Bai Chenxiang, born into the Agility Clan, was most skilled in speed. But the moment she took her first step into the Sea God's Light, her expression changed instantly. That single step alone gave her the feeling that she could barely move. A tide-like pressure pushed against her body, and a faint golden mist began to rise from beneath her feet.
No wonder—no wonder they could only manage a few dozen steps before giving up. It seemed that even ten stairs would be difficult for her. No, she couldn't give up. She couldn't fall behind again. They were all around the same age—if they could do it, why couldn't she?
Clenching her teeth, a look of firm resolve appeared in Bai Chenxiang's eyes as she began to climb.
Tang San watched Bai Chenxiang's difficult but determined steps, and a trace of gratified warmth appeared on his face. He hoped she would gain something from this experience.
Raising his right arm, Tang San slowly channeled spiritual power into it, calling out to Xiao Wu's soul slumbering within the Soul Bone in his right arm.
This was the first time he had ever proactively called for Xiao Wu's soul. In the past, he had always feared that her soul manifesting would harm her. But this time was different—without effective communication with Xiao Wu, carrying her body up the mountain could easily cause irreparable damage.
Blue Silver Emperor was released. Under the guidance of Tang San's spiritual power, the soul of Xiao Wu, dormant within his Soul Rings and Soul Bones, was gently released. Xiao Wu's delicate body in Tang San's arms trembled slightly, and the originally vacant look in her eyes gradually blossomed with brilliant radiance.
"Brother—" That soft call touched the most tender place in Tang San's heart. Fighting back the urge to kiss her, Tang San said: "Xiao Wu, we've arrived at Sea God Island. Can you feel everything we've experienced before?"
To Tang San's surprise, after calling out to him once, Xiao Wu's expression suddenly changed. A layer of frost descended over her face, and she wriggled free from Tang San's arms, turning her head away from him.
Since the day Tang San and Xiao Wu had first met, this had never happened before. Tang San couldn't help but be completely baffled.
"Xiao Wu, what's wrong?"
Xiao Wu gave a hmph, still refusing to acknowledge Tang San, and walked directly toward the stone steps. Clearly, even though her soul had been hidden within Tang San's Soul Rings and Soul Bones, she was still aware of everything happening in the outside world and understood why Tang San had called her out.
Watching Xiao Wu begin to climb the stone stairs, Tang San scratched his head. Even someone as clever as he was couldn't understand why Xiao Wu had suddenly started ignoring him, and why she seemed so angry. In all the years they had known each other, Xiao Wu had never once lost her temper with him. Where had this anger come from?
Not daring to dawdle, Tang San hurried to follow, climbing the stone steps alongside Xiao Wu.
Bathing in the Sea God's Light for the second time, Tang San's experience felt different from before. With the previous experience to draw on, he discovered that his body's capacity for withstanding pressure seemed to have increased somewhat. The first few stairs, in particular, while still oppressive, didn't seem quite as terrifying.
"Xiao Wu, stop ignoring me! What's going on?" Tang San asked in anxious whispers as he climbed, not caring that speaking disrupted the flow of his Soul Power.
Xiao Wu had already stepped onto the third stair. She shot Tang San a glance and visibly pouted before continuing upward.
The golden mist thickened. As they climbed higher, the pressure gradually intensified, and the Mysterious Heaven Skill within Tang San's body began accelerating its circulation. What surprised him was that Xiao Wu's climbing speed was remarkably fast—she moved upward without hesitation, and in no time at all, the two of them caught up with Bai Chenxiang ahead.
Bai Chenxiang's movements had become extremely slow. Standing on the fourteenth stair, she struggled to lift her leg forward. Her pretty face was flushed deep red, her four Soul Rings flickering constantly with light, her body twisting slightly as though searching for a flaw in the pressure. A layer of water mist swirled together with the golden light fog around her body. Clearly, she had reached her limit.
This was the gap in strength. Body, Martial Soul, Soul Power, Soul Bones—combining every aspect, there was truly an insurmountable chasm between her and the Shrek Seven Devils. But she refused to give up, gritting her teeth and holding on.
Tang San suddenly thought of something. As he passed by Bai Chenxiang, he said to her: "Don't push yourself too hard. Whatever you do, don't let the Sea God's Light bounce your body back into the Ring Sea's range. Without the protective light of the trial, you'll be attacked by the Sea Soul Beasts in the Ring Sea."
To Tang San's surprise, after struggling for a long while, Bai Chenxiang actually managed to step onto the fifteenth stair—though her body was already swaying and trembling. Her flushed pretty face lit up with a hint of joy. Only she knew that this last step had pushed her past her limit. She could clearly feel that her Soul Power, which hadn't improved in a long time, had finally broken through, rising to the forty-sixth rank.
No longer forcing herself, Tang San's warning had made her stop trying. Following Tang San's earlier example, she began slowly retreating backward.
While Tang San had been talking to Bai Chenxiang, Xiao Wu had continued climbing and already reached the twentieth stair. Tang San was shocked to discover that Xiao Wu's climbing speed at this point was actually faster than when he himself had first entered the Sea God's Light.
What was going on? Had Xiao Wu's strength somehow surpassed his? No, that couldn't be. Tang San clearly remembered that when Xiao Wu had sacrificed herself to him, her Soul Power level had been approximately between the sixty-first and sixty-second rank. She hadn't been able to cultivate during all this time—how could she possibly be stronger than him?
Quickening his pace and steadying his internal energy, Tang San chased after Xiao Wu. Under the immense pressure of the Sea God's Light, his Soul Power—freshly restored to peak condition—once again began rapidly depleting. But this time, Tang San had learned his lesson. To conserve Soul Power, upon reaching the twentieth stair, he simultaneously activated both his Slaughter God Domain and Blue Silver Domain. Just as he had anticipated, the two Domains dramatically reduced the pressure, making the climb from the twentieth to the thirtieth stair significantly easier than the first time, and his Soul Power consumption dropped considerably as well. The Domains consumed both Soul Power and spiritual power, but since they were both innate domains, the actual consumption wasn't particularly heavy—certainly far less than the pressure imposed by the Sea God's Light.
Even so, Tang San didn't catch up with Xiao Wu until the thirty-fifth stair.
Xiao Wu's forward progress had also grown difficult, each step becoming extremely slow. Tang San clearly remembered that when Dai Mubai had first climbed, he had collapsed at the thirty-fifth stair. But now, Xiao Wu had already reached the thirty-sixth.
What was happening? Had Xiao Wu's strength surpassed Mubai's? Tang San's heart jolted with alarm, and his control over his Soul Power loosened for an instant. He immediately felt the pressure bearing down on him surge, and his forward progress faltered. Fortunately, this was only the thirty-fifth stair. He hastily composed himself and followed Xiao Wu onward.
By now, he could have moved faster than Xiao Wu. But he didn't overtake her, choosing instead to guard her side. He didn't want anything to happen to her. Staying with her meant he could respond quickly if any situation arose.
To Tang San's utter astonishment, though Xiao Wu's steps had grown difficult, she gradually pushed past the fortieth stair.
This was her first climb, and she hadn't used any abilities—so why was this happening? Once the human body reached its pressure limit, even advancing one more step was extraordinarily difficult. Xiao Wu's body couldn't possibly be more resilient than Dai Mubai's, could it?
Filled with confusion, Tang San wanted to warn Xiao Wu not to push herself. But past the fortieth stair, the pressure he bore was immense—he couldn't even call out to her, or he wouldn't be able to continue forward himself.
But Xiao Wu's surprises didn't end there. Her body began to twist and sway rhythmically. At first glance, it looked like she was buckling under the pressure, but Tang San quickly realized it wasn't that simple. Xiao Wu's subtle twisting maintained a consistent rhythm, and with each rotation, the pressure from the Sea God's Light seemed to slide off her, allowing her to maintain her upward momentum.
At the same time, a layer of golden-red luminescence began to appear on Xiao Wu's fair skin. Seeing this golden-red glow, Tang San suddenly understood everything—why Xiao Wu could keep climbing alongside him all this way.
That's right—Xiao Wu had sacrificed her soul to him, but her body had also consumed two Supreme-grade spirit herbs afterward.
If the Crystal Blood Dragon Ginseng was merely a catalyst, then the Lovesickness Broken-Heart Red was the supreme among supremes. Among all the herbs Tang San had brought back from the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well, the most precious was this emperor among Supreme-grade herbs—the Lovesickness Broken-Heart Red. When Xiao Wu had first received it, she had been too reluctant to part with it to consume it, causing her Soul Power to fall far behind everyone else's.
Later, when she had sacrificed herself to Tang San and was on the verge of death, Tang San had helped her take this Supreme-grade herb, reviving her body from the brink. And the Crystal Blood Dragon Ginseng she took afterward, beyond its own medicinal effects being absorbed by Xiao Wu, served an even greater purpose: fully unlocking the power of the Lovesickness Broken-Heart Red that lay dormant within her body. All this time, Xiao Wu's excessive sleepiness was likely because her body needed rest to absorb the herbs' effects. Her Soul Power had not only increased—the magnitude of that increase was likely terrifying, perhaps not even lower than his own. These were two Supreme-grade herbs! One of which was the legendary Lovesickness Broken-Heart Red, said to grant one an Indestructible Vajra Body. No wonder Xiao Wu's body could withstand so much pressure, and her Soul Power had visibly surged. So this was why.
The golden-red glow emanating from her now must be the power of the Lovesickness Broken-Heart Red. He simply didn't know whether her body had already achieved true indestructibility.
Having figured out the key, Tang San felt reassured. He stayed at Xiao Wu's side as the two continued upward.
Xiao Wu's peculiar rhythmic twisting seemed remarkably effective. While not as powerful as Tang San's Domains, it dramatically enhanced her ability to withstand pressure. With the Lovesickness Broken-Heart Red having purged and refined her tendons and marrow, her body had reached a level of extraordinary resilience, allowing her to advance step by step, gradually approaching the fiftieth stair.
Stepping onto the fiftieth stair, Xiao Wu's footsteps finally halted. A look of pain appeared on her pretty face. She stopped advancing and began slowly retreating. Tang San didn't attempt to push further either. Instead, he poured all his remaining Soul Power into both of his Domains, expanding their range to envelop Xiao Wu's body as he accompanied her back down.
Receiving the support of Tang San's two Domains, the furrow between Xiao Wu's brows finally relaxed. She glanced at Tang San and gradually quickened her pace. Soon, the two of them reached the foot of the mountain.
Bai Chenxiang, drenched in sweat, was already seated to the side in meditation. The moment Tang San came down, he immediately supported Xiao Wu's delicate body. Since he hadn't pushed himself to his limit this time, he still had considerable Soul Power remaining and his physical condition was fairly good.
"Xiao Wu, how are you? Are you alright?"
Xiao Wu gently shook her head. "My body hasn't reached its limit yet, but my soul is starting to struggle. If I had the help of your Domains, I think advancing to the sixtieth stair wouldn't be a problem. So if you're only carrying my physical body, you don't need to worry about my limits for the first sixty stairs. Actually, I might be able to handle even more. The Lovesickness Broken-Heart Red's transformation of the body is astonishing. When I look inward now, I can see that my meridians, blood, and bones all seem to have turned gold. They're not only hard but also incredibly flexible. This might be related to the fact that I originally cultivated Soft Technique."
Tang San nodded. "Go back inside me quickly. Your soul absolutely cannot be damaged."
Although Xiao Wu leaned against Tang San's shoulder, the warmth had faded from her eyes. "So what if it gets damaged? You worry about me, but what about yourself?"
"Me?" Tang San stared in surprise. Looking at Xiao Wu's angry expression, he felt a chill run through him.
Xiao Wu said bitterly: "Tang San, you listen to me. The next time we encounter danger and you forcibly prevent my soul from coming out, I will never speak to you again."
Looking into Xiao Wu's reproachful gaze, Tang San finally understood where her anger came from. That day, when facing the Deep Sea Demon Whale's final attack, Tang San had been prepared to sacrifice himself to launch the attack in order to protect his companions. And to prevent Xiao Wu's soul from being harmed, he had forcibly used his spiritual power to restrain Xiao Wu's soul within the Soul Rings and Soul Bones, not allowing it to emerge. That way, even if Tang San himself died, Xiao Wu's soul could remain preserved within the Soul Bones, retaining a hope of survival.
"So that's why you're angry..." Tang San wanted to explain, but for once the clever young man didn't know where to begin.
Xiao Wu opened her mouth and bit down hard on his shoulder, making Tang San wince in pain. "Brother, from now on let me out every day to climb with you. The pressure from earlier seemed to benefit both my body and soul. If my guess is correct, once my soul is tempered through this training, I should be able to possess my body for longer periods. I'm going back now. Don't forget what I said. Hmph, if you mess up again, I'll..."
Her gaze finally softened back into its usual tenderness, her captivating eyes nearly pulling Tang San's soul away. As red light surged, Xiao Wu's body went limp, and her soul returned to the Soul Rings and Soul Bones within Tang San.
With Xiao Wu's soul safely returned, Tang San finally let out a long breath of relief. He realized that Xiao Wu's anger had affected him even more than climbing fifty-five stairs under the Sea God's Light.
Just then, Tang San heard muffled snickering from behind. Turning to look, he saw that aside from Bai Chenxiang, all his companions had emerged from their meditations and were watching him with amused expressions, not without a hint of schadenfreude.
The ones laughing the hardest were, of course, the three terrible friends: Dai Mubai, Oscar, and Ma Hongjun.
Tang San said in exasperation: "What's so funny?"