Snow Lotus

八

"For a Spirit Master," Grandmaster declared, his voice firm, "cultivation before the age of twenty is paramount. It sets the foundation for your future achievements. Reaching Rank 30, the 'fire and ice dual heaven threshold,' before twenty opens doors to limitless potential. Failing to do so by then... well, let's just say it becomes incredibly difficult to surpass that barrier later. Youth grants you the advantage of the potential. You both can't afford to waste a single minute. While I can help you acquire your first and second spirit rings, by the time you need your third, my assistance will likely be limited. That's when you'll have to rely solely on yourselves. There are no shortcuts in cultivating spirit power. It takes dedicated meditation to increase its strength. Even with your innate full spirit power advantage, slacking off is unacceptable. You wouldn't deserve to be my disciples."

A sudden, sharp cry – "Luoluo!" – erupted from Grandmaster's variant spirit, Luo San Pao. Spirits were intrinsically linked to their masters, and Grandmaster reacted instantly, shooting upright and scanning the darkness in the direction of the sound.

Night had fully descended, but faint glimmers of moss-green light pierced the blackness, revealing a dozen approaching specks. "Hell wolves," Grandmaster muttered, his voice devoid of panic.

"Stay here, children. It's safer."

Luo San Pao barked repeatedly, a menacing challenge to the approaching figures. Unbeknownst to Grandmaster, Tang San and Xue Li's eyes flickered with an otherworldly purple light, their enhanced vision cutting through the darkness.

Six wolf-like spirit beasts, each around five feet tall, materialized from the shadows. Their iron-grey bodies bore glowing moss-green eyes that fixated on Luo San Pao. They circled him cautiously, their restlessness fueled by his scent.

Grandmaster let out a cold snort. "A pack of ten-year-old pups dares encroach on me? San Pao!"

Luo San Pao responded with a low, guttural howl that resonated like a hurricane's roar. His previously pudgy belly inflated rapidly, transforming him into a giant, expanding sphere.

With a wave of his hand, a yellow ring of light materialized around Grandmaster and propelled itself towards Luo San Pao, encasing him within its glow. "Break wind like striking thunder, rumble the heavens and split the earth, Luo San Pao!" he commanded in a solemn voice.

Luo San Pao's large blue eyes blazed with sudden light. The yellow ring around him intensified, morphing into a protective barrier. His inflated body shot upwards, reaching a staggering height of fifteen feet. With a swift turn, he unleashed a deafening thunderous roar that shook the very ground.

Grandmaster, his movements swift and silent, produced three gauze masks. He handed one each to Tang San and Xue Li before donning his own. The children, eyes glued to Luo San Pao's actions, instinctively raised their masks. A blinding flash followed the thunderous roar – a powerful burst of yellow light, swift as lightning, engulfed the six ten-year-old hell wolves completely.

The six hell wolves were sent flying like ragdolls under Luo San Pao's attack. They crashed down ten meters away, two of them whimpering in pain, their waists smashed against tree trunks. The remaining wolves writhed on the ground, their mangled bodies a testament to the devastating shockwave. Tang San and Xue Li, their vision enhanced by the Purple Demon Eye, saw fresh blood gushing from the wolves' mauls. After a few mournful howls, the uninjured wolves retreated into the darkness, leaving their fallen comrades behind.

Grandmaster, ever the teacher, seized the opportunity to impart knowledge. "Wolves and dogs share similar anatomies. Their weakest point is the 'bean curd waist,' located between their strong head and iron bones," he explained.