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What was the point of all this?
Su Wen could only search for answers within the content of the trial itself.
Black Level Trial 1: Become a Soul Tool Engineer, research soul-conductive formation arrays, and establish a formal formation system.
Reward: Authority Condensation Technique.
Huh?
The content and the reward left Su Wen utterly bewildered. To put it bluntly, the Stone God's trial was the most nonsensical one he had ever encountered. Even the Sea God, for all his eccentricity, arranged trials based on Su Wen's current circumstances—tasks that were perfectly suited for immediate execution.
The Stone God was different. While he seemed to foresee Su Wen's journey to the Sun Moon Continent and his eventual study of soul tools, this wasn't a task that could be completed in a short time. Furthermore, the reward was enigmatic.
Authority Condensation Technique... What use was that?
Su Wen guessed it was related to Godheads—perhaps even the key to determining the rank of a divine seat—but the Stone God was only a Second-Class God. Could a technique from him truly be more helpful than the guidance of the Sea God?
Suddenly, Su Wen felt a stir within his Sea of Consciousness. It was the Hanhai Quankun Hood—the Heart of the Sea God.
Though Su Wen hadn't officially accepted the Sea God's Nine Trials, the artifact had recognized him as its temporary master. It had been nourishing his mental power and acting as a guardian for his mind. Now, a flash of blue-gold light surged through his consciousness, carrying an intentional thought directly into his brain.
Su Wen's expression turned complex. The Sea God is a real one, he thought. If he decides to help you, he really goes all out. More importantly, the Sea God treated the rules of the Divine Realm like they didn't exist. Perhaps it was his sheer strength—as the most powerful entity outside the five Great God Kings of the Divine Committee—that gave him the confidence to act so boldly.
Across the barrier of two worlds, the Sea God used the artifact to transmit intelligence regarding the Stone God.
Stone God: Second-Class God with combat power reaching First-Class status. Despite a lack of faith energy, he developed his own "Authority" and expanded his divine seat independently. He is on the verge of ascending to a First-Class God without the need for faith power.
A true powerhouse.
The current Stone God had been hand-picked by the original, who had been desperate to pass on the mantle. At that time, the Stone God seat had dwindled so far it was nearly demoted to Third-Class. Strictly speaking, the Stone God was a branch of the Earth element—a subordinate seat to the God of Earth. The lack of faith had nearly caused the seat to collapse.
However, this generation's Stone God refused to settle. He used his own cultivation to expand the "Authority" within the seat, strengthening it through sheer insight rather than the accumulation of faith.
Through the Sea God's data, Su Wen understood the value of the reward. This Stone God's research into "Authority" likely far surpassed even that of the Sea God. Most gods ascended and grew through faith; this man grew through comprehension. The difference in their understanding of cultivation was a chasm.
Su Wen looked at the massive stones surrounding the central pillar, his eyes flickering.
A Formation System...
He finally understood the significance. The Stone God was on the edge of a breakthrough and likely intended to use the establishment of a "Formation System" to push himself over the line. If the system spread throughout the soul master world and the Stone God held authority over it, he wouldn't just become a First-Class God; he would secure a permanent source of faith, solving his energy crisis forever.
"The Sea God sent me info the second I accepted the trial," Su Wen realized. "He's been watching the whole time. He probably even scouted this trial for me, since the direction of my Third Trial was so specific."
Since the Sea God was investing in him, he wouldn't let Su Wen take a loss. This reward was likely the key to Su Wen determining his own divine rank during his future ascension.
Ah, praise the Sea God.
"I have a Yellow Level Trial 1!" Ning Rongrong opened her eyes, beaming with joy. "The task is to help Brother Wen complete his mission. The reward is a God-Bestowed Spirit Ring!"
She had just received one from Su Wen and was planning to use it for her fifth ring; she knew exactly how precious this reward was.
Dugu Yan's expression was strange. "Mine is a Yellow Level Trial 3. The first task is to obtain my fifth ring. The reward is a one-level increase in soul power."
"Three trials?" Ning Rongrong's smile froze. Yellow level can have three trials? Does that mean my single trial is actually worse?
Su Wen noticed her distress and patted her head. "Rongrong, these trials consume energy from the deity. The Stone God provides what is most suitable. A God-Bestowed Spirit Ring is worth far more than a single level of soul power. Even if Yan'er completes all three, the total value might not equal your ring." (Unless, of course, Dugu Yan got a ring later, but Su Wen kept that to himself).
Finally, Dugu Bo's trial was the highest besides Su Wen's. Despite being a fully realized Title Douluo, he received a higher trial than the young genius Dugu Yan.
"Mine is a Purple Level Trial 1," Dugu Bo said, looking stunned. "The task: collect all four limb spirit bones of the Earth attribute. The reward: a Special-type Stone Monster Trunk Bone."
Su Wen's pupils constricted.
Ning Rongrong and Dugu Yan's trials were standard—limited by the Stone God's current "poverty" and lack of faith. But Dugu Bo had received a Purple trial from a cash-strapped god, and both the task and the reward were incredibly abstract, focusing entirely on a full set of spirit bones.
(End of Chapter)