Whale Rubber

After giving Lin Beiya a sound beating, Qian Renxue had successfully vented the resentment she'd built up lately, and her pretty face was adorned with a much brighter smile.

"Bei Ya, Grandpa's giving me the day off tomorrow, so I don't have to practice Sword Art."

"Come explore Spirit City with me after school, okay?"

Rubbing his swollen, reddened cheek, Lin Beiya grumbled inwardly. She'd just hit me where it hurt, and now she wants to make me carry her bags? No way. Absolutely no way!

"Sure. Then let's meet in the garden after I finish my morning classes."

Faced with Little Angel's unyielding gaze, Lin Beiya swallowed his refusal and forced a smile despite the pain at the corner of his mouth.

Seeing this, Qian Renxue nodded in satisfaction, waved at Lin Beiya, then skipped off the Training Ground.

Getting to his feet, Lin Beiya brushed the dust off his clothes and limped back toward his lodgings.

The injuries he'd sustained in Soul Fighting also led him to discover a new use for the Sacred Cloth during his usual evening cultivation. Meditating while wearing the Gold Cloth not only sped up his cultivation but also helped his injuries heal faster.

After just one night of cultivation, the swelling on Lin Beiya's face had vanished without a trace, and the gloomy little heartthrob had made his return.

In the morning, Lin Beiya arrived at the academy on time after breakfast. After a month of hard cultivation, the chubby Shi Nuo had also raised his Soul Power to level nine. At this rate, he'd likely reach level ten in another month or so, allowing him to obtain his very own First Soul Ring.

In the first-year Elite Class, that cultivation level put him among the very best, with only a handful of students able to match him.

The minimum requirement for the Elite Class was Innate Soul Power level seven, so it was also the smallest class. Even counting transfer students sent from remote regions, there were barely more than twenty students in all.

Since Shi Nuo had spread the story of their last Soul Fighting match, some students had recognized Feng De as a fourth-year student who, like them, had grown up in an orphanage and attended Spirit Academy.

And through the chubby boy's account, the whole class had learned how terrifying Lin Beiya was. His classmates now looked at him with a hint of awe, and the gossip that had followed him when he first joined the class had disappeared without a trace.

The strong earned respect anywhere—unless your name was Tang San.

The Elite Class was taught differently from ordinary classes. Since many students were already close to reaching level ten, their teacher began introducing some promising Hundred-Year Soul Beasts for them to study, explaining their traits and the Soul Skills they might gain by absorbing their Soul Rings.

The Black Stone Giant Bull that the chubby boy had once mentioned to him was among them. Shi Nuo was so excited that he became even more certain he'd made the right choice.

Of course, none of this had much to do with Lin Beiya, who already had his First Soul Ring. His Second Soul Ring was still a long way off, so there was no need to think about it this early.

After his morning classes ended, Lin Beiya ate lunch and hurried to the Central Garden at Douluo Hall. He didn't dare stand Little Angel up—otherwise, who knew how she'd make him suffer over the next few days?

Meeting Little Angel right on time pleased the young girl with his punctuality.

"Not bad. You're not late today."

"Come on, I'm a punctual and reliable guy."

"Yeah, right."

Little Angel shot Lin Beiya a skeptical look, as if to say, "Do you think I believe that?" He awkwardly scratched his head. He'd only overslept a few times, hadn't he?

Without further bickering, Lin Beiya followed Qian Renxue straight out of Spirit Hall.

He wasn't worried about their safety at all. He trusted that Qian Daoliu would have people secretly watching over Little Angel.

Along the way, Qian Renxue bounced about, brimming with energy. The smile she could barely suppress spoke volumes about how delighted she was.

Spirit City was huge. Though Lin Beiya had lived there since childhood, he'd only wandered around the northern district where the orphanage stood. He knew little about the city center.

Qian Renxue was more than happy to take over as their guide, pointing out the various buildings and facilities around Spirit City as they went.

"That's Ten Thousand Soul Inn, the biggest restaurant in Spirit City. The food there is pretty good. When we get tired of walking, I'll treat you."

"Okay."

"And that's Shou Xilai, the biggest shopping mall in Spirit City. Let's go look around there first."

"Sure."

Even in his previous life, Lin Beiya had heard that shopping with women was a real ordeal. Even though the little girl beside him was just a blond kid, he now knew exactly what people meant.

The two had left Spirit Hall at midday, and it wasn't until the sun went down that Qian Renxue finally had her fill and dragged Lin Beiya off to enjoy a meal.

Feeling as if his legs were filled with lead, Lin Beiya breathed a sigh of relief. I've got to find a way to refuse shopping duty next time.

As they entered the restaurant, all kinds of dishes were brought to their table. Watching Lin Beiya devour them, Qian Renxue once again looked at him with disdain.

"Slow down. No one's going to steal your food!"

"Can't help it. I'm hungry."

"Hey, after we eat, let's go see what's on at the Martial Soul City Auction House."

"Hmm? What for?"

Little Angel elegantly picked up a bite of food and shot Lin Beiya a lovely sidelong glance.

"They often have all kinds of unusual things there. We finally have a day off, so there's no need to go back so early, right?"

"Fine, whatever you say."

Just as the little girl had said, they were already out, so he might as well let her enjoy herself.

After the meal, they headed toward the auction house. Perhaps the people secretly protecting Little Angel had given the staff advance notice; as soon as the two little ones arrived at the entrance, someone came to greet them and ushered them into the largest private room without asking a thing.

"Nice, nice. I still like this place."

Little Angel sat on the soft couch in the private room, glanced around, and nodded with satisfaction. Then she beckoned Lin Beiya to sit beside her.

After a servant brought fruit and tea, she handed Qian Renxue a catalog.

Qian Renxue took it familiarly and waved her away. The servant nodded and respectfully stood in the corner of the room.

Lin Beiya took it all in and raised an eyebrow.

"Looks like you come here a lot!"

"Yeah. I used to come here all the time with the sister from Third Granduncle's family, but she's been in seclusion lately, practicing her family's Soul Skill."

As Qian Renxue opened the catalog on her lap, Lin Beiya leaned over to look. The two little heads huddled together, a picture of harmony.

"It's a list. Are these the things they're going to auction?"

"Yeah. Everyone looks through the catalog first and picks out the items they want to bid on. That way, they won't spot something they like later and find they don't have enough money to win it."

"I see."

It was Lin Beiya's first time encountering this kind of transaction, and he found it fascinating. His gaze swept across the catalog, then stopped at one of the items in the third column.

"Whale Rubber!"

Lin Beiya cried out inwardly, but showed nothing on his face. Whale Rubber could strengthen the body, but people wouldn't discover that until the era of Huo the Hanging. For now, it had only one use...

As he wondered how to convince Little Angel to bid on the Whale Rubber for him, Lin Beiya lost all interest in the rest of the auction items.

Only after Qian Renxue called out to him several times did she finally snap him out of his thoughts.

"Bei Ya... Bei Ya!"

"Huh? What is it?"

"You're miles away. What are you thinking about? Come look at this necklace—what do you think?"