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

Just as Bibi Dong proclaimed the establishment of the Spirit Empire in front of the Spirit Temple, and all the souls paid homage, shouting "Long live the Emperor!" which reached the heavens, Qian Renxue, who was undergoing the test in the Angelic Sacred Realm deep in the Hall of Worship, suddenly felt a jolt in her heart!
That vast and fervent roar, containing the soul power and conviction of countless Soul Masters, seemed to pierce through the barriers of space, echoing faintly yet with unparalleled clarity throughout the Hall of Worship. More importantly, the focus of that roar, the name shouted by countless fervent people—Bibi Dong!

It was her… she actually… established a country and became empress?!
This thought, like the sharpest ice spike, suddenly pierced Qian Renxue's highly focused mind, which was attempting to perfectly merge with the angelic power.

She is currently undergoing the most crucial process of the ninth test of angels—merging with the angelic divine armor. The divine armor is a prerequisite for the first six tests in the nine tests of angels! This process requires absolute purity of mind and absolute focus of will, allowing no room for any distractions.

However, this sudden external interference, and the news it represented about the woman with whom she had such complex feelings, instantly cracked her flawless state of mind.

"Uh……"

Qian Renxue let out a suppressed groan. The stable, flowing golden holy light around her suddenly became chaotic, and the six enormous angel wings on her back trembled slightly, with feathers of light falling. A trace of pain and struggle flashed across her beautiful face. The fusion process was forcibly interrupted, and there were even faint signs of divine backlash.

The Grand Elder Qian Daoliu, who had been quietly guarding her like a golden statue, opened his eyes almost the instant Qian Renxue lost her composure. A hint of helplessness and understanding flickered in his golden eyes, which were full of wisdom and gentleness, despite their long history.

He understood Qian Renxue's inner obsession and pain better than anyone else, and he also knew that any major move by Bibi Dong would impact this seemingly strong but actually still fragile granddaughter.

"Sigh..." A barely audible sigh echoed in Qian Daoliu's heart. He did not utter any words of reproach, but instead slowly raised his hand.

Instantly, the surging divine energy throughout the entire Angelic Sanctuary was soothed and calmed by a more powerful and gentler force, much like a docile lamb. The divine power that had attempted to backfire on Qian Renxue was also quietly guided and neutralized.

"Xiaoxue," Qian Daoliu's voice was gentle yet powerful, like a warm current flowing into Qian Renxue's turbulent heart, "Concentrate and calm your mind, do not be disturbed by external things. Let's stop here for today and rest for now."

As he spoke, the immense divine power that had enveloped Qian Renxue receded like a tide, giving her room to catch her breath and adjust.

The golden light surrounding Qian Renxue gradually stabilized, but its brilliance dimmed slightly. She slowly opened her eyes, and in her pure golden eyes, a trace of turmoil and complex emotions remained, not yet fully concealed. She was breathing slightly heavily, and fine beads of sweat appeared on her forehead, clearly indicating that the unexpected interruption had taken a toll on her.

She looked at Qian Daoliu, her lips moved as if she wanted to say something—about that woman, about the shouts of "Long live the Emperor!", about the Martial Soul Empire… But in the end, she just pursed her lips, forcibly suppressing all the turbulent emotions in her heart, turning them into a soft whisper: "Yes, Grandpa. I'm sorry to have worried you."

She knew that her grandfather was doing it for her own good. The path to godhood allowed no room for error.

Qian Daoliu looked at her with affection and said softly, "It's alright. The path of cultivation requires balance. Some things... cannot be eliminated simply by closing your eyes and ears. Go and rest, calm your mind, and think about what you are pursuing."

Qian Renxue nodded silently, stood up, and the angelic wings on her back folded. She took one last look at the majestic angel statue, then turned and walked out of the hall. But her steps seemed heavier than usual.

The establishment of the Spirit Empire and Bibi Dong's ascension to the throne were like a boulder thrown into a lake of her heart, creating ripples that would not subside overnight. And this subtle flaw in her mind might become the most fatal hidden danger at the final moment of her path to godhood.

Qian Daoliu watched his granddaughter's departing figure, his gaze returning to the direction of the Papal Palace, his eyes becoming deep and complex. Bibi Dong… you finally took this step. But how many lives will be sacrificed and blood shed on this path to hegemony? Even… Xiaoxue's future?

In the silent hall, only the old man's long and helpless sigh remained.

On Poseidon Island, along the circular seashore, gentle waves surged, and the sunlight reflected off the seawater, turning it a deep blue. Feng Yao, Ning Rongrong, and Ye Lingling stood on the shore, their gazes fixed on the agile blue figure in the sea—it was Dugu Yan.

After several days of rest and targeted guidance from Feng Yao, Dugu Yan has reached her peak condition. Today, she will challenge the second trial of the Sea God—breaking through the blockade of the Ring Sea!
"Sister Yan Yan, are you ready?" Ning Rongrong's clear voice rang out as she held up the dazzling Nine Treasures Glazed Pagoda in her hands.

Dugu Yan turned around, her emerald green snake eyes flashing with determination, and nodded vigorously: "Let's begin!"

"Nine Treasures Transform into Glazed Glass!" Ning Rongrong exclaimed. "The Nine Treasures have names: First: Strength! Second: Speed! Third: Soul! Fourth: Defense! Fifth: Attack! Sixth: Enhancement!"

Six dazzling beams of light shot out from the glazed pagoda and precisely entered Dugu Yan's body. In an instant, Dugu Yan's aura surged like a volcanic eruption, her soul power shone brightly, and a surging sense of power filled her entire body!
Almost simultaneously, Ye Lingling also quietly released her Nine Heart Begonia. A soft, life-filled white light enveloped Dugu Yan, not directly amplifying her combat power, but forming a stable life force field that greatly enhanced her endurance, recovery ability, and resistance to various negative statuses. This protection was especially crucial in this sea area filled with the threat of sea spirit beasts.

With the combined support of two top-tier support Soul Masters, Dugu Yan felt stronger than ever before. She looked at Feng Yao, who nodded slightly to her, his eyes filled with encouragement and trust.

"Go, and remember what I told you: use skill to overcome force, use a point to break through the surface, sense the movement of the water, and turn the ocean into your own help." Feng Yao's voice was calm but carried a reassuring power.

Dugu Yan took a deep breath and no longer hesitated. With a swift movement, like a true Azure Serpent King, she plunged into the ring-shaped sea!

The moment she entered the water, the ring-shaped sea instantly boiled! The once calm sea surface suddenly became turbulent, and several powerful sea spirit beasts over ten thousand years old seemed to have received a command, rushing towards Dugu Yan from different directions! Huge tentacles, sharp water blades, mind-bending sonic attacks... various spirit skills intertwined to form a deadly giant net.

If it were the previous Dugu Yan, she would have been flustered and could only rely on the flexibility given to her by the Jade Phosphorous Serpent King and the recovery power of the Nine Heart Begonia to tough it out and force a way through. However, that would have been extremely taxing and would have made her vulnerable to being exploited by stronger sea spirit beasts.

But now, under Feng Yao's guidance, her tactics are different!

"Sensing the flow of water..." Dugu Yan didn't rush to release the poison, but instead maximized the terrifying speed Ning Rongrong had bestowed upon her. Her body became incredibly agile in the water, like a ghost, always managing to evade the attacks and soul skills of the sea spirit beasts at the last second. Her keen prediction and unpredictable movements rendered the strength-based sea spirit beasts powerless.

"Azure Phosphorous Serpent King Possession!" Dugu Yan shouted, her body partially transforming into a serpent, her speed and agility increasing dramatically once more. She seized the moment a ten-thousand-year-old demonic soul great white shark charged, advancing instead of retreating, gliding close to the shark's massive body. Simultaneously, highly concentrated Azure Phosphorous Serpent King poison gathered at her fingertips, not spraying it widely, but rather like a sharp needle, precisely piercing the vital point of the sea soul beast's soul power circulation!

Under Dugu Yan's exquisite control, not a single toxin spread in the ring-shaped sea.

"laugh!"

The demonic great white shark let out a painful roar, its massive body stiffening abruptly, its movements instantly slowing considerably. Using the recoil from this attack, Dugu Yan shot into the deeper waters like an arrow released from a bow.

She didn't engage any sea spirit beasts in combat; her only goal was the other side! Feng Yao told her that the core of this test wasn't killing, but "breaking through." Utilizing speed and agility, she should avoid direct confrontation, find gaps in the blockade, and cross over with minimal losses.

Whenever a sea spirit beast attempted to surround her, she would unleash the exquisite poison control and movement techniques guided by Feng Yao, moving like a nimble water snake. She would also use poison needles to precisely strike acupoints, hindering their movements and creating space for her to break through. The amplification from Ning Rongrong's Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda and Ye Lingling's Nine Heart Begonia power ensured she could maintain high-intensity movement and combat, with her stamina and soul power recovering at a much faster rate than usual.

The entire process was thrilling yet safe. Dugu Yan perfectly combined speed, potent poison, and the perception of the sea taught to her by Feng Yao. Like a green lightning bolt, she darted through the azure waters, causing chaos in the encirclement of the ring sea, yet always maintaining a clear escape route.

On the shore, Ning Rongrong and Ye Lingling were fully focused, providing continuous and stable amplification and healing, while Guanghong and Baiguang closely followed the figure fighting in the sea.

Feng Yao stood with his hands behind his back, watching quietly, his eyes revealing approval. Dugu Yan possessed strong comprehension and execution skills, and had completely mastered the essence of what he had been taught.

Finally, after a period of intense flight lasting about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Dugu Yan's figure suddenly soared into the sky from the sea on the opposite shore and landed steadily on the white sand!
She succeeded! With her own strength and the help of two top-tier support characters, she broke through the blockade of the Ring Sea all by herself!
Dugu Yan, on the opposite bank, turned around. Although she was soaked and looked a little tired, her face was filled with an excited and proud smile as she waved vigorously at Feng Yao and the others.

Ning Rongrong and Ye Lingling breathed a sigh of relief, exchanged a smile, and were filled with satisfaction.

When Dugu Yan's figure landed steadily on the beach opposite the circular sea, marking the official passing of her second test by the Sea God, a sudden change occurred!

A magnificent, majestic, and sacred golden pillar of light descended from the sky without warning. It did not come from the sun, but from the supreme will of the sea god! This pillar of light precisely enveloped Dugu Yan on the opposite shore.

At the same time, on this side of the Ring Sea, a dazzling golden aura also rose from Ning Rongrong and Ye Lingling! Although not as robust and dazzling as Dugu Yan's, it also contained pure divine energy!
Three sacred auras intertwined, making this sea area appear as if a divine miracle had occurred.

As the light faded, the three women's auras had clearly changed!
The soul power they had consumed for the assessment and assistance was not only fully restored, but also reached a new level, becoming even more profound and powerful!

Soul power increased by one level!
This is the most basic reward the Sea God gives to those who pass the test. Dugu Yan, Ning Rongrong, and Ye Lingling all saw their soul power levels increase by one level simultaneously! For high-level soul masters, this undoubtedly saves them months or even years of arduous training.

However, the rewards did not end there.

A majestic yet gentle voice seemed to resound directly from the depths of their minds; it was the oracle of the sea god:
"Those who pass the assessment will be rewarded."

"Dugu Yan, Black Level Sixth Trial, passed the second trial, soul power increased by one level."

"Ye Lingling, Black Level Sixth Test, passed the second test, soul power increased by one level."

For Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling, the rewards of the Black-level Sixth Trial seemed to have come to an end for the time being. However, the increase in their Soul Power by one level was already an extremely generous reward, which greatly boosted their spirits and filled them with confidence for the subsequent trials.

Immediately afterwards, the sea god's oracle sounded again, this time focusing on Ning Rongrong:

"Ning Rongrong, passed the second test of the seventh Red-level trial, and her soul power increased by one level. The age of all her soul rings increased by one thousand years!"

hum!
Upon hearing this, Ning Rongrong's soul power, which had just calmed down, fluctuated violently again! She subconsciously released her martial soul—the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda.

Around the dazzling nine-story pagoda, one after another, soul rings rose up: yellow, purple, purple, purple, black, black!

The original six spirit rings were now undergoing a transformation at a visible speed! The yellow hundred-year spirit ring was rapidly deepening in color, turning into purple! The three purple thousand-year spirit rings were becoming even more profound and dark, with their edges faintly gleaming with black light! As for the last two black ten-thousand-year spirit rings, the black on them was becoming increasingly dense and solid, as if they contained an even more terrifying power!

In a short span of time, the quality of all of Ning Rongrong's spirit rings underwent a tremendous leap! Although none of her spirit rings had yet directly advanced to the next color level, the base power of each spirit ring had been genuinely enhanced! This meant that the effects of all her spirit skills, whether in terms of amplification intensity or duration, would be significantly improved! For a top-tier support-type spirit master, this was worth far more than simply one level of spirit power!
Ning Rongrong felt the even more powerful energy emanating from the Nine Treasures Glazed Pagoda, and was overjoyed, her beautiful eyes sparkling with excitement. Dugu Yan on the opposite bank and Ye Lingling beside her were also genuinely happy for her.

Feng Yao nodded slightly as he watched this scene. The Sea God's rewards were indeed generous, especially for those who passed the high-level assessments. Ning Rongrong's seventh-level Red-rank assessment already indicated that she was very likely to succeed Poseidon as the High Priest of Sea God Island in the future, so the investment at this moment was naturally considerable.

Having been blessed by the divine reward, the three women reached a new peak in their condition. They smiled at each other, their eyes filled with anticipation for the future and even greater fighting spirit. (End of Chapter)