Douluo Continent: Tonight, a Fairy Tale Descends

Moreover, he had more important things to do.

During his time on Poseidon Island, he gradually sensed signals from multiple fairy tale characters triggering divine trials through the system.

The Ice Queen has already embarked on the path to becoming the Ice God, and her progress is astonishing. Merida's compatibility with the Goddess of the Hunt is ridiculously high, and Leah's red hair is said to have been dyed the color of flames by the power of the God of Fire. Even Cinderella has won the favor of a certain goddess. Although the content of the divine test is still unclear, judging from the energy fluctuations reported by the system, it is by no means simple.

Each time a fairy tale character undergoes a divine test, it signifies that a new set of rules and forces has entered the realm of analysis.

The steadfastness of the Ice God, the wildness of the Hunting Goddess, the fiery passion of the Fire God, and those other gods whose backgrounds he himself did not know—these powers flowed continuously into his perception through the connection between the system and the fairy tale deity.

He needs to find a quiet place outside to process all of this.

Outside Seahorse City, the white sand road leading to the sea is still fine and soft, and you can hardly hear your footsteps when you step on it.

The palm trees on both sides swayed gently in the morning breeze, their leaves still glistening with dew.

The outline of the dock gradually became clear.

The rock he stepped on when he first arrived at Poseidon Island still stands there, smooth as a mirror from the waves.

The pier, formed by frozen ice, had long since melted away, and in its place was a small boat prepared for him by the residents of Seahorse City.

Lin Wan walked to the side of the boat and was about to untie the mooring rope when she heard a sound behind her.

Fiery red hair, azure eyes, and a fishtail that shimmered faintly in the morning light.

Ariel.

She stood at the edge of the dock, barefoot on the white sand, clearly having just come out of the water.

Her long, fiery red hair clung wetly to her shoulders, water droplets dripping from the ends and staining the sand with small, dark dots.

Lin Wan paused for a moment as she untied the rope.

He knew, of course, where Ariel should be right now—the Sea Witch's Pillar Altar, the exclusive training ground for the Nine Trials of the Sea God.

Ever since she also triggered the Nine Trials of the Sea God, the Sea Demoness Douluo wished she could tie herself to the Holy Pillar and make her cultivate for eight hours every day, not even one hour less.

How did you end up here?

Lin Wan wound the cable back around the wooden stake, turned around to face her, and asked, "Why are you here?"

"I've come to see you off." Ariel shook the water droplets off her hair and walked over barefoot on the white sand, her tone as casual as if she were just stopping by the dock to buy some fish.

Lin Wan glanced at her: "What about your Sea God assessment?"

“It won’t hurt to wait a little while.” Ariel walked up to him and stood there, looking up at him. The morning light fell on her face, and her azure eyes sparkled, revealing no trace of sorrow or parting, but rather a hint of curiosity.

"As for you, what excuse did you come up with for High Priestess Poseidon? She's not someone to be easily fooled."

"The fifth test needs to be completed in mainland China," Lin Wan said. "This is the truth; it's not lying to her."

Ariel blinked: "The truth? What was the fifth test about?"

"Find the Vast Ocean Universe Cover left behind on the continent when the Sea God fell."

Ariel paused for a moment, then a smile curved her lips.

Of course she knew what the Vast Ocean Universe Cover was; it was the Heart of the Sea God, the core component of the Sea God's Trident, a legendary treasure that could conceal heavenly secrets and hide one's aura.

This thing is definitely not on Poseidon Island. Poseidon left it on the mainland when choosing a successor, so now we can only look for it on the mainland.

"That's a good reason." She nodded, then asked, "What about the remaining exams? Are you not going to take them?"

Lin Wan glanced at her.

Their eyes met, and they understood each other without saying a word.

They all knew Lin Wan's true purpose in coming to Poseidon Island. The Nine Trials of Poseidon and the position of Poseidon were never his goals, but merely means to an end. He had already obtained most of what he wanted; there was no need to waste any more time on the rest.

"That's enough," Lin Wan said.

Ariel didn't press him. She knew him too well; if he said he had enough, then he truly had.

"So where are you going next?"

"mainland."

"The mainland is so big, there must be a specific place here."

"I'll go wherever I end up."

Ariel gave a soft hum upon hearing this, but didn't ask any further questions. That's just how Lin Wan is; if she doesn't want to talk about something, asking again and again is pointless.

She turned to look at the dock, where several fishing boats were moored, their sails not yet raised, and a few seabirds perched on the gunwales, slowly preening their feathers with their beaks.

The air was filled with the salty smell of the sea and the fishy odor of freshly caught fish. Several early-rising fishermen were tidying up their nets on the dock.

When the fishermen saw the two of them talking on the dock, they all stopped what they were doing and bowed respectfully.

In Seahorse City, everyone knows Lin Wan. The young man with the golden trident mark on his forehead is the Grand Elder's appointed guest, the successor of the Sea God's Nine Trials, and the person chosen by the Sea God.

As for the red-haired girl beside him, she was a genius raised by the Sea Witch Douluo and the most dazzling existence among the younger generation on Seagod Island.

The duo always attracts attention wherever they go.

But at this moment, in addition to respect, there was also a hint of confusion that these fishermen couldn't hide in their eyes.

The source of this confusion dates back several months.

That day, Ariel completed her awakening ceremony at the Sea Witch's Pillar.

The seven sacred pillars resonated simultaneously, and a golden pillar of light shot into the sky, causing the entire Sea God Island to tremble. The Nine Trials of the Sea God, exactly the same as Lin Wan's, descended upon her.

The news spread across Poseidon Island faster than the sea breeze. All the priests were stunned.

The Nine Trials of Poseidon are the highest-level trials, occurring only once in ten thousand years. The appearance of even one is a miracle, but now two have appeared simultaneously. One is a young man from the mainland, and the other is a little mermaid who grew up on Poseidon Island.

This means that the Sea God has chosen two people at the same time, and that this sea may soon have two successors to the divine throne. This is unprecedented in the entire history of Sea God Island.

The Sea Witch Douluo was stunned for a while, then smiled and ruffled Ariel's hair, saying, "I knew the sea wouldn't let you down."

Pulling her thoughts back, Ariel shifted her gaze from the fishermen back to Lin Wan.

"The mainland is in chaos right now," she said, her tone as calm as if she were stating the weather. "The Spirit Hall has annexed the Heaven Dou Empire and established the Spirit Empire. The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School and the Blue Lightning Tyrant School have joined forces with the Star Luo Empire to form the Anti-Spirit Alliance, and the two sides are locked in a fierce battle. The Clear Sky School has also emerged from seclusion and sided with the Anti-Spirit Alliance."

Lin Wan raised an eyebrow slightly. He had been focused on comprehending the power of rules on Seagod Island, almost completely isolated from the world, and had indeed not heard of these developments.

"You seem to know everything."

“Seagod Island isn’t really isolated from the world.” Ariel tilted her head. “The merchant ships that come and go, the priests who come ashore to trade, and the soul masters who occasionally pass through this sea area—all these bits and pieces of news always manage to get in. When I was cultivating with Sister Sea Witch, I overheard a few of them.”

She paused, looked at Lin Wan, and suddenly asked, "What are your plans?"

"War has little to do with me," Lin Wan said. "I don't belong to any empire, and I have no interest in the Spirit Hall or the Star Luo Empire."

“That’s true.” Ariel nodded. Lin Wan was the host of the fairy tale world; his stance was never that of the Spirit Hall or the Star Luo Empire, but rather that of all the fairy tale characters who were summoned.

The war between the Spirit Empire and the Anti-Spirit Alliance was merely a backdrop for him. What he needed to do had nothing to do with this war.

"So what are your plans after you go to the mainland?"

Lin Wan untied the cable from the wooden stake, her movements unhurried: "Let's find a quiet place to process what we've been accumulating lately. The analysis of the Sea God's authority has reached a critical point; going any deeper would only bind me to the divine position, and I don't want to take that risk."

Ariel nodded. Of course she knew what Lin Wan meant by "accumulated things"—not just the power of the sea god, but also the fragments of rules fed back from other fairy tale characters through the system.

The Ice Queen's power of ice, Merida's hunting rules, Lia's inheritance of fire... these powers have been scattered and incorporated into the fairy tale deities, and there hasn't been a proper way to organize them yet.

Chapter 504 Eva's Choice

Ariel didn't ask any more questions.

Lin Wan always had his own methods for doing things; he knew better than anyone when to do what and when to leave.

“Alright then.” She took a half step back, making way for Lin Wan to board the ship. “I won’t hold you up any longer. I’ll take care of things with High Priest Poseidon for you.”

Lin Wan glanced at her, and the corner of her mouth twitched slightly: "Thanks."

"You're welcome." Ariel tilted her head, her long, fiery red hair slipping from her shoulders with the movement, gleaming softly in the morning light.

Lin Wan didn't say anything more. He untied the rope and jumped onto the deck.

The ship rocked slightly, creating a fine ripple below the waterline that slowly spread across the calm sea.

A morning breeze blew in from the sea, carrying the salty, damp scent, and made the stray hairs on his forehead flutter backward. He stood at the stern of the boat, watching the increasingly smaller, fiery red figure on the dock.

Ariel didn't wave. She simply stood quietly at the edge of the dock, her bare feet on the white sand, her fishtail legs gleaming softly in the morning light. She watched as his ship slowly sailed away from the dock, out of the harbor of Poseidon Island, and into the vast sea, dyed golden red by the rising sun.

Ariel didn't look away until the ship had completely disappeared at the horizon. She let out a soft breath, turned around, and walked towards the Sea Witch's Altar. She'd been delayed for so long; the Sea Witch was probably going to nag her.

The sea parted at the bow and closed again at the stern. Lin Wan did not look back. Poseidon Island was getting farther and farther away in his perception. The island, shrouded in the light of Poseidon, gradually turned into a blurry black dot between the sea and the sky, and finally even that black dot completely melted into the golden morning light.

He stood at the bow, his long, silvery-white hair fluttering in the sea breeze. The wooden boat beneath his feet was a gift from the fishermen of Seahorse City; it wasn't large, just big enough for one person to maneuver. Several simple wind-riding patterns were engraved on the hull, a unique soul-guiding technology of Seagod Island, allowing it to move automatically with the sea breeze without a sail.

Based on the ship's speed, it would probably take several days to reach the mainland coast. Taking advantage of this rare quiet time, he sat cross-legged at the bow of the ship, immersing his consciousness into his body, and began to sort out the crisscrossing rules and powers within his divine personality.

The fairytale deity floated deep within his consciousness, like a tiny, slowly rotating star.

The constant power of the Ice God forms its foundation, and the rules of that extreme cold origin lie quietly in the deepest part of the divine essence, like an iceberg that will never melt.

The killing rules of the Asura God surged above the ice, sharp and unparalleled, carrying an indomitable determination.

The chaotic power of the Rakshasa God was like a tangled undercurrent, firmly suppressed in a corner by the first three forces, occasionally surging a few times before being pushed back down.

The power of the sea god is newly incorporated, encompassing, flowing, and boundless. Unlike the violent surges of the Asuras and Rakshasa, it rises and falls regularly like the tides, each rise and fall washing new patterns into the divine essence.

The fragments of rules fed back from other fairy tale characters through the system are like stars scattered in the night sky, each twinkling with a faint but unique light.

Lin Wan sorted through, categorized, and analyzed these fragments one by one. The power of the Ice God was recovered and resonated with the ice rules in the divine core. Subtle tremors came from the depths of the divine core, like two magnets of the same origin finally aligning their poles.

The hunting rules—wildness, tracking, and the instinct for a single, fatal strike—complement the Asura God's killing laws, adding a layer of precision to that sharp power. The power of the Fire God—violent, scorching, and domineering, capable of incinerating all things—is set aside separately, awaiting later combination with other powers.

There are also some more fragmented elements of the power of rules, but these fragments are now so small that they are almost imperceptible when taken out individually.

But when they were all placed into the various corners of the divine essence, the light of the entire divine essence seemed to brighten a little more.

The essence of fairy tale deities is not about devouring, but about weaving. These seemingly insignificant fragments of rules are like missing pieces of a puzzle; they are inconspicuous when taken out individually, but when placed in the right position, the whole picture becomes complete.

After doing all this, Lin Wan opened her eyes. The sun had already sunk below the horizon, leaving a faint, dark red afterglow on the horizon. The sea breeze was still blowing, but its direction had changed, carrying a hint of land, a dry scent mixed with dust and vegetation, quite different from the salty smell of the sea.

Ahead, the outline of the coastline was beginning to emerge in the twilight.

A few days later, Lin Wan set foot on the mainland. It was a small town without a name, nestled in a natural harbor on the coastline, with several dirt roads crisscrossing and low stone houses huddled together on both sides of the road.

Several fishing boats were moored at the dock, and a few tanned fishermen were squatting at the bow mending fishing nets. When they saw unfamiliar faces getting off a wooden boat marked with the Poseidon Island logo, they only looked up at them briefly before lowering their heads to continue working.

This place is too remote, so remote that even the Spirit Hall doesn't bother setting up a branch here, and so remote that the flames of war on the continent haven't reached here yet. Lin Wan settled down at the only tavern in town.