Tang San's heart stirred. "Of course I remember. It nearly took my life."
Bo Saixi's voice was deep and solemn. "Not 'nearly' — it should have taken your life. If the Sea God's power contained within the Sea God's Heart hadn't frightened it away, you would have been dead right then and there. Compared to Xiao Bai and the Evil Spirit Orca King, the Deep Sea Demon Whale King is far more powerful. You could say it is the most powerful Soul Beast in existence today, whether on the ocean or on land. Even I have no certainty of defeating it. If measured in terms of human strength, it should be a level ninety-nine Titled Douluo. It has even broken through the limits of a hundred-thousand-year Soul Beast's lifespan — it is only one step away from transforming into a dragon. If it succeeds, then it will become an existence second only to humanity."
"Transforming into a dragon? A whale can become a dragon?" Tang San asked curiously.
Bo Saixi replied mildly, "Don't assume that the dragon I speak of is the same as the dragons you've known before. If it successfully transforms, it would become a true Sea God Dragon. Do you know how many years of cultivation that requires? For a Soul Beast, it takes a full one million years, during which it must survive nine tribulations. It is far more difficult than a Soul Master cultivating into a god."
"What?" Tang San's face drained of color. "You mean that Deep Sea Demon Whale has already cultivated for close to a million years?"
Bo Saixi shook her head. "That's not the case. That creature has cultivated for roughly three hundred thousand years, but through devouring other sea Soul Beast and its own special abilities, it has already passed through eight tribulations — equivalent to nearly a million years of cultivation. Aside from its fear of the Sea God, it is the true overlord of the ocean."
Hearing Bo Saixi describe the Deep Sea Demon Whale's situation, Tang San couldn't help but ask in astonishment, "There's such a thing as a million-year Soul Beast?"
Bo Saixi said, "A so-called million-year Soul Beast is essentially a Soul Beast that has become a god. It is far more difficult than a Soul Master cultivating into a god. Even a hundred-thousand-year Soul Beast choosing to cultivate in human form would find it much easier than that. Not only is it excruciatingly tedious, but those nine tribulations are virtually insurmountable chasms. I don't know how the Deep Sea Demon Whale King managed it — to have passed through eight tribulations. If it survives one more, it could very well become the first million-year Soul Beast in history, ruling supreme over all Soul Beasts. And if, before that happens, no god yet exists on the continent, the entire continent would be in grave danger. I might as well tell you now — one of the two parts of your ninth and final Sea God Trial is to slay the Deep Sea Demon Whale King. Only by killing it will you earn the right to enter the Sea God Palace and complete the Sea God's inheritance."
Tang San didn't bother hiding the bitter smile that crossed his face. "Killing the Deep Sea Demon Whale King — isn't that the same as fighting an opponent on your level? And he has the advantage of being in the ocean..."
Bo Saixi smiled faintly. "A Soul Beast is not a human, after all. Besides, have you forgotten about it?" As she spoke, she pointed at the dark, gleaming Sea God Trident before Tang San.
Tang San's eyes lit up. "Senior, I was just about to ask you. After I passed the seventh trial, I received a notification that I had earned the Sea God Trident's recognition and gained the right to wield it. What abilities does it have?"
Bo Saixi smiled. "That is not something I can tell you. The Sea God Trident is the Sea God's weapon — how would I know its secrets? What power it holds is something you must discover for yourself. But don't forget — it is a true divine artifact. And when you go to face the ninth trial, your strength will certainly be far beyond what it is now. First, take a look at the requirements for your eighth trial, and then I'll give you a brief introduction to this Sea God Trident."
Tang San nodded at her words and focused his consciousness. After he had drawn out the Sea God Trident, the brand on his forehead had become smooth again. Through his spiritual perception, the brand felt almost illusory, but with the increase in his Sea God Affinity, he realized his spiritual power had subtly grown, having essentially fused with the Sea God's Light.
"The eighth trial of the Sea God's Nine Trials. Requirements for completion: cultivate your Martial Soul to the level of nine Soul Rings, gather all Soul Bones, and resurrect the companion who accompanies you in the trials. Time limit: five years. Only upon completing the eighth trial may you return to the Sea God Palace to receive the final trial."
Sensing the conditions of his eighth trial, Tang San couldn't help but feel tears welling in his eyes. Nine Soul Rings — he was getting closer and closer to that milestone. And at last, he could resurrect Xiao Wu. This had nothing to do with the Sea God's Nine Trials. This was what he wanted most in all the world.
"You find the eighth trial too simple?" Bo Saixi said mildly.
Tang San looked at her. "Compared to the previous seven trials, the difficulty of this one should lie in resurrecting Xiao Wu. With my current situation, reaching Titled Douluo within five years will be somewhat challenging, but the difficulty shouldn't be overwhelming. I have confidence in that. The key is that after resurrecting Xiao Wu, my Soul Power will drop by ten levels as the Soul Bones and Soul Rings leave me. In that case, I might never recover to the Titled Douluo level."
Bo Saixi's eyes suddenly lit up, her gaze piercing as she stared at Tang San. "It's not too late to change your mind. As long as you don't resurrect Xiao Wu and simply keep her in her current state, I have a way to help you pass this eighth trial. Then you can proceed directly to the ninth trial. Your Sea God Affinity might be somewhat affected, but the impact won't be significant. Don't forget — if you resurrect Xiao Wu, not only will your Soul Power level drop, but you will also lose one Soul Bone. You currently possess five Soul Bones, but in truth, only four truly count — the external Soul Bone doesn't enter the calculation. Finding two Soul Bones within five years is already no easy task. If it becomes three, it's even harder. I can tell you with certainty that if you resurrect Xiao Wu, you will never have another chance to pass the eighth Sea God Trial, let alone the ninth and final trial to obtain the Sea God's inheritance."
Tang San looked at Bo Saixi, his gaze gradually turning cold.
Bo Saixi continued, "You've reached this point by paying an enormous price. Don't you want to become a true god? This will be the only opportunity in your entire life. After resurrecting Xiao Wu, you will be nothing more than a Soul Douluo for the rest of your days. Even with a hundred-thousand-year Soul Ring, without reaching level ninety or above, you can never truly become powerful. You'll never reach my level, let alone surpass me."
"You need say no more." Tang San suddenly cut Bo Saixi off. "Senior, I respect you and have no desire to say anything insulting. But I will tell you this — to me, there is nothing more important than resurrecting Xiao Wu. Even if it means I can never become a god, even if I can never reach the Titled Douluo level, even if it costs me my life, I will not hesitate. However, I should still thank the Sea God for this great generosity. This eighth trial has given me five years, and being able to spend five years with Xiao Wu — that satisfies me. The Xiao Wu I love is the complete Xiao Wu, not her empty shell. If I cannot bring her back to life, I will never rest in peace, even in death."
As he spoke, Tang San rose to his feet, his expression grave as he faced Bo Saixi one final time. "Senior, I have one last request. Please don't tell my companions the contents of this eighth trial — especially Xiao Wu. Just now, I sealed off her spiritual perception of the outside world. This is a matter between us, and I don't want anyone else interfering."
Having said this, Tang San didn't even pick up the Sea God Trident lying on the ground. His back ramrod straight, he turned and strode out with great steps.
"Stop." Bo Saixi's sharp voice rang out behind him.
Tang San instinctively halted but didn't turn his head. "Does the senior have further instructions?"
A hint of amusement crept into Bo Saixi's voice. "What if I told you I have a way to let you resurrect Xiao Wu without your Soul Power dropping at all? And without affecting your future cultivation. Would you like to hear?"
Tang San froze for a moment, then understanding suddenly dawned. He spun around to face Bo Saixi.
Bo Saixi's eyes were now brimming with a satisfied smile. "Xiao Wu's blood was not shed in vain. You truly are worthy of what she did for you."
Tang San didn't quite understand what she meant, thinking she was referring to the time Xiao Wu had sacrificed herself for him. He smiled wryly. "Senior, were you testing me?"
Bo Saixi suddenly put on a stern expression. "However, there's one thing about you that's very wrong."
"Oh?" Tang San's brow furrowed slightly.
Bo Saixi said solemnly, "Didn't I already tell you? I asked you to call me High Priestess, not 'senior.'" After saying this, she couldn't help but laugh out loud, clearly in excellent spirits.
Bo Saixi had indeed been testing Tang San. Although the Sea God's Nine Trials had already tested every aspect of his character, the fact that Xiao Wu had given her blood for Tang San had moved her deeply. Her own story had ended in tragedy, and she didn't want to see a girl as wonderful as Xiao Wu suffer the same fate. That was why she had probed him.
And Tang San, for Xiao Wu's sake, had not hesitated for a single instant to abandon the path to godhood just to bring her back, even giving up his own future. As one of the Soul Master world's most extraordinary prodigies, his willingness to do all of this spoke volumes. How could Bo Saixi not be pleased?
Looking at the smile on Bo Saixi's face, Tang San realized he had been played. With his intelligence, he normally would have seen through Bo Saixi's intentions, but when it came to matters of the heart — especially anything involving Xiao Wu's resurrection — concern clouded judgment.
Bo Saixi smiled. "How pitiful, the Sea God Trident! It had barely found a new master before being callously abandoned. A grand divine artifact, and its owner doesn't even want it."
Tang San said awkwardly, "Senior, I was wrong. I didn't mean to abandon it. I..."
Bo Saixi clearly had no intention of continuing to tease him. "I understand your feelings. You don't need to explain. I'm quite clear on the situation between you and Xiao Wu. To resurrect Xiao Wu, what you currently lack is simply Soul Power reaching level ninety. Once you reach level ninety, transfer all your Soul Rings into Xiao Wu's body, return her Soul Bone, and under the illumination of the Sea God's Light, the resurrection process can be completed. What you would lose in the process is your right arm and its Soul Bone, along with all your Soul Rings — am I correct? That was your original plan."
Tang San nodded.
Bo Saixi continued, "The reality has actually already diverged from your plan. Do you know why, after reaching level ninety, Soul Bones can be extracted without killing the owner, yet Soul Power still drops by ten levels? The reason is quite simple. Upon breaking through level ninety — or more precisely — a Soul Master ceases to fall within the bounds of ordinary humanity. A Titled Douluo who possesses strength far beyond that of normal humans naturally does not die so easily. But extracting a Soul Bone inevitably damages one's vital essence. Especially when severing a limb, Soul Power leaks out along with vital energy, causing irreparable harm. That is why the Soul Power drops by ten levels. In truth, this doesn't apply universally — the only Soul Bones that can be removed are those in the four limbs. Head Soul Bones and trunk Soul Bones can never be extracted unless the owner dies. I'm sure I don't need to explain that."
"Your situation is quite special and can't be judged by ordinary standards. To resurrect Xiao Wu, you don't actually need to give all your Soul Rings. When Xiao Wu sacrificed herself to you, she concentrated her essence into the Soul Rings and Soul Bone, even attaching her soul to them to fuse with you as one. To resurrect her, you need to return these to her. And if you truly gave all of your Soul Rings to Xiao Wu, it would actually harm her. Because the Soul Rings you currently possess are far beyond what Xiao Wu can accept."
"Setting aside what your ninth Soul Ring will be, of your current eight Soul Rings, two are hundred-year, one is thousand-year, one is ten-thousand-year, and the remaining four are all at the hundred-thousand-year level. But when Xiao Wu sacrificed herself to you, she was only at level sixty Soul Power. Although her body has been strengthened through modification and is quite resilient, she simply doesn't have the Soul Power foundation to receive all of those Rings. Transferring them all would have only two possible outcomes: either it would be a complete waste, or it would overwhelm her body and cause it to explode. You're a clever man — think back to your own experience absorbing a hundred-thousand-year Soul Ring, and you'll understand."
Tang San asked urgently, "Then what would be the right way to resurrect Xiao Wu?"
Bo Saixi said, "I've carefully examined Xiao Wu's body over the past two days. Based on her current condition, when you resurrect her, I recommend that you transfer the first four Soul Rings into her body, then skip the fifth Soul Ring, and also transfer the sixth Soul Ring — the one Xiao Wu gave you — back into her. That sixth Ring is essentially the condensation of all her former abilities. Your first four Rings can serve as a good guiding conduit. Although your fifth Ring sits between them, don't give it to her, because that Ring is fused with your own Martial Soul. Removing it would not only cause you tremendous harm — it could even kill you — but she would never be able to accept it either. That Ring requires a bloodline connection to sustain it."
Tang San said with some worry, "Will that really be enough? I'm afraid..."
Bo Saixi waved her hand dismissively. "There's nothing for you to be afraid of. Did you think the Sea God's Light was useless? With the power of the Sea God's Light, even if you only returned the sixth Soul Ring to her, you could still resurrect her — though you couldn't guarantee she'd return to her optimal state before the sacrifice. Your Sea God Affinity should have surpassed eighty percent by now, hasn't it? Then I can tell you with certainty that your Sea God's Light has gained an additional ability: healing. It can heal all wounds, both internal and external, consuming your spiritual power proportional to the severity of the injury. It is especially effective at healing spiritual trauma."
"The question of Soul Rings for Xiao Wu's resurrection has been resolved. Next is the Soul Bone — her Soul Bone is something you must return to her. And I've noticed that your right leg bone has a very powerful skill: bodily regeneration. Even severed limbs should be able to regrow on their own, correct?"
Tang San nodded. "Yes. If not for it, I would have died long ago. It is a Soul Bone my mother left for me."