In the shimmering temple, Poseidon, the Sea God, sat majestically upon a throne carved from thousand-year-old coral.
His slender fingers lightly tapped the trident's engravings, and the tidal patterns flowing across his azure divine robe reflected the ceaseless waves outside the hall.
Thin golden threads of faith energy were converging from every corner of Douluo Continent, coalescing into a flickering orb of light in his palm.
"The shortcut to spreading faith energy has been discovered by me ahead of time. Don't blame me for hitching a ride."
The Sea God chuckled softly. Faith energy was nearly omnipotent—it could solidify divine seats, expand the god realm, and assist gods in comprehending the forces of laws.
Even after passing down his divine seat, as long as the new Sea God hadn't completely replaced his lingering imprints, he could still retain a portion of the faith energy for some time.
This period would be enough for the Sea God to establish himself in the universe. But if another channel provided an endless stream of faith energy, he wouldn't refuse it either.
"I should thank that unknown creator. This method is far more efficient than the divine trials for inheritance."
"Perfect. I'll weave the Oceanic principles represented by my divine seat into a visualization diagram and let mortals cultivate it. Whoever achieves the best results will have an affinity with the Sea God's divine seat."
"Isn't this simpler than waiting endlessly in the god realm?"
The Sea God felt a sudden enlightenment, seeing a glimmer of hope for passing on his divine seat.
The Sea God's divine seat was of his own creation, and Poseidon was intimately familiar with it. With almost no effort, he crafted a visualization diagram depicting a towering figure wielding a trident, clad in scale-like armor.
After a brief verification, the Sea God furrowed his brow:
"It's slightly too difficult. If fully comprehended, it could raise one's affinity with the Sea God's power to fifty percent. But even Limit Douluos with a thousand-year lifespan can't grasp even a fraction of it, even if they trained from childhood."
This assessment was based on his own extraordinary insight when he ascended. Having achieved divinity independently, he was already a prodigy of unparalleled talent. Without the aid of faith energy, mortals would find it nearly impossible to grasp the forces of laws.
The Sea God shook his head and continued to simplify the visualization diagram.
"This method of cultivating spiritual power is quite intriguing—allowing indescribable laws to be passed down. But relying on higher beings as objects of visualization pairs well with the boundless potential of martial souls."
The Sea God had seen the cultivation systems of other planes under the god realm's jurisdiction, and among them, martial souls were one of the most promising systems.
Its recognition by him was proof enough of the vast potential of visualization methods.
Fifteen minutes later, the Sea God completed his simplifications and nodded in satisfaction.
"This should do it. Lowering the threshold—if one achieves ten percent affinity, I'll sense it through my divine seat."
In the dark core space of the plane, the Sea God's projection appeared, only to be immediately entangled by multicolored radiance. Countless chains of laws extended from the void, with several vibrant blue water-element chains trembling violently.
"Don't rush to reject me," Poseidon sneered. The trident emblem on his forehead erupted with blue light, and twelve golden halos surrounded him, stabilizing the Plane Consciousness's power.
After a tense standoff and threat, the nascent Plane Consciousness reluctantly yielded, like a victim of a stubborn minotaur.
The Sea God successfully delivered the simplified visualization diagram to the plane's essence.
"Hmph. Wise choice."
Satisfied, the Sea God withdrew his threatening aura but noticed his visualization diagram hanging below the water-element diagram.
"Heh. No brains, but already learning pettiness."
Poseidon, the Sea God, grew irritated. When he received the information from the Plane Consciousness, his frustration deepened.
"What? Because I came later, all water-based visualization diagrams must give a share of faith energy to those who came first?"
Poseidon was momentarily speechless, feeling as though he'd been transported back to his youth, fishing in a village and paying taxes.
"…Don't let me find out who came up with this rotten idea. Pray that I've already left before you ascend to godhood, or I'll make sure you understand—I'm the senior who became a god first."
The Sea God raged impotently. Just as he had to abide by the rules of the god realm, he couldn't change the rules set by the Plane Consciousness—he wasn't about to replace it with his own family, like Tang San would.
"Fine."
The Sea God calmed down, revealing a sly smile. He lightly tapped the ground with his trident, and the entire core space was engulfed by shadows of raging waves. He realized why the Plane Consciousness was willing to assist in refining visualization methods.
When soul masters meditated on these visualizations, the Plane Consciousness also gained a share of faith energy, akin to energy flowing back to the source. Over time, this would accumulate significant power.
Moreover, after practicing visualization methods, the connection to the plane deepened, making detachment far more difficult.
Understanding this, Poseidon felt less anger and more schadenfreude toward the person who created the visualization methods: "I'll see how you cut off these eighteen connections when you ascend to godhood."
He let out a resounding laugh, retracted his power, and returned to the god realm.
Not long after, the Great Priestess Bo Saixi returned to the Sea God Island and received another divine decree—to spread the Ocean Heaven Visualization Diagram.
---
Meanwhile, deep within the Lake of Life, Great Star Dou Forest.
The Silver Dragon King's elongated tail swept across the life mist deposited at the lake's bottom.
A bead of blood seeped from her silvery fingertips, tracing the outline of nine-colored dragon scales in the void. Each time a silver pattern formed, her wounded soul throbbed painfully, and the chaotic power of the War God wreaked havoc within her meridians, damaging her dragon body.
"My lord, you've once again forcefully activated your essence."
Di Tian knelt on the shore, hatred flashing in his eyes as he watched the Silver Dragon King endure the pain. "Perhaps you could wait until your injuries heal further before continuing to refine the visualization method."
"No, time waits for no one."
Suddenly rising from the life mist, the Silver Dragon King absorbed the liquefied vitality through her scales. Her vertical purple pupils reflected the gradually forming Silver Dragon God apparition:
"This Dragon God visualization diagram centered around me will allow me to tap into the faith energy craved by those despicable gods. Since those lowly humans desire power, they shall contribute to my recovery!"
"My lord's wisdom knows no bounds, and she will surely restore the glory of the dragon race!"
Di Tian praised her with calculated fervor.
The Silver Dragon King remained noncommittal, though she found his flattery pleasing. Her shallow inherited memories reminded her to maintain dignity in front of her subordinates.
—Who knew what meaning the dying Dragon God intended when leaving behind such memories.
Suddenly, a distorted expression of agony twisted her majestic dragon head. A streak of crimson blood spread along the finger she used to draw the visualization diagram, staining several scales an ominous dark red.
This pain fueled her hatred for the gods of the god realm who had gravely injured her. After a brief pause to ease the pain, she resumed drawing the visualization diagram.
Once everything was complete, the Silver Dragon King exhaled in relief. Then, in the familiar space of the plane's core, she went through the usual process of resistance and compromise…
The Silver Dragon King noticed something amiss: "An extra visualization diagram!"
"And it's a water-element diagram occupying a large portion of the population!"
Fury surged in the Silver Dragon King's heart. Who!? Who dared to preempt her!?
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