Ma Xiaotao had no idea what had happened after the Fire God's phantom departed. When she opened her eyes upon leaving that mysterious space, the confusion on her face had already shifted into joy and excitement.
She had received the Fire God's inheritance, thus beginning the Nine Trials of the Fire God. At her brow now glowed a golden-red flame mark—the symbol of one chosen for divine assessment. She reached up instinctively, her fingers brushing her forehead. Though intangible, the mark radiated a faint heat that made her heart tremble.
Turning over the contents of the first Fire God Trial in her mind, Xiaotao quickly scanned her surroundings in search of Diwu Huan'er.
Not far away, Huan'er was just stirring, having also been bathed in the Fire God's light. Her wide eyes blinked blankly at Xiaotao. And Xiaotao noticed—astonished—that at the girl's brow burned a flame mark as well, only hers was silver-white.
"Huan'er?" Xiaotao called softly.
"Sister Xiaotao!" Huan'er cried. At the sound of her voice, the girl bolted into her arms like a frightened child, then said breathlessly, "Did you hear that voice too?"
"I did." Xiaotao nodded, suddenly understanding. A smile broke across her face. "I've inherited the Fire God's position. I've started the Nine Trials of the Fire God. What about you, Huan'er?"
"The Fire God's position?!" Huan'er's eyes widened in awe and envy. "That's incredible, Sister Xiaotao—you've actually been chosen by a god!"
"Just luck," Xiaotao said with a laugh. "Even I didn't expect it. But you haven't told me about your situation yet."
"Oh, right!" Huan'er said quickly. "That voice said mine is a Red-Level Single Trial. I only have one task to complete."
"A Red-Level Single Trial? Only one?" Xiaotao blinked in surprise. "Then what's your trial?"
"Let me see…" Huan'er looked dazed for a moment, then exclaimed, "Ah! My trial is connected to you, Sister Xiaotao!"
"Oh? Tell me," Xiaotao said, intrigued.
"My Red-Level Trial is to assist you in completing all Nine Trials of the Fire God. For each trial you complete, I'll receive half of your reward. When you've finished all nine, I'll be granted a final reward based on my performance."
"What?!" Xiaotao's jaw dropped, but then she laughed. "So that's how it is! Huan'er, looks like you and I are bound together now—we'll live or die side by side!"
She had always liked this mysterious girl. Now, with fate itself binding them, her trust and affection for Huan'er only deepened.
"Yes! I'll give everything to help you, Sister Xiaotao!" Huan'er swore earnestly, the walls in her heart beginning to crumble.
Thus, after opening the Nine Trials of the Fire God in Chichen Mountain, Xiaotao threw herself into the divine assessments with Huan'er at her side.
Three years passed.
With Huan'er's aid, Xiaotao had already completed six of the Fire God's trials and was now undergoing the seventh.
Because of the divine trials, her cultivation had advanced at a terrifying pace. When she had left the academy, she had only been a level-74 Soul Sage. Now, she had reached level 88. Fourteen levels in just over three years—crossing from the Soul Sage realm into Contra—was nothing short of monstrous.
Yet cultivation alone was not her greatest gain. Even more significant were the enhancements to her soul rings and soul skills. Thanks to the rewards of her first six trials, her ring configuration had advanced from two yellow, two purple, two black, and one red… to two purple, four black, and two red.
Notably, her eighth ring was a God-bestowed Spirit Ring, not one she had hunted with her Phoenix Tail Crest Chrysanthemum spirit soul. Upon fusing it, the ring had automatically adjusted to the maximum her body could withstand—a terrifying two-hundred-thousand-year beast-level ring.
After finishing her tale, Ma Xiaotao smiled and said, "So, Ziyang, this time I came back not only to cheer you on in the tournament, but also to see for myself what godhood you've inherited. When I passed my fifth trial, I saw the Fire God again, and He told me to stay close to you. He said it would help me ascend to the God Realm one day."
"Is that so?" Zhu Ziyang was surprised, but quickly understood. The Death God had once been a God King of the realm. His return was bound to draw attention. With a laugh, he said, "The God of Death—Death God—is actually ranked above your Fire God. He's a Super God, a God King. Compared to him, your Fire God is only a First-Class Deity."
"The Death God?" Xiaotao echoed, frowning slightly. "What do you mean by 'ranked above'? Are gods really divided into higher and lower?"
"Strange, isn't it?" Zhu Ziyang said with a chuckle at her puzzled face. "Mortals think becoming a god means freedom from all bonds. In truth, the hierarchy in the God Realm is stricter than ours. Take your Fire God and my Death God for example. The Fire God is a First-Class Deity, a Lord God. But the Death God is a Super Deity, a God King. The gap between a Lord God and a God King is said to be greater than that between a Great Soul Master and a Titled Douluo."
"What?! Really?!" Xiaotao was dumbfounded.
"Otherwise, why do you think gods are so eager to pass down their positions to mortals?" Zhu Ziyang quoted Xiao Bai's words. "A godhood is both a qualification… and a shackle."
"So even gods aren't truly free. Neither in the mortal world nor the divine one," Xiaotao sighed. Then she smiled impishly. "Ziyang, my little brother, once we reach the God Realm, you must look after me, oh mighty God King!"
With that, she shot him a dazzling, flirtatious glance that nearly made him lose control.
"Of course!" Zhu Ziyang laughed. "When the time comes, you, me, Nannan, and Lingyi—we'll stick together. Whoever dares provoke us, we'll beat them into pigs!"
"Deal!" Xiaotao said brightly. Then her eyes lit up with another thought. "Oh, and there's Huan'er too! The Fire God told me that as a First-Class Deity, I'll be allowed to bring one relative to the God Realm. Since Huan'er has been helping me with my trials, I can't leave her behind."
"Really? That's possible?" Zhu Ziyang was surprised. If deities could bring companions to the realm, then perhaps… a thought began forming in his heart.
"By the way, who is this Lingyi you mentioned? Has she also inherited a god position?" Xiaotao asked curiously.
"Yes. Her full name is Qian Lingyi. She's a descendant of the ancient Pope's clan, and she inherited the Angel God's position," Zhu Ziyang answered.
"The Pope's descendant? The Angel God?!" Xiaotao's expression twisted into something complicated, her eyes full of awe and exasperation as she looked at Zhu Ziyang. "You really are something…"
"Hehe." Zhu Ziyang could only scratch his head awkwardly. "Let me tell you about everything that happened during these past years."
"Go on!" Xiaotao said eagerly, her earlier thoughts forgotten.
And so, Zhu Ziyang recounted everything from the moment he and Xiaotao had parted at the Icefire Yin-Yang Well three years ago, all the way through to his return with Jiang Nannan and Qian Lingyi from the Sun-Moon Continent.
By the time he finished, the first light of dawn had already crept into the sky.
"I can't believe you went through so much!" Xiaotao said in amazement. "So many other continents outside of Douluo, and Sister Lexuan… she's actually the Heavenly Sun Princess of the Sun-Moon Empire. It feels like I've missed out on half a lifetime of things!"
"Don't dwell on it. There will be even more wonders waiting for you in the future," Zhu Ziyang said warmly, seeing her regretful face.
"You're right. That's why I've decided—I'm not leaving again. From now on, I'll stay with you all!" Xiaotao declared firmly.
"Good," Zhu Ziyang said with a smile. "You're welcome here."
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