"I want… to begin the Angel God Trial!"
Hearing Qian Renxue's words, Azure Pheasant Douluo and Light Feather Douluo couldn't help but exchange a glance.
If it were before, it would have been best to wait until Qian Renxue had grown further before beginning the inheritance of the divine position.
Not only would this increase the success rate of inheriting the god position, it would also prolong the sacrifice time of the Grand Priest Qian Daoliu.
But now, two divine inheritance candidates had suddenly appeared on the Douluo Continent, and both of them were stronger than their Young Master. In that case, the Angel God Trial truly needed to be started.
If they delayed any longer, who knew how far those two divine inheritance candidates would grow?
It was even possible that they might successfully take that final step.
Thus, Azure Pheasant Douluo and Light Feather Douluo both nodded and bowed respectfully: "Yes, Young Master!"
After that, Qian Renxue, supported by Azure Pheasant Douluo, transformed into a cyan divine bird and disappeared into the horizon.
And the moment they left, Shui Wuhen also put down the teacup in his hand.
"They've left… but I've heard something quite extraordinary."
Shui Wuhen rotated the teacup on the table as he began to ponder.
Feng Xiaotian had obtained the inheritance of a god, and from Qian Renxue and the others' tone, the Spirit Hall should at least possess a divine inheritance called the Angel God.
Although he did not know the specifics of the divine trial, judging from Feng Xiaotian's situation, the benefits of the divine trial should be enormous—perhaps after truly completing it, one could directly break through the hundred-level threshold and become a true god.
However, after a moment, Shui Wuhen smiled and said: "But what does this have to do with me?"
Without divine trials, he could still improve rapidly. In fact, if he wanted, he could become a Titled Douluo right now.
"Better to study the matter of inner cores. That girl Bing'er is already close to breaking through to Soul Saint. If she can condense an inner core like I did, her future path will be much smoother."
With that, Shui Wuhen took out the inner core of the Ten-Headed Fiery Sun Snake.
The inner core of the Ten-Headed Fiery Sun Snake was like a mass of crimson light, radiating intense fire-attributed energy. Even Shui Wuhen could feel a trace of heat from it.
Yet no matter how overbearing the Ten-Headed Fiery Sun Snake's inner core was, in Shui Wuhen's current state, it could not cause any disturbance at all and could only be studied by him.
After about fifteen minutes, Shui Wuhen finally gained a preliminary understanding of the Ten-Headed Fiery Sun Snake's inner core.
"Hmm, it's completely different from the Spirit Master system. This is a completely new method of energy condensation and storage." Shui Wuhen stroked his chin.
In Shui Wuhen's view, the Spirit Master system was actually quite similar to some mid-to-low level martial arts from his previous life, except that martial techniques had been replaced by spirit rings and spirit skills.
Most of a Spirit Master's spirit power is stored within the meridians. When used, it is guided toward the martial spirit and released through spirit skills. This is essentially no different from martial artists using internal energy through techniques.
Moreover, this world even has self-created spirit skills. Some of them do not rely on spirit rings at all, which makes them even more similar to martial techniques.
In short, the Spirit Master system is essentially just a slightly higher-tier version of martial cultivation, enhanced with spirit rings and spirit bones.
And as long as it is still martial cultivation in essence, it cannot escape the limitations of mid-to-low level martial arts—that is, it can be overwhelmed by numbers.
Low-level Spirit Masters aside, even powerful Titled Douluo could theoretically be exhausted to death if trapped in a military formation and drained of spirit power.
This was also why the two great empires, despite lacking top-tier combat power, were still considered top-level forces on the continent, even having greater influence than the Upper Three Sects.
The Upper Three Sects may have stronger average strength, but their number of disciples is too small.
The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect is already the most populous among them, yet it only has a little over three thousand true disciples. Even including external affiliated forces, the number would not exceed ten thousand.
Such numbers would be insignificant on a battlefield.
If even the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect is like this, then the Clear Sky Sect and Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect are even less capable now.
Only the Spirit Hall can contend against the two great empires alone, as it controls about seventy percent of the continent's Spirit Masters. That scale is enough to fearlessly face a million-strong army.
In fact, if the Upper Three Sects did not assist the two empires, the Spirit Hall's top combat power alone would be enough to easily destroy them.
In the original story, if not for Tang San's group suddenly gaining cheat-like advantages and adding seven powerful Titled Douluo-level combatants to resist Spirit Hall's upper echelon, even combined forces of the Upper Three Sects and two empires would not have been a match for the Spirit Empire.
Shui Wuhen looked at the Ten-Headed Fiery Sun Snake inner core in his hand, then at the "inner core" of the Ice Pokémon Articuno within him, his eyes narrowing slightly.
"Perhaps I can add a patch to this still crude Spirit Master system."
Previously, Spirit Masters stored spirit power within their meridians, but how much could meridians actually hold?
Why not gather all that spirit power into a fixed location, condense it into an inner core, and let it resonate with the spirit power in the meridians through a special method, allowing it to automatically absorb external energy and act as the core of spirit power conversion?
In this way, not only would a Spirit Master's total spirit power increase dramatically, but their recovery speed would also greatly improve.
The more he thought about it, the brighter Shui Wuhen's eyes became. If this succeeded, it would undoubtedly be a huge advancement for the Spirit Master system.
"Huu…"
After a moment, Shui Wuhen exhaled deeply. This matter was not urgent; creating such a system could not be done overnight.
Shui Wuhen said in a low voice: "The priority now is to first replicate my inner core and create a feasible condensation method. The rest can be considered later."
Although it was theoretically feasible, creating a new path was still extremely difficult. Since Shui Bing'er shared the same ice attribute as him, it would clearly be much easier to first develop a prototype inner core condensation method based on himself.
...
"Bang!"
In the Killing City, Tang Chen could not help but feel anger after hearing Tang San's words. "You're saying the Spirit Hall captured that ten-thousand-year transformed soul beast?"
"Old ancestor, that's my sister—Xiao Wu!" Tang San frowned and corrected him.
Although Xiao Wu was indeed a transformed ten-thousand-year soul beast, saying it so directly didn't feel right.
And besides, wasn't the focus wrong?
Shouldn't he be furious at Spirit Hall's shameless act of capturing a young girl?
Why did it sound like he was angry that a ten-thousand-year transformed soul beast had been taken by the enemy instead?
"Alright, alright, I understand." Tang Chen waved his hand dismissively.
He wasn't interested in Tang San and Xiao Wu's feelings. What he cared about was: were the people of Clear Sky Sect fools? How could they fail to notice a ten-thousand-year transformed soul beast lurking beside their descendant?
If even one person had noticed, that soul beast would never have fallen into Spirit Hall's hands.
And was that transformed Ten-Thousand-Year Soft Bone Rabbit stupid? It actually dared to attend the Continental Advanced Spirit Master Academy Elite Tournament, and even went to Spirit City—wasn't that just walking into a trap?
Did it really think Spirit Hall's elders and enshrined Douluo were decorations?
Seeing Tang Chen fall into thought, Tang San immediately knelt down with a thud, kowtowing repeatedly: "Please, Old Ancestor, save Xiao Wu. This junior is willing to pay any price!"
Tang Chen looked at Tang San, who kept kowtowing, unsure what he was truly thinking.
Was it reluctance over the ten-thousand-year spirit ring and spirit bone? Or was it genuine affection for a transformed soul beast?
If it was affection… could humans and soul beasts truly coexist like that?
Humans cannot… at least they should not.
Even Tang Chen, with his experience, felt momentarily confused.
After a while, seeing Tang San's forehead already bleeding from repeated kowtows, Tang Chen finally spoke in a deep voice: "Enough, get up!"
After all, he was a genius descendant of the Clear Sky Sect. This constant kowtowing was not proper.
With those words, Tang San suddenly felt a force lift him up entirely.
"This is the power of the Old Ancestor!" Tang San was shocked inwardly.
Although he had already witnessed Tang Chen's strength during the fusion skill battle with Shui Wuhen's siblings, feeling it directly still left him shaken.
This power had already surpassed his father, and he could even sense that even Bibi Dong was likely no match for this ancestor.
Next, Tang Chen stood up and walked to a nearby table, lightly tapping it with his finger.
After a moment, Tang Chen said to Tang San: "You want to save that Ten-Thousand-Year Soft Bone Rabbit called Xiao Wu?"
"Yes!" Tang San nodded heavily.
"With my current strength, going to Spirit City to rescue that rabbit would not be difficult. On the Douluo Continent today, there should be no one stronger than me," Tang Chen said with his hands behind his back.
Hearing this, Tang San's eyes lit up immediately. If even his Old Ancestor said so, didn't that mean he was the strongest in the world?
"But…"
Just as Tang San was getting excited, Tang Chen suddenly changed tone. "How can you be sure that the soul beast called Xiao Wu is still alive after so long? It is a ten-thousand-year transformed soul beast—an absolute treasure in the eyes of others.
Anyone who obtains it would likely kill it immediately to prevent future trouble and take its ring and bone.
And if it is already dead, I have no ability to bring it back to life."
Hearing this, Tang San's face turned pale instantly.
Tang Chen's words precisely struck the possibility Tang San had most feared and subconsciously avoided.
It had already been a year and a half… was Xiao Wu really still alive?
Seeing Tang San's despairing expression, Tang Chen sighed. "Forget it. I'll go to Spirit City with you. But don't expect too much. After all, so much time has passed—it's possible that the rabbit is already dead."
Hearing this, hope returned to Tang San's eyes. "Thank you, Old Ancestor! Thank you!"
With Tang Chen's help, as long as Xiao Wu was still alive, he believed she could definitely be saved.
Tang Chen nodded slightly. "Let's go then. The opening of the Hell Road still requires some time. After this trip, you will return here to complete another hundred battles. Only then can you obtain the perfect Killing God Domain."
With that, Tang Chen brought Tang San to the Killing Arena.
At this moment, due to Shui Wuhen's previous actions, the arena had been temporarily shut down, leaving it empty.
"Hell Road, open!"
Instantly, powerful spirit power erupted from Tang Chen as it poured into the entire arena.
After a moment of continuous energy supply, the gate to the Hell Road opened.
Looking at the bat-patterned gate, Tang Chen snorted coldly and erased it with a wave of his hand, replacing it with the image of the Asura Demon Sword.
That Nine-Headed Blood Red Bat King really thought the Killing City belonged to him? Even this was changed.
"Let's go!"
After finishing everything, Tang Chen gestured to Tang San, and they stepped into the gate of Hell Road together.
A moment later, Tang San only felt the world spin as everything plunged into darkness.
When he woke again, they had already arrived at the final stage of the Hell Road.
Sensing Tang San waking up, Tang Chen glanced at him in surprise. "Not bad—you woke up earlier than I expected."
Tang San found himself being carried by Tang Chen while rushing through a blood-red world. Beneath them seemed to be boiling lava.
"!!"
Suddenly, Tang San's eyes widened as he pointed at the dark purple mist being blocked by Tang Chen's protective barrier. "Old Ancestor, that… that is?"
Tang Chen glanced at it calmly. "Oh, that? That is the evil thought of the Rakshasa God. When I was undergoing the eighth trial of the Asura God, I was affected by it. Otherwise, how could that Nine-Headed Blood Red Bat King have ambushed me and suppressed my consciousness for so long?"
"What? The evil thought of the Rakshasa God?" Tang San was even more shocked. "Isn't that extremely dangerous?"
"It is indeed dangerous. But after suffering from it once, I developed resistance. And now my strength is much greater than before. Although I'm not at my peak state, this evil thought cannot corrupt me. After all, it is just a wisp of thought without a root—it cannot cause any real waves."
"In fact, although the Rakshasa God is not as strong as the Asura God, it is still at the level of a main god. With such evil thoughts, there should be an inheritance nearby. But such an evil god's trials are extremely dangerous—you should not try to obtain it. You cannot handle it." Tang Chen warned.
While speaking, Tang Chen had already brought Tang San out of Hell Road. As they passed through the white light curtain, Tang San felt something suddenly appear within him—that should be the Killing God Domain.
Tang San carefully sensed this newly acquired domain, and after understanding its effects, he was shocked.
It actually enhances oneself while suppressing the opponent. If two Spirit Masters of the same level fight, one with the Killing God Domain and one without, the one with the domain would absolutely dominate the other.