The Classic Old Man and the Function of Whale Glue

Looking at the towering Pope Palace before her, Bibi Dong instinctively tightened her grip on Ban Shu's hand, her pale lips pressed into a thin line.

Seeing this, Ban Shu gently patted her hand to soothe her. "Don't be nervous, Sister Dong'er. I'm here."

"Mm."

Feeling the warmth in her palm, Bibi Dong's nervous heart gradually calmed down.

At this moment, a knight stepped forward and bowed respectfully to Ban Shu. "The two of you, His Holiness the Pope requests your presence inside."

"Understood."

Ban Shu nodded and followed the knight's lead into the Pope Palace.

Upon entering the grand hall, the first thing that caught the eye was a massive golden throne. Pope Qian Xunji, dressed in magnificent golden robes, was busy reviewing documents at his desk.

"Disciple pays respects to Teacher."

Ban Shu let go of Bibi Dong's hand and bowed his head in salute.

Having known of their arrival, Qian Xunji did not look up, merely waving his hand dismissively.

The knight bowed to him immediately before retreating to resume his post.

Once the outsiders had left, Qian Xunji finally set down his pen and looked up. "Xiao Ban, you've arrived?"

"Yes, Teacher."

Ban Shu's expression remained calm as he gestured toward Bibi Dong. "This is my sister, Bibi Dong."

Bibi Dong hurriedly bowed as well. "Bibi Dong pays respects to His Holiness the Pope."

"Very well, rise."

Qian Xunji's expression was gentle, showing none of the stern majesty of a Pope, appearing instead like an easygoing elder.

"Bibi Dong, I have heard a little about you. Innate full soul power, twin martial souls—you are truly a rare talent."

Qian Xunji stood up slowly, hands behind his back, and walked toward them.

"The reason you were invited to come along, aside from Xiao Ban's request, is that I intend to take you as my disciple."

"Tell me, are you interested?"

Hearing this, Bibi Dong's eyes widened, her expression filled with excitement, though she still glanced at Ban Shu.

Seeing him nod with a smile, she performed a deep, formal bow to Qian Xunji. "Disciple Bibi Dong pays respects to Teacher."

"Mm, rise."

Qian Xunji seemed very satisfied with Bibi Dong's reaction. With these two prodigies under my tutelage, the future of my Spirit Hall is destined to flourish.

"Now, I shall have you both shown to your respective rooms. Xiao Ban, in a few days, I will personally take you to obtain your soul ring."

After saying this, Qian Xunji looked at Bibi Dong. "As for you, Dong'er, I recall you have already reached level twenty and obtained two soul rings, correct?"

"Yes."

Bibi Dong did not hide it; besides, it was impossible to conceal. As a child of heaven, it was not surprising for such a talent to become a Spirit Master within two years.

"In that case, you may choose to cultivate here or accompany us."

No sooner had Qian Xunji finished speaking than Bibi Dong eagerly raised her hand. "Teacher, I want to go with Xiao Ban."

"Mm, that is fine. I can teach you a few things along the way, and it will broaden your horizons."

Qian Xunji nodded. With a Title Douluo like himself present, there would surely be no risks.

"Teacher, I will follow your arrangements."

Ban Shu naturally had no objections. Hearing Qian Xunji mention absorbing soul rings reminded him of something.

It seemed that in this world, no one yet knew that Whale Glue could strengthen the physique and break the limits of soul ring absorption.

Since that was the case, he would use this advantage to lay a solid foundation for his future path to godhood.

Thinking of this, Ban Shu began to quickly formulate a plan in his mind: how to tell Qian Xunji about the Whale Glue without raising suspicion.

He was still just a six-year-old child; if he spoke up too abruptly, it would be far too abnormal.

However, precisely because of his age, he could use it to his advantage to dispel any doubts.

After arranging these matters, Qian Xunji produced two booklets and handed them to the pair.

"These are the unique high-level meditation techniques of the Spirit Hall. They are vastly different from the common goods found elsewhere. You must practice them diligently, do you understand?"

"Yes, Teacher."

The two promised and took the booklets for safekeeping.

At this moment, Ban Shu began to feign a distracted air to capture Qian Xunji's attention.

Sure enough, the man immediately noticed Ban Shu's unusual behavior. Fearing something might be wrong, he asked with immediate concern.

"Xiao Ban, what is it? Are you feeling unwell?"

Hearing this, Bibi Dong also looked at Ban Shu with a hint of nervousness.

"Ah, it's nothing, Teacher, it's just..."

Ban Shu feigned hesitation. "When I received the secret manual from you, Teacher, I suddenly remembered that an ancient page I once saw recorded a treasure capable of increasing the age of a spirit ring."

"Oh? What is it? Speak quickly."

Qian Xunji's interest was instantly piqued, and he urged Ban Shu to hurry up and explain.

Ban Shu pretended to ponder for a moment before recounting the story he had fabricated in his mind. "That day, I was exercising in the woods outside the orphanage when, suddenly, an old man appeared before me."

"The old man was holding a stack of pages and tried to sell them to me. I thought he was a swindler, so I ignored him."

"Who would have thought that the old man would claim I had a remarkable bone structure and was a genius, then he tossed a piece of ancient parchment at me and vanished."

Ban Shu put on a look of shock. "I picked up the ancient page, and it recorded something called Whale Glue."

"If heated to a high temperature and consumed, it can not only strengthen the physical body but also increase the age limit of spirit ring absorption."

"Whale Glue..."

Qian Xunji frowned. He certainly knew what Whale Glue was, but wasn't that stuff just used for the amusement of nobles?

It actually had other uses?

"Teacher, do you know what Whale Glue is?" Ban Shu asked, feigning confusion.

"Xiao Ban, do you still have that ancient page?"

Qian Xunji hurriedly pressed him. Perhaps that old man was some reclusive expert who had seen Ban Shu's talent and decided to offer him guidance.

Ban Shu frowned and shook his head. "It's strange to say, but as soon as I finished reading the page, it spontaneously combusted. I couldn't find it again no matter how hard I looked."

"That makes sense; it's not strange at all."

Qian Xunji muttered to himself. It seemed that, just as he had suspected, a master had provided guidance.

In his heart, Ban Shu was only a six-year-old child; he shouldn't be capable of lying.

Besides, if this matter were true, it would only be of great benefit to Spirit Hall, and there was no cost to verify it anyway.

"Since that is the case, I will naturally find someone to test the truth of this method."

Seeing that Qian Xunji was not suspicious, Ban Shu breathed a sigh of relief. The "old man gifting a treasure" trope might be a bit cliché, but as long as it worked, it was fine.

At this moment, Qian Xunji stepped out of the Pope Palace. "Alright, we shall discuss this later. I will take you both to your respective residences first. Follow me."

On the way, Bibi Dong asked in a curious, hushed tone, "Xiao Ban, did that old man leave anything else behind? Also, what did he look like?"

"Well, about that..."

Ban Shu thought for a moment and replied, "His other pages seemed to have content, but I thought he was a scammer, so I didn't look at them carefully."

"As for the old man, he was dressed in rags like a beggar, but his voice was full of vigor, his footsteps were steady, and he showed no signs of old age at all."

"I see."

Bibi Dong nodded and did not press further.

Meanwhile, Qian Xunji, walking ahead, had taken in every word of Ban Shu's story, becoming even more convinced that the person was a reclusive master.