Douluo Continent Villain Simulator: Persecuting Qian Renxue at the Start

Chapter 169 No one understands the Sea God better than me (Seeking votes at the end of the month~)

The area of ​​the Haenyeo Castle is not large.

In fact, not only the Sea Maiden City, but all seven holy cities on Seagod Island are only small cities compared to the ordinary cities of the Heaven Dou Empire.

Even the city walls are only five meters high, and you can see the city from a high point in the forest outside the city.

The most eye-catching feature is the statue of a young girl atop a giant stone pillar in the center of the city, which, according to legend, is the first sea witch who once followed the sea god.

The city was sparsely populated, and most of the sea god warriors who came and went were dressed in white and yellow. The trials these people had undergone were clearly the most basic white-level and yellow-level assessments.

Purple represents high-ranking figures in the city.

Here, people are basically self-sufficient. The residents grow some simple crops, and with the nourishment from the sea, it is enough to make a living.

There is no currency needed on Poseidon Island; transactions are generally conducted through barter.

In addition, Poseidon Island also has a fleet of ships specifically responsible for sourcing goods. Every so often, they would set sail to trade with nearby coastal cities and purchase daily necessities that are not available at sea.

However, the fleet was not composed of Soul Masters from Seagod Island.

Soul Masters who pass the test are usually unable to leave Seagod Island for life.

Those fleets were formed spontaneously by Sea Spirit Masters who did not belong to Seagod Island, or those who had failed the trials. Every so often, these people would send a batch of supplies to Seagod Island in exchange for some of the island's specialties.

"The Sea God has never abandoned, nor will he ever abandon, any of his subjects. Your failure to pass the test does not mean you have not gained the Sea God's approval; rather, it is precisely this new test that the Sea God has given you..."

At the Poseidon Island market, the boy's voice slowly and clearly reached the ears of every listener.

He didn't look very old. But strangely, the dozens of people in front of him were listening attentively, their expressions serious and devout, and not a single person made a sound.

The boy had a gentle expression, a warm smile on his face, and a light that shone in his eyes that was both comforting and pleasant.

His gaze seemed to carry a warm feeling, allowing people to feel strength from the depths of their hearts.

In the boy's words, the Sea God was neither a legend nor far removed from them. It was as if that deity had never left, but stood right there in the clouds, watching over them, encouraging them, and guiding them.

This young man was Su Cheng.

Now, half a year has passed since the day his martial soul awakened, long past the time limit he agreed upon with Poseidon.

But Poseidon did not appear.

Perhaps she forgot, or perhaps reason regained its hold after she calmed down.

Su Cheng felt the latter was more likely.

After all, Poseidon arrived as promised when his martial soul awakened, so there was no reason for him to have forgotten him after only half a year.

It's estimated that the high priest didn't think Su Cheng had any hope of fulfilling his boast.

They believed that his past remarks were nothing more than childish fantasies.

Su Cheng didn't care, nor did he take the initiative to prove his ideas. He wasn't in a hurry; his martial spirit still had room for improvement.

With his cultivation of the Nirvana Sutra, his current martial soul quality is approximately at the sixth level of innate soul power. According to Su Cheng's calculations, this should be the same quality level as his father's martial soul.

After absorbing the first spirit ring, he has the potential to improve rapidly, and it is estimated that he will reach level seven in about six months.

His cultivation progressed extremely rapidly. Not only did he reach the tenth level mentioned at the beginning, but after advancing to Soul Master and continuing his cultivation, his Soul Power level has now even risen to the peak of the thirteenth level.

There was no other way; he had too many ways to improve his aptitude and cultivation speed.

These things are beyond the imagination of even a peerless Douluo like Poseidon.

The Nirvana Sutra has the effect of purifying bloodlines and correcting and optimizing the core information of martial souls.

The former is effective very quickly, while the latter requires time to adjust gradually and is more efficient during periods of low quality.

However, this was largely thanks to Su Cheng awakening a sword-type martial soul.

The Nirvana Sutra is a type of customized practice.

For example, in the second simulation, the Nirvana Sutra he created had the best effect on the Netherworld White Tiger Martial Soul.

When used on the White Tiger and the Netherworld Cat, the effect is to bring the core information of these two martial souls closer to the Netherworld White Tiger.

The Nirvana Sutra he is currently cultivating is the latest cultivation method that has undergone multiple optimizations and natural advancements in reality.

The most effective effect is undoubtedly on Su Cheng's physical body in reality, which can affect his twin martial souls and is the foundation for him to form his self-fused martial soul technique.

In this world, although using this technique cannot completely transform his martial soul to the level of the Longevity Sword, it is barely enough. With the addition of soul ring effects, he can also make his martial soul continuously approach the quality of the Longevity Sword.

Besides the cultivation techniques, all kinds of precious herbs can be found everywhere here.

The natural environment of Poseidon Island is much better than that of the mainland.

If there weren't such auspicious places as the Blue Silver Grass Forest or the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well, it might not be impossible to directly condense a soul ring by stimulating one's bloodline.

Under these circumstances, allowing Poseidon to delay for a while longer might actually have a more impactful effect.

Moreover, as a fanatical believer, how could he place Poseidon before the sea god?

For Poseidon, this was an "unexpected joy." He absolutely could not rush to find her; he needed to maintain sufficient initiative.

It's ridiculous.

How could a mere Soul Master possibly gain the upper hand in front of Poseidon?

Let alone a mere level seven innate soul power, even if one has full innate soul power, what does that mean to a level ninety-nine peerless Douluo?

But Su Cheng has this kind of confidence.

Because Poseidon was a true fanatical believer in the sea god, the kind who was willing to sacrifice her life for him.

There is no order of precedence in learning; those who achieve mastery come first.

Clearly, he has won in the matter of faith in the sea god.

In his understanding of the spirit of the sea god, he completely surpassed Poseidon, the high priest of the island of Poseidon who considered himself a servant of the sea god.

His clever trick was something the other party could never have imagined.

A child born with innate knowledge, possessing a powerful technique to enhance martial spirit bloodline?

In comparison, the guidance of the sea god is probably more credible.

"..."

After Su Cheng finished speaking, he looked at the dozens of quiet listeners with a gentle gaze, "Now you may ask your questions."

"Lord Su Cheng, do you mean that Lord Sea God has actually been secretly observing us all along?"

Although Su Cheng was only a Soul Master, there were many people here whose cultivation level was higher than his, and who were also much older than him.

But these people appeared extremely respectful, and their tone was very courteous.

They all heard about Su Cheng's deeds from the residents of Poseidon Island, and knew that he had cultivated from a near-innate level of zero soul power to a Soul Master in just half a year.

For ordinary people, this is almost equivalent to a "miracle".

At least for Poseidon Island and the surrounding waters of many islands, nothing like this has ever happened in countless years.

"Do not address me as 'Sir'. As I have said before, under the divine light, all beings are equal, without distinction of rank or status. If you do not wish to call me by my name, then call me 'Divine Messenger'."

Su Cheng first corrected the other party's form of address, and then slowly said, "As for your question just now, the answer is obvious. Don't try to understand the gods with the eyes of mortals. You must try to understand the meaning of the Sea God's teachings. The Sea God is omniscient and omnipotent. In his eyes, there are no secrets in the mortal world. Each of you also has your own unique mission."

Do you know what our future mission is?

"I don't know." Su Cheng smiled and shook his head. "But the Sea God knows. All I can do is convey the Sea God's will. Your destiny belongs to yourselves, and no one except the Sea God has the right to interfere. Even I can only do my best to guide you onto the right path."

The "sea god" he spoke of was omniscient and omnipotent.

But unless he does something stupid, he wouldn't boast about himself; that would be digging his own grave.

Su Cheng knew that these people in front of him, despite their pure eyes and respectful expressions, were only acting temporarily.

Even if you feel a strong sense of identification today due to his words, actions, and emotional appeal, you will surely find yourself again over time.

The human heart is the most complex thing; it's not so easy to become completely devoted to someone.

After a while, people will probably become skeptical. The only difference is that some people may believe more and some may believe less, so he will have to find another opportunity to produce something real later.

Brainwashing is not something that can be accomplished in a day or two.

However, he has plenty of time. He has at least ten years to slowly lay the groundwork; this is just the beginning.

Moreover, his reputation has only just begun to spread.

Once the initial phase is over, the spread will accelerate significantly, and then naturally other new solutions will emerge.

At this moment, another person spoke up, and this person's aura was even weaker than Su Cheng's.

Clearly, his talent wasn't great, and his strength was also weak.

"My lord, I have heard of your deeds. Is your soul power enhancement, unaffected by innate talent, due to the blessing of the Sea God?"

"To be precise, it was the guidance of Lord Sea God." Su Cheng looked at the other party, his eyes revealing a fanatical light.

"Remember this: the Sea God will not directly help any of you."

"But he will guide you and tell you how to do it. As long as you can do it, your innate talents will not become a hindrance to your growth."

"When I awakened my martial soul half a year ago, my innate soul power level was less than level one."

"At the time, I didn't care about the level of innate soul power. I also said the same thing to the High Priest and the Sea Maiden Douluo."

Upon hearing this, everyone fell silent for a moment, then looked at each other in bewilderment.

Although I had heard before that Su Cheng had poor aptitude but had achieved cultivation results beyond what ordinary people could imagine, I had never seen it with my own eyes.

Now that we know that even the High Priest and the Sea Maiden Douluo know about this, it's clear that it's not false.

Someone couldn't help but ask, "Can we do the same thing as you? We're the ones who didn't pass the test."

Su Cheng turned his head and looked over.

"Your thoughts are not pure enough, and your faith in the Sea God is not devout enough."

"Whether you pass the test or not is not as important as you think. I have emphasized before that whether you are a resident of Seagod Island or a Sea Soul Master on the sea, you are all the children of Lord Seagod, and there is no distinction between high and low, noble and lowly."

"The sea god is willing to guide different people in different directions. If you fail the test, it means that it is not the most correct path for you in the future, but this does not affect your status as a child and believer of the sea god."

"I ask you. Does not living on Seagod Island mean you must abandon your faith in Lord Seagod? Aren't your harvests on the sea, your increased strength and growth, all thanks to Lord Seagod's blessings?"

Su Cheng's words were firm and resounding, gradually becoming more stern as they progressed.

Many people looked ashamed upon hearing this and lowered their heads to reflect.

Looking at the expressions on these people's faces, Su Cheng nodded to himself.

Compared to the sea god warriors on Poseidon Island, these people who failed the test are Su Cheng's key development targets in the future.

Poseidon Island has a larger population.

Even including those minors under the age of eighteen who were put to the test, the total number is still less than 10,000, which is negligible compared to the population resources of the vast surrounding islands.

Indeed, the proportion of Soul Masters on the outer islands is far less than that in the city.

In fact, there are almost no non-Soul Master adults among the residents of Poseidon Island.

The reason for this is simple: it's a test from Poseidon.

In the history of Poseidon Island, there were indeed very simple white-level assessments, such as tasks like picking up a specific seashell.

But such a situation is extremely rare, and ordinary people who receive such a mission are practically blessed by the gods.

There are indeed not many high-level combatants among the sea spirit masters outside of Seagod Island, let alone a single titled Douluo-level powerhouse. This is because those who fail the Black-level assessment die; they have no chance of being expelled from the island.

But Su Cheng didn't care about that.

For him, combat power below the peak Douluo level is completely useless.

What's the use of turning all seven pillars into our own? All of them combined wouldn't be enough for Poseidon to defeat with one hand.

To overthrow the Sea God's legacy, we must start from other directions.

What Su Cheng valued was not their combat strength, but their very existence.

"what?"

Suddenly, Su Cheng's eyes flickered slightly.

He noticed that one or two people in the crowd were experiencing extremely intense emotional fluctuations.

"No, that's not a simple mental fluctuation. It contains much stronger emotions and desires that mental fluctuations cannot express."

Su Cheng was somewhat excited.

He discovered that this talent of being a "professional clergyman" could actually evoke a spiritual resonance in some people when he was preaching.

They can even go further and sense some of the other person's thoughts and feelings.

This feeling is somewhat like psychological profiling, but it goes a step further.

Su Cheng stared intently at it.

At this moment, what he was exposed to was the faint glow of his soul.

"A chance encounter can lead to unexpected success..."

Over the years, Su Cheng has tried to explore his talent as a "soul scholar".

But the soul is different from the body and bloodline.

The beings on the Douluo Continent do indeed possess souls, but their souls are hidden deep within their physical bodies, making them virtually untouchable.

This thing is not visible to the naked eye like the body, nor can it be revealed through the martial soul like bloodline.

Unless, like Ah Yin, he directly appears in a spirit form and is revealed to the real world.

Or someone with exceptional talent like Qian Renxue could actively manifest it; otherwise, Su Cheng would have no way of understanding the situation.

In fact, let alone others, he doesn't even know how to begin studying his own soul.

At that moment, someone quickly noticed his absent-mindedness and followed his gaze.

The boy being watched by Su Cheng was not very old, only a little over ten years old. He was probably born outside of Poseidon Island and had come to Poseidon Island with his elders today.

He seemed somewhat flustered as he was suddenly surrounded by many eyes.

"Don't worry." Su Cheng gave him a deep look and said in a deep voice, "What's your name?"

"I...I'm called Li Qing," the boy murmured.

"I can sense whether you are devout or not." Su Cheng first explained to the others, then looked at Li Qing again, "Show me your martial spirit."

Li Qing pursed his lips, somewhat hesitant. But after meeting Su Cheng's encouraging gaze, he mustered his courage and summoned his martial soul.

As a faint light appeared, a cuttlefish martial spirit was revealed to everyone.

However, this squid looked somewhat malnourished, was very small, and moved without any spirit, so it was obvious that its quality was extremely low.

The same is true.

Li Qing's talent wasn't particularly good; his innate soul power was only level one, and his family didn't have many cultivation resources. Four years had passed since his martial soul awakened, and he had only just reached level ten, not yet having attached his first soul ring and become a soul master.

One of the main reasons I came to Poseidon Island today was to meet Su Cheng, a peer with a somewhat legendary background.

Su Cheng stared at him, his expression solemn.

"Li Qing, I can feel your piety and your determination to break through your limits. In addition, I also feel the guidance of the Sea God. You need a 400-year-old boneless fish as your first spirit ring. When that happens, you will find that your spirit will undergo a different change."

With Su Cheng's research on martial soul bloodlines, improving this low-quality martial soul would be a piece of cake.

If it's a top-tier martial soul, unless he uses potions and cultivation techniques, it's very difficult for him to improve the opponent's martial soul quality solely through spirit rings. Su Cheng obviously can't easily use external aids like potions; things that can be replicated would reduce the credibility of his words. Moreover, such actions can't be easily explained by the Sea God's spiritual guidance; it would be counterproductive.

Of course, people with top-tier qualifications probably wouldn't easily fall for his hype, so it doesn't really matter.

However, Li Qing's martial soul bloodline is really poor, so it can be easily made up for, and the effect will be immediate.

Upon hearing Su Cheng's words, not only Li Qing, but everyone else was momentarily stunned and surprised.

After the initial surprise came joy.

Someone hurriedly said to Li Qing, "Hurry up and thank the Divine Envoy!"

"Thank you, Divine Envoy! I will definitely work hard! I will not let you and the Sea God down!"

"I told you, don't call me 'sir'," Su Cheng said calmly, his voice echoing in everyone's ears.

"You don't need to thank me. All of this is thanks to Lord Poseidon. Li Qing, remember what I said. This is the first step on the right path for you. Seize this opportunity."

After saying that, he gave Li Qing another deep look.

This person will be of great use in the future.

This doesn't refer to the mission in this simulation, but rather to his research on the soul.

He lacks a starting point; once he has one, the research progress will be much faster.

As for the others present, after today's events, they will surely help Li Qing obtain a spirit ring and then observe the subsequent changes.

With empirical evidence to drive him and his persuasive rhetoric, expanding his sect would be incredibly easy.

One more chapter, I'll post it later. Please give me your votes, everyone! My monthly votes expire soon, everyone! Don't mind the few updates in the past two days, I've tried my best. Although it's only one chapter, it's quite long, mainly because some plot points were split into two chapters and weren't very coherent. It's the setup stage for the new simulation, and I need to think more about the Poseidon Island plot myself. I'll write out some subplots first, which makes writing a bit difficult, but it'll be fine once I get it organized.

(End of this chapter)