In the Divine Realm, seas of clouds churned, and divine light flowed.
Among the numerous divine halls, the layout style of the Nine-Colored Divine Hall appeared somewhat idiosyncratic.
Unlike those solemn, respectful, and magnificent divine halls, the interior of the Nine-Colored Divine Hall was decorated everywhere with crystals of various colors.
From the walls to the dome, from the pillars to the ground, brilliant lusters were refracted everywhere. It was luxurious and exquisite, resembling a carefully decorated princess castle.
Ning Rongrong sat ungracefully in the center of the divine hall, her entire body sinking into a wide, soft armchair. The round table beside her was laden with various snacks and fruits.
She picked up a nameless fruit and took a bite. The fruit juice burst in her mouth, and the sweetness spread, yet her thoughts were not on the delicacies before her at all.
Her gaze fell upon the faint golden light screen suspended in mid-air, monitoring the movements in the Lower Realm, Douluo Continent.
A figure appeared within the divine hall without warning. Ning Rongrong did not even turn her head, nor did her face show any expression of surprise, because that person was precisely the one she had just summoned via transmission.
She put down the fruit in her hand, turned her head slightly, and shouted at the newcomer: "Third Brother!"
Although Ning Rongrong did not have direct control permissions over the God Realm Central Hub, under Tang San's arrangement, using her God Position as the God of Love as an anchor, she was able to extend her perception to the Lower Realm, establishing a covert connection with Douluo Continent.
Everything in the Valley of Qiankun Asking Love just now was precisely controlled by her.
"Your son-in-Law is no simple matter," Ning Rongrong slightly frowned, her tone carrying a trace of rare seriousness. "Even I am somewhat unable to determine whether his words are true or false."
Hearing this, Tang San frowned slightly, correcting with a hint of coldness in his tone: "He is not my son-in-Law yet."
Ever since he detected the abnormalities on Huo Yuhao, Tang San no longer held that initial warmth toward this originally scheduled son-in-Law.
That lifeline which had deviated from its track caused him to view this young man with a bit more scrutiny and distance.
Ning Rongrong glanced at him, muttering inwardly: "Weren't you the one who asked me to test him?"
Tang San did not say anything more. He quietly separated a wisp of Divine Thought, traversed the layers of barriers of the Divine Realm Law, and fell into Douluo Continent to personally witness this trial targeting Huo Yuhao.
...
"Undergoing the trial, facing one's true heart, sincere and earnest—first round, sincerity, passed!"
A moment later, that calm voice sounded once more, falling like a verdict to announce that Huo Yuhao had passed the first round of the trial.
The dark clouds on Wang Donger's face abruptly dissipated at this moment, blooming into a bright smile.
The surging guesses and unease she held just moments ago were largely washed away the instant those words fell, thinking that "Yuhao truly loves me the most."
Her gaze passed through that layer of transparent bubble and landed on Huo Yuhao, the arc of her lips unable to be suppressed no matter what.
Meanwhile, although Huo Yuhao's expression was calm, a trace of a bizarre feeling arose in his heart.
He did not even know what kind of trial he had undergone; how had he passed just like that?
That voice's judgment criteria seemed far more ambiguous than he had anticipated.
Before he could think it through, that beam of light had already left the top of his head, spinning rapidly until it finally stopped upon Jin Li.
That voice asked: "Do you have someone you like?"
Jin Li was stunned for a moment, her golden pupils flickering slightly. Then she pursed her lips and replied in a low voice: "Yes."
"Who is the person you like?"
Jin Li opened her mouth, but did not answer immediately.
Her gaze lowered slightly, as if her throat was blocked by some unspeakable emotion.
After a moment of silence, that voice sounded once more, its tone remaining calm yet carrying a distinct pressure: "I give you three breaths of time; if you do not answer, you will be punished."
Jin Li clenched her hands tightly, then raised her head as if having made up her mind. Her gaze swept in a circle around her surroundings and finally landed in the direction of Huo Yuhao.
She gritted her teeth and replied: "It is... Huo Yuhao!"
The instant she spoke those words, both Wang Donger and Huo Yuhao's auditory permissions were simultaneously activated, and both of them clearly heard those four words.
The smile on Wang Donger's face froze slightly, and then an expression of "just as expected" surfaced.
However, having just heard Huo Yuhao say he loved her the most moments ago, she did not flare up right now, merely letting out a soft hum as a response.
Meanwhile, Huo Yuhao furrowed his brows slightly.
Jin Li liked him?
He had completely failed to notice this beforehand.
"Huo Yuhao already has someone he likes. Do you still like him?"
That calm voice asked the next question. Its tone remained unhurried, yet it carried a sharpness that pierced straight to the core.
Jin Li did not answer immediately. She lowered her head and remained silent for a moment, as if seriously pondering the answer to this question.
Afterwards, she raised her head. In her golden pupils carried a serenity completely different from her usual flamboyant and radiant self, and she spoke: "What I like is the person he is; it has nothing to do with anything else."
When she said these words, her tone was very steady, without any violent emotional fluctuations, as if she were merely stating a fact that had already been repeatedly confirmed in her heart.
Before transforming into human form, she had lived carefree in the Star Dou Great Forest, and she had never imagined that she would fall in liking with any member of the opposite sex.
Those thoughts regarding emotions had never truly sprouted in her long life.
But after transforming and entering human society, she began to contact and experience human emotions little by little.
Those complex, subtle, and sometimes even bewildering bonds gradually took root in her heart.
In the process of getting along with Huo Yuhao, she gradually sensed something different.
Although Huo Yuhao was sometimes very strict, and his way of managing her was simply identical to Di Tian's, she could also feel the care and nurturing hidden beneath that strictness.
He would appear the very first moment she encountered trouble, would cover for her after she caused trouble, and would soften his voice when she inadvertently revealed vulnerability.
Those fragmented, inconspicuous moments were like seeds quietly planted, growing stealthily in her heart.
Perhaps even Huo Yuhao himself was not aware of it; because he did not want Jin Li to repeat that inevitably fatal path of original history, he truly put a lot of heart into caring for her.
And it was precisely this thoughtfulness that even he had not noticed which caused Jin Li to have unknowingly fallen in love with him.
It was just that Jin Li had never revealed it before; only until this moment, under the persistent questioning of the Valley of Qiankun Asking Love, was that confession of fondness hidden deep within her heart finally laid bare under the sunlight.
That voice asked again: "If you were asked to die for him, would you be willing?"
The instant this question fell, Huo Yuhao's entire body trembled uncontrollably.
Across that layer of gold-and-silver bubbles, his gaze landed on Jin Li, feeling as though something had gently clenched his heart.
He opened his mouth, but found that he did not know what to say.
Meanwhile, Jin Li hesitated almost not at all. She merely glanced calmly in Huo Yuhao's direction, then withdrew her gaze and answered crisply and decisively: "I am willing."
That voice fell silent for a fleeting moment, then stated: "Love reaches its utmost nature, willing to sacrifice for love—first round, sincerity, passed."
There were a total of thirteen people upon the circular platform, and each of them was asked almost the same questions under the shroud of that beam of light.
Some answered without hesitation, some remained silent for a long time before speaking with difficulty, and others suffered varying degrees of punishment due to various reasons.
When the round of questioning concluded entirely, that voice sounded once more, announcing that they would enter the second round next.
And the trial of the second round was named "Adventure".
Compared to the "Sincerity" trial of the first round which only required answering questions, this second round of "Adventure" clearly involved many more "actions".
According to the explanation of that voice, to pass the second barrier, one had to complete an adventure challenge randomly designated by the Secret Realm.
Yet during the process of his observation, Huo Yuhao's brow furrowed tighter and tighter.
Because he discovered that these so-called adventure challenges contained many nauseating, wicked humors.
He witnessed with his own eyes someone being requested to french kiss someone of the same sex, someone being forced to speak out their most humiliating secret in public...
At this moment, he did not know that everything regarding this so-called trial was actually being manipulated by Ning Rongrong from within the Divine Realm.
This existence now respectfully honored by the Lower Realm as the "Nine-Colored Goddess" had been a notoriously famous little witch back when she was in the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School.
Even Tang San back then had profound personal experience of her mischief and wicked sense of humor.
Given her personality, whatever kind of things she did would not be strange at all.
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A/N:
I hope all of you are enjoying this story so far. I would appreciate some Power Stones if you can spare any. Leave a review if you like the story. Thank you.