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Su Wen led the two women to Sea Dragon City, heading straight for the Sea Dragon Sacred Pillar to accept the Sea God's trials under the guidance of the Sea Dragon Douluo.
The Sea Dragon Sacred Pillar erupted with a sudden brilliance, a beam of light shooting straight into the vault of heaven before descending like a solid pillar upon Ning Rongrong. The light surrounding her shifted rapidly; it flickered past yellow and purple, and the depth of the black hue intensified until flecks of crimson began to surface. Finally, the red spread like wildfire, engulfing the entire pillar of light.
Red-level Trial!
Sea Dragon Douluo's heart jolted. He was shaken by the sheer potential of this land soul master Su Wen had brought along. To receive a Red-level trial was, for a sea soul master of Sea God Island, a virtual guarantee of becoming a Rank 99 Peerless Douluo and succeeding to the position of High Priestess!
Sea Dragon Douluo turned his gaze toward Dugu Yan, his eyes brimming with anticipation for what her assessment would be. Being stared at by such a powerful figure, Dugu Yan felt a surge of pressure.
Having witnessed the Stone God's assessment and now Ning Rongrong's experience, she could roughly deduce that the color of the light represented a grade—an indication of both the trial's difficulty and the magnitude of its rewards. Since the colors mirrored the progression of soul rings, the significance of red was unmistakable.
Red was likely the pinnacle of assessments.
While Dugu Yan considered her talent to be among the elite in the soul master world, she didn't dare claim she would receive a Red-level trial. It wasn't a lack of confidence in herself so much as it was the reality of being around Su Wen and Ning Rongrong. One was a sixteen-year-old Soul Emperor, the other a sixteen-year-old Soul King. If she couldn't even match the sixteen-year-old Ning Rongrong, she certainly wouldn't compare herself to Su Wen.
Perhaps her talent ranked at the very front of the general population, but standing before her were individuals separated by a vertical cliff of genius. Furthermore, with the era of great change upon the soul master world, what was once considered "top-tier" might soon become commonplace. Dugu Yan wasn't sure if the Sea God was aware of the changes on the Douluo Continent or if the criteria would shift alongside the world's development.
Regardless, the assessment had to be accepted. She had already completed the first trial of the Stone God, which had directly granted her a level of soul power; she had tasted the immense benefits of a God's favor.
The Stone God's assessment had only been Yellow-level. Yet the Sea God was granting a Red-level trial to Ning Rongrong, who had received a similar Yellow rating from the Stone God. From this perspective, Dugu Yan felt that receiving a Black-level trial was within the realm of possibility.
A pale blue beam descended, rapidly turning white, then yellow, then purple. The color deepened until it settled into a rich, obsidian black.
Black-level: Six Trials!
Dugu Yan opened her eyes, a look of pleasant surprise flashing through them. She had received the details of her six trials, and the reward for the first one was a direct soul power increase of one level!
Though the reward for the first trial matched what she received from the Stone God, she knew that as trials grew more difficult, the rewards would eventually skyrocket in value. The Stone God had only three trials; the Sea God offered six. At the very least, looking at it purely from a leveling perspective, completing both sets of trials could potentially grant her a nine-level boost—equivalent to jumping an entire title rank for free.
"While you are undergoing assessments on Sea God Island, if your soul power reaches a ten-level bottleneck, you will be directly awarded a God-Bestowed Soul Ring," Su Wen noted.
"A direct God-Bestowed Soul Ring?" Dugu Yan was stunned. That was essentially a massive bonus reward on top of the actual trial prizes. The Sea God was truly as wealthy as he was generous.
Dugu Yan's first trial followed a standard procedure: she needed to ascend 108 steps under the crushing pressure of the Sea God's Light.
Ning Rongrong's assessment, however, was completely different from what Su Wen remembered of the original legends. Her first trial involved the Sea God's Light, but not as a physical barrier to cross. Instead, it was similar to Su Wen's own second trial—the light was to be used as an auxiliary tool for cultivation.
Red-level: Seven Trials. First Trial.
Master the ability of elemental control through one's own power. Reward: One level of soul power and a 500-year increase to all soul ring limits. Hint: The Sea God's Light may be used to assist in cultivation.
At first glance, this trial seemed almost redundant. Su Wen's "Engraved Pages" could now last for months. Without even activating the specific page abilities, he could merge them into Ning Rongrong's body for over a year and maintain the effect. With the existence of the Academic Realm, it was easy for Su Wen to "renew" these pages for her, meaning Ning Rongrong effectively possessed "permanent" elemental control through him.
However, the Sea God insisted she master these skills through her own power. Su Wen understood the message immediately: she needed to move beyond relying on his assistance.
"The Sea God doing this... he must have a specific plan," Su Wen mused. It was certainly a path more suited to Ning Rongrong than the generic trials of the past; this was a tailor-made assessment.
"Xiao Wen, how am I supposed to master elemental power on my own?" Ning Rongrong asked, feeling a bit lost. She didn't have the foundation of a second soul skill like Su Wen did. She truly had no base-level skills in this area.
"The Sea God gave a hint: use the Sea God's Light. I've experienced it myself—it allows a soul master to better perceive their own existence. Combined with my Soul Fusion Technique, you should be able to sense your martial soul more clearly than ever."
Perhaps she wouldn't be able to sense the Martial Soul Space yet, but her perception of the martial soul itself would be heightened to an extreme level. Under these conditions, she could repeatedly experience the process of channeling elements through Su Wen's engraved pages and use her own martial soul to "memorize" those elemental flows.
Step one was to feel the elemental power independent of Su Wen's page. Then, she would use her own martial soul to influence and eventually manipulate those elements.
Of course, she could also use the Visualization Method to achieve elemental control, which was an advantage Su Wen hadn't had initially. However, Su Wen felt the Sea God's trial wasn't just about using visualization. Both methods—visualization and martial soul development—were valid, but mastering both was likely the true goal. The latter was non-negotiable; otherwise, the hint about the Sea God's Light would be superfluous. If visualization were the only requirement, she wouldn't need the Light's assistance at all.
After hearing Su Wen's analysis, Ning Rongrong nodded, understanding the road ahead.
"For now, start by sensing your martial soul under the pressure of the Sea God's Light. Simultaneously, begin using the Visualization Method to contemplate the various elements."
While both methods were necessary, visualization was undoubtedly more convenient as it was a universal path. Developing the martial soul to manipulate elements, however, was a direct upgrade to her core power—the difficulty was exponentially higher. Therefore, the most efficient route was to achieve independent control via visualization first, then use that momentum to push the development of her martial soul.
(End of Chapter)