After Yu Yuanzhen left, Yu Hengqing was getting ready to sleep when he sensed Leiyi calling for him.
"Leiyi, what's wrong? Did something happen?"
As soon as he entered the mental space, Yu Hengqing realized something was off. A strand of Seven-Colored Lightning was actually entwined around Leiyi.
"Yu Hengqing, I'll be going into a deep sleep for a while so I can refine this Seven-Colored Lightning."
Leiyi apologized to Yu Hengqing. He had promised to work with him on researching some Self-Created Soul Skills.
"Okay. With this lightning, you should be able to solve the conflict between my Soul Power and your thunderous power, right?"
Learning that Leiyi would be sleeping to refine the Seven-Colored Lightning, Yu Hengqing asked urgently.
If this problem dragged on too long, then even with the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well and the God Trial later on, he would struggle to become a Titled Douluo before the night his clan was wiped out.
"I should be able to. There isn't much energy in this lightning, but its quality is very high. If I can refine it successfully, I should be able to figure out a way to convert energy."
After explaining things to Yu Hengqing, Leiyi released a ball of golden lightning from his hand, wrapping himself and the Seven-Colored Lightning in it like a golden cocoon.
The next morning.
After completing his usual one-kilometer run, Yu Hengqing went to the living room to find Yu Yuanzhen, who was handling clan affairs.
As soon as he entered, Yu Hengqing saw that, for once, Yu Yuanzhen wasn't dealing with clan business. Instead, he was leisurely savoring the tea in his hand.
"Take a break, then come with me to the back mountain."
Seeing Yu Hengqing return, Yu Yuanzhen immediately smiled and set down his teacup.
At his words, Yu Hengqing sat down beside him, panting heavily, and downed the medicine on the table in one gulp.
"Is the Cold Jade Bed ready?"
"Mm."
"What are you going to do with the Whale Rubber? I remember you don't have any fire-attribute Soul Skills, Dad."
His breathing gradually settled, and Yu Hengqing looked at Yu Yuanzhen in confusion.
Yu Yuanzhen reached to his waist and took out a wooden box, then opened it and set it in front of Yu Hengqing.
A dark-red Soul Beast skull, its surface as smooth as jade, caught Yu Hengqing's eye.
"A fire-attribute Head Soul Bone?"
"Yes. This is a Head Soul Bone dropped by a 3,400-year-old Flame Dragon Lizard. It can convert the Soul Power poured into it into powerful flames of Soul Power."
To make it easier for Yu Hengqing to understand, Yu Yuanzhen picked up the Soul Bone and poured a stream of Soul Power into it.
As Soul Power flowed into it, the skull's dark red surface turned scarlet. A ball of scarlet flame suddenly appeared in Yu Yuanzhen's hand, and its waves of heat made Yu Hengqing narrow his eyes.
"I'll use this to extract the Whale Rubber in a bit."
Yu Yuanzhen clenched his fist. The blazing flame vanished at once, and the oppressive heat faded with it.
After putting away the Soul Bone, Yu Yuanzhen led Yu Hengqing toward the back mountain.
Two hours later, Yu Hengqing finally reached the training grounds, panting hard. Yu Yuanzhen walked ahead and pushed open the door.
The room was simply furnished: a bed, a chair, and a table.
Standing behind Yu Yuanzhen, Yu Hengqing poked his head out and looked around, trying to spot the Cold Jade Bed. Meanwhile, Yu Yuanzhen took out his Sect Master's token and placed it on the table.
"Rumble—"
The floor split open, revealing a secret passage leading underground.
Yu Hengqing stepped forward and looked down. The passage wasn't dark; luminous pearls set into the walls cast a soft glow.
After putting away his token, Yu Yuanzhen stepped into the passage, and Yu Hengqing hurried after him.
As soon as they entered, a chill blew from deep within the passage, making Yu Hengqing hunch his shoulders.
"Put your coat on first."
Seemingly noticing that Yu Hengqing was cold, Yu Yuanzhen casually took his coat from his storage Soul Tool and handed it to him.
The passage wasn't long. After walking for about fifteen minutes, Yu Hengqing reached the end.
A five-meter-wide, over-ten-meter-long Cold Jade Bed lay at the end. Twelve luminous pearls, each the size of a human head, were embedded in the ceiling, lighting up the entire chamber.
"Sit on the Cold Jade Bed first. Once I've prepared the Whale Rubber and you've taken it, start circulating your energy right away."
Yu Yuanzhen crouched down and looked Yu Hengqing in the eyes, emphasizing this with utmost seriousness.
Yu Hengqing nodded, and only then did Yu Yuanzhen take out the Whale Rubber he had prepared—a ten-year-old piece—and place it over the flames released by the Flame Dragon Lizard Soul Bone.
Under the scarlet flames, the Whale Rubber's original grayish-white color gradually turned translucent and crystalline, taking on a brilliant golden hue, with golden threads faintly visible inside.
An unusual fragrance filled every corner of the chamber, permeating every last bit of space.
"Take it while it's hot!"
Yu Yuanzhen brought the prepared Whale Rubber to Yu Hengqing's mouth. Yu Hengqing caught a faint scent of it and immediately felt his blood and Qi surge. He closed his eyes and took a big bite.
The gelatinous Whale Rubber was like freshly melted toffee. Before Yu Hengqing could even taste it, a warm current spread from his mouth throughout his body.
Since Yu Yuanzhen had given him ten-year-old Whale Rubber, its effects weren't as intense as Yu Hengqing had imagined.
With the Cold Jade Bed suppressing the effects, Yu Hengqing used up the medicinal energy in less than half an hour.
"Come on. Put all your strength into a punch right here!"
Yu Yuanzhen held out his left hand, indicating where Yu Hengqing should hit.
Yu Hengqing didn't waste words. He stood up beside the Cold Jade Bed and punched Yu Yuanzhen.
"Thud!"
"Mm! That's a little more force than usual. The Whale Rubber works!"
The instant he felt the strength of Yu Hengqing's punch, Yu Yuanzhen's eyes lit up.
"Next, I'll switch to a hundred-year-old piece. If you can't handle it, tell me, and I'll help you expel the excess medicinal energy."
"Okay."
Yu Hengqing rolled his shoulders, confirmed that he felt fine, then nodded vigorously.
Yu Yuanzhen took a pale-yellow lump from his storage Soul Tool and placed it over the flames.
After switching from ten-year-old to hundred-year-old Whale Rubber, the roasting time more than doubled.
The prepared Whale Rubber was still a brilliant gold, but the golden threads inside were no longer faintly visible. They flowed within it like molten gold.
The unusual fragrance from the hundred-year-old Whale Rubber was far stronger than that of the ten-year-old piece. Even from a distance, Yu Hengqing could feel his blood and Qi starting to surge.
The moment he swallowed the hundred-year-old Whale Rubber, Yu Hengqing felt feverish all over, as if he'd caught a cold.
Fortunately, the Cold Jade Bed did its job. After Yu Hengqing circulated his energy through two full cycles, the heat gradually faded.
It took Yu Hengqing about an hour to refine the medicinal energy of the hundred-year-old Whale Rubber.
"Again. Give it a try!"
Yu Yuanzhen crooked a finger, inviting Yu Hengqing to hit him.
"Thud!"
If the sound of Yu Hengqing's punch before had been like an iron needle hitting the ground, now it was like a steel pipe hitting the ground.
"Good! Very good!"
After saying "good" three times, Yu Yuanzhen could no longer contain his joy. He burst into laughter. Yu Hengqing's strength had increased by a full thirty percent since the beginning.
Once he had calmed down, Yu Yuanzhen immediately asked Yu Hengqing how it had felt to take the Whale Rubber.
Meeting Yu Yuanzhen's burning gaze, Yu Hengqing recalled the sensation of taking the Whale Rubber.
"Uh, it was like drinking a cup of fairly hot water! But with the Cold Jade Bed suppressing it, the feeling didn't last long."
"Like drinking hot water?"
Hearing this answer, Yu Yuanzhen grew a little hesitant.
The effects of Whale Rubber weren't determined by its age. A hundred-year-old piece was ten times as potent as a ten-year-old one.
If he rashly gave Yu Hengqing a thousand-year-old piece, Yu Hengqing might not be able to absorb all that medicinal energy. It could damage his meridians, or even his body.
Having tasted the benefits of Whale Rubber, Yu Hengqing was as excited as if he'd been injected with adrenaline. He jumped off the Cold Jade Bed and began practicing the body-tempering martial arts Yu Yuanzhen had taught him.
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