Taking

Glancing at the sample illustrations engraved in the booklet, Lin Beiya nodded perfunctorily.

"It's very pretty, it suits your temperament."

"Really? Then I'll bid on it in a moment. See if there's anything you want—how about this bracelet? I'll buy it for you!"

The little angel's fair, delicate finger pointed toward an exquisitely crafted bracelet. According to the catalog, it was the work of a master in the industry, but Lin Beiya had zero interest in items that were purely aesthetic and lacked any practical utility.

His mind was currently filled with nothing but the Whale Rubber. During his soul battle with the little angel earlier, he had been deeply dissatisfied with a physique that couldn't keep up with his senses. Now that he had a chance to elevate it, how could he not be tempted?

"Let's talk about it later. Who knows, maybe someone else likes this bracelet too? It wouldn't be worth it if it gets too expensive."

"It's fine, I have millions of Gold Soul Coins in pocket money. I don't think I'll be unable to afford a bracelet."

"..."

Qian Renxue's incredibly natural remark left Lin Beiya speechless. In his heart, he exclaimed that she was truly an "angel investor"—even at such a young age, the prototype was already taking shape.

Feeling that he could save himself over a decade of detours, Lin Beiya shed tears of envy.

As the two conversed, the auction commenced in an orderly fashion.

The first and second items up for auction were a natural gemstone and an evening gown, respectively.

Neither Qian Renxue nor Lin Beiya had the slightest interest in these two items, so they chatted idly to pass the time.

But as the third item, the "Whale Rubber," was pushed onto the display stage, Lin Beiya instantly perked up, focusing his gaze intently on the platform.

Qian Renxue took in his expression, and curiosity led her to cast her gaze toward the stage as well.

Upon seeing the item, the little angel's cheeks flushed crimson, and she glared fiercely at Lin Beiya.

"Pah, what are you thinking about? Can you even use this thing?"

Realizing Qian Renxue had misunderstood, Lin Beiya rolled his eyes internally, but he feigned ignorance and fabricated, "Xiao Xue, what is this? My martial soul actually has a reaction to it."

Having said that, fearing the little angel wouldn't believe him, Lin Beiya summoned the Athena Statue and injected a sliver of soul power into it; the statue immediately began to tremble.

This sight left the little angel clicking her tongue in wonder. She didn't doubt Lin Beiya's words—after all, it was normal for a young boy raised in an orphanage not to recognize Whale Rubber. However, she was puzzled as to why a statue-type martial soul would react to it. Was this really a proper martial soul?

The martial soul was certainly proper, but whether the person was proper was another matter entirely.

"This is Whale Rubber. As for its function... well, you just need to know it's not exactly a wholesome item."

"Is that so? Then can we bid on it?"

"..."

Qian Renxue leaned back tactically and stared at Lin Beiya for several seconds, wondering what was wrong with this person. She had already told him it wasn't a "wholesome" item.

"Maybe we shouldn't..."

"It is, after all, an indication from my martial soul. If it isn't too expensive, there's no harm in bidding on it to see what's so special about it!"

After thinking it over, the little angel felt Lin Beiya's words made sense. Once they returned to the Douluo Hall, she would have someone send him the documentation detailing the uses of Whale Rubber; by then, he surely wouldn't be interested in it anymore.

"Fine, I'll bid on it for you then."

With that, the little angel beckoned to the attendant, who nodded and quickly signaled the auctioneer.

"Very well, the guest in Box 1 bids 3,500 Gold Soul Coins for this piece of Whale Rubber. Does anyone offer a higher price?"

It was an item with a very specific use that only elderly noblemen would fancy, but these people were all shrewd; how could they possibly compete with someone of such obvious status in Box 1?

As the other bidders gave up, the little angel successfully secured the Whale Rubber for 3,500 Gold Soul Coins.

Lin Beiya clenched his fist discreetly. If he had to rely on himself to strengthen his physique, it would require a massive amount of grueling labor; having this Whale Rubber would save him quite a bit of time.

Qian Renxue had no intention of bidding on the subsequent cat-person maid or the soul beast pet, only acting again when the necklace and bracelet he favored appeared, bidding on them one by one.

For the three items in total, she had the maid bring them over and promptly paid the corresponding Gold Soul Coins.

The two concluded their outing for the day and began their return journey to the Martial Soul Hall.

"Here, this is the Whale Rubber you wanted and the bracelet I bought for you."

"Thank you, Xiao Xue."

"You're welcome. Remember, once you obtain your second soul ring, you must keep a set of Sacred Cloths ready for this young lady."

Lin Beiya nodded, having no intention of refusing; he could only wear one set anyway.

The two parted ways in the garden, and Lin Beiya hurried back to his quarters. Before he could even take out the Whale Rubber to examine it, a knock on the door pulled him from his thoughts.

Confused, he opened the door to find a maid from the Douluo Hall offering him a manual.

"The young lady asked me to deliver this and told Master Lin to turn to page 152."

"Is that so? I understand, thank you for the trouble."

"You're welcome."

As the maid retreated, Lin Beiya closed the door and looked down at the cover of the book in his hands.

The title, Encyclopedia of Continental Curiosities, immediately caught his eye. He flipped to the page the little angel had instructed, and the illustration of the Whale Rubber appeared before him.

The text below provided a detailed annotation of the uses of Whale Rubber.

Lin Beiya's mouth twitched; was this girl so afraid he would fall for a trap? As if he were foolish enough to swallow a piece of Whale Rubber whole.

Setting the book on the table, Lin Beiya sat cross-legged on the edge of the bed once more and retrieved the Whale Rubber from his Soul Guidance Ring, a pungent, fishy odor immediately assaulting his nose.

"Deep yellow; it seems this is a ten-thousand-year Whale Rubber. It looks like I've struck gold."

Lin Beiya mused to himself that people nowadays lacked a discerning eye, then took out a small knife to slice off a corner of the Whale Rubber, beginning to attempt to melt it down using his soul power.

The process was incredibly slow, but watching the surface of the Whale Rubber gradually liquefy, Lin Beiya understood that this method was effective.

As the fishy stench grew stronger, a small piece of the Whale Rubber melted into a milky liquid in Lin Beiya's hand, though the color...

Looking at the Whale Rubber in his hand, which bore a striking resemblance to a delicacy beloved by the people of India in his past life, Lin Beiya's mouth twitched uncontrollably, yet knowing its effects, he pinched his nose and swallowed it.

Nearly a minute passed, and the skin all over Lin Beiya's body began to flush red.

His only sensation now was heat—intense, scorching, stifling heat!

Having anticipated this, he quickly manifested the Gold Cloth over his body and began to refine the medicinal power.

Half an hour later, the final trace of heat finally faded from his body, and Lin Beiya quietly let out a sigh of relief.

"Phew, the potency of this medicine is truly fierce."

Looking at the black substance clinging to the surface of his skin, Lin Beiya pinched his nose and walked into the bathroom.

Having undergone training for his five senses, his sense of smell was already countless times sharper than an ordinary person's, and the stench on his body now was enough to knock him over; it was best to wash it off first.

After washing up, Lin Beiya nodded in satisfaction as he looked at his lustrous skin; although a single dose of Whale Rubber could not yet make the enhancement of his physique intuitively obvious, he was already certain that this was a truly effective method.

Once he finished consuming this large piece of ten-thousand-year Whale Rubber, he would use his enhanced physique as a bargaining chip to share this method with Qian Daoliu, then have him continue to procure Whale Rubber for himself and the little angel.

He believed Qian Daoliu would not refuse, as this would, after all, be beneficial to his precious granddaughter.