Douluo: Martial Soul Seven Kill Sword, The Sword Opens Heaven's Gates

"This was a simulated battlefield on the level of consciousness—what terrifying means," Feng Xiaotian said, trying to calm his emotions.

If this place wasn't left behind by the Wind God, how could there be traces of the Wind God's deeds? 

The Wind God wasn't from the Douluo Continent, which explained the strange architectural layout here.

Undoubtedly, the position of the Wind God would suit Feng Xiaotian best.

But Ning Tianchen hadn't told him how to obtain the Wind God's trial.

For a moment, he felt at a loss.

Noticing his mood, Yu Die gently patted his shoulder and took the lead in speaking. "Xiaotian, don't rush. This is the first time we've been so 'close' to a deity. Let's look around for other mechanisms or objects that might allow us to communicate with the deity."

Oscar pointed to the stone platform beside him. "This platform is special. Our consciousness was pulled into that ancient battlefield earlier—it must have been its doing."

Feng Xiaotian immediately reached a conclusion.

This platform was hidden within a mechanism. If it weren't important, why would it be concealed? Moreover, such advanced mechanical craftsmanship was used.

With this in mind, he placed his palm on the surface of the platform.

After waiting for a moment, nothing unusual happened.

Had he misjudged?

Just as Feng Xiaotian was pondering, a tiny spike shot out from beneath the platform, piercing his palm and causing his blood to drip onto the surface.

Feng Xiaotian winced and pulled his hand back, but his gaze remained fixed on the platform.

"There's something wrong with this thing—I just got pricked."

As soon as he finished speaking, a cyan column of light rose from the base of the nearby pillar, shooting straight into the sky.

The sky seemed to turn cyan as thick clouds gathered overhead. Amidst the shifting winds and clouds, the sunlight was gradually obscured, and the glowing column of light replaced the previous "windy" ambiance.

The Wind God Pterosaurs in the valley, upon seeing this, all bowed their heads toward the column of light.

Such a commotion was impossible to ignore.

"Could it be that we triggered some kind of defensive mechanism?" Everyone except Feng Xiaotian frowned in concern.

If an attack were launched against them amidst such a spectacle, the result would undoubtedly be catastrophic.

Immediately afterward, the very thing they "feared" happened.

A strand of cyan light split off from the column and struck Feng Xiaotian directly in the center of his forehead.

"Xiaotian!"

The group was shocked and, without thinking, hurriedly retreated.

However, Feng Xiaotian, who had been struck by the beam of light, did not suffer any severe injuries or death.

Instead, the cyan glow enveloped his entire body, filling him with an unprecedented sense of ease, as if he had boundless energy.

Then, a majestic voice echoed in his mind.

It was the voice of the Wind God!

Although Feng Xiaotian had taken many detours in his cultivation over the years, his talent had not been suppressed. On the contrary, he had shown extraordinary resilience in his subsequent training.

Coupled with his indomitable spirit, he had caught the Wind God's attention when entering the Endless Abyss, leading to this moment.

The energy contained in the cyan glow carved a cyan claw mark onto his forehead, signifying that he had officially received the Wind God's Nine Trials.

Upon completing the nine trials, he would become the new Wind God.

Soon, the voice in his mind abruptly stopped, and the cyan glow vanished, leaving the world peaceful once more.

Seeing that Feng Xiaotian was unharmed, Oscar and the others quickly approached to inquire about what had happened.

"Xiaotian, what exactly happened?"

"Why does the mark on your forehead look similar to the ones on Tianchen and Rongrong?"

Feng Xiaotian smiled faintly and pointed toward the stone platform. "Don't worry. This is an opportunity that will change my life."

"You can follow the method I used earlier—place your hands on the platform one by one, and you'll each receive your own opportunity. As for what kind of opportunity it is… well, I'll keep you in suspense for now. You'll find out soon enough."

"Is it really that amazing?" Chen Huayu asked skeptically.

Zhu Zhuqing stepped forward first and placed her hand on the platform.

Feng Xiaotian's condition was proof enough that there was no danger here. To rapidly increase their strength, seizing opportunities was essential.

Now that the opportunity was right in front of them, she had no reason to refuse.

Similarly, a spike emerged from beneath the platform, piercing her fingertip. Her blood dripped onto the surface along the spike.

In the next moment, the nearby pillar erupted with light once again.

Compared to the commotion caused by Feng Xiaotian, the disturbance she created was much smaller and didn't cause any changes in the weather.

A crimson column of light rose from the pillar, followed by a strand of red light enveloping her entire body.

As a red mark appeared on her forehead, the details of the trial were revealed to her.

Red Rank Seven Trials!

The Red Rank Trials were the highest level of trials aside from the God Rank Nine Trials. These trials consisted of six to eight challenges, and Zhu Zhuqing's receipt of such a trial proved that her talent was among the elite.

"Zhuqing, how did it go?" the others anxiously asked.

Zhu Zhuqing also decided to keep them guessing, smiling as she said, "You'll know when you try it yourselves. But remember, the difficulty of the trials isn't fixed."

Chen Huayu couldn't bear the suspense. "You're all keeping secrets—it's driving me crazy! I'll go first!"

With that, he walked up to the platform and placed his palm on it.

---

Soon, everyone received their respective trials.

Oscar and Chen Huayu received the Red Rank Six Trials.

Zhu Zhuqing, Cai Die, and Yu Die received the Red Rank Seven Trials.

"We've all received our trials. Now we should be able to close the gap with Boss," Chen Huayu said with a grin.

Receiving a divine trial meant having one foot in the door of becoming a powerful individual. Even if they couldn't ascend to godhood in the future, they could still reach the pinnacle of being a Limit Douluo.

Most importantly, the rewards from the divine trials would increase the duration of their soul rings. In the future, their first four soul rings could even become black ten-thousand-year soul rings.

Yu Die, however, expressed some concern. "We've received the Wind God's trials. Will we still be able to receive trials from other deities in the future?"

What they had seen and heard today convinced her that Butterfly Valley truly existed.

If they patiently searched the continent in the future, they would surely find it. But if they were delayed by other trials, it would be a great loss.

Feng Xiaotian earnestly responded, "Trials also have different levels of importance. The Wind God told me that if you receive a divine trial, any Red Rank Trials will automatically become invalid and be replaced by a higher-level trial."

"So, you don't need to worry."

Everyone had received their trials, and now it was time for the first trial.

The content of their first trial was to advance different distances within Hurricane Gorge.

Feng Xiaotian's original limit was 2,500 meters, but the divine trial required him to reach 2,700 meters.

Though it only required advancing 200 meters further, the wind speed increased significantly the deeper they went, making it far more challenging than the first 2,500 meters.

For Feng Xiaotian, this was indeed a challenge.

The same applied to the others' trials.

"But how are we supposed to get out? If we return through the cave, we'll have to face the violent winds at the core—that's practically suicide!" Chen Huayu couldn't help but exclaim.

Every divine trial had its rationale. Content that was impossible to complete or guaranteed to result in death wouldn't appear in the trials.

Feng Xiaotian tried communicating with the Wind God in his mind but received no response.

Just as everyone was at a loss, ripples began to form in the space around them.

When they came to their senses, they were already outside Hurricane Gorge.

"We're already out?" Oscar gasped in shock!

The methods of the gods were indeed beyond ordinary comprehension.

The wind direction within Hurricane Gorge had returned to normal. From this point on, they could directly enter the trial state.

Feng Xiaotian gazed toward the depths of the gorge.

The next time they entered that small world, his strength should be much greater. At the very least, he should be capable of traversing the outer hurricane environment.

Putting his thoughts aside, he turned to the group. "Since we've received our trials, our primary task moving forward is to complete them. For now, we don't need to return to the sect. Everyone, focus and take each trial seriously."

The sect's most important upcoming task was to prepare for the re-selection conference of the seven great sects.

Since this session had canceled the disciple battles, there was no need for them to attend and join the commotion.

...

Ning Tianchen had been cultivating in the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well for a long time, and he was now just one step away from breaking through to level eighty.

During his cultivation, whenever he summoned his Seven Kill Sword spirit, he always felt as though something beneath the spring water was calling out to him.

This feeling seemed to originate from the dragon blood within his body. The Seven Kill Sword had gained the ability to manifest a true beast soul form due to absorbing multiple dragon-type soul rings.

There was an opportunity beneath the spring that he needed, and it was related to dragons.

After finishing his cultivation, instead of ascending, he summoned the Seven Kill Sword and continued diving deeper into the water.

At first, the violent energy of the ice and fire spring pressed down on him painfully.

However, as he descended further, this pressure gradually weakened, almost as if welcoming him.

"What could be down there?"

The Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well was an extraordinary place, so any anomaly wasn't surprising.

But something that attracted soul masters was appearing here for the first time.

As he continued descending, the contours of the spring's bottom became clearer.

Suddenly, Ning Tianchen froze.

Before his eyes were not ordinary objects, but two enormous dragon skeletons.

Even after an unknown amount of time, these skeletons still exuded a terrifying aura.

The two dragon skeletons were responsible for creating the ice and fire attributes of the spring and forming the unique ecosystem at the spring's eye.

Clearly, these dragon skeletons weren't from ordinary soul beasts—their aura reached a divine level.

"Soul bones!"

Ning Tianchen immediately thought of them.

Hundred-thousand-year soul beasts inevitably produced hundred-thousand-year soul bones, while divine beasts likely produced divine equipment. In terms of quality, divine equipment far surpassed hundred-thousand-year soul bones.

Ning Tianchen currently possessed a hundred-thousand-year soul bone and an external soul bone with seventy thousand years of cultivation.

If he could absorb two pieces of divine equipment, even if he couldn't form a complete divine armor set, he could merge them with his other soul bones to create a soul bone armor. 

In the upcoming re-selection conference of the sects, having soul bone armor would significantly enhance his defense and attack power.

Of course, he didn't act rashly.

These two skeletons had been lying dormant here for a long time, and it was possible that remnants of their divine consciousness still lingered.

As for the origins of these two divine beasts, Ning Tianchen already had an answer in mind.

It was highly likely that they fell during the ancient Divine wars, slain by human deities before crashing onto the Douluo Continent. If remnants of their divine consciousness still existed, these divine beasts would undoubtedly hold great resentment toward humans.

With this in mind, he carefully descended further. At the slightest sign of trouble, he would immediately retreat without coveting the divine equipment.

There were plenty of valuable things on the continent. He might even have another chance to obtain other divine equipment—there was no need to risk failure here.

…

About five minutes later, Ning Tianchen arrived in front of the dragon skulls.

It seemed he had worried too much. These divine beasts had perished long ago, and no remnants of divine consciousness remained.

However, even the skeletal dragon skulls still emitted a formidable aura, making Ning Tianchen avoid looking directly at them.

With no divine consciousness remaining, his actions grew bolder.

After searching the two skeletons for a moment, he found the soul bones (divine equipment) for both arms.

The size of the soul bones matched their original owners' proportions, but his intuition told him he could fully absorb them.

With this in mind, he placed the two soul bones in front of him and began absorbing them simultaneously.

The two soul bones were of ice and fire attributes. Absorbing just one attribute alone might overwhelm his body. Only by canceling out the two forces could he safely absorb the soul bones.

The absorption process was always lengthy, but fortunately, no mishaps occurred.

In the Divine Realm, the Asura God observing Ning Tianchen's every move couldn't help but admire his good fortune.

When completing the ninth trial, all soul bones could form divine equipment, but the strength of such equipment varied.

Divine equipment formed from god-level soul bones was incomparable to that formed from ordinary soul bones.

The Asura God even looked forward to the day Ning Tianchen completed his trials.

…

Time passed minute by minute. After an unknown amount of time, Ning Tianchen finished absorbing the soul bones.

The two soul bones were: the Ice Dragon King's right arm bone and the Fire Dragon King's left arm bone.

Instead of providing soul power, these soul bones granted divine power. Due to the Asura God's Trial, this divine power transformed into pure Asura God power and stored itself within his body.

Unfortunately, Ning Tianchen's current affinity for divine power was very low, making it difficult to control. In the short term, this divine power wouldn't translate into combat strength.

Just as he was about to rise, the Seven Kill Sword appeared on its own. The dragon patterns on the sword came fully "alive," splitting into two massive ice and fire dragons. Accompanied by roaring dragon cries, the two dragons spiraled and landed on the blade of the Seven Kill Sword.

Receiving feedback from his spirit, Ning Tianchen murmured, "Coiling Dragon Seven Kill Sword!"

The quality of the Coiling Dragon Seven Kill Sword was equivalent to a god-level spirit, rivaling Qian Renxue's Six-Winged Angel Spirit.

When he broke through to level 100, he could refine his spirit into a new divine weapon.

"I never expected such a tremendous gain. With this, even if I face lower-level Title Douluo, I'll have the ability to slay them! Against Title Douluo above level ninety-four, I'll have full self-defense capabilities."

The only downside was that his soul power was just one step away from breaking through to level eighty.

After absorbing the two soul bones, the pressure of the spring water here was completely gone. Relying on the spring for cultivation was no longer feasible.

As for the two divine beast skeletons, he had no intention of moving them.

Leaving them here would allow them to continue nourishing the plants within the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. If he removed them and caused the spring to lose its effect, it would be a significant loss.

After one last glance at the two skeletons, Ning Tianchen didn't linger and quickly surfaced.

Next, he decided to find soul beasts in the forest to train and break through to level eighty.

As for soul rings, he would absorb the divine-bestowed soul ring rewarded by the God trial.

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