"How did you do that?!"
Oya was shocked beyond belief.
"The Sacred Pillar adjusts its difficulty based on the number of participants entering the Sea Within the Sea! Teaming up shouldn't work!"
Tang Lan stepped forward.
"I created a formation called the True Martial Seven-Segment Array."
"When seven people unite, their power multiplies sixty-four times."
"Your Sea Within the Sea only scaled seven times in difficulty, so naturally, we crushed it."
Sixty-four times combat power?!
Oya's eyes widened, his face filled with disbelief.
That was sixty-four times!
If seven Soul Sages (Rank 70+) formed this array, they could even fight a Title Douluo!
And yet, these kids—
The oldest among them was only 13.
Such unbelievable talent…
Oya narrowed his eyes, scanning the group, deep in thought.
Tang Lan guessed his concerns and spoke first.
"I founded the Tang Sect, a sect under the Heaven Dou Empire. These are my core disciples."
"We have no ties to the Spirit Hall."
Oya's expression relaxed slightly.
He nodded before turning to the Seahorse Sacred Pillar, his face filled with devotion.
Raising his hands to chest level, he kept his palms apart by half a foot, a gentle blue glow forming between them.
Tang Lan instantly recognized it—
This was Sea God's divine energy.
Once the light fully condensed,
It burst forth, illuminating the entire Seahorse Sacred Pillar Platform in a blue radiance.
Then—
A beam of light shot up from the base of the Seahorse Sacred Pillar,
Racing along its engraved patterns,
Reaching the top in an instant.
A column of blue light descended from the heavens,
Enveloping Dai Mubai.
Dai Mubai's Trial Awakens!
Standing within the light pillar, Dai Mubai felt… nothing unusual.
Then, the pillar's color began to shift.
From blue → to white → immediately to yellow → swiftly transitioning to purple,
And then—
Straight to black.
The speed was astonishing.
Oya, only realizing this when he saw the black glow, was utterly stunned.
This glow represented the trial's level.
Higher talent meant a higher-level trial.
Yet Dai Mubai had reached black in an instant?!
And it was still deepening,
On the verge of becoming a Supreme-Level Trial…
Supreme-Level Trials meant one thing—an almost guaranteed High Priest successor!
That also meant—
Oya's gaze shifted to Tang Lan, deep sadness in his eyes.
Was the prophecy finally coming true?
But—
Just as the black light reached two-thirds of the Seahorse Sacred Pillar's height—
It halted.
Six black beams shot out, forming six floating square panels in front of Dai Mubai.
Each panel shimmered with golden inscriptions,
Though the first panel's glow was the brightest,
The remaining five were noticeably dimmer.
The panels condensed,
Forming a black six-pointed star, which imprinted onto Dai Mubai's forehead.
Dai Mubai seemed to realize something,
And immediately sat cross-legged, entering meditation.
Tang Lan nodded knowingly.
As expected—Black-Level Six Trials.
Any higher, and he'd be a designated successor for High Priest—an "internal selection."
No matter how talented, if one wasn't suitable for Sea God Island, then Black-Level Six Trials was the limit.
Oya subtly sighed in relief.
Then—he smiled bitterly.
"Black-Level Six Trials?"
"That's two trials more than I had."
Then, he sighed again—
"Sea God, is this child… a sinner?"
A Shocking Revelation
His words made everyone—except Tang Lan—jump in shock!
A sinner?!
Why would he say that?!
But seeing how calm Tang Lan remained,
The others felt reassured.
—If their Sect Master wasn't worried, then there was no issue.
That was the absolute trust they had in him.
Noticing their lack of reaction,
Oya sighed and explained—
"The Sea God's trials range from White, Yellow, Purple, Black, to Red—each level harder than the last. The higher the level, the greater the authority upon passing."
"Black-Level Trials have a minimum of four challenges and a maximum of six."
"This kid got the Black-Level Six Trials. In the past hundred years, Black-Level Trials have appeared 31 times."
"Only 7 people passed. The other 24… died."
"The seven who passed? They're the current Seven Sacred Pillar Guardians."
"And among us, only Seadragon Douluo, the strongest, took the Black-Level Six Trials—he has now reached Rank 95."
Interestingly—
Oya said "24 deaths", not "24 failures."
Meaning—
Black-Level Trials… were death traps?
But Zhu Zhuqing and the others remained completely unfazed.
After all—
They weren't just here to pass some test…
They were aiming for godhood.
Reaching Rank 95 from a mere Black-Level Six Trials? No big deal.
Oya, however, clearly didn't expect them to be so unfazed by the severity of the trial.
So he added more details—
"For Sea God Island natives, Black-Level Trials must be completed one every ten years."
"But for land-based soul masters like you, the time limit is one trial per year!"
"If you exceed the time limit or attempt to escape, the Sea God Seal on his forehead will explode—completely erasing the candidate!"
"At Rank 46, he has no chance of surviving the Black-Level Six Trials. He is doomed to die."
"Since you are not from the Spirit Hall, I can give you the chance to withdraw now."
"Otherwise, if more of you receive Black-Level Trials, you'll all be digging your own graves."
Despite Oya's "terrifying warning,"
No one even flinched.
Even Oscar, the food-type support, stepped forward without hesitation.
"We understand. Thank you for the reminder, Your Eminence."
"Now, may I receive my trial?"
Oya was dumbfounded.
I just explained how they would all die, and they still want to proceed?!
His gaze instinctively turned to Tang Lan.
"As their Sect Master, don't you have anything to say?"
"Huh? Oh." Tang Lan nodded seriously. "Do your best. Those who don't get Black-Level Trials, go join the second squad."
Oya: (╬▔皿▔)
THAT'S NOT WHAT I MEANT!
Seeing one after another act so recklessly,
Oya snorted coldly, then activated the trial for Oscar.
As expected—
Four-tier jump straight to black, then rapidly climbed to two-thirds height.
Black-Level Six Trials!
Oya's eyelid twitched!
Just as he was about to say something, Tang San stepped forward.
—More than anyone, he trusted his elder brother not to harm him.
Seeing this, Oya held his tongue and proceeded.
Once again—
Black-Level Six Trials.
This made Tang Lan take a second look at Tang San.
As expected of a Twin Martial Soul wielder.
His level might be slightly lower compared to Tang Lan and the others,
But compared to regular geniuses, he was still far ahead.
Xiao Wu's Trial—A Supreme First Trial?!
When Xiao Wu's turn came,
Tang Lan focused his attention.
What would Xiao Wu receive?
But then—
The light didn't even hesitate for a second.
Straight to gold.
A golden beam shot into Xiao Wu's forehead, embedding itself there.
Oya's brows furrowed deeply.
"Gold light? A Supreme First Trial? But aren't Supreme Trials usually red?"
"How…?"
After all, Supreme-Level Trials were meant for future High Priest successors.
But why was this golden instead of red?
Fortunately—
As the examiner, he could check the trial's details.
Oya looked up—
And his expression shifted dramatically.