Douluo Continent: A Thousand Miles of Cultivation

"Hmph! Who wants to go on a round-the-island trip with you! I'm leaving. Your trials ahead won't be easy either. Be careful."

Xiaobai's voice echoed across the sea, but she had already turned around and plunged into the circular sea. Her body twisted a few times and disappeared like an arrow.

"She was right after all..."

With the conclusion of the second exam, the content of the third exam was introduced.

"Soul power and soul skills are completely sealed; body training is conducted continuously for 365 days using the tides..."

Qian Shuisheng translated the meaning of the third test with a sense of despair, and he also felt that he could not mobilize a single bit of soul power, and the long-lost feeling of heaviness in his body returned.

"Congratulations on completing the second test. Follow me." A leisurely voice rang in everyone's ears.

Before he knew it, the noble Sea God Douluo Poseidon, dressed in red, had appeared beside him.

Poseidon's eyes held a hint of reproach, probably because Qianshui had dragged it out for too long.

After saying that, Poseidon turned and walked in the opposite direction from Poseidon. Her pace didn't seem fast; each step was so light and slow.

Life is hard, Qian Shui sighed. He had adapted to a lifestyle where everything relied on soul power, and whether or not he had soul skills was irrelevant to him.

But he couldn't use his soul power anymore, which was terrible. He hadn't taken a bath in a long time. He had cleaned himself with his soul power, but he hadn't cleaned himself after coming out of the Ring Sea. He was covered in seawater, and without the protection of his soul power, his whole body was damp and sticky.

However, his physical condition is excellent. He has always insisted on cultivating both body and mind, and running is also one of his favorite activities. After years of cultivation, even if he only relies on his physical body, he is confident that he can kill a Soul Emperor head-on.

He was just trying to catch up with Poseidon; even with all his might, he could barely keep up with her.

Chapter 137 The Power of Nature

They traversed forests and climbed hills, encountering other inland seas within Poseidon Island. Following closely behind Poseidon, they almost traversed the entire island.

Suddenly, a deafening rumble reached their ears. Although they couldn't see anything yet, the enormous roar was like thunder rolling across the sky, growing stronger and stronger with each thud, deafeningly loud.

Poseidon floated up, as if she were flying through the air, and flew up to a mountain peak several hundred meters high in front of her. The mountain peak was formed entirely of rock, barren of vegetation, and pitch black.

A height of several hundred meters was nothing to Qian Shui; after a few leaps, they quickly reached the top of the mountain.

When he saw what was before him, he finally exclaimed, "What a magnificent sight of raging waves!"

Before him lay a valley recessed into Poseidon Island, beyond which stretched the boundless sea. The valley dipped into the island from the shore, extending for several hundred meters, and was surrounded by the same black rocks beneath his feet.

Bedrock? Obsidian?

There are many materials that Qian Shui is unaware of. Many naturally formed items in the fantasy world possess materials science comparable to that of a century of industrial society. For example, his two swords should have broken long ago. Qian Shui's assessment is that they are at most at the Soul Saint level.

However, once imbued with soul power, it becomes stronger against stronger opponents.

For some reason, the calm seawater outside Poseidon Island instantly transforms into raging torrents once it enters this valley, with waves reaching hundreds of meters high and crashing heavily against the rocks beneath their feet. The sheer power of nature instills a sense of awe and dread in everyone present.

"This is where you will take your third test, called the Furious Waves' Desperate Situation."

This is one of the wonders of Seagod Island; even a sea spirit beast like the Demon Soul Great White Shark would never come here. It's also one of the few places in the ocean where sea spirit beasts have disappeared. Do you know why this sunken valley exists?

"It's the impact of ocean waves. The principle of water dripping through stone is very simple, not to mention the salty seawater, which has been eroded by such raging waves for millions of years."

Feeling the overwhelming grandeur, Qian Shui's mind was completely captivated by the wonders of nature, unaware that he was blurting out the principles of corrosion and tides.

Poseidon said calmly, "You guessed right. This valley was formed in this way, with the rocks being compressed through constant impact. You can try it if you have the chance. Because the rocks here have been battered for a long time, they are not only as hard as steel, but also extremely dense. The weight of the same volume is almost comparable to that of silver."

"That doesn't make sense. Rocks can't be compressed, and there's no high-pressure environment on the surface. Repeated hammering would only wash away the fragile rock layers that were originally attached to this hard rock, exposing the originally incredibly hard bedrock inside..."

Qian Shui regretted it as soon as he finished speaking. These obvious truths to him were the result of years of detailed and step-by-step demonstrations. Empty words were not enough. Did he have to repeat those basic experiments to prove them?

Poseidon hadn't expected Qian Shui to react this way. However, she wasn't sure if her judgment was correct, since the Raging Waves Abyss had existed before human history. Although she was over a hundred years old, she hadn't lived long enough to witness all of this.

"Maybe."

With a curt reply, Poseidon slowly raised her hands, and in an instant, a ring of azure light emanated from her body. Nine spirit rings clearly appeared. Of the nine spirit rings on Poseidon's body, the first eight were black, while only the last spirit ring was red.

'Goodness, why doesn't my divine exam give me a time limit? That old sea god must be biased towards women!'

Behind Poseidon, a huge phantom had emerged. They couldn't see the phantom clearly, but it exuded an aura of majesty.

'This is the Sea God Martial Soul? An old man, not as good-looking as Xiaoxue~'

The blue light shone brightly, yet it did not bring any pressure to anyone. The seemingly gentle blue light, devoid of any soul power fluctuations, was not any of Poseidon's soul skills.

'Becoming a Peerless Douluo is indeed not something easily achieved by simply relying on soul skills! She must have personally experienced similar divine trials, otherwise, based solely on the information from the Sea God, it would be impossible to explain it so clearly!'

In Qian Shui's view, Poseidon's power had long surpassed the scope of spirit rings. Perhaps the Eight Trials of the Sea God was the reason why she surpassed all living beings, but it was not the only reason why she was able to achieve unparalleled status.

Blue light drifted down into the valley, and soon it spread to every corner of the valley below. It was at this moment that a strange sight appeared.

The valley, which had been raging with stormy waves, suddenly became calm, a calm that was extremely abrupt, as if the stormy waves, which were hundreds of meters high, had been forcefully pushed back to the surface by the seemingly soulless blue light released by Poseidon.

'Holy crap, completely suppressing Hai Tao?! What the hell?! Single-handedly and with absolute superiority, overwhelming the power of nature?! Is she really only level 99? That's already beyond the Nascent Soul stage!'

In fact, Ceci had already demonstrated this power when he was undergoing his tribulation; it was Qian Shui who requested it at the time.

But seeing it with his own eyes was a different story. Faced with Poseidon's overwhelming power, Qian Shui finally understood why Tang Chen and Qian Daoliu had been defeated. In his eyes, this was boundless supernatural power, capable of moving mountains and filling seas—a level close to immortality. It was a lesson for Qian Shui, a truly fantastical and awe-inspiring experience.

The blue light suddenly intensified, and Qian Shui, standing beside Poseidon, clearly saw a strong blue light flash in Poseidon's eyes. Immediately afterward, a gray pillar slowly rose from the previously calm sea surface.

"This is where you will take your third test. I will stay here with you throughout the test."

Poseidon's gaze fell on Qian Shui, and he slowly said, "The Nine Trials of the Sea God, twelve hours a day, starting now, for the next three hundred and sixty-five days. If you can't persevere, all your previous efforts will be wasted and you will fail the test."

"Sigh, a whole year, without a break, it's killing me!"

"You're giving up?"

Seeing Poseidon's kind smile, Qian Shui quickly waved his hand, "Well, it's just that I can't use soul power, but my strength is still there, and I can still abstain from grains. Come on then."

Taking a deep breath, Qian Shui replied, "Then I'll trouble you."

As the blue light fell, a thousand streams of water landed on the pillar.

As Poseidon, the Sea God Douluo, withdrew his hands, the blue light gradually faded, and an inexplicable pressure spread around Qian Shui. His soul power was sealed, and he had to take the hit with his body.

Without Poseidon's energy restriction, the seawater beneath his feet began to rise, fifty meters high. It seemed like a great height, but as the waves surged, the seawater below was getting closer and closer to him, and the sound of the waves crashing against the rocks on the shore could be heard.

Before long, a huge wave crashed over him, rising to the same height as him, with overwhelming force, and struck Qian Shui heavily.

"Isn't this simple?"

There wasn't the intense impact he had imagined. Although the waves were strong, Qian Shui could easily withstand them with his pure physical strength. He had practiced with waterfalls before when preparing for the Elite Tournament, and he had also done a simplified version of the Tide Body Tempering in Hanhai City, but the intensity was not this high.

Then he discovered that these waves, like his swordplay, were continuous and never stopped!

Chapter 138 Harmony with the World

"Rongrong, hey Rongrong, don't walk so fast~"

"Hey! Stop following me!"

As night fell, outside the Crown Prince's residence in Tiandou City, Crown Prince Xue Qinghe finished his day's work and returned home as usual.

"Brother Qinghe! You're finally back!"

One of the little angels was speechless. At first, she was quite happy. After all, Qian Shui was not by her side, so seeing Ning Rongrong, who looked like Qian Shui, was not bad.

But I don't know when it started, Ning Rongrong started going to the Crown Prince's residence from time to time. But what kind of personality does Ning Rongrong have? She is the little princess of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School. She is a little devil. She seems like a well-behaved girl in front of Xue Qinghe, but she can't be tied to his side all the time, can she?

So another unlucky fellow from the Crown Prince's residence also went to heaven.

"Brother..."

Xue Qinghe's three younger brothers were like mice before a cat when they saw him. The second prince, being the eldest, had already led an army and gone to the border.

The Third Prince became the commander of the Heavenly Dou City Imperial Guard, overseeing the city's defenses, while the youngest, Xue Beng, was still in school.

Ning Rongrong was originally going to enroll in the Heaven Dou Royal Academy, which is why she had an excuse to run away to Heaven Dou City.

“Rongrong, you’re eleven years old now. Your teacher wants you to go to school, but you won’t. You’re always up and down with avalanches. Your older brother can keep it a secret for you for a while, but you’ll be exposed eventually, won’t you?”

Hearing Xue Qinghe's rebuke, Ning Rongrong didn't take it to heart. Her eyes darted around, and she seemed to be thinking about something else.

She leaned forward, looking like she was about to cry, and hugged Xue Qinghe's arm, stammering, "Brother Xue, are you trying to send Rongrong away?"

Although Ning Rongrong was young, most Soul Masters in Douluo Continent were already quite developed by the age of eleven or twelve. At this moment, Ning Rongrong, dressed in a short blue skirt, was naturally no exception, as Xue Beng could no longer take his eyes off her.

But Qian Renxue was suddenly overwhelmed with questions. She wasn't a real man, so why should she react like a man?

After all, she knew Qian Shui's reaction very well, and it wasn't impossible for her to imitate it perfectly.

"Alright, Rongrong, I have other things to do. The Crown Prince's residence won't kick you out, as long as your teacher doesn't catch you."

As he spoke, he subtly moved Ning Rongrong aside and strode into the mansion.

Ning Rongrong, who was behind him, looked smug and followed him inside.

They say emotions are the most deadly, and Xue Beng certainly witnessed it all. "Rongrong..."

"Hey little rascal, let's go!"

Ning Rongrong didn't care about Xue Beng's thoughts, and just quickly followed Xue Qinghe. Her long, white legs swayed back and forth, making Xue Beng's blood surge.

'Big brother! Rongrong is mine, I will never let you have her!'

Youth is always impetuous. He didn't know where he got the courage, but at the age of Xue Beng, he finally mustered up the courage to rebel against his handsome older brother.

……

"Following the natural order leads to mediocrity, defying it leads to immortality."

Simply conforming to the Way of Heaven ultimately makes one a mere "straw dog" beneath it. To conform is to better control it—this is the Way of Immortality!

The sun and moon in the sea flash like arrows and shuttles.

Sea salt continuously condenses on Qian Shui's body, only to be constantly washed away by the giant waves.

At first, it was painful; the relentless waves crashed against the shore, making it difficult for the water to withstand. His rebellious nature made him constantly think of resisting and enduring it.

But this wasn't something that happened in a day or two; it was a seemingly endless process of tempering. He was like a rock being shaped by impact, the sharper and more prominent it was, the more likely it was to be destroyed first.

If you yield to it without any resistance, you become like a withered tree in the sea, drifting with the current. The waves will not lessen their impact in the slightest; the more you submit, the more pathetic you become, and you can only let it toy with you.

'Adapt to the situation and then leverage it!'

Go with the flow, and then seize the opportunity. Finally, Qianshui no longer felt that the towering waves were anything special.

Is this what they mean by "Let him be strong, the breeze still caresses the mountain; let him be arrogant, the bright moon still shines on the great river"?

When he merges with the waves, he becomes part of the waves; when he becomes part of the waves, he is the waves!