Ma Hongjun's eyes widened in shock, and he blurted out Tang San's surprise before he could: "How is that possible?! Brother San's Blue Silver Emperor should be immune to both water and fire. How could it be scorched?" Su Dan Novel Network
Tang San, with his Purple Demon Eye vision activated, his lips pressed tightly together. In his field of vision, Tang Sui was entirely enveloped in that golden-red shallow light, her soul indiscernible, only the visible could be seen.
But the strange sea of flames encircling Tang Sui, which was clearly dazzling orange-red, now appeared as a vast expanse of deep blue in his sight.
"You all step back, do not approach these flames."
Bo Saixi's voice suddenly rang out from above.
Bo Saixi, clad in a luxurious long dress, held a glowing scepter of power. Shallow golden light poured down like sunlight, suppressing the gradually expanding sea of flames and confining it within a diameter of three meters.
"Senior Bo Saixi, what is happening to my sister?" Tang San looked at Bo Saixi anxiously.
Bo Saixi's expression was grave, as if she had encountered a great puzzle. Her majestic eyes also held a hint of confusion.
"I don't know what's happening either. But it should be related to her proving her Dao."
As soon as she spoke, a large swarm of golden-red fire butterflies swirled out from the ignited flames. Countless fire butterflies flapped their wings, emitting a rustling sound. A deep, ethereal blue materialized from the faintly glowing dust that fell. With hair like a waterfall and robes like fire, a seductive phantom of a woman, like a siren, was born amidst the flames, her eyes, flashing with red light, fixed on Tang Sui.
The next second, a bizarre scarlet hue suddenly invaded the sight of Oscar and the others.
Jagged, dark bat wings unfurled, disrupting even the unceasing starlight and forcing it to yield a clear space.
Viscous blood mist arose. The woman, dressed in a white robe with red trim, opened her blood-red vertical pupils. Her crimson lips, as if smeared with blood, curved slightly upward, her smile revealing a hint of bloodlust and excitement, making it clear she was no benevolent being.
—'Come here.'
Two female voices overlapped, sounding in Tang Sui's mind simultaneously.
Tang Sui, with her eyes closed, instinctively obeyed these two voices and took a step forward, descending two more steps.
The thirty-third step.
"Boom boom—!"
The sea of flames churned violently. The color of the thirty-third step suddenly changed from golden-red to a jade-like, luminous white.
Heavenly anomalies appeared. The dense sea of clouds layered and surged like waves, carrying a strange and inexplicable suction that drew in the surrounding clouds, gradually forming an ever-larger vortex.
It was like a piece of paper with a hole forcibly punched through its center. A magnificent pillar of light descended through the large hole, and an indescribable pressure fell upon everyone, including Bo Saixi.
This time, the pillar of light did not connect heaven and earth, leaving a gap of more than ten meters between the thirty-third step and the firmament.
A majestic aura of power surged down from above like a breached floodgate. Wisps of Dao intent leaked from the light pillar, drawing Tang Sui to step into it.
33.
333.
So that's how it is.
The number 3 itself carries the meaning of encompassing all things. When combined with Daoist principles, there is also the saying, "One begets two, two begets three, and three begets all things."
Based on the strength and number of steps of the Sea God's Light assessment, her brother's 333-step trial was the most logical number.
After all, he was inheriting the position of Sea God.
But she did not need to inherit any divine position; instead, she was forging her own new Dao. For her, the final "three begets all things" was the most crucial.
The first time she ascended, she only thought of climbing as high as possible, thus overlooking the anomaly, believing it to be a residual effect of the midday sun.
Later, as she climbed higher and higher, even when she lowered the number of steps for cultivation, she never went below fifty steps, naturally overlooking the steps between thirty and forty, thus missing them.
Realizing this, Tang Sui smiled and turned to look at her worried and vigilant companions, offering them a regretful smile: "I'm sorry, everyone. I may not be able to continue climbing with you all. Because this is my true trial."
"What? Isn't this pillar of light above similar to body tempering?" Dai Mubai exclaimed in surprise.
This time, Bo Saixi answered him.
"No, I can feel the fluctuations of space from within. Once Tang Sui enters the range of the light pillar, she may step into another space and even disappear from Sea God Island."
"Disappear from Sea God Island?! Doesn't that mean if Sui Sui encounters danger, we won't know?" Oscar's heart tightened.
Tang San's pupils also constricted, and he anxiously looked at Tang Sui: "Sui Sui, are you going now? Why not hunt for your eighth spirit ring first?"
Bo Saixi paused upon hearing this, her gaze towards Tang Sui tinged with surprise.
In just one month, her spirit power was already at its peak?
Thinking of the intense competition among the Shrek Seven Devils over the past month, Bo Saixi quickly regained her composure.
Results were proportional to sweat.
The little fatty among them had advanced on his second day of climbing the steps, and the cultivation of the others had also made leaps and bounds within a month. By that reckoning, it wasn't strange for Tang Sui's spirit power to have broken through to level eighty.
After all, her cultivation level when she first arrived on the island was already at the Soul Sage level.
Although she couldn't discern the specific spirit power level for some reason, it was still Soul Sage cultivation, but she hadn't expected Tang Sui's previous cultivation to be so formidable.
"Brother San!"
"Xiao San!"
The girls' cries came from below.
Xiao Wu and the others, who had gone to the outer sea together and intended to enjoy the cool seawater, also saw the celestial anomaly here and immediately rushed towards the forbidden area.
The dampness on their bodies had been evaporated by their spirit power upon arrival, returning them to a dry state.
Upon returning, they saw Tang Sui beneath the pillar of light and immediately understood who had triggered this anomaly.
"Sui Sui, are you about to advance?" Xiao Wu said excitedly, and Ning Rongrong and the others also showed a hint of joy.
But their excitement was in stark contrast to the slightly somber atmosphere on the men's side.
Ma Hongjun, who usually livened up the mood, was unusually speechless and unable to offer any words of encouragement or joy, exchanging glances with Dai Mubai and the others.
Sensing something unusual from Dai Mubai's hesitant words, Zhu Zhuqing's eyebrows furrowed slightly, and she looked at the equally silent Bo Saixi with confusion, asking: "Senior Bo Saixi, is your arrival because our companion is about to advance?"
The ball of the question landed at Bo Saixi's feet. Bo Saixi paused for a moment and looked at Tang Sui.
The person in question sighed softly. Her delicate, fair face was calm, and her voice, tinged with a faint regret, rang out: "Senior Bo Saixi's arrival is because of me. Whether I advance or not, I don't know, because next, I will journey alone to another space to undergo my personal trial, and I will no longer be able to climb with everyone."
Xiao Wu and the others were stunned. The joy on their faces vanished in an instant, replaced by a hint of pallor.
—Author's Notes—
One is 110 (those who know, know), and the other is 33 (in I Ching numerology, it signifies "the sun rising in the east"; in Feng Shui, it also has auspicious meaning of "ascending to heaven"). Since it's proving Dao, it must be related to "Dao," right?
No one guessed correctly, hahaha. More updates coming soon~ We'll be starting a new instance tomorrow, whoopee~