Douluo Continent: My Martial Soul is the Black Dragon, I am the Lord of the Gods

……

Poseidon Island, Poseidon Mountain.

Xuanming's figure silently appeared at the foot of the mountain. Just as he was about to ascend, a vast and boundless wave of divine thought, like a tide, spread out from the Sea God Temple at the summit, instantly enveloping the entire Sea God Island!

This divine thought was pure, profound, and full of life and inclusiveness. It was far more composed and refined than Qian Renxue's slightly restless and sharp divine thought when she first became a god.

Poseidon also succeeded.

Xuanming took a step forward, causing space to slightly distort, and the next moment he appeared inside the Sea God Temple.

In the center of the temple, Poseidon stood quietly. Her once slightly mature face now appeared as youthful and delicate as a girl in her early twenties, her skin flawless and supple. Yet, her deep eyes held a wisdom and world-weariness far beyond her years. Her aura was ethereal and sacred, as if she were one with the ocean, radiating a soft and vast blue divine light.

As a high priestess who has wielded the power of the sea god for decades and has long since completed the eight trials of the sea god, Poseidon's understanding and control of the sea god's power has reached a level of perfection.

For her, inheriting the position of the sea god was a natural progression, without any obstacles.

At this moment, her divine status is stable, her divine power is perfect, and her strength is definitely above that of Qian Renxue, who has just become a god and whose realm is not yet stable.

"Congratulations." Xuanming walked up to her and congratulated her in a calm tone.

Poseidon turned around and looked at Xuanming, a gentle smile appearing in her ethereal eyes: "You've come."

She keenly sensed that Xuanming's aura was somewhat weak and his mental energy was greatly depleted, but she did not ask any questions and simply waited quietly for his purpose.

Xuanming didn't waste any time with pleasantries and went straight to the point: "I've come here today to discuss the matter of storing soul rings with you."

He looked at the enormous stone pillars around Poseidon Island that emitted a faint blue light—the Seven Sacred Pillars of Poseidon.

"The Seven Sacred Pillars of Poseidon Island are divine artifacts left behind by Poseidon before his ascension. They contain his divine power and can both protect sea soul masters and serve as a medium for the Sacred Pillar Trials."

"I would like to ask you to try to create a container that can store spirit rings stably for a long time, based on the principle of the sacred pillars."

Xuanming explained his idea, "Moreover, this container should ideally have certain functions, like the Seven Sacred Pillars, such as... being able to conduct some form of assessment and, by consuming the stored soul rings, grant the examinee the corresponding soul ring."

He further explained, "Forcibly changing the way spirit rings are acquired will inevitably encounter huge resistance in the initial stage. Therefore, it is necessary to provide sufficient rewards and conveniences. Let people see that acquiring spirit rings in the new way can not only make them stronger, but may even be more efficient and safer. Only with incentives can the majority of people accept the change."

A thoughtful glint flashed in Poseidon's eyes; she understood what Xuanming meant.

This aims to transform the acquisition of spirit rings from the barbaric plunder of hunting spirit beasts into a more orderly model, similar to "mission rewards" or "assessment grants."

This is indeed a way to resolve conflicts at their root.

“The assessment format certainly cannot be as complex and rigorous as that of Poseidon Island,” Xuanming added. “It needs to be simplified, and it would be best if it could be integrated into the new rule system that the Martial Soul Empire is promoting, so as to facilitate large-scale promotion.”

After a brief exchange, Xuanming made a request: "This matter is of great importance. I would like to ask you to come with me to the Spirit Empire to discuss the specific implementation plan with Bibi Dong and Gu Yuena."

Poseidon nodded almost without hesitation, "Okay."

Her powerful divine sense had already detected the distant fluctuations of divine power belonging to the Angel God, carrying a hint of restlessness and instability.

Qian Renxue has become a god.

If that scheming young girl might pose a threat to Xuanming in the future, then the presence of the more powerful Sea Goddess would undoubtedly provide an effective check and balance.

……

Wuhun City, the Pope's Palace.

Xuanming led Poseidon into the hall. Before the spatial fluctuations had subsided, a heated argument reached their ears.

"Bibi Dong! What right do you have to stop me! I need to see Xuanming!" "Hmph! This is the Papal Palace! Not your Angelic Secret Realm! He needs to rest now; it's none of your business to disturb him!"

"He's mine! What right do you have to monopolize him!"

"Yours? What a joke! When did he become yours? Don't forget who pushed him to the opposite side in the first place! Now that he's weak, you want to use force? Qian Renxue, you're still so naive and laughable!"

"..."

Clearly, Qian Renxue came down from the Angelic Realm to find Xuanming, but was stopped by Bibi Dong outside the Papal Palace. The two started arguing, and the argument revolved around Xuanming's "ownership".

Xuanming frowned slightly as he listened to the pointless argument. Poseidon stood beside him, her ethereal eyes sweeping over the two facing off, her expression calm and undisturbed.

Their appearance immediately attracted everyone's attention.

When Qian Renxue saw Xuan Ming, her eyes lit up with joy at first, but when she saw Poseidon beside him, whose aura was ethereal and holy and whose body exuded a vast divine power no less than her own, her joy was instantly replaced by greater anger and grievance!
Poseidon? And his divine status seems so stable!
How come there's another woman by Xuanming's side now?!

Bibi Dong secretly breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Poseidon.

Although her strength has increased dramatically, she has not yet fully become a god. If they were to actually fight, she would inevitably suffer a loss against Qian Renxue, who has already become a god and is emotionally unstable.

With Poseidon, a sea goddess with profound knowledge and experience, Xuanming's safety is undoubtedly more guaranteed, and it can also effectively deter Qian Renxue.

Xuanming ignored Qian Renxue's almost fiery glare and walked directly to the center of the hall, interrupting the pointless argument.

"Shut up, everyone."

He glanced at the three of them and cut straight to the point, clearly and concisely explaining his ideas on the storage, recycling, stripping, and bestowal of spirit rings, as well as the current bottlenecks.

The key point is that soul tools can only be stored temporarily, and long-term stable storage must rely on divine power or the power of faith.

He didn't look at Qian Renxue, nor did he show any intention of "asking for help." Instead, he calmly asked in a businesslike tone, "To create a divine artifact that can store and imbue soul rings for a long time, one needs stable divine power and a subtle mastery of the rules. Who is interested in taking on this task?"

He knew Qian Renxue too well. If he showed that he needed something from her, this girl would definitely take advantage of him and make all sorts of unreasonable demands.

But if it's described as a "competition" or "opportunity" that ignites her competitive spirit, she will go all out to prove herself.

as predicted!

As soon as Xuanming finished speaking, Qian Renxue stepped forward and grabbed his arm tightly, her tone authoritative and unquestionable: "This matter must be left to me! Who else is qualified to use angelic power to do this? Bibi Dong's Asura power is full of killing intent, and the Sea God has nothing to do with the continent, so neither is suitable! Only my divine power is the most suitable for stabilizing and bestowing soul rings!"

She stared into Xuanming's eyes with a hint of threat: "If you don't hand it over to me, I will make your life miserable! I will also take back ownership of the Martial Soul Empire!"

Xuanming looked at her "I'll cause trouble if you don't give it to me" attitude and was speechless, but remained calm on the surface.

He didn't agree immediately, but instead asked calmly, "Give it to you? On what grounds? The current Martial Soul Empire was built on the soul tool technology I brought, and the implementation of the new policies and daily management were all handled by Bibi Dong. And you? Qian Renxue, what have you done all these years? Besides going into seclusion to receive the inheritance, what contributions have you made to this empire? What makes you worthy of the empire's support?"

"With your strength as the God of Angels? Are you planning to forcibly seize the fruits of everyone's labor? That's truly... impressive."

Qian Renxue was speechless when asked the question, her face turning pale and then red.

She has indeed been almost completely isolated from the world for years, knowing nothing about the current state of the Spirit Empire, let alone making any contributions.

Bibi Dong also spoke up coldly at the opportune moment: "That's right. Nowadays, most of the power of faith is concentrated on me, who is driving change, and Xuanming, who is providing military support. And you? Qian Renxue, who still remembers you, this old-fashioned Angel God? The Angel God has long been bound to the tyrannical Spirit Hall of the old era, and the new image of the Spirit Empire was established by us! You want to reap the rewards? Dream on!"

Although Poseidon didn't speak, her calm and profound gaze exerted immense pressure on Qian Renxue.

Qian Renxue was both angry and anxious, yet unable to refute him. She realized that she was completely out of place in this new empire. (End of Chapter)