Transformation!

The method for consuming Millennium Whale Glue was far more complicated than that for the hundred-year variety.

It could not be swallowed directly. It first had to be soaked in high-proof Soul Power wine for three days. Once the Whale Rubber had softened, it had to be taken out and cut into pieces, then slowly simmered over low heat for six hours. Finally, the thick broth produced had to be consumed in several portions.

Throughout the entire process, if the heat was off by even a fraction, the medicinal effect would be reduced by the same amount.

Liu Yunlan handled the task personally. The old lady placed the eight pieces of Millennium Whale Glue into eight separate clay jars, poured in the Soul Power wine, sealed the mouths of the jars, and attached labels with the dates written on them.

"Open the jars again in three days."

The old lady patted the dust from her hands, her tone assured. "The heat cannot be too high when simmering it. If it is, the medicinal properties will disperse. But it cannot be too low either, or the medicinal properties will not come out."

Qing Hongyuan nodded repeatedly as he listened, though he felt his mother had no need to explain any of this.

Qing Mufeng stood at the entrance to the medicinal herb room, watching his grandmother's busy figure without going in to disturb her.

The old lady had her own methods when she worked. Outsiders could not help, nor was there any need for them to offer advice.

During those three days, Liu Yunlan adjusted the medicinal bath formula again.

The medicinal potency of Millennium Whale Glue was several times fiercer than that of the hundred-year variety. After consuming it, the body would experience intense heat, and the medicinal power would repeatedly scour the meridians.

The medicinal bath was meant to help the body absorb the medicinal power while easing the heat, preventing the meridians from being scorched.

"I added cold-natured Ice Spirit Herb and mint leaves, along with several calming herbs."

As the old lady added ingredients to the medicine barrel, she muttered,

"Millennium Whale Glue does not merely temper the body. It also affects the mind. If the mind is unstable, the absorption effect will be greatly reduced."

Qing Mufeng stood beside the medicine barrel, watching his grandmother place the herbs into the boiling water one stalk at a time. Breathing in the scent of vegetation mixed with the cool freshness of mint, he suddenly felt that his grandmother was the most indispensable person in the Qing Clan.

Without her, the strengthening effect of the Whale Rubber would be cut by at least half.

Three days later.

Liu Yunlan opened the first clay jar, poured the softened Millennium Whale Glue into a copper pot, and set it over low heat to simmer slowly.

The flames licked at the bottom of the pot. Fine bubbles rose with soft gurgles in the broth, and a scent mixed with wine and the briny odor of the sea spread through the kitchen.

Six hours later.

The broth had reduced into a thick concentrate, changing from a clear liquid into an amber-colored syrup.

Liu Yunlan scooped up a spoonful with a wooden ladle, checked how it clung to the sides, then nodded.

"It's ready."

Qing Mufeng accepted the bowl and lowered his gaze to the amber-colored concentrate within.

Warm vapor rose from the bowl, carrying a faint briny scent, the fragrance of wine, and an indescribable herbal aroma.

That was the scent of the calming herbs in the medicinal bath formula. After such prolonged simmering, they had already melded into the Whale Rubber.

He raised the bowl and drained it in one gulp.

The instant the thick syrup entered his mouth, a violent heat rushed from his throat straight into his abdomen, as though he had swallowed a mouthful of magma.

The heat exploded in his stomach and spread outward, following the paths of his meridians to every corner of his limbs and body.

Qing Mufeng clenched his teeth.

The heat from hundred-year Whale Rubber was warm and comfortable, like soaking in warm water.

The heat from Millennium Whale Glue was searing and violent, as though flames were licking the inner walls of his meridians. Every acupoint was being burned, and every meridian was being scoured.

He sat down cross-legged and circulated the Azure Dragon Method, opening all four pathways.

Soul Power surged through his meridians, guiding that blazing force along the pathways of the Azure Dragon Method.

Wherever the heat passed, the walls of his meridians were repeatedly scoured and became more resilient.

His acupoints were expanded again and again, becoming broader.

Sweat fell like rain, soaking through his clothes.

Yet this time, he was not in as much pain as when he had absorbed his Third Soul Ring.

It was not that it did not hurt. He had simply grown used to it.

Painful, yet joyful.

After roughly the time it took for an incense stick to burn, that scorching power began to fade, replaced by a lingering warmth.

Qing Mufeng opened his eyes and found that his robe had been drenched in sweat. He looked as though he had just been pulled from the water.

But his body felt lighter.

It was not that he had lost weight. Rather, his body had become more agile.

The gaps between his joints seemed to have widened somewhat, his joints moved more smoothly, and his muscles contracted with greater force.

He stood and moved his limbs, feeling a clear, unimpeded sensation spreading from the inside out.

His meridians had indeed widened.

The effects of consuming Millennium Whale Glue for the first time were already obvious.

Liu Yunlan walked over and placed her fingers on her grandson's pulse. The old lady closed her eyes and sensed it for a moment before opening them and nodding in satisfaction.

"Your pulse is stronger than before. The resilience of your meridians has clearly improved, and your acupoints have widened as well."

The old lady withdrew her hand and looked at her grandson. "After taking it a few more times, your meridians will reach the standard needed to endure a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Ring."

Qing Mufeng nodded and returned to the bamboo grove, continuing to circulate the Azure Dragon Method until he absorbed every trace of residual medicinal power.

From that day onward, the five members of the Qing Clan began consuming Millennium Whale Glue according to their respective paces.

Qing Mufeng and Qing Hongyuan progressed the fastest. Both had solid physical foundations, and Qing Hongyuan had cultivated the Azure Dragon Method for longer.

The two of them consumed Millennium Whale Glue six times almost in sync, with five-day intervals between each dose to give their bodies enough time to digest and absorb it, preventing backlash from the medicinal power.

Liu Yunlan's progress came next. Although the old lady was advanced in age, she was well versed in medicine and had far greater control over her own body than ordinary people.

She consumed Millennium Whale Glue four times and felt that her physique had reached the strongest state of her life.

It was not the explosive power of her prime, but a comprehensive strengthening from the inside out.

Her meridians were broader than in her youth, her bones denser than before, and even the circulation speed of her Soul Power had increased by several degrees.

Shen Wanqing progressed the slowest.

The physical shortcomings of a pure support-type Soul Master could not be immediately remedied by a few doses of medicine.

She consumed Millennium Whale Glue three times, with seven-day intervals between each dose. Her progress was slow, but she was not anxious.

Her target was a Fifth Soul Ring between ten thousand and twenty thousand years. At this pace, she had more than enough time.

Qing Zhengyue was the last to begin consuming Millennium Whale Glue.

It was not because he did not need it, but because his goal was the greatest.

A Hundred-Thousand-Year Plant-Type Soul Ring.

What he needed was the most solid foundation possible. He could not rush.

"Grandfather, how do you feel?"

One evening half a month later, Qing Mufeng found the old man in the bamboo grove and asked.

Qing Zhengyue stood in the middle of the bamboo grove. The Wind Wood Dragon Wings on his back were slightly spread, their azure wing bones giving off a faint glow in the twilight.

The old man's white hair was still like snow, and the wrinkles on his face remained deep, but his eyes had changed.

They had become sharper and more restrained, like an old blade that had been sharpened anew.

"My meridians have recovered." The old man's voice was calm. "I am at least twenty years younger."

Qing Mufeng looked at his grandfather's back, the corners of his lips lifting slightly.

Twenty years younger.

The meridians of a fifty-eight-year-old, the experience of a seventy-eight-year-old.

The foundation for a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Ring was being built, little by little.