Douluo Continent Villain Simulator: Persecuting Qian Renxue at the Start

Chapter 174 The Seventh Soul Ring After 100,000 Years, the Trembling Poseidon (Part 2)

"Anyone who has light in their heart and hope in their soul is welcome to join my Ming Cult. Every follower of Lord Sea God has a bright future."

"The divine messenger once said that the Sea God is omnipotent. But the sea is free, and all the Sea God's people have the opportunity and right to pursue hope."

Li Qing walked on an unnamed island that was extremely far from Poseidon Island.

As he drove away the sea monsters that were causing trouble, he slowly spoke to the islanders living on the island.

"Young man, a bet's a bet, stop looking so gloomy. It's an honor for you to join my fleet."

On the high seas, a huge ship is sailing swiftly forward, cutting through the waves.

Mivi stood on the wide deck, arms outstretched, facing the wind.

A charming smile graced her youthful face, infecting everyone present with her enthusiasm.

"The divine messenger said that during the process of becoming a god, the sea god also gathered countless followers behind him, sheltering each other from the wind and rain and protecting each other from the storm. As the children of the sea god, we should also unite as one."

"The light of the sea god shines equally on every child of the sea. In the Ming Cult, there is only a difference in strength, not in status. From now on, we are all one family!"

On a deserted island near Poseidon Island, Philip smiled warmly at the pale-faced boy in front of him.

He reached out and touched the other person's still slightly damp short hair.

The other party's ship was capsized by the wind and waves, but luckily it was washed ashore by the tide.

Fortunately, he happened to be passing by and discovered her, thus preventing her from suffocating to death.

"Everyone is born with an independent soul. What does it matter if you don't have soul power? In the Ming Cult, I believe you will definitely be able to find your own value."

"In different eras, people have different missions."

"The messenger of the gods said that a disaster would befall us in the foreseeable future."

"Only by uniting can we withstand that enormous storm."

He gently patted the boy's shoulder, his eyes full of encouragement.

"Are you ready?"

Inside the city lord's mansion of the Sea Maiden City, Su Cheng looked at Lorelei beside him.

At this moment, apart from her exceptionally beautiful appearance, she was no different from any other ordinary human woman.

The fish tail beneath her body had disappeared, transforming into a pair of long, slender, and fair legs, covered by a black gauze skirt that concealed all her allure.

"Can you really help me find a way to avoid the requirement to guard the sacred pillar for many years after completing the mission?" Lorelei hesitated slightly. "I still have plenty of time."

"I can't guarantee that." Su Cheng said helplessly. Although this mermaid princess looked mature, she was indeed childlike and not just playful.

The two were discussing the fourth Black-level test that the other was about to face.

Lorelei's final test was to survive for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, even when the current Sea Goddess Douluo was attacking at full power.

To be honest, the content of this assessment was obviously lenient.

Judging solely from the comparison of the two individuals' strengths, the difficulty of this mission is clearly extremely high, befitting the level of difficulty of the final stage of the Black-level assessment.

After all, the current Sea Maiden Douluo is a peak Douluo at level 95, while Lorelei is only a high-level Soul Douluo. Completing this mission will inevitably involve mortal danger.

The problem is that the two women are mother and daughter, and they share the same martial soul, and they are very familiar with each other.

In terms of the quality of her martial soul, Lorelei is far superior to her mother.

The term "genius" is not an exaggeration; it represents a talent that is extremely rare among the merfolk.

In this situation, Lorelei has a significant advantage.

Moreover, the concept of "going all out" is actually quite broad.

The all-out effort in a life-or-death battle is clearly not the same as the all-out effort in a casual sparring session.

This is actually no different from being admitted through a special recommendation program, and everyone else is aware of this.

This is normal, though. The position of the Sea Maiden Pillar has always been held by the descendants of their mermaid race, so they're used to it.

Su Cheng looked at her and comforted her, "For you, it's better to do it sooner rather than later. Your cultivation level is still low. Even if you pass the test and receive the reward, you'll only be a Soul Douluo, not a Saint Pillar Douluo right away. If you wait until you become a Title Douluo, the difficulty will be much lower."

"That's true, anyway, I won't be short of a few more years." Lorelei sighed. "But, is it alright for you to do this? This is a mission that Lord Sea God entrusted to the Holy Pillar Douluos."

"Lord Poseidon never forces anyone to do anything." Su Cheng's expression remained unchanged, and his words were perfectly tactful.

As the most devout believer of the sea god, he possesses the highest authority to interpret the spirit of the sea god.

"Even the assessment itself is not something that every citizen of Seagod Island has to accept; it's all voluntary. Even you were asked by your clan leader and your mother to succeed as the next Sea Goddess Douluo."

"The Sea God will give all his subjects ample choice. If you can find a way to circumvent the task of guarding the sacred pillars, there will naturally be no problem. It's just that you are not capable of doing it."

There were still a few years until Lorelei's final test, and her original plan was to postpone it until the last minute.

Before that, we'll play for as many years as we can.

After becoming a Pillar Douluo, she will have to take her mother's place in protecting the Sea Maiden Pillar.

In that case, she would be like the current Sea Maiden Douluo, spending most of her time near the Holy Pillar and having little free time of her own.

As for helping Lorelei avoid this task, Su Cheng wasn't entirely confident, but there was definitely a chance.

This is not because Su Cheng is arrogant.

Over the tens of thousands of years that Poseidon Island has existed, the Seven Pillars have not always been at full strength; there have been occasional instances of them being missing.

This obviously means that the Holy Pillar Douluo is not required to be present at his post.

After parting ways with Lorelei, Su Cheng headed towards Poseidon Mountain.

Today is our monthly study session.

However, despite the claim of "learning," Poseidon has not actually taught him anything so far.

When the two of them are together, they mostly communicate with each other.

Discuss your understanding of the will of the sea god, the lives of the people of Sea God Island, and so on.

By now, Poseidon clearly no longer regarded him entirely as a junior.

"But those few who underwent the Black-level assessment..."

Thinking of this, Su Cheng sighed, feeling somewhat troubled.

It's not that those people are difficult to approach.

Although those people were much older than him in terms of both cultivation level and age, Su Cheng's status as a disciple of Poseidon, coupled with his unique talent and unparalleled progress in cultivation, had already earned him the recognition of the higher-ups on Seagod Island.

Many people even believe that Su Cheng is likely to face a top-level test in the future.

There are three candidates who have the opportunity to inherit the position of the Starfish Douluo Saint Pillar. He has communicated with all of them and knows their respective tasks.

The key issue is that he genuinely had no opportunity to intervene.

The fourth test for these three people was very similar: they all had to go out to sea to fight powerful sea spirit beasts. There was no shortcut to defeating or even killing those sea spirit beasts.

In this situation, unless he uses his trump card to help those people improve their strength, such as potions or the Nirvana Sutra, he will not be able to help them all pass the level.

But Su Cheng would never do that.

The risk is too great; it's not worth it at all.

These people certainly have value in themselves.

They are powerful, have extensive connections, and hold a high and respected position on Poseidon Island.

With their talent and charisma, they might be able to play a better role in missionary work, which is indeed what Su Cheng values.

If I have the opportunity to lend a hand, I'm very likely to use it as a source of future assistance.

But that's all.

Ultimately, these few people are only as effective as dozens or hundreds of others.

To expose oneself because of this would be completely foolish.

Besides methods to improve his strength, Su Cheng actually had some ideas on how to shield the other party from the assessment mark above their head.

He would never do something like that; it's too risky.

However, there have been other gains over the years.

Under the guise of helping those undergoing trials, Su Cheng gained a deep understanding of the Starfish Sacred Pillars. Furthermore, due to his close relationship with the Sea Maiden Douluo, he was occasionally allowed to visit. Now, he has a relatively profound understanding of the situation of the Seven Sacred Pillars.

This is why he was somewhat confident that he could lend Lorelei a hand.

More than seven years have passed in the blink of an eye. In less than half a year, Su Cheng will turn eighteen.

At that time, he will have to go to Poseidon Island to undergo its trials.

At the foot of Poseidon Mountain, Poseidon stood beside Su Cheng.

The sea breeze caressed her red dress and long hair, carrying with it a fragrant scent.

At this point, she no longer possessed the aloofness and nobility she had more than ten years ago, and had become more and more like an ordinary person.

But within this ordinariness, her aura becomes all the more vast and profound.

While ordinary people might not be able to detect it, Su Cheng was certain that the opponent's strength had increased by at least 10% compared to the past.

Don't think that 10% is a small amount.

Given Poseidon's strength and foundation, even the slightest improvement would be considered a huge step forward.

If she could improve by another 10%, even if she left Seagod Island to fight the Deep Sea Demon Whale King, she might not be at a disadvantage.

Poseidon herself was somewhat baffled by her own improvement in strength, but Su Cheng understood perfectly what was going on.

Her soul is growing stronger.

Compared to the vast yet empty feeling of the past, her soul now appears much more concentrated and radiant.

Without experiencing the trials of life and understanding the vicissitudes of human existence, no matter how old she is, she is merely wasting her time; no matter how strong she is, it is just an accumulation of power.

In those short ten years, she went from being a high-and-mighty observer to a bystander in the world, under Su Cheng's guidance.

Finally, he even changed his identity and went deep into the human world, becoming a participant.

This realization is completely different from the past.

The various changes that occurred during this period, in Su Cheng's words from his previous life, were called "refining the mind."

Although Poseidon's extraordinary abilities prevent her from truly integrating into the lives of ordinary people, this is still far better than her previous state.

With profound soul power, one can possess strength far exceeding that of ordinary people; with a high level of cultivation, one can perfectly control the power one possesses; and with a strong mind, one can unleash power beyond one's own limits.

Poseidon looked at Su Cheng standing beside her, her eyes sparkling with a strange light.

She watched with her own eyes as the other person cultivated step by step to reach their current level.

A person with almost zero innate soul power and low talent cultivated to the peak level of Soul Emperor in just over ten years, at the age of less than eighteen.

The opponent's martial spirit also undergoes continuous transformation during this process.

Poseidon could sense that Su Cheng's longsword spirit was now of a quality no less than that of spirits possessed by those innate full-strength spirit masters.

Moreover, this enhancement is entirely traceable; it's not an overnight leap, but a gradual improvement. Each time we meet, there are some different changes.

"Are you really going to experience the Light of the Sea God now?" she asked softly, looking at Su Cheng.

In her opinion, Su Cheng didn't need to be in such a hurry.

It's perfectly fine to wait until after the test; at most, it will only take a few more months.

Given their qualifications, the assessment level is definitely above the top level.

"I want to give it a try." Su Cheng nodded, but did not explain further.

Theoretically speaking, one cannot enter the area of ​​Poseidon Mountain unless the test level reaches the Black level.

But this requirement is not actually rigid.

As long as the High Priest himself does not object, and he can rely on his own power to pass through the ring of sea surrounding Mount Poseidon, attempting the Light of Poseidon should not be too much of a problem.

At this point, Poseidon was clearly seeking his opinion and did not explicitly object.

Next, all you need to do is try to enter the island within an island.

Sure enough, seeing Su Cheng nod, Poseidon didn't say anything more, indicating that he could try it himself.

Su Cheng reached out and a blue longsword appeared in his right hand, while six soul rings swirled around his feet.

As you step into the ring-shaped sea, a tremendous pressure suddenly surges forth from the ring-shaped sea beneath you.

Immediately afterwards, a huge black shadow burst out of the water, heading straight for Su Cheng.

It was a fish-shaped spirit beast about five meters long, with a long, sharp snout that made up a third of its body length. After leaping out of the water, its entire body shimmered with a ghostly light, and after accelerating, it rushed over like a black lightning bolt.

Su Cheng glanced at him out of the corner of his eye, slashed out with his sword, but had no intention of engaging him in a prolonged fight. He stomped his foot and quickly charged forward.

There is definitely more than one soul beast in the water.

The longer it is delayed, the more trouble it will cause.

As the sword light slashed past, the fish-like spirit beast reacted extremely quickly, easily dodging the vital point with a slight sway.

However, Su Cheng's speed was clearly extraordinary. Even with its speed, it was unable to completely dodge the attack and was momentarily blocked by the sword light.

In that split second, Su Cheng darted forward more than ten meters, creating distance between himself and the soul beast.

The next moment, several more dark figures rushed out from the front, blocking all his breakthrough paths.

The fourth, fifth, and sixth black spirit rings under Su Cheng's feet lit up simultaneously.

"The tide is coming!"

As the soul skill was unleashed, a pressure as powerful as the ocean tide surged forth from the longsword in Su Cheng's hand and from all directions.

The formation of the several soul beasts blocking the way instantly fell into disarray, leaving large gaps.

Su Cheng used this momentum to quickly sprint forward.

With a flick of his longsword, he seemed to merge with the sea beneath his feet, rushing swiftly to the foot of the opposite Poseidon Mountain.

After he landed, the previously chaotic ring of sea immediately calmed down.

"Slap, slap, slap..."

A crisp clapping sound came from Poseidon's fair and slender fingers.

Before she knew it, she had arrived at the foot of Poseidon Mountain.

A hint of approval appeared on his face. "Quite skillful combat technique, not wasting a single ounce of energy, truly rare."

Su Cheng's ability to navigate the circular sea did not surprise her.

Mount Poseidon and the Temple of Poseidon were not originally protected by this thing.

It was thanks to the light of the sea god, and her status as the supreme high priestess of the sea god.

But the way the opponent handled things during the battle surprised her.

At least among his peers, absolutely no one could be as decisive and efficient as Su Cheng.

After saying that, Poseidon looked at the steps not far away and said, "That is where the light of the sea god is. You can go and try it. If you feel too much pressure, just come down. There will be no danger to your life."

She chuckled softly, "Speaking of which, I've been your teacher for so many years, but I've never really taught you anything. The Light of the Sea God will help your cultivation, so consider it compensation."

Upon hearing this, Su Cheng bowed slightly to her and said gratefully, "Thank you, teacher."

Upon arriving at the steps, a solemn and dignified atmosphere immediately enveloped us.

Su Cheng knew that it was soul energy that was extremely concentrated.

He slowly stepped onto the stairs.

In an instant, he felt as if he had bumped into a soft, elastic wall. Clearly, the area truly enveloped by the light of the sea god began from the foot of the stairs.

He then lifted his right foot and stood on the first step.

The next moment, an immense pressure surged forth, forcefully squeezing his body, and a layer of golden mist appeared around him.

Su Cheng could clearly feel that his soul power was being rapidly depleted.

"The soul power here is somewhat special..." He concentrated and sensed it for a moment, then his expression suddenly dawned on him, "It's condensed with the power of faith."

After thinking for a moment, Su Cheng decided not to rush into a response and instead prepared to take a few steps uphill first.

The soul power here is still somewhat sparse.

Withstanding the pressure, he took his second step. Just as he had anticipated, the pressure increased again when he climbed the second step, about ten percent more than when he took the first step.

Then, Level 3, Level 4, Level 5...

Without much effort, Su Cheng stood on the thirtieth step.

Upon arriving here, even with his physical strength, he began to feel considerable pressure.

"That's about it..."

The spirit rings beneath Su Cheng's feet shimmered.

He began to use his soul skills.

In the trial of the Sea God's Light, one cannot use conventional soul skills.

Because the energy density here is too high, unless one is strong enough to break through this energy pressure, it is absolutely impossible to attack it.

However, the Light of the Sea God cannot prevent Soul Masters from using support-type Soul Skills to enhance themselves.

Su Cheng's soul skills are almost all of a support nature.

"The tide is coming!"

Azure blue light surged around Su Cheng, making him appear as if he had transformed into a vast ocean.

In this state of utmost gentleness, one can easily dissolve the immense pressure coming from all directions.

Soon, Su Cheng stood on the fiftieth step, looking around with a calm and composed demeanor.

He is not incapable of continuing to improve.

At least in his view, reaching more than a hundred steps wouldn't be a big problem.

But there's no need for that.

The energy concentration here is sufficient for him to condense a spirit ring.

That's right, Su Cheng's purpose in entering the Sea God's Light today is to advance to the Soul Saint level here!

Su Cheng calmed his mind, and his heart became completely peaceful.

As time passed, he gradually saw the faint light emanating from his own soul.

But before long, the light of his soul gradually dimmed.

This is a little trick that Su Cheng has developed over the years: "self-hypnosis".

The soul energy here is indeed extremely concentrated.

The problem is, it's difficult to absorb.

This kind of soul power, which has been condensed to near solid state, is extremely inert and is not as easy to be absorbed into the body as the soul power that is free in the air.

Although the soul power of the Yin-Yang Eye of Ice and Fire is strong, it evaporates and dissipates in real time.

Furthermore, a large amount of soul power in the Blue Silver Grass Forest comes from the voluntary contributions of countless plant-type soul beasts.

The situation here is different from the other two places, so he has to use some special methods.

As his soul's light dimmed, his aura began to change. It became extremely similar to the nature of the soul power here, as if it could merge into one.

Gradually, external soul power spontaneously flowed into the body, and the two began to interact with each other.

The soul power that had been expended while climbing the steps was quickly being restored.

The next moment, Su Cheng's blood and qi surged, and the bloodline of his martial soul rose and manifested.

Now, he no longer needs drugs to activate his martial spirit bloodline.

Martial spirit and soul are closely related, and the two are deeply bound together.

This is also a little trick that Su Cheng researched.

Under the shock of the soul, one's own bloodline foundation is easily revealed.

With the Nirvana Sutra circulating at full power within his body, a halo of nothingness appeared outside the sixth soul ring, forming a blank seventh soul ring.

The light of the sea god, or rather, the extremely dense soul energy, which originally only interacted with Su Cheng's body, seemed to have found a new empty space and rapidly filled it.

White, yellow, purple, black—the colors of the seventh spirit ring shifted gradually, then deepened...

At this moment, Su Cheng no longer cared about the changes in the external environment, or rather, he had no time to spare and was doing his best to stabilize this newly formed soul ring.

Soon, the seventh spirit ring reached its limit of 99,999 years, and a faint red glow appeared on it.

At this moment, Su Cheng's body was also approaching its limit.

But at this moment, everything came to an abrupt end, and it was impossible to take that final step.

Su Cheng felt a moment of confusion. "What's going on? I clearly still have enough strength and energy, and my physique and willpower are fully capable of supporting it..."

The newly formed seventh spirit ring hovered and trembled beneath Su Cheng's feet, seemingly on the verge of shattering at any moment.

In this situation, his best option is to solidify it and make it his seventh spirit ring. But that would mean he would miss out on obtaining a 100,000-year-old seventh spirit ring.

After all, in this world, he had not yet achieved perfect harmony of the Five Elements, nor could he make all his spirit rings resonate to increase the age of his past spirit rings.

If one continues to force a breakthrough, given the current state of the spirit rings, it is very easy to fail at the last hurdle.

At best, all his previous efforts would be wasted, he would lose his seventh spirit ring and suffer a backlash; at worst, it might damage his martial spirit bloodline, or even affect his soul, since he used his soul power to stimulate and condense this self-generated spirit ring.

The former's bloodline and body are relatively fine, but if the latter has any problems, it will obviously be extremely fatal.

"Wait! The soul..."

Su Cheng's heart stirred, and he realized what he lacked.

Ten-year and hundred-year spirit rings are both formed from concentrated energy, so there's not much to say about them.

A thousand-year soul ring carries a hint of resentment, while a ten-thousand-year soul ring has a certain impact on the soul. However, the core of a soul ring is still the law, so neither has a significant impact.

However, at the level of 100,000 years, a qualitative change occurs.

"The power of the soul...?"

Su Cheng quickly calmed down and felt a little fortunate. "Thank goodness, thank goodness for this simulation."

If it weren't for his understanding of soul power over the years, even after returning to the real world, he would have long since mastered the method of condensing soul rings, and his physical strength would far exceed his cultivation level, even going a step further, allowing him to continuously increase the age of his soul rings. However, he would never have been able to condense his own 100,000-year soul ring without killing soul beasts.

Because a 100,000-year soul ring contains the essence, energy, and spirit of a 100,000-year soul beast, a life form that is close to human.

He used the Martial Soul Law as his core and the abundant soul power in the Feng Shui treasure land as his energy, but ultimately lacked that touch of divine charm.

"So, how can we make amends?"

Su Cheng remained silent for a moment, his mind flashing back to the image of the Phoenix Flame reigniting, and the image of the 100,000-year-old Blue Silver Emperor's right leg bone condensing into a life core, and then reviving.

Immortal true meaning!

This powerful meaning far surpasses the inherent charm of ordinary beings, and it is a unique artistic conception that belongs entirely to him.

Whether it is extinction or immortality, both are existences that transcend the mundane level.

Even if Su Cheng's understanding is only superficial, it far surpasses that of countless ordinary people.

next moment.

The pitch-black spirit ring was filled with a dazzling red light!

Su Cheng's seventh spirit ring has finally appeared!

A crimson 100,000-year soul ring floated silently beneath his feet, shimmering with a captivating light.

Poseidon stood at the foot of the mountain with her mouth slightly open, her delicate eyelashes trembling gently as she gazed absently at the figure on the steps of Poseidon Mountain.

At that moment, her mind went blank, and her thoughts even froze.

He single-handedly condensed a 100,000-year soul ring that perfectly suited him!

That is the authority of God!

P.S. I had a social engagement today, so the update is a bit late. Sorry.

PS2, Mount Poseidon is said to be a forbidden area, but you can actually try the Light of Poseidon if you cross the circular sea. In the original story, Bai Chenxiang was taking the Yellow-level assessment and went in, even trying the Light of Poseidon. The Temple of Poseidon at the top of Mount Poseidon is the one that outsiders cannot enter.

(End of this chapter)