Qian Renxue sat cross-legged, looking at the fifty-thousand-year Whale Rubber that had already been refined in her hands. Without further hesitation, she swallowed it in one gulp.
The Whale Rubber entered her stomach. She circulated her Soul Power and began refining it.
Seeing this, Azure Luan Douluo placed his right hand against Qian Renxue's back and circulated his Soul Power to help her refine the Whale Rubber.
As the Whale Rubber was gradually refined, Qian Renxue could clearly feel the changes in her body.
When she opened her eyes, they shone brightly. Without delay, she took out a piece of seventy-thousand-year Whale Rubber and began refining it.
She planned to refine all the Whale Rubber in one go while Azure Luan Douluo was there.
Azure Luan Douluo glanced at Pufferfish, Snake Lance, and Ling Yuan in the room. As he helped Qian Renxue refine the Whale Rubber, he spoke calmly.
"Bring Qin Tian to see me."
Pufferfish, Snake Lance, and Ling Yuan exchanged glances at his words, then Snake Lance turned and left.
Ling Yuan immediately concealed her presence, hiding herself in the void once more.
Her mission was to secretly protect Qin Tian and observe his attitude toward Spirit Hall—not to appear before him directly.
Following Snake Lance, Qin Tian felt somewhat puzzled. Qian Renxue had summoned him in the middle of the night. Could the Whale Rubber have arrived?
When he entered the room, he saw Qian Renxue sitting cross-legged. Then he noticed the person behind her, and his pupils suddenly contracted.
Looking at Snake Lance and Pufferfish standing there rather stiffly, and considering Qian Renxue's background, he could guess who the newcomer was without even thinking. He simply didn't know which offering from the Worship Hall it was.
Azure Luan Douluo watched Qin Tian enter the room, his eyes fixed on him as he studied him.
"This junior is Qin Tian. May I ask which offering of the Worship Hall you are, senior?"
Hearing Qin Tian's words, Azure Luan Douluo was already certain that, just as Qian Renxue had said, Qin Tian's maturity far exceeded that of an ordinary six-year-old.
"Xiao Tian, this is Azure Luan Douluo, the Third Offering of the Worship Hall."
Pufferfish looked at Qin Tian and reminded him.
"Qin Tian greets the Third Offering!"
Azure Luan Douluo gave a slight nod but said nothing.
Qian Renxue opened her eyes. By now, she had finished refining the ninety-thousand-year Whale Rubber.
"Excellent. My physical strength has improved tremendously. Whale Rubber truly is extraordinary. Such a treasure is treated by those nobles as an aphrodisiac. What a waste."
Hearing Qian Renxue's words, Azure Luan Douluo smiled.
"Xiao Xue, let Grandpa see how strong your body has become."
As he spoke, Azure Luan Douluo reached out to examine the strength of Qian Renxue's body. After checking her over, his face was full of smiles.
"Excellent, excellent. Xue'er, your body is now as strong as that of a high-level Soul Emperor."
Qian Renxue had already refined century-year and thousand-year Whale Rubber, as well as a piece of ten-thousand-year Whale Rubber. Now she had also refined the fifty-thousand-, seventy-thousand-, and ninety-thousand-year varieties. It was easy to imagine how much stronger her body had become.
Hearing Azure Luan Douluo's words, Qian Renxue's lips curled up slightly, her face bright with joy.
"Third Grandfather, does that mean I can absorb any Soul Ring under fifty thousand years? As long as it doesn't exceed fifty thousand years, I won't have to worry about my body bursting?"
A Soul Saint-to-be could absorb a fifty-thousand-year Soul Ring. Qian Renxue's body was now comparable to that of a high-level Soul Emperor, so as long as she didn't take unnecessary risks, absorbing one that was twenty or thirty thousand years old shouldn't be a problem.
Hearing Qian Renxue's words, Azure Luan Douluo nodded, then shook his head.
"Xue'er, with your current physique, the energy surge from a Soul Ring under fifty thousand years won't harm you. But the mental shock from a ten-thousand-year Soul Beast is no simple matter. The older the beast, the stronger the mental shock."
"The resentment left behind in the Soul Ring after a fifty-thousand-year Soul Beast dies is something even a Soul Saint-to-be must handle with care. And the Soul Ring's energy is so immense that even a Soul Saint-to-be must be cautious when absorbing and refining it."
Listening to Azure Luan Douluo and Qian Renxue, Qin Tian gave a light cough to indicate that he had something to say.
Both of them looked at Qin Tian. "Xiao Tian, speak your mind."
Hearing Qian Renxue's words, Qin Tian glanced at Azure Luan Douluo, then spoke in a serious tone.
"The mental shock isn't impossible to deal with. You only need to increase your mental strength. A high-year Head Soul Bone can also greatly improve it."
Hearing Qin Tian's words, the light that had faded from Qian Renxue's eyes returned.
"Third Grandfather, I absorbed a Head Soul Bone. With my current mental strength, even if I can't absorb a fifty-thousand-year Soul Ring, one that's twenty or thirty thousand years old shouldn't be a problem."
Azure Luan Douluo heard Qian Renxue's words and frowned slightly, but in the end, he said nothing more. He knew what year her Head Soul Bone was from: it was only one year short of being a hundred-thousand-year Head Soul Bone.
"Xiao Tian, this is the Whale Rubber prepared for you. One piece is fifty thousand years old, and the other is seventy thousand years old. Let Third Grandfather help you refine their energy and prepare for your First Soul Ring."
Hearing Qian Renxue's words, Qin Tian looked at the three pieces of Whale Rubber in her hands.
Two were fifty thousand years old, and one was seventy thousand years old. To him, they were supreme treasures.
They weren't things money alone could buy. How could he not understand what they represented?
Fifty-thousand-year and seventy-thousand-year Soul Beasts lived in the ocean. Few people could hunt them down, given their strength.
"Elder Sister Xue!"
Qin Tian looked at Qian Renxue, his gaze resolute and his expression solemn.
Seeing this, Qian Renxue simply smiled.
"Xiao Tian, there's no need for us to say more."
Qian Renxue began refining the Whale Rubber. Catching its unusual fragrance, Qin Tian swallowed involuntarily.
"Come on, Xiao Tian."
Qian Renxue handed the refined Whale Rubber to Qin Tian, looking at him with a cheerful smile.
Qin Tian didn't hesitate at all. He picked it up and swallowed it in one gulp, then sat cross-legged and circulated his Soul Power to refine it.
Seeing this, Azure Luan Douluo immediately stepped in to help Qin Tian refine it. Without his help, the immense energy of the fifty-thousand-year Whale Rubber could have burst Qin Tian apart.
Qin Tian felt a warm current flowing through his body. Under the Whale Rubber's immense energy, his bones grew stronger, his meridians expanded further, and his physical strength gradually increased.
Qian Renxue watched from the side. Seeing that Qin Tian had finished refining the Whale Rubber's energy, she began refining the next piece.
And so, the night passed in the blink of an eye. With Azure Luan Douluo's help, Qin Tian successfully refined two pieces of fifty-thousand-year Whale Rubber and one piece of seventy-thousand-year Whale Rubber. Without Azure Luan Douluo's help, Qin Tian wouldn't have been able to refine ten-thousand-year Whale Rubber at all.
How could a Soul Scholar possibly refine the immense energy of ten-thousand-year Whale Rubber? He couldn't have suppressed its side effects, either. Fortunately, Azure Luan Douluo—a level ninety-seven Peak Douluo—was there. It was good to have a powerful backer.
Azure Luan Douluo examined Qin Tian's physique and reached one conclusion: Qin Tian's body was now as strong as that of a low-level Soul Ancestor.
Qin Tian was still a Soul Scholar who had only recently awakened his Martial Soul, yet his physique was already comparable to that of a low-level Soul Ancestor. Everyone present understood what that meant.
Azure Luan Douluo even gave his estimate for the Soul Ring years Qin Tian could absorb: Soul Rings under five thousand years old. Qin Tian could absorb them without any risk of his body bursting apart.
In other words, Qin Tian could absorb a five-thousand-year Soul Ring as his First Soul Ring. If word of this got out, it would cause an enormous stir throughout the Soul Master World.
A five-thousand-year First Soul Ring had never been seen before. Everyone else still had century-year Yellow Soul Rings, while you went straight to a thousand-year Purple Soul Ring. How could anyone compete with you?
His First Soul Ring would already surpass the Fourth Soul Ring of who knew how many Soul Masters. After all, not every Soul Master could make their Fourth Soul Ring match the limit. For many, their Fourth Soul Ring was only around three or four thousand years old, and very few could reach the limit.
"Xue'er, Third Grandfather has to go now. Send word if anything comes up."
Hearing Azure Luan Douluo's words, Qian Renxue felt reluctant to see him go, but still nodded firmly.
"Third Grandfather, Xue'er will miss you."
Azure Luan Douluo didn't linger. His figure disappeared into the void.
Qian Renxue watched Azure Luan Douluo leave. Only after he had vanished did she look away. She glanced at Snake Lance and Pufferfish, then turned to Qin Tian.
"Xiao Tian, come with me."
As she spoke, Qian Renxue opened the passage to the secret chamber and turned to walk down it.
Seeing this, Qin Tian understood that Qian Renxue had something important to tell him. Without hesitation, he hurried after her.
Before you continue