A Surefire Investment

Shi Kang nodded. "I obtained this thing by chance on the Northwest Continent. I saw that it contained dense Wind Attribute Energy, and Shi Fei said it had considerable destructive power. It resembled the Divine Wind Old Ancestor mentioned, so I brought it back to ask whether you recognized it."

"I do not recognize it, but it possesses immense offensive power and has a core similar to the origin of a Heavenly Flame. It is a Heaven and Earth Spiritual Material born from Wind Attribute Energy, so refining it should not be a problem." After studying it for a while, Shi Gang made his judgment based on his extensive experience and sharp insight.

After hearing his Father's analysis, Shi Kang felt it made sense.

Other than not being Fire Attribute, this ball of light was almost no different from a Heavenly Flame.

There was an eighty to ninety percent chance that it was the Divine Wind Old Ancestor had mentioned.

He really had gotten lucky. He had picked up a treasure!

"However, this thing's power has already reached the level of a one- or two-star Dou Venerate. With your current strength, refining it would still be too risky." Shi Gang's tone shifted as he spoke seriously. He knew full well the dangers of refining such a powerful Heaven and Earth Spiritual Material. One careless mistake could result in a backlash...

Shi Kang nodded. Shi Fei had already told him about it earlier.

A Divine Wind at the level of a one- or two-star Dou Venerate was still somewhat beyond Shi Kang's ability to refine.

One had to remember that Shi Kang was only a Two-star Dou Ancestor right now, and he already had a Fallen Heart Flame within him. If he was not careful, the two might clash, and that would be dangerous.

Thus, despite his physical strength having already reached the Dou Venerate level, he did not dare refine it now.

Shi Kang was not fond of taking risks. He only wanted to play it safe.

Put simply: What was the rush? It would not be too late to refine it after he grew stronger.

He quietly made up his mind to focus first on improving his strength, then refine this Divine Wind once he was sufficiently confident.

Shi Gang asked, "By the way, now that you've refined the Fallen Heart Flame, how is the body-tempering effect of that Cultivation Method?"

To be honest, although he knew Old Ancestor was unlikely to harm his son, as a father who also bore the responsibility of Clan Leader, he was always especially concerned about his son's affairs.

"Don't worry, Father. The body-tempering effect is excellent." At the mention of this, Shi Kang's eyes immediately lit up, his excitement impossible to hide. As he spoke, he clenched his fist, as though feeling the powerful strength within his body. "I think that with my current physique, taking on ordinary one- or two-star Dou Venerates would be no problem at all!" Shi Kang declared confidently.

Before refining the Heavenly Flame, when he had only been a One-star Dou Ancestor, Shi Kang had already learned from Shi Long roughly how strong he was.

Now that he possessed the Fallen Heart Flame, his body had been strengthened, and he had become a Two-star Dou Ancestor. With all these advantages combined, Shi Kang believed that an ordinary Two-star Dou Venerate was no longer his match.

The premise was that this Two-star Dou Venerate was an ordinary one without any special cheats. If he encountered some freakishly gifted existence who seemed to have hacks enabled, that would be another matter entirely.

When Shi Gang heard his son say that he could already rival a Two-star Dou Venerate, a smile immediately appeared on his face, filled with joy and gratification.

As expected of my son!

After that, father and son discussed a few other matters.

"Father, I also brought back three excellent prospects this time. In the future, all three could break through to Dou Sheng."

Even within the Stone Clan, with its deep foundations, Dou Sheng were scarce.

The birth of every Dou Sheng signified an enormous rise in the clan's strength.

Therefore, when Shi Gang heard this, his interest was thoroughly piqued.

Shi Kang then began describing Zi Yan, Qing Lin, and Medusa's talents in detail to Shi Gang.

"Father, that Zi Yan is from the Ancient Void Dragon Clan. What kind of existence are Ancient Void Dragons? They are a powerful race renowned since ancient times, with immensely potent bloodlines. Then there's Qing Lin. She possesses the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils, a truly extraordinary eye technique that can control snakes, and as her strength increases, that control will grow stronger and stronger. Finally, Medusa transformed from a Seven-Colored Heavenly Swallowing Python. The bloodline of a Seven-Colored Heavenly Swallowing Python is also exceptionally rare..."

Shi Kang could clearly sense that as his Father listened, his gaze lingered more on Qing Lin. Clearly, he thought more highly of Qing Lin, who possessed the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils.

This was only natural. With such a unique eye technique, combined with the Stone Clan's abundant resources and careful nurturing, Qing Lin breaking through to the Dou Sheng realm in the future was practically a certainty.

As for Ancient Void Dragons and Seven-Colored Heavenly Swallowing Pythons, although their bloodlines were also excellent, they might not necessarily break through to the Dou Sheng realm smoothly.

The potential limits of these two races could be very high, and reaching the Dou Sheng realm was not impossible. But for various reasons, they could also end up stuck at the Dou Zong or Dou Zun realm.

Shi Gang did not have especially high expectations for Zi Yan and Medusa, but Shi Kang thought very highly of them.

The two of them were definitely more talented than Qing Lin, and both had great opportunities that belonged solely to them. They would grow quickly and be able to help Shi Kang.

However, those were matters for the future, so Shi Kang could not tell his Father too much.

The main reason he explained the three women's circumstances to his Father in such detail was to secure more Cultivation Resources for them, allowing them to receive better nurturing.

In his view, investing in these three now in exchange for three Dou Sheng combatants in the future was absolutely a surefire deal with no losses.

No, not just three Dou Sheng. In the original work, the Ancient Void Dragon Clan alone had more than ten Dou Sheng appear...

Thinking of it that way, this investment was even more profitable. It was practically an absurdly huge win.

After securing preferential resources for the three women, Shi Kang thought of Shi Long and Shi Fei again.

The two had satisfied him greatly during this training journey.

So, he put in a few good words for Shi Long and Shi Fei.

Shi Gang looked at Shi Long and Shi Fei with approval. "You two did well. Go find the Elder in charge and collect four months' worth of Cultivation Resources."

"Thank you, Clan Leader! Thank you, Young Clan Leader!" Shi Long and Shi Fei were instantly overjoyed upon hearing this. They hurriedly bowed, their faces unable to conceal their delight.

In this way, Shi Kang had fulfilled his promise and given them their "extra drumsticks."

After bidding farewell to Shi Gang, Shi Kang was like a wild horse released from its reins as he rushed impatiently toward the Training Ground.

It felt as though a fire was burning in his heart. He had not fought in so long that every cell in his body seemed to be clamoring. His hands itched terribly!

For a battle-obsessed martial fanatic, fighting was like a drug. Once one got a taste, it was impossible to quit.

In Shi Kang's heart, the pleasure brought by an exhilarating battle of fists meeting flesh far surpassed the tender embrace of beautiful women.

The feeling of unleashing his strength in battle, clashing fiercely with an opponent, and finally defeating them intoxicated him.