After completing the third test, Su Yu left Tiandou City.
Since Great Ming had already made a move, there was no guarantee the other party wouldn't appear again.
After all, Elder Yi also sensed the probing, and Su Yu guessed it was probably Tang San who discovered him. If he didn't leave and got caught by Great Ming, it would be a big problem.
Fortunately, communication between Tang San and Great Ming and Er Ming wasn't something that could be done in real-time, as they were subject to many constraints.
After confirming that his test was completed and receiving the Divine Soul Ring, Su Yu took Huo Yuhao and headed south.
"Fourth Test: Creation, reward: Guidance from the God of Life"
The fourth test was a bit peculiar, and Su Yu didn't know how it could be considered a creation.
Surely it couldn't mean creating a whole new life?
"Probably, as this is the God of Life's examination, it must have a significant connection with life." Elder Yi confirmed Su Yu's guess.
However, Su Yu couldn't help but complain inwardly.
This clearly wasn't a Divine Examination, so why make it harder than inheriting a Divine Position?
Understanding the true meaning of life is challenging enough, but now he has to create new life. This is likely something only attempted after inheriting the God of Life's position, right?
However, after complaining for a while, Su Yu also began to ponder how to pass the test.
Complaining is one thing, taking the test is another, especially since the guidance from a god sounds pretty appealing.
Su Yu was quite curious about what the God of Life was thinking.
He vaguely guessed the test's outcome was manipulated, and the person capable of interfering with the Life God's test was beyond question.
But he couldn't fathom the intentions of that person.
Could it be that just because we both oppose Buddha, we are on the same side? The enemy of my enemy is my friend?
Impossible, I haven't been on the Douluo Continent shouting defiance against the Sea God.
Su Yu really wanted to clarify if the God of Destruction had a specific purpose, and if the god's guidance could bring him to the Divine Realm, then Su Yu would seize that opportunity.
As for how to conduct this test, Ellex already advised Su Yu to be patient.
"The ability to create should come from you. The undead in my Undead Half-Plane could count as a form of creation, though not true life, yet it might inspire you."
With Ellex's undead creation and even the establishment of a Half-Plane as a foundation, Su Yu didn't feel incapable of completing this task.
"Mainly, during this process, you should maximally exploit the test itself for benefits."
The god's test is akin to an opportunity for the candidate to gain rewards.
If creating a life only means direct guidance from the God of Life, then it wouldn't be a loss, but the gains wouldn't be much either.
Like the previous tests, Su Yu actually received quite a few benefits implicitly. The first test didn't reflect much, but the third test was the most evident, as Su Yu accomplished some plans of his own during the process, and simultaneously, through the God of Life's judgment, he indirectly got some ideas about the Divine Realm's dynamics.
For instance, Tang Ya's downfall was indeed Tang San's doing, but in the end, he abandoned that plan.
Although it doesn't seem very useful now, the implied meaning is different.
At least it indicates that Su Yu's test has the God of Life's real-time attention, and the God of Life will assist him as much as possible.
That being the case, this fourth test shouldn't just aim for any random creation of life.
"At the very least, I should try some difficult challenges."
Su Yu's eyes twinkled as he began to conceive what kind of life he wanted to create.
...
Three days later, Su Yu and Huo Yuhao arrived at the Douling Empire.
Back when Mirror Hongchen requested Su Yu to take Huo Yuhao away, he also asked Su Yu to help Huo Yuhao achieve the second awakening of his Spiritual Eyes.
For Huo Yuhao's martial soul's second awakening, Mirror Hongchen researched extensively and also extracted a lot of secret details about the Profound Nether Sect's martial soul evolution from Xu Sanshi.
A person who even took the wrong path to the back door doesn't have a particularly tight lip. Under Mirror Hongchen's patient probing, he finally unveiled some details.
"The teacher said that the second awakening of the Profound Nether Sect's martial soul is essentially to compensate for the martial soul's deficiency."
The Profound Nether Sect's inherited martial soul is just the Profound Nether Turtle, and their awakening direction is the Black Tortoise. The Black Tortoise is both snake and turtle, while the Profound Nether Turtle is merely a turtle.
According to Xu Sanshi, it is achieved through the union of male and female, in a special ritual to nurture the snake soul within the martial soul.
After hearing Huo Yuhao's account, Su Yu had a strange expression.
This sounds an awful lot like giving birth, doesn't it?
The yin and yang of male and female combine, and under the effect of the ritual, no embryo is formed, or it inevitably leads to embryo creation, and during the birth, the embryo is sacrificed, stimulating the Black Tortoise bloodline within the Profound Nether Turtle, perhaps along with other special methods, to complete the nurturing of the snake soul within the Profound Nether Turtle.
Of course, all this hinges on the Profound Nether Turtle possessing a Black Tortoise bloodline and the potential for mutation.
"Perhaps there was a foundation laid during the martial soul awakening..."
The process extracted from Mirror Hongchen wasn't thorough, just partial; it could also be that Xu Sanshi's understanding was limited, and the complete theory wasn't fully grasped.
"This method doesn't quite match your Spiritual Eyes, but their ritual must have unique aspects." Su Yu concluded.
"Exactly, the teacher also thinks the ritual might be the key, the catalyst for a beneficial mutation in the martial soul, or the second awakening." Huo Yuhao nodded.
Mirror Hongchen's goal was this ritual.
Perhaps it could stimulate the martial soul, making it easier to mutate and more active.
Then, exploiting this reactive and unstable state for extreme challenges, thus achieving the second awakening of the Spiritual Eyes.
Actually, for Su Yu, this might also represent an opportunity. A second martial soul awakening is essentially a reinforcement or mutation of the martial soul. It might be that his Blue Silver Grass martial soul could seize this chance for a second awakening.
"The second awakening, can its direction be controlled, or is it purely up to fate?"
...
Three days later.
Su Yu and his companion quietly arrived at the Profound Nether Sect.
"The Profound Nether Sect is the largest sect in the Douling Empire, mastering the refining secrets of the Profound Water Pill, with the sect amassing immense wealth."
The construction of the Profound Nether Sect consumed large amounts of Golden Soul Coins, and it exuded grandeur and magnificence.
"Brother Yu, are we sneaking in, or what do we do?" Huo Yuhao asked.
Su Yu gestured dismissively and said, "How could we sneak in?"
"Yuhao, we're here under the pretext of a collaborative transaction, to have a discussion with the Profound Nether Sect."
The Profound Nether Sect holds a crucial position in the Douling Empire and is married into the Royal Family.
The initial capture of Xu Sanshi was precisely because of his identity.