Chapter 561: The Divine Trial Candidate
She had a delicate and charming face, fair skin, and a graceful figure. However, her brows and eyes carried a deep hostility far beyond her age. As she walked, there was a natural lightness to her steps.
"Lulu, I was really foolish, truly. Back then, I should have left Shrek Academy like you did. Now, my entire family is dead at the hands of those damned Evil Soul Masters, and I'm the only one left. All of this happened because I trusted Xuanzi too much, because I trusted the academy too much."
Beside her, a pink haired girl with long legs followed closely behind the black haired girl, Zhu Lu, her eyes red with grief as she spoke.
She deeply regretted agreeing to the academy's decision to gather the families of students for protection. If she had rejected the academy's plan and immediately moved her family to Shrek City to settle down, perhaps she wouldn't have had to endure the unbearable pain of losing them all.
Not long ago, Xuanzi had even delivered a hollow apology speech in front of the students, along with some perfunctory disciplinary actions.
Unable to tolerate it any longer, she chose to withdraw from Shrek Academy immediately. Without hesitation, she set out to find her best friend, Zhu Lu, who had already left the academy, so they could plan their next move together.
Zhu Lu stopped in her tracks, let out a deep sigh, and spoke slowly.
"Yajie, I told you a long time ago Shrek Academy can't be trusted, and neither can Xuanzi.
When Huabin was killed by the Death God Envoy, I realized this truth. The Evil Soul Master was undeniably strong, but Xuanzi was a Rank 98 Super Douluo. In terms of raw power, he should have been able to kill the enemy with ease. Yet, when he faced the Death God Envoy, he made a critical mistake one so great that the enemy managed to escape. It was a humiliating failure.
And as far as I know, after this incident, the Sea God Pavilion barely gave Xuanzi any real punishment. I understand they did it for the so called greater good. After all, a Rank 98 Super Douluo is a valuable asset.
But I can't just swallow this bitterness. Was Huabin's life worth nothing?
One day, I will see Shrek Academy destroyed for disregarding his life. I will see Xuanzi dead. And before I die, I will hunt down as many Evil Soul Masters as possible!"
As she spoke, her eyes turned red with emotion. Her fists clenched tightly, her face a mix of pain and fury.
There's a saying: birds of a feather flock together.
Cui Yajie, who had once teamed up with Zhu Lu and Dai Huabin for the freshman assessment, had always been close to them both. Given her own tragic experience, she naturally resonated with Zhu Lu's words.
At that moment, Cui Yajie hugged Zhu Lu's slender waist from behind, resting her head on her friend's shoulder. In a soft voice, she said:
"Lulu, you're right. One day, Shrek Academy, Xuanzi, and the Evil Soul Masters will all pay a heavy price. No matter what you decide to do, I will support you with everything I have!"
In her mind, the main culprits behind her family's death were Zhongli Wu and the other Evil Soul Masters. However, she also held Xuanzi and the academy responsible for their role in the tragedy.
As the wielder of the Nine Tailed Fox martial soul, Cui Yajie had great talent. She was confident she could keep up with Zhu Lu's pace.
Now, their hearts burned with an insatiable thirst for vengeance. Even among the former Shrek students who had dropped out, their bloodlust was extreme.
Most of the other former students shared their hatred for Evil Soul Masters and wanted Xuanzi to pay in blood, but their resentment toward the academy hadn't reached the level of absolute destruction that Zhu Lu and Cui Yajie sought.
Suddenly, a cold, emotionless male voice echoed in their ears.
"Do you accept the Asura God Trial? Those who accept will be granted a second martial soul the Clear Sky Hammer."
The two girls, who had sharp instincts, instantly tensed at the unexpected voice. Startled, they activated their martial souls and swiftly scanned their surroundings.
After all, they were in the depths of the Star Dou Forest.
For human soul masters, this was not a safe place.
But after searching carefully, they found nothing out of the ordinary. Meanwhile, that emotionless voice kept repeating in their minds, making them increasingly perplexed.
For Tang San, as the "examiner" of this divine trial, he couldn't alter the trial's contents. However, he could grant candidates some benefits before they began, increasing their talent and strength to make it easier for them to complete their tasks in the future.
After all, he was one of the Five God Kings.
Even a second tier god like the Butterfly God had been able to bestow Tang Wutong with the Bright Goddess Butterfly martial soul. Naturally, he could grant others the Clear Sky Hammer.
As for the Clear Sky Sect members, aside from Da Ming and Er Ming, they already possessed the Clear Sky Hammer, so they didn't even need a soul bestowment. But unfortunately, none of them met the qualifications for the trial.
According to the criteria set by the first Asura God before he left the Divine Realm, there were two essential requirements for taking the trial:
The candidate must possess an extremely strong thirst for slaughter.
The candidate must not be excessively evil.
The Clear Sky Sect had been hidden from the world for years, protected by Da Ming and Er Ming. The sect's environment was stable and peaceful, with no real conflicts with external human forces. Its disciples only developed a killing instinct when fighting soul beasts, which wasn't nearly enough to qualify.
If the City of Slaughter still existed, it would have been easy to cultivate such a bloodthirsty mentality. After all, the City of Slaughter was a breeding ground for those with murderous intent.
As for the standard for being "not excessively evil," it was set according to the first Asura God's original design. Tang San, having limited control over the Asura God's divine position, had no choice but to let the divine seat judge candidates automatically.
Tang San felt a bit annoyed. A threshold for murderous intent was one thing, but why was there a restriction on excessive evil?
Was the first Asura God just being overly strict?
He had even speculated whether the previous Asura God regretted passing the divine position to him, fearing that he was too evil. Maybe that's why he set these rigid conditions for the next successor.
But Tang San quickly dismissed that thought it didn't make sense.
The first Asura God may have had his shortcomings compared to Tang San, but he wasn't blind. Surely, he could see that Tang San was pure of heart, righteous, and utterly despised evil. The only logical reason he was chosen was because he was outstanding.
At that moment, Zhu Lu spoke.
"Yajie, this strange voice keeps echoing in our minds. I suspect it has something to do with our ancestor, Tang San. After all, the records state that Ancestor Tang San wasn't just the Sea God he was also the Asura God.
If what this voice says is true, and we can obtain the Clear Sky Hammer as a second martial soul just by accepting the Asura God Trial, our potential will be greatly enhanced."
As a member of the Zhu family, Zhu Lu did not harbor any resentment toward Tang San. According to historical records, if he hadn't defeated the twin gods of the evil Spirit Hall, both the Dai and Zhu families would have been wiped out.
Cui Yajie hesitated for a moment before nodding. She decided to give it a try. After all, to achieve their revenge, the most important thing they needed was strength.
More potential meant greater future power.
Then, in unison, the two of them declared:
"We accept the divine trial."
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