After hearing the Seahorse Douluo's explanation, Tang San suddenly spoke up, "Wait a moment. Senior. You said Mubai has no chance of passing the trial and is certain to die. Then how did you pass the trial yourself? From what I know, everyone on Sea God Island must face their trial when they turn eighteen. Were you really stronger at eighteen than Mubai is now?"
The Seahorse Douluo shook his head. "When I was eighteen, I hadn't even reached Rank Forty. I was far weaker than he is now. But there's something you all need to understand. The Sea God's black-rank trials for us Sea God Island Soul Masters require completing one task every ten years. Even so, my black-rank fourth trial nearly killed me several times over. The final task I faced was to survive for a single hour among the Demon Spirit Great White Sharks — excluding the Island Guardian Divine Beast."
Everyone fell silent, but the Seahorse Douluo couldn't find a trace of fear or discouragement on any of their faces. Zhu Zhuqing was the second to step forward, taking the position Dai Mubai had stood in before. A faint smile rippled across her coldly beautiful face. "Senior, please have the Sea God bestow His trial upon me."
The Seahorse Douluo furrowed his brow slightly. "You won't reconsider?"
Zhu Zhuqing replied calmly, "Senior, we came here precisely to accept these trials. If the trials were too easy, wouldn't we have come all this way for nothing? How can there be motivation without pressure? We've already accomplished many things that seemed impossible. Creating one more miracle wouldn't be anything new."
Zhu Zhuqing had made their resolve crystal clear through action. Just as she said, they had come here to train — no matter how difficult the Sea God's trials might be, they would never back down.
"Good. You young people really do have remarkable drive. Few people possess the kind of courage you have." The Titled Douluo said nothing further. Blue light condensed once more, and as the Seahorse Holy Pillar blazed with radiance, another pillar of light descended from the sky, enveloping Zhu Zhuqing.
The blue turned to white without pause, transforming into yellow, then purple — just as the Seahorse Douluo had predicted. The purple gradually deepened, and at last it shifted into black. Watching the dark demonic runes slowly climb the Seahorse Holy Pillar, the Seahorse Douluo couldn't help but draw a deep breath. Having personally experienced the difficulty of the black-rank trials, he certainly didn't believe these young people could pass on courage alone. A measure of pity stirred within him. But as the presiding examiner, since the Shrek Seven Devils insisted, he saw no need to say more.
The black runes continued to climb, but the dark light Zhu Zhuqing brought didn't ascend as high as Dai Mubai's had. It stopped roughly at the midpoint of the Seahorse Holy Pillar, going no further. Five curtains of light materialized quietly — one fewer than Dai Mubai's six, but otherwise the situation was identical.
Zhu Zhuqing likewise closed her eyes. After the black light surged into her forehead, she sat down cross-legged and entered quiet contemplation. On her forehead appeared a black five-pointed star.
Black-rank five tests — second only to Dai Mubai's black-rank six tests. The difficulty was self-evident.
Oscar stepped forward before Ning Rongrong, positioning himself in the proper spot. Before the Seahorse Douluo could begin his invocation of the Sea God's Light, Oscar spoke up. "Senior, I have a question. These trials are so difficult. If we do manage to pass them, what kind of benefits do we receive? I mean beyond the rights and privileges on Sea God Island."
The Seahorse Douluo said, "The rights on Sea God Island are themselves the greatest benefit. If you want to call something else a benefit, then the fact that your goal — improving your strength faster under pressure — counts too, I suppose."
Oscar smiled and nodded. "Then please, Senior, let's begin."
In the Seahorse Douluo's estimation, although this young man's Martial Soul was somewhat unusual and he clearly possessed spirit bones, as a Food Type Soul Master, the trial he would face should be somewhat lower in difficulty than the previous two. But once the demonic runes began to rise, the Seahorse Douluo realized he was wrong. What finally appeared before Oscar was the same as Dai Mubai's — six panels of black light. The highest black-rank trial: the black-rank six tests.
The light receded, and a black six-pointed star appeared on Oscar's forehead. Yet instead of entering a meditative state like Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing, he opened his eyes with something like excitement. "Great! I also have six tests. Haha."
The Seahorse Douluo was taken aback. "The black-rank six tests make you happy?" Even he was starting to feel that the Sea God had set these young people's trials impossibly high. A Food Type Soul Master facing the black-rank six tests — how could there possibly be any chance of passing?
Oscar chuckled. "It's clear the Sea God's trials are determined based on the examinee's overall potential. If I also have the black-rank six tests, that means my potential is the same as Boss Dai's, and even a bit higher than Zhuqing's. Isn't that a good thing?"
The Seahorse Douluo watched Oscar retreat to the side and shook his head helplessly. He was finding that he truly didn't understand the way these young people thought anymore. Hadn't he made himself clear? Failure meant death!
Before those thoughts had even faded, Ning Rongrong had already walked up, mumbling something under her breath that left the Seahorse Douluo torn between laughter and tears.
"More than six tests, more than six tests…" Ning Rongrong chanted as she approached the Seahorse Holy Pillar, giving it a slight bow. "Respected Sea God, you absolutely must give me more than six tests!"
If four words could describe the Seahorse Douluo's current mood, "speechlessly choked with emotion" would fit perfectly. Even if your Martial Soul was the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, you were still just an auxiliary-type Soul Master — and you wanted more than the black-rank six tests? He abandoned any attempt at conversation with Ning Rongrong and went straight into conducting her trial.
But once again, the Seahorse Douluo's expectations were utterly overturned.
The Sea God's Light surged past white into yellow, past yellow into purple without the slightest hesitation, rapidly entering that strange black realm. The black demonic runes shot upward in a straight line, and under the Seahorse Douluo's wide-eyed, almost bulging-eyed stare, the runes slowly crossed the midpoint of the Seahorse Holy Pillar — signifying that Ning Rongrong would face the difficulty of the black-rank six tests. Yet the runes didn't stop there. They continued climbing upward, quickly reaching the two-thirds mark, the very position representing the black-rank six tests.
Good heavens! I'm going to go mad. It's been years since a black-rank trial appeared, and in the span of a single afternoon, six have shown up. The Seahorse Douluo groaned inwardly. But just then, the runes that had seemed to come to a halt suddenly surged slightly upward once more. In the next instant, the demonic runes that had been covering the Seahorse Holy Pillar, steeped in black, underwent a sudden transformation — they turned entirely into a brilliant crimson red. A beam of red light pierced skyward, stabbing straight into the heavens.
That blood-bright radiance lanced into the high sky, painting a streak of crimson across the otherwise clear blue above Sea God Island.
On Sea God Island, thousands of pairs of eyes turned skyward almost in unison. Among them, six black-robed elders standing before stone pillars of varying designs saw the red light and felt uncontrollable rays of intense emotion spark in their eyes. Almost simultaneously, they all cried out the same words:
"Su—preme—Sev—en—Tests."
Even in a special temple at the very center of Sea God Island, a pair of eyes that had been closed for ten years opened at the sight of that red light. A flicker of mild surprise and something far deeper — joy — spread across that face. A body still for a decade slowly rose to its feet.
The red light gradually faded. Seven panels of red light sank one by one into Ning Rongrong's forehead, merging into a strange seven-pointed red star that cast a faint rosy glow upon her already porcelain-fair skin.
The Seahorse Douluo had gone completely blank. Red — that was the red representing the Supreme rank… Unlike black, with its high mortality rate, this Supreme-rank red appeared exceedingly rarely.
It was Ning Rongrong's series of bell-like giggles that finally brought the Seahorse Douluo back to his senses. He looked up to see her sticking her tongue out triumphantly at Oscar. Oscar, meanwhile, wore an expression of utter dejection — apparently tormented by the fact that he had one fewer test than Ning Rongrong and an overall rank that was lower.
"Miss, may I have the honor of knowing your full name?" The Seahorse Douluo gave a slight bow to Ning Rongrong.
The shift in the Seahorse Douluo's attitude caught the Shrek Seven Devils off guard. At that moment, both Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing happened to open their eyes as well.
As a Titled Douluo and guardian of one of the Seven Sacred Pillars of the Sea God — the Seahorse Holy Pillar — this Seahorse Douluo had not been arrogant before, but he had certainly been aloof, cool, and proud. Only the Shrek Seven Devils' exceptional talent had earned even his courtesy. Yet the expression now on the Titled Douluo's face could only be described as respectful — and though that respect was directed solely at Ning Rongrong alone, it was enough to startle anyone. After all, he was a Titled Douluo!
"Senior, my name is Ning Rongrong. What is this about?" Ning Rongrong said in surprise.
The Seahorse Douluo swallowed. "It is my great honor to serve as your examiner. I don't fully understand why a Supreme-rank trial has appeared in your case, but for a long time to come, if you have any needs on this island, you may come to me. I will do everything in my power to help you."
Oscar blinked and couldn't help but speak up. "Senior, the gap is just too wide. I'm only one test apart from her — why is there such a massive difference? Isn't it just the gap between six tests and seven tests?"
The Seahorse Douluo didn't even glance at Oscar. The respect on his face deepened. "Unlike the black-rank trials, the Supreme-rank trial has never, from its very first appearance until now, had a single failure. The last time a Supreme-rank trial appeared, it was for the Grand Sacrificial Elder of this island. If Miss Ning Rongrong passes the Supreme-rank trial, she will become the Grand Sacrificial Elder's successor — and the future leader of Sea God Island."
With the Seahorse Douluo's explanation, everyone finally understood. They exchanged glances, and the looks they gave Ning Rongrong turned decidedly strange.
Tang San spoke thoughtfully. "Senior, could it be that the Supreme-rank seven tests are actually easier than the black-rank six tests?"
The Seahorse Douluo shook his head. "Not at all. The Supreme-rank seven tests are more than a full tier above the black-rank six tests in overall difficulty. However, every time the Supreme-rank trial appears, it signifies the emergence of a powerful Soul Master capable of completing it and inheriting the position of Grand Sacrificial Elder. No matter how difficult, it is destined to succeed."
Ning Rongrong burst out laughing and patted Oscar on the shoulder. "Don't worry — from now on, you can follow me."
Oscar protested in anguished indignation. "This is unfair! Completely unfair! I want the Supreme-rank seven tests too!"
Perhaps because of his changed attitude toward Ning Rongrong, the Seahorse Douluo was considerably milder with everyone else. He said to Oscar evenly, "The Sea God's Light is bestowed only once."
Tang San said, "Senior, let's continue then. Xiangxiang, you're up."
"Alright." Bai Chenxiang stepped forward without hesitation and came to stand beside the Seahorse Douluo.
By now the Seahorse Douluo's emotions had gone through several ups and downs, but he displayed the steadiness expected of a Titled Douluo. He thought to himself, even if another black-rank six trials appear, I will absolutely not be surprised.
Under the Seahorse Douluo's direction, the Sea God's Light descended once more. Bathed in the pillar of blue light, the changes in Bai Chenxiang's glow were noticeably slower than the first four. The blue gradually shifted to white, then white very slowly transitioned to yellow. The light stalled at that yellow hue, and after a moment of flickering, a single yellow curtain of light appeared before Bai Chenxiang.
Yellow-rank one test. Just a yellow-rank one test. The Sea God's Light could not be deceived. Bai Chenxiang stared blankly as the yellow light sank into her body. In the depths of her disappointment, she truly understood just how vast the gap between herself and the Shrek Seven Devils truly was. Talent, potential — she fell far short in every regard. Under the Sea God's Light's illumination, she hadn't even reached a purple-rank trial.
However, once the yellow light merged into her forehead and formed a round yellow dot, Bai Chenxiang's expression changed abruptly — from disappointment to shock. She stared blankly at the Seahorse Holy Pillar before her, as though she had just witnessed something inconceivable.
Naturally, the one most concerned about Bai Chenxiang was Ma Hongjun. Seeing her look as though she'd seen a ghost, the Fatty hurried over. "What's wrong? Xiangxiang. Is the trial too hard?"
Bai Chenxiang suddenly thrust both hands against the Fatty's chest, pushing him back. A deep, unconcealable blush spread across her lovely face. Ma Hongjun stumbled back two steps in bewilderment, only to see Bai Chenxiang turn to the Seahorse Douluo with a peculiar expression. "Senior, if I fail to complete this trial, what happens?"
The Seahorse Douluo said, "Yellow-rank trials are generally quite simple and not difficult to complete. If you can't finish it within one month, you won't be harmed — but you will be required to leave Sea God Island and may never set foot on it again." As the presiding examiner, he knew the contents of Bai Chenxiang's trial. His own expression had grown quite strange — the look of someone struggling to hold back laughter.
Looking at Bai Chenxiang's expression, Tang San felt something was off. "Xiangxiang, what trial is troubling you so much?" In his impression, Bai Chenxiang was not the type to retreat at the first sign of difficulty. Moreover, if even a yellow-rank trial was this hard, wouldn't the black-rank and Supreme-rank trials the others would face be utterly insurmountable?
Bai Chenxiang drew several deep, heaving breaths, her not-quite-so-full chest rising and falling. The Fatty standing beside her couldn't help but swallow hard, his small eyes blinking rapidly.
As if she had steeled herself — more like a person marching to the execution ground — a look of steely resolve appeared in Bai Chenxiang's beautiful eyes. She turned to Ma Hongjun. "Fatty, come here."
Seeing her expression, the Fatty couldn't guess what she was about to do. He asked cautiously, "Xiangxiang, are you alright?"
Bai Chenxiang snapped, "Are you coming or not?" Her emotions were clearly unstable.
Ma Hongjun quickly took two steps forward until he stood before Bai Chenxiang. Just as he opened his mouth to speak, Bai Chenxiang lunged into his arms like a whirlwind. Her arms looped around his thick neck, and her soft lips pressed against his — though with a distinctly forceful quality — kissing the Fatty squarely on the mouth.
"This…" Tang San, Dai Mubai, Zhu Zhuqing, Oscar, and Ning Rongrong all widened their eyes at virtually the same instant. They simply could not believe that what was happening before them was actually real.