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Ye Lan asked in confusion, "What is a God Test?"
Qian Daoliu saw Ye Lan's puzzled expression and patiently explained, "A God Test, just as the name implies, is a trial from a god. Once you pass the most supreme God Test, you can become a god! You will possess the power to overturn everything in the world, as well as an endless, infinite life."
"I see. In that case, I have not received a God Test. But besides the God Test, there must be other paths to becoming a god, correct?" Ye Lan asked.
"That is correct. Besides completing a God Test, there is also the path of ascending to godhood through faith. However, this path consumes an extremely large amount of time. On the Douluo Continent, as far as I know, only the Sea God and the Angel God are known to have achieved godhood through this route," Qian Daoliu replied.
"Grandfather, apart from godhood through faith and the God Tests, are there truly no other ways to become a god?" Ye Lan pressed on.
Qian Daoliu pondered for a moment before speaking, "According to the oral records left by the first-generation Angel God of Spirit Hall, deep within the fabric of the Douluo Continent, there exists a consciousness. I suppose we can call it the 'Douluo's Consciousness'..."
"The Douluo's Consciousness can be any person, or it can be any thing. Once an individual is chosen by the Douluo's Consciousness, they become the very center of the Douluo Continent. To go against them is to suffer misfortune, while to align with them is to receive good fortune."
"The person chosen by the Douluo's Consciousness, we refer to them as the 'Master of Douluo.' Once the Master of Douluo makes a significant contribution to the Douluo Continent, their power will then be enhanced."
"However, according to those same oral records from the first-generation Angel God, there has never been a Master of Douluo who successfully became a god. Furthermore, no one has ever known how a Master of Douluo is even chosen or created."
After listening to Qian Daoliu's explanation, Ye Lan nodded his head and said, "Thank you, Grandfather. I have truly learned a great deal."
Qian Daoliu looked again at Xiao Xue and Ye Lan, who were standing close together. He resolved that no matter what, he had to ensure that Xiao Lan and Xiao Xue could walk this path together.
He opened his mouth to speak again, "Xiao Lan, if you manage to cultivate all the way to the rank of Titled Douluo and still have not received a God Test, you must not lose heart."
"Grandfather will help you search for a divine vestige. Once we find a divine vestige, given your innate talent, obtaining a supreme-level God Test will not be difficult at all."
A warmth spread through Ye Lan's heart. He truly had not expected that Qian Daoliu would put thought into helping him find a divine vestige.
Xiao Xue wrapped her arms around Qian Daoliu's arm and pouted, "Grandfather, have you forgotten about Xiao Xue already?! You aren't offering to help Xiao Xue find a divine vestige!!"
"Hahahaha, of course Grandfather hasn't forgotten about Xiao Xue. Xiao Xue, after you reach the rank of Titled Douluo, Grandfather has a surprise for you," Qian Daoliu said with a smile.
"That's more like it. Otherwise, I would have really thought Ye Lan was your actual relative!" Qian Renxue said.
Ye Lan watched the heartwarming scene between the two of them and sighed internally.
He knew exactly what "surprise" Qian Daoliu was referring to—it was the Angel Nine Trials.
And once Qian Renxue completed those Nine Trials, it would be the time for Qian Daoliu to offer himself as a sacrifice.
This, whether for Xiao Xue or for himself, was completely unacceptable.
If the price of ascending to godhood was the sacrifice of one's closest family, then it would be better to never become a god at all.
Ye Lan reeled in his thoughts and spoke aloud, "Grandfather, I will find a path that allows everyone to ascend to godhood. If it ends up that only Xiao Xue and I become gods, while you turn to withered bones... how could that possibly be acceptable?"
Qian Daoliu heard the gravity and sincerity in Ye Lan's tone. He did not want to damage Ye Lan's confidence, so he offered encouragement, "Grandfather believes you can achieve it. However, you absolutely must not feel pressured. With your current talent, as long as you continue to grow normally, then there will be no one who can stand as your opponent!"
"Yes, I understand!" Ye Lan nodded. He firmly believed that he would absolutely be able to find a path for everyone to achieve godhood.
As he continued to grow stronger, the number of people he knew increased, and his bonds with them also grew deeper. He did not want to experience the future bitterness of watching his friends and family gradually turn to dust with the relentless passage of time.
In the second round of the drawing ceremony, Qin Ming drew the Star Luo Royal Academy.
Upon hearing this news, Zhu Zhuqing's eyes lit up. She grabbed Ning Rongrong's arm and said excitedly, "Rongrong! Tomorrow is our final mission! As long as we defeat the 'Nether White Tiger,' it will prove that my 'Shadow Saint Meow' is stronger than the 'Nether White Tiger'! We will not have failed our teacher's guidance!"
"Zhuqing! Tomorrow, I will absolutely unleash two hundred percent of my strength to help you defeat the 'Nether White Tiger'!" Ning Rongrong pledged solemnly.
"Excellent! Everyone here knows Zhu Zhuqing's background, correct? Tomorrow is our chance to prove to the Star Luo Zhu family that Zhu Zhuqing can still grow into a powerful Spirit Master, even without the White Tiger! Only by doing this can we shut the mouths of the Star Luo Zhu family and the Dai family!" Ye Lan declared loudly.
"We understand, Captain Ye! Tomorrow, we will absolutely use our full strength to help Zhu Zhuqing clear away the other obstacles!" Yu Tianheng said, clenching his right fist.
"Captain Ye! Pick me tomorrow! I also want to help Zhu Zhuqing clear the obstacles!" Ao Siluo raised his hand high in the air.
"Captain Ye, what about me! You can't possibly leave me out of this," Yu Feng also eagerly volunteered.
Seeing that too many people wanted to participate, Ye Lan quickly held up his hands to quiet them. He said, "Tomorrow, Zhu Zhuqing and Ning Rongrong will definitely be competing, which means there are still five spots open! In order to help Zhu Zhuqing and Ning Rongrong create a fair environment to compete against the 'Nether White Tiger,' we just need to eliminate the other Spirit Masters, and then we can leave the stage."
"Therefore, the five people taking the remaining spots will be me, Yu Tianheng, Yanyan, Yu Feng, and Ao Siluo. Each of us just needs to eliminate one opponent, and then we can immediately leave the stage!"
"Alright!!!" The members of the Heaven Dou Royal Academy all nodded in agreement with this arrangement. It would both demonstrate the Heaven Dou Royal Academy's unrivaled strength among peers of the same rank and also serve to quickly eliminate the opposing team.
The next day, at the Spirit Combat Arena in the center of Spirit City.
The fourteen members of the Heaven Dou Royal Academy and the Star Luo Royal Academy appeared on the stage together.
A woman from the Star Luo Royal Academy, one who bore a slight resemblance to Zhuqing but appeared sharper and more severe, looked at Zhu Zhuqing in astonishment. She said in shock, "Zhuqing, why are you at the Heaven Dou Royal Academy?! Where is Dai Mubai?"
Beside this woman, Zhu Zhuyun, a blond-haired man who looked about seventy percent similar to Dai Mubai also spoke up, "And where is that foolish little brother of mine? Why isn't he together with you?"
Zhu Zhuqing looked back at Zhu Zhuyun without a trace of fear and said, "Zhu Zhuyun, Dai Mubai is not important. I will prove to you that even without the 'White Tiger,' I alone can still defeat the 'Nether White Tiger'!"
Davis sneered disdainfully, "Zhu Zhuqing, after fleeing the family for a few years, I never expected you to regress so badly! You alone think you can defeat the 'Nether White Tiger'? You must be daydreaming!"
"Zhuqing, that's enough. After this match is over, return with me to the Star Luo Empire. The Heaven Dou Royal Academy is not a place where you belong," Zhu Zhuyun said.
Ye Lan suddenly reached out and grabbed Zhu Zhuqing's small hand, lacing their fingers together tightly.
"Zhuqing will not be returning to the Star Luo Empire. At least, she will not be going back with you. If she ever does return, I will be the one to take her back!" Ye Lan stated.
When Zhu Zhuyun saw their hands locked together, her expression changed drastically. "Zhuqing, do you have any idea what you are doing?!"
Davis's expression instantly shifted from casual to gloomy. He said in a deep voice, "What an absolute waste. He can't even keep watch over his own fiancée. He's thrown away all the face of the Dai family!"
Zhu Zhuqing defiantly lifted Ye Lan's hand, displaying their joined hands for all to see. She said seriously, "I know exactly what I am doing! But even if I die, I will not let go! And one last thing, Dai Mubai and I have already broken off our engagement."
"What?! You broke off the engagement on your own?! Once the family finds out about this, you will be killed!" Zhu Zhuyun shouted furiously.
"I do not want to repeat myself. The Zhu Zhuqing from back then is already dead!" Zhu Zhuqing roared in response.
"Good. Good. Excellent! Then let me see just what you're capable of!" Davis roared.
At this moment, the referee entered the stage and announced loudly, "The final match! Star Luo Royal Academy versus Heaven Dou Royal Academy is about to begin!"
"From the Heaven Dou Royal Academy: Captain Ye Lan, Spirit: Blue Silver Grass, Rank 39 Life-System Spirit Grandmaster!"
"Zhu Zhuqing, Spirit: 'Shadow Saint Meow,' Rank 43 Speed-System Spirit Ancestor!"
"Ning Rongrong, Spirit: 'Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda,' Rank 42 Support-System Spirit Ancestor!"
"Dugu Yan, Spirit: 'Jade Phosphor Dragon Emperor,' Rank 49 Power-Attack-System Spirit Ancestor!"
"Yu Tianheng, Spirit: 'Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon,' Rank 49 Power-Attack-System Spirit Ancestor!"
"Ao Siluo, Spirit: 'Ghost Leopard,' Rank 46 Agility-Attack-System Spirit Ancestor!"
"Yu Feng, Spirit: 'Wind Chime Bird,' Rank 46 Agility-Attack-System Spirit Ancestor!"
"From the Star Luo Royal Academy: Captain Davis, Spirit: White Tiger, Rank 48 Power-Attack-System Spirit Ancestor!"
"Zhu Zhuyun, Spirit: 'Nether Civet,' Rank 47 Agility-Attack-System Spirit Ancestor!"
After hearing Zhu Zhuqing's rank and Spirit, Zhu Zhuyun turned pale with shock. "Zhuqing, three years ago, weren't you only at Rank 20-something? How have you already become a Rank 42 Spirit Ancestor! And why has your Spirit changed to 'Shadow Saint Meow'?! Do you truly intend to betray the Star Luo Empire?!"
Davis, who had originally been unconcerned, also found his expression turning ugly. He had not anticipated that the Heaven Dou Royal Academy's overall strength would be this formidable.
Zhu Zhuqing did not answer Zhu Zhuyun's question. Instead, she directly activated her 'Saint Meow' Spirit Possession. A pair of cat ears sprouted from her head, her hands transformed into cat-like paws, and a long cat tail extended from her lower back.
Ye Lan spoke rapidly, "Prepare to move! Everyone pick an opponent you like! Help Zhuqing clear the obstacles!"
In an instant, the massive arena overflowed with brilliant Spirit light as all the combatants activated their Spirit Possessions or summoned their respective Spirits.
Ye Lan directly activated 'Flash' and rushed toward a relatively thin Spirit Ancestor on the opposing team.
Davis, however, had no intention of letting Ye Lan get his wish. He charged directly toward Ye Lan, intending to tear apart this blond-haired kid who had stolen his brother's fiancée.
A golden spirit light flickered within Ye Lan's pupils as he activated his 'Golden Pupils.' Seeing that Davis was targeting him, he knew it would be problematic to eliminate him directly. Otherwise, who would Zhu Zhuqing fight?
"Just settle down for a moment," Ye Lan said lightly.
Countless thick strands of Blue Silver Grass instantly submerged Davis. These robust 'Gold-Patterned Silver River Vines' immediately bound all of Davis's joints. No matter how hard Davis struggled or exerted his strength, it was impossible for him to break free.
Zhu Zhuyun's pupils dilated in shock. She couldn't believe it—a mere Blue Silver Grass Spirit Master had taken down her fiancé in an instant!
"Am I dreaming?" Zhu Zhuyun rubbed her eyes, then looked again at the humanoid mass of golden vines before her.
It really wasn't a dream...
When the Star Luo Royal Academy team saw their captain instantly defeated, their morale plummeted.
Was that Spirit Grandmaster captain on the opposing team even human?
Why was their captain, who was a full seven ranks higher, still defeated in a single instant?
The remaining Spirit Masters of the Star Luo Royal Academy had no time to process their shock; they now had to individually face the opponents from the Heaven Dou Royal Academy who were charging straight at them.
Yu Tianheng's arms had completely transformed into those of a dragon, becoming a pair of long, powerful claws covered in blue-purple scales and crackling with lightning.
He charged straight toward a Rhinoceros Spirit Master who, just by his appearance, clearly possessed very high defense.
In this battle, Yu Tianheng only needed to deal with a single opponent, so he had no need to conserve his spirit power. He directly activated three spirit abilities at once. Yu Tianheng's first, second, and third spirit rings all flared to life.
'Thunder's Wrath' increased his lightning power by one hundred percent and his spirit power by fifty percent.
Meanwhile, with 'Thunder Dragon Claw' and 'Thunder's Overwhelming Might' activated, countless thick bolts of lightning were continuously channeled and attached to his arms. The simple electric arcs originally on his arms instantly transformed into innumerable, shrieking bolts of raw thunder.
Facing the overwhelmingly menacing 'Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon,' the Rhinoceros Spirit Ancestor hurriedly activated his second and fourth spirit abilities. A silver light emerged on his already thick, brown keratinous armor, and his defense and strength instantly increased by eighty percent. Following that, his thick rhinoceros legs began to stomp the ground heavily, and after taking aim, he began his own charge toward the 'Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon.'
The sound of a thousand birds chirping and the sound of heavy rumbling drew closer and closer to one another.
Finally, the innumerable blue bolts of lightning and the shining silver armor instantly collided!
BOOM!!
The "slender" Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon had actually sent the "enormous" Rhinoceros flying off the stage in a single instant. The rhinoceros's airborne body was entwined with countless bolts of lightning. His pupils were rolled back to white, and he was foaming at the mouth, clearly having suffered no light injury.
After eliminating his opponent, Yu Tianheng rubbed his sore arm and jumped down from the arena stage.
On another part of the stage, Ao Siluo completely let himself go, picking out the weakest opponent, a Spirit Grandmaster—the only Spirit Grandmaster on the Star Luo Royal Academy team.
She was a support-system Spirit Master from the Star Luo Empire. After Ao Siluo activated his Ghost Leopard possession, he transformed into a blurry afterimage and sped directly toward her.
At this moment, the other members of the Star Luo Royal Academy had no spare capacity to protect their own support-system Spirit Master. They could only watch helplessly as Ao Siluo streaked across the stage, leaving afterimages in his wake, striking directly at the support-system Spirit Master in the back row. The 'Star Pan' Spirit Grandmaster saw a black shadow rushing toward her and hurriedly ran toward another teammate in a panic.
However, before she could even take a few steps, that black shadow instantly appeared right in front of her eyes.
So fast!!
Ao Siluo showily retracted his sharp claws, patting the Star Pan Spirit Grandmaster on the shoulder and saying, "Hey, would you like to get to know me? The name's Ao Siluo."
The Star Pan Spirit Grandmaster quickly waved her hands. She seized the opportunity presented by Ao Siluo's chatting, and the three spirit rings on her body quickly lit up, continuously applying status buffs to her remaining teammates.
Yu Tianheng, who was already off stage, covered his forehead as if nursing a headache. "Ao Siluo, what on earth are you doing? Hurry up and finish it!"
Hearing Yu Tianheng's complaint, Ao Siluo muttered to himself, "You, who've been single for ten thousand years, you don't understand the first thing about cherishing a beautiful woman."
When the Star Pan Spirit Grandmaster heard Ao Siluo's words, she thought he would continue to go easy on her, and a relaxed expression appeared on her face.
However, just as Ao Siluo finished speaking, his second and fourth spirit rings instantly flared to life.
Ao Siluo suddenly vanished from before her eyes. In the very next moment, the Star Pan Spirit Grandmaster's vision went completely black, and she collapsed unconscious to the ground.
It turned out that after Ao Siluo activated his spirit abilities, his speed increased dramatically, and he had directly used a hand-chop to the neck to knock the Star Pan Spirit Grandmaster unconscious.
"Sigh, such a cute girl. I really didn't have the heart to strike," Ao Siluo said with a look of regret, gazing at the unconscious Spirit Grandmaster.
At this time, the teacher leading the Star Luo Royal Academy team quickly came onto the stage to help the Star Pan Spirit Grandmaster down. Ao Siluo, having completed his task, leisurely walked off the stage with his hands crossed behind his head.
The situation with Yu Feng was even more one-sided. The Star Luo Royal Academy didn't have a single flying-type Spirit Master to restrain him.
After activating his Wind Chime Bird possession, he flew straight into the air and then dashed directly toward a Rabbit Spirit Ancestor.
Using the acceleration from gravity, Yu Feng transformed into a straight, silver spear-like trajectory,
(End of this chapter)