The Zhongli residence remained harmonious, but outside the city of Heaven Dou, a fierce battle was taking place.
A battle between two of the most powerful Soul Douluo, both of whom were inheritors of divine power.
"You... you have no martial virtue!"
Du Siji covered one eye as he shouted at Xiao Feilian.
He had no idea why Xiao Feilian had gone mad, insisting on sparring with him.
Regardless of the reason or purpose, he had no grounds to refuse.
Never did he expect that as soon as Xiao Feilian entered the arena, she would wield the sword Zhongli had gifted her. She didn't even use the sword's sharpness, simply casting a protective shield on herself before starting to pummel him...
As "old rivals," Du Siji naturally knew how sharp this sword was, and he was well aware of how terrifyingly powerful its shield could be.
This was precisely why, during his divine trial, he had asked Xiao Feilian not to use this sword.
With just the shield, he couldn't even break through her defense. How was he supposed to fight?
That time, he had won, though not in the most honorable way, but he had still emerged victorious.
"If you wanted to beat me up, you could have just said so. If you had asked, I might have let you, but doing it this way is just pointless!"
"You let me resist, but I couldn't even fight back!"
Du Siji's mentality was shattered. Was this woman holding a grudge? She kept hitting his face...
"If you can't fight back, then just admit defeat," Xiao Feilian said calmly. This was the content of her first trial, and she couldn't afford to fail.
"Admit defeat?"
"Hahaha~"
Du Siji let out a long, bitter laugh.
He couldn't help but feel that the Fire God's divine artifact was practically useless compared to this sword.
Even with a divine artifact in hand, he couldn't so much as scratch Xiao Feilian.
Sect leader was just too biased!
"A real man sheds blood, not tears. Admit defeat? I'll never admit defeat!"
Hearing this, Xiao Feilian narrowed her eyes and smiled faintly.
Time passed, and two hours later.
"A real man knows when to bend and when to stand firm. Only by enduring what others cannot can one achieve greatness."
"I admit defeat!"
Du Siji, his face swollen and bruised, finally conceded. He had tried every means at his disposal, yet he hadn't been able to harm her in the slightest.
Silver-level second awakening, divine skills, divine artifacts... nothing worked.
If he didn't admit defeat, he would just keep getting beaten.
"Now can you tell me why you beat me up?"
Seeing Xiao Feilian sheathe her sword, Du Siji plopped down on the ground, utterly exhausted.
"Divine trial."
"Divine trial???"
For a moment, Du Siji's worldview crumbled.
She was already this strong, and yet a god had sought her out?
Du Siji was at a loss for words, stunned.
Suddenly, as if remembering something, he spoke with a grave expression: "It's not some third-tier or second-tier god's inheritance, is it?"
He hoped Xiao Feilian would grow even stronger, but he feared she might resort to any means to become a god, accepting any divine position offered.
After all, once the inheritance of a divine position began, there was no turning back.
Once it started, it was either death or ascension to godhood.
"Divine inheritances are also ranked. Third-tier gods in the divine realm are only slightly stronger than celestial hunters and divine officials."
"Next are second-tier gods..."
"If your divine trial is for a third-tier or second-tier god..."
Before Du Siji could finish, a voice echoed in his mind.
The voice sounded both helpless and exasperated, even a bit conflicted.
"Kid Du Siji, stop embarrassing yourself."
"The divine inheritance she received is from one of the five supreme gods, the God of Destruction!"
"Unless you have some extraordinary opportunity to elevate your divine position to the level of a god king, even if you become a god, you'll never be her match in this lifetime."
Hearing this, Du Siji swallowed his words, standing frozen in place.
The God of Destruction, one of the five supreme gods?
Well, damn, it seemed Du Siji would never have the chance to be the top dog in this lifetime.
"No!!!"
Du Siji spread his arms and let out a long, anguished cry.
At this moment, though it wasn't snowing, he felt as if the snow was falling heavily.
It was truly a scene of snowflakes drifting~
Seeing Du Siji in this state, Xiao Feilian calmly walked toward the direction of the Heaven Dou Royal Academy.
"It seems you already know. Well then, goodbye."
"Damn it!"
Du Siji clenched his fists, filled with resentment.
"Xiao Feilian, I will surpass you!"
"Just you wait!"
"Then you'll have to work hard. Elevating a divine position isn't easy."
As Xiao Feilian walked further away, Du Siji endured the pain on his face and forced a smile.
"This is what makes it challenging. If everything came easily, where would the motivation to move forward come from?"
"You're just standing at the finish line, while I keep moving forward. One day, I'll catch up to you."
Du Siji murmured to himself, a glimmer of clarity in his eyes.
He wasn't jealous; instead, he felt an even stronger fighting spirit.
Seeing Du Siji's reaction, the Fire God nodded in satisfaction.
This kid's personality was exactly like his when he was young, perhaps even more so.
The spirit of never giving up, constantly striving to surpass and move forward.
"Kid, I believe in you. You can definitely elevate the Fire God's position to that of a supreme god!"
"No, I will surpass the supreme gods!"
"You're just bragging..."
Both man and god laughed simultaneously, one seeing a bright future, the other reminiscing about the past he once yearned for.
Back at the Zhongli residence.
After finishing their meal, Qian Renxue and the other two left, their faces now carrying a hint of a smile.
Her goal had been achieved, and the outcome was favorable.
At that moment, Zhongli, who was sipping tea, instinctively nodded.
The moment Xiao Feilian tapped into his power, he had sensed it.
He had thought she was in danger, but instead, she had received the inheritance of the God of Destruction.
"The God of Destruction passing down his divine position... that's quite unexpected..."
Logically, given the God of Destruction's temperament, even if he were to pass down his position, he would have deliberated carefully.
He had many factors to consider, such as the development of the divine realm and whether the Goddess of Life would also pass down her position.
This god was a true workhorse of the divine realm, so passing down his position so easily was truly puzzling to Zhongli.
What Zhongli didn't know was that it was precisely because he had visited the divine realm that the God of Destruction had come to see the true nature of the Goddess of Life.
The one who cared most about the greater picture was not part of it, leaving the God of Destruction to bear the burden alone.
Was he just a fool?
He was done with this kind of life!
Since there would be no outcome with the Goddess of Life, it was better to draw a clear line sooner rather than later.
"Mo... Zhongli, what's wrong?"
Sitting across from Zhongli, Azahada asked.
Seeing Zhongli frown even while drinking tea, Azahada figured something must have happened.
Azahada still preferred to call Zhongli "Morax," as it was a habit formed over thousands of years, and changing it wasn't easy.
"Azahada, it's nothing. Just something unexpected happened."