The afternoon sun was just right.
Luo Can's three young apprentices— Dugu Yan, Ye Lingling, and Tang Ya —were testing their newly made High-Speed Soul Tool Shoes in an open space by the lake.
The three little girls, wearing shoes, chased each other across the open space. Every now and then, they would approach the dozing rock, reach out and poke its big head, making the Titan Giant Ape let out a helpless whimper.
"Master!"
Tang Ya, with her sharp eyes, was the first to spot Luo Can. Her eyes lit up instantly, and she shouted at the top of her lungs. Ye Lingling and Dugu Yan also looked over immediately. Then, the three girls simultaneously activated their soul power, stepped on their High-Speed Soul Tool Shoes, and glided to Luo Can's side.
Luo Can smiled gently and walked over to each of them, ruffling their little heads. "Not bad, you've learned to make new Soul Tool again, you've made progress."
"Master Luo Can, my Senior Sister helped me make these shoes!" Tang Ya said happily, looking up at her.
" Senior Sister is amazing! She's already started researching level two Soul Guidance Array!" Dugu Yan echoed, her eyes full of admiration.
Ye Lingling smiled sheepishly, "It's all thanks to Master Ju Zi's excellent teaching. She taught me a lot of crucial things, saving me from taking many detours."
"Alright, I've finished praising you all. Let your teacher see if you've been slacking off these past few days." Luo Can waved his hand with a smile and called out to Shi Tou, who was not far away.
The stone, which had been lazily lying on the ground, immediately sprang to its feet and trotted over to Luo Can.
" Lingling, Yanyan, the two of you will now work together to withstand the attacks of the stones for the duration of an incense stick burning. Let your teacher see if you have made any progress during this time," Luo Can said.
"Okay!" Ye Lingling and Dugu Yan exchanged a glance, nodded in unison, and immediately assumed a fighting stance, ready for battle.
Luo Can immediately gave Shi Tou the order to attack. The previously adorable Shi Tou instantly perked up, pounded his chest hard with his two big fists, let out a muffled roar, and strode towards the two little girls.
Luo Can pulled Tang Ya to a safe area to the side, watching the battle while checking on the little girl's training progress.
" Xiao Ya, what stage have you reached in the first level of the Mysterious Heaven Skill?" Luo Can asked, looking down.
"I'm almost at the bottleneck!" Tang Ya immediately puffed out her chest and said proudly, "My cultivation speed is now 70% faster than before!"
"Hmm, not bad." Luo Can nodded in satisfaction. "At this rate, you'll break through to level ten in six months at most. When that time comes, I'll find some time to take you to see Tang San."
"Thank you, Master!" The little girl jumped up excitedly upon hearing this.
While the two were talking, the battle on the field had reached a fever pitch.
Faced with the stone at full power, the two little girls' attacks were like tickling it; their combined defense was as fragile as paper and broke with a single poke.
The Purple-Pattern Poison Mist released by Dugu Yan did obstruct Shi Tou's vision, but that was all. Ye Lingling unleashed Tiger Roars in the Mountain Forest several times in succession, but was still punched away by Shi Tou.
This is a pure difference in strength. Although the stone is only a thousand-year-old Spirit Beast, its strength and defense are such that even an ordinary Ten-Thousand-Year Spirit Beast might not be able to gain an advantage against it, let alone two Soul Grandmaster who are only in their twenties.
Soon, the time it takes for an incense stick to burn was over. Ye Lingling and Dugu Yan collapsed on the ground, covered in sweat, unable to get up. Shi Tou stood in the center of the field, patting his chest, looking like he was thinking, "How lonely it is to be invincible."
"So stones are this powerful...?" Dugu Yan said weakly, panting.
"Hmm, my Tiger Roars in the Mountain Forest can even tear the skin of Diamond Bear, but when it hits a rock, it doesn't even leave a white mark." Ye Lingling lowered her head in frustration.
Luo Can smiled and walked over, feeding the two girls the Fate Reversal Water. Seeing their complexions gradually improve, he said, "It's alright. Go back and summarize your experience this time, and try to last longer next time."
"Hmm, alright!" The two girls exchanged a glance and nodded.
Seeing Ye Lingling and Dugu Yan leading Tang Ya to the nearby Cultivation Room to meditate, Luo Can turned around and went to the Ginseng Garden in the valley. He picked a hundred ginseng plants of suitable age and also picked a Thousand-Year Ginseng, which he tossed to Shi Tou as a prize.
Stone immediately hugged the ginseng and started gnawing on it with great joy; it was clear that it was very satisfied with the prize.
Afterwards, Luo Can went to the Alchemy Room and spent two hours refining the ginseng he had brought into the Hundred Ginseng Pill.
After leaving the Alchemy Room, he returned to his Wooden House, took out the Ring Detonation Manual that he had fished out earlier, swallowed a newly refined Hundred Ginseng Pill, and began to study it with a calm mind.
Under the enlightened state brought about by the elixir, Luo Can's understanding of the unique skill of Ring Detonation deepened.
"I see." Luo Can said softly, a look of complete understanding flashing in his eyes.
The next moment, a black Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring slowly appeared in the palm of his right hand. At the same time, his right hand was completely covered by a layer of fine golden scales. He clenched his fist, and with a soft "crack," the black Spirit Ring shattered.
A surge of incredibly violent energy instantly poured from the shattered Spirit Ring into his limbs and bones. This power frantically amplified his physical strength, and golden lightning danced across his body, causing his aura to surge several times over in an instant!
"My strength has more than doubled. As for the attack power, I'll have to find a place to test it out." Luo Can thought to himself, and with a flash, he arrived at a Stone Forest deep in the Fate Defying Valley.
He took a deep breath, gathering all the Golden Power and True Dragon Intent within his body into his right fist, and shouted, " Dragon Fist!"
With a punch, a golden dragon, gleaming and lifelike, roared out, its body Entangle with golden lightning, and slammed into a giant stone pillar more than ten meters high in front of it.
The solid stone pillar was instantly blasted to ashes, and violent lightning exploded in all directions, whipping up a sky full of golden gales, blasting a huge crater in the ground within a radius of hundreds of miles. The Destruction power remaining at the bottom of the crater did not dissipate for a long time.
"This power is comparable to the ninth Soul Skill unleashed at full power by Super Douluo!" Luo Can's eyes lit up instantly as he looked at the scene before him.
The mere destruction of a single Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring possessed such terrifying power; if Nine Ring Simultaneous Detonation, it would likely unleash a strike comparable to God Level's!
The amplification effect of the Ring Detonation lasted for about ten minutes before slowly fading away. After the effect ended, Luo Can only felt slightly weak, roughly the same as after fighting Qian Renxue for three hundred rounds. This kind of loss could be replenished with a few sips of the Fate-Defying Lake Water.
In the evening, Luo Can went to Ju Zi's room first and gave her a "relaxing massage" after a busy day. Afterwards, the two lay in bed embracing each other.
" A-Can, that Cheng Gang, he's a Venerable Douluo of the Star Luo Empire, and he comes from the Cheng Clan. He's always been very loyal to the Star Luo Imperial Family. Aren't you afraid he'll betray you later by just putting him in the Fate Defying Pavilion as Guardian Elder?" Ju Zi leaned against Luo Can's chest and asked with a worried expression.
"Don't worry, he can't betray us." Luo Can smiled and ruffled her hair. "I've already placed a restriction on him. If I want him dead, it's just a matter of a single thought."
"That's good." Ju Zi breathed a sigh of relief. "Being able to take him in is indeed a great help to the current Fate Defying Pavilion. With him in charge, the sect's safety will be further guaranteed."
Luo Can lowered his head and gently kissed her forehead. "Okay, don't think about these things anymore. You've been too tired lately, get some rest."
Upon hearing this, Ju Zi snuggled comfortably into his arms, but then frowned slightly and muttered softly, "Are you... going to Sister Snow's next?"
Luo Can paused, then coughed awkwardly, "Well... I also need to 'pay my dues' to Xue'er, don't I?"
Upon hearing this, Ju Zi frowned slightly, but ultimately nodded, released her grip on him, and burrowed into the covers. "Go ahead, but be careful not to overdo it and ruin your health."