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All members of the Shrek team had successfully reached the Seahorse Holy Pillar platform, each displaying their unique abilities.
The most outrageous were two women—Dugu Yan and Zhu Zhuqing. One possessed a hundred-thousand-year soul skill at her sixth ring, while the other had two hundred-thousand-year soul rings.
The seven Holy Pillar Douluos knew that even Grand Priestess Bo Saixi only possessed one hundred-thousand-year soul ring. According to the Grand Priestess, her ninth soul ring was originally ninety thousand years old. After completing her final trial, all her soul rings' durations were increased by ten thousand years, granting her a hundred-thousand-year soul ring.
This was why, when Bo Saixi instructed the seven Holy Pillar Douluos, she emphasized pursuing the limits when absorbing divine-bestowed soul rings. If any of them were fortunate enough to be chosen by the Sea God to inherit Bo Saixi's position as Grand Priestess, their ninth soul ring could surpass the hundred-thousand-year threshold.
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Hai Ma Douluo slowly approached the Seahorse Holy Pillar, his eyes filled with reverence. "Step forward, one person."
The members of the Shrek team tensed up. They knew the real trial was about to begin—and this was exactly what they had been waiting for. Wasn't the purpose of their journey to Sea God Island to seize the opportunity to grow stronger under pressure?
To everyone's surprise, the first to step forward was Dai Mubai. He stood a step behind Hai Ma Douluo.
The rest of the Shrek team was stunned. Why was this guy taking the lead?
Hai Ma Douluo slowly raised his hands, his face full of reverence. Bringing his hands to chest level, palms facing each other at a distance of half a foot, a faint blue light gradually appeared in the center of his palms. As the blue light grew stronger, Dugu Yan suddenly felt a strange familiarity—it seemed eerily similar to something she'd seen before.
When the blue light filled Hai Ma Douluo's palms, it suddenly burst forth, enveloping the entire Seahorse Holy Pillar platform in a serene blue glow. Almost instantly, a beam of blue light surged upward along the patterns on the pillar, reaching the top in the blink of an eye.
Hai Ma Douluo turned to face Dai Mubai and pointed his right hand at him.
A column of blue light descended from the sky, enveloping Dai Mubai's body. Bathed in the light, Dai Mubai looked confused—he didn't feel anything.
The color of the light began to change, shifting from blue to white, then rapidly from white to yellow, and finally to purple without pause. The deepening purple hue slowed slightly during this transformation.
The purple light climbed to nearly one-third of the height of the Seahorse Holy Pillar before pausing briefly, then surged upward again at an even faster pace. In no time, the purple light covered the entire pillar.
Behind Hai Ma Douluo, the Seahorse Holy Pillar itself turned completely purple.
Suddenly, three beams of purple light shot out, appearing simultaneously before Dai Mubai. Eventually, a purple mark emerged on his forehead.
"Hmm, not bad. A three-test Purple Rank trial—this is the most cost-effective trial on Sea God Island. Its difficulty is lower than the Black Rank trial, but its rewards are higher than the Yellow Rank trial.
Your spirit power is currently at Level 58. Passing all the tests will likely push you to the Soul Sage level, laying a solid foundation for your future path as a soul master. You have the potential to become a Title Douluo."
Hai Ma Douluo's tone was gentle. After all, in his view, the Black Rank trial was essentially punishment. Over the years, there had been very few who attempted the Black Rank trial—only the seven of them succeeded, while the rest perished.
In the eyes of the Holy Pillar Douluos, the Purple Rank trial offered the best value.
Dai Mubai felt incredibly lucky to have received such a cost-effective trial—it truly set him on the right path.
"Next!" Hai Ma Douluo called out.
Yu Tianxin stepped forward. Hai Ma Douluo repeated the process, channeling the power of the holy pillar toward Yu Tianxin. However, Yu Tianxin's reaction was vastly different from Dai Mubai's!
At first, the light around Yu Tianxin quickly shifted from yellow to purple, and the purple hue deepened rapidly. This time, the transformation was extraordinarily fast!
Watching the changes in the light surrounding Yu Tianxin, Hai Ma Douluo seemed somewhat astonished. In no time, the purple light had completely turned black, almost entirely engulfing Yu Tianxin's body in the column of light.
On the Seahorse Holy Pillar behind Hai Ma Douluo, the patterns at the base began to turn black, gradually climbing upward.
The black light climbed to nearly one-third of the height of the Seahorse Holy Pillar before pausing briefly, then surged upward again at an even faster pace. In moments, the black light covered the entire pillar.
Suddenly, six beams of black light shot out, appearing simultaneously before Yu Tianxin. They transformed into six square screens of light, each inscribed with special golden characters.
The text on the first screen glowed brightly, while the characters on the other five screens were relatively dim.
Hai Ma Douluo's lips twitched slightly, and he sighed, "Black Rank Six Tests. Two more than I faced. Sea God, is this person being punished?"
The six screens of light converged, turning into six points of black light that sank into Yu Tianxin's forehead. A six-pointed black star, as dark as ink, appeared on his forehead.
Yu Tianxin seemed to sense something. The confusion in his eyes was replaced by deep thought. Without saying a word, he quickly retreated a few steps, sat down cross-legged, closed his eyes, and furrowed his brows, seemingly lost in contemplation.
After Yu Tianxin completed his trial, Yang Wu, Niu Dun, Huang Yuan, Jing Ling, and Jiang Zhu stepped forward one by one. However, Hai Ma Douluo's reaction was telling.
The results were predictable—all Black Rank trials! Yang Wu and Niu Dun both received Black Rank Six Tests, while the substitutes—Huang Yuan and Jing Ling—received Black Rank Four Tests.
This left Hai Ma Douluo questioning life itself. Ma Hongjun noticed the puzzled look on Hai Ma Douluo's face.
Unable to resist, Ma Hongjun asked, "Senior, what exactly is the Black Rank Six Test? Could you explain it to us?"
Hai Ma Douluo nodded slowly. "The trials given by the Sea God are divided into ranks. Different ranks correspond to varying levels of difficulty, much like the colors of soul rings. From lowest to highest, they are White Rank, Yellow Rank, Purple Rank, Black Rank, and the top-tier Red Rank.
The Sea God assigns different trials based on the individual. The content of the trial appears in the screens of light we just saw—only the examinee and the examiner can know its contents. I am your examiner.
Passing trials of different ranks grants corresponding authority on Sea God Island. The trials are based not only on the examinee's current strength but also on their potential. This is the will of the Sea God."
"For instance, White Rank and Yellow Rank trials consist of only one test. Success means passing. At the Purple Rank level, distinctions begin to appear. Purple Rank trials may involve one to three tests.
In other words, if one beam of light appears before you, you must complete one Purple Rank test. If three beams appear, you must pass three tests to succeed.
The more tests, the greater the difficulty—and the higher the authority gained upon completion.
At the Black Rank level, there are at least four tests, with a maximum of six. This is what I referred to earlier as the Black Rank Six Test.
The Black Rank Six Test is the most difficult among Black Rank trials. Let me tell you this: over the past century, there have been thirty-one Black Rank trials. Of these, seven succeeded, and twenty-four failed.
I was one of the seven who succeeded. Those seven individuals are now the guardians of the seven holy pillars of Sea God Island.
Among us, only Hai Long Douluo, the guardian of the Sea Dragon Holy Pillar, underwent the Black Rank Six Test. He is also the strongest among us, with spirit power that has now broken through to Level 95."
Hai Ma Douluo provided a thorough explanation of the trials, allowing those undergoing them to better understand the stakes.
Dai Mubai inwardly smirked—he truly had the best luck, selecting the most cost-effective trial. The Black Rank trials came with life-threatening risks and simply weren't worth it.
As for Yu Tianxin and the others, including the substitute trio, their resolve was unwavering. Challenges were necessary for growth. To become strong, enduring such trials was an inevitable part of the journey!
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