Delivering Merit

There were some things they were not unaware of; they simply had never thought in that direction before.

With just a little guidance, the underlying principles became clear.

"Old Ghost!"

Seeing the light in Bibi Dong's eyes growing brighter, Yue Guan could not help but raise his voice a few octaves.

Given Bibi Dong's talent, as long as no accidents occurred along the way, she would undoubtedly become a Titled Douluo in the future.

Judging by that look in her eyes, she was clearly moved and intended to stir up trouble.

If anything were to happen to Bibi Dong, neither he nor Gui Mei would be able to escape the consequences.

"Many thanks, Uncle Gui Mei. I have other matters to attend to, so I shall take my leave."

Bibi Dong did not linger, nor did she immediately bring up the matter of the Whale Rubber. She needed a buffer period of two or three days to find some supporting evidence, making it seem more natural when she eventually brought it up.

"Old Ghost, you shouldn't have said those things just now!"

Once Bibi Dong had left, Yue Guan could not help but speak up, his tone laced with a hint of reproach.

"Yue Guan, you truly are too close to the situation to see it clearly!"

"Do you really think this little one didn't already know this?"

"She is very intelligent—intelligent enough to corroborate one thing with another, to think laterally, and to arrive at the conclusion she desires."

"I can be certain that she had already reached this conclusion long ago. The only reason she mentioned it was to use our voices to validate that conclusion."

As Gui Mei spoke, he looked in the direction Bibi Dong had departed, a bright gleam appearing in his eyes.

"This..."

"Old Ghost, are you really that certain?"

"Is Dong'er truly that clever?"

Yue Guan was left bewildered by Gui Mei's words.

He knew Bibi Dong was intelligent, but he had never imagined she could be this clever.

Yue Guan trusted his old partner's discernment and judgment; if he spoke with such certainty, he must have his reasons.

"But why would she do this?"

Yue Guan did not understand.

Given Bibi Dong's status, there was no need for such tactics; she could have simply showcased her talents as much as possible.

"To have talent at a young age and be overly flamboyant is not a good thing."

When Gui Mei mentioned this, a complex expression flickered in his eyes.

Back in his youth, he had been too flamboyant, which led to his own death as a youth and even caused his family to be implicated.

"Perhaps you are right!"

Seeing the shift in Gui Mei's mood, Yue Guan stopped pressing the topic.

Over the next few days, Bibi Dong cultivated at night and spent her days in the library of Martial Soul Hall, constantly flipping through various books as if searching for something.

And indeed, she actually found some materials that could corroborate the efficacy of Whale Rubber in enhancing one's physique.

However, the information was scattered across several books, and one could only reach this conclusion by piecing them together. Had she not been searching with the answer already in mind, she never would have discovered it.

Thus, Bibi Dong excitedly took these books to find Yue Guan and Gui Mei.

"Uncle Yue Guan, Uncle Gui Mei, after your guidance, I think I've found something that can enhance one's physique. I just don't know if it's true?"

Bibi Dong excitedly placed the books in front of Yue Guan, asking him to verify them one by one.

"It's actually Whale Rubber? Is this really reliable?"

Seeing the content in those books, Yue Guan was full of suspicion.

He felt that such a thing was inherently unreliable.

"Why not try it and see?"

"Wait a moment!"

As soon as Gui Mei finished speaking, his figure vanished from where he stood.

Before leaving, he cast a meaningful glance at Bibi Dong.

This little one was clearly bringing them the process to find the answer she already possessed.

With Gui Mei's speed, he returned quickly and handed a piece of thousand-year Whale Rubber to Yue Guan.

"Follow the method in the... the texts to soften it before consuming it. Experience for yourself whether it truly can enhance one's physique."

The reason Gui Mei did not try it himself was because his body was unique.

He was essentially a living dead man and could not perceive such improvements.

"This thing..."

Although Yue Guan's face was full of disgust, he still followed the method Bibi Dong had described, softened the Whale Rubber, and consumed it.

He slowly closed his eyes to sense the changes within himself, and after a long while, he snapped them open.

"It... it truly can enhance one's physique. Not only that, but it also possesses the effect of expanding meridians and replenishing deficiencies."

Yue Guan was utterly shocked.

Although the improvement to him was negligible, he was a Spirit Douluo, and this was merely a thousand-year Whale Rubber. What if it were of a higher age—eight thousand, nine thousand, or even ten thousand years?

What Yue Guan found most incredible was that using Whale Rubber to enhance one's physique had no side effects and would not compromise one's foundation.

"Xiao Dong, remember, you must not tell anyone else that you discovered Whale Rubber can enhance the physique."

Suddenly, Yue Guan thought of something, and his expression turned solemn.

This contribution was immense; as for exactly how great, he still needed to find Whale Rubber of a higher age to verify it.

Before reporting it, it must absolutely not be leaked, lest others steal Xiao Dong's credit.

"Uncle Yue Guan, wasn't it you who discovered the effects of this Whale Rubber?"

"How did it become me who discovered it?"

Bibi Dong put on a look of ignorance and innocence, blinking her bright, large eyes at Yue Guan.

"I..."

Just as Yue Guan was about to say something, he was stopped by a look from Gui Mei at his side.

He immediately understood; Xiao Dong did not want to be too conspicuous, and in this way, the credit would fall to him.

For a moment, Yue Guan was deeply moved.

"Let's verify just how great this contribution is!"

At that moment, Gui Mei once again took an item from his storage Soul Tool and tossed it to Yue Guan.

It was a ten-thousand-year Whale Rubber.

When Bibi Dong had brought those books verifying the effects of Whale Rubber, Gui Mei had already become certain of his hypothesis. When he went to purchase the Whale Rubber, besides buying some thousand-year ones, he had also taken the ten-thousand-year Whale Rubber that served as the shop's treasure—and also its display piece—and purchased it in Yue Guan's name.

According to the shopkeeper, this Whale Rubber was a full fifty thousand years old, brought back by a Spirit Douluo who had hunted it for his eighth spirit ring.

"Old Ghost, you..."

Seeing this ten-thousand-year Whale Rubber, Yue Guan was stunned, while simultaneously realizing that Gui Mei valued Xiao Dong to such a degree.

He valued her even more than he did.

Subsequently, Yue Guan used his spirit power to soften this fifty-thousand-year Whale Rubber, consumed it, and began to sense the changes within himself.

When he opened his eyes again, his spirit power had risen from the peak of level 83 to level 84.

Even Yue Guan had not expected that Whale Rubber would have such an effect.

According to his estimates, he would have needed at least another half-year of grinding effort to break through from level 83 to level 84.

He never imagined that a single piece of ten-thousand-year Whale Rubber would save him over half a year of effort.