Lu Lin silently withdrew his Necromancer's Heavy Eyes martial soul, rose to his feet, and bowed to Si Yuan Ye. "Thank you, teacher."
Si Yuan Ye had spared no effort in nurturing him.
There was no need to mention anything else. Ten Thousand Year Whale Rubber alone was priceless and nearly impossible to find. On top of that, using the secret method required a considerable amount of rare treasures. Even for the Body Sect, it was no small expense.
On the continent, nowhere but the Body Sect could replicate this secret method.
Si Yuan Ye helped Lu Lin up. "I've told you many times—you're my disciple. There's no need to be so formal."
"Now, just focus on taking the Whale Rubber."
Lu Lin nodded. The Ten Thousand Year Whale Rubber had been brought in with them before they entered the Bronze Gate.
Lu Lin did as instructed, taking out the Whale Rubber and handing it to Si Yuan Ye.
Then he sat cross-legged with his eyes closed and activated the Flawless Body Casting Art to recover, preparing to take the Ten Thousand Year Whale Rubber.
Whale Rubber was extremely hard and couldn't be consumed directly, so it had to be refined before use.
That was, of course, no challenge for Si Yuan Ye.
The dark-yellow Ten Thousand Year Whale Rubber floated above Si Yuan Ye's palm.
As he infused it with Soul Power, a warm golden sheen gradually spread across its surface. The hard, stone-like substance began to soften, giving off a faint, fishy sweetness.
As Si Yuan Ye refined the Whale Rubber with his Soul Power, his gaze settled on the small, cross-legged figure before him, and a hint of amusement flickered in his eyes.
There was no denying it: Ji Ming had given him a tremendous surprise.
What Si Yuan Ye hadn't told Lu Lin was that the Body Sect's secret method was, at its core, meant to trigger a second awakening of the Body Martial Soul in the sect's disciples.
That was why Body Sect disciples never used the secret method this early. They waited until at least the third ring.
A Soul Master stimulated by the secret method would not only awaken their martial soul a second time; the method would also strengthen the bond between them and their Soul Rings, bringing about a positive change.
That was the source of the Body Sect Soul Masters' strength.
To some extent, the Body Sect's Soul Masters could rival Evil Soul Masters in their extraordinary speed of cultivation.
At first, Si Yuan Ye had planned only to use the secret method to draw out Ji Ming's potential and forcibly improve his physical constitution. He would wait until Ji Ming had reached the third ring before giving him a second martial soul awakening.
In other words, he had intended to divide the process into two stages.
But Si Yuan Ye hadn't expected Ji Ming to endure the entire ordeal.
The pain caused by the Body Sect's secret method was so severe that even adults might not be able to bear it.
And his disciple was only six years old.
In Si Yuan Ye's eyes, Ji Ming's strength of character mattered more than even his Twin Martial Souls and Innate Full Soul Power.
That was why Si Yuan Ye had changed his mind and decided to use the complete secret method to temper his disciple.
And Ji Ming hadn't disappointed him. Not only had he endured the full tempering at the age of six, but his martial soul had also awakened to the Silver rank. That was unprecedented in the history of the Body Sect.
The more Si Yuan Ye looked at Ji Ming, the more pleased he felt.
Mo Yin had truly brought back a promising talent this time.
After some time, Si Yuan Ye had fully refined the Ten Thousand Year Whale Rubber. It had become a pool of amber-colored liquid floating above his palm.
"Ji Ming, open your mouth!"
Si Yuan Ye called out sharply.
Lu Lin opened his eyes and parted his lips. The next moment, a thin stream of the amber-colored liquid separated from the Whale Rubber above Si Yuan Ye's palm and flew into Lu Lin's mouth.
The Whale Rubber's effects were too potent, and Lu Lin had only reached Soul Power Level 10. He couldn't consume it all at once, so he had to take it slowly.
During the era of Spirit Hall, nine thousand years ago, people discovered that Whale Rubber could improve a Soul Master's physical constitution without causing any adverse effects.
After more than nine thousand years of development, Soul Masters across the continent had established a systematic approach to using Whale Rubber.
For instance, thousand-year Whale Rubber could be used as a dietary supplement, gradually improving a Soul Master's physical constitution.
But only truly top-tier sects or imperial families could afford to use thousand-year Whale Rubber so lavishly. Ordinary Soul Masters wouldn't even dream of it.
Normally, ten-thousand-year Whale Rubber could raise the age limit of the Soul Rings a Soul Master could absorb by a thousand years.
When taken with specific rare treasures, its effects could be increased by another thirty percent.
When Ji Ming had used the secret method to awaken his martial soul earlier, he had already taken many rare treasures. The energy left in his body had yet to be fully absorbed.
In Si Yuan Ye's view, there was no need to add medicinal ingredients to balance out the Whale Rubber.
As soon as the Whale Rubber entered his mouth, Lu Lin felt a violent surge of energy rush through his limbs and organs.
It was like fire, as if it would set his innards ablaze. The energy brought with it a searing pain, like being burned alive.
Lu Lin let out a muffled groan and activated the Flawless Body Casting Art, guiding his Soul Power to digest the potent Whale Rubber liquid.
Si Yuan Ye sat silently nearby, protecting his disciple as he cultivated.
Frostwind Junior Soul Master Academy.
Lu Lin opened his eyes and tugged at the corner of his mouth, a trace of helplessness welling up inside him.
Why did every part of his cultivation seem to involve pain?
It had been the same when he split his consciousness in two, when he used the secret method to temper his body and awaken his martial soul a second time, and now, as he absorbed the Ten Thousand Year Whale Rubber.
Fortunately, after a month of suffering under the Body Sect's secret method, Lu Lin could now keep a straight face despite the pain rooted in his consciousness as he absorbed the Ten Thousand Year Whale Rubber. He still couldn't ignore it completely, but at least he could keep his expression unchanged.
At a glance, no one could tell that his consciousness was enduring a searing pain.
"Lu Lin, are you over that strange illness?"
Seeing that Lu Lin seemed to have finished cultivating, the chubby Yao Yue came over and asked curiously.
In the past few days, he hadn't seen Lu Lin suffer another bout of that strange illness.
"Uh..."
"I probably won't pass out from the pain again."
Lu Lin rubbed his nose. The pain in his consciousness made his expression look somewhat strained, but Yao Yue didn't notice.
"Oh, good."
The chubby boy nodded. After all, they shared a room, and watching Lu Lin suffer when his strange illness struck had given him the creeps. He had no idea how Lu Lin had managed to endure it.
"Don't you have to go to the shop this afternoon?"
Lu Lin smiled.
As a Work-Study Student, Yao Yue apprenticed at a shop that made household Soul Tools. He seemed to earn one Silver Soul Coin a month, which was actually quite a decent income.
"No, I'm off this afternoon."
"By the way, why don't you get a job outside? The academy's classes are pretty easy anyway."
Workhorses start young, huh?
Lu Lin's expression turned odd.
After all, Soul Masters were an exceedingly rare group. Most people on the continent had no Soul Power.
So even children like them could easily find apprentice jobs, as long as they were Soul Masters.
It all came down to whether they were willing to set aside their pride as Soul Masters.
"I haven't found anything suitable, and I want to focus on cultivating so I can become a Soul Master sooner."
Lu Lin offered a casual explanation.
His only goal was revenge. He had no time to think about becoming an apprentice. Besides, the government's monthly allowance was enough to cover his living expenses.
As for the cultivation resources he'd need at higher levels, he could worry about that later.
"Oh, all right."
Yao Yue nodded thoughtfully. Then, as if he had somewhere to be, he said something to Lu Lin and turned to leave.
Lu Lin stayed seated on the rock and continued cultivating his Soul Power.
As Yao Yue had said, the classes at the Junior Soul Master Academy were incredibly easy.
For six- and seven-year-old students, the academy taught only the basics of being a Soul Master: things like a beginner's Meditation Method, cultivation techniques, and the attributes and appearances of common Soul Beasts.
The academic subjects were just as easy.
There was absolutely no pressure from schoolwork or anything like that.
A little while later, a boy of about six or seven suddenly ran over.
"Um... Lu Lin, Teacher Liu wants to see you!"
Lu Lin opened his eyes. The boy wasn't Yao Yue, but another classmate he rarely spoke to.
After saying this, the boy didn't wait for Lu Lin to respond. He hurriedly ran off again, clearly not wanting to stay.
Am I really that hard to approach?
Lu Lin's expression turned odd. "Thanks."
He called out his thanks to the boy's retreating back, then jumped down from the rock, dusted himself off, and headed for the teachers' offices.
Before you continue