The next day, at Spirit Mountain, in Bibi Dong's Cultivation Room.
"Ling Feng, look at this."
Bibi Dong took a palm-sized crystal from her Storage Soul Tool.
The crystal was dark brown, like the fish glue Ling Feng had seen in his previous life, but it was quite different.
"Is this Whale Rubber?" Ling Feng asked.
Since Bibi Dong had brought it out, it was obviously no ordinary fish glue, so Ling Feng had guessed easily.
Sure enough, Bibi Dong nodded. "That's right. This is Whale Rubber!"
"But can this stuff really strengthen the body? I heard... I heard its effect is, well, that?"
As she said "that," Bibi Dong even sneaked a glance at a certain part of Ling Feng. Her gaze was strange, as if she were making a dirty joke.
The Spirit Hall had purchased the Whale Rubber, so naturally they knew about its current medicinal use.
When Bibi Dong first heard what Whale Rubber did, she had thought Ling Feng was lying to her.
But then she remembered that, given Ling Feng's intelligence, he couldn't possibly be unaware of the consequences of deceiving her and the Spirit Hall.
"Ling Feng, is it because you're not up to the task that you need this stuff to nourish your body?" Bibi Dong asked curiously.
Ling Feng wasn't angered by Bibi Dong's words. There was nothing wrong with his body, so why would he be so rattled?
"Bibi Dong, what nonsense are you talking about? Although this stuff can boost virility, that's only one of its uses."
"Didn't the Spirit Hall have anyone test it?" Ling Feng asked.
Bibi Dong had only been joking. Seeing that Ling Feng's expression hadn't changed, she knew he wasn't lying.
"How could they have done that so quickly? The Spirit Hall is still buying Whale Rubber. They haven't had time to test it yet!"
Bibi Dong handed the Whale Rubber to Ling Feng. "How are you supposed to eat this? Scrape it into powder, or boil it into glue and swallow it?"
Ling Feng examined the piece of Whale Rubber, then handed it back to Bibi Dong.
"No. The way you described only boosts virility. Its effect on strengthening the body is very weak."
"To strengthen your body with Whale Rubber, you need to nourish it with your Soul Power until it softens, then eat it."
"Or you can roast it over a flame until it softens and changes color. Then it'll work."
"So that's how it is. No wonder no one discovered its true use!" Bibi Dong said, suddenly enlightened.
As soon as she finished speaking, Bibi Dong repeatedly washed the Whale Rubber with her Soul Power, eager to verify Ling Feng's explanation.
Under the influence of her Soul Power, the Whale Rubber slowly warmed and gradually changed color.
The brown crystal softened, turning into a golden, amber-like gel. It was smooth and pliable, and gave off a peculiar fragrance.
Just one whiff made Ling Feng feel his blood and energy surging.
This Whale Rubber was formed from the essence inside the brains of whale-type Soul Beasts. Not only humans but even Soul Beasts loved to eat it.
The Soul Beasts in the sea generally ate it fresh.
As for the nobles on land, they ate the dried essence to boost their virility.
"It smells so good. Can I eat it now?" Bibi Dong asked.
Ling Feng nodded. "You can, but you'd better prepare a bucket of ice water."
"Ice water? There's no time. I'll just eat it!"
Bibi Dong didn't think much of it and put the Whale Rubber in her mouth.
She trusted Ling Feng and hadn't asked anyone to test it first.
The Whale Rubber was scalding and sticky, its fragrance filling her nose and mouth. Bibi Dong endured the discomfort and swallowed it.
Before long, she felt a wave of heat rise inside her. Only then did she understand why she needed ice water.
"So hot!"
Bibi Dong felt as if her blood were boiling, and her heartbeat began to quicken.
Most importantly, she felt that she had become quite a bit stronger.
The feeling continued. As a Soul Ancestor, she could sense the effects of the Whale Rubber more keenly than an ordinary person.
"How do you feel?" Ling Feng asked.
At his words, Bibi Dong looked up at Ling Feng. Suddenly, she thought he was very handsome, and his scent drew her in.
For a moment, her mind filled with distracting thoughts. She even wanted to throw herself into Ling Feng's arms and breathe in his scent.
"I'm fine. The Whale Rubber's effects are just as you said. I can feel my body changing!"
Bibi Dong's voice seemed to have turned sticky from the scalding Whale Rubber.
Ling Feng saw that Bibi Dong's eyes seemed to be pulling threads, and immediately realized that the side effect of the Whale Rubber had taken hold.
This side effect wasn't poison. It stimulated the body's instincts, and even Soul Masters found it hard to resist their own instincts.
"Bibi Dong? Are you all right?" Ling Feng asked with concern.
They were in Spirit City, after all. If anything happened between Bibi Dong and him, wouldn't Qian Xunji hack him to pieces?
Bibi Dong shook her head. "Don't worry, I'm fine!"
"I lost to you in our last match. Now that I've taken the Whale Rubber, I'm much stronger!"
"How about we try again? I'll definitely beat you this time!" Bibi Dong said, her gaze burning.
Bibi Dong's state startled Ling Feng. Was this piece of Whale Rubber such high quality that it had turned her into this?
"Bibi Dong, you're not in a good state right now. Let's compete again in a couple of days!"
"By then, you should have absorbed most of the Whale Rubber. We can compete again, and you'll have a better chance of winning."
"What, are you scared?" Bibi Dong taunted.
She hadn't let Ling Feng try the Whale Rubber first, and part of her had wanted to win back some face.
She was still a young girl in the prime of her youth. How could she not be competitive?
Besides, as the Pope's disciple, with twin Martial Souls and Innate Full Soul Power, she was the center of attention in the Spirit Hall. How could she give up so easily?
More importantly, under the influence of the Whale Rubber, she really wanted to get close to Ling Feng.
"That's right. I'm scared!" Ling Feng said.
But he wasn't afraid of the Bibi Dong in front of him. He was afraid of her teacher, Qian Xunji, and Rakshasa Bibi Dong in his Sea of Consciousness.
If anything happened between him and Bibi Dong, Ling Feng couldn't even imagine how serious the consequences would be.
He had come to see Bibi Dong today for two reasons: to train, and to have her try the Rakshasa Visualization Method.
He hadn't expected Bibi Dong to bring out the Whale Rubber and eat it, derailing his plans.
"Hmph, it doesn't matter if you're scared. We're competing today, no matter what!" Bibi Dong said forcefully.
With that, she lunged at Ling Feng. It was the same move as before, but it seemed much stronger.
The Whale Rubber that had reached Bibi Dong was unlikely to be low-grade. It was at least a thousand years old, perhaps even ten thousand.
Whale Rubber of that quality could strengthen the body considerably.
Ling Feng still relied on his powerful mental strength to react first and catch Bibi Dong's little fist.
"What strength! Is this the effect of Whale Rubber?"
Ling Feng could feel Bibi Dong's change for himself, and he began to look forward to taking Whale Rubber too.
"Bibi Dong, stop right now, or don't blame me for being impolite!" Ling Feng warned.