Shi Clan Old Ancestor

In the space, Shi Kang walked forward with an uneasy heart.

He was both afraid and expectant—afraid because this unfamiliar environment, without Father by his side, left him feeling insecure.

But he was also hopeful that he might stumble upon some great opportunity.

Wasn't that how novels from his previous life always went? Someone accidentally entered a Mysterious Space and ended up obtaining some supreme inheritance or something similar.

"This was probably left behind by the Stone Clan's ancestors. They wouldn't harm their own people, right..." he comforted himself.

After walking for who knew how long, he suddenly saw a cluster of earth-element light ahead, its energy incredibly dense.

"What powerful earth-element energy!" Shi Kang was both wary and astonished.

The mass of energy slowly condensed into a burly, transparent Void Shadow. When it turned around, it was not some immortal-looking Old Man, but a muscular man with a sturdy build.

This was a true Big Shot! Shi Kang quickly bowed, his attitude thoroughly respectful. "This junior is Shi Kang, the current Young Clan Leader. Greetings, Old Ancestor."

He deliberately stated his identity, thinking that since he was the Young Clan Leader of Stone Clan, the Old Ancestor would not make things difficult for him.

"Eighteen years old, a One-star Dou Ancestor. Your talent is passable." The Old Ancestor looked him over and slowly spoke.

Suddenly, the Old Ancestor raised a hand. Shi Kang immediately felt his entire body stiffen, unable to move.

Then waves of piercing pain surged through his body.

"Old Ancestor, I possess the strongest bloodline the Stone Clan has seen in nearly a thousand years..."

Shi Kang thought the other party was about to attack him and hurriedly spoke.

The Old Ancestor ignored him completely.

After a while, the pain vanished, and Shi Kang could move again. He had not suffered any injuries.

His heart was full of confusion, and he had no idea what had just happened.

"Old Ancestor..."

A strange glint flashed through the Old Ancestor's eyes. "Your physical strength is quite good. It is nearly at the Dou Zun level."

Shi Kang quickly replied, "Thank you for the praise, Old Ancestor!"

The Old Ancestor asked, "Tell me, how is the Stone Clan doing now?"

He only had a Remnant Soul left. He had relied entirely on the Spiritual Earth within his body to avoid dispersing. To make up for the mistake he had made back then, he had waited all this time for a fated descendant to enter and inherit his legacy.

Since he had asked about the Stone Clan's current situation, it meant he still cared about it. Shi Kang let out a sigh of relief.

Before a Big Shot like this, he did not dare conceal anything. He told him everything he knew. "Old Ancestor, the Stone Clan is doing very poorly now. There are only Eighteen Dou Saints in the clan. The Clan Leader is my father, Shi Gang, a Late Six-star Dou Saint. The First Elder is a Mid Five-star Dou Saint..."

That was right—Shi Kang was playing up their misery.

He calculated inwardly: the more pitifully he described the Stone Clan, the more likely the Old Ancestor would take it to heart and generously hand over his good things.

After describing the Stone Clan's strength, he mentioned the other Dou God Clans as well. He especially emphasized how powerful the Soul Clan and Gu Clan were, all to highlight just how weak the Stone Clan had become.

After listening, the Old Ancestor sighed, filled with disappointment. "Has the Stone Clan truly declined to such a state...?"

Shi Kang nodded and continued, "Over the past several thousand years, no Dou Di has emerged from the clan. Without new Dou God Bloodlines to replenish it, the Stone Clan's Dou God Bloodline has grown increasingly thin. Perhaps before long..."

"What about the other Ancient Races?" the Old Ancestor pressed.

"Although no Dou Di has been born among them either, their Dou God Bloodlines are still far richer than the Stone Clan's." Shi Kang continued playing up their misery.

Although he had expected it, hearing with his own ears how far the Stone Clan had fallen still left a desolate expression on the Old Ancestor's face.

Back in those days, the Stone Clan had feared no force, relying on their formidable physical bodies.

Who could have imagined that the Stone Clan would decline so badly?

The strongest member of the clan was only a Late Six-star Dou Saint, and there were fewer than twenty Dou Saints in total.

After sinking into gloom for a while, the Old Ancestor looked at Shi Kang, and a trace of hope seemed to shine in his eyes.

An eighteen-year-old One-star Dou Ancestor would have been considered quite talented even in his era.

"Old Ancestor, do you have any way to help me revitalize the Stone Clan?" Shi Kang finally revealed his purpose.

Having lived for so many years, how could the Shi Clan Old Ancestor fail to see through Shi Kang's little scheme?

He was not angry. With a flip of his palm, a scroll of a Cultivation Method floated before Shi Kang.

"This Cultivation Method is called the Myriad Spirits Body Refining Art. It is a High-tier Heaven Grade Cultivation Method, one I cultivated before my death. It can refine all kinds of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Materials, allowing them to constantly temper the body within you. As the body grows stronger, it will in turn speed up your absorption of Dou Qi."

"Heaven and Earth Spiritual Materials... Heavenly Flames?" Heavenly Flames were the first thing Shi Kang thought of.

The Old Ancestor said, "Heavenly Flames do indeed count as spiritual materials, but they are far from the only spiritual materials in this world..."

Shi Kang nodded. Indeed, the Dou Qi Continent was so vast. Since Heavenly Flames existed, there had to be spiritual materials of other attributes as well.

As far as he knew, the Void Thunder Pool near the Ancient Void Dragon's Dragon Island contained a bolt of Nine Profound Golden Thunder. Its strength had reached the level of a Six-star or Seven-star Dou Saint—it was simply terrifying. It absolutely counted as a spiritual material too.

Although he knew this, Shi Kang deliberately put on a puzzled expression.

The Old Ancestor began explaining to Shi Kang. "On the Dou Qi Continent, aside from Heavenly Flames, there are actually spiritual materials of other attributes as well—Spiritual Earth, Divine Wind, Mysterious Thunder, Mysterious Ice, and so on. You have not heard of them only because they are too rare..."

Shi Kang was inwardly shocked. He truly did not know these secrets. The original work had only mentioned Heavenly Flames and thunder.

"Old Ancestor, are you saying that I should cultivate this Cultivation Method, then search for those Divine Objects and refine them to strengthen my body?"

The Old Ancestor nodded.

Shi Kang said, "But how could those Divine Objects possibly be so easy to find?"

The Old Ancestor said, "They are indeed difficult to find. That depends on your fortune."

Shi Kang said, "But, Old Ancestor, if I never find any other Divine Objects and only refine a single Heavenly Flame, then this Cultivation Method's body-refining effect should not be especially good, right?"

The Old Ancestor said, "Who said you could only refine one Heavenly Flame?"

"Hm?" Shi Kang's eyes lit up.

Could this Cultivation Method allow him to refine multiple Heavenly Flames, like the Flame Mantra?

If that was true, then he could continuously strengthen his body by devouring Heavenly Flames. That had plenty of potential!

The Old Ancestor said, "This Cultivation Method allows Heaven and Earth Divine Objects to be contained within the body, letting them temper the body at every moment. As long as your strength and physical body are strong enough, you can refine as many Heavenly Flames as you wish."

"Several Heavenly Flames within the body will certainly repel one another. It is dangerous, yes, but the body-refining effect will be better as well—provided you can endure it."

Once the Old Ancestor explained it, Shi Kang understood.

Put plainly, this was a self-torture Cultivation Method. It placed those terrifyingly powerful Heaven and Earth Spiritual Materials inside the body, allowing them to hammer away at it every moment and achieve the effect of body refinement.

Shi Kang asked, "Old Ancestor, how strong can the body become by cultivating this Cultivation Method?"

The Old Ancestor answered, "Against opponents of the same realm, even if they exhaust all their Dou Qi, they will find it difficult to harm you in the slightest!"

Those words piqued Shi Kang's interest.

"Back when your Old Ancestor had just broken through to an Eight-star Dou Saint, I relied solely on my physical body to fight head-on against an Early Nine-star Dou Saint. If he had not fled after realizing he could not hurt me, I was confident I could have worn him to death!" The Old Ancestor wore a proud expression.

Shi Kang was utterly stunned. "Damn! That's insanely overpowered!"