Stepping on the golden beach, the fine sand brought a scorching heat and a unique comfort.
Led by Haidie, Wang Zhong stood on the sparse beach at the edge of the Ring Sea. Haidie, meanwhile, sat on a giant bubble, hands cupped around her mouth, shouting towards the Ring Sea, "Sister Xiaobai!"
Her clear voice echoed across the entire ocean. Before long, with a splash of water rising high from the sea, a figure leaped out.
Xiaobai's face still held a trace of lingering anger. She glanced at Wang Zhong, then walked directly towards Haidie, hugging her and nuzzling Haidie's smooth cheek, asking with a smile, "Haidie, why have you come?"
Struggling a bit helplessly from Xiaobai's embrace, Haidie stammered, "Sister Xiaobai, are you still angry with Wang Zhong?"
Hearing this, Xiaobai's eyes narrowed slightly. She glanced at Wang Zhong, then at the coy Haidie before her. Her first thought was that Haidie had been sent by Wang Zhong as a mediator.
"What, you want to apologize for him!" She pulled Haidie into her arms again, Xiaobai angrily pinched the other's cheeks, saying with great displeasure.
Haidie giggled, her words muffled, "Sister Xiaobai, please don't be angry anymore."
"Wang Zhong didn't mean to bully you. At the time, we didn't know each other's identities. If misunderstandings are cleared up, we can still be friends!"
Xiaobai's brows furrowed. What Haidie was talking about seemed to be the first time she and Wang Zhong met, but she had long since put that matter out of her mind.
Wang Zhong was Haidie's friend, and the鲛珠 (Jiaozhu - mermaid pearl) in his hand was a gift from Haidie herself. How could she not understand its significance? Furthermore, the Sea God himself had given Wang Zhong the Sea God's Nine Trials for his cultivation. She had long since stopped caring about their initial conflict.
The reason she was still angry with Wang Zhong was because earlier, she had kindly stepped forward to catch him, only to be inexplicably reprimanded and even given the nickname "Great Stupid Shark."
Yet, Haidie still thought she was angry about their first meeting.
"Silly girl, I've long since gotten over that incident." Xiaobai said irritably, tugging at Haidie's delicate face.
Suddenly breaking free from Xiaobai's grasp, Haidie exclaimed in surprise, "Really? Sister Xiaobai!"
"I truly don't mind the matter of our first meeting anymore."
"But I didn't say I'm not angry with him now." She glanced sideways at Wang Zhong, then tossed her silver hair back forcefully, crossed her arms, and faced the sea.
"Eh, if you don't mind that incident, why are you still angry with Wang Zhong?" Haidie pestered Xiaobai again, blinking her large eyes curiously.
Wang Zhong was torn between laughter and tears. *You ran off sulking without listening to anyone's explanation, and now you're huffily expecting an apology. What kind of situation is this?*
"Alright, I apologize for scolding you earlier. Please don't take it to heart."
"The reason it happened that way was purely due to urgency."
"The force from being flung off the Sea God's Light steps was truly terrifying. While you meant well by trying to catch me,"
"your posture at the time was that of a human. That immense power was something you truly couldn't withstand. It was a spur-of-the-moment decision, and there wasn't time to say much in such a critical situation."
Wang Zhong's tone was gentle and sincere, without any hint of reluctance. This kind of apologetic attitude made Xiaobai feel a bit better.
She turned away from facing Wang Zhong and said indignantly, "I know that the level of Sea God's Light you ascended to is one that no one in history has ever reached, but you underestimate me too much."
"Even though I transformed into human form, I am a hundred-thousand-year-old Magic Soul Great White Shark! My strength is comparable to a Titled Douluo!"
Haidie kept shaking her head from the side, listening to their words, utterly confused.
She had always thought Xiaobai was angry about the conflict between them during their first meeting, but she hadn't expected Xiaobai to be angry about the matter of her absorbing the god-given spirit ring afterward.
"I don't believe you can catch me!" Wang Zhong immediately refuted Xiaobai's confidence.
"You!" Xiaobai gritted her silver teeth in anger, her body trembling. If she weren't outmatched by Wang Zhong, she would have loved to rush up and beat him to vent her frustration.
She was truly no match for someone who could reach the thousandth step of the Sea God's Light. She was well aware of this.
Seeing the atmosphere between them turn tense again, Haidie quickly darted in front of Xiaobai, hugged her slender waist, and said with a smile, "Sister Xiaobai, do you want to go play in the Siren City today?"
"We haven't been together in so long."
How could Xiaobai be fooled by such an obvious diversion? She once again pinched Haidie's face, pretending to be fierce and said, "You little fish with wicked intentions."
"Tell me quickly what you want to do, or I'll bite you and eat you today."
Xiaobai opened her mouth wide, revealing a row of silver teeth, and threatened Haidie menacingly.
Haidie's eyes rolled, and she immediately shook her head, denying, "No, no, I don't have any wicked intentions."
"I just want to invite Sister Xiaobai to play!"
Xiaobai didn't believe a single word. She closed her eyes slightly, and a casual thought in her mind revealed why this naive little fish was acting this way.
"You want to lure me away from the Ring Sea so that the Great White Shark pack and the soul beast groups in the Ring Sea lose their leader! Right?"
"After you get me away, you'll secretly give the鲛珠 to Wang Zhong, so he can avoid being attacked by the soul beast groups, won't you!"
"Your only goal in doing this is that Wang Zhong's second trial is to break through the Ring Sea. Am I right!"
At this point, Xiaobai smugly tilted her chin at Wang Zhong, then stared at Haidie with a "I see right through you" look.
Unexpectedly, Haidie froze for a moment, then exclaimed, "Ah!"
"How could I have forgotten this!"
"My 鲛珠 can prevent Wang Zhong from being attacked by the sea soul beasts in the Ring Sea!"
As she spoke, she regretfully tapped her forehead, very displeased with herself for forgetting something so important.
She had only thought of luring Xiaobai away, not this aspect.
"Little silly fish!"
Xiaobai was amused by Haidie's regretful expression, and she kept rubbing the other's face, raging, "You really thought that, didn't you!"
"I've doted on you for so many years, yet you treat me like this."
Haidie's intentions were good, and such a method was permissible within the rules. The Ring Sea was vast, and over countless years, many people had participated in this trial, but Xiaobai had intervened only a few times.
Firstly, those participants were too weak, and the sea soul beasts were sufficient to stop them. Secondly, she was the chief examiner for this trial, and she had the right to decide whether to intervene.
Moreover, passing the Ring Sea blockade wasn't exclusive to land soul masters; sea soul masters also faced it. For instance, Haidie's Crimson-level Seven Trials also included this trial, and at that time, she had similarly rubbed Haidie's cheeks vigorously and let her pass directly.
Most of the soul beasts living in the Ring Sea were subjects and believers of the Sea God. They would have no desire to attack Princess Haidie. Furthermore, the top-tier Seven Trials were for a candidate to become a future High Priest, signifying a certain success. Xiaobai wouldn't make things difficult for Haidie.
However, what annoyed Xiaobai was that Haidie had used a stratagem to lure her away for Wang Zhong, intending to help him!
"Hehe!" Having her ulterior motives exposed, Haidie flashed a big, fawning smile at Xiaobai.
"Do you know that even if you didn't help him, I would have let him pass directly."
"All the soul beasts in the Ring Sea, plus me, are no match for him. Why would I seek trouble for myself?"