Tempering Transformation!

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 massive piece of Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Rubber from his storage ring. It was even larger than a washbasin. Placed on the table, its amber body glowed with a gentle warmth beneath the room's dim yellow light. Its surface was smooth as grease, while layers of concentric patterns could be seen within, radiating a rich aura of life.

Thirty jin of Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Rubber weighed heavily on the tabletop, causing the surface to sink slightly.

Huang Yun stood before the table and studied it for a while before pressing a finger against the Whale Rubber's surface.

His fingertip sank in slightly before springing back. It felt supple and elastic, carrying a faint warmth. It did not feel like an inanimate object at all, but something alive.

He recalled the proper way to use Whale Rubber.

Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Rubber could not be swallowed raw. The stuff was far harder than it looked and could not even be chewed apart.

The correct method was to melt it through indirect heating, release the active substances within, then mix it with warm water and drink it.

During refinement, one had to guide it with Soul Power, allowing the energy within the Whale Rubber to seep deep into the bones and muscles. Only then could it achieve the effect of tempering the 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 into the clay jar, roughly one jin, then set the jar inside the pot to heat it over water.

After the water had boiled for about the time it took to burn an incense stick, the Whale Rubber began softening from the edges. It gradually turned into a thick amber liquid, giving off a faint scent of the ocean, like the rich salty fragrance left behind after seawater had dried in the sun.

He poured the melted Whale Rubber into a bowl, let it sit for a moment until it cooled, then raised the bowl and drained 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 flowed down his throat and into his stomach. Within moments, it transformed into a scorching yet lingering energy that spread out from his stomach, seeping through his meridians and blood vessels into every inch of bone and muscle.

Huang Yun sat cross-legged on the bed, closed his eyes, and began circulating his Soul Power to guide the energy.

This energy was completely different from the fierce, domineering blaze of the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum. The energy of the Whale Rubber was more like rolling waves, gently and endlessly 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 becoming 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 throughout the process was not intense. It was more of a persistent soreness, swelling, and numbness, as though he were being slowly steamed in warm water.

One incense stick, two incense sticks, half an hour...

The effects of the Whale Rubber lasted far longer than Huang Yun had expected.

As he continued refining it, his skin began to shine with a faint amber luster, and wisps of heat even seeped from his pores.

After an hour and a half, the effects of the first jin of Whale Rubber had finally been completely refined.

He opened his eyes and felt as though his entire body had been remade. He lightly clenched his fist, and his knuckles cracked sharply, brimming with power.

He tried standing from the bed and hopping twice. His body felt lighter, yet he landed more steadily.

The effect was obvious, but it was not enough.

He cut off another jin of Whale Rubber, heated and melted it, then drank it again.

The same process repeated itself. This time, the energy of the Whale Rubber penetrated even deeper. His already-strengthened bones and muscles were washed and reinforced again. Though the second tempering was not as dramatic as the first, it still raised his physical strength by another notch.

He repeated the process of heating, drinking, and refining 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 within his body had reached saturation. For the moment, he could not accommodate any more.

He put away the remaining twenty-five jin of Whale Rubber, saving it for gradual use later.

He closed his eyes and sensed the changes in his body.

His bones had become several degrees heavier, yet their size had not increased. Their density had risen drastically, like iron ore forged into refined steel.

The toughness of his muscles had improved considerably. During explosive bursts of speed, there was no longer that faint sense of strain and sluggishness from tiny tears. Everything had become exceptionally smooth.

The layer of golden light beneath his skin had also grown more intense. Although the Indestructible Vajra Body had not broken through from minor achievement to major achievement, it had clearly advanced another small step.

More importantly, his Spirit Ring endurance limit had increased.

He carefully sensed the carrying capacity of his meridians and body, silently making an estimate.

Originally, with the physical strength and meridian toughness of a level fifty-five Soul King, his absorption limit for his sixth Spirit Ring had been roughly thirty-seven thousand years.

That was already far beyond the limit of those at the same level. For ordinary people, being able to absorb a twenty-thousand-year sixth Spirit Ring at the Soul Emperor level was already considered the absolute limit.

But after the deep tempering of five jin of Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Rubber, his endurance limit had risen by a full eight thousand years in one go.

Now, his 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. That was supposed to be a configuration reserved for Soul Saints.

Once he truly reached the late Soul Emperor stage, or even the Soul Saint realm, this limit would continue expanding through further tempering with Whale Rubber.

This gap would be enough to crush anyone at the same level.

Others had twenty-thousand-year sixth Spirit Rings. He would start at forty thousand years.

The suppression from the Spirit Ring's age alone would be 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 gleam 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.

Throughout several hours of continuous refinement, his Soul Power had been repeatedly washed and compressed. Both its quality and quantity had improved to a certain extent.

He had steadily advanced from level fifty-five to level fifty-six.

Though he had only risen one level, Huang Yun was not disappointed.

Each level in the Soul King realm required several times more Soul Power than it had 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 grueling practice.

A 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 cracked comfortably.

Feeling the abundant power within his body and the unobstructed flow of Soul Power, he was in an excellent mood.

Five jin of Whale Rubber had brought him gains in both physical strength and Soul Power Level. What if he refined all twenty-five jin that remained?

Would the absorption limit of his sixth Spirit Ring rise again? Could the Indestructible Vajra Body break through from major achievement to perfection?

Thinking of that, Huang Yun looked at the remaining Whale Rubber in his storage ring with growing eagerness.

But 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 still external energy. He needed time to adapt to it and consolidate his gains.

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, carrying a damp, fishy salt scent as it brushed against his face.

Moonlight shimmered across the distant sea, its ripples 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.