The Overlooked Cabbage-Whale Rubber

Tuoba Xi stood before the forging room door, his brows knotted tightly, his heart weighed down as though a boulder hung from it.

Ever since learning that his grandson had gone out with Golden Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan, he had not felt at ease.

Especially after hearing the servants report that Tuoba Yan had gone to a nightclub, he had nearly rushed off to confront Yue Guan. How could he lead his precious six-year-old grandson astray?

His rough knuckles slowly rose and knocked against the weathered wooden door, producing a dull thud. "Yan'er, why have you shut yourself inside the forging room alone in broad daylight?"

"Grandpa, I'm busy with something right now."

"May I come in?"

"The door isn't locked. Come in if you want."

With a creak, the heavy wooden door slowly opened. A wave of heat mixed with a pungent fishy stench rushed at him, making Tuoba Xi wrinkle his nose.

The room was dimly lit, illuminated only by a few oil lamps. Under the flickering light, Tuoba Yan's shadow stretched long across the floor. With his back to the door, he stood by the window, constantly fiddling with something in his hands. His movements were fast and urgent, carrying a desperate intensity.

Tuoba Xi swept his gaze across the room. Scorched charcoal and warped tools lay scattered across the blue-brick floor, while the corner was piled with defective remnants from failed attempts to melt Whale Rubber. A strange fishy sweetness permeated the air.

"Yan'er, didn't you go out to have fun with Yue Guan?" Tuoba Xi asked as he quietly edged closer to Tuoba Yan.

"Mm. Something came up, so I came back."

Tuoba Yan did not turn around. The fire-attribute Soul Power rising from his palm flickered bright and dim above the dark yellow Whale Rubber, yet it remained utterly unmoved, as hard as a stubborn stone.

"You came back so soon?"

"When the fun was over, I naturally came back."

Tuoba Yan's voice was cold and perfunctory. Clearly, he did not want to dwell on the subject.

Tuoba Xi sighed. After hesitating for a moment, he still tried to persuade him. "Yan'er, Yue Guan's conduct is improper. He looks neither male nor female. Stay away from people like him in the future."

"I think he's all right."

Looking over Golden Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan's life, he had worked tirelessly for Spirit Hall in his earlier years and rendered great service.

Though some crucial missions had failed because of Yue Guan at times, he had always remained loyal to Spirit Hall.

In the end, Yue Guan had even sacrificed his life for Spirit Hall's cause. It was a tragedy.

Tuoba Yan called things as he saw them.

Yue Guan usually acted effeminately, looking like a man yet resembling a woman, which made him unpleasant. That was a personal preference, and Tuoba Yan had no comment on it. But Yue Guan had devoted himself wholeheartedly to Spirit Hall, and Tuoba Yan respected him for that. He thought Yue Guan was all right.

Tuoba Xi carefully studied his grandson's tense shoulders and focused back, unease quietly rising in his heart. "You've been so silent. Did you encounter some setback?"

"Mm."

"Does it make you feel uncomfortable?"

"Uncomfortable? A little, I suppose."

Tuoba Xi patted his grandson's shoulder and said earnestly, "Yan'er, everyone has a first time. First times are always brief. If someone laughs at you, don't take it to heart. Grandpa has been there. It'll last longer afterward!"

"Mm, I will." Tuoba Yan answered absentmindedly, then seemed to realize something. He abruptly raised his head and asked in confusion, "Grandpa, what are you talking about? I don't understand. What does my failed experiment have to do with lasting longer?"

"An experiment?" Tuoba Xi froze.

"Yes. I'm conducting an experiment, trying to determine how much heat it takes to melt Whale Rubber." Tuoba Yan pointed at the high-temperature furnace on the table. The dark yellow Whale Rubber in the bowl gleamed eerily in the dim light. "This is Ten-Thousand Year Whale Glue that I bought from Heaven and Earth Nightclub. I've tried many ways to increase the heat, but I still couldn't melt it."

"You went to the nightclub to buy Whale Rubber?" Tuoba Xi's eyes widened. He realized that he had apparently been wrong about everything.

"Of course." Tuoba Yan rolled his eyes at his grandfather. "What else? Grandpa, don't tell me you thought I went there to chase women?"

Tuoba Xi laughed awkwardly.

Tuoba Yan snorted. "How could that be? I'm still so young. Releasing my Pure Yang True Fire too early while I'm still growing would do more harm than good to both my cultivation and development."

Just then, a sudden sizzle came from the furnace, and ripples spread across the surface of the Whale Rubber.

"It melted! It finally melted! The heat was enough this time."

Tuoba Yan's voice brimmed with wild joy. He eagerly grabbed a pair of tongs, removed the semi-liquid Whale Rubber from the furnace, and lifted the bowl with heat-resistant gloves on.

Steam billowed from the Whale Rubber, and the rising white mist blurred his vision.

He hesitated for only an instant before gritting his teeth, opening his mouth, and gulping down the Whale Rubber in the bowl.

"Ah! So hot! So hot!"

A heart-rending scream instantly echoed through the forging room. He kept hopping around on the floor, wildly fanning with his right hand as he tried to ease the scorching sensation in his throat, as though it would burn him to ashes.

The scalding Whale Rubber rushed into his stomach like a fire dragon charging down his throat. When he opened his mouth, flames burst out with a whoosh, scorching a black patch onto the beam above his head.

Tuoba Xi was left dumbfounded by the sudden turn of events and took a long while to react. In his panic, even his voice changed pitch. "Quick, use your Soul Skill!"

Enduring the intense pain, Tuoba Yan activated his Soul Skill.

The Horse Talisman erupted with dazzling white light, enveloping his entire body.

Under the effects of the Soul Skill, the soft tissue burned in his esophagus regrew at a visible speed.

But in the next instant, Tuoba Yan's eyes widened, filled with shock and disbelief, as though he had seen a ghost.

Tuoba Xi was so anxious that he did not know what to do. His heart nearly leaped out of his throat.

"Yan'er, what's wrong?"

"I can't feel the burning sensation from the Whale Rubber!"

"That's it?"

Tuoba Xi was angry, anxious, and almost amused, but the worry in his heart did not lessen in the slightest. No one had ever tried melting and consuming Whale Rubber, and he feared that something might happen to his grandson.

Tuoba Yan lowered his head to look at his stomach, which glowed with golden light, and said thoughtfully, "After consuming the melted Whale Rubber, I discovered that using my First Soul Skill can prevent my nerves from feeling the burning sensation. The meridians that had curled up from the high heat have also returned to normal."

No one had ever consumed melted Whale Rubber.

Tuoba Xi had been frightened by Tuoba Yan's actions and feared for his life.

Yet the astonished Tuoba Yan only told Tuoba Xi that he could not feel the burning sensation from the Whale Rubber.

Tuoba Yan nodded slightly. "Mm. After consuming the melted Whale Rubber, I discovered that using my First Soul Skill can prevent my nerves from feeling the burning sensation."

Lowering his head, Tuoba Yan could see his stomach glowing with golden light.

The burning sensation in his esophagus had been judged an abnormal condition by the Horse Talisman. Therefore, the Horse Talisman had removed it.

Tuoba Yan's nerves being unable to feel the burning caused by consuming Whale Rubber did not mean that it had no negative effects.

The excessive heat of Whale Rubber could damage the body.

The soft tissue in his stomach was continuously being scalded by the overheated Whale Rubber, then growing entirely new cells under the treatment of Holy Healing Nine Turns from the Horse Talisman.

"Grandpa, I need to cultivate immediately."