Jiang Lan's arrival brought enormous changes to the daily lives of Shui Bing'er and Shui Yue'er.
Because Jiang Lan's Innate Domain—Sea of Tides—had an exceptionally powerful healing effect, it could not only restore injuries, stamina, and Soul Power, but even nourish the body and heal hidden injuries.
In response, Shui Qinghan arranged an extremely demanding training schedule for the three of them.
The mornings were spent on theory lessons and combat training, while the afternoons were for physical conditioning. The grueling schedule left the two little girls miserable.
Of course, aside from having Jiang Lan use his Innate Domain to heal and nourish Shui Bing'er and Shui Yue'er's bodies to prevent overtraining and lingering injuries, Shui Qinghan also arranged nourishing meals made from hundred-year and millennium Soul Beast meat, along with her family's medicinal baths to strengthen their bodies.
In just one month, all three of them raised their Soul Power by one level.
"Big Sister, Junior Brother, I broke through to level ten!" Shui Yue'er sprang to her feet from the ground, shouting excitedly.
"Congratulations, Senior Sister Yue'er." Jiang Lan smiled as he congratulated her.
"Yue'er, congratulations. You can become a Soul Master soon. But even after becoming one, you must not slack off in your cultivation. Otherwise, we'll leave you far behind." Shui Bing'er smiled gently and teased her.
"I know~ Big Sister really loves lecturing people." Shui Yue'er stuck out her little tongue, then immediately went to Shui Qinghan and asked, "Auntie, when are we leaving to hunt a Soul Beast?"
"No rush. We'll talk after your mother returns." Shui Qinghan rubbed Shui Yue'er's little head and smiled.
Shui Qingrou was currently quietly purchasing Whale Rubber within the Heaven Dou Empire. According to the letters she had sent back, she had nearly bought up all the Thousand-Year Whale Glue and Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Glue in the empire. By her calculations, she should be back soon.
"Okay~" Shui Yue'er nodded obediently upon hearing that.
"Yue'er, you broke through to level ten?"
Speak of the devil, and she appeared.
Shui Qingrou stepped into the small courtyard, looking at Shui Yue'er with pleasant surprise in her eyes.
This was one or two months earlier than she had expected.
"Mom!" The moment Shui Yue'er saw Shui Qingrou, her pretty little face bloomed into a smile. Her short little legs pattered forward as she ran over, spreading her arms to throw herself into Shui Qingrou's embrace.
"Yue'er has really been working hard." Shui Qingrou crouched down, gathered Shui Yue'er into her arms, and smiled.
"Hehe~" Shui Yue'er giggled, then asked impatiently,
"Mom, when are we leaving to hunt a Soul Beast?"
"Don't rush. We'll leave after you take the Whale Rubber." Shui Qingrou rubbed Shui Yue'er's head and smiled.
"Whale Rubber?! Auntie Qingrou, isn't Whale Rubber an aphrodisiac?" Shui Bing'er blushed furiously and stammered.
Soul Masters on Douluo Continent were nourished by Soul Power, so both their minds and bodies matured relatively early. At eleven or twelve, they were already considered adults.
As an established advanced Soul Master Academy, Skywater Academy had no shortage of students from noble families. On top of that, it was an all-girls academy, so the students naturally had no reservations when discussing certain subjects.
After being exposed to such things so often, Shui Bing'er had come to understand some matters even if she had not truly understood them before.
"Whale Rubber strengthens the body and cleanses the meridians and marrow. Its aphrodisiac effect is merely a side effect," Shui Qingrou explained.
"You only need to know that Whale Rubber allows you to undergo Limit-Break Absorption of Soul Rings."
"That's right. After taking Whale Rubber, the first ring can absorb a Soul Ring of at least seven hundred years, while the second ring can even absorb a Millennium Soul Ring." Shui Qinghan nodded in agreement.
"A millennium second ring?! Is that how Junior Brother got his Millennium Soul Ring?" Shui Yue'er cried out.
"More or less. Lan'er discovered the effects of Whale Rubber. Since you two can enjoy the benefits it brings, you should properly thank your Junior Brother." Shui Qinghan smiled.
"Hehe, thank you, Junior Brother." Shui Yue'er giggled and excitedly pounced on Jiang Lan, wrapping her arms around his neck and rubbing her soft cheek against his face.
"Thank you, Junior Brother." Shui Bing'er also looked at Jiang Lan with gratitude all over her face.
"Didn't Teacher say that we're family? Why should family thank each other?" Jiang Lan said with a smile.
"Indeed. That makes Teacher seem rather sentimental." Shui Qinghan smiled faintly, pinching Jiang Lan's cheek.
"Alright, take the Whale Rubber first." Shui Qingrou took out three high-quality pieces of Thousand-Year Whale Glue from her Storage Soul Tool. After handing two of them to Shui Qinghan, she used her Soul Power to heat the Whale Rubber.
Shui Qinghan did the same.
Before long, the three pieces of Thousand-Year Whale Glue slowly softened, releasing a rich fragrance.
"Quick, eat it while it's hot." Shui Qingrou tore off a piece of Whale Rubber and stuffed it into Shui Yue'er's mouth.
The fishy taste immediately made Shui Yue'er scrunch up her little face, but she still forced herself to swallow it despite the nausea.
Before long, the three of them had each eaten an entire piece of Whale Rubber and began meditating to refine its medicinal effects.
Watching the three meditate with their eyes closed, Shui Qinghan turned to Shui Qingrou, who stood beside her, and asked,
"Qingrou, how much Whale Rubber did you buy this time?"
Lowering her voice, Shui Qingrou said with barely contained excitement, "Sister, there's really quite a lot of Whale Rubber in our Heaven Dou Empire. I bought more than ten pieces of Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Glue alone, nearly a thousand pieces of Thousand-Year Whale Glue, and countless pieces of Hundred-Year Whale Glue. And buying all that Whale Rubber cost less than one-tenth of our budget. I estimate that even if we bought all the Whale Rubber in the Star Luo Empire, it still wouldn't exceed one-third of the budget."
She had already prepared herself to spend all their Gold Soul Coins and live frugally for some time afterward.
Yet Whale Rubber was simply too cheap. Not only could they purchase all the Whale Rubber on the market as a foundation for the academy, they would still have ample funds left over. There was no need to tighten their belts at all.
"Only a little over ten pieces of Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Glue?" Shui Qinghan could not help frowning when she heard that.
That number was far too small. The Heaven Dou Empire alone had more than ten major cities.
"Sister, it can't be helped. Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Glue doesn't sell as well as Hundred-Year or Thousand-Year Whale Glue. After all, a piece of Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Glue costs thousands of Gold Soul Coins. It's simply too expensive." Shui Qingrou spoke helplessly.
Although Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Glue had a better aphrodisiac effect than Thousand-Year Whale Glue, it was far too expensive. Used merely as an aphrodisiac, it was not worthwhile and offered nowhere near the value of Hundred-Year or Thousand-Year Whale Glue.
"If we want to purchase Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Glue in large quantities, we can only go to coastal cities like Vast Sea City."
"That's the only way. I'll make the trip myself when the time comes." Shui Qinghan nodded slightly, then added,
"As for that Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Glue, leave it untouched for now. If future purchases go smoothly, you and I can take it later. If the quantity remains limited, we should prioritize Bing'er and the others."
"Alright!" Shui Qingrou nodded. Compared with their older generation, Bing'er and Yue'er had greater potential and talent. That Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Glue would be more suitable for them.
Not to mention that Shui Bing'er already had the potential to reach Title Rank. Now that she had taken Whale Rubber and could undergo Limit-Break Absorption of Soul Rings,
as long as she did not die midway, breaking through to Titled Douluo was practically a certainty.
The same was true for Shui Yue'er.
With her talent, reaching Soul Douluo would have been her limit in the future.
But now, with Whale Rubber cleansing her meridians and marrow and strengthening her body, she could undergo Limit-Break Absorption for every Soul Ring. This greatly strengthened Shui Yue'er's foundation, and perhaps she might one day touch the realm of Titled Douluo as well.
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