Lin Xia's voice carried barely restrained excitement, his eyes sharp as blades.
"Here, this core of the mineral vein is very likely the entrance to the God Trial! Or rather, the place where one receives the preliminary trial and gains qualification!"
"God Trial…"
Lou Gao's breathing grew heavy.
Divine inheritance!
This was the ultimate opportunity, enough to drive every Soul Master on the entire Douluo Continent mad!
But along with it came immense concern.
"Xia! That's a god we're talking about! A God Trial… how could it be child's play? I've read plenty of ancient records. Since time immemorial, countless peerless geniuses have fallen on the path to godhood!"
"That is absolutely a road of nine deaths and one survival—no, ten deaths with no life at all! We… are we really going to touch this? It's far too dangerous!"
Lou Gao recalled the agony and near-death experiences Lin Xia had endured before, his heart still filled with lingering fear.
Lin Xia looked at the worry in his teacher's eyes. Warmth surged in his heart, but even more so was an unyielding determination that pressed forward no matter what.
He clenched his fist, feeling the surging newborn power within his body, feeling the warmth transmitted by the Phoenix Mark on his arm. His gaze brimmed with the desire to explore.
"Teacher!"
Lin Xia's voice was resolute and decisive, carrying the fiery passion unique to youth and an unquestionable firmness.
"You're right. A God Trial is bound to be accompanied by unimaginable danger and trials. But, Teacher!"
He stepped forward, his eyes blazing like fire.
"This is a god! The ultimate goal pursued by Soul Masters of the Douluo Continent! A supreme opportunity countless people can only dream of but never reach! It's right in front of us! Can you really accept turning around and leaving as if nothing happened?"
"We endured the agony of being burned by the Sun Essence, experienced our skeleton shattering and the miracle of nirvana and rebirth, and obtained this mark and this power… Isn't all of this a sign guiding us toward this path?"
"If we don't even dare to try, if we retreat just because we fear the unknown dangers—when we look back in the future, won't we regret it for the rest of our lives? That regret might be even more painful than death itself!"
"Teacher! Risks and opportunities coexist! This may be the only chance in our entire lives to touch the domain of the gods!"
"Even if we ultimately fail and are reduced to dust, at least we will have gone all out to fight for it to challenge that supreme peak!"
"Rather than gazing up in mediocrity and leaving behind endless 'what ifs'!"
Lin Xia's words were like scorching magma, pouring into Lou Gao's heart.
Lou Gao stared blankly at the young disciple before him—reborn, transformed, with an unyielding flame burning in his eyes. Yes… divine inheritance something so many people dreamed of!
Had he not harbored a trace of such fantasies in his youth as well?
Now that the opportunity was right before him, though perilous beyond measure—could he truly abandon it without regret?
That line"no regrets in the future" rang like a morning bell and evening drum, striking heavily upon his soul.
Lou Gao's eyes struggled violently. Fear, worry, and concern for his disciple's safety clashed fiercely with the desire ignited deep within him, the longing for ultimate forging, the excitement of witnessing history, of participating in legend.
In the end, the pride of the Divine Craftsman, the yearning of a Soul Master for the pinnacle, and the responsibility of a mentor unwilling to become the source of his disciple's lifelong regret overwhelmed the fear.
Lou Gao suddenly clenched his teeth. A brilliance never seen before burst from his eyes, as if he had made a decisive resolution. He grabbed Lin Xia's shoulder forcefully, so hard that Lin Xia felt a slight pain but his voice was filled with reckless boldness and urgency.
"Fine! You little brat! You're right! I've never been afraid of anything in my life! So what if it's a god? This opportunity, we're taking it!"
"Even if it costs me this old life, I'll walk this road with you!"
"If we fall in the end, at least we'll have company on the road to the underworld—better than living a coward's life!"
"Now tell me, did those ancient fragmented texts you read record what comes next? How do we… activate this God Test?!"
Seeing the fighting spirit reignite in his teacher's eyes, Lin Xia felt completely reassured. His blood boiled with excitement.
Lin Xia immediately calmed his mind.
Ancient texts? There were none at all.
All he had were memories from his previous life.
While recalling the records from the original work, Lin Xia combined them with the sensations from the Phoenix Mark on his arm and the ancient formation that had once surfaced deep within the mineral vein, rapidly thinking and analyzing.
"Teacher, that fragment was extremely incomplete and obscure. It only mentioned a few keywords: Heart of the Fire Source, Guide of Nirvana, Divine Runes in Resonance, and Knocking Upon the Origin. Based on our situation…"
Lin Xia pointed toward the depths of the mineral vein.
"The Heart of the Fire Source most likely refers to the core of this Sun Essence mineral vein, the place where the formation appeared earlier. It is the source of the fire-element energy here and the site of the divine manifestation."
He stroked the Phoenix Mark on his arm.
"Divine Runes in Resonance refers to this Phoenix Mark! It should be the so-called Guide of Nirvana, the proof that we've obtained preliminary recognition and qualification to undergo the God Trial."
"As for Knocking Upon the Origin… that may be the key."
A glint of wisdom flashed in Lin Xia's eyes.
"My guess is that we need to activate the power of the mark and establish deep resonance with the Heart of the Fire Source at the core of the mineral vein, triggering that ancient formation once again. Perhaps… that is the 'door' that opens the next stage of the trial."
"How exactly do we do it?"
Lou Gao asked urgently, his fists clenched. The phantom of his Martial Soul flickered faintly behind him as he prepared for any sudden danger.
"The method may lie within the mark itself!"
Lin Xia said with certainty.
"Teacher, do you remember when Larvitar and I reassembled, and later when it was devouring the mineral vein, the mark would light up?"
"Especially when we absorbed the Sun Essence energy, that sense of connection would grow stronger. I suspect that we need to actively guide the flame power within our bodies and inject it into this mark, and at the same time… we need Larvitar's cooperation!"
Lin Xia turned his gaze toward Larvitar.
"Larvitar, remove your disguise! Use your strongest lava form and release the flame power within you! We are one—we share the same mark, and our marks are connected!"
"Larvitar!"
Larvitar let out a low roar without the slightest hesitation. In an instant, the dark, heavy crimson-gold lava armor covering its body shed its disguise, revealing beneath it surging, roaring golden-red energy that looked like molten lava given physical form!
The ancient runes on its armor seemed to come alive, flowing with dazzling light. A terrifying high temperature—purer and heavier than before—erupted violently, perfectly merging and resonating with the aura radiating from Lin Xia!
On the armor of Larvitar's left forelimb, the Phoenix Mark shone just like the one on Lin Xia's arm, releasing intense crimson-gold brilliance!
Lin Xia took a deep breath, his gaze incomparably focused.
He no longer suppressed the vast flame power within his body, guiding it like a hundred rivers returning to the sea, continuously surging toward the Phoenix Mark on his left arm!
Buzz—!
The crimson-gold Phoenix Mark suddenly erupted with dazzling, eye-searing radiance!
The light was no longer the faint warmth it had been before, it was as if a true sun had risen upon his arm!
The phoenix within the mark seemed to come alive, its golden-flamed tail feathers flowing endlessly, emitting a silent, resonant cry!
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