"???"
Bibi Dong stared at Master Yue Guan in utter confusion.
Master Yue Guan, I know every word you said, but why can't I understand them when you put them together?
"Dong'er, who was the bastard that tricked you?" A chill radiated from Gui Mei, too.
Even this usually taciturn Soul Douluo was furious.
The chair beneath him groaned under the strain. If Gui Mei hadn't been holding it together with Soul Power, the solid-wood chair would already have crumbled into pieces across the floor.
"Master, what are you thinking!"
Bibi Dong finally caught on. She shot Yue Guan and Gui Mei a fierce glare and said irritably, "After Whale Rubber is processed, it can greatly enhance the body."
"Really?"
Seeing that the two masters still seemed unconvinced, Bibi Dong picked up a piece of Whale Rubber on the spot and melted it down with Soul Power.
Along with a foul stench, the Whale Rubber's unappealing texture turned clear and gleaming, and it began to give off a faint fragrance.
"Why don't you two try some, too?"
Yue Guan and Gui Mei exchanged a glance. Each picked up a small piece of Whale Rubber and swallowed it. A moment later, Yue Guan opened his eyes, a hint of surprise flashing through them.
The Whale Rubber really did work just as Dong'er had said.
"Do you believe me now?"
"Your master Gui Mei and I were wrong. We apologize."
After making it up to Dong'er, Yue Guan looked toward the Whale Rubber in the box beside them, his eyes shining.
"Dong'er, for now, it's best not to let anyone know what Whale Rubber can do."
"I understand, Master. We'll keep quiet and make our fortune!"
"At the very least, we can't reveal anything about Whale Rubber until Old Ghost and I break through to Titled Douluo."
"Old Ghost, arrange for people to buy up Whale Rubber along the coast later. Don't bring it back here. Find a warehouse to store it in."
Yue Guan quickly made the arrangements. Whale Rubber was nothing like the Foundation Strengthening Pill Dong'er had mentioned before. It was something that could truly shake up the Soul Master ranks.
Dong'er didn't quite understand. Seeing Yue Guan busy, she quietly asked Ye Tian.
"Dong'er, think about it. If someone's Second Soul Ring is a thousand years old, wouldn't they be stronger?"
"And with Whale Rubber, what used to be impossible could become reality. Then this thing that everyone considers useless will become a treasure people fight over."
"When that day comes, the higher-ups won't just sit by and do nothing. You two masters still aren't strong enough, Dong'er."
Yue Guan and Dong'er discussed it. They could go into the Whale Rubber business, but not yet. In the future, Dong'er would get four-tenths of the shop's profits, two-tenths would go toward operating costs, and he and Old Ghost would each take two-tenths.
After returning home, Yue Guan focused on pushing Dong'er to train. On the morning of the fifth day, the first thing Bibi Dong said when she stepped out of her room was, "Master Yue Guan, I've reached level thirty!"
"Good, good!"
Yue Guan took Bibi Dong by the shoulders and carefully sensed her physical condition. Dong'er's physical strength was already no weaker than that of a Soul Elder who had obtained a Third Soul Ring.
Today, Yue Guan felt he was about to witness history.
"Dong'er, come on. Master and Old Ghost will go Soul Beast hunting with you today!"
With Yue Guan and Gui Mei accompanying her, the three of them found a spider-type Soul Beast in just three hours.
A Man Faced Demon Spider, around five thousand years old.
"Dong'er, I've assessed your physical constitution. In theory, you can absorb this Man Faced Demon Spider's Soul Ring, but the Spirit Hall's limit for a Third Soul Ring is two thousand years."
Yue Guan hesitated, unable to finish what he wanted to say.
"Master, please believe in me!"
Bibi Dong was brimming with confidence.
Ye Tian had been here for half a month, and in that time she had been completely transformed. Now, if she ran into those three Soul Elders again, she wouldn't need Ye Tian to step in.
Besides, if she couldn't break through the limits set by those who came before her, how could she climb to the highest peak and see the scenery of the future?
"Go ahead and absorb it. If you can't hold on, Gui Mei and I will step in." The two stared at each other for a long time, but in the end, Yue Guan was the first to give in.
Bibi Dong bowed to her two masters, then used a dagger to finish off the already half-dead Man Faced Demon Spider. Soon, a deep-purple Soul Ring appeared. Bibi Dong immediately sat down and began absorbing it.
The moment the Soul Ring entered her body, its surging energy mercilessly battered the fine meridians within her. Bibi Dong shuddered all over, biting her lip and making no sound.
In that instant, she seemed to become a slab of iron on an anvil, hammered again and again.
The violent energy rampaged through her meridians. Bibi Dong struggled to summon her Soul Power, slowly guiding the energy within the Soul Ring.
Outside, the instant the Soul Ring entered Bibi Dong's body, she spat out a mouthful of blood.
Gui Mei saw it, and the eight Soul Rings behind him immediately began to flicker. The Man Faced Demon Spider was far too old. Dong'er clearly couldn't withstand the Soul Ring's impact.
Just as he was about to shatter the Soul Ring, a Marvelous Sky-Reaching Chrysanthemum blocked his way.
"Old Ghost, wait a little longer!"
Yue Guan stopped Gui Mei and quickly explained before he could get angry.
"Look closely. Dong'er hasn't given up yet! The Soul Ring is slowly merging into her body!"
Gui Mei watched carefully for a while and noticed that although Dong'er's body was trembling, she was gradually taming the violent energy within the Soul Ring.
Still, he couldn't bring himself to trust Bibi Dong's safety. His gaze remained fixed on her, and his Soul Power was ready to surge forth at a moment's notice. If anything went wrong with Dong'er, he would shatter the Soul Ring immediately.
The blazing sun overhead moved from noon to dusk. Bibi Dong's clothes were dotted with bloodstains, the blood seeping from within her body after the energy battered her.
Her slender figure swayed amid the violent energy, like a blade of grass in a storm. After every battering of wind and rain, she stood tall again.
Bibi Dong had no idea how much time had passed. The energy that had hurt her until she went numb gradually grew docile. The strange energy blended with her Soul Power, and her Soul Power Level began to surge.
Thirty-one.
Thirty-two.
Thirty-three.
Her Soul Power surged all the way through the bottleneck at level thirty-four before slowly settling.
"Big Brother Ye Tian!"
"Dong'er, congratulations. You really did it."
Ye Tian patted Dong'er on the head as his figure slowly faded away.
His time was up. His dream visit had ended.
Dong'er lingered in the Mental Space, gazing at the spot where Ye Tian had stood, before finally leaving.
"Dong'er, how did it go?" Yue Guan and Gui Mei looked at Bibi Dong with unmistakable tension in their eyes.
The three Soul Rings behind Bibi Dong appeared in succession. Seeing the deep-purple Third Soul Ring, Yue Guan breathed a sigh of relief.
Then he turned to his beloved disciple and began to scold her sternly. "Dong'er, you must never be so reckless again!"
"You were just a hair's breadth away from failing to withstand it!"
"Masters, Dong'er knows she was wrong."
Bibi Dong apologized sincerely, and soon had Yue Guan and Gui Mei laughing with delight.
"Dong'er, take tomorrow off. The day after, come with us to meet the Pope."
"I'm sure the Pope wouldn't want to miss out on a disciple as gifted as Dong'er."
Before you continue