Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Glue

Ye Wuya wasn't surprised by the two choices Kong Deming had offered him.

After much deliberation, he gave his daughter one last, reluctant look. Once the tenderness in his eyes had faded, he regained his composure and said in a low voice:

"Thank you for your kindness, Silver Moon. My wife and I are willing to go to Shrek City and become the Fourth Prince's eyes there."

There were no free gifts in this world.

His family's lives had been saved, and now their benefactor was willing to take in and protect his daughter. Ye Wuya wasn't some ungrateful beast who didn't know how to repay kindness. Naturally, he would do what he could to repay the favor.

And the two choices Kong Deming had offered him had given him just the opportunity he needed.

The Sun Moon Empire had long sought to unify the continent, and Shrek Academy was the greatest obstacle to that goal. Gathering as much information as possible about Shrek Academy could only benefit Xu Tianming.

However, Xu Tianming spoke up to dissuade them:

"Uncle Ye, Aunt Lin, you really don't have to do this. When I decided to save you in the Evil Demon Forest, I never expected you and your wife to repay me."

After all, he already knew almost everything there was to know about Shrek Academy. Whether he gained another source of intelligence or not made little difference to him.

Hearing this, Ye Wuya and Lin Wanqiu were deeply moved, but they didn't change their minds.

To the two of them, a person had to do something worthwhile in this life. They didn't ask whether it was worth it; they only sought to have a clear conscience.

After returning to the imperial palace, Xu Tianming went straight to his quarters.

After all, he was still underage and hadn't been made a prince, so he wasn't yet entitled to leave the palace and establish a princely residence. He could only stay in the palace for now.

But it wasn't until he returned to his quarters and saw the little girl following behind him, her pretty face flushed, that he suddenly realized he had been holding Ye Guyi's hand the entire time without letting go.

Damn! Her hand felt so nice in mine that I'd forgotten to let go... But why hadn't she pulled away? And why hadn't Uncle reminded me?

After muttering to himself for a moment, Xu Tianming collected himself and calmly let go of Ye Guyi's hand. Then he turned to Kong Deming, who stood nearby with an amused smile:

"Uncle, what treasures does the imperial family have that can improve one's physique? I can't wait to absorb my second Soul Ring."

Hearing his nephew bring up business, Kong Deming's expression turned serious as well.

"I remember the imperial treasury still has some Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Glue, as well as a few other... Never mind. I'll go get everything for you. Then you can choose whichever treasure catches your eye and take it!"

After leaving them with those domineering words, Kong Deming vanished from the spot. Now, only the boy and girl remained alone in the spacious room.

The atmosphere didn't turn intimate, though. Instead, it grew a little awkward.

Xu Tianming had no romantic feelings for Ye Guyi at all. After all, they were both much too young to be thinking about such things.

What he was mainly thinking about now was how to help Ye Guyi grow stronger quickly.

As one of the important fighters who would stand at his side in the future, she couldn't afford to fall behind him in strength.

"Is your Martial Soul an Angel?"

When Xu Tianming suddenly asked her, Ye Guyi froze for a moment, then nodded and revealed her Martial Soul.

Xu Tianming admired the Angel Martial Soul, which radiated a sacred aura, for a while. Then his brow suddenly furrowed.

"You haven't absorbed your First Soul Ring yet?"

"Mm. We didn't find a suitable Soul Beast today, so my father was going to take me looking again tomorrow. I didn't expect..."

Ye Guyi didn't continue. After all, Xu Tianming already knew what had happened next.

"I see..."

After hearing her explanation, Xu Tianming furrowed his brow and fell into thought.

Seeing him like this, Ye Guyi didn't dare interrupt him. She stood obediently to one side, timid and still, not daring to move.

About fifteen minutes later, Kong Deming returned. Seeing that Ye Guyi was still in the room, he merely frowned but said nothing.

After all, his nephew was far more intelligent than other boys his age. If he had let the girl stay, he must have had his reasons.

When Xu Tianming saw Kong Deming return, he immediately broke off his train of thought, a glint of eagerness appearing in his eyes.

Seeing this, Kong Deming didn't keep him waiting. He immediately took out all the good things he had gathered from the imperial treasury.

For anyone else, entering the treasury would have been out of the question. Even getting close to it would have been incredibly difficult.

After all, the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineer Legion, the empire's most elite force, guarded the area around the imperial treasury. Anyone of unknown identity who approached rashly could be killed on the spot, and no one would even plead their case.

But Kong Deming was different.

For him, entering the imperial treasury was as easy as going home. Even though he had broken the treasury's rules and taken away a large amount of its treasures without the emperor's order or prior notice, not a single member of the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineer Legion guarding it said a word.

"This is Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Glue. Once you've completely absorbed and refined it, the age limit of the Soul Rings your body can withstand should increase by at least a thousand years. Eat this first. We'll talk about the others after you've absorbed this piece."

After saying this, Kong Deming slapped his forehead as if he had suddenly remembered something. He snapped his fingers, and an ice bucket radiating intense cold appeared in front of Xu Tianming.

"I almost forgot. You'll need to melt the Whale Glue over a high-temperature flame before taking it in small portions. After swallowing it, if you feel an unbearable heat rising inside your body, immediately sit in this ice bucket. The Thousand Year Profound Ice inside will help dispel the heat."

After Xu Tianming nodded to show he understood, Kong Deming turned and left the room once more.

"All right, since you understand, absorb it on your own. I still have some things to take care of, so I won't disturb you. Once you're done, or if you need anything, just call me on the Soul Guidance Phone."

Once again, only the boy and girl remained in the room. Xu Tianming paid no attention to Ye Guyi.

He gazed eagerly for a while at the piece of Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Glue in his hand, which was nearly half the size of his head, then summoned his Radiant Sun Martial Soul, ready to melt a small portion and see how it worked.

But the moment he controlled the flames to touch the Whale Glue, Mavuika, in his sea of consciousness, suddenly perked up.

"This stuff... It's rather peculiar. I feel like it could help restore some of my power, too!"

Hearing this, Xu Tianran was delighted.

"Really?"

"Whether it's true or not, won't you find out once you swallow some?"