The soul beasts each chose god-level inheritances that suited them.
And the initial trials from the divine tests didn't require Dan Heng's guidance—they could complete them on their own.
This made them all highly motivated and enthusiastic, striving to prove themselves to Gu Yuena.
However, Bear Lord (Xiong Jun) became increasingly anxious as he watched. He had been bedridden for two months, still unable to move properly due to his injuries.
Back when Gu Yuena punished him, he had been beaten within an inch of his life.
Now, watching Di Tian and the other fierce beasts grow stronger each day, he couldn't sit still anymore. Dragging his injured body, he crawled to the front of Dan Heng's courtyard and knelt right at the door.
When Dan Heng and Gu Yuena returned and saw him there, Gu Yuena frowned slightly, a trace of disgust flashing in her eyes.
Her husband hated being disturbed the most, and yet this idiot Bear Lord dared to pull something like this?
Bear Lord felt a chill run down his spine—he immediately sensed the cold breath of death.
Panicking, he cried out, "Sister, I-I know I was wrong! I want to improve myself too! I don't want to shame you… Waaah…"
The more Bear Lord spoke, the more aggrieved he became—his tears and snot flowed freely.
This two-meter-tall muscular man cried like a child.
"…Shut up!" Gu Yuena ground her teeth.
This disgraceful fool!
Maybe she should just kill him?
Her eyes narrowed, a murderous glint flashing within them.
"Sister's husband, brother-in-law, I was wrong… Please be merciful and forgive me, I'll do whatever you say…"
Bear Lord shrank his neck, clearly sensing Gu Yuena's killing intent, and flattened himself against the ground, pitifully looking at Dan Heng.
He finally understood—his life depended on Dan Heng.
"This idiot…"
Gu Yuena's face stiffened. If she'd known Bear Lord would act like this, she would've never said he was her cousin!
"Get up. If you're injured, treat your wounds. There's no need to apologize to me—I didn't take it personally," Dan Heng said calmly, shaking his head.
Although Bear Lord was a bit reckless, his nature wasn't bad. Besides, Gu Yuena had already vented her anger on him.
Dan Heng could clearly see how severely he had been injured.
If it were another beast, they'd probably be dead already.
To Dan Heng, the punishment was already heavy enough.
He gently squeezed Gu Yuena's hand and nodded slightly. "Don't let him make you angry."
"Husband, you're too kind…" Gu Yuena leaned her head against his chest affectionately.
Then she looked at Bear Lord coldly and said, "Didn't you hear your brother-in-law? Now get… out of here!"
"Yes, yes!"
Bear Lord let out a huge sigh of relief.
Now that Dan Heng had forgiven him, he could finally ask Bi Ji to treat him!
He began rolling away, trying to look cute—though sadly, since he was in human form, he just looked extremely awkward.
Dan Heng twitched slightly at the corners of his mouth and brought Gu Yuena into the courtyard.
A faint vein bulged on Gu Yuena's forehead. In a voice transmission, she barked:
"Scram!!!"
"!!!"
Bear Lord jolted in fear—his injuries suddenly seemed to vanish as he scrambled to his feet and sprinted toward the neighboring courtyard.
Later that day—
Di Tian and Bi Ji returned.
Bi Ji came home daily, while the other beasts only visited when they ran into challenges in their divine trials.
Because Dan Heng was male, they didn't stay too long at his house out of respect.
Gu Yuena casually said, "Bi Ji, when you have time, go treat Bear Lord. Don't let him keep lazing in bed—he should go try his luck at the Sea God's Tower."
"Yes, Sister," Bi Ji replied, a bit surprised but agreeing immediately.
Di Tian stood in front of Dan Heng—this cold and aloof Black Dragon King had no airs when facing Dan Heng.
"Brother-in-law, my third trial is very difficult. I need to defeat an ancient beast. The guidance pointed me toward the Slaughter City…"
Di Tian hesitated.
That place only allowed people in, not out—and it was definitely connected to the gods.
Dan Heng thought for a moment and said, "All of you should go."
"Huh???"
Di Tian was stunned. Dan Heng had always come up with clever solutions for the other beasts to complete their trials easily.
But now, he had to go the hard way?
"Could it be… that place is also a god inheritance site?" Di Tian wondered aloud.
"No need to worry. Just follow the rules," Dan Heng replied calmly.
He had examined Slaughter City before. It originally contained two divine inheritances—one was the Rakshasa God, which had already been claimed by Bibi Dong. The other was the Shura God's inheritance, which had been corrupted.
It was likely that the Shura God no longer cared about that place.
So for Di Tian and the others, there was only opportunity, no real danger.
If they couldn't use soul skills or soul power, then in terms of pure physical power—who could compare with soul beasts?
"Oh, and bring Zhu Zhuqing with you. Just make sure not all of you compete at the same time," Dan Heng added.
Hearing her name, Zhu Zhuqing immediately came over.
"Teacher, I understand."
Di Tian hesitated again but noticed Gu Yuena's displeased glare. He quickly said:
"Brother-in-law, I'll call the others too."
He pledged sincerely.
Gu Yuena said coolly, "You all need to start using your heads more. Don't come running to your brother-in-law for everything."
"Yes, Sister…"
Di Tian quickly agreed.
Given how protective Gu Yuena was of Dan Heng, the beasts already understood well—their Lord had added another official consort!
Meanwhile, the entire Douluo Continent was still caught up in the frenzy over the Sea God Tower.
Sea God Poseidon once again contacted the other gods.
To his shock, the soul beasts were advancing the fastest in their divine trials!
Their talents barely met the standards for godhood—but if this continued, they might actually ascend.
Then the blame would surely fall on him.
He had to "perform" again.
Several water mirrors appeared around him, each reflecting the faces of different gods.
Poseidon lay lazily on a massive bed, yawning, "Aren't you guys due to switch shifts? One day in the God Realm is a year down here. It's been over two months—I'm bored out of my mind. If you're not taking over, I'm going to sleep…"
None of the gods wanted to be involved.
"Poseidon, what nonsense are you saying? It's your domain—do whatever you want! Don't worry about us!"
"Yeah yeah, I'm super busy! There's a world-threatening demon I have to fight…"
"You're the most capable, Poseidon. But if you're tired, go ahead and rest. We're fine with whatever…"
"…"
The gods made their stance clear—they didn't want any part of this.
Poseidon rolled his eyes. These guys were so untrustworthy.
"Well… what if something happens while I'm asleep? What if your divine trials end up in the hands of soul beasts or even villains? Don't blame me later!"
"Of course we won't blame you, Poseidon! That's impossible anyway. We were extra careful when designing the divine tests—there's no way soul beasts or evildoers could inherit godhood!"
The gods reassured him, full of confidence.
Poseidon yawned again, rubbing his eyes, "Fine, then I'll sleep soundly…"
With a wave, the twelve water mirrors vanished.
Poseidon smirked.
"Bunch of idiots. Just wait a few years—you'll all be in for a surprise! But as long as Dan Heng doesn't step in, things probably won't go too badly…"
One year later.
The buzz around the Sea God Tower remained strong, though no one had inherited a god position yet.
However, a few individuals had shown tremendous potential.
One standout was Sword Douluo.
After falling from grace and being labeled a cripple, he quietly returned to the Sea God Tower.
With a single arm, he touched the divine pillar—and a brilliant red light shot into the sky.
Even outside the tower, the glow was visible—instantly drawing everyone's attention.
"Red-Level Nine Trials…"
Sword Douluo murmured.
Before, he would've been ecstatic—this meant he was just one step away from godhood.
But now, having reforged his sword heart, he remained calm.
His soul power aura now reached level 98!
Everyone around him looked on with intense envy.
No one else had gotten past black-level trials—but he was the first to reach red-level!
"Chen Xin, what did you do? Can you tell us your secret?"
Poison Douluo happened to be on the second floor as well and immediately called out.
The others quickly reacted and chimed in.
"Yeah, the Sea God Tower has thirteen divine inheritances. We're not trying to compete with you, nor can we—Sword Douluo, why don't you tell us?"
"Sword Douluo, didn't you already interact with a divine pillar before? Why can you continue now?"
"Chen Xin, come on, share with us!"
"…"
Faced with so many eager eyes, Sword Douluo smiled lightly. He didn't keep it a secret and said:
"I owe what I have today to a benefactor. But this benefactor doesn't wish to reveal their name, so…"
Before he finished speaking, he deeply bowed toward the direction of Heaven Dou City.
If it weren't for that conversation with Dan Heng, he might still be lost in despair. It was that moment of clarity that helped him overcome his shadow—and transform, like being reborn.
The crowd began murmuring among themselves, wondering what kind of existence could make someone like Sword Douluo so grateful.
Most importantly, this benefactor had helped him reclaim the Red-Level Nine Trials—a divine assessment that put him just one step away from inheriting a god's position.
Who wouldn't envy that?
But despite their curiosity, they were tactful enough not to ask Sword Douluo directly who that person was.
"I think… our divine trial levels can be upgraded. As long as we make progress, we become more compatible with divine power. Besides talent, the divine trials probably assess our willpower and other traits too…"
Sword Douluo shared his thoughts aloud.
Everyone quickly took notes, but deep down, most were more interested in the mysterious benefactor who had guided him—they all hoped for a similar stroke of fortune.
News of Sword Douluo's achievement quickly spread through Heaven Dou City.
When Qian Daoliu went to see Bo Saixi, she even teased him.
"Your Spirit Hall's handiwork. Now he's just a step away from becoming a god—doesn't that make you nervous?"
Bo Saixi asked flatly.
Qian Daoliu gave an awkward smile and sighed as he walked to the window.
"Bo Saixi, the situation back then was critical. The Spirit Hall was on the brink of collapse, and all kinds of factions were ready to pounce. No one wanted to see such a giant continue existing. I had no choice but to act that way… If I had to do it again, I still would."
Bo Saixi scoffed and casually poured herself some tea.
"So, about this benefactor he mentioned—what's that all about?" she asked suddenly.
"I…"
Qian Daoliu nearly blurted out "Mr. Dan Heng".
After all, anyone familiar with Dan Heng's capabilities would've guessed it right away from Sword Douluo's words.
But since Bo Saixi didn't know him well, she hadn't connected the dots.
"Maybe it was just some fortuitous encounter? Or perhaps the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan deliberately created some confusion," Qian Daoliu said with a sheepish smile.
"Really?"
"Our Sea Witch insists the benefactor is her brother—you know him too, Dan Heng. What do you think?"
Bo Saixi looked straight at him and spoke slowly.
"!!!"
Qian Daoliu's heart skipped a beat—he almost gave himself away.
But he quickly recovered and laughed it off.
"Mr. Dan Heng is calm and humble—it's no surprise women are drawn to him. That little girl probably idealized him a bit too much. It's not like it's real."
"Is that so…" Bo Saixi squinted slightly, staring into her teacup, seemingly deep in thought.
Qian Daoliu hurriedly changed the subject.
"Bo Saixi, how's your divine trial coming along?"
Bo Saixi replied blandly:
"With that woman favored by the Sea God around, I won't become a god. But it seems I won't need to sacrifice myself anymore. That means I'll have time to go find Tang Chen…"
As she mentioned Tang Chen, a trace of nostalgia flickered in her eyes.
He was the first man she ever loved.
Qian Daoliu's face turned grim. He clenched his fists tightly.
He had been visiting Bo Saixi regularly to maintain their relationship…
But Bo Saixi's heart still belonged to Tang Chen!
That nightmare of a man—when will he finally disappear completely?
Even if she fell in love with another man, anyone would be better than that Tang Chen!
Elsewhere, outside the Sea God Tower, at the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's station—
Liu Erlong wore a stormy expression, looking like she was ready to explode at anyone.
No one dared approach her. Everyone knew she was practically the Sea God's chosen one—a predestined inheritor!
Only Yu Yuanzhen dared to ask:
"What happened?"
Liu Erlong gritted her teeth and growled:
"That damn Sea God—my fifth trial is to… to kiss Mr. Dan Heng! Why doesn't he just drop dead?! There's no way I'd ever do something like that!"
"This crappy Sea God inheritance—whoever wants it can have it! I quit!"
She roared in frustration.
"…"
Yu Yuanzhen was speechless.
Everyone else's divine trials were extremely difficult. Only Liu Erlong was so heavily favored by divine power that her trial involved… pestering Dan Heng.
And it was absurdly easy. Anyone who heard it would be green with envy!
"Maybe you could just…" Yu Yuanzhen tried to coax her, but one look at her furious expression and he wisely shut up.
At that moment, Yu Xiaogang emerged with a stack of books and said:
"Erlong, can you check these for me? They're based on data from the Sea God Tower. If I'm right, everyone will be able to calculate whether they can enter the tower—and achieve their goals through wisdom!"
He looked excited, as if he were on the verge of some great discovery.
"You need to stay grounded. Stop daydreaming…" Liu Erlong rolled her eyes and walked off.
Yu Xiaogang's face instantly turned pale.
(End of Chapter)