Fate-Defying Spring Upgrade

[This haul: Good. Reward: 100 Points]

Luo Can looked at the newly appeared prompt and raised an eyebrow slightly.

"Points?"

He reached out and tapped the air lightly with a finger. A translucent screen unfolded, displaying a simple interface:

[Fisher: Luo Can]

[Permission: Level 0 (0/1000)]

[Highest fishable quality: Purple]

[Daily Fishing time: 1 hour]

[Current Points: 100]

[Only Fishing Spot: Fate-Defying Spring (Level: Intermediate) +]

"Upgrading permission requires a thousand Points..." Luo Can rubbed his chin, his gaze settling on the plus sign behind the Fishing Spot.

He cautiously reached out and tapped it.

[Consume 100 Points to upgrade the Fishing Spot? Yes/No]

"Yes."

The Points Panel instantly reset to zero. At the same time, a faint tremor ran through the ground beneath his feet.

The Fate-Defying Spring began to change.

The spring mouth, originally only three feet across, seemed to be pried open by an invisible hand. The rocks around its edges silently receded, while the water's surface expanded visibly—from three feet to four, then five, finally stopping at six.

Luo Can crouched down and reached into the water. Beneath its icy touch was spiritual energy far richer than before. Extending his mental power downward, he found that the spring had deepened to around ten meters.

"The range has expanded, and the spiritual energy concentration has increased..." He rose to his feet, excitement flashing in his eyes. "That means there's more spring water available now."

The system, Fishing, items from different eras of Douluo Continent, and this Fate-Defying Spring that could be upgraded without limit—the idea of building a force surfaced in Luo Can's mind once more.

Soul Power Pills could nurture newcomers, Soul Tools could arm his force, and as for those "strange" items, Luo Can glanced at the Purple Underwear and Phantom Soft Armor inside his Storage Soul Tool. Perhaps they would have their uses too.

"Tomorrow..." He looked up at the night sky. "What good stuff will I fish up then?"

The next day.

Morning sunlight spilled across his face through the wooden window.

Luo Can opened his eyes. The first thing he did was stretch out a hand, and a Silver Fishing Rod slowly materialized.

"It wasn't a dream."

He sat up and stretched. After washing up, he picked up the fishing rod and walked out of the Wooden House.

The upgraded Fate-Defying Spring looked even more enchanting in the morning light. Its surface rippled with faint golden glimmers, and even the spiritual herbs around it had grown lusher.

Meanwhile, the Fishing time on the Virtual Panel had reset.

"Let's begin."

He cast the rod, and the hook sank beneath the water.

This time, the wait was short.

After only three minutes, the fishing line gave a distinct tug.

Luo Can flicked his wrist, and an item burst from the water, arcing through the air before landing on the grass.

It was a bone.

It was shaped like an irregular left leg, gleaming with a pale cyan sheen. Cloud-like patterns covered its surface.

When Luo Can picked it up, information surfaced automatically:

[Wind Horse Left Leg Bone (Purple)]

[Age: 1,200 years]

"A thousand-year Spirit Bone..." Luo Can weighed the bone in his hand and shook his head regretfully. "The age is too low."

A 1,200-year Spirit Bone might have been a decent supplement for a Soul Elder, but for a Title Douluo, it was not even icing on the cake.

Just as he was about to store it in his Storage Soul Tool, a new prompt appeared:

[Would you like to dismantle it? Dismantling will yield 120 Points. Yes/No]

"Dismantle it?" Luo Can's eyes lit up. "It can do that too?"

Without hesitation, he chose "Yes."

The Spirit Bone in his hand turned into specks of cyan light and dissipated. The number on the Points Panel jumped: 0→120.

"120 Points..." Luo Can looked at the Fate-Defying Spring and cast the rod again.

For the second cast, he waited eight minutes.

This time, he fished up an amber-colored gelatinous substance the size of his palm, giving off a faintly fishy yet sweet scent.

[Century Whale Rubber (Yellow)]

[Description: Slightly increases physical strength after consumption. Can increase Spirit Ring age by at least 50 years.]

"Good stuff." Luo Can's eyes brightened.

Whale Rubber was considered a rare item on Douluo Continent. Especially for low-level Spirit Masters, being able to increase a Spirit Ring's age meant a tremendous advantage in potential.

The dismantling prompt appeared again, but this time he chose no.

"I'll keep it. It might come in handy later."

The third cast brought up a Soul Power Pill, while the fourth yielded a fist-sized chunk of Iron Essence.

The fifth and sixth casts brought up two sets of ordinary clothes, styled like the uniforms of some academy.

Time passed bit by bit, until only ten minutes remained.

Luo Can took a deep breath and cast the seventh line.

This wait was exceptionally long.

Just as the countdown reached its final three minutes, the fishing line finally moved.

It was not a light tug, but a heavy sinking pull. Luo Can's expression sharpened as Soul Power flooded into his arms, and he yanked upward—

"Splash!"

A palm-sized metal bottle burst from the water. Its body was silver-white, covered in intricate Soul Tool Patterns, while a pale-blue Crystal was embedded at its mouth.

[Level 4 Soul Tool: Milk Bottle (Purple)]

[Description: A Spirit Master's "power bank." It can store Soul Power and replenish it when a Spirit Master's Soul Power is exhausted. A Level 4 Milk Bottle can store an amount of Soul Power equivalent to that of a Soul Ancestor.]

"An auxiliary Soul Tool..." Luo Can played with the Milk Bottle in his hand, a sharp gleam flashing in his eyes.

On Douluo Continent, items capable of storing Soul Power were exceedingly rare. With this, it was like having a reserve source of Soul Power at the Soul Ancestor level. Though it was a drop in the bucket for a Title Douluo like him, its value was immeasurable for low-level Spirit Masters or prolonged battles.

[Ding! Fishing time has ended]

[This haul: Good+. Reward: 400 Points]

Points: 520.

"A Good+ rating..." Luo Can looked at the words on the screen. "It seems the quality of the haul affects the Points reward."

Without hesitation, he invested all his Points into upgrading the Fishing Spot.

[Consume 500 Points to upgrade the Fishing Spot? Yes/No]

"Yes."

The second tremor was much more pronounced than the first. The mouth of the Fate-Defying Spring expanded again, its water surface reaching a diameter of one zhang, while its depth nearly doubled.

Luo Can immediately made a decision. "I should raise the Fishing Spot's level first."

After all, as the Fishing Spot level rose, the quality of the items he caught and the drop rate both improved significantly. It was a positive cycle.

The sunlight was perfect. In high spirits, Luo Can spread his wings. Golden butterfly wings unfurled beneath the sun, and with a light beat, he shot into the sky.

Within a few breaths, he had flown out of the valley and arrived at a small town a hundred li away.

The town was called Yaowang Town, named for its sale of all kinds of medicinal herbs.

Shops lined both sides of the street, and pedestrians came and went. It was fairly prosperous.

Luo Can concealed his aura and soon arrived before a shop called Luo's Herb Shop.

He took out a key and pushed open the wooden door. The scent of dust rushed toward him.

He had not visited for half a year, and a thick layer of dust had already accumulated inside.

Luo Can waved a hand. Soul Power swept through every corner, instantly lifting the dust, compressing it into a small ball, and rolling it out the door. The shop was soon spotless, with the herb shelves, counter, tables, and chairs all free of dust.

He took out the medicinal herbs he had collected over the years from his Storage Soul Tool and placed them on the shelves one by one.

Century-old Ginseng, Purple Lingzhi, Blood-Coagulating Grass... Before long, the rich fragrance of medicinal herbs filled the entire shop.

Not long after he finished arranging the herbs, the wind chime by the door rang.

"Boss Luo, you finally opened up."

A gentle female voice came from outside, carrying a trace of exhaustion. Luo Can turned and looked up, seeing a middle-aged woman standing in the doorway.

She looked to be around forty. Her features were still striking, and traces of her youthful beauty remained between her brows, but her temples had already gone gray, and fine wrinkles had appeared at the corners of her eyes.

What caught Luo Can's attention even more was the aura around her. Her Soul Power fluctuations were extremely unstable and slowly fading away.

"Sister Ye?" Luo Can put down the herbs in his hands and hurried over. "It's only been half a year. How did you...?"

He remembered clearly that when he left half a year ago, Sister Ye still had a head of glossy black hair and had been in decent spirits. But now...

The middle-aged woman was named Ye Qingyu. She gave a bitter smile.

"Lingling is about to awaken her martial soul," she said softly. "You know how it is. The Nine-Heart Begonia lineage passes down through a single heir. My Soul Power was inferior to my father's. As the day of her awakening draws closer, my body gets weaker by the day."

Luo Can fell silent.

The Nine-Heart Begonia was a top-tier support martial soul famous for healing, yet behind it lay a cruel inheritance curse. Only one person could awaken it in each generation. As the next generation approached awakening, the previous wielder's Soul Power would gradually drain away until death.

"I should have died long ago," Ye Qingyu said softly, though there was a trace of contentment in her voice. "Thanks to that Thousand-Year Ginseng you gave me back then, I barely managed to hold on to my life. Being able to live a little longer and see Lingling awaken her martial soul already means fate has favored me."

As she spoke, her hand rested against the edge of the counter. Luo Can noticed faint age spots had already appeared on the back of her hand.

After a moment of silence, Luo Can took out a medicinal herb from his Storage Soul Tool.

It was a purple ginseng with intact roots. The moment it emerged, it released an enticing medicinal fragrance.

"This is Ziyang Ginseng. It can stabilize one's foundation, replenish vital essence, and strengthen the body's roots." He handed the ginseng to Ye Qingyu. "Perhaps it can let you live a few more years."