Ye Lingling Raids Her Family's Treasure Vault

Dugu Yan began bombarding him with calls.

"Brother Chen, Brother Chen, Brother Chen~"

After being called three times in a row, Jiang Nanchen's heart jolted. He hurriedly waved his hands. "Stop, stop, stop. Don't call me that anymore."

Then Ye Lingling thought she should say it too and called out, "Brother Chen~"

Compared to Dugu Yan's boldness, Ye Lingling sounded far more gentle and tender.

"Both of you, stop!"

Jiang Nanchen felt that if he did not put a stop to this, he would lose his mind.

"Little Nanchen, you told us to call you Brother Chen, so why are you stopping us now? Tsk, tsk, you really are still a kid. Your skin is too thin!"

Dugu Yan teased him without the slightest restraint.

Jiang Nanchen rolled his eyes. "Hmph, I can't be bothered with you."

He had only wanted Dugu Yan to stop adding "little" to his name. Yet for the sake of a ten-thousand-year fourth Soul Ring, she had suddenly become this uninhibited?

No wonder she was Poison Douluo's granddaughter.

Jiang Nanchen immediately explained, "If you want your fourth Soul Ring to reach ten thousand years, first use immortal herbs to temper and strengthen your bodies. Then take plenty of Whale Rubber. With enough time, it can be done."

Of course, it would be even better if they had Soul Bones.

Unfortunately, where was he supposed to find Soul Bones?

If only he knew Di Tian.

Soul Bones were basically useless to them. There were surely plenty of soul beasts that used them for things like chewing.

"Whale Rubber!"

Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling both blushed.

Wasn't Whale Rubber an aphrodisiac?

They were not from the lower classes, so they naturally knew its effects. Yet in Jiang Nanchen's mouth, it had become something that could raise one's Soul Ring limit?

"Really?"

Dugu Yan found it hard to believe.

Jiang Nanchen answered firmly, "Of course it's true. There's no reason for me to lie to you. I could absorb a thousand-year Soul Ring as my second Soul Ring. That alone is the best proof."

Dugu Yan stared at him for several seconds. Seeing how calm and serious he looked, she gradually began to believe him.

Jiang Nanchen had become a Soul Elder at seven, and his ten-thousand-year third Soul Ring was right before her eyes. It could not have appeared out of thin air.

She curled her lips. "Fine, I'll believe you this once. If it really works, I'll never call you Little Nanchen again."

Beside them, Ye Lingling spoke softly. "If it's Whale Rubber, my family has a lot stored away. They were all gifts accepted by the elders over the years, and the quality is excellent. I can bring some over later."

"Your family has that much?" Jiang Nanchen was somewhat surprised. Whale Rubber came from deep-sea soul beasts and was produced in scarce quantities. Ordinary Soul Masters would have a hard time obtaining even a small piece, yet the Ye Clan had quite a stockpile.

"They were all sent by nobles and sects from various places," Ye Lingling explained. "Nine-Heart Begonia is mainly a support martial soul, so we have no use for this kind of body-tempering spiritual medicine. It has been gathering dust in the treasure vault all this time, and no one has touched it."

Now that she had confirmed Whale Rubber could help raise the Soul Ring limit, she immediately decided to go back and select the best pieces to bring over.

Nine-Heart Begonia was inherently limited by the number of Soul Rings. The higher the quality of each ring, the stronger its future healing ability would be. No matter how she calculated it, this was a worthwhile deal.

Ye Lingling stood and said goodbye. "Then I'll go home and get it first. I'll be back soon."

With that, she turned and quickly left the Crown Prince's Residence. Her steps were noticeably faster than usual, showing just how much she cared about body tempering.

Only the two of them remained in the pavilion. Dugu Yan leaned close to Jiang Nanchen. "Lingling has gone to get the goods, so what about me? What should I do next? I can't just sit here and wait, can I?"

"Just stay put. Don't run around causing trouble." Jiang Nanchen leaned against a pillar, his tone calm. "The Crown Prince's Residence isn't your home. Wandering around recklessly could cause problems."

Dugu Yan curled her lips, looking unconvinced. "Hmph, I'm much more sensible than you. I wouldn't go around making trouble."

Ye Lingling hurried home. After entering, she asked a maid and learned that her mother had gone out to attend a banquet, leaving no one in charge of the residence.

She breathed a sigh of relief and headed straight for the family treasure vault.

The treasure vault's stone door was heavy. She took out the key she carried with her and opened it.

All kinds of spiritual medicines and precious treasures were arranged neatly inside. She went straight to the area where rare medicinal ingredients were stored and, sure enough, saw more than a dozen well-sealed boxes of Whale Rubber, each over a thousand years old and of superior quality.

Ye Lingling stored all the Whale Rubber in her storage Soul Tool. Then she glanced over several rows of unknown herbs beside them, thinking Jiang Nanchen might be able to use them, and casually took several boxes as well.

They would only gather dust sitting there anyway. It was better to use them for body tempering.

After finishing up, she closed the treasure vault's stone door and turned around, only to run into the steward who patrolled the courtyard.

Ye Lingling panicked inwardly. She forced a faint smile, lowered her head, and softly called, "Uncle Steward." Before he could ask any further questions, she quickly headed outside.

The steward watched her hurriedly departing figure, somewhat puzzled, but he did not ask anything.

The young lady had always been obedient and sensible. She had probably only taken some ordinary medicinal ingredients.

Ye Lingling hurried all the way back and soon returned to the Crown Prince's Residence, heading straight for the pavilion in the rear courtyard.

When Ye Lingling returned to the pavilion, she raised her hand and took everything out of her storage Soul Tool, neatly arranging it atop the stone table.

More than a dozen boxes of Whale Rubber glowed with a warm luster, while several boxes of sealed herbs were piled beside them. The amount was truly considerable.

"Lingling, you actually brought so much?" Dugu Yan leaned over with widened eyes, her face full of surprise.

Ye Lingling smiled lightly. "My family's treasure vault has plenty in stock. It would only gather dust sitting there, so it is better to put it to use."

"I'm really jealous of you." Dugu Yan clicked her tongue twice. "Unlike my family's treasure vault, where everything you find is poisonous grass and poisonous flowers. There isn't a single proper body-tempering spiritual medicine. In my grandfather's eyes, there are only his precious herbs."

Jiang Nanchen reached out and shifted the medicinal ingredients on the table. His gaze swept over several of the herbs, and he nodded.

"Besides the Whale Rubber, these herbs that promote blood circulation and strengthen bones can also be used. If they are combined into a medicinal bath, the effect will be even better."

As soon as he finished speaking, he waved his hand. More than a dozen boxes of Whale Rubber rose into the air at once, hovering midair. A wisp of pale golden Sacred Flame ignited at his fingertips, gentle yet immensely penetrating as it slowly enveloped all the Whale Rubber.

The Whale Rubber gradually melted within the Sacred Flame. Its cloudy impurities were burned away bit by bit, and the gelatinous chunks slowly became translucent and lustrous. A faint medicinal fragrance spread through the pavilion.

Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling watched without blinking. Neither had expected flames to be wielded with such precision, and both were left staring in astonishment.

Dugu Yan watched the Whale Rubber gradually being purified in midair and could not help asking,

"Little Nanchen, why exactly can this Whale Rubber increase the age limit of Soul Rings? I only ever heard it was some crooked, improper thing. I've never heard that it could be used for cultivation."

The Sacred Flame at Jiang Nanchen's fingertips remained steady and mild as he casually explained,

"What you know is crudely processed, low-purity Whale Rubber. It has too many impurities, which is why it causes those side effects. Truly high-quality Whale Rubber is the essence condensed from the Soul Power of ten-thousand-year deep-sea whale soul beasts. It is rich in pure life energy. Taken over a long period and combined with medicinal baths, it can repeatedly temper the bones, widen the meridians, strengthen the internal organs, and raise the body's limits."

He paused, then added,

"The bottleneck for absorbing Soul Rings has never been whether you have enough Soul Power. It is whether your body can withstand the backlash energy of the soul beast. Once your physical foundation is strong enough, a body that could originally only withstand a thousand-year Soul Ring can naturally attempt a ten-thousand-year one. The reason I could absorb Soul Rings beyond my level was, in small part, thanks to Whale Rubber tempering—and a tiny little bit of other fortune."

The two of them came to a sudden realization. They exchanged a glance, and both saw the shock in each other's eyes.