After returning to the inn, Huang Yun shut the door, drew the curtains, and set up a simple Soul Power barrier around the room.
He took the Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Rubber, larger than a washbasin, from his Storage Ring and placed it on the table. Under the dim yellow lamplight, the amber-colored substance gave off a warm, gentle glow. Its surface was smooth as grease, while concentric rings layered within it, carrying a dense aura of life.
The thirty jin of Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Rubber weighed heavily on the tabletop, even causing it to sink slightly.
Huang Yun stood before the table and studied it for a long while before extending a finger to press its surface.
His fingertip sank halfway in before bouncing back. It felt tough and elastic, carrying a faint warmth. Rather than an inanimate object, it felt like something alive.
He recalled the proper method of using Whale Rubber.
Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Rubber could not be swallowed raw. The stuff was far harder than it looked, impossible even to chew apart.
The proper method was to heat it over water until it melted, releasing the active substances within, then mix it with warm water and drink it.
During refinement, he also had to guide it with Soul Power, allowing the energy within the Whale Rubber to seep deep into his bones and muscles to achieve the effect of tempering his body.
Huang Yun borrowed a large clay jar and a deep pot from the inn, setting up a simple steamer in his room.
He placed a small piece of cut Whale Rubber, roughly one jin, into the clay jar, then set the jar inside the pot to heat over water.
After the water had boiled for about the time it took to burn an incense stick, the Whale Rubber began softening at the edges. It gradually turned into a thick amber liquid, giving off a faint ocean scent, like the rich salty fragrance left behind after seawater had dried beneath the sun.
He poured the melted Whale Rubber liquid into a bowl and waited a moment for it to cool before lifting the bowl and draining it in one gulp.
The instant it entered his mouth, he felt as though he had swallowed a bowl of warm ocean tide.
The Whale Rubber liquid slid down his throat into his stomach, and within moments, it transformed into a scorching yet lingering energy that spread outward from his abdomen, flowing through his Meridians and blood vessels into every inch of his bones and muscles.
Huang Yun sat cross-legged on the bed, closed his eyes, and began circulating his Soul Power to guide that energy.
This energy was completely different from the fierce, tyrannical heat of the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum. The energy of the Whale Rubber was more like successive waves, gently and steadily washing over his body. Each surge carried away a trace of impurity from within him, while each retreat left behind a new layer of strength deep in his bones and muscles.
He could feel his bones growing denser. The tiny gaps within them were gradually filled by the active substances in the Whale Rubber, making them harder, tougher, and heavier.
At the same time, his muscle fibers were being rewoven, becoming tighter and more elastic.
The pain he endured during this process was not intense. It was more of a persistent aching, swelling, and numb sensation, as though he were slowly being steamed in warm water.
One incense stick, two incense sticks, half an hour...
The effects of the Whale Rubber lasted even longer than Huang Yun had expected.
As he continued refining it, his skin began to take on a faint amber sheen, and wisps of heat seeped from even his pores.
After an hour and a half, the effects of the first jin of Whale Rubber were finally completely refined.
He opened his eyes and felt as though his entire body had been replaced with new flesh and bones. He lightly clenched his fist, and his knuckles crackled crisply as strength filled him.
He tried standing from the bed and hopping twice. His body felt lighter, and he landed more steadily.
The effects were obvious, but not enough.
He cut off another jin of Whale Rubber, heated and melted it, then drank it once more.
The same process repeated itself. This time, the Whale Rubber's energy penetrated even deeper. His already strengthened bones and muscles were washed over and reinforced again. Though the effects of this second tempering were not as obvious as the first, they still raised his physical strength by another small step.
He repeatedly heated, melted, consumed, and refined it for more than four consecutive hours, refining a total of five jin of Whale Rubber.
By the time the fifth refinement was complete, the energy in his body had reached saturation, and he temporarily could not contain any more.
He stored the remaining twenty-five jin of Whale Rubber away again, saving it for gradual use later.
He closed his eyes and sensed the changes in his body.
His bones had become several degrees heavier than before, yet their size had not increased. Their density had risen dramatically, like iron ore forged into refined steel.
His muscles had become much tougher. During explosive bursts of speed, he no longer felt that slight sluggishness of strained fibers. Everything now moved smoothly.
The layer of golden light beneath his skin had also grown richer. Although the Indestructible Vajra Body had not broken through from minor accomplishment to major accomplishment, it had clearly advanced a small step.
More importantly, the limit of what his Spirit Rings could withstand had increased.
He carefully sensed the capacity of his Meridians and body, silently calculating in his mind.
Originally, with the physical strength and Meridians toughness of a level fifty-five Soul King, the absorption limit for his sixth Spirit Ring was roughly over thirty-seven thousand years.
That was already an extreme limit far beyond those of the same rank. For an ordinary Soul Emperor, being able to absorb a twenty-thousand-year sixth Spirit Ring was already considered the limit.
But after the deep tempering of five jin of Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Rubber, his upper limit had risen by a full eight thousand years.
Now, the absorption limit for his sixth Spirit Ring had reached somewhere between forty thousand and fifty thousand years.
That meant that the moment he stepped into the Soul Emperor realm, he could directly hunt a Soul Beast over forty thousand years old for his sixth Spirit Ring, despite that being a configuration meant for Soul Saints.
Once he truly reached the late Soul Emperor stage or even the Soul Saint realm, this limit would continue expanding with further tempering from the Whale Rubber.
"This gap is enough to crush anyone at the same rank."
Other people's sixth Spirit Rings were only twenty thousand years old, while his started at forty thousand.
The suppression from the Spirit Ring's age alone was enough to give him an overwhelming advantage in battles at the Soul Emperor level.
He lowered his head and glanced at his hands. A faint golden glimmer flashed across his palms before fading away.
His Soul Power had changed as well.
While strengthening his body, the waves of Whale Rubber energy had also accelerated the circulation of his Soul Power.
Over several hours of refinement, his Soul Power had been repeatedly washed and compressed, improving both in quality and quantity.
He had advanced steadily from level fifty-five to level fifty-six.
Although he had only risen one level, Huang Yun was not disappointed.
Each level in the Soul King realm required several times more total Soul Power than during the Soul Ancestor stage. Under normal cultivation, advancing from level fifty-five to fifty-six would have required at least two or three months of arduous training.
A single piece of Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Rubber had saved him so much time. It was already more than worth it.
"Good stuff. Truly good stuff."
Huang Yun jumped down from the bed and stretched his body. Every bone in him crackled comfortably.
Feeling the abundant strength within him and the unobstructed flow of Soul Power, he was in excellent spirits.
Five jin of Whale Rubber had brought him gains in both physical strength and Soul Power Level. What would happen if he refined all twenty-five jin that remained?
Would the absorption limit of his sixth Spirit Ring rise even further? Could the Indestructible Vajra Body break through from major accomplishment to perfection?
Thinking of this, Huang Yun looked toward the remaining Whale Rubber in his Storage Ring, his gaze growing more fervent.
However, he also knew that haste made waste.
He had refined five jin in succession today, and his body had already reached short-term saturation.
Although the energy within the Whale Rubber was gentle, it was ultimately external power and required time for adaptation and consolidation.
He planned to refine some every few days over the next month, giving his body time to recover and digest it.
"I'll continue refining it in a few days. No rush."
Huang Yun pushed open the window, and the sea breeze poured into the room, brushing his cheeks with its salty, damp scent.
Moonlight shimmered across the distant sea, waves of silver light stretching as far as the eye could see.
He took a deep breath, feeling the power within him full and abundant.
This trip to Vast Sea City had been the right choice.
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