Inside Qiankun Asking Love Valley, the trials of the second stage were underway.
Bei Bei and the others were still standing at the edge of the circular platform, not yet fully recovering from those scalp-numbing, bizarre challenges.
Some still had residual embarrassment on their faces from being forced to confess secrets publicly just now, while others recalled the past experiences with complex expressions, evidently needing some time to digest those corners of their hearts that had been forcibly turned open.
There were also people thinking about the deep adventure of the three, Huo Yuhao, Wang Donger, and Jin Li.
After that voice announced they had entered a deeper level of trials, the three of them vanished above the circular platform and had no news since.
Everyone present did not know what the so-called "deep adventure" actually was, but just hearing the name made it feel extremely perilous.
However, at this moment, the layer of gold-and-silver dual-colored bubbles wrapping around everyone suddenly shattered without warning.
Everyone was stunned at first, and then thought, could that voice be up to some more tricks again?
Before they could make any more reactions, the circular platform beneath their feet abruptly vanished.
Everyone lost their footing at the same time, their figures plunging downwards abruptly.
The intense weightlessness panicked many people for a moment, and cries of alarm rang out one after another.
Fortunately, most people from the Spirit Pagoda and Star Luo Imperial Soul Master Academy were equipped with flight Spirit Tools. After a brief panic, they each activated the devices on their backs, and streaks of Spirit Power exhaust flames lit up in mid-air, steadily supporting their downward momentum.
The situation on Shrek Academy's side was slightly disheveled, with very few equipped with flight Spirit Tools.
Especially those Reserve Team members, who let out waves of exclamations during the descent, flailing their limbs in the air in a fluster.
However, they were ultimately not in mortal danger, because they did not crash onto the ground, but instead fell into the gold-and-silver dual-colored lake below, stirring up ripples and splashing around a few times before floating back up.
The gold-and-silver dual-colored light enveloping the surroundings also gradually dissipated, revealing the original appearance of the valley.
Everyone gathered by the lake, vigilantly eyeing their surroundings without daring to relax in the slightest.
Right at this moment, three figures suddenly appeared by the lake without warning.
The people around were startled instantly; some even instinctively took half a step back, their Spirit Power already quietly circulating in their hands.
But once they saw clearly that the newcomers were Huo Yuhao, Wang Donger, and Jin Li, that abruptly tightened nerve quickly relaxed.
The crowd from the Spirit Pagoda immediately swarmed up, asking about this and that all at once.
Before Huo Yuhao could respond one by one, he saw Cai Meier of Shrek Academy walking over through the crowd.
The voices of the Spirit Pagoda crowd then gradually faded away, consciously making way for a passage.
Huo Yuhao looked at Cai Meier and politely called out: "Dean Cai."
Cai Meier nodded without much small talk. When she spoke, her tone carried a composure and eagerness after having seen all sorts of storms: "Tower Master Huo, what are the plans for next?"
Others might not be clear on what kind of situation this place was, but Huo Yuhao knew it clearly in his heart that all of this was Tang San meddling behind the scenes.
Now that Tang San had been targeted by the God of Destruction, he shouldn't interfere with Lower Realm matters for a short time; right now was the best timing for them to break away.
His gaze quickly swept across the surroundings of the valley, and then he said: "The surrounding mist seems to have scattered, let's leave this place as soon as possible."
Cai Meier also followed his gaze to look outside the valley. The mist that originally shrouded the entire valley like a thick white wall was indeed slowly dissipating at this moment, and the outlines of rocks and trees were already exposed at the edges, as if daylight was slowly brightening after a night.
Without much hesitation, she turned to look at the Shrek crowd and shouted loudly: "Everyone follow me, leave this valley as soon as possible!"
Huo Yuhao also signaled the people from the Spirit Pagoda and Star Luo Imperial Soul Master Academy to follow. Everyone said no more and briskly walked towards the direction of the valley exit.
Without Tang San's secret intervention, the crowd's process of "escaping" turned out to be exceptionally smooth.
Along the way, they neither encountered interception by the Sun Moon Empire's pursuers nor reappeared those bizarre mists or gold-and-silver lights.
Although the mountain path beneath their feet was rugged, everyone was a Spirit Master with light and steady strides. After marching for about an hour, they completely left the range of that continuous mountainous area.
Huo Yuhao's mental force spread outwards like an invisible net, carefully probing a large area around them and confirming that no aura of the Sun Moon Empire's pursuers could be sensed anymore.
Just as Huo Yuhao breathed a slight sigh of relief, the calm and steady voice of the God of Destruction suddenly rang out in his mind.
"First trial of the Nine Trials of Destruction completed, reward: 5% compatibility with the God of Destruction, all spirit rings' age increased by Ten Thousand Years."
At the same time the voice fell, the purple-black lightning mark at the center of Huo Yuhao's brows flickered slightly.
A warm and heavy power spread inside his body like a warm current, rapidly penetrating into his Meridians, bones, and Spiritual Sea.
Saying it raised the spirit ring age, but actually what ultimately increased was the age of these Spirit Souls in his Spiritual Sea.
The faces of the many Spirit Souls couldn't help but reveal expressions of enjoyment. Looking at the God of Destruction shrouded under the purple-black robes not far away, they didn't dare to show the excitement in their hearts.
Some of them were attracted here precisely because Huo Yuhao had the chance to become a god, and now the dream of the past seemed to have stepped into reality.
Huo Yuhao had become the successor of the God of Destruction, and becoming a god in the future seemed to be a settled matter!
Feeling the "abnormality" inside his body, Huo Yuhao, who was moving forward, suddenly stopped his footsteps.
Wang Donger and Jin Li beside him turned their heads to look at him almost simultaneously. Wang Donger frowned slightly and asked with concern: "What's wrong?"
Huo Yuhao took a deep breath, then shook his head, the corners of his mouth curving: "It's nothing."
He didn't say much more and picked up his speed again to rush forward.
Traveling a bit further ahead, they would completely leave the range of Ming City, and by then they could fly directly back to Star Luo.
The crowd behind him kept up with his pace, their footsteps gradually fading away on the mountain path, merging into the twilight in the distance.
In the Spiritual Sea, the figure of the God of Destruction was still suspended there, having not disappeared.
Huo Yuhao hesitated for a moment, and finally couldn't help asking: "Senior, isn't the first trial of this God Trial a bit too simple?"
According to his understanding of God Trials, whether recorded in legends or read in historical literature, every trial of a God Trial should be a rigorous challenge, a multiple tempering of the successor's talent, Heart-Nature, and will.
Yet his first trial was completed almost as naturally as pushing a boat along with the current; besides that hurried rush of escaping the valley, he encountered almost no true obstacles.
The God of Destruction smiled upon hearing this, those scarlet eyes carrying a clear understanding of seeing through everything: "The so-called God Trial, to put it bluntly, is simply to test the successor's talent and Heart-Nature."
He raised a hand to point at Huo Yuhao: "And your talent and Heart-Nature, I have already witnessed with my own eyes."
"Furthermore, the Scepter of Destruction has slept in your Spiritual Sea for so long, and you have already comprehended a portion of the Law of Destruction on your own."
"Those unnecessary hardships are completely useless to you, why should I waste time?"
Huo Yuhao's eyes lit up upon hearing this. This was the difference between the Legacy of an extant Divinity and the Legacy of those ancient God Positions that had long fallen.
The God of Destruction's God Trial was not some preset, unchanging rigid rule, but could be flexibly adjusted according to the Divinity's own will.
What the content of the God of Destruction's God Trial would be and how difficult it was were entirely within a single thought of his.
Seeing the trace of excitement rising on Huo Yuhao's face, the God of Destruction immediately poured a basin of cold water unceremoniously.
"However, you must not become conceited, complacent, or too careless; the content of the subsequent God Trials might not all be this simple."
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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.