By the time they arrived at Luo's Herb Shop, it was nearly dusk.
Luo Can led Ye Lingling inside by the hand.
Bai Wuliu and Bai Qiba were huddled before the counter, going over the accounts by the light of an oil lamp. Hearing footsteps, they both looked up. When they saw Luo Can, they hurriedly set down their ledger and abacus.
"Boss Luo, you're here!"
"Mm."
Luo Can nodded and walked to the counter, picking up the open ledger to look through it.
As he read, he casually asked, "How has your cultivation been these past few days?"
"Thanks to Boss Luo's blessing, and the meditation method you gave us, my sister and I have both advanced a level!" Bai Qiba answered excitedly.
Bai Wuliu added with a smile, "I'm already level seven now, and my younger brother is almost level seven too. At this rate, we should both break through level ten by the end of the year."
"Not bad." Luo Can closed the ledger, satisfaction appearing in his eyes. "Cultivate well. Once you reach level ten, I'll take you to hunt your First Spirit Ring."
"Thank you, Boss Luo!"
The two spoke in unison, their faces full of excitement.
For low-level Spirit Masters like them, having someone guide their cultivation was already an immense stroke of luck. To say nothing of someone promising to help them hunt Spirit Rings—such a favor was enough for them to remember for the rest of their lives.
Luo Can placed the ledger back on the counter and looked at the two seriously.
"In the next few days, go to Baican Village and handle something for me. Carefully investigate how many people in the village possess Innate Soul Power. Also, make a complete record of every villager between six and twenty years old who has awakened a White Silkworm Martial Soul. Can you do that?"
The siblings exchanged a glance, then nodded heavily together.
"Yes! Leave it to us!"
"Good." Luo Can smiled. "Once this is done, I'll give you a reward that will let you break through level ten faster."
"Thank you, Boss Luo!"
The two hurriedly bowed in thanks, anticipation filling their eyes.
"Oh, right." Luo Can gently nudged Ye Lingling, who had been quietly standing beside him, forward. "This is Ye Lingling, my disciple. Get acquainted."
Ye Lingling raised her head and politely greeted them, "Hello, big sister, big brother."
Bai Wuliu and Bai Qiba were briefly stunned before hurriedly returning the greeting with cupped fists, their tones respectful.
"Greetings, Young Master."
They did not know the little girl's exact identity, but anyone accepted as Boss Luo's disciple had to be extraordinary. Calling her Young Master was only natural.
After giving a few more instructions about the shop, Luo Can saw that it was getting late and left the herb shop with Ye Lingling's hand in his.
Ten minutes later, at Jueming Cliff.
Ye Lingling looked at the bottomless cliff before her, a hint of nervousness appearing on her small face.
Luo Can bent down and picked her up. Under her puzzled gaze, he stepped forward.
Then he leaped down.
"Ah—!"
The sensation of weightlessness hit, and Ye Lingling cried out in fright, her little hands clutching tightly at Luo Can's collar.
But in the next moment, they had already passed through the thick clouds.
The view suddenly opened up before them.
Under the moonlight, emerald-like spring water shimmered with ripples. Strange flowers and rare herbs bloomed everywhere, their medicinal fragrance mingling with spiritual energy into a mist that slowly drifted through the valley.
"Th-this is..."
Ye Lingling's eyes widened, her small mouth forming a round O as she remained speechless for a long while.
"Lingling, this will be where you live from now on." Luo Can gently set her down and asked with a smile, "What do you think?"
"It's... it's so beautiful..." the little girl murmured, staring unblinkingly at the scene before her.
Luo Can led her into the Wooden House and pointed to the only wooden bed inside.
"It's getting late. You'll sleep here tonight."
"What about you, Master?" Ye Lingling asked, looking up at him.
"I'll make do outside for the night."
Ye Lingling nodded and said nothing more. She climbed onto the somewhat hard wooden bed and obediently lay down.
Once the little girl had quietly fallen asleep, Luo Can walked out of the Wooden House and gently closed the door.
He then sat beside the spring and took out his fishing rod.
He cast the line, and it entered the water.
Two hours passed. When a completely crimson Spirit Bone was fished from the water, today's Fishing time had also just run out.
[Ding! This Fishing session has ended. Overall rating: Excellent. Reward: 1000 Points] [Points: 5700]
Luo Can put away his fishing rod and looked at the Virtual Panel that appeared before him.
[Angler: Luo Can] [Permission: Level 2 (5000/5000)] [Highest fishable quality: Black] [Daily Fishing time: 2 hours] [Points: 5700] [Unique Fishing Spot: Fate-Defying Spring (Level: Intermediate)+]
"I have enough Points to upgrade both Permission and the Fishing Spot..."
He rubbed his chin and fell into brief thought.
Which should he upgrade first?
Upgrading the Fishing Spot would improve the quality and chances of obtaining items, benefiting his long-term development. Upgrading Permission would unlock higher-quality items, along with unknown rewards.
After thinking for a while, Luo Can smiled.
"Only children make choices."
He muttered to himself and took out two Ten Thousand Year Spirit Bones that he had obtained from Fishing over the past few days from his Storage Soul Tool.
"Break them down."
[Ding! Ten Thousand Year Flame Wolf Right Arm Bone successfully broken down. Obtained 1000 Points.] [Ding! Ten Thousand Year Storm Ape Left Leg Bone successfully broken down. Obtained 1000 Points.] [Points: 5700 → 7700]
"Upgrade the Fishing Spot first."
With a thought, Luo Can tapped the "+" behind the Fishing Spot.
[-2000 Points]
The next moment, familiar tremors came from the ground.
The spring eye of the Fate-Defying Spring expanded at a visible pace, from three zhang to four, then five, finally stopping at six zhang. The spring water became deeper in color, faint golden halos appearing within its emerald hue. The surrounding spiritual energy grew so dense that it condensed into liquid mist droplets rolling across the blades of grass.
Even more astonishingly, the entire valley expanded by more than double! The Immortal Herb Garden, which had once seemed somewhat crowded, now looked far more spacious.
Luo Can took a deep breath.
Air flooded his lungs, yet every cell in his body seemed to cheer with joy. Though the spiritual energy here was still inferior to that of the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well, it was gentler and lacked the domineering erosion of ice and fire power. Even ordinary people and low-level Spirit Masters would benefit greatly from living here long-term.
"Not bad."
He nodded in satisfaction, his gaze returning to the system panel.
"Next, the Permission upgrade."
[Ding! -5000 Points. Host Permission upgraded to Level 2.] [Ding! Congratulations to the host for reaching Level 2 Permission. The following rewards have been obtained:] [1. All Spirit Ring ages increased by two thousand years.] [2. Hundred Thousand Years Abyssal Demon Dragon Torso Bone ×1]
The instant the system notification ended, the soul power around Luo Can surged uncontrollably.
His Golden Dragon Moth Martial Soul manifested on its own, and nine Spirit Rings rose from beneath his feet.
Purple, purple, purple, purple, black, black, black, black, red.
The Spirit Rings' light flowed as their ages began to soar. The fourth Spirit Ring's purple rapidly deepened, black halos appearing around its edges as it came extremely close to the ten-thousand-year level. The eighth Spirit Ring's black also grew deeper.
Most astonishing of all was that Hundred Thousand Years Spirit Ring. Its red became even more vivid, like congealed blood, and the pressure it emitted grew heavier as well.
Before Luo Can could carefully sense the changes in his Spirit Rings, his attention was firmly captured by another reward in the System Space.
It was a completely crimson Torso Spirit Bone shaped like a dragon's spine. Fine dragon-scale patterns covered its surface, while magma-like crimson-gold liquid slowly flowed within it, emitting pure and domineering dragon might.
The Hundred Thousand Years Abyssal Demon Dragon Torso Bone.
And it was dragon-type.
"This..."
Luo Can's heart skipped a beat.
Perfect.
It was simply a perfect match for the Spirit Bone requirements of his Golden Dragon Moth Martial Soul. A Torso Spirit Bone was already the most precious among the six great Spirit Bones, and the value of a Hundred Thousand Years dragon-type Torso Spirit Bone was simply immeasurable.
"It seems the rewards will become more generous with every Permission level increase."
Suppressing the excitement in his heart, he took out the Spirit Bone without hesitation.
The crimson bone hovered above his palm, blazing dragon might rushing toward him. Luo Can circulated his soul power and slowly pressed it against his chest.
The instant the Spirit Bone touched his body, it transformed into a crimson-gold stream of light and entered him.
Boom—!
Vast energy exploded within his body.
The energy contained within the Hundred Thousand Years dragon-type Spirit Bone was terrifyingly immense. It took Luo Can half an hour to absorb it successfully.
He slowly opened his eyes.
Crimson-gold light intertwined and flowed in the depths of his eyes before finally returning to a profound black. Soul power surged around him, and in the next moment, Luo Can broke through to level ninety-four.
He slowly rose to his feet and stretched his body.
The Torso Spirit Bone in his chest had completely fused with him, and crimson-gold dragon patterns had even appeared across the surface of his skin.
Luo Can clenched his fist, feeling the surging power within him, unable to stop the corners of his mouth from rising.
This night had brought plentiful gains.
He turned to look in the direction of the Wooden House.
"Starting tomorrow, I need to teach this little girl properly."