Library Study! Whale Rubber!

After the evening training ended, Flender did not have Ma Hongjun and Oscar take their medicinal bath as usual. Instead, he stopped the two of them.

"Change into clean clothes and come with me."

Oscar froze for a moment. "Where are we going?"

"The Inner City."

Ma Hongjun's heart stirred, but he did not ask further.

The two returned to their rooms and changed into clean clothes—though "clean" merely meant coarse cloth clothes that had been washed until they had faded white.

Although Shrek Academy had money now, it had not yet had the chance to buy new clothes.

Flender led the two out through the academy gates and headed toward Suotuo City along the Country Path.

The setting sun hung over the western mountains, dyeing the entire sky orange-red. The evening breeze swept through the roadside rice paddies, stirring layer after layer of golden waves.

"Teacher, what are we going to the city for?" Oscar could not help asking.

"To a place you have never been."

"What place?"

"You'll know when we get there."

Oscar curled his lips and did not dare ask again.

Walking behind them, Ma Hongjun swept his gaze across the fields by the road and the distant villages. He roughly guessed where they were going.

There was a library in Suotuo City.

He had known that in his previous life.

After entering Suotuo City, Flender did not head toward the bustling main street. Instead, he turned into a quiet alley.

The alley was narrow, lined on both sides with Old Houses with Blue Bricks and Grey Tiles. The moss at the base of the walls appeared especially dark in the twilight.

At the end of the alley stood a vermilion Wooden Door.

A Plaque hung above the doorway, bearing four large words—

"Ink Fragrance Library."

Flender pushed open the door and entered.

Ma Hongjun and Oscar followed him inside, and the space before them suddenly opened up.

It was not a large hall, but it was kept very clean.

Bookshelves reaching all the way to the ceiling stood around the room, filled neatly with all kinds of books. The air carried the scent of paper and ink.

Several long tables and chairs stood in the center of the hall. A few Oil Lamps burned quietly atop the tables, their flames dancing across the pages.

An elderly man with snow-white hair sat behind the Counter, holding a thick book and reading with rapt attention.

Hearing the footsteps, he raised his head. He looked at Flender, then at the two children behind him.

"Flender? You're here?"

The old man's voice was hoarse, carrying a hint of surprise.

"I've brought two disciples here for extra lessons."

Flender took out three Gold Soul Coins from his robes and placed them on the Counter.

"One month."

The old man did not immediately take the money. Instead, he glanced at Ma Hongjun and Oscar.

"These two children..."

"My students."

There was a trace of pride in Flender's voice.

The old man nodded and put the money into a drawer.

"Read whatever you like. Ask if there's anything you don't understand."

After saying that, he lowered his head and continued reading the book in his hands.

Flender led the two to the Bookshelves, casually pulled out a book, flipped through several pages, then turned to Ma Hongjun and Oscar.

"This is Suotuo City's largest Public Library. It has more than twenty thousand books, covering soul beasts, medicinal herbs, Martial Soul Theory, Continent History, Geographical Scenery... Basically, anything you can think of can be found here."

Oscar's eyes widened as he stared at the densely packed Bookshelves around him, somewhat dazed.

"More than twenty thousand books... Are we supposed to finish all of them?"

"Who said you had to finish them?"

Flender glared at him.

"You need a purpose when reading. Find whatever you want to know. You are not supposed to start at the beginning and flip through everything to the end."

He pulled several books from the Bookshelves and placed them on the table.

"Your knowledge of soul beasts is far too lacking. Last time in the Star Dou Great Forest, Hongjun, it was already quite good that you recognized the Holy Light Sparrow, but it was nowhere near enough. The types, habits, weaknesses, and suitable Soul Ring ages of soul beasts—you need to know all of that by heart."

He pulled out several more books.

"And knowledge of medicinal herbs. You cannot keep soaking in the same medicinal bath for your entire lives. Once your Soul Power grows stronger, the formula for the medicinal bath will need to change, and you must understand how to combine medicinal herbs. Shao Xin cannot be the only one handling everything."

Then he pulled out several more.

"Martial Soul Theory, Soul Ring combinations, combat techniques... You need to learn all of it."

Flender pushed a stack of books toward them, then took several more from a nearby Bookshelf and placed them by his side.

"I'll explain first, then you can read on your own. Ask me anything you don't understand."

Flender explained everything in great detail.

He began with the classification of soul beasts—Flight Type, Beast Type, Insect Type, Plant Type, Light Element, Dark Element... He broke down the traits of every type, the kinds of Soul Masters they suited, and the limits of Soul Ring ages in exhaustive detail.

Ma Hongjun listened intently.

Although he had read the original work in his previous life, the knowledge in it had not been comprehensive.

Many details could only be found in professional books like these.

For example—the rarity of Light Element soul beasts was far more astonishing than he had imagined.

Across the entire continent, there were no more than thirty known kinds of Light Element soul beasts. Most lived in remote mountains and ancient forests rarely visited by people, and they might not be encountered even once in a hundred years.

The fact that he had obtained two Light Element Soul Rings in succession owed greatly to luck.

Flender spoke for more than half an hour, until his throat was dry.

"Enough. Read by yourselves. I'll come get you in an hour."

He stood and walked over to the Counter, where he began speaking quietly with the white-haired old man.

Oscar leaned over the table, flipping through the thick Soul Beast Compendium page by page.

"Hongjun, look at this—Nine-Headed Snake, a Ten Thousand Year Soul Beast. It lives deep in swamps and excels at poison attacks..."

He muttered as he read.

"What would it taste like if it were made into sausage?"

Ma Hongjun ignored him.

His gaze landed on the Illustrated Guide to Rare Medicinal Herbs before him, and he flipped to a certain page.

The page depicted an amber-colored solid, irregularly shaped and gleaming on the surface.

Beside it was densely packed text in small print, noting its origin, harvesting methods, and so-called "medicinal value."

Whale Rubber.

It came from Deep Sea Whale Soul Beasts. It was not particularly rare, but neither was it common.

Ma Hongjun stared at those lines, his brow furrowing slightly.

What was written in the book differed from what he knew from his previous life.

According to this book, Whale Rubber was used as an aphrodisiac.

To put it bluntly, it was something used to enhance pleasure between men and women.

Other than that, it had no medicinal value whatsoever.

It was cheap. A few Gold Soul Coins could buy a large chunk of it.

Nobles and wealthy merchants occasionally bought it for pleasure, while proper Soul Masters would not even spare it a second glance.

That was how everyone on the continent viewed Whale Rubber.

A cheap, low-class piece of trash fit only for obscene purposes.

But Ma Hongjun knew they were all wrong.

The true value of Whale Rubber was not as an aphrodisiac.

It lay in the fact that—it could help Soul Masters strengthen their physiques and raise the limit of Soul Ring absorption!

Almost no one on the continent knew this secret.

At least, no one knew it in this era.

Ma Hongjun lightly tapped the page with his fingers.

Whale Rubber was something he would need in the future.

Purifying the Evil Fire Phoenix required Light Element Soul Rings, but with the support of Whale Rubber, the effect might be even better. If his body grew stronger, he could absorb higher-age Soul Rings, and do it better.