Douluo Continent: A Thousand Miles of Cultivation

You must know that the only thing that cannot be stopped is time. Like a sharp blade, it silently cuts through everything, hard and soft, and moves forward steadily. Nothing can cause it to stumble in the slightest, yet it... changes everything!

But there is another way, and that is—dreams!

At that time, I didn't have the extra energy to destroy it, but I could drag it into my calamity.

It simply ignores the first difficulty because it doesn't understand Earth at all.

The second difficulty was that it swallowed Poseidon, attempting to block the path for the God of Trials to break through quickly.

The third difficulty was its greatest greed; it truly possessed me.

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step; that is the beginning. If you can't even take that first step, everything is for naught. On Earth, I don't need to do anything; all I need to do is lie down.

"Great rivers are formed from countless small streams." The initial stage involves tedious and monotonous accumulation, but there are shortcuts. For example, the "divine examination" (a type of exam) is where one gets stuck.

After listening to Qian Shui ramble on for a while, Qian Qian got impatient. "No, you guys are having a good chat, but can you let me change back first?"

It's not a big deal that her public display of affection was interrupted, but she felt uneasy being stared at by the couple.

The little angel stared at Qianqian without moving her eyes and said calmly, "What about the final challenge?"

The wife sings and the husband follows, Qian Shui also stares at Qian Qian, "Soaring straight up to ninety thousand miles, if you want to fly, you have to face the sky and the vast and boundless world. In front of these, there is endless rebirth and death."

How can we know death if we don't know life? The reverse is also true: to rise, one must first sink to the bottom; this is the essence of a rebound after hitting rock bottom.

Being stared at wasn't so bad, it was just awkward. So, to avoid embarrassment, Qianqian counted on her little hands and shook her little feet, asking questions that interested her, since Qianshui was her external brain.

"Can you say something I can understand? And all those 'yous,' are they really you?"

Qian Shui hadn't expected the child to ask such a philosophical question. He answered Qian Qian's question first, "In short, it's me."

"Actually, if my own consciousness were present, these tribulations would be seen through at a glance. Without being bound by a low level of mindset, these tribulations would be nothing to me."

But dreams are different; it's the subconscious that's acting, it's me yet not me.

This state of being in a daze is the most terrifying thing.

So I have to thank you, Xiaoxue, without you I wouldn't be able to do this."

"What are you thanking me for?" she asked, slightly annoyed. "We're husband and wife, why are you still talking about this?"

"Because seemingly impossible calamities are precisely the ones we should confront, not rush through, as that would diminish the gains." As the saying goes, every cloud has a silver lining, and Qian Shui understands that the greater the difficulty, the greater the reward.

"So you're blaming me for going to all this trouble?!"

"Of course not!" The issue needs to be viewed dialectically. Doing it this way yields the greatest benefit, but it often requires a longer cycle to trigger the possibility of clearing the level, and for some people, it often takes a lifetime.

"If you hadn't come, and things had dragged on for too long, what would have happened to the mainland? A dream has passed, and everything has changed in the blink of an eye. So I have to thank you."

Qian Shui's explanation made the little angel understand why he ultimately 'committed suicide.' Firstly, it was to fit the theme of the calamity, and secondly, it was the most direct way to do so.

"So, the most direct way to wake up from this dream is suicide?"

It's puzzling why Qian Renxue is so fixated on the issue of 'suicide.' Behind every grand and complex event lies a simple solution. Seeing that his wife has provided an even simpler explanation, Qian Shui excitedly slapped his thigh, "That's right!"

His wife's explanation made sense; if she had known, why would he have thought so much? He had already seen Inception.

"Why didn't you say so earlier! Every dream was so real! Do you know I really thought you were dying!" The little angel was furious. She really didn't know what Qian Shui was so excited about, and grabbed his vital spot.

"The Deep Sea Demon Whale King's training was ruined, what does that have to do with me!" Qian Shui hurriedly explained with a ferocious expression.

Practicing in the direction of pure Yin is no different from self-castration, which is similar to taking certain drugs, so wouldn't that just ruin your progress?

"I don't care! I can't hold it in any longer!" The little angel declared, the happy island could no longer endure it.

Qianqian didn't understand, but she was going crazy. Luckily, Qianshui opened a way for her to escape, otherwise it wouldn't have been a live broadcast, but a stage play.

"Those two guys are so annoying! I'm going to pull off a big conspiracy and a big plan to really get back at them!" Qianqian yelled angrily, remembering her inner demon's job.

Just when Qianqian thought she was about to take over the original body and breathed a sigh of relief, the little angel returned.

"So fast?!"

"Fast?" The little angel, whose spirit was fully satisfied, felt that her soul was so powerful that it was almost overflowing. "The flow of time in dreams is indeed different."

This kind of thing happens too often, usually involving both physical and mental activity, but this time it's different; my mind is completely overwhelmed.

She moved her stiff body slightly, then made a decision. Her body slowly shrank. This was the first time she had used her ability to change her appearance after reaching her limit.

Her spiritual power was too strong, and she could no longer suppress her cultivation level. She would soon lose consciousness, and it was unknown when she would wake up.

After this series of events, Qianqian became exceptionally powerful. She didn't even need to think about what she would do when she lost consciousness.

Qianqian: I can't do anything!

At this moment, the couple's auras surged simultaneously, reaching a certain level of power. Qian Shui also opened his eyes when Qian Renxue closed them.

Suddenly, the nine soul rings on his primordial spirit martial soul appeared around him, turning yellow, purple, black, and red. A strange energy fluctuation burst forth from his forehead, and the third soul core was successfully condensed, bringing his martial soul cultivation to level 100!

This was not the end, but the beginning. The tenth golden soul ring, representing god-level power, suddenly descended, and violent energy emanated from Qian Shui's body.

As the third soul core was successfully condensed, Qian Shui's three dantians roared simultaneously, and the microcosmic and macrocosmic orbits within and outside his body circulated wildly, causing a gigantic primordial spirit dharma image to appear involuntarily.

This time, the Dharma Body was no longer activated by the seventh spirit ring that was forcibly locked by the martial spirit rules, but instead took on its true form!

With a slight hand gesture, Qian Shui smiled faintly, "I understand, the rules of this Martial Soul Technique!"

"At this point, we might as well not have this spirit ring!"

"Nurturing the Primordial Spirit in Yin, the first ring of the Netherworld Cat, shattered!"

The base is earth, the second ring of the Desert Fox, shattered!

Earth produces metal, Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear Third Ring, Shattered!

Metal generates water, the fourth ring of the spinning dolphin, shattered!

Water nourishes wood, Blue Silver King's fifth ring, shattered!

Wood generates fire, the sixth ring of the Ten-Headed Blazing Sun Serpent shatters!

God turned to light, God bestowed the seventh ring, and it shattered!

The first seven soul rings were forcibly crushed into fragments by Qian Shui's powerful force. The five elements of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth converged, combining light and darkness to form yin and yang, creating a chaotic flow, which became one!

Surrounded by chaotic energy, Qian Shui pointed one finger to the sky and the other to the earth, his primordial spirit dharma form standing tall and firm, his eighth and ninth soul rings shattering instantly.

At this moment, the primordial spirit and martial soul completely ceased to exist. Such rules could no longer, could not, and were no longer needed to forcibly lock Qianshui's essence, energy, and spirit.

"Drink! The Dao gives birth to one!" Qian Shui let out a long roar, and the tribulation clouds from the Breakthrough Nascent Soul stage began to gather.

The merging into chaos, and the nascent life, freed Qian Shui's soul from the forceful lock of the Martial Soul rules, began a true fusion with the growing Nascent Soul, stepping into the true Divine Transformation stage.

However, all of this happened at the Temple of Poseidon, and the master of this place was no pushover.

"Qianshui! What are you doing? Stop it!" The first-level god, the Sea God, made his grand entrance, and the golden trident suddenly appeared in his hand, slamming it down on the floor of the Sea God's temple.

Upon seeing the Sea God arrive, Qian Shui, who was looking at the tribulation clouds, laughed, "I had almost forgotten about that!"

Pointing to his forehead, the golden trident mark representing the nine trials of the sea god finally reappeared.

"You want to complete the succession to the divine throne now?" Poseidon thought that Qian Shui was announcing his identity as the successor to the sea god.

Seeing that Poseidon, the sea god, didn't understand the situation, Qian Shui felt helpless, as if he was bullying an honest person. "I'm just giving this back to you."

"you dare!"

Having said that, Poseidon shone with divine light, but unfortunately, he stopped. The danger of the lightning tribulation could be put aside for now; this divine trial was no joke. "Wait, let's talk this over!"

If you cannot break free from the divine test, then the Sea God and the Great Bright God will unleash their power to punish you, this arrogant divine test-taker. But if you can truly break free from the divine test, then he will be afraid.

Under Poseidon's three-corpse-divine gaze, the golden trident mark was easily peeled off Qian Shui's forehead without the slightest hesitation.

Qian Shui glanced at his wife, who had shrunk and was sitting blankly like a duck, and decided to listen to Poseidon's opinion, suppressing his anger.

He's not Tang San; without absolute certainty of victory, he might sacrifice Qian Renxue. Does he intend to offer a sacrifice and then 'Resurrect my love!'

Since both sides are hesitant to act rashly, we have no choice but to discuss this further.

"Qianshui, you are the most talented cultivator I have ever seen. You were able to break through to level 100 in such a short time. Even a miracle could not have done it."

But you should know that if you inherit the divine position, then all will be well, and as the Sea God, you will have a place in the divine realm.

But if you lose your divine position and escalate the situation, the Divine Realm Committee will kill you on the spot, since you are currently only a human, not a god!

The strategy is to praise before criticizing, and to avoid offending someone who is smiling. Praising someone in a way that makes it difficult for them to refute is the best way to keep them listening.

But Poseidon was clearly anxious. As far as Qian Shui knew, gods were not allowed to provide any hints to their successors during the divine test that would help them complete the test.

If we compare the divine realm to a company, then the divine realm committee is the board of directors, and the god-king is the god with the highest say.

A first-level god like Poseidon is a high-ranking official, and so on down the line, each performing their own duties and completing their respective tasks.

In the human world, employees can quit their jobs and slack off, but the gods in the divine realm cannot.

Working 24/7, year-round, with almost no entertainment outside of studying and working, and needing a suitable successor to quit if you want to.

Most importantly, the population hardly moves around, and even a fresh goddess is a rare sight, which is more painful than life imprisonment. Becoming a god is tantamount to asking for trouble.

From Poseidon's perspective, the Thousand Waters was His best option, and He was just one step away from succeeding, like breaking a crystal and needing only one drop of blood. Now, He was asked to give up?

It's important to understand that giving up this position doesn't just mean losing the divine throne—snap, that's it! He also faces sanctions from the Divine Realm Committee. The Asura Demon Sword won't show any mercy to this delicate sea god.

It's like his own tower is going to be demolished; it all comes down to who can make the first cut. If it really doesn't work, he might as well just explode on the spot.

But Qian Shui on the other side wouldn't think from your perspective as the Sea God. Your Tangtang God Realm has long been a corrupt and ineffective force that is physically rigid, oppresses the lower realms, and does nothing.

His rebellious streak as a Chinese person was directly triggered, so he has been plotting against the divine realm.

However, based on the strategic principle of "you do your thing, I'll do mine," Qian Shui thought it was worth listening to, as there might be some points that could be used.

But he still did what he was supposed to do, and a breakthrough was inevitable.

Seeing that Qian Shui remained silent, Poseidon continued to persuade him, "You may do whatever you want, but before the divine enforcers arrive, first inherit the position of the Sea God, so that the Divine Council has nothing to say..."

"So you can sever all ties like this?" Qian Shui interrupted Him.

"Yes! I think I've made myself clear enough!"

"Your suggestion is good, but I have another option." You must always keep the initiative in your own hands; you can't leave your destiny to others to arrange, no matter how tempting it may sound.

Glancing at the gathering storm clouds, Poseidon said urgently, "Then tell me quickly! The Asuras will be here very soon!"

"You just want a qualified successor, the Angel God and the Asura God alike. Then as long as there is a successor, that's enough. There won't be any conflict among us. Why make things so tense?"

Qian Shui's meaning is very clear: the core conflict here is the succession of the divine position, not the blood feud of killing one's parents. There is no knot that cannot be untied.

"Do you think it's easy to find the successor?" From Poseidon's perspective, this is a very difficult task.