When Wang Zhong's figure stood on the thousandth step, Xiao Bai clutched her lips tightly, trembling with shock, blood surging.
This was a miracle! A legend! A peak no one had ever reached!
But the miracle only lasted a short while. Under Xiao Bai's worried gaze, Wang Zhong's body once again turned into a parabola, plummeting from the sky towards the sea.
With a light touch of her toes, Xiao Bai leaped from the sea, ready to catch Wang Zhong.
This scene made Wang Zhong's scalp tingle.
With the weight his body carried, coupled with the thrust converted from the pressure of the Sea God's Light, anything in his path would be shattered.
Let alone Xiao Bai, who was a spirit possessed great white shark, even the Deep Sea Giant Whale King would die on the spot if it were in his path, let alone Xiao Bai, who had transformed into human form.
"Get away quickly!"
Wang Zhong roared forcefully. The severity in his expression and demeanor made Xiao Bai, who was moving to meet him, pause for a moment.
But it was precisely this moment that caused Wang Zhong and Xiao Bai to miss each other.
"You big dumb shark!"
At that instant, Wang Zhong muttered a low curse and then crashed heavily into the sea, stirring up monstrous waves.
The waves surged out of the sea, lashing at the steps, completely submerging the area below the entire staircase. The waves were so large that they even submerged all the steps for a moment. When the waves receded, the sweat and bloodstains left by Wang Zhong on the steps were washed away.
The waves swished past her body, yet Xiao Bai remained completely dry. Enraged by Wang Zhong's insult, she didn't even pay attention to the immense power of the surging waves.
"Big dumb shark!!!"
Shouting this epithet, Xiao Bai was furious. She had kindly wanted to catch Wang Zhong, but instead of receiving thanks, she was reprimanded and called a big dumb shark.
"Wang Zhong, go to hell!"
Xiao Bai leaped into the sea, transforming back into a spirit possessed great white shark, and swam far away.
After a while, Wang Zhong emerged from the seawater, crawled onto the open ground below the steps, and lay on his back, gasping for breath. He could only chuckle helplessly at Xiao Bai, who had swum far away.
"Heh, she must be very angry!"
"She was trying to help, but she got a scolding and the nickname 'big dumb shark'."
"But you should listen to my explanation too. Running off in a huff without giving me a chance, really."
He mumbled to himself, and before he could straighten up, a seductive and beautiful face with a smiling, curious expression appeared before him.
Sea-blue long hair, sea-blue eyes, a seductive and beautiful face – it was Hai Die.
"Wang Zhong, why are you in such a sorry state!"
The young girl smiled gently, reached out, and pulled Wang Zhong up, helping him to sit down.
Fortunately, Wang Zhong had turned off his heavy soul tool in the seawater, otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to surface, let alone get up and lie here. And Hai Die wouldn't have been able to pull him up.
After Wang Zhong was seated, Hai Die looked at the towering staircase and said with a hint of surprise, "You've traversed the Sea God's Light!"
"Why are you here participating in the Sea God's trial? Have you joined Sea God Island!"
Wang Zhong chuckled and shook his head gently, replying, "No, not at all."
"It was your Sea God who gave me the opportunity to participate in the Sea God's trial without joining Sea God Island."
As he spoke, Wang Zhong activated the trident imprint on his glabella. The soft golden light carried a unique authority.
However, Hai Die was not a pillar guardian. When the Sea God appeared, she was absorbing a god-bestowed spirit ring and was unaware of external matters. Poseidon had not discussed the matter much. Therefore, Hai Die was not very clear about the Sea God giving Wang Zhong the Nine Trials of the Sea God.
After all, as soon as she finished absorbing her god-bestowed spirit ring, she learned of Wang Zhong's whereabouts from Poseidon and rushed over.
"You've seen the Sea God!" Hai Die exclaimed in surprise.
Even as a native resident of Sea God Island, she had never seen the Sea God since birth.
"Mmm," Wang Zhong nodded calmly.
For Hai Die, whose faith was in the Sea God, seeing the Sea God in person was something she deeply envied.
"What does the Sea God look like?" Hai Die asked Wang Zhong, her eyes shining.
Wang Zhong thought about the Sea God's appearance and replied seriously, "A middle-aged man with an ordinary face, but very majestic."
"He possessed an aura and power as vast and boundless as the sea."
Receiving an answer that was similar to her imagination, Hai Die became even more interested and asked several questions about the Sea God. Wang Zhong described as much as he knew to Hai Die, and for what he didn't know, he truthfully admitted his ignorance.
Under the sunlight, Wang Zhong sat with his legs dangling on the white, open ground by the sea. Hai Die sat beside Wang Zhong, gently stirring the seawater with her large tail fin. The two of them chatted and laughed, a scene of infinite beauty and purity.
After resting for a while, as his body gradually recovered some strength, Wang Zhong took out some nourishing medicinal herbs from his soul tool, threw them into his mouth, chewed them a few times, and swallowed them.
Seeing Wang Zhong's actions, Hai Die casually picked up a medicinal herb and sniffed it gently. A strong medicinal scent wafted towards her.
"Are you injured!" Hai Die asked with concern.
Wang Zhong swallowed the medicinal herb in his mouth and shrugged, "Not exactly injured."
"This is part of my cultivation. I expended a lot of energy climbing the Sea God's Light earlier, so I'm using these herbs to restore my stamina."
Hai Die was skeptical, but Wang Zhong showed no signs of injury on his exterior. His breathing was indeed a bit disordered due to exertion, as he had said, but it was gradually stabilizing after ingesting the herbs.
While eating the medicinal herbs, Wang Zhong inquired about the next trial.
The first trial was temporarily concluded. He planned to see what the subsequent trials would be like. After all, his trial requirements did not include any restrictions that he had to pass one trial before proceeding to the next.
"Little fish, do you know where the Ring Sea is?"
"The Ring Sea!" Hai Die was slightly surprised and asked, "Is your next trial to break through the Ring Sea blockade?"
Wang Zhong's hand paused, and he asked in surprise, "How did you know?"
Hai Die's slender brows furrowed, and she replied with some distress, "Because for land soul masters, this is a trial almost everyone must go through."
"Moreover, the Ring Sea is vast, comparable to a small ocean, and inhabited by all sorts of powerful sea spirit beasts."
"The most difficult part is that during this assessment, the soul master's spirit rings, spirit skills, spirit power, and spirit bones will be restricted and sealed, unable to be used. Furthermore, within this process, not a single sea spirit beast can be killed, making it an almost impossible trial for land soul masters."
"The most, most, most, most important point is, the examiner for the second trial is Sister Xiao Bai!"
"You've offended her before, and she's definitely still angry with you, she won't let you pass."
At this point, Hai Die's pretty face contorted in worry.
The Sea God's trials had a time limit. If they could not be completed within the stipulated time, the assessment mark on their forehead would burst, instantly killing the participant.
The thought of that consequence was unbearable for Hai Die. She immediately said, "No, I have to go and talk to Sister Xiao Bai, I can't let her make a move."
She leaped up, about to jump into the sea. Fortunately, Wang Zhong was quick and had largely recovered his strength. He grabbed Hai Die's wrist and smiled, "Little fish, don't be so hasty. Who told you I couldn't break through?"
"Have some faith in me, okay?"
"Let's go. If you're going to find her, bring me along."