Refining Thousand-Year Whale Rubber, Ning Rongrong's Curiosity and Suspicion

Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's council hall.

Gu Rong and Chen Xin were resting with their eyes closed, waiting for Ning Fengzhi to return.

Just then, footsteps sounded outside, and Ning Fengzhi pushed open the door and entered.

Gu Rong opened his eyes and asked,

"Fengzhi, why were you gone so long? That girl Rongrong didn't cling to you and cause trouble, did she?"

Ning Fengzhi took a seat at the head of the table and said in high spirits,

"Uncle Bone, Rongrong has been very well-behaved lately. She even personally watched over a medicinal stew in the kitchen and had it delivered to Gu Feng."

Chen Xin also raised his head at this.

"How is that boy? What did you talk about in the backyard just now?"

Smiling, Ning Fengzhi recounted Gu Feng's request exactly as it had happened.

"He took the initiative to ask the sect to send someone to bring the old village chief who raised him in Holy Soul Village to the sect's territory so he could retire in peace."

Chen Xin's expression relaxed, and the admiration in his eyes was undisguised.

"A genius born among commoners, once he suddenly gains status and power, is most likely to become impetuous and forget his roots."

"The fact that this little fellow thought of the old village chief who once supported him as soon as he joined the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect shows that he has a conscience and knows gratitude."

"A person like that can't be bad!"

Gu Rong spoke with equal satisfaction.

"The old swordsman is right. What I despise most are those ungrateful wretches who turn their backs on people the moment they gain some ability."

"This boy is strong-willed, highly gifted, loyal, and righteous. He is someone worth befriending and entrusting things to."

Ning Fengzhi added with a smile,

"There is one more matter. Qin Ming, the teacher of Heaven Dou Royal Academy's Imperial Fighting Team, has extended an invitation to them. In a few days, once Gu Feng's grandfather arrives, I plan to send Gu Feng and Rongrong to Heaven Dou Royal Academy for further study."

Chen Xin and Gu Rong nodded at the same time.

Elsewhere, Ning Rongrong hummed a little tune as she entered Gu Feng's room.

"Gu Feng, it's all your fault for not letting me ride in a carriage when we returned to the sect. I ran around for so long today that my legs are killing me. Hurry up and massage them for me."

She kicked off her little leather shoes and flopped directly onto the couch. Her small feet swung back and forth as she looked at Gu Feng expectantly.

Watching her little white feet sway back and forth, Gu Feng shook his head helplessly. One of these days, I'm definitely going to teach you a lesson!

Then Gu Feng walked over to the couch and sat down, raising his hand to gather a swirl of azure wind that pressed against the acupoints on her legs from a distance.

The gentle current of air slowly traveled along her meridians, and the soreness quickly faded away.

"Mmm... so comfortable."

Ning Rongrong buried her face in the pillow and mumbled indistinctly.

Only after soothing her for a full quarter of an hour did Gu Feng withdraw the wind force and pat her shoulder.

"Alright, go back to your own room. Meditate and rest early."

Ning Rongrong rolled over and sat up, rubbing her calves as she slipped on her shoes with a grin.

"Then I'm leaving. Don't sleep in tomorrow morning!"

After Ning Rongrong left and closed the door behind her, Gu Feng walked to the window, shut it tightly, and casually drew the heavy curtains.

He sat down by the table and brushed his left hand over the storage ring on his finger.

Several black blocks sealed in oil paper appeared on the table, giving off a faint scent of the sea.

These were the Whale Rubber pieces he had picked up over the past few days in Heaven Dou City's black market and high-end apothecaries.

Most of them were Thousand-Year Whale Rubber of around two to three thousand years in quality. The small piece in the center, dark as ink, was a rare piece of Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Rubber.

In the current era of the soul master world, no one knew that Whale Rubber could strengthen the body or even allow one to absorb soul rings beyond their level.

Nobles and merchants only regarded the stuff as a tonic for pleasure and virility.

Those nobles who spent their days drowning in debauchery only needed a few pieces of Century Whale Rubber or low-grade Thousand-Year Whale Rubber to keep themselves busy.

The energy contained within Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Rubber was far too violent. Ordinary people could even risk exploding from eating it, so no one wanted it on the market. Gu Feng had searched all over Heaven Dou City before finding such a small piece.

Gu Feng looked at the Whale Rubber on the table, lightly tapping his fingers against the surface.

Mystic cultivation emphasized four elements: wealth, companions, methods, and location.

Now that he had joined the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, the sect had more than enough Gold Soul Coins, Ning Rongrong—a genius support-type soul master—was by his side every day, and the back mountain had a top-tier mimetic cultivation environment. Wealth, companions, and location were all in place.

As for methods, aside from the Mysterious Heaven Skill Tang San had brought from the Tang Sect, the meditation methods used by the other soul masters on Douluo Continent were more or less the same.

If he wanted to widen the gap between himself and those of his age, the safest route was to temper his body and forcibly raise the age limit of the soul rings he could absorb.

Gu Feng put away the Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Rubber and picked up a piece of two-thousand-year Whale Rubber.

He used wind force in his palm to generate heat through friction, then combined it with Soul Power to ignite a cluster of dark-red flames, wrapping the Whale Rubber in them and steadily roasting it.

After roasting it for a full quarter of an hour, the hard black substance finally began to soften, turning into a sticky, semi-transparent gel.

Gu Feng did not hesitate. He raised his head and swallowed the melted Whale Rubber.

The next instant, heat surged wildly through his limbs and bones, drilling directly into every inch of muscle and bone.

An intense burning heat rose from deep within his lower abdomen and swiftly spread throughout his entire body.

Gu Feng's face flushed red, his body temperature climbed rapidly, and his breathing grew heavy.

The burning heat carried an overwhelmingly powerful wave of desire, making his head buzz.

He gritted his teeth and rapidly circulated the wind-attributed Soul Power within him, forcibly suppressing the instinctive agitation and guiding the heat to temper his meridians.

Half an hour passed.

The blazing heat within his body finally gradually calmed, while a thin layer of grayish-black, sticky impurities seeped out through his skin.

Gu Feng let out a long breath and rolled his shoulders, his joints producing faint crackling sounds.

He felt refreshed, and his vitality was noticeably stronger than before.

He went to the adjoining side room to fetch water and wash himself clean, then changed into a fresh set of fitted black clothes.

As he dried his hair, Gu Feng pondered the matter of Whale Rubber.

This stuff could strengthen the body and even raise Soul Power slightly. Giving it to Ning Fengzhi would count as a return for his kindness.

But Gu Feng had no proof right now. If he directly told Ning Fengzhi, Ning Fengzhi might not fully believe him and would instead question where the information had come from.

It would be better to take it himself for a while first. Once his physical condition underwent earth-shaking changes, the facts would be right before Ning Fengzhi's eyes, and Ning Fengzhi would naturally understand its value.

Over the following days, Gu Feng cultivated in the mimetic cultivation chamber during the day, while also accompanying Ning Rongrong on the back mountain to practice physical training and movement techniques.

On the morning of the third day, Ning Rongrong jogged around the bamboo grove while glancing sideways at Gu Feng beside her.

She felt that something had changed about Gu Feng.

His skin had become fairer and more translucent, his energy and spirit were exceptionally full, and he even seemed to have grown a little taller.

"Gu Feng, have you been secretly putting on some scented powder behind my back lately?"

Ning Rongrong stopped, leaned closer to sniff him, and asked suspiciously.

Gu Feng expressionlessly pushed away the head she had leaned toward him.

"That's simply what happens when one's vitality is abundant. Who do you think you are, fiddling with all those bottles and jars every day?"

"Nonsense. You must be hiding some secret!"

Ning Rongrong gave a soft huff, her heart filled with curiosity.