Xiao Wu was envious too!
Thirty whole Gold Soul Coins—this was an enormous sum.
This guy was incredible. He had actually gotten hold of so much money. Did he have some kind of trick?
"Not bad!"
"Our Boss Xiao asked whether you'd be willing to become his underling. Follow him, and there'll be meat to eat!" Liu Erlong repeated Xiao Chenyu's words.
Make me his underling?
Jiang Nanchen smiled. "Thank your Boss Xiao for me, but I'm not used to being someone else's underling."
"Since that's the case, I won't keep you company."
Having seen Jiang Nanchen's strength, he didn't dare talk tough. If Jiang Nanchen hit him, he might really be bedridden for several days.
With the money in hand, Jiang Nanchen opened the pouch. The thirty Gold Soul Coins inside made everyone in Dorm Seven intensely envious.
Jiang Nanchen also knew that he would not have many uses for Gold Soul Coins in the future, so he took out ten and handed them to Wang Sheng.
"Wang Sheng, split these among everyone. Buy whatever you need, eat whatever you want."
Wang Sheng was flattered. "Boss, this is too much. We don't need this much."
Jiang Nanchen smiled. "Take it."
Seeing Jiang Nanchen's firm attitude, Wang Sheng stopped refusing and put away the Gold Soul Coins. Everyone looked at Jiang Nanchen with gratitude. "Thank you, Boss!"
Now this was a real boss!
Jiang Nanchen said, "That's it, everyone disperse. I have things to do."
Jiang Nanchen did not linger any longer and headed for a place in Nuoding City that sold Whale Rubber.
A piece of Whale Rubber cost more than ten Gold Soul Coins. It was not cheap at all.
Jiang Nanchen did not ask about Dorm Seven's circumstances. Twenty Gold Soul Coins would be enough for his own expenses, and after registering at a Spirit Hall branch, he could collect Gold Soul Coins every month as well.
Money had to be spent before more could be earned.
After leaving Nording Academy, he quickly found a decent shop in the city. The staff member seemed to be a newcomer who had only arrived recently. When she saw Jiang Nanchen enter, she could not help but freeze. Since when had Nuoding City had such a handsome youth?
"Little brother, what would you like to buy?"
The delicate-looking woman smiled and spoke first.
"Hello, I'd like to buy some Whale Rubber. Could you get me one, Sister?" Jiang Nanchen asked politely.
"Whale Rubber? That's for bedroom use, little brother. You're still too young!" the woman tactfully reminded him. "That stuff costs ten Gold Soul Coins!"
Jiang Nanchen smiled. "I have them!"
As he spoke, Jiang Nanchen took out ten Gold Soul Coins and placed them on the counter.
The woman paused. Since he could take out ten Gold Soul Coins, his father must have sent him to buy it. How irresponsible—he did not come himself and sent a child instead!
She let her imagination run wild, then began searching through the display cabinet behind her. Finally, she took out a wooden box. When she opened it, there was a pale-yellow crystal resembling amber inside.
"This is Whale Rubber. Don't eat it carelessly!" the woman warned.
"Thank you, Sister."
Jiang Nanchen had no intention of listening to any of that. Absorbing it was what mattered most.
After leaving the shop, Jiang Nanchen made a round through the city and found a reliable inn. He rented a room with an underground secret chamber.
The chamber's stone walls were thick, able to block Soul Power fluctuations and sounds from reaching the outside. It was perfect for refining Whale Rubber. He shut the stone door, made sure no one nearby would notice, then took out the wooden box and placed it on the stone platform.
With a thought, the Fire Dragon King Martial Soul quietly possessed him.
Red Soul Power rose from his palm, forming a gentle flame. Not a trace of heat leaked out. He controlled the flames to lift the Whale Rubber, slowly wrapping around the entire amber-like crystal.
The high temperature seeped into the Whale Rubber. Its originally solid texture gradually softened, while fine black impurities within it were forced out bit by bit by the flames and dissipated into the air.
The pale-yellow Whale Rubber gradually became translucent, giving off a faint fishy-sweet scent.
Jiang Nanchen reduced the fire slightly and maintained a constant temperature as he continued purifying it. After about the time it took to burn half an incense stick, the entire piece of Whale Rubber had become crystal-clear. Its volume had shrunk by nearly one-third, and all impurities had been removed.
He dismissed the Fire Dragon King Martial Soul to avoid drawing attention with the aura of flames.
The refined Whale Rubber melted the moment it entered his mouth. Its warm medicinal power slid down his throat, turning into gentle streams of energy that surged toward his limbs and bones. Jiang Nanchen sat cross-legged and circulated his Soul Power, guiding the medicinal energy to wash through his meridians.
The foundation of Innate Full Soul Power was already solid. Nourished by the Whale Rubber's medicinal power, his meridians widened a little further.
Not long after the medicinal power had fully dissolved, a wave of scorching heat suddenly surged up from his abdomen and spread through his meridians toward every part of his body.
Jiang Nanchen frowned slightly and immediately sensed that something was wrong. This was the fiery side effect inherent to Whale Rubber. An ordinary Soul Master would need at least half a day to deal with it after absorbing it. A single mistake could even disrupt the foundation of their Soul Power.
He did not panic. With a thought, the Fire Dragon King's Soul Power began circulating quietly within him.
The red Soul Power flowed along his meridians. Everywhere it passed, the restless heat seemed to encounter a source of flame and was instantly drawn in and enveloped.
The Fire Dragon King already controlled the power of flames. This tiny amount of fiery medicinal heat was no trouble at all.
Jiang Nanchen closed his eyes and concentrated, guiding the Fire Dragon King's Soul Power to slowly wash through his meridians.
The excess fiery energy was refined bit by bit. Not only did it fail to harm his body, it instead merged into his dantian alongside the flame Soul Power and became part of his own Soul Power.
The originally gentle medicinal power was thoroughly drained of all value, while the walls of his meridians were tempered into becoming somewhat tougher as well.
A moment later, the scorching heat churning within his body completely subsided.
Jiang Nanchen slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air and opened his eyes. A faint red glimmer of fire flashed through their depths before vanishing.
He clenched his fist and could clearly sense that his physical strength had improved slightly. Whale Rubber's side effects were troublesome for others, but for him, they had become an additional form of tempering.
He stood up and stretched his limbs, feeling completely refreshed.
With his remaining Gold Soul Coins, and after registering at the Spirit Hall branch to receive his monthly stipend, his preparations for hunting his first Soul Ring would be more or less complete.
Meanwhile, in Heaven Dou City, within the Crown Prince's Residence.
He wore a brocade robe embroidered with dark-gold cloud patterns, with a black-jade belt around his waist. His figure stood as straight as a pine tree, his face handsome and gentle, his brows open and clear, his nose high, and his lips sharply defined.
His long hair was neatly tied beneath a white-jade crown, with only a few loose strands hanging by his temples. His bearing was calm and elegant. He was the very image of Heaven Dou's crown prince, Xue Qinghe.
Of course, it was also Qian Renxue disguised as a man.
There was a light knock on the study door, and Porcupinefish Douluo strode in quickly, his expression carrying an unusual hint of urgency.
"Young Mistress, guess what news was sent up from below."
Qian Renxue raised her eyes to look at him, her tone steady.
"What news could make Uncle Porcupinefish so impatient? That doesn't sound like you."
"It concerns a Martial Soul." Porcupinefish Douluo lowered his voice. "Our people discovered in Nuoding City that a child from Holy Soul Village possessed Innate Full Soul Power. His Martial Soul is the Sacred Angel."
Qian Renxue's pupils abruptly contracted. She shot to her feet, even lifting a corner of the papers on the desk.
"What?!"
The Angel Martial Soul was the inherited Martial Soul of the Qian Family. Their bloodline was controlled extremely strictly; it was impossible for one to have appeared outside.
She suppressed the shock in her heart and asked in a deep voice, "Are you certain it was the Angel Martial Soul?"
Before you continue