Chapter 519.
A surge of storm-like energy poured in from the sea, flowing into Wang Feng's body.
The energy seemed to have found its rightful home, rushing through the membrane of the protective bubble surrounding them. Hu Liena, nearby, felt like a small boat on the edge of a raging storm. The overwhelming energy boosted her cultivation speed several times over, leaving her speechless with shock.
She had never seen the White Pontiff engage in serious cultivation before. Even during their journeys together, he rarely meditated. That was because Wang Feng didn't rely on traditional cultivation methods. His physique allowed him to passively cultivate at all times. Unless he was in a heavenly blessed land, ordinary meditation did little to improve his strength.
Instead, Wang Feng focused more on spiritual cultivation, dedicating his time to understanding and mastering his current abilities. After all, his requirements for soul power upgrades had become immense.
At this moment, Hu Liena couldn't help but be awed by the White Pontiff's astonishing cultivation speed.
"Such terrifying training speed… Why isn't the White Pontiff's soul power level higher?" she wondered silently.
Wang Feng's soul power level had always been a mystery. Officially, he appeared to have only five soul rings. But Hu Liena suspected there were more, likely concealed through special means or due to the uniqueness of his martial soul. She couldn't fully grasp his true strength.
However, judging by his current cultivation speed, she was sure of one thing, the White Pontiff's soul power was anything but low. The idea that someone else's meditation could accelerate your own cultivation would seem absurd—unless you witnessed Wang Feng in person.
His rapid cultivation wasn't solely due to his physical strength—it was also tied to his immense mental power. Meditation was deeply connected to spiritual strength. That's why higher-level soul masters gained more from meditating than low-level ones.
Wang Feng's spiritual power had reached terrifying heights. After undergoing transformations through the Rakshasa Secret Realm, his once small stream of spiritual energy had grown into a mighty current—akin to a river surging forward. While his soul power increased slowly, his spiritual power advanced rapidly, largely due to the former word secret technique he had learned.
With such vast mental strength, it was only natural for Wang Feng's meditation to unleash this overwhelming, storm-like power.
Hu Liena didn't dwell on it further. Instead, she took full advantage of the opportunity and entered meditation herself.
This cultivation session lasted a long while.
When Wang Feng finally opened his eyes, he sighed. His soul power hadn't increased significantly and was still some distance away from level 69. However, given that he had only reached about 100 meters underwater, he was still far from reaching his physical limit. Once he did, and with intense training, his cultivation would surely speed up again.
"I feel like I've improved by at least half a level!" Yan was the first to speak, visibly pleased. "If I can do this a few more times, I might reach level 68 soon!"
Hu Liena also exhaled in relief. She, too, had advanced by nearly half a level—level 69 was within reach. Xie Yue experienced similar gains.
Now they all truly understood the White Pontiff's intention in bringing them here.
With their bodies filled with new strength and a tangible sense of progress, the three felt an irresistible urge to continue the assessment.
Wang Feng wasted no time. Retracting the blue flag, he had them put the chains back on and resume sinking into the sea.
Despite their gains, their descent was still slow. Breaking through their own physical limits was no easy feat—just like someone who can only do a hundred push-ups struggling to complete one more, no matter how well-rested they are.
Wang Feng, however, wasn't held back. He gripped the three chains tied to him and dove toward the seabed at lightning speed.
The three: "..."
His sudden descent stirred the water around them, sending shockwaves through the ocean depths.
"I wonder what the teacher's limit actually is," Yan muttered, watching Wang Feng disappear from view. None of them had an answer.
Wang Feng continued his plunge at a pace that defied imagination. Within days, he had reached a depth of 1,000 meters. Meanwhile, the other three hadn't even passed 200 meters.
Twice a day, Wang Feng returned to assist them. He helped restore their exhausted bodies and souls, then guided them in further cultivation before descending again.
Once past 1,000 meters, Wang Feng began to feel the pressure.
Even two purple-clothed soul saints would struggle to endure such depths for long. Add in the weight of the chains—each weighing tens of thousands of kilograms—and it was a nearly impossible feat. Even with aquatic martial souls like swordfish, the soul saints wouldn't last long down here.
After passing that milestone, Wang Feng's descent slowed significantly—he could only sink about 100 meters per day. Not because he had reached his limit, but because the combined sea pressure and chain weight had become too oppressive.
Early on, the chains had helped by weighing the group down. But the deeper they went, the more buoyancy the water offered, turning the chains from an aid into a burden. At this point, Wang Feng had to actively pull the chains to keep descending.
He estimated that the other end of the 5,000-meter-long chain was likely anchored beneath Sea God Mountain itself.
Being underwater and dragging a chain over 5,000 meters long was no ordinary feat.
Hu Liena and the others did exceptionally well, but even their endurance had limits. At best, they could manage around 1,000 meters. They discovered something surprising at around 300 meters—the chains were no longer helping them sink. Instead, they had to actively pull the chains downward, which made things significantly more difficult.
This marked a turning point in the first trial.
As a result, Wang Feng's descent speed slightly decreased after reaching the 1,000-meter mark. At the same time, all four of them had essentially moved beyond the range of the shallow sea, fully dedicating themselves to passing this intense level of assessment.
This type of training was brutal. If not handled carefully, even if the body could endure the pressure, the soul might collapse from the strain.
Instead of continuous physical cultivation, they focused six hours each day on deep meditation.
Fortunately, Wang Feng's help allowed them to recover their spiritual strength efficiently. Whenever their mental state collapsed, Wang Feng helped them recover before they dived back into their intense cultivation routine.
When hungry, they ate the dry rations stored within their soul guides. Despite being soaked in seawater, their bodies remained clean, as the seawater here was exceptionally pure.
In just one month, all three had advanced by more than a full level in soul power.
Their maximum sinking depth had also reached over 350 meters—an impressive improvement!
Wang Feng, however, had already reached a staggering depth of 2,000 meters.
This depth was unimaginably oppressive. But unlike the slowdown after the first kilometer, Wang Feng maintained a steady descent speed throughout.
At that depth, he had to begin using soul power to drag the three heavy chains. Relying purely on physical strength would slow him down significantly. While Wang Feng could still withstand the sea pressure, pulling the chains without spiritual assistance was a tremendous burden.
This clearly demonstrated that Wang Feng's current physical limits were extraordinarily high—far beyond what most could endure.
Meanwhile, on the coastline...
For Tang San and the others, the month had also been nothing short of extraordinary.
From the moment they began ascending the Sea God's Stairs, they were met with immense pressure from the Sea God's Light, which radiated in all directions.
The first 20 or so steps were relatively easy for the Shrek Seven Devils. The stairway wasn't especially steep, with each step only about half a meter tall, spiraling upward in a circular fashion.
However, Bai Chenxiang and Shen Lingqi were significantly slower compared to the others—much slower than even Ning Rongrong and Oscar.
Bai Chenxiang's physical strength simply wasn't enough to climb past the first ten steps. Shen Lingqi, though slightly better due to her higher soul power, barely managed to break through the 20th step—and looked as if she might collapse at any moment.
Among the rest, Tang San stood out the most—scaling 52 steps in one breath. Dai Mubai followed with nearly 40, Ma Hongjun reached 34, and both Ning Rongrong and Oscar stopped at the 29th step.
It was evident that auxiliary-type soul masters were generally weaker when it came to this kind of test. Ning Rongrong relied heavily on the self-enhancements granted by her Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, and Oscar used similar boosting methods. In comparison, Bai Chenxiang had no such support ability, limited physical strength, and low soul power, making it extremely difficult for her to even reach the 16th step.
But among all the nine, the most surprising performer was Zhu Zhuqing.
She soared all the way to the 46th step in one go—surpassing even Dai Mubai!
She was only four steps behind Tang San!
This was astonishing considering Tang San had numerous advantages, two 100,000-year soul bones, an external soul bone, a skull soul bone, the bonus effects of Mysterious Heaven Technique, and his two powerful domains. Despite all that, he only reached the 52nd step in one breath.
Zhu Zhuqing, an agile-attack type fighter with only two soul bones, climbed to the 46th step without pause?
It was a testament to her incredible physical strength.
Everyone else felt a mixture of awe and shame. But knowing that Zhu Zhuqing was just a step away from breaking through to rank 70, they began to understand just how much she had changed—and how powerful she had quietly become.
But what the others didn't realize…
In the month that followed, Zhu Zhuqing's progress was the most astonishing among all nine of them.
Almost every time she reached her limit on the steps, she experienced a significant breakthrough in her cultivation. It was as if her strength evolved with each challenge. One month later, Zhu Zhuqing had nearly caught up to Tang San—only a single step behind him.
By that time, Tang San had reached the 87th step, and the rest of the team had made clear progress as well.
During this month, Tang San also discovered the true essence of the Seagod's Light, and he found it very similar to Wang Feng's sinking trial in the ocean.
In fact, he had noticed it on the very first day.
"Although we must endure tremendous pressure on every step," Tang San explained, "I originally thought that if we combined our strength as a team and supported one person, we could quickly reach the 100th step and finish the trial early."
"But we are a team. If we wish to pass the Sea God's Light trial, we must rely on unity. At the same time, this trial is clearly testing our individual potential. As a god, the Sea God crafted this assessment to push each of us to our limits."
"Each of us already has the potential to pass this trial. We just have to awaken it. These past few days, I'm sure you've all noticed how our soul power grows rapidly under the pressure—especially when we reach our limit. That's not just cultivation, it's a trigger. The Sea God's Light is designed to draw out our hidden strength."
If Wang Feng had been present, he would have instantly seen through the core of the test, just like Hu Liena had during her own trial. But Tang San had figured it out on his own.
Some of the others understood his explanation, at least partially.
"So," Tang San continued, "we need to focus on improving ourselves as much as possible during this year. Then, if any one of us can't complete the test alone by the end, we'll use the strength of the group to help them finish."
After all, not everyone could fully awaken their potential on their own. Each person's willpower and mental strength were different. Tang San believed he could break through under pressure, but not everyone had his mindset. So, as long as everyone gave it their all in the earlier stages, teamwork could be used to complete the trial later.
Everyone agreed with this plan.
A month later, Zhu Zhuqing became the first among them to reach level 70. The others had each gained at least one full level as well.
Upon reaching the 70th level, Bo Saixi, the Great Priestess of Seagod Island, appeared once again. It was only the second time they had seen her in person.
"I've come today for her," Bo Saixi said softly, looking at Zhu Zhuqing with her usual serene smile.
"Now that you've passed the Black Rank Trial, you are qualified to receive a God-bestowed Soul Ring. The god-bestowed ring will grant you the soul ability you need most—and at the maximum age your body can endure. In simple terms, the stronger you are, the stronger the soul ring you'll receive."
As she spoke, Bo Saixi opened her palms to reveal a small, radiant golden bead. It gleamed like pure gold but had a translucent, glass-like texture with a soft current swirling inside. It was mesmerizing.
"A god-bestowed soul ring? There's something like that?" Ma Hongjun exclaimed in surprise.
"So… if I can endure a 100,000-year soul ring, does that mean I can receive one at that level?"
Bo Saixi smiled and nodded.
Everyone was instantly amazed. They hadn't expected such a valuable reward to be part of the Black Rank Trial.
Tang San silently nodded as well. His teacher had been right—while Sea God Island was dangerous and filled with trials, it also offered unimaginable opportunities. These weren't ordinary training tests; they were once-in-a-lifetime chances to leap forward in strength.
Bo Saixi turned back to Zhu Zhuqing with a gentle look.
"Child, your talent is truly rare," she said warmly. "Your willpower is no weaker than mine was at your age. The improvement you've made in just one month… even I couldn't have achieved that. Each of you will receive one god-bestowed soul ring in this trial. And now, I shall bestow yours first—on behalf of the Sea God. I hope you acquire the soul ring you truly desire."
Zhu Zhuqing stared in awe at the golden bead in Bo Saixi's hand. A determined glint flickered in her eyes. She nodded firmly.
—End of Chapter—
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