"Young Qing, do you want to use millennium Whale Rubber?"
"Huh? Why wouldn't I?"
Yu Hengqing had just finished a set of martial arts and was lightly sweating. His eyes were full of confusion. Wasn't it a good thing to meet the requirements sooner and complete the God Trial?
"If Dad's worried the millennium Whale Rubber's medicinal properties are too potent and might damage my body, we can just use a little at a time. It's not like we're short on Whale Rubber."
After hearing Yu Hengqing say this, Yu Yuanzhen no longer hesitated.
The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan could easily spare that little bit of millennium Whale Rubber. As long as it worked better than century-old Whale Rubber, Yu Hengqing could use it in small doses over multiple sessions. As for wasting some of its medicinal properties, so be it.
"I didn't think it through. This time, I'll give you a fifth of the millennium Whale Rubber to take. If there's no problem, we can increase the amount."
With that, Yu Yuanzhen took out a palm-sized piece of Whale Rubber, golden in color.
To remove every last impurity, Yu Yuanzhen poured more Soul Power into the Soul Bone. The crimson flame, which had originally been only as tall as a pair of chopsticks, suddenly shot up to over half a meter high.
A meter away from the flames, Yu Hengqing suddenly felt parched. The chilly secret chamber had grown so hot that he wanted to take off his clothes.
The crimson flames enveloped the millennium Whale Rubber, licking its surface again and again. Drops of black, foul-smelling liquid seeped out from within it.
"Fss! Fss-fss!"
The instant the black liquid fell, the flames burned it away completely.
After enduring wave after wave of heat, Yu Hengqing finally watched the last of the impurities forced out of the Whale Rubber. They turned into a wisp of white smoke and vanished from sight.
If the century-old Whale Rubber had merely resembled flowing gold, the millennium Whale Rubber was a mass of flowing gold, pure and free of even a trace of discoloration.
Yu Yuanzhen used his Soul Power to separate off a fifth of the millennium Whale Rubber and brought it to Yu Hengqing's lips. Yu Hengqing inhaled gently, drawing it into his mouth.
The moment the Whale Rubber entered Yu Hengqing's mouth, it melted. Then he felt nothing at all, leaving him to wonder for a while whether he had really swallowed it.
That feeling didn't last long. The instant Yu Hengqing tried to circulate his Soul Power, the millennium Whale Rubber's medicinal properties finally erupted.
A searing sensation flared throughout Yu Hengqing's body. He felt as if he were submerged in boiling water.
Yu Hengqing's body steamed as he hunched over, bracing himself against the Cold Jade Bed with both hands and gasping for breath. Beads of sweat the size of beans slid down his cheeks.
Noticing that something was wrong with Yu Hengqing, Yu Yuanzhen sprang behind him and gathered the Soul Power within his body into his hands.
"Follow my Soul Power. Try to speed up the flow of your own Soul Power so you can absorb the Whale Rubber faster!"
At his words, Yu Hengqing bit down hard on his lip, sat up straight, and circulated his Soul Power, trying to follow the strand Yu Yuanzhen had sent into his body.
As soon as Yu Hengqing circulated his Soul Power, the Whale Rubber's medicinal properties grew even more excited and chased after it.
But the millennium Whale Rubber's medicinal properties were simply too powerful. In an instant, Yu Hengqing's Soul Power, which had flowed freely before, slowed to the speed of rush-hour traffic on a city ring road, brought to a standstill by a massive jam.
Sweat ran down Yu Hengqing's face. His bitten lip left his mouth filled with the metallic taste of blood.
Seeing this, Yu Yuanzhen had no choice but to take a more forceful approach.
"I'm going to channel the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon's lightning power. It'll stimulate your body and speed up the absorption of the medicine. Make sure you endure it!"
Yu Hengqing was in too much pain to speak. He could only nod faintly.
In the blink of an eye, blue Dragon Scales grew across Yu Yuanzhen's arms behind Yu Hengqing, and streaks of brilliant blue lightning sprang from them.
Even though Yu Yuanzhen had carefully controlled the strength of the lightning, the moment it spread across Yu Hengqing's body, the intense pain nearly sent him pitching headfirst to the ground.
"Keep your balance and continue circulating your Soul Power. Otherwise, you won't be able to use up the millennium Whale Rubber's medicinal properties!"
Yu Yuanzhen straightened Yu Hengqing's body, allowing his Soul Power to keep pace with Yu Yuanzhen's.
After who knew how long, each second stretching into an eternity, Yu Hengqing finally felt the painful swelling in his meridians slowly subside. His Soul Power was like a pipe cleaner, clearing one blocked meridian after another.
Once Yu Hengqing's breathing had steadied, the Dragon Scales on Yu Yuanzhen's arms receded, and Yu Yuanzhen drew the brilliant blue lightning back into his body.
Looking at Yu Hengqing, drenched in sweat from head to toe, Yu Yuanzhen's eyes filled with guilt and heartache.
It took about three hours for Yu Hengqing to use up most of the millennium Whale Rubber's medicinal properties. He would have to burn off what remained by tempering his body.
"Water!"
Yu Hengqing's voice sounded like a broken accordion. He felt that even when he had caught the novel coronavirus in his previous life, he hadn't felt this awful.
Yu Yuanzhen had already prepared water. He held a water flask and gently poured it into Yu Hengqing's mouth, whose arms hung limp at his sides.
After Yu Hengqing finished drinking, Yu Yuanzhen helped him, now a little stronger, out of the secret chamber.
"We were too reckless today. We'd better go back to using century-old Whale Rubber. Taking more time doesn't matter."
"All right."
After this experience, Yu Hengqing understood that even if he knew about certain opportunities, he still couldn't get them or hold on to them if he wasn't strong enough.
He only knew that Tang Wutong had taken millennium Whale Rubber from a young age, raising the age of her Second Soul Ring to a thousand years.
As for when Tang Wutong had started taking it and how she'd taken it, he knew nothing at all.
After leaving the passage, Yu Hengqing collapsed straight onto the bed and fell into a deep sleep. He was so tired that he didn't want to do anything.
Yu Yuanzhen said nothing. He tucked Yu Hengqing in, then quietly left the room.
He planned to find his younger brother, Yu Luomian. He still hadn't confirmed whether Whale Rubber could increase the age of a Soul Ring a person could absorb.
He needed to find someone to test it. Otherwise, his son would have suffered for nothing!
"Little brother, I need to talk to you!"
As expected, Yu Yuanzhen found Yu Luomian on the training ground, just as he usually did.
Yu Luomian was instructing the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's disciples. Hearing how serious Yu Yuanzhen sounded, he gave them a few quick instructions and left with him.
"Big brother, what do you need me for? Has Spirit Hall made another big move?"
Once they had reached a secluded corner where no one could overhear them, Yu Luomian immediately pressed him for an answer.
Yu Yuanzhen shook his head slightly, his tone exceptionally serious. "It has nothing to do with Spirit Hall. What I'm about to tell you concerns the rise and fall of our Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan!"
Yu Yuanzhen quickly told Yu Luomian about the recent events involving Yu Hengqing.
He said nothing, however, about Yu Hengqing having been chosen as the Thunder God's successor. The fewer people who knew about it, the better.
Ever since Yu Tianxin had revealed his astonishing talent, Yu Yuanzhen's younger brother had begun to show signs of restlessness.
After all, the position of clan leader of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan was a tempting one. Besides, Yu Yuanzhen understood the truth of the saying, "The tallest tree catches the wind."
Until Yu Hengqing completed the Nine Trials of the Thunder God and became the Thunder God, Yu Yuanzhen would never allow anything to go wrong within the clan and distract his son!
"I need to find a trustworthy clan disciple who needs a Soul Ring and test whether this Whale Rubber can really increase the age of the Soul Ring they can absorb!"
"All right! I'll go find a suitable disciple right now. If this is true, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan will surely reach new heights!"
As Yu Luomian's figure receded farther and farther into the distance, a trace of murderous intent surfaced in Yu Yuanzhen's eyes.
Little brother, this is the first time I've tested you, and it'll be the last. If you can't satisfy me, I'll show you the difference between a Soul Douluo and a Titled Douluo!
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