Whale Rubber

After climbing out of the bath barrel, Xue Lingyun rinsed himself clean and changed into dry clothes.

The medicinal bath worked as well as ever. His whole body felt warm, and his muscles and bones were thoroughly at ease.

He sat down by the bed and took out the piece of Whale Rubber from his Bracelet.

It was the size of a fist, dull gray, with a pitted surface covered in cracks.

The label said it was thousand-year Whale Rubber. Its quality had declined due to weathering, so it was being sold cheaply for six thousand gold coins.

But he knew it was no thousand-year Whale Rubber.

Ten-thousand-year Whale Rubber was too rare—so rare that most Soul Masters would never see it even once in their lives.

Thousand-year Whale Rubber was golden, translucent like amber.

Ten-thousand-year Whale Rubber, on the other hand, was dark brown, nearly black, and looked like some low-quality, weathered thing.

Those cracks had not been caused by weathering either. They were natural patterns formed over an immense passage of time.

Simply put, no one had ever seen it, and no one recognized it, which was why he had managed to pick up such a bargain.

The faint sheen leaking from deep within those cracks might fool others, but it could not fool him.

Though the energy fluctuations were restrained, the senses of the Huangji Jingshi could not be wrong. Buying this thing for six thousand gold coins was practically getting it for free.

Come to think of it, even he had only eaten ten-thousand-year Whale Rubber a few times. These things hid in the deep sea, and since they were not necessities, there was no reason to send the Ice Empress and Snow Empress that far to trouble themselves.

Besides, if some high-level beast had truly left the deep sea and entered waters near the Extreme North Land, he would have sensed it through the Huangji Jingshi. Since there had been no sign of anything, it meant it had never come at all.

With that time, he could have searched for other heavenly treasures instead.

He weighed the Whale Rubber in his hand and began considering how to prepare it.

There was a proper way to eat Whale Rubber. Biting into it directly was definitely out of the question. It had to be heated until softened, but it could not be burnt. The heat had to be just right.

It had to be eaten while hot after being roasted soft for its medicinal effects to be absorbed to the fullest extent.

He rose and walked to the storage cabinet, pulling open a drawer.

Several Soul Tools were arranged neatly inside—ones for heating, roasting, and keeping things warm. Everything was there.

Over the years, he had traveled all over and often needed to handle various ingredients and medicinal herbs, so he had to keep his tools complete. Some things needed roasting, some needed boiling, and some had to be eaten raw. Without suitable tools, there was no way to manage them.

When he was little in the Far North, he had often accompanied that foodie Xiao Bai in search of food.

Back then, the Huangji Jingshi had only just become easy for him to use. It would point him toward wherever treasure lay, and Xiao Bai would carry him across the Icy Plains.

They found all sorts of things—medicinal herbs, ores, fruits. Some could be eaten, while others could not.

Xiao Bai was greedy, always asking whether anything they found could be eaten. Xue Lingyun could only figure out how to prepare it on the spot.

Over time, he developed his skill at preparing ingredients and medicinal herbs.

Later, when he traveled alone, he relied entirely on himself.

When one was out alone, one had to prepare whatever one wanted to eat and search for whatever one wanted to use. Nothing that needed to be prepared could be left out.

He selected a palm-sized heating plate etched with a fine Fire Attribute formation.

This thing was the most convenient for roasting. Its temperature could be controlled, so it would not burn the ingredients.

He also took out a small box containing several Ice Attribute medicinal herbs—Ice Crystal Grass and Frost Flowers, both used to calm the mind and steady the spirit.

Lastly, he pulled a thumb-sized bead from the depths of the cabinet. It was pale blue throughout and icy cold to the touch.

This was an Ice Marrow Bead he had retrieved from the Ice Abyss in the Far North long ago. He normally had no use for it, but it was just what he needed at a time like this.

Once the preparations were complete, he first went into the bathroom and filled the bathtub over halfway with cold water.

After filling it, he tossed the Ice Marrow Bead inside.

The bead sank to the bottom. A thin layer of white mist soon rose over the surface, and the temperature of the entire tub instantly dropped.

He reached in and tested it. It was cool to just the right degree—not bone-piercingly cold, but enough to keep a person clear-headed.

Returning to the table, he chewed and swallowed the Ice Attribute medicinal herbs.

A coolness rose from his abdomen and spread through his limbs and body, calming him completely.

His mind became clear, his spirit steady, and even his breathing slowed a little.

Nothing might have happened even if he had not used these Ice Attribute items, but what if it did?

When consuming something that strengthened the body, the greatest fear was that the medicinal effects would rush to the head and make one lose reason.

If he caused some disturbance in the dormitory, and word got out the next day that "the Class Monitor of Class One of the Freshmen went mad in the middle of the night," that would be embarrassing.

It was always better to be prepared.

He picked up the heating plate and infused it with Soul Power.

The surface of the plate gradually glowed red, and its temperature began to rise bit by bit.

He placed the Whale Rubber on it and began heating it.

This was not something to rush.

If the fire was too strong, the outside would burn while the inside remained hard. If it was too weak, nothing would happen even after roasting it for ages.

He watched the changes in the Whale Rubber, occasionally adjusting his Soul Power output to keep the temperature within a delicate range.

Before long, the surface of the Whale Rubber began to soften. Dark brown gelatin seeped from the cracks, dripping onto the plate with a sizzling sound.

A faint fragrance drifted into the air. It was not strong, but merely smelling it made his body feel warm.

It was about time.

He picked up the softened Whale Rubber, pinched it into several pieces, and ate them one bite at a time.

It was warm in his mouth, with no strange flavor. Soft and chewy, it resembled some kind of dessert.

But after he swallowed it, a surge of heat quickly rose from his abdomen.

That heat grew stronger and stronger, as though a fire had ignited in his stomach before exploding outward and spreading through every part of his body.

Every blood vessel, every muscle, every inch of bone was scorched once over. It was hot and swollen, neither entirely comfortable nor entirely painful.

He did not resist it.

Resisting would only interfere with absorption and waste the medicinal effects.

With something like Whale Rubber, which strengthened the body, the body had to accept and absorb it on its own. He could not forcibly suppress it with Soul Power.

But he could not ignore it completely, either. He had to keep his mind steady and not let the scorching heat cloud his head.

Fortunately, he had prepared in advance. The Ice Attribute medicinal herbs he had consumed earlier took effect, and a coolness remained in his mind, keeping him lucid.

The cold water in the bathtub also helped greatly. The low surrounding temperature suppressed much of the scorching heat, preventing him from losing control.

The heat surged wildly through his body.

Most of it flowed toward his chest.

Toward where that "Egg Yolk" was located.

He could clearly feel that energy being absorbed by the "Egg Yolk."

The dark vortex that had previously turned lazily gradually sped up, like someone who had gone hungry for a long time suddenly finding food, greedily devouring the incoming energy.

With every mouthful it swallowed, it became more solid and turned more steadily.

The remaining energy dispersed into his muscles, bones, and meridians, strengthening his body in minute ways.

He could feel his muscle fibers becoming denser. A faint numb itch came from within his bones—that was their density increasing.

His blood flowed faster, his heartbeat became steadier, and his whole body felt as if it had been tempered anew.

He did not know how long the process lasted.

When he came back to himself, the cold water in the bathtub had already grown warm.

The Ice Marrow Bead was still there, but the chill around it had faded considerably.

He lowered his head and looked at himself. A thin layer of sweat covered his skin, but there was nothing else unusual.

After climbing out of the bathtub, he stretched his body.

His muscles were firmer than before. With the slightest exertion, he could feel that solid sense of strength.

There was also an indescribable heaviness within his bones. He tried clenching his fist, and his strength had increased by several degrees.

The most obvious change was in that "Egg Yolk."

He calmed himself and sensed it. In the lower part of his chest, the dark vortex was no longer lazily turning as before.

It rotated steadily and powerfully. He could even feel it actively absorbing the surrounding Soul Power—though only faintly, it was indeed moving.

Like a seed that had finally begun to take root and sprout, it now possessed a life of its own.

The effects of ten-thousand-year Whale Rubber were indeed quite good.

He rinsed himself clean, changed into dry clothes, and sat cross-legged by the bed.

The medicinal effects had just been absorbed. This was the perfect time to strike while the iron was hot and stabilize them properly.

He closed his eyes and began circulating the Heart Source Circulation Technique, guiding Soul Power through his meridians as he slowly entered a meditative state.