With Hu Liena's strength and various advantages, dealing with a thirty-thousand-year Soul Beast was easy enough. Killing it, however, would be a struggle.
After all, her Martial Soul wasn't of the Power Attack System, so she lacked killing power.
Given their current circumstances, the only solution Qian Yu could think of was gunpowder.
Making the stuff wasn't difficult.
The hard parts were getting the proportions right, turning it into granules, and ensuring its stability.
But he wouldn't be the one using it when the time came, so all he needed to do was make it as powerful as possible.
The two of them stopped in a city near the coast, and Qian Yu began gathering materials and experimenting.
While he was at it, he also collected as much Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Glue as he could.
Its effects on him were negligible, but it could do a great deal for other people.
Especially the former Spirit Hall Golden Generation.
If he remembered correctly, Tang San had used the Eight Spider Lances to devour the life force of both Xie Yue and Hu Liena.
That would become their biggest obstacle to reaching the Titled Douluo realm.
Besides strengthening the body, Whale Glue could also replenish what had been depleted.
The higher the quality, especially with Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Glue, the better the effect.
Even in this era, when the benefits of Whale Glue had yet to be fully explored, it was still extremely expensive.
There was no helping it. Anything associated with Soul Masters and virility was bound to cost a fortune.
Fortunately, although they had fallen on hard times, it was all relative. They weren't short of money. Never mind what he had swept up from home and the Angel Legion's treasury; Qian Renxue's Storage Soul Tool alone held a fortune and countless treasures.
Buying enough Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Glue was no trouble at all.
These days, although Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Glue was scarce and precious, most people just kept it as a display piece. Few ever actually sold it. After all, ordinary Soul Masters couldn't handle its side effects, while powerful Soul Masters were hardly ever lacking in vigor.
Across the city's various shops, they managed to obtain five pieces of Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Glue.
The oldest piece came from a sixty-thousand-year Evil Spirit Orca.
"Why are you buying so much Whale Glue?"
Hu Liena realized she understood less and less of what Qian Yu was up to.
"You'll find out when we get back!"
Qian Yu didn't explain further. He had Hu Liena buy another piece of Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Glue, then planned to find a hotel where they could stay for a while.
"Use your Soul Power to soften it."
Qian Yu handed Hu Liena a piece of Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Glue. She didn't understand what he was doing, but she did as he said.
Once the glue had softened, Qian Yu fought back his disgust and swallowed it, then began meditating.
After a long while, he finally opened his eyes.
Just as he'd suspected, after Qian Renxue's sacrifice and the transformation brought about by the complete set of God-Level Soul Bones, his body had become nearly perfect. Even Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Glue had little effect on him.
"Take this piece first. Once you've felt the changes in your body for yourself, I'll explain what's behind them."
Qian Yu handed Hu Liena the piece of Whale Glue from the sixty-thousand-year Evil Spirit Orca.
"You really want me to take it?"
Looking at the glue in his hand, Hu Liena still felt a little uncomfortable.
She knew what Whale Glue was used for, after all.
If Qian Yu didn't still look like a six-year-old child, she might have read more into it.
In the end, she followed his instructions, softened the glue, and swallowed it.
Judging by everything that had happened lately, Qian Yu might treat her harshly and act like a conceited brat, but there was a deeper reason behind everything he did.
Hu Liena swallowed the Whale Glue, forced herself not to dwell on it, and suppressed the restlessness stirring inside her.
It wasn't until the next morning that she opened her eyes.
"What happened to me?"
She clenched her delicate fist and felt the strength in her body increase. Hu Liena was stunned. Whale Glue had an effect like this, too?
But that wasn't the important part.
After taking the Whale Glue, she could clearly feel that some of the deficiency she'd suffered from—without knowing when—had been replenished.
Even her Soul Power flowed more smoothly.
She had only recently broken through to level 76, but Hu Liena could clearly feel that it wouldn't be long before she broke through again.
The Whale Glue was partly responsible, but the mysterious Mysterious Heaven Skill had played a part as well.
"Do you remember when you and Xie Yue were poisoned during the Soul Master Tournament, and Tang San used the Eight Spider Lances to detoxify you both?"
"Let me remind you: Tang San's External Soul Bone, the Eight Spider Lances, can devour."
Qian Yu spoke softly to Hu Liena, who was still lost in thought.
Though Hu Liena had already sworn an oath, Qian Yu still didn't trust her.
At its core, the world of the Douluo Continent was governed by one thing: love-struck fools were frighteningly powerful.
He didn't expect to cure Hu Liena's infatuation completely. He only hoped she would lose some of her admiration for Tang San—and, at the very least, hold out until Tang San returned to the Douluo Continent and he had grown stronger.
"Are you saying Tang San did something to me and my brother?"
Hu Liena was shocked. Then her expression darkened.
No wonder. No wonder she'd had the highest Innate Soul Power among their group, and her teacher had invested the most resources in her, yet she'd later cultivated more slowly than Yan.
Before the Soul Master Tournament, she'd been the fastest cultivator of them all. Yan's Martial Soul was stronger than hers and her brother's, but he'd still cultivated more slowly than her. Even her brother, who was relatively slow, hadn't fallen far behind Yan.
If she remembered correctly, by the time the final battle began, Yan was on the verge of becoming a Soul Douluo, while she and her brother were still only Soul Saints.
"So that's it. So that's what happened..."
Whatever she thought of, Hu Liena couldn't hold back her tears. They streamed down her cheeks.
"Stop wallowing in sorrow. Take this Spirit Bone and fuse with it to increase your strength. I'll be working on something for a while, so don't disturb me."
Seeing Hu Liena like this, Qian Yu knew that Tang San's perfect image in her heart had shattered.
He tossed her a fifty-thousand-year Right Leg Bone.
He'd found this Spirit Bone in Qian Renxue's Storage Soul Tool. As for why she'd left it gathering dust in her storage ring instead of using it to strengthen their side, he couldn't be bothered to think about it.
If Qian Renxue had been in her right mind, she wouldn't have lost.
"Th-this is for me?"
Still reeling from her sorrow, Hu Liena saw the Spirit Bone before her and was instantly both shocked and overjoyed.
Qian Yu paid her no mind. He returned to his room and began researching gunpowder.
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