The Heavenly Emperor Sword hung in the air, its body gleaming with golden light, exuding immense majesty.
Suddenly, an ancient and majestic voice resounded in the sky, like a great bell echoing throughout the universe.
A golden crow flew out from the Heavenly Emperor Sword, breaking through the clouds. As its wings spread, rosy light filled the sky, and golden and red rays intertwined to form a dazzling net of light.
A condensed golden beam of light descended from the sky, precisely enveloping Ye Mu's body.
The warmth instantly permeated his entire body, his soul power surged like a tide, and golden patterns appeared on his skin, echoing the golden crow in the sky.
The moment Ye Mu saw the golden crow, his pupils contracted.
The three-legged golden crow of mythology?
[The Heavenly Emperor's Divine Trial begins. The first test: the battle for the strongest weapon spirit. Defeat the Clear Sky Hammer, and the reward will be an increase of 5,000 years in the lifespan of the strongest weapon spirit.]
Divine Examination?
Ye Mu was stunned. It was actually the legendary Divine Test?
But shouldn't divine trials be bestowed by the gods?
Why was he able to directly initiate the divine test?
"System, what is the Heavenly Emperor's Divine Trial?"
When in doubt, consult the system; an all-powerful system can always provide the most comprehensive solution.
[The host's second martial soul, the Heavenly Emperor Sword, contains the soul of the Three-Legged Golden Crow. This soul, activated by the host's first martial soul, the True Fire of the Sun, automatically begins its divine trial.]
[If the host completes all the divine trials, they can unlock their third martial soul, the Three-Legged Golden Crow, and ascend to the throne of the Heavenly Emperor in the future.]
[The host's third martial soul does not require any spirit rings; upon activation, all spirit rings and spirit skills will be automatically acquired.]
After hearing the introduction, Ye Mu was deeply moved.
I thought it was a pair of martial souls, but I never expected that there was a hidden third martial soul.
In the Douluo Continent, he should be the first person to possess three martial souls.
Although it can only be unlocked after completing all the divine tests, with the system's cheat code, completing the divine tests is definitely not difficult.
"System, can the Heavenly Emperor Sword only be bestowed upon me after my first martial soul's spirit rings are all full?"
Recalling the Douluo Continent setting, the optimal time to acquire the spirit rings of the second spirit should be after all the spirit rings of the first spirit have been acquired.
Because once you reach that point, your level will be high enough and your physical condition strong enough to withstand spirit rings of higher age.
This allows for a higher-level configuration of the second spirit ring.
However, the system gave a completely different answer.
[No need. The host is a person with a cheat ability, inherently different from the natives, and doesn't need to follow the Douluo World's settings.]
[All of the host's spirit rings are provided by this system, and it is entirely possible to equip two different spirit rings simultaneously.]
The acquisition of spirit rings is determined by the host's physical limits.
The system's answer gave Ye Mu peace of mind.
Indeed, why would someone with a cheat ability follow the rules of the Douluo Continent world?
If it still has to follow the Douluo World setting, then what kind of cheat system is it?
Take Yu Xiaogang's so-called theory of the ten core competencies of martial spirits, for example; it has long been shattered.
He is fully capable of bestowing spirit rings upon both martial souls simultaneously; all that remains is to improve his physical attributes.
"Physical fitness..."
As he pondered, a radical idea suddenly came to him.
The sun is blazing!
"The bold get rich, the timid starve. Give it a try!"
Thinking of this, he immediately found a quiet place and sat down cross-legged.
As meditation began, the first martial soul, the True Fire of the Sun, manifested.
Flames of gold and red ignited, and the extreme heat distorted the air.
The surrounding trees crackled and popped from the scorching heat, their moisture completely evaporated.
Immediately, the true fire of the sun enveloped him.
At first, it felt warm and cozy, but the next second the clothes were burned to ashes.
Intense pain followed, the skin became dry and cracked, and it felt as if the blood was being evaporated.
Unlike when using soul skills, he is now tempering his body with the true fire of the sun.
As a sharp pain shot through him, Ye Mu quickly stopped.
Looking down at his own body, he couldn't help but smile bitterly.
Good heavens, the sun's true fire is truly domineering.
Even with his own martial spirit, he showed absolutely no mercy.
If I persisted for even a little longer, I'm afraid I would be burned to ashes by the sun's true fire.
Is it possible that the path of tempering the physical body with the true fire of the sun is not feasible?
No, this should work!
Ye Mu suddenly noticed that the cracked skin on his body was rapidly repairing itself, regaining its moist and radiant appearance.
"At this recovery rate, it's feasible!"
Ye Mu pondered to himself, if he challenged his physical limits again and again, he would eventually be able to break through them!
Let's do it one more time!
[Host, stop messing around, it'll really kill you!]
[This system really doesn't want to see its host die so soon.]
The system's voice suddenly came out, sounding somewhat helpless.
Ye Mu: "..."
So the body's recovery just now was due to the system's intervention?
"System, will my strength increase after my body is repaired?"
It will improve slightly, but...
"That's good!"
Having received an affirmative answer, Ye Mu summoned the True Fire of the Sun once again.
[Actually, the host doesn't need to be so reckless, really. The Solar True Fire Martial Soul itself will continuously improve the host's physical attributes, so there's no need for further external stimulation.]
[The True Fire of the Sun circulates within the body, comprehensively enhancing the host's physical attributes from the inside out!]
Getting angry is bad for your health; it's really unnecessary!
The system's explanation sped up considerably, and Ye Mu, who had just summoned the True Fire of the Sun, fell silent.
So, he misunderstood.
Or perhaps they don't have a full understanding of their own martial spirit.
The true fire of the sun can continuously improve one's physical fitness on its own.
In other words, his body was being tempered at all times.
His martial spirit is blatantly giving him a cheat code.
"System, you could have explained earlier next time."
system:[...]
Ye Mu got up and took out a set of clothes from the system's storage space to put on.
If he had known this would happen, why would he have tortured himself?
Now it's time to find the next soul beast and level up to level 20 as soon as possible.
The system will automatically give him a second soul ring at that time.
As for the second martial soul, the Heavenly Emperor Sword, the soul ring can be obtained all at once when you reach level 20.
Most of the outer-area soul beasts are of relatively low level. You can try to go further in and look for soul beasts that are around ten thousand years old.
The soul ring of a ten-thousand-year-old soul beast will definitely increase his soul power even more.
The deeper you go into the Star Dou Great Forest, the greater the danger.
The forest is fraught with danger, and spirit beasts could emerge from the shadows at any moment.
Ye Mu chose a relatively open area with a better view, allowing him to observe further.
Most of the day has passed, and the target soul beast has still not been found.
Ye Mu was about to go to the river to catch some fish to fill his stomach when he suddenly felt a strong sense of crisis as he squatted down to observe.
He instinctively jumped back, his fingertips flashing with golden-red flames.
Whoosh!
Two beams of red light shot out from the opposite bank.
"First Soul Skill: Dawn Flame Bullet!"
Without hesitation, he threw out his first soul skill, and three egg-sized fireballs shot out.
Bang bang bang!
The flare hit the target with a red flash and a loud bang. A fireball nearly ten meters in diameter exploded above the river, and the intense heat caused the river water to churn and emit white mist.
As his soul power increased to level fourteen, the power of his first soul skill also increased significantly.
Ye Mu retreated continuously, withdrawing to the woods behind him.
He flipped over and jumped onto a big tree, using the lush branches and leaves to cover his body.
Looking across to the other side, a soul beast came into view.
It was a giant snake, thirty meters long, with scales like cast black iron, gleaming with a cold, hard luster, and dark purple fluorescent patterns on its back, winding like a living creature.
Its vertical pupils were blood-red, with forked purple cores, and its fangs gleamed with a chilling light.
"A giant black-scaled serpent? Judging by its size, it must be around ten thousand years old!"
(End of chapter)