Level Three (Contract Signed, Requesting Monthly Passes and Investment)

Inside the shop, a sleazy middle-aged man who looked remarkably like a shady merchant sat behind the counter, dozing off.

Lin Hanye, dressed in the white uniform of Yelin Junior Soul Master Academy, walked in from outside.

"Little brother, I'm afraid you've come to the wrong place. This isn't somewhere a little guy whose hair hasn't even fully grown should be."

The sleazy middle-aged man glanced at Lin Hanye. When he saw the Yelin Junior Soul Master Academy uniform on him, a flicker of surprise flashed across his face before vanishing.

"You misunderstand, sir. A senior sent me here."

Lin Hanye deliberately glanced back toward the alley entrance he had come from, revealing the unease and panic appropriate for his age.

The sleazy middle-aged man noticed the unnatural expression on Lin Hanye's face, then saw him look back. He secretly nodded. It seemed some shameless old man from the academy was impotent in that department, yet too concerned about saving face to come himself, so he had specially sent this little guy to run the errand.

He had encountered plenty of similar cases and was long used to them.

The sleazy middle-aged man pulled out a large pile of bottles and jars from beneath the counter.

"Fine, pick whatever you want."

As he spoke, he poured himself a cup of tea.

Lin Hanye had only just begun learning the writing of the Douluo World and knew very little about these medicines.

Still, he put on a show and looked through them all.

A moment later, Lin Hanye shook his head. "That senior explained before I came. None of these are strong enough—they won't work for him."

Pfft—

Hearing this, the sleazy middle-aged man sprayed out the tea he had just drunk, nearly splashing Lin Hanye all over. He complained, "These are all the finest products in my shop! Any one of them could make an elephant walk on five legs, yet you say they won't work for him?"

Lin Hanye nodded solemnly. "That senior said he wanted the very best—the kind that could make a high-level Soul Master strong as an ox after taking it."

A high-level Soul Master?

The sleazy middle-aged man drew in a deep breath. "Very well. Since that's the case, I can only bring out this shop's treasure. Kid, let me show you what it means to truly specialize in treating impotence!"

As he spoke, he took out an exquisitely shaped brocade box from beneath the counter.

He then opened it, revealing a palm-sized black crystal. The crystal itself was dull and lusterless, with an uneven surface, but Lin Hanye knew that this thing was Whale Rubber, capable of improving a Soul Master's physical constitution.

"Kid, don't be fooled by how unremarkable this thing looks. Let me tell you, this is absolutely good stuff. It's called Whale Rubber, a special substance produced in the brains of whale-type Soul Beasts. Back then, just a fingernail-sized bit was ground into powder and mixed with water for my friend who couldn't get it up, turning him into a Nine Times a Night Man. Even if I explained its wonders, you probably wouldn't understand."

That friend was probably you, wasn't it? Lin Hanye mocked inwardly, then asked with an innocent look, "Then how much is this Whale Rubber, sir?"

Seeing Lin Hanye's young face, the sleazy middle-aged man's nature as a shady merchant was immediately exposed. He gave a crafty grin and said, "Don't say I'm cheating you. I paid a huge price to acquire this from Vast Sea City. It came from a Thousand-Year Demon Whale Soul Beast. If that senior of yours truly wants to buy it, how about thirty thousand Gold Soul Coins?"

Lin Hanye quietly shifted his gaze away from the black crystal. He deliberately pretended as though he were about to agree, then seemed to hear something and nodded toward empty air. "All right, I know, Teacher."

"Someone was just using Soul Power Transmission to speak with him?"

The sleazy middle-aged man was slightly startled. Soul Power Transmission was a skill only high-level Soul Masters at the Soul Emperor level, or even Soul Saints and above, possessed.

Lin Hanye put on a show and said, "My old—oh, no, that senior just said that your Whale Rubber has weathered for too long and deteriorated. It can still be used, but its quality has dropped considerably. He'll give you six thousand Gold Soul Coins at most."

"So I've run into someone who knows his stuff. Fine, six thousand it is. Card or cash?"

The sleazy middle-aged man could not help feeling disappointed that he had failed to swindle Lin Hanye. Still, he had only spent five thousand Gold Soul Coins on this thing in the first place. Earning a thousand was already equivalent to more than half a year of his usual income.

"Card."

Lin Hanye took out the gold card his father had left behind from his robe.

The card was violet-gold throughout, with seven silver lines on it.

"Purple Gold Card!!!"

Seeing the silver markings on the Purple Gold Card, the sleazy middle-aged man became even more certain that a high-level Soul Master stood behind Lin Hanye, and that person was very likely a Soul Saint.

He did not dare neglect him.

He wrapped up the Whale Rubber for Lin Hanye, then used his own gold card to draw six thousand Gold Soul Coins from the Purple Gold Card.

After leaving the shop, Lin Hanye did not hurry back to the academy.

Instead, he went to a blacksmith shop.

Whale Rubber could improve a Soul Master's physical constitution, but it needed to be softened by intense flames before it could be consumed.

Ordinary cooking flames naturally would not do.

That was why Lin Hanye had come here.

After paying several Gold Soul Coins, the blacksmith spent most of the day melting this piece of inferior-quality Whale Rubber into a soft, gelatinous substance.

Knowing the side effects of Whale Rubber, Lin Hanye did not consume it directly. While the blacksmith was melting it, he rented a room at a nearby hotel and had them prepare a basin of bathwater filled with ice blocks.

Sitting naked in the ice water, Lin Hanye gulped down the Whale Rubber mouthful after mouthful before its heat faded and it hardened again.

Whale Rubber had a strong fishy smell when it entered the mouth, but the smell quickly transformed into a stream of heat that flowed into his stomach. Not only that, after entering his abdomen, the Whale Rubber instead released a faint fragrance that drifted out through his nostrils. The sensation was truly somewhat wondrous.

After just the first mouthful of Whale Rubber, Lin Hanye felt his lower abdomen grow hot. That warm, comforting sensation immediately made him lose himself in enjoyment.

As he swallowed mouthful after mouthful, the surging heat began flowing into every part of his limbs and body.

Lin Hanye did not dare delay. He hurriedly circulated his soul power to refine it.

The rolling heat continued to flow, and sweat gradually began seeping out from Lin Hanye's body.

He sank into the heat and fell asleep.

Who knew how much time passed.

When Lin Hanye slowly awoke, the Ice Blocks in the bathtub had completely melted into water, which was now slightly warm.

At the same time, Lin Hanye could clearly feel that his once frail body had grown much stronger. With a slight movement, he immediately felt an astonishing sense of power.

Lin Hanye knew this was the effect of the whale glue.

He then tried circulating his Soul Power again and found that it had improved tremendously. His Soul Power, originally only at level one, had Increased By a great deal, reaching level three.

"As expected of Thousand-Year Whale Glue. Even if it's Inferior Quality, it still raised my Soul Power by two levels. I might not be able to increase the First Soul Ring limit by Five Hundred Years now, but increasing it by two or three hundred years shouldn't be much of a problem."

At that moment, Lin Hanye had the urge to burst into tears. At least he had not spent his money for nothing.

Unfortunately, This Thing was something one could only stumble upon by chance, and even if he did find it again, he could not afford it.

This single piece of Inferior Quality Thousand-Year Whale Glue had already cost him more than half his fortune.

After all, an outsider Soul Master had little standing in a clan as xenophobic as the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon.

His father had fought and bled for the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon for most of his life, only to end up without even a body left behind. All he had left him was a little over ten thousand Gold Soul Coins.

Looks like I'll have to find a way to make money in the future.

Lin Hanye thought to himself.