What a waste of heaven's gifts!
Ye Feng had always looked down on Shrek.
An academy in a village with no official accreditation and no steady source of funding—a "three-no" academy.
A bizarre place whose motto was "We only accept monsters."
Whoever wanted to go there could go. As for Ye Feng, he would never entrust his life to a bunch of hypocritical, incompetent, and arrogant fools.
Pushing aside these tangled thoughts, Ye Feng turned his attention back to the street before him.
He wandered aimlessly, his gaze drifting from one shop to the next.
Suddenly, a shop called Four Seas Rare Treasures caught his eye.
The shop's storefront was not large, but its decor was elegant and understated. A black plaque bearing golden lettering gave it an air of discreet luxury.
More importantly, most of the customers entering and leaving had calm, steady auras. They were clearly Soul Masters with considerable strength.
On a whim, Ye Feng stepped inside.
The shop was brightly lit. Strange and curious items were neatly displayed on rows of shelves made from precious wood.
There were faintly glowing ores, unusual liquids sealed in crystal bottles, and the bones and pelts of unidentified Soul Beasts.
A neatly dressed female attendant with a smile on her face immediately came over to greet him.
"Hello, sir. Welcome to Four Seas Rare Treasures. How may I help you?"
Ye Feng paid her no mind and simply strolled around the shop on his own.
His gaze swept over the goods. He couldn't name most of them, so he could only use the little tags beside them to get a general idea of their uses and prices.
The prices were generally steep.
Even a casually chosen iron meteorite the size of his palm was priced at over a hundred Gold Soul Coins.
Just as he was about to turn and leave, his eyes happened to fall on a crystal display case in the corner.
Several translucent, jelly-like substances lay quietly on the black velvet inside. Their shades varied, and they gave off a faint scent of the sea.
"What is this?"
Ye Feng pointed at the items and asked.
The female attendant followed his finger. Her smile grew even more professional.
"Sir, you certainly have a good eye."
She stepped behind the display case and carefully picked up one of the pieces with a pair of special tweezers, showing it to Ye Feng.
"This is called 'Whale Rubber.' It's refined from the fatty tissue of Deep Sea Demon Whales using a special process.
"It contains no Soul Power, but it's an excellent supplement for restoring virility."
Whale Rubber?
Ye Feng's body gave a slight tremor, and his eyes lit up at once.
This stuff... he knew it all too well!
It could greatly improve a Soul Master's physical constitution, strengthening the muscles, bones, and meridians while increasing their toughness!
He'd searched high and low, only to find it without even trying!
But Ye Feng never thought his foundation could be too solid.
A Soul Master's body was like a container.
The larger and sturdier the container, the more pure Soul Power it could hold—and the higher the age of the Soul Ring it could absorb!
He had already decided that his Second Soul Ring had to be a millennium-level one!
And what he was looking for was a support-type Soul Skill with powerful recovery or healing abilities.
A century-old healing Soul Skill would be nowhere near enough to achieve the effect he wanted.
But a millennium-old recovery and healing Soul Skill could save his life at a crucial moment!
A strong physical constitution was an absolute prerequisite for absorbing a millennium-old Soul Ring.
This Whale Rubber had come at just the right time!
"How much does this cost?"
Ye Feng suppressed his excitement and asked in a deliberately calm voice.
"Whale Rubber comes in different grades depending on the age of the Deep Sea Demon Whale it's refined from," the female attendant explained patiently.
"This lighter-colored kind is refined from century-old whales. Its effects are mild, making it suitable for Soul Masters. Each piece costs eight hundred Gold Soul Coins.
"This darker kind, almost amber in color, is refined from millennium-old whales. Its medicinal properties are potent, and its effects are several times stronger than those of the century-old Whale Rubber. Each piece costs five thousand Gold Soul Coins."
Five thousand Gold Soul Coins!
What a rip-off!
Ye Feng grumbled inwardly.
Still, it was worth the price.
"I'll take two pieces of the century-old kind."
"And two pieces of the millennium-old kind as well."
Ye Feng spoke crisply, without the slightest hesitation.
The female attendant was visibly taken aback.
Plenty of Soul Masters bought Whale Rubber, but most only bought one piece of the century-old kind to try.
For a young man like this one to ask for two century-old pieces and two millennium-old pieces right off the bat—a total of eleven thousand six hundred Gold Soul Coins—was an enormous purchase.
Her smile immediately grew much more sincere. She swiftly sealed all four pieces of Whale Rubber in specially made jade boxes.
Just as she was about to ring up the purchase, Ye Feng's gaze was drawn to something on the other side of the shop.
It was a wooden mannequin in the shape of a person, dressed in a gleaming silver suit of armor.
The armor had an exceptionally sleek design, complete with a gorget, breastplate, arm guards, and leg guards. It perfectly outlined the mannequin's figure, radiating both strength and beauty.
"Tell me about that suit of armor."
"Certainly, sir."
The female attendant's eyes shone even brighter. It seemed she'd found herself a major customer today.
She hurried over to the mannequin and introduced it with a hint of pride:
"This Flowing Silver Battle Armor is one of the treasures of our shop.
"It isn't made of metal. It's woven from the silk of a millennium-old Soul Beast called the Sky Star Silkworm, combined with powders from more than a dozen rare ores. A master craftsman from the Tool Soul Emperor's workshop spent three years making it."
"It's lightweight yet tough, and neither blades nor swords can damage it. It also comes with waterproofing, fireproofing, and self-cleaning functions.
"It can even automatically adjust to the wearer's growth, ensuring a perfect fit at all times."
Self-cleaning? And it could grow?
Ye Feng was stunned.
No wonder... no wonder the main characters in the anime could wear the same outfit from level one to level one hundred, going decades without changing clothes. Now he finally understood!
He had to get a set, no matter what!
"How much?"
Ye Feng asked the most important question.
"That'll be thirteen thousand Gold Soul Coins, sir."
The female attendant named a figure that would have made an ordinary person faint on the spot.
Ye Feng merely nodded.
Thirteen thousand for top-tier equipment he could wear for the rest of his life? Worth it.
"Add the armor to the Whale Rubber. I'll pay for everything together."
"Of course!"
The female attendant was so excited that her cheeks flushed. She quickly took the armor down, gathered it with the jade boxes, and led Ye Feng to a nearby counter.
The total came to twenty-four thousand six hundred Gold Soul Coins.
Ye Feng didn't haggle. He simply took the purple-gold Gold Soul Coin card from his Storage Bracelet.
At the sight of the card, a sign of immense wealth, the female attendant and the shopkeeper both stopped breathing for a moment.
The entire transaction went incredibly smoothly.
"Sir, we have a private changing room. Would you like to change into the armor now?" the female attendant asked respectfully.
"Mm."
Ye Feng took the armor, its material cool and silky to the touch, and went into the changing room.
A short while later, when he emerged, the air throughout the shop seemed to freeze.
Before, Ye Feng had been handsome, but dressed in plain hemp clothes, his bearing had been reserved. He was like an uncut jade stone.
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