Whale Rubber as Food, Physical Enhancement

Over the next few days, Gu Ci lived an exceptionally leisurely life.

During the day, he kept Dugu Yan company as she played around the manor. At night, he studied the parts of those three books that he could understand.

He had already memorized the entire Soul Core Method and understood seventy to eighty percent of the theory behind the Soul Spirit Art. As for Soul Tools...

They were far too profound. He planned to study them later.

Dugu Yan was even more anxious than he was and asked about it several times every day.

"Brother Gu Ci, when will the Whale Rubber arrive?"

Finally, on the seventh day, Gu Xiao returned with a small entourage.

There was only one exquisite sandalwood box on the carriage, but Gu Xiao's face was full of pride.

Although the entire Heaven Dou City was spreading rumors that the Thunder Tiger Duke was impotent, what did a few wagging tongues matter for his son's future?

"Ci'er, take a look. Is this enough?"

Gu Xiao opened the box, revealing more than a dozen amber-colored gelatinous blocks arranged neatly inside.

"Your old man used every connection the Marquis Manor had and traded for three thousand-year Whale Rubbers from the Heaven Dou Royal Family's treasury."

"I also bought two thousand-year ones from several major sea merchants, and there's one more... Hehe, a twenty-thousand-year one!"

"After this trip, all of Heaven Dou City knows about it. Your old man can forget about keeping his dignity."

After all, in this era, Whale Rubber was used for that sort of thing. Ordinary ten-year or hundred-year varieties were already sufficient.

No ordinary person would buy ones over a thousand years old. The market was not large enough, so naturally, few of them made their way inland.

Gu Ci's eyes lit up.

Each piece of thousand-year Whale Rubber was the size of a fist, dark amber in color and faintly lustrous.

As for the twenty-thousand-year piece, it was as large as a baby's head. Its color was nearly Dark Red, and faint patterns had even surfaced upon it, like naturally formed runes.

"Twenty thousand years?"

Dugu Bo also came over, clicking his tongue in amazement. "Even this old man is seeing Whale Rubber of such an age for the first time."

"It is said that Whale Rubber over ten thousand years old can no longer simply be called rubber. It should be called Whale Crystal Rubber."

"Only aquatic soul beasts with cultivation above ten thousand years can condense such a treasure within their bodies."

Gu Ci nodded.

Of course, he knew how precious Whale Rubber was. Ordinary ten-year and hundred-year Whale Rubber might be rare, but it could always be bought for a high enough price.

But anything over a thousand years old was priceless and unavailable.

"Father, how did you get this Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Rubber?" Gu Ci asked curiously.

Gu Xiao chuckled. "The Heaven Dou Royal Family's treasury happened to have one. A sea merchant had presented it as tribute several years ago."

"Crown Prince was unwilling to trade it at first, so I invoked your Grandpa Dugu's name and added a few other things before I managed to trade for it."

Upon hearing this, Dugu Bo could not help but regard Gu Xiao more highly.

For his son's sake, this old fellow truly did not hesitate to spend lavishly.

"Ci'er, what do we do next?" Gu Xiao asked.

Gu Ci smiled. "Simple."

"Whale Rubber over a thousand years old needs to be heated at high temperatures. Soul Power Flame or earthfire will do. Once it has been simmered into a gelatinous liquid, drink it directly."

"It will give off a peculiar fragrance while being heated. You'll know when the time comes."

He looked at Dugu Yan. "Yanyan, are you ready?"

Dugu Yan nodded vigorously.

The Marquis Manor specially cleared out a quiet room. Gu Ci had a charcoal stove brought in and prepared some high-quality Silver Charcoal.

Gu Xiao acted personally, using Soul Power to stoke the coals. Before long, the fire burned bright red.

Gu Ci took out a piece of thousand-year Whale Rubber and placed it in a bronze tripod.

As the temperature rose, the Whale Rubber slowly began to melt.

Before long, a peculiar fragrance drifted out from the tripod.

The scent was very distinctive. It was neither as rich as floral fragrance nor as steady as sandalwood incense.

Instead, it was a clean sweetness mixed with the scent of the ocean, carrying a faint, almost imperceptible milky aroma.

It calmed the mind when inhaled, yet subtly stirred one's appetite.

"It smells so good." Dugu Yan sniffed. "It smells even better than the pastries Grandpa bought for me."

Gu Ci was somewhat surprised as well.

He had thought Whale Rubber would smell fishy. He had not expected the thousand-year variety to smell like this.

Once the Whale Rubber had fully melted, the liquid in the tripod shone with an amber luster. It was crystal clear, like the finest wine.

The fragrance grew even stronger and filled the entire quiet room.

"Come on, bottoms up."

Gu Ci ladled out two bowls and handed one to Dugu Yan.

The amber liquid still gave off steam, and its fragrance made one want to take several more breaths of it.

Dugu Yan accepted the bowl and carefully took a sip.

"Huh?" Her eyes lit up. "It's sweet, and it has a milky flavor. It's delicious!"

Gu Ci took a sip as well. It was indeed as she had said—sweet upon entering the mouth, with a faint milky fragrance and an indescribable refreshing sensation, like taking a mouthful of the morning sea breeze.

After drinking a bowl of Whale Rubber, Gu Ci quickly felt a warm current rise from his abdomen.

This current was far gentler than he had imagined. Like a warm mist, it slowly spread through his limbs and bones.

He immediately sat cross-legged and circulated his Soul Power, guiding the warm current through his entire body.

Wherever it passed, his muscles, bones, and meridians were filled with a comfortably warm sensation, as though he were soaking in a hot spring or being gently washed by soft ocean waves.

It felt wonderful, and the results were remarkable.

Half an hour later, the warm current gradually faded.

Gu Ci opened his eyes and clenched his fist.

He could clearly feel that his body had grown far stronger.

It was not an increase in Soul Power, but pure physical strength. His muscles had become firmer, his bones tougher, and even his meridians had widened considerably.

"How do you feel?" Dugu Bo asked with concern.

"The effect is excellent." Gu Ci smiled.

"With my current physique, absorbing a soul ring of around fifteen hundred years should not be a problem."

"If I take something over ten thousand years old, reaching three thousand years may not be impossible."

Dugu Bo's eyes lit up. "Then what are we waiting for? Keep going!"

For the next half month, Gu Ci and Dugu Yan consumed Whale Rubber every day.

One thousand-year piece on the first day, two on the second, three on the third...

That peculiar fragrance drifted through the Marquis Manor's quiet room every day. Even the servants would take a few extra breaths when passing by.

Half a month later, the two had used up all six pieces of thousand-year Whale Rubber.

The results were astonishing as well.

Gu Ci's physical strength advanced by leaps and bounds.

Now, a casual punch from him could create a booming crack in the air. With a full-force strike, he could even leave a shallow fist mark in a bluestone slab.

Dugu Yan was somewhat weaker than him, but she was still several times stronger than children her age.

"That should be enough."

Feeling the surging Bloodline Power within his body, Gu Ci nodded in satisfaction.

"With my current physique, absorbing a soul ring of around two thousand years should not be a problem. For Yanyan, one of around a thousand years should work too."

Dugu Bo was so excited that his hands trembled. "Then what are we waiting for? This old man will take you to hunt soul beasts at once!"

"No rush."

Gu Ci shook his head, a smile flashing in his eyes. "Grandpa Dugu, have you forgotten that twenty-thousand-year Whale Rubber?"

Dugu Bo froze. "You still want to keep taking it? That piece is twenty thousand years old. Its medicinal potency is more than ten times stronger than the thousand-year variety."

"I'm afraid you won't be able to withstand it if you take it now, will you?"