Looking at the God of Arrogance, Chen Ming pondered for a moment, then closed his eyes and activated the two divine trials within his body. Previously, he deliberately refrained from activating these divine trials, even purposely halting the Angel God's trial at the second stage, to focus on rapidly building up his soul power in the Douluo world. But now that his big backer in the God Realm had sent him such a great gift, there was no need for further delay.
As the divine trials were activated, the God of Destruction in the God Realm sensed the change and sent a sliver of divine consciousness, pulling Chen Ming into a demi-plane. The God of Arrogance, being a subordinate god of the God of Destruction, also took advantage of the destructive aura on his body to follow him.
Within this demi-plane, filled with thunder and destructive energy, the God of Destruction's massive figure loomed like a giant that supported the heavens and the earth. When Chen Ming and the God of Arrogance appeared, the colossal God of Destruction nodded slightly.
"Senior God of Destruction," Chen Ming greeted cautiously, clasping his hands in a respectful gesture, unsure of how to properly address him. The God of Arrogance, on the other hand, bowed deeply to the God of Destruction, his expression marked by reverence.
"Greetings, Lord God."
"Hmm," the God of Destruction responded indifferently before turning his gaze to Chen Ming. Sensing Chen Ming's current state, he fell silent for a moment.
Chen Ming possessed god-tier spiritual power, a body nearing demi-god status, and two additional… martial souls. Or were they clones? While gods with the ability to create clones were rare in the God Realm, they did exist. The God of Destruction had seen powers that combined multiple selves to enhance their strength, so he wasn't overly surprised that Chen Ming somehow managed to create clones capable of containing two distinct powers.
Compared to Chen Ming's rapid growth, those two clones seemed almost insignificant.
It had been less than two years, according to the timeline of the Douluo world, since the God of Destruction had last seen him absorb his sixth soul ring. Yet now, Chen Ming has ascended to an entirely new level.
The God of Destruction couldn't help but feel that if this growth continued unchecked for a few more years, even his divine trials might end up being useless.
As he observed the extreme life-force attribute and powerful destructive energy within Chen Ming, which resembled his own and that of the Goddess of Life, the God of Destruction recalled a playful remark he and Little Green (the Goddess of Life) had once shared. Feeling slightly awkward, he didn't know how to address Chen Ming. Maintaining a stoic expression to uphold his divine dignity, he formally outlined the details of the divine trials.
"First Trial of the Thunder God's Seven Trials: Endure heavenly thunder at the foot of Thunder God Mountain for twelve hours. Reward upon completion: soul power level increases by one, with additional refinement from immortal energy.
First Trial of the Damage God: Destroy the shadows of beasts on the Mountain of Strength, accumulating a total of twenty points. Reward upon completion: soul power level increase by one, with additional refinement from immortal energy."
The God of Destruction waved his scepter, and within the vast demi-plane of thunder and destructive energy, two enormous mountains appeared.
One mountain was shrouded in immense lightning, with countless bolts of thunder imbued with destructive energy striking its peak from the skies of the demi-plane. The destructive power spread across the mountain, forming thunderclouds of various sizes, immersing the entire mountain in a world of lightning.
The other mountain was a deep purple-black, resembling a colossal obsidian monolith. It was taller than Thunder God Mountain and exuded an oppressive aura. While it wasn't cloaked in lightning, its surface was dotted with countless glowing points of indistinct color. Upon closer inspection, these points seemed to contain ever-changing images of various beasts.
"The tribulation lightning on Thunder God Mountain can cause great harm to both the mind and body as well as your energy. Simultaneously, it contains the power of rebirth, capable of further purifying your strength and removing impurities. The higher you climb, the stronger the destructive force of the lightning and the more effective the refinement. If you find the foot of the mountain insufficient, you may attempt to ascend higher.
However, you must exercise caution. If you die on Thunder God Mountain, while it won't result in true death, you will lose your qualification to continue the Thunder God's trials."
"The Mountain of Strength was left behind by the previous Damage God as a place of training. It holds records of countless powerful beasts, which can be recreated by the mountain's power into forms similar to their original state. Though these creations lack reason, their combat abilities remain largely intact.
On the Mountain of Strength, soul sage-level shadows are worth one point, soul douluo-level shadows are worth two, titled douluo-level shadows are worth four, super douluo-level shadows are worth eight, ultimate douluo-level shadows are worth thirty-two, and quasi-god-level shadows are worth sixty-four points.
You may challenge the Mountain of Strength only once per day. Regardless of victory or defeat, you cannot attempt it again on the same day. Dying on the Mountain of Strength will not affect your real state, so you can freely push yourself to the limit."
Listening to the descriptions of the two divine trial locations and sensing the energy emanating from the two mountains, Chen Ming felt a surge of excitement but managed to suppress his emotions. He clasped his hands toward the God of Destruction and asked, "Thank you, Senior. May I ask if I can bring others with me to undergo these trials as well?"
The God of Destruction remained silent for a moment, considering the rules of the God Realm before giving a response that didn't violate them.
"The Thunder God's trials are not possible to share, as the Thunder God's divine position has already fallen. The trials given to you are essentially extensions of my power. Since neither I nor the Thunder God are native gods of the Douluo world, these trials cannot be extended to others. However, if you manage to reconstruct the Thunder God's divine position, then you may freely share the trials.
As for the Damage God's trials, they are tied to the twin hammers left behind by the Damage God. As you progress through the trials, you will gain the qualification to seek recognition from the divine artifacts. At that point, you may bring others into the Mountain of Strength for training.
While they won't die there, they also won't receive divine trials. It will merely serve as a place to gain combat experience."
"If you truly wish to give your companions the benefits of divine trials, the Douluo world has the Angel God's trials and the Sea God's trials on Sea God Island. You can explore opportunities in these locations.
I noticed when I first met you that you had the seven trials of the Angel God, and your fifth soul ring was a divine-bestowed ring obtained through those trials. You likely have a close connection with the Angel God's successors on the Douluo Continent. You can continue to leverage that connection.
Of course, how you handle this is up to you."
"However, while you may let your companions attempt the Sea God's trials, you must not try them yourself. With your talent, the Sea God would gladly hand you the divine position. Your attributes, however, do not align with the Sea God's divine position, and you are capable of creating a divine position equal to or surpassing his. Don't let the Sea God's trials hold you back. If you were to become the Sea God, it would ruin both your potential and the Sea God's divine position, leaving everyone worse off."
"On the other continent, there is the Flower God's trial left by the Goddess of Life. The Flower God is a life-attribute deity, and her trials are relatively gentle, with little risk to life. Given your unique nature, you may bring others to attempt them. Whether they succeed or not, there will be benefits. As for other divine trials, you'll need to negotiate directly with the gods."
"If you reach agreements with other gods, they can indeed send small-scale trials to the Douluo world. However, such trials can only be passed down to one generation. Unlike the Angel God, Sea God Island, or the Slaughter City created by the Rakshasa God before she ascended, they cannot be passed down as a tradition."
The God of Destruction pointed a mountain-sized finger at the God of Arrogance and refrained from saying more.
"Remember, never casually accept trials from unfamiliar gods. With your talent, most gods wouldn't hesitate to throw their divine positions at you. That would be a waste of your potential. Focus on training, and your future achievements may rival ours."
With those final words, the God of Destruction's shadow dissipated, returning to the God Realm. The God of Arrogance glanced at Chen Ming and gave him a sly smile.
"Do your best to exceed the requirements of each trial. If possible, complete them at double the standard. This will not only grant you additional rewards but will also help you obtain the Fruit of Life sooner."