physical pain relentlessly assaulted Dai Yao's will. When Dai Yao chose to give up, or when his body could no longer endure it, the divinely bestowed spirit ring would be finalized, determining its lifespan.
"Brother Yao!"
Ning Rongrong clenched her delicate hands tightly, her beautiful eyes filled with tears, and murmured with worry.
Dai Yao's actions were clearly pushing him to his limits. She couldn't understand why Dai Yao, who had already achieved such great things, would still torture himself. She couldn't imagine the immense pain Dai Yao was enduring when he absorbed the divinely bestowed soul ring, given the powerful fluctuations in his soul power.
Zhu Zhuqing stared blankly at Dai Yao diagonally above her, then put her hand on Ning Rongrong's trembling shoulder. Her beautiful eyes were filled with heartache, but then a resolute look flashed across them.
She had been by Dai Yao's side the longest and understood his thoughts best; he was not one to compromise. Although he sometimes appeared easygoing, he always strived for perfection in his cultivation, as if he had a rival constantly chasing after him. She didn't know who it was, but she had long understood Dai Yao.
"Don't worry, Rongrong, he'll be alright."
Zhu Zhuqing comforted her.
Feng Wutong and Dugu Yan exchanged a glance, and the flames in their beautiful eyes burned even brighter; they too wanted to become stronger!
Bai Chenxiang stood frozen in place, her heart churning with turmoil. She had witnessed Dai Yao's strength firsthand, yet he still strived to become even stronger. How could she possibly give up in despair?
Poseidon Temple.
Poseidon leaned on her jeweled scepter, silently observing the scene below. When she saw Dai Yao absorb the divinely bestowed soul ring and the changes around them occurred, a look of shock suddenly appeared on her usually calm and beautiful face!
She discovered that Dai Yao's starting point for absorbing the divinely bestowed soul ring had already reached the level of 90,000 years! And this was only the beginning; ultimately, Dai Yao's soul ring would definitely exceed 100,000 years!
"His seventh spirit ring is a hundred-thousand-year spirit ring! He's truly a prodigy. No wonder he was chosen by the Sea God; he certainly has the qualifications to inherit the Sea God's divine position. But, Sea God, how can I choose? Could this also be a test for me?"
Looking down at Dai Yao, Poseidon felt lost for the first time in many years.
She knew her mission all too well. If Dai Yao completed the eight trials, then for the ninth trial, she would need to sacrifice her life to open the door to inheritance. But how could she be willing to do that? To give her life for someone she had never met, simply because she had gained the approval of the Sea God, she was unwilling.
With a soft sigh, Poseidon withdrew her gaze, turned around, and slowly walked towards the Temple of Poseidon...
······
Ten days later.
The 1,001 steps leading to the Temple of Poseidon are peaceful and serene, with only the sea breeze and the cries of seagulls echoing softly.
On the fiftieth step, Zhu Zhuqing sat cross-legged, comprehending the level of soul power she had just broken through, a faint smile appearing on her face.
"It's incredible. Although I was already level 64 before I came to Poseidon Island, it only took me a little over ten days to break through to level 65. The effect of the Poseidon Light is amazing."
Zhu Zhuqing sighed.
Not only her, but Dugu Yan also broke through one level in the past ten days. Ning Rongrong and Feng Wutong have both reached the critical point of breakthrough. Bai Chenxiang has just broken through to level 46, and is now more than halfway through the process of level 47. She will probably be able to break through to level 48 in a few more days.
The sea breeze ruffled Zhu Zhuqing's hair, which she gently tucked behind her ear. Recalling her experiences over the past ten days, a smile involuntarily appeared on her usually cool face.
Without any pressure or disturbance from others, she could focus on cultivation, feeling relaxed and carefree. In her spare time, Ning Rongrong and Dugu Yan would laugh and play in front of her. However, Dai Yao was still in the process of absorbing the divinely bestowed soul ring. Otherwise, such days would be the time she had always dreamed of.
Just then, a strange movement suddenly came from above the steps. Everyone opened their eyes at the same time and looked up. The 'cocoon' that had been still like a stone sculpture for dozens of days suddenly began to move.
"Brother Yao!"
Ning Rongrong exclaimed with delight.
Before long, the eight wings fully opened, revealing Dai Yao's face. Dai Yao's face was somewhat pale, but his eyes were extremely bright, as if they were shining.
Looking down, Dai Yao saw that the women were all cultivating on different steps. He chuckled and said:
"Go down first."
Immediately, Dai Yao flapped his eight wings and leaped downwards. The pressure of the ninety steps had no effect on him.
Once they reached the ground, Zhu Zhuqing looked at Dai Yao's wounds with a pained expression and asked with concern:
"How are you? Are you hurt?"
Dai Yao felt a warmth in his heart. Compared to his own achievements, Zhu Zhuqing was more concerned about his well-being and health. He took Zhu Zhuqing's hand and smiled.
"Don't worry, it's just absorbing a spirit ring, no problem. Besides, my body will recover from this minor injury in no time."
Dugu Yan carefully checked Dai Yao over, and only after confirming that he was not injured did she ask:
"How did the absorption of the divinely bestowed soul ring go?"
Dai Yao smiled slightly, his soul power surged, and his golden hair moved without wind. A terrifying aura burst forth from Dai Yao's body. Zhu Zhuqing and the others were all startled, clearly feeling that terrifying pressure, as if a super Douluo was standing in front of them!
Keep in mind that they were only one level below Dai Yao, and their strength far surpassed that of others at the same level; the gap between them and Dai Yao wasn't that significant. Yet, even so, he still overwhelmed them, which shows just how terrifying Dai Yao was at that moment.
One after another, spirit rings slowly rose from beneath Dai Yao's feet.
Yellow, purple, purple, black, black, red.
The six soul rings that had been seen countless times before were slowly released, and a splash of red filled everyone's vision.
The seventh soul ring – 100,000 years!
Despite Dai Yao's control over his breathing, everyone else's breathing still became uncontrollably rapid.
Dai Yao's four wives all knew that his sixth spirit ring came from a trick—obtaining a 100,000-year spirit ring—and that this didn't prove his strength. However, his seventh spirit ring, also a 100,000-year spirit ring, was entirely pieced together by Dai Yao himself!
None of the many titled Douluo on the continent possessed a 100,000-year soul ring.
Dai Yao possesses two 100,000-year spirit rings at the Soul Saint level, a feat unprecedented! Once Dai Yao becomes a Title Douluo, his two subsequent spirit rings will undoubtedly also be 100,000 years old! At that time, Dai Yao will likely have no rivals at the Title Douluo level!
Dugu Yan swallowed hard, staring blankly at Dai Yao. Even as Dai Yao's bedmate, she still couldn't believe that such a devilishly handsome man was actually her husband.
Having finally accepted the truth, Dugu Yan asked:
"Dai Yao, how many years has it taken for your seventh soul ring to form?"
"Probably 190,000 years ago..."
Dai Yao smiled. (End of Chapter)