Chapter 16 A Generous Reward.
Inside the Papal Palace.
Bibi Dong sat high on the papal throne.
When she saw the names "Six-Winged Angel" and "Qian Renxue," her jade-like fingers gripping the scepter tightened suddenly, her knuckles turning white.
Although she harbored complex feelings, even hatred, towards her daughter Qian Renxue, an indescribable sense of unease and a deeper sense of dread welled up within her.
"Even the Six-Winged Angel can only rank eleventh."
Bibi Dong's phoenix eyes narrowed, radiating a cold light. "What does this ranking signify?"
This ranking made her even more certain that the mysterious Beidou Academy must be closely connected to the top of the list!
"We must find out the truth about Beidou Academy as soon as possible!"
This thought became incredibly urgent in her mind.
Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School.
Ning Fengzhi, Chen Xin, and Gu Rong exchanged glances, all seeing horror in each other's eyes.
"Six-winged Angel, eleventh!"
Gu Rong clicked his tongue, feeling his throat dry. "Old Chen, Feng Zhi, this... this is too outrageous! That's a god-level martial soul!"
Chen Xin nodded solemnly: "It's indeed unbelievable. It seems we underestimated the value of this list and the hidden strength of this continent."
Ning Feng Zhi took a deep breath, trying to calm the turmoil in his heart, and said in a deep voice.
"Uncle Jian, Uncle Gu, it seems that Rongrong's Beidou Academy is even more terrifying than we imagined. Even a six-winged angel can't make it into the top ten, so what about the top ten?"
"I even suspect that most of them might be related to Beidou Academy!"
"After all, we know more or less about the top-tier forces known on the continent, but Beidou Academy seems to have appeared out of thin air, unfathomable."
This conjecture sent a chill down the spines of all three.
If this were true, then the power of the Beidou Academy would likely have reached a point where it could overturn the existing order of the continent!
In a forest, Qian Renxue had long since left the Tiandou Empire to prevent her identity from being exposed.
A golden pillar of light pierced through the void, precisely enveloping Qian Renxue.
Her soul power, already at the Soul Emperor level, surged again, breaking through five levels in succession.
The five soul rings surrounding her shone brightly, their colors rapidly changing.
Ultimately, they transformed into an astonishing configuration of three purple and two black!
At the same time, two illusory bone fragments, radiating soft golden light and containing a sacred aura, floated before her.
These were the two divinely bestowed soul bones.
As the light dissipated, Qian Renxue felt the surging power within her body, but her beautiful face showed little joy.
Instead, it carried a hint of solemnity and understanding.
"Young Master!"
Serpent Spear Douluo and Porcupine Douluo hurriedly stepped forward, their faces filled with joy, but even more so with confusion and worry.
"Your strength has greatly increased, congratulations! But this ranking..."
Qian Renxue raised her hand, gently touching the two divinely bestowed soul bones.
Feeling the pure and attribute-free powerful energy contained within them, her heart stirred slightly.
"Truly miraculous, they can perfectly match any martial soul, giving rise to the most suitable soul bone skills. Is this the meaning of 'divinely bestowed'?"
"Unfortunately, the age limit is a bit too low, not matching my goal of the Angelic Divine Armor."
She put away the soul bones, looked at her two loyal subordinates, and calmly said, "Elders, there's no need to be surprised. I had anticipated this result."
"The judging criteria of the Heavenly Dao Ranking are far more complex than we imagine. Although the Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul is strong, it may indeed be inferior to those ranked higher in certain aspects."
She paused, her gaze falling on the still-glorious golden ranking outside the window, a barely perceptible fighting spirit burning in her eyes.
"What I'm more interested in now is, which martial souls are in the top ten?"
"Besides the known Sea God martial soul, what surprises will the rest bring?"
Seeing their young master so calm, the Serpent Spear Douluo and the Porcupine Douluo felt their unease subside slightly.
But at the same time, they felt immense curiosity and a touch of awe towards the unknown top ten.
Deep in the vast ocean.
An island shrouded in a huge transparent light shield resembled a fairyland.
This was Sea God Island.
In front of the solemn Sea God Temple, the seven guardians of the Sacred Pillars, led by Poseidon, gathered.
When they saw that the Six-Winged Angel martial soul was ranked eleventh, these powerful Title Douluos first breathed a sigh of relief.
Then, a deeper shock surged into their hearts.
"Great Elder, congratulations! The Six-Winged Angel is ranked eleventh, so your Sea God martial soul will definitely be in the top ten!"
Seahorse Douluo said excitedly.
The other guardians also showed joy.
The relationship between Sea God Island and the Spirit Hall was delicate, so seeing the other side's inherited martial soul being suppressed was naturally a pleasant thing.
However, Poseidon's beautiful face showed no sign of relief. Instead, her azure eyes were filled with solemnity.
She gently shook her head, her voice ethereal yet tinged with worry: "Everyone, don't be too happy yet. The Six-Winged Angel is a divine-level martial soul, possessing boundless power. Even it can only rank eleventh. What does this mean?"
She surveyed the crowd, slowly saying, "This means that the martial souls ranked higher likely possess potential or qualities surpassing ordinary divine-level martial souls."
"While my inherited Sea God martial soul is powerful, whether it can enter the top five, or even the top three, is unknown."
"The waters of this continent are too deep. Perhaps some forbidden existences, unnoticed even by the Sea God himself, have already quietly awakened or descended."
Poseidon's words were like a bucket of cold water, extinguishing the joy that had just risen among the crowd.
Yes, even a divine-level martial soul couldn't make it into the top ten.
How terrifying must the prestige of the top ten be?
They had originally thought the Sea God martial soul would at least secure a top-three position; now it seemed that this idea was perhaps too optimistic.
An invisible pressure enveloped everyone's hearts.
Just as the various forces on the continent were fluctuating with excitement over the announcement of the eleventh place, both anticipating and fearing the top ten, the golden light in the sky once again fluctuated violently.
The new rankings were finally about to be revealed!
[Martial Soul Ranking, Tenth Place: Sea God]
[Holder: Poseidon (Sea God Island)]
[Rating: God-level Martial Soul, Ruler of the Ocean, wielding the power of the vast ocean, virtually invincible in the sea.]
[Rewards: Soul Power solidified by one time, a 50,000-year-old divinely bestowed soul bone, Divine Skill: Boundless Ocean, Semi-divine Artifact: Flute of the Ocean.]
"Tenth place! It's the Sea God Martial Soul!" "Poseidon, the High Priest of Sea God Island, which faction is Sea God Island?"
"Rewards... Divine Skill! Semi-divine Artifact!"
The entire Douluo Continent was in an uproar!
If the Six-Winged Angel ranking eleventh was shocking, then the Sea God Martial Soul ranking tenth sent a chill down everyone's spine and a sense of insignificance in the face of the unknown!
Are those previous nine Martial Souls all beings that transcend the gods?
(End of Chapter)