Taking It

After glancing at the sample design printed in the booklet, Lin Beiya nodded perfunctorily.

"It looks great. It suits your style."

"Really? Then I'll take a picture of it later. See if there's anything you want. How about this bracelet? I'll get it for you!"

Little Angel pointed her fair, delicate finger at an exquisitely crafted bracelet. Judging by the information, it was the work of a master in the field, but Lin Beiya had no interest in pretty things that served no practical purpose.

His mind was entirely occupied with the Whale Rubber. During his Soul Fighting match with Little Angel, he had already been thoroughly dissatisfied with how his body couldn't keep up with his senses. Now that he had a chance to improve it, how could he not be tempted?

"We can talk about it later. Someone else might like that bracelet too. If it sells for too much, it won't be worth it."

"It's fine. I get millions of Gold Soul Coins in pocket money. I should be able to afford the bracelet."

"..."

Qian Renxue's casual words left Lin Beiya speechless. He couldn't help thinking that she really was a born angel investor, already showing the makings of one at such a young age.

Realizing she could save him more than a decade of hard work, Lin Beiya wept tears of envy.

As they chatted, the auction began in orderly fashion.

The first and second auction items were a naturally formed gemstone and an evening gown.

Neither Qian Renxue nor Lin Beiya had the slightest interest in them, so they passed the time with casual conversation.

But when the third item, "Whale Rubber," was wheeled onto the stage, Lin Beiya immediately perked up and fixed his gaze on it.

Little Angel took in his expression and followed his gaze to the stage, curious.

When she saw the auction item, her cheeks flushed. Then she shot Lin Beiya a fierce glare.

"Honestly, what are you thinking? What could you possibly use that for?"

Realizing Qian Renxue had gotten the wrong idea, Lin Beiya rolled his eyes inwardly. Still, he pretended not to recognize the item and made something up.

"Xiao Xue, what is this? My Martial Soul seems to be reacting to it."

As he spoke, Lin Beiya worried Little Angel might not believe him, so he summoned his Divine Statue and infused it with a wisp of Soul Power. The Athena Statue immediately began to tremble.

Little Angel marveled at the sight. She didn't doubt Lin Beiya's explanation. After all, it was only natural that an orphan who had grown up in an orphanage wouldn't know about Whale Rubber. She was just puzzled about why his Statue Martial Soul was reacting to it. Was this really a proper Martial Soul?

The Martial Soul was certainly proper. Whether the person was was another matter.

"This is Whale Rubber. As for what it does...just know it's not something you should be messing with."

"I see. Then can you bid on it for me?"

"..."

Qian Renxue leaned back and stared at Lin Beiya for several seconds, wondering what was wrong with him. She had just told him it wasn't anything good.

"Maybe we shouldn't..."

"Still, my Martial Soul reacted to it. If it isn't too expensive, there's no harm in buying it and seeing what's unusual about it!"

After thinking it over, Little Angel decided Lin Beiya had a point. Once they returned to Douluo Hall, she would have someone send him the information about Whale Rubber's uses. Then he probably wouldn't be interested in it anymore.

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

Little Angel beckoned to a servant. The maid nodded, then quickly signaled to the auctioneer.

"Very well! The guest in box number one has offered 3,500 Gold Soul Coins for this piece of Whale Rubber. Does anyone have a higher bid?"

It was a single-purpose item, and only older aristocrats were likely to want it. But those men were all shrewd; none would dare compete for an item against the obviously distinguished guest in box number one.

Once the other bidders dropped out, Little Angel successfully bought the Whale Rubber for 3,500 Gold Soul Coins.

Lin Beiya discreetly pumped his fist. If he relied on himself alone to strengthen his physique, he would have to put in a mountain of hard work. With this Whale Rubber, he could save himself a great deal of time.

Qian Renxue had no interest in bidding on the catgirl maid or the Soul Beast pet that came up next. She only started bidding again when the necklace and bracelet she liked appeared, and bought them both.

After ordering the maid to bring over all three items, Qian Renxue cheerfully paid the required Gold Soul Coins.

The two of them then wrapped up the day's outing and headed back to Spirit Hall.

"Here. This is the Whale Rubber you wanted, along with the bracelet I got for you."

"Thank you, Xiao Xue."

"You're welcome. Remember, once you get your Second Soul Ring, you owe me a Sacred Cloth."

Lin Beiya nodded without refusing. He could only wear one set, anyway.

They said goodbye in the garden, and Lin Beiya hurried back to his residence. Before he could take out the Whale Rubber to examine it, a knock at the door pulled him out of his thoughts.

He opened the door, puzzled, and a Douluo Hall maid immediately handed him a booklet.

"Miss asked me to bring this to you. She said to open to page 152."

"Is that so? I understand. Sorry for the trouble."

"You're welcome."

After the maid left, Lin Beiya closed the door again and looked down at the book in his hands.

The words Encyclopedia of Continental Curiosities caught his eye. He opened it to the page Little Angel had specified, and an illustration of Whale Rubber appeared.

The text below explained its uses one by one.

Lin Beiya's mouth twitched. Was this girl so afraid he'd get himself into trouble? Did she really think he was stupid enough to gobble down a piece of Whale Rubber whole?

He set the book on the table and sat cross-legged on the bed again. Taking the Whale Rubber out of his Soul Guidance Ring, he was immediately hit by a foul smell.

"Dark yellow. Looks like it's Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Rubber. Seems I've struck gold."

Lin Beiya thought to himself that people these days didn't know what they were looking at. Then he took out a small knife, cut off a corner of the Whale Rubber, and tried melting it with his Soul Power.

The process was very slow, but as he watched the surface gradually liquefy, Lin Beiya knew the method was working.

As the stench grew stronger, the small piece of Whale Rubber melted in his hand into a milky liquid. It was just that the color...

Looking at the Whale Rubber in his hand, which resembled a delicacy beloved by the Indians of his previous life, Lin Beiya's mouth twitched violently. But knowing what it could do, he still pinched his nose and swallowed it.

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

At that moment, he could feel only one thing: heat. It was incredibly hot, unbearably scorching!

Having anticipated this, he quickly covered himself in the Gold Cloth and began refining the medicinal effects.

Half an hour later, the last trace of heat finally left his body, and Lin Beiya quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

"Phew, that stuff really packs a punch."

Seeing the black residue clinging to his skin, Lin Beiya pinched his nose and headed for the washroom inside.

After training his Five Senses, his sense of smell was already countless times sharper than an ordinary person's. The stench coming off him now was enough to knock him flat. Better wash it off first.

After washing up, Lin Beiya looked at his gleaming skin and nodded in satisfaction. Taking Whale Rubber just once wasn't enough to make the improvement to his physique obvious, but he was already certain that the method worked.

Once he had finished this whole piece of Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Rubber, he would use his improved physique as leverage, tell Qian Daoliu about the method, and then get him to bring in more Whale Rubber for him and Little Angel.

He was sure Qian Daoliu wouldn't refuse. After all, it would benefit his precious granddaughter too.