Warming Up

Before long, he brought out a palm-sized block in a dark wooden box and set it on the counter.

"This one is ten thousand years old, sir. Have a look," the attendant said. "But the older Whale Rubber gets, the harder it becomes. Ten-thousand-year Whale Rubber is as hard as metal and stone. It needs special methods to melt before it can be consumed."

Jiang Bai nodded and asked, "Give me five portions of the thousand-year kind as well."

"Right away!" The attendant moved briskly, quickly taking five smaller wooden boxes from different drawers and lining them up across the counter. Each box contained a piece of thousand-year Whale Rubber, varying slightly in color and size.

Jiang Bai took Gold Soul Coins from his Storage Bracelet to pay, watching the attendant's utterly ordinary, unconcerned demeanor as a flicker of curiosity rose in his heart.

Although Whale Rubber was also sold as medicinal material, it was generally considered a "niche" medicine or one for "special purposes," so people usually exercised some discretion when buying and selling it.

After all, its well-known aphrodisiac effects made many respectable people too embarrassed even to mention it.

Yet this attendant's attitude was as natural as if he were selling ordinary herbs.

"Do many people here buy Whale Rubber?" Jiang Bai could not help asking.

As the attendant counted the Gold Soul Coins, he smiled. "Is this your first time in the north, sir? People here often come to buy Whale Rubber. Most buy ten-year or hundred-year varieties, though. Customers like you, buying thousand-year and ten-thousand-year Whale Rubber in one go, are truly rare."

They bought it often? Was this an everyday necessity here?

Jiang Bai was even more puzzled. "What do they buy Whale Rubber for?"

"For warmth, of course!" the attendant replied as if it were obvious.

Jiang Bai fell silent.

He quietly stored the six wooden boxes in his Storage Bracelet, thanked the attendant, and turned to leave the herbal shop.

Rather than continue wandering around, he found a clean, tidy-looking inn: the Cedar Inn. It was a three-story stone building with a heavy felt curtain hanging over its entrance.

The moment he pushed the door open, warmth rushed over him. A fireplace burned in the lobby, firewood crackling within, while several travelers sat around it drinking and chatting.

Jiang Bai went to the front desk, requested a superior room, and paid for an entire month upfront.

"Sir, you'll be staying that long?" The clerk, a burly man with a full beard, looked somewhat surprised.

"Yes." Jiang Bai did not explain further.

Taking the brass key, he climbed the wooden stairs to the third floor.

His room was at the end of the corridor. When he pushed the door open, it was more spacious than he had expected.

There was a large bed covered in thick furs, a table and chairs, a wardrobe, and a small fireplace that was already burning, filling the room with pleasant warmth.

The windows were double-paned, providing excellent soundproofing and insulation.

Jiang Bai shut the door securely.

He first went into the room's bathroom and filled a waist-high oak bathtub with cold water.

Then he took out the five boxes of thousand-year Whale Rubber and a large white porcelain bowl from his Storage Bracelet.

"Eldest, come out and give me a hand."

A crimson streak of light flew out, landing on the tabletop and transforming into a Fire Dragon the size of a human head.

"Master, what do you need?" Fire Dragon asked, tilting its head.

"Heat this." Jiang Bai placed a piece of thousand-year Whale Rubber into the porcelain bowl and pushed it before Fire Dragon. "Control the temperature carefully. Don't burn it. Just melt it slowly."

"Easy!" Fire Dragon answered, opening its mouth and exhaling an extremely thin flame, its temperature precisely controlled, around the Whale Rubber.

Under the scorching flame, the hard Whale Rubber gradually softened and melted, eventually becoming a bowl of thick liquid that gave off a rich, fishy fragrance.

Jiang Bai repeated the process, melting all five pieces of thousand-year Whale Rubber and combining them into one large, brimming bowl.

He lifted the porcelain bowl, stared at the gently rippling liquid within, and drew a deep breath.

This dosage far exceeded the hundred-year Whale Rubber he had consumed at Spirit Hall Academy six years ago.

Though years of cultivation had greatly strengthened his physique, consuming five pieces of thousand-year Whale Rubber at once was still highly risky.

But it was worth trying.

Jiang Bai closed his eyes, tipped back his head, and gulped down the Whale Rubber liquid in one breath!

The thick, warm liquid, reeking strongly of fishiness, slid down his throat and into his stomach.

Boom!

It was as though a ball of fire had exploded in his abdomen!

Violent heat surged through his limbs and bones like floodwaters bursting through a dam! His veins felt as if they had been filled with molten lava, and his skin visibly flushed crimson!

"Urgh—" Jiang Bai let out a muffled groan as beads of sweat instantly formed on his forehead.

Gritting his teeth, he quickly stripped off every piece of clothing, staggered to the bathtub, and plunged headfirst into it!

Splash!

Icy water instantly enveloped his burning body.

He shut his eyes and circulated his Soul Power with all his strength, guiding the violent heat through his meridians as it circulated, spread, and seeped through his body.

It was a painful, lengthy process.

Time passed second by second.

One shichen.

The water in the bathtub was changed three times. Whenever it grew too hot, Jiang Bai drained part of it and added fresh cold water.

By the time the second shichen had passed, the violent heat inside him finally began to subside.

The excruciating pain transformed into a deep, bone-piercing soreness, numbness, and burning sensation, as though he had just endured an unimaginably harsh training session. Every inch of his body groaned, yet he could also clearly feel a reborn lightness and strength.

Jiang Bai slowly opened his eyes.

He lowered his head and looked over his body.

His skin still bore a faint reddish tint, but the scars left behind by Eternal Trauma, which had already faded somewhat, appeared to have faded even further.

His muscle definition had become clearer. It was not exaggerated, but it held a restrained explosive power.

He clenched his fist, and his knuckles gave a crisp series of pops.

He could feel that his strength had increased considerably. His meridians had also become broader and tougher, while the speed and efficiency of his Soul Power circulation had improved noticeably.

"Hoo—"

Jiang Bai slowly exhaled a long breath of stale air.

He rose from the bathtub, water streaming down his body.

After drying himself and changing into clean clothes, he stretched his limbs and smiled in satisfaction.

The effects of five pieces of thousand-year Whale Rubber had exceeded his expectations.

But it was still not enough.

Jiang Bai walked over to the table and took out the wooden box containing the ten-thousand-year Whale Rubber.

He prepared the porcelain bowl again and looked at Fire Dragon. "Eldest, one more time. This time... use a higher temperature, and take longer."

Fire Dragon nodded and breathed out flames once more.

Ten-thousand-year Whale Rubber was far harder than thousand-year Whale Rubber. Even with Fire Dragon's flames, it took an entire incense stick's worth of time to barely melt it into a bowl of even thicker liquid.

Jiang Bai lifted the porcelain bowl, staring at the gently rippling liquid within with resolute eyes.

He walked to the bathtub, which had been filled with cold water again, tipped back his head, and drained the entire bowl of ten-thousand-year Whale Rubber liquid in one gulp!

Gulp—

The instant the liquid entered his throat, Jiang Bai knew that he had still underestimated the power of ten-thousand-year Whale Rubber.

Jiang Bai's entire body instantly stiffened, his pupils contracting sharply!

He could clearly hear the muffled thuds of his bones, as if they were being struck by heavy hammers. He could see the horrifying process of his meridians expanding, tearing apart under the onslaught of violent energy, then rapidly healing again!

Jiang Bai could no longer remain calm. He suddenly lunged forward, smashing his entire body into the icy bathtub!

Splash!!

Water sprayed everywhere! The bathtub shook violently, as though it might fall apart at any moment!

Jiang Bai struggled madly in the water, both hands gripping the rim of the tub with all his strength, his knuckles turning white.

At this moment, time became incomparably long.

Amid the unbearable pain, Jiang Bai's consciousness drifted between clarity and haze.

He felt as if he were rolling in a cauldron of oil in hell, yet also being forged in a furnace in heaven. Utmost agony and utmost transformation intertwined and collided in this moment.

No one knew how long passed.

When the bathtub water was changed for the eighth time, Jiang Bai finally slowly stopped struggling.

He slumped limply in the tub, his head resting against its rim as he gasped for breath.

Every breath carried scorching heat, condensing into white mist over the icy water.

Jiang Bai lowered his head and looked at his hands.

His skin was still fair, but it now faintly gleamed with a jade-like luster.

He could clearly feel that the toughness of his bones and meridians, as well as the strength of his internal organs, had all undergone a qualitative leap!