Wang Dong'er felt deep sympathy for the cat-eared girls and fox girls.
Even if she paid to buy them and set them free, they would still be captured again and sold as merchandise.
Such filthy dealings were common across the Douluo Continent. As time went on, people grew used to them, and these transactions naturally came to seem acceptable.
The five young women who had been brought up wore revealing clothes; some were even naked.
Their eyes were dull and vacant, and their bodies were covered in bruises. They were often abused...
That was how the two great empires were: dazzling on the surface, a cesspit underneath.
Spirit Hall was the same. Every faction had its ugly side, but at the very least, Spirit Hall had no such filthy dealings.
"Take them away."
"Are you dissatisfied with this batch?"
Wang Dong'er waved her hand, ignoring the attendant. Her gaze fell on the Whale Rubber in the insulated box, and once she had calmed down, she began choosing carefully.
Of the dozen or so pieces of Whale Rubber, only two were of acceptable quality. One was close to a thousand years old, around eight or nine hundred years, while the other was over a thousand years old—the finest Golden Whale Glue. Those thousand Gold Soul Coins had been well spent.
As for the rest, they were too young and full of impurities. There was no need to consider them.
After choosing the Whale Rubber and packing it away, Wang Dong'er left the auction house without lingering.
Then she booked a room at a luxurious hotel on the commercial street.
After locking the door and drawing the curtains, Wang Dong'er removed her mask and all her clothes, then entered the secret chamber.
Once the bathtub was full of hot water, she took out the lower-quality Whale Rubber. She heated it with her Soul Power, then dropped the sticky substance into the tub.
In the blink of an eye, the once-clear water turned pitch-black, and a foul stench filled the entire bathroom.
Wang Dong'er didn't fuss over it. She took a deep breath, then sank into the tub.
Soaking in this vat of sticky Whale Rubber water felt incredibly strange.
Wang Dong'er couldn't shake the feeling that she was being bound by a tentacle monster.
As her Soul Power circulated, the pores all over her body opened, greedily absorbing the Whale Rubber's energy.
Gradually, her body temperature began to rise. A blush spread over her cheeks, her gaze grew hazy, and it felt as though a fire had been lit in her dantian, leaving her desperate to cool down.
Fighting through the agony of being consumed by desire, Wang Dong'er took out the second, higher-quality piece of Whale Rubber from her Soul Tool. After heating it with her Soul Power, she suddenly hesitated.
"If I take this piece too, I won't end up doing something weird, will I..."
The sensation was unbearable. Even someone with the strongest will couldn't suppress those feelings.
At least there was no one else around...
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Wang Dong'er adjusted her breathing. Each breath she exhaled seemed to scorch the air, and the space before her eyes grew distorted.
Awoo...
The taste was truly indescribable. It was like taking a bite of rotten fish, and the texture was even harder to put into words—like biting into a huge wad of snot. Someone else's snot, at that.
Ugh...
That sensation made Wang Dong'er forget about the strange things happening to her body for a moment.
When Wang Dong'er regained consciousness and opened her eyes again, it was already noon the next day.
The water in the tub was no longer black. It had turned a grayish white.
The impurities from the Whale Rubber and from Wang Dong'er's body had settled at the bottom of the tub.
Wang Dong'er clenched her fists and could clearly feel the changes in her body.
By her rough estimate, absorbing a Soul Ring with a lifespan of four or five thousand years as her third Soul Ring would be no problem.
Moreover, the Whale Rubber's energy had loosened the barrier around her Soul Power. It probably wouldn't be long before she broke through to level thirty.
"Though the process was unpleasant, the results are good."
Wang Dong'er stood up and stretched. There was nothing unusual about her body, so it seemed she hadn't done anything improper to herself while unconscious.
After a quick wash, she looked at herself in the mirror and suddenly felt a little upset.
The girl in the mirror was practically perfect. Her skin and complexion had improved, and she looked like a carefree immortal wandering the mortal world.
Her figure had changed from absorbing the Whale Rubber, too. Hmm, the burden on her chest had grown even heavier. That counted as bad news.
"Ugh!"
"I hope you don't grow any bigger. Otherwise, I'll have to take action and put you in your place."
Wang Dong'er sighed. The burden on her chest bounced twice, making her cheeks flush.
Only when dressed as a boy could she briefly forget that she had lost her manhood.
By the time she left the hotel, it was already afternoon.
The sun shone brightly beneath a cloudless sky, its warmth settling over her. The autumn breeze was gentle, silently nourishing the entire city of Heaven Dou.
Wang Dong'er wore simple clothes and rode in a carriage to Heaven Dou Royal Academy.
The carriage came to a slow stop at the foot of the mountain behind Heaven Dou City.
Looking up from the base of the mountain, she could make out a series of grand, towering buildings.
Once she climbed the mountain, the magnificent Royal Academy came into view.
Compared with it, Notting Academy wasn't even in the same league.
The young gate guard froze for a moment when he saw Wang Dong'er. Though her clothes were plain, her breathtaking beauty and ethereal bearing put even the noble young ladies at the academy to shame. She was simply captivating.
She was undoubtedly the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen in his life.
Even more beautiful than his mother.
Just looking at her made him feel as though he'd suffered a broken heart.
"Th-this young lady, the Royal Academy is an important place. You can't just come in whenever you like."
"Hello, senior. May I ask when the Royal Academy will begin accepting students?"
Wang Dong'er asked with a polite smile.
That smile made the young gate guard hear his own heartbeat clearly.
He awkwardly scratched his head, not even daring to meet Wang Dong'er's eyes. Stammering, he replied,
"Miss, admissions won't begin for another month."
"I see." Wang Dong'er's expression fell.
The young gate guard froze.
Suddenly, he hated himself for being just a lowly gate guard instead of an important figure at the academy.
If he were an important figure, he would definitely invite this beautiful young lady to tour the academy—no, he would enroll her on the spot.
"Oh, right!" The young gate guard suddenly lifted his head, remembering something important.
"Teacher Meng Shenji of the academy said that anyone with enough strength could join the Royal Academy, even outside the admissions period."
"Enough strength? What are the requirements?" Wang Dong'er asked.
"Well... I'm not really sure." The young gate guard scratched his head, sounding rather ashamed.
Just then, a handsome man walked over from nearby.
The man stood eight feet tall and had striking features. His long hair was orange-red, and he wore a white suit.
When the young gate guard saw him, his eyes lit up. He hurried over to greet him.
"Teacher Qin Ming, you've arrived at just the right time. There's a junior here who wants to enroll at the Royal Academy, but admissions aren't open right now. Teacher Meng Shenji said that anyone who meets the strength requirements can be admitted as an exception..."