Bei Chi nodded, hesitated, and pointed at Shen Zhi, who had her eyes closed: "Is she... alright?"
"She's faster than all of you," I said with a smile. "You'll need some time to catch up with her. Once you reach a similar realm, you'll face this trial too!"
Zuo Qing and Bei Chi exchanged glances, a smile in their eyes.
Not long after, Shen Zhi opened her eyes. A moment of confusion flashed in her gaze, then it became clear, a smile uncontrollable on her face: "I... I can... feel it!"
"Come, try to gather all this power into your palm!" I said with a serious expression.
Hearing this, Shen Zhi nodded. Her power surged wildly, green light converging in her palm.
I casually picked up a stone. This stone, after being washed by the sea for a long time, had become incredibly smooth and exceptionally hard. I handed the stone to Shen Zhi.
"Use your power to crush this stone!" I instructed.
Though slightly confused, Shen Zhi took the stone and squeezed with all her might.
"Pfft!"
A faint sound was heard, and in the next moment, the solid stone shattered into pieces!
Zuo Qing and Bei Chi's faces changed, their eyes filled with disbelief!
"This... how... is this possible?" Zuo Qing's voice trembled. He couldn't have imagined that a girl's strength could be so terrifying.
"Is this even human?" Bei Chi stared for a long time, then slowly uttered the words.
Shen Zhi also looked at her palm in astonishment, her eyes filled with disbelief: "Can I really do this?"
"Try something else..." I didn't elaborate.
Upon hearing this, Shen Zhi quickly moved to the side, picked up several more stones, and tested them one by one. Without exception, they were all crushed.
Shen Zhi looked at her hands, her smile no longer concealable.
"Your current strength is only slightly stronger than ordinary people. If you continue to cultivate..." I said, picking up two stones and squeezing them slightly in my hands.
Then, the two stones turned to dust in my palms.
Seeing this, the people around were stunned. They thought crushing a stone with bare hands was already incredibly powerful, but now the stones had crumbled into powder in my hands.
This was far beyond their comprehension.
"Is this... really possible?" Zuo Qing stared at my face, his expression filled with amazement.
"As long as you cultivate for a period of time, you will be able to do the same," I said earnestly.
Hearing this, Bei Chi and Zuo Qing looked at each other, their eyes burning with fierce determination: "Brother Lu, what do you need me to do next? I won't rest today. I'll keep working. Do you want me to count sand or leaves?"
"Go back and get some good rest," I said with a smile, shaking my head. The values I had given them earlier were infused with the Shepherd God's power. Counting sand or leaves was merely to temper their state of mind. The truly important thing was to be influenced by the Shepherd God's power...
Hearing this, the two sighed helplessly: "Alright..."
"You also need to diligently practice what I taught you before!" I added. I wouldn't show them the Shepherd God Art, but I could teach them the syllables.
They could also cultivate.
"Okay!" the two nodded.
I glanced at Shen Zhi. She was still immersed in the power she had just gained, her face alight with unabated excitement.
"You need to slowly adapt to this power," I said. "If you can't control it well, you might damage many things, cups, bowls, basic household items, even other people..."
"Okay!" Shen Zhi nodded excitedly.
"And don't stop cultivating either!" I continued.
"Brother Lu, don't worry, I know what I'm doing!" Shen Zhi nodded.
After arranging everything, we went back to rest.
Back in the room, Luo Yaqin was still awake. Seeing me enter, a smile appeared on her face: "Looking at your expression, did something good happen today?"
"Not entirely, but there was some progress..." I said with a smile.
The reason I was happy was that this method seemed to allow others to cultivate as well.
This way, as long as these people were willing to follow me, I would have enough capital to fight against Weixi.
So much time had passed, Weixi should have noticed something was amiss. If nothing unexpected happened, the next opponent sent would be even stronger.
But this was a good thing for me. We also needed tempering and growth.
However, before that, I wanted to bring those three people along.
Only when they could all cultivate could I continue to develop my team. This task was not something I could accomplish alone. Zuo Qing and the others would be my best helpers in the future!