Chapter 135: The New Trial

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After completing the third trial, Su Yu left Heaven Dou City. 

Since Da Ming had already intervened, there was no guarantee he wouldn't show up again. 

After all, even Yi Lao sensed that someone was spying on them. Su Yu speculated that it might have been Tang San who discovered him. If he didn't leave quickly and was caught by Da Ming, things could get very troublesome. 

Fortunately, Tang San's communication with Da Ming and Er Ming wasn't instantaneous. It was subject to numerous constraints. 

The moment Su Yu confirmed he had completed the trial and obtained the God-bestowed Spirit Ring, he set off southward with Huo Yuhao. 

"Fourth Trial: Creation. Reward: Guidance from the God of Life." 

The fourth trial was a bit odd. Su Yu wasn't quite sure what would qualify as "creation." 

Surely it couldn't mean creating an entirely new lifeform? 

"That's probably it. This is a trial set by the God of Life, so it must be closely related to life," Yi Lao affirmed Su Yu's guess. 

However, Su Yu couldn't help but complain inwardly. 

This wasn't even a God-level trial, so why was it harder than inheriting a God's position? 

Understanding the essence of life was one thing, but now they wanted him to create new life? That seemed like something only achievable after inheriting the position of the God of Life! 

Despite his grumbling, Su Yu began pondering how to pass the trial. 

Complaining was one thing, but completing the trial was a necessity. After all, the reward of divine guidance sounded too tempting to ignore. 

Su Yu also wanted to understand the God of Life's true intentions. 

He had a vague suspicion that someone was influencing the trials. And among those capable of tampering with the God of Life's trials, the possibilities were limited. 

Still, he couldn't figure out their specific motivations. 

Could it be that opposing Buddha made them allies? Was the enemy of his enemy really his friend? 

Impossible. It wasn't as if he was running around Douluo Continent shouting about his enmity with the Sea God. 

Su Yu was determined to uncover the truth. If the guidance required him to be summoned to the Divine Realm, it might provide an opportunity to do so. 

As for how to approach this trial, Electrolux advised Su Yu to remain patient. 

"The ability to create depends on you. The undead in my half-dimension could technically be considered creations, though they aren't truly alive. Still, they might inspire you," Electrolux suggested. 

With Electrolux's experience in creating undead and establishing a half-dimension as a foundation, Su Yu felt that the task wasn't entirely impossible. 

"The key is to maximize the benefits gained from the trial itself," Su Yu concluded. 

A God's trial was essentially an opportunity for the challenger to reap rewards. 

If creating life only resulted in guidance from the God of Life, it wouldn't necessarily be a loss, but it wouldn't be a huge gain either. 

Just like the previous trials, Su Yu had subtly extracted benefits. The first trial didn't reveal much, but the third trial was the most obvious example. Through the process of completing the trial, Su Yu advanced some of his own plans and, in the meantime, gained insights into the Divine Realm's activities via the God of Life's judgments. 

For instance, Tang Ya's corruption was indeed orchestrated by Tang San, though he eventually abandoned the plan. 

While this information might not seem immediately useful, its implications were significant. 

At the very least, it confirmed that the God of Life was closely monitoring Su Yu's trials and would assist him within her limits. 

Given that, the fourth trial couldn't be taken lightly. 

"At the very least, I need to attempt something challenging," Su Yu mused, his eyes gleaming as he began drafting ideas for what kind of life to create. 

Three days later, Su Yu and Huo Yuhao arrived in the Dou Ling Empire. 

When Jing Hongchen had requested that Su Yu take Huo Yuhao out for training, he also asked him to help Huo Yuhao achieve the second awakening of his Spirit Eyes. 

To aid Huo Yuhao's martial soul's second awakening, Jing Hongchen had gathered extensive research and even obtained some secrets about the evolution of the Xuanming Sect's martial souls from Xu Sanshi. 

Xu Sanshi, known for wandering into the wrong places—including back doors—and not having the tightest lips, had divulged some details under Jing Hongchen's persistent questioning. 

"Teacher said that the Xuanming Sect's second awakening is essentially their way of compensating for the flaws in their martial souls," Huo Yuhao explained. 

The Xuanming Sect's inherited martial soul was the Xuanming Turtle. However, their awakened form was the Xuanwu, a fusion of turtle and snake. The Xuanming Turtle, by contrast, was solely turtle. 

According to Xu Sanshi, the process involved male-female union during a special ritual to nurture the snake soul within the martial soul. 

After listening to Huo Yuhao's description, Su Yu's expression turned strange. 

Why did that sound suspiciously like childbirth? 

The union of yin and yang during the ritual didn't create an embryo, or if it did, it was immediately sacrificed. This act stimulated the Xuanwu bloodline latent within the Xuanming Turtle, and likely through other unique methods, nurtured the snake soul within it. 

Of course, this was all predicated on the Xuanming Turtle possessing Xuanwu bloodline potential and meeting the conditions for mutation. 

"Perhaps there were preparations made during their martial soul awakening," Su Yu speculated. 

The information Jing Hongchen extracted wasn't comprehensive, as Xu Sanshi likely didn't fully understand the theory behind the process either. 

"This method doesn't seem very compatible with your Spirit Eyes, but the ritual itself must hold some crucial elements," Su Yu concluded. 

"Exactly. Teacher also believes their ritual is the key to inducing the martial soul's beneficial mutation, which is the essence of a second awakening," Huo Yuhao agreed. 

Jing Hongchen's ultimate goal was this ritual. 

The ritual might stimulate the martial soul, putting it into a highly active and mutable state. 

Once the martial soul is in this volatile state, extreme challenges could then be employed to trigger the Spirit Eyes' second awakening. 

For Su Yu, this was perhaps also an opportunity. A second martial soul awakening was essentially a significant enhancement—a transformation. Perhaps his Blue Silver Grass martial soul could take advantage of this opportunity to undergo a second awakening as well. 

"Can the direction of a second awakening be controlled, or is it entirely left to chance?" Su Yu wondered. 

Three days later. 

Su Yu and Huo Yuhao quietly arrived at the Xuanming Sect. 

"The Xuanming Sect is the largest sect in the Dou Ling Empire, mastering the art of refining Xuan Shui Pills. The sect has accumulated immense wealth over the years," Su Yu remarked. 

The construction of the Xuanming Sect's compound alone had cost a fortune in gold soul coins. Its grandeur and magnificence were undeniable. 

"Brother Yu, are we sneaking in, or what's the plan?" Huo Yuhao asked. 

Su Yu waved his hand and said, "How could we resort to sneaking in?" 

"Yuhao, this time, we'll approach the Xuanming Sect under the guise of a cooperative trade negotiation." 

The Xuanming Sect held a pivotal position within the Dou Ling Empire and was allied with the royal family through marriage. 

Their earlier capture of Xu Sanshi was due to the importance they placed on his identity. 

(End of Chapter)