The area of the Sea Maiden City is not large.
In fact, not only the Sea Maiden City, but also the seven holy cities on Sea God Island can only be considered small cities compared to the ordinary cities of the Tian Dou Empire.
Even the city walls are only five meters high, and you can even see the city's appearance from the heights of the surrounding forests.
The most eye-catching among them is the statue of a young girl standing on top of a huge pillar in the center of the city, which is said to be the first Sea Witch who once followed the Sea God.
The number of people in the city is small, and most of the Sea God warriors who come and go are dressed in white and yellow. The trials they have experienced are obviously the most basic White Level Assessment and Yellow Level Assessment.
And at the Purple Level, it belongs to the high-level figures in the city.
Here, people can basically be self-sufficient. Residents each grow some simple crops, combined with the nurturing of the sea, is enough to sustain their livelihoods.
There is no need for currency on Sea God Island either; trade is generally conducted through bartering.
In addition, Sea God Island also has a fleet dedicated to outbound procurement. Every once in a while, they will set sail and trade with nearby coastal cities to purchase some necessities of life not found in the sea.
However, the fleet is not composed of Soul Masters from Sea God Island.
The Sea God Island Soul Masters who have passed the tests usually cannot leave Sea God Island for life.
Those fleets are formed spontaneously by some Sea Soul Masters who do not belong to Sea God Island or who have failed the tests in the past. Every once in a while, these people will bring a batch of supplies to Sea God Island in exchange for some local specialties.
"Lord Sea God has never, and will never, abandon any of his subjects. Failing the test does not mean you have not received Lord Sea God's approval. This is precisely the new test Lord Sea God has given you..."
On the market square of Sea God Island, the voice of a young man slowly and clearly entered the ears of every listener.
He looks young, but strangely, dozens of people in front of him are listening attentively, with serious and devout expressions, without a single noise.
The young man's expression is gentle, with a warm smile on his face when he speaks, and his eyes sparkle with a pleasant light.
Where his gaze falls, it seems to carry waves of warmth, allowing people to feel strength from the depths of their hearts.
In the young man's words, Lord Sea God is neither a legend nor distant from them. It's as if that deity has never left, standing in the clouds at this moment, watching, encouraging, and guiding them.
This young man is Su Cheng.
Half a year has passed since his martial soul awakened, and it has long passed the deadline he agreed upon with Poseidon.
But Bo Saixi did not show up.
Perhaps she forgot, or perhaps after her emotions calmed down, reason regained control.
Su Cheng felt that the latter was more likely.
After all, when his martial soul awakened, Bo Saixi came as promised. There was no reason for her to forget about him in just half a year.
It's likely that the High Priest didn't think Su Cheng had a chance to fulfill his bold promises back then.
She probably thought that Su Cheng's words at the time were just naive fantasies.
Su Cheng didn't mind, nor did he actively go to prove his ideas. He wasn't in a hurry; there was still room for improvement in his martial soul.
With the practice of the Nirvana Scripture, the quality of his martial soul is now approximately at the level of innate soul power level six. According to Su Cheng's estimation, this should be the level of his father's martial soul.
With the absorption of the first soul ring, he had the capital to further improve rapidly. It is estimated that it would take about another half a year to reach the seventh level.
His cultivation progress is also extremely fast. Not only did he reach the initial level he mentioned, but after advancing as a Soul Master and continuing to cultivate, his soul power level has even reached the peak of level thirteen.
There are too many means at his disposal to improve his own qualifications and cultivation speed.
These things are beyond the imagination of even a peerless Douluo like Bo Saixi.
The Nirvana Scripture has the effect of purifying bloodlines and correcting and optimizing the core information of martial souls.
The former takes effect quickly, while the latter requires time to adjust slowly, with higher efficiency in low-quality periods.
But this is also thanks to Su Cheng awakening a sword-type martial soul.
The Nirvana Scripture is a customized technique.
For example, in the second simulation, the Nirvana Scripture he created was most effective for the Hell White Tiger martial soul.
Used on the White Tiger and Hell Civet, the effect is to complete the core information of these two martial souls to resemble the Hell White Tiger.
And the Nirvana Scripture he is currently practicing is the latest technique that has been optimized and naturally upgraded through multiple iterations in reality.
Undoubtedly, the most effective is Su Cheng's real body, which can act on his twin martial souls and is the foundation of his self-martial soul fusion technique.
In this world, although using this technique cannot completely transform his martial soul to the level of the Eternal Sword, it is barely enough. With the stacking effect of soul rings, it can also continuously bring his martial soul closer to the quality of the Eternal Sword.
In addition to techniques, various precious herbs are also readily available here.
The natural environment of Sea God Island is much better than that of the mainland.
If it weren't for the lack of Blue Silver Grass forests or treasures like the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Eyes, it might not be impossible to stimulate blood directly to condense soul rings.
In this situation, letting Bo Saixi delay for some time might actually have a better shock effect.
Moreover, as a devout believer, how could he put Bo Saixi before the Sea God?
For him at this moment, Bo Saixi should be considered an "unexpected joy". He absolutely cannot rush to find her; he must occupy enough initiative.
This sounds ridiculous.
A mere Soul Master, why should he have the initiative in front of Bo Saixi?
Let alone just the seventh level of innate soul power, even if he had full innate soul power, what would it mean to a ninety-nine level peerless Douluo like Bo Saixi?
But Su Cheng is confident.
Because Bo Saixi is a true fanatic of the Sea God, willing to dedicate her life to the Sea God.
In learning, the one who reaches the goal first is the leader.
Obviously, in terms of faith in the Sea God, he has won.
In understanding the spirit of the Sea God, he completely overshadowed Bo Saixi, the High Priest who regards herself as a servant of the Sea God.
His clever approach is something Bo Saixi would never think of.
A child born with knowledge, possessing a powerful technique to improve martial soul bloodlines?
In comparison, the guidance of the Sea God is more credible.
"..."
As Su Cheng finished speaking, he looked at the quiet audience in front of him with gentle eyes, "Now you can ask questions."
"Lord Su Cheng, do you mean that Lord Sea God has been silently observing us all along?"
Although Su Cheng is just a Soul Master, many people here have higher cultivation levels and are much older than him.
But these people are extremely respectful, and their tone is very respectful.
They have all heard about Su Cheng's deeds from the residents of Sea God Island, knowing that he only took a short half year to cultivate from nearly zero innate soul power to a Soul Master.
For ordinary people, this is almost equivalent to a "miracle."
At least in Sea God Island and the surrounding islands and seas, similar situations have never occurred in countless years.
"Don't call me Lord. I've said it before, under the divine light, all beings are equal, with no distinction of high or low. If you don't want to address me by my name, then call me 'Divine Envoy'."
Su Cheng first corrected the title, then slowly spoke, "As for your question just now, the answer is obvious. Don't try to gauge the gods with mortal eyes. You must use your heart to understand the essence of the teachings of Lord Sea God. Lord Sea God is all-knowing and all-powerful; in his eyes, nothing in the mortal world is a secret. 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 Lord Sea God knows. What I can do is simply convey the will of Lord Sea God. Your fate belongs to yourselves; besides Lord Sea God, no one has the right to interfere. Even I can only do my best to guide you on the right path."
In his mouth, "Lord Sea God" was all-knowing and all-powerful. But unless he was foolish, he couldn't boast about himself; that would be digging his own grave.
Su Cheng was well aware that although the people in front of him now looked pure and respectful, it was only temporary.
Even though they were currently swayed by his words, actions, and emotional manipulation, with time, they would regain their sense of self.
Human hearts are the most complex things; they're not so easily won over.
After some time, they might become skeptical, with some believing more than others. So, he would need to present some real evidence later on.
Brainwashing isn't something that can be accomplished in a day or two.
But he had plenty of time. He had at least ten years to slowly lay out his plans; he had barely started.
And his reputation was just beginning to spread.
Once the initial phase passed, the spread would accelerate significantly, and by then, there would naturally be other new strategies.
At this point, another person spoke up, whose aura was even weaker than Su Cheng's.
Clearly, his talent wasn't good, and his strength was low.
"Divine Envoy, I've heard about your deeds. Is your increase in soul power unaffected by innate talent because you received the blessing of Lord Sea God?"
"More precisely, it's Lord Sea God's guidance," Su Cheng looked at the person, his eyes gleaming with fervor.
"Remember, Lord Sea God will not directly help any one of you. But he will guide you and tell you what you should do. As long as you can do it, innate talent will not be a shackle to your growth.
"When I awakened my martial soul half a year ago, my innate soul power level wasn't even one.
"I didn't care about the level of innate soul power at the time. I've said the same thing to the High Priest and the Sea Maiden Douluo."
The crowd fell into silence upon hearing this, then looked at each other.
Although they had heard about Su Cheng's poor talent and his extraordinary cultivation results, they had never seen it with their own eyes.
Now knowing that even the High Priest and the Sea Goddess Douluo knew about it, it was obviously not false.
Someone couldn't help but ask, "Can we also achieve the same thing as you? Those of us who haven't passed the test."
Su Cheng turned his head and looked over.
"Your minds are not pure enough, and your faith in Lord Sea God is not devout enough.
"Whether the test is passed or not is not as important as you imagine. I have emphasized before that whether it's the residents of Sea God Island or the Sea Soul Masters on the sea, all are Lord Sea God's people and believers, with no distinction of high or low.
"For different people, Lord Sea God is willing to guide them in different directions. Not passing the test means that it's not the most correct path for you in the future, but it doesn't affect that you are Lord Sea God's people and believers.
"I ask you, just because you don't live on Sea God Island, are you going to abandon your faith in Lord Sea God? Your gains on the sea, your improvement and growth in strength, aren't they all due to the grace of Lord Sea God?"
Su Cheng's words were firm, and towards the end, they became stern.
Many people showed a hint of shame on their faces and reflected inward.
Watching their expressions, Su Cheng nodded silently in his heart.
Compared to the Sea God warriors on Sea God Island, these people who hadn't passed the test would be the main focus of Su Cheng's future development.
There were too few people on Sea God Island.
Even if the minors who hadn't reached the age of eighteen and gone to take the test were added, they still wouldn't amount to much compared to the population resources of the vast outer islands.
Indeed, the proportion of Soul Masters among the residents of Sea God Island was far from comparable to that of the city.
In fact, there were almost no non-Soul Master adults among the residents of Sea God Island.
The reason for this was simple: the Sea God's test.
In the history of Sea God Island, there had indeed been very simple white-level tests, such as picking a specific shell or something similar.
But that was extremely rare, and those who received such tasks were considered to have received "divine favor."
Outside Sea God Island, among the Sea Soul Masters, there were indeed not many high-level forces, and there was not even one titled Douluo-level powerhouse. Because those above the black-level test, if they didn't pass, it meant death; there was simply no opportunity to be expelled from the island.
But Su Cheng didn't care about this.
To him, under the pinnacle Douluo level, strength couldn't make the slightest difference.
Even if he turned all seven holy pillars into his own people, what would be the use? Together, they wouldn't even be worth one of Bibi Dong's hands.
If he wanted to overthrow the Sea God's inheritance, he had to start from other directions.
Su Cheng was more interested in their presence itself than their strength.
"Huh?"
At this moment, Su Cheng suddenly felt a slight movement in his gaze.
He noticed that one or two people in the crowd were experiencing extremely intense spiritual fluctuations.
"No, that's not just simple spiritual fluctuations. It contains stronger emotions and desires; spiritual fluctuations alone can't show these details."
Su Cheng felt somewhat excited.
He discovered that the talent of being a "professional divine clergyman" could actually resonate with some people during preaching.
It could even go further, allowing him to sense certain thoughts and emotions from them.
This feeling was somewhat like psychological profiling but went even deeper.
Su Cheng focused his gaze.
At this moment, what was exposed to his perception were the faint glimmers of souls.
"Fortune favors the prepared mind..."
Over the years, Su Cheng had tried to explore his talent as a "soul scholar."
But the soul was different from the body and bloodline.
Although there were indeed souls among the beings on the Douluo Continent, their souls were deeply hidden within their bodies, making them difficult to reach.
Unlike the body, which is visible to the naked eye, or the bloodline, which can be manifested through martial souls.
Unless like Ah Yin, who directly appeared in the form of a soul body, revealed in real sight.
Or like Qian Renxue, who had innate talent, actively transformed, otherwise, Su Cheng couldn't understand the situation.
In fact, let alone others, he didn't even know how to start researching his own soul now.
At this moment, someone quickly noticed his distraction and followed his gaze.
The youth being scrutinized by Su Cheng was not very old, appearing to be just over ten years old. He was probably born outside of Sea God Island and had come to the island today with his elders.
Suddenly surrounded by many gazes, he appeared somewhat panicked.
"Don't worry," Su Cheng gave him a deep look and said in a deep voice, "What's your name?"
"I... my name is Li Qing," the boy muttered hesitantly.
"I can feel whether you're devout or not," Su Cheng first explained to the others, then looked back at Li Qing, "Show me your martial soul."
Li Qing pursed his lips, hesitating. But encouraged by Su Cheng's encouraging gaze, he summoned his martial soul with courage.
With a faint glow, a squid martial soul appeared before everyone's eyes.
However, this squid looked somewhat malnourished, small in size, and lacked agility. It was obvious that its quality was very low.
And indeed, it was the case.
Li Qing's talent wasn't good, with only a first-level innate soul power, and his family didn't have much cultivation resources. Four years had passed since his martial soul awakened, and he had just reached level ten, still not becoming a Soul Master with his first soul ring attached.
He had come to Sea God Island today largely because he wanted to see Su Cheng, a somewhat legendary peer.
Su Cheng gazed at him with solemnity.
"Li Qing, I can feel your devotion and your determination to break through yourself. Besides, I also feel the guidance of Lord Sea God. You need a four-hundred-year-old Boneless Fish as your first soul ring. When the time comes, you will find that your martial soul will undergo a different change."
With Su Cheng's research on martial soul bloodlines, it was simply a breeze to improve this low-quality martial soul.
For those top-tier martial souls, unless he used potions and techniques, it would be difficult for him to improve the quality of the martial soul based on the soul ring alone. Su Cheng obviously couldn't easily use external objects like potions; such actions would reduce his credibility in speech. Moreover, such actions were not easy to explain using Lord Sea God's spiritual guidance; it would be more trouble than it was worth.
Of course, those top-tier talents wouldn't easily come to listen to his persuasion, so it didn't matter.
But Li Qing's martial soul bloodline was really poor, making it easy to make up for it, and the effect would be immediate.
Upon hearing Su Cheng's words, not only Li Qing but also the others showed moments of confusion and surprise.
After the surprise, there was joy.
Someone quickly said to Li Qing, "Hurry up and thank Lord Divine Envoy!"
"Thank you, Lord Divine Envoy! I will work hard! I won't let you and Lord Sea God's teachings down!"
"I've said, don't call me 'Lord'." Su Cheng calmly spoke, his voice echoing in everyone's ears.
"You don't need to thank me either. All of this comes from Lord Sea God. Li Qing, remember what I said; this is the first step for you to take the right path. Seize this opportunity."
With that, he gave Li Qing another deep look.
This person would be useful in the future.
Not for this simulated task, but for his research on souls.
He lacked an entry point, and with an entry point, the research progress would be much faster.
As for the others present, after today's events, they would undoubtedly help Li Qing obtain soul rings and then observe the subsequent changes.
By then, with empirical evidence as a driving force and his persuasive rhetoric, expanding the sect would be a piece of cake.
...
(http://patreon.com/Firesight323)