Douluo: When the piano sounds, the hidden weapon returns to the factory

On the other side, Poseidon Island.

After adjusting to his peak condition, Feng Yao, led by Poseidon, arrived at a dangerous place called "Raging Waves" on the edge of Poseidon Island.

Compared to this place, the cliff where he had previously comprehended the power of the vast ocean was utterly calm. Before him lay a terrifying scene, as if the might of heaven and earth had materialized:
Countless colossal pillars of deep-sea silver, like tombstones of giant gods, stand tall in the raging sea. Each pillar is tens of meters high and incredibly thick, inscribed with ancient sea god runes that faintly form a protective layer, preventing them from being destroyed by the giant waves. Within the sea, towering waves rise and crash down like continuous mountain ranges, emitting deafening roars! The seawater here is no longer a gentle azure, but has transformed into a turbid, inky black wall of water imbued with terrifying force!

Poseidon didn't say much, but simply raised her hand and gently pressed it against the surging sea—

There was no fluctuation of soul power, no earth-shattering momentum, as if it were just brushing away a speck of dust.

However, the moment her fingertips touched the ground, the raging torrent that had roared like a mountain collapsing and was as black as ink was instantly smoothed out by an invisible force!
The towering waves silently subsided, and the turbulent sea transformed in the blink of an eye into a smooth, mirror-like blue expanse, even reflecting the clouds on the horizon. The entire sea went from extreme rage to utmost tranquility in the blink of an eye.

"This is where your second test will take place."

She withdrew her hand, her gaze calmly fixed on Feng Yao, her voice still indifferent, yet seemingly containing the earth-shattering will she had just displayed:
"I hope you take care of yourself."

Before she finished speaking, her figure vanished like mist, leaving Feng Yao alone before the sea that had just witnessed a miracle and was now eerily quiet.

As soon as Poseidon's figure disappeared, the ocean that had been forcibly suppressed seemed to break free of its invisible restraints!

Just a moment later, the once mirror-like calm sea vanished! A colossal wave, even more violent and furious than before, surged forth, like a primordial beast that had gathered all its rage, hurtling towards Feng Yao with earth-shattering force!

It was as if the sea, feeling humiliated by the previous oppression, wanted to unleash all its fury upon the only living creature on this land!
Feng Yao took a deep breath of the cold, salty air, his eyes becoming incredibly sharp. He leaped and landed atop the thickest, most solid silver pillar.

Almost the instant he placed his foot—

boom! ! !
A colossal wave, hundreds of meters high and as thick as a city wall, crashed down with destructive force!

Feng Yao instinctively wanted to circulate his soul power and unleash the power of the Vast Ocean to resist it, but he immediately remembered the true meaning of the test—"comprehension," not "confrontation."

He forcibly suppressed his instincts, gritted his teeth, and actually completely dispelled the soul power defense around his body, using only his physical body and will to meet the wrath of heaven and earth!
"Bam—!"

An indescribable, terrifying force instantly acted on his body, as if he had been struck head-on by a high-speed moving mountain! He felt a sweet taste in his throat, almost spitting out blood. His bones groaned under the unbearable pressure, and his internal organs seemed to have shifted! He was slammed into the Silver Pillar like a leaf in a storm. If the Silver Pillar had not been protected by runes and his body had not been tempered many times, this blow would have been enough to seriously injure him.

In the instant the giant wave engulfed him, endless, violent, angry, and destructive cold thoughts pierced his mind like ice picks, frantically assaulting his sanity and attempting to assimilate his consciousness into this raging sea, leaving only endless roars and destructive desires!
Feng Yao gritted his teeth, veins bulging on his forehead, clinging to the last vestige of clarity in his mind with his powerful mental strength. He no longer tried to "resist" this force, but instead opened his senses with difficulty, attempting to "understand" the source of this anger and to "resonate" with the pure power contained within this destruction.

As the first wave receded, he lay sprawled on the silver pillar, panting heavily, soaked to the bone and utterly disheveled, yet his eyes shone with unusual brightness.

"Is this... the wrath of the sea...?"

Without pausing, he struggled to his feet again, waiting for the next wave to arrive.

Time and again, he was knocked down and swept away by the terrifying waves, enduring extreme physical and mental torment. But each time he stubbornly stood up, and each time he tried even harder to understand the different "meanings" contained in the waves.

Sometimes, the waves become heavy and oppressive, bringing with them the silence and despair of the deep sea;

Sometimes, the waves become agile and swift, bringing with them the cunning and unpredictability of the undercurrents;

Sometimes, the waves become surging and full of life, bringing with them the life rhythm that nurtures all things...

Days passed. Feng Yao was like a child learning to walk in a storm, knocked down time and time again, but getting up again and again. His body became more resilient, able to withstand stronger impacts; and his spirit, through constant collision, understanding, and resonance with the emotions of the sea, became more refined, clear, and inclusive.

He gradually began to understand that "Heart of the Vast Ocean" was not about becoming as ruthless as the sea, but about understanding and embracing all of the sea's emotions—whether raging or tranquil, destructive or nurturing. True strength comes from control after understanding, not from simple confrontation.

His second test was progressing slowly but steadily amidst this daily pain and enlightenment.

A few months later.

Feng Yao had been enduring the raging waves for an unknown amount of time. His body was already covered with invisible cracks, and every breath was accompanied by excruciating pain. His spirit was like a bowstring stretched to its limit, swaying precariously under the impact of countless turbulent ocean emotions.

He tried to understand, to empathize. He felt the power in the anger, the freedom in the rage, even the resolute determination to overthrow and regenerate contained within destruction… but he always felt there was an invisible barrier between them. He was like an observer standing outside the door, able to hear the roar and whispers of the sea inside, but never truly able to push open the door and become one with it.

The feeling was that his "comprehension" was always superficial, unable to touch the core essence of the power of the vast ocean.

Once again, he was slammed into the sea by a giant wave imbued with the weight of the deep sea, enveloped by a chilling, suffocating sensation and a heaviness that seemed to crush his soul. Feng Yao's consciousness began to blur, and his body's self-preservation mechanisms nearly caused him to lose consciousness completely.

In that critical moment, amidst endless darkness and immense pressure, a subtle thought, long ignored and stemming from his initial realization, flashed through his nearly stagnant mind like lightning—

"Why can the sea...embrace all rivers?"

"Not because of its power, but because of its... 'humility'!" "Not because it always roars, but because it... can be 'still'!"

"The prerequisite for being tolerant of everything is to humble oneself, to be able to bear burdens, and to be able to let things settle!"

He always tried to "understand" the sea with his own mind, but never thought of "becoming" the sea with his own mind! He always tried to "resonate" with the waves with his own power, but never thought of "merging" his own power into the waves!
"Wrong...the direction is all wrong..." he cried out silently in his heart.

The next moment, he made an extremely dangerous move—he completely abandoned all protection of his body, abandoned all adherence to his spirit, and completely released his mind and martial spirit. He no longer tried to "understand" or "resonate" with it, but instead, in a near-self-destructive manner, he completely "threw" himself into the terrifying pressure of the deep sea and the endless darkness!
It's not about confrontation, it's about integration!

It's not about understanding, it's about becoming!

It felt like billions of years had passed, yet it also felt like just a moment.

When he "opened" his eyes again, he found himself no longer a victim. His consciousness seemed to have become part of this heavy, dark deep sea. He could feel the coldness and loneliness of every drop of seawater, and also the vast depths and patience contained within this loneliness, which had nurtured countless lives.

The crushing pressure that once shattered the soul still remained, but it no longer brought pain; instead, it brought an indescribable sense of peace and weight.

The suffocating darkness still exists, but it no longer brings fear; instead, it brings a serene and profound tranquility that embraces everything.

"So... this is what 'bearing' is..."

"This is what 'sedimentation' is..."

"This is... the cornerstone of the Heart of the Vast Ocean..."

boom--! ! !
A completely new power, not originating from soul power, but from the understanding of his state of mind and laws, surged forth from the deepest part of his soul! His body, covered in cracks, began to heal rapidly under the nourishment of this gentle yet incredibly resilient power, becoming more restrained and powerful; his mental power, which had been stretched to its limit, suddenly expanded, becoming as deep and calm as the deep sea.

He slowly rose from the sea and landed on the sunken silver pillar once more.

Before him still lay a desolate landscape of roaring, raging waves, but in his "eyes," it was different. He could clearly "see" the different emotions flowing within each wave; they were no longer attacks against him, but rather the breath and language of the sea.

He didn't even need to consciously guide it; with a slight thought, the raging waves in a small area around him naturally calmed down, as if gently surrounding him.

The second test, "Heart of the Vast Ocean," finally brought a breakthrough during this near-death experience! However, Feng Yao discovered that he could only control a small area around his body.

Feng Yao stared at the raging waves before him, a desolate wasteland that seemed to have roared since time immemorial and kept everyone at arm's length. His brows furrowed, and a thought involuntarily surfaced in his mind: "I can't fully control this sea area... Could it really be because my cultivation is insufficient?"

He closed his eyes, and the image of Poseidon's casual press replayed clearly in his mind—no surge of soul power, no earth-shattering momentum, not even the slightest fluctuation, yet it could bring the raging waves back to absolute calm, as if it were not a conquest of power, but a supreme recognition from the source.

Feng Yao slowly sat down cross-legged, focused his mind and tried to expand the mental power he had just comprehended—the power to control the small area of ​​sea around him—outwards.

However, no matter how much he channeled his soul power or focused his spirit, the invisible domain of control seemed to have struck an invisible yet resilient barrier, firmly confining him within three feet of his body, unable to extend even an inch further. It was as if this raging, desolate realm possessed its own will, coldly rejecting any deeper level of control.

Feng Yao stood atop the heavy silver pillar, the profound aura emanating from his newly broken through realms, born of "bearing" and "precipitation," not yet fully subsided. The roar of the raging waves seemed to have softened slightly due to his transformation, as if the savage beast had recognized its own kind and was no longer attacking relentlessly.

But he knew this was not the end.

"Understanding its meaning, becoming a part of it... is still not enough." Feng Yao stared at the terrifying waves that were gathering again ahead, containing the will to "tear" and "shatter," his eyes shining with an even clearer light. "How could the Sea God's test stop at 'becoming'?"

"The true 'heart of the vast ocean' should not merely passively encompass and bear, but rather... transcend!"

In that instant of clarity, he no longer waited for the waves to come, but instead took a step forward!
This time, he did not disperse his power to merge with the waves. Instead, he used the profound and ocean-like power of "bearing" that he had just comprehended as a foundation and buffer, and poured his original soul power, spiritual power, and understanding of the laws into it, just like all rivers flowing into the sea!

He wants to guide the power of the vast ocean with his own "intention," rather than be assimilated by it!

"Celestial Sound Domain - Myriad Celestial Sounds!"

He pressed his hands together lightly, his ten fingers like the strings of a zither, and invisible sound waves, mixed with the power of the azure ocean, spread out. These sound waves were no longer resisting the waves, nor simply merging with them, but rather, with a higher level of "understanding," precisely cutting into the trajectory and emotional core of the giant wave before him!
A wonderful scene happened!

The terrifying giant wave, which originally contained a pure "tearing" will and was powerful enough to shatter refined gold, seemed to have its violent "tearing" will quietly combed and guided by an invisible hand when it came into contact with Feng Yao's unique domain, which combined the power of music and the vast ocean!
The shape of the giant wave did not change, nor did the terrifying energy it contained diminish. However, the "will" at its core was forcibly reversed and sublimated by the will of the wind element into a more efficient and controlled "barrier breaking" from the chaotic and destructive "tearing".
boom! ! !
The giant wave continued to crash down with undiminished power, but it perfectly avoided Feng Yao's location. Instead, as if it had come to life, it concentrated all its power to bombard the void to his side, instantly clearing away the chaotic energy currents and hidden reefs in that area! It was as if it were carrying out a precise cleanup!

At this moment, Feng Yao is no longer a bystander of the sea, nor is he a part of it.

He is the sea's confidant and its guide!
He understood every emotion of the sea, he possessed some of the sea's qualities, and ultimately, through his own will and path, he harnessed the power of the sea and guided it towards a more efficient and perfect form of expression!
“So that’s how it is… This is the true end of the second test…” Feng Yao stood on the pillar, his robes fluttering in the aftershocks of energy, but his eyes were filled with a calm and vast expanse.

What he successfully cultivated was not merely a "heart of the vast ocean" that encompasses everything, but a heart that can understand, integrate with, and ultimately transcend the vast ocean—a heart of the vast ocean!

The enhancement brought about by the "Heart of the Vast Ocean" far surpasses what can be measured by soul power level; it represents a complete transformation in comprehension and perception of power. (End of Chapter)