Whale Rubber and First Soul Skill

"Whale Rubber." As soon as Ji Xuan spoke, the others turned odd expressions. Whale Rubber, wasn't that used for... This kid... what kind of ancient books was he reading? Surely not some improper stuff? "Master, fellow Venerables." Ji Xuan knew what they were misunderstanding and quickly explained, "Whale Rubber needs to be heated and melted before consumption to have any effect." "Are you certain?" Qian Daoliu and the rest of the Venerables were skeptical. "Master, if you don't believe me, you can find a soul master in Spirit City who is about to absorb a soul ring and run a test." Ji Xuan knew it was normal for them not to believe a claim made out of nowhere by a six-year-old child. Qian Daoliu pondered for a moment, then nodded slightly. "Since that's the case, we won't go hunting for a soul ring tomorrow." If what Ji Xuan said was true, his starting point would be much higher. For Spirit Hall, it would bring even greater benefits. Spirit Hall possessed seventy percent of the mainland's soul masters; although Whale Rubber was limited, they could vigorously cultivate elite disciples with high talent. Qian Daoliu took Ji Xuan to the luxurious manor where he lived. It was occupied only by him and had plenty of rooms, so Ji Xuan casually picked one. Afterward, Qian Daoliu imparted a top-tier meditation method, telling Ji Xuan to begin practicing it first. Even though Ji Xuan lacked a first soul ring, the soul power he cultivated would temporarily be stored within his body. ... The next day, Qian Daoliu found three soul masters loyal to the Worship Hall who had reached the bottleneck for absorbing a soul ring. Nowadays, the Worship Hall and the Papal Palace were no longer monolithic; some matters were best kept secret for as long as possible. Qian Daoliu called someone to purchase three pieces of Thousand-Year Whale Rubber, melted them at high temperatures according to the method Ji Xuan described, and had the three ingest them. Qian Daoliu carefully sensed their physical constitutions and found that they had indeed improved significantly, with no side effects whatsoever. Later, under Qian Daoliu's personal witness, the three of them even successfully bypassed ranks to absorb their soul rings! Shock filled Qian Daoliu's heart, as he never expected what Ji Xuan said to be true! This was enough to subvert all existing knowledge and theories across the entire continent! Immediately, a trace of regret arose in Qian Daoliu's heart. If he had known the function of Whale Rubber sooner, his granddaughter Qian Renxue's starting point would have been even higher, and her future hope of inheriting the Angel God would be greater. ... "Xiao Xuan, Master has already verified it. What you said is indeed true." When Qian Daoliu saw Ji Xuan again, it was already three days later. "This is a three-thousand-year Whale Rubber." Qian Daoliu retrieved a piece of Whale Rubber from his soul tool, heated and melted it with Angel Flame. "Ingest it." "Thank you, Master." The Whale Rubber entered his mouth, and Ji Xuan sat cross-legged with closed eyes right where he stood. He felt a gentle energy roaming continuously within his body, strengthening the resilience of his meridians... Half a quarter of an hour later, Ji Xuan opened his eyes, stood up, and smiled. "Master, I succeeded." Ji Xuan clenched both fists, feeling his physical constitution rise by a huge margin, and his soul power seemed to have increased as well. However, he could not sense his specific rank at the moment; he would only find out after absorbing his soul ring. "Not bad." Qian Daoliu placed a hand on Ji Xuan's shoulder, releasing gentle angel soul power. Sensing Ji Xuan's current physical constitution, under safe conditions, he was fully capable of absorbing a fifteen-hundred-year soul ring. If Ji Xuan's martial soul was a beast martial soul, perhaps two thousand years would be a breeze as well. "Xiao Xuan, Master will take you to the Star Dou Great Forest right now to personally hunt a soul ring for you." "Yes, Master." Qian Daoliu took Ji Xuan and transformed into a streak of golden light, vanishing from the manor. ... Star Dou Great Forest. The largest soul beast forest on Douluo Continent, located at the border between the Star Luo Empire and the Heaven Dou Empire. Spirit City was merely a few hundred miles away from the Star Dou Great Forest, and at Qian Daoliu's speed, they arrived very quickly. "Xiao Xuan." Qian Daoliu looked down at Ji Xuan, asking gently, "Your martial soul has never appeared on the continent before. What kind of soul ring do you want to absorb for your first?" Ji Xuan thought for a moment. "Speed-type." Qian Daoliu nodded slightly, closed his eyes, and his powerful spiritual power instantly spread outward. A moment later, Qian Daoliu opened his eyes. "Found it." Qian Daoliu grabbed Ji Xuan's shoulder and flew off into the distance. The two landed in front of a pack of Gale Magic Wolves. Seeing two humans suddenly appear, the magic wolves bared their teeth and let out low growls. As a peak powerhouse, as long as Qian Daoliu restrained his aura, he was just like an ordinary person, and those soul beasts naturally could not sense any terror. Qian Daoliu did not release his martial soul; he merely unleashed a precise wave of pressure. A sixteen-hundred-year-old Gale Magic Wolf instantly flattened to the ground. Sensing Qian Daoliu's terrifying aura, its companions lost their previous fierceness instantly, tucking their tails and fleeing far away. Watching this scene, Ji Xuan had to admit that having a continental peak powerhouse as a master made hunting soul rings practically effortless. He wondered if Yu Xiaogang was currently leading Tang San to the Soul Hunting Forest to acquire his first soul ring. Yu Xiaogang lacked any self-awareness; with his trash level, he couldn't even beat a hundred-year soul beast, yet he dared to take Tang San alone to hunt soul beasts. If not for Tang San possessing the Tang Sect techniques of his past life, the two of them would likely have kicked the bucket long ago. "Xiao Xuan, go ahead." "Yes." Ji Xuan raised his hand and made a hollow grip, and a golden long sword instantly condensed in his palm. The sword was three feet long and three inches wide, with a sharp blade and runes carved into the body. Holding the long sword, Ji Xuan walked up to the Gale Magic Wolf. Slash— The long sword precisely pierced the head of the Gale Magic Wolf. The beast let out a miserable shriek and gradually lost its breath. Before long, a purple soul ring slowly condensed, quietly hovering above the carcass. Ji Xuan looked at the soul ring before him with a resolute gaze. This would be the beginning of his ascent to the peak. He took a deep breath, sat cross-legged on the spot, and guided that purple soul ring to fly toward him. A majestic surge of energy poured into his limbs and bones instantly. Ji Xuan's body trembled slightly, but he quickly stabilized. After years of continuous physical training coupled with ingesting a piece of thousand-year Whale Rubber, a sixteen-hundred-year soul ring was naturally a piece of cake. After roughly half a quarter of an hour, the purple soul ring swelled abruptly, bursting with brilliant light as it merged into Ji Xuan's body. Ji Xuan opened his eyes, sensing the abundant soul power within his body, and a faint smile curved the corners of his lips. "How is it?" Seeing Ji Xuan successfully absorb the ring, Qian Daoliu stepped forward and asked. Ji Xuan stood up. "Master, I am already rank fifteen." "Mm, not bad." Qian Daoliu nodded with satisfaction. "What is the soul skill's effect?" "My first soul skill is named Wind Shadow Trace; it can increase my own speed by one hundred percent." Ji Xuan released his martial soul, holding the long sword as the purple soul ring lit up beneath his feet. "First Soul Skill, Wind Shadow Trace." As the words fell, Ji Xuan's body had already transformed into a blur, appearing far away. A trace of shock rippled through Qian Daoliu's heart. The effect of Ji Xuan's first soul skill was already equivalent to an ordinary soul master's fourth soul ring. Qian Daoliu reined in his thoughts and said to Ji Xuan in the distance, "Since you've successfully absorbed the soul ring, let's return to Spirit City." "Master, wait a moment." Ji Xuan flashed to the side of the Gale Magic Wolf's carcass and neatly cut it open. Sure enough... rare treasures like soul bones weren't so easily dropped. Qian Daoliu couldn't help but shake his head with a smile. "Let's go. Once we're back, Master will give you a soul bone." Joy instantly welled up in Ji Xuan's heart. He withdrew his martial soul and smiled. "Thank you, Master." A flash of golden light swept past, leaving only the remains of the Gale Magic Wolf behind in the clearing.