Shock

Zhu Zhuqing's fair skin flushed with an alluring blush, spreading from her neck to the tips of her ears.

"If you don't say it, I won't take the next step~"

Lu Shi grasped her soft chin, forcing her to look into his eyes.

After struggling for a while, Zhu Zhuqing's eyes brimmed with tears, her beautiful gaze hazy as her cherry lips parted. "Whale Rubber..."

"Bad... man."

"All you do is bully me..."

"Do you know what it does?" Lu Shi's fingertips caressed her smooth skin.

Having yielded once, Zhu Zhuqing still struggled inwardly when asked to yield a second time. For a pure, cool-tempered girl like her, it was simply too embarrassing to say aloud.

As the daughter of a top-tier family, of course she knew what it was. It was something people like them used.

"It's an aphrodisiac," Lu Shi whispered, his lips close to her ear. "Do you know it has another use?"

He paused for a moment. "For example... it can increase the maximum age of Soul Rings you can absorb."

Lu Shi stepped back. While Zhu Zhuqing was still stunned, he took out an iron can, conjured fire in his bare hand, melted the Whale Rubber, and removed the impurities.

He held the softened Whale Rubber before her. Fishy bubbles continuously rose and burst. "In truth, its real effect is to improve your physique and strengthen your body's tolerance, thereby increasing the upper limit of the Soul Rings you can absorb."

Zhu Zhuqing had not yet figured out what was happening. This was wrong—at this point, shouldn't the next step have been...

Wait, what had he just said...?!

Increase the age limit of Soul Ring absorption.

How could that be possible?!

Now fully awake, she blinked her astonished eyes.

She knew there were limits to the age of Soul Rings one could absorb: 423 years for the first Soul Ring, 764 years for the second, 1,760 years for the third...

She had never heard that the absorption limit itself could be increased!!

"It's very hot, but you'll understand once you drink it."

Lu Shi's gaze was firm, without the slightest trace of teasing.

The blush had yet to fade from Zhu Zhuqing's face. She blinked, looked at Lu Shi, then at the Whale Rubber before her.

Lu Shi did not need to deceive her with such words. As long as he asked her to drink it, she would definitely do so.

She reached out and grasped the iron can, took a deep breath, and drank it down amid the gurgling sounds from her throat.

"Mmph..."

She furrowed her brows tightly and suppressed the urge to vomit.

Thick, rancid, and unbearably fishy!

The Whale Rubber had an intense fishy stench when it entered her mouth, but the stench quickly turned into a stream of heat flowing into her abdomen. Her chest and belly immediately warmed, carrying a comforting sensation that eased the scorching pain.

The dense heat began flowing into all four of her limbs and throughout her body.

Gradually, fragrant sweat seeped from Zhu Zhuqing's body.

"Huff... huff... huff."

She bit her lip and exhaled hot breaths. Her eyes were misty with allure, her entire body burning hot, even her jade-like legs trembling faintly.

She used her willpower to suppress the desire arising from her instincts.

There were countless aphrodisiacs on the market, no fewer than a thousand varieties, but only Whale Rubber had remained popular for countless millennia.

It owed that to its rapid onset, powerful effects, and long duration.

It was widely acclaimed across the continent.

Its effects were so good that after consuming it, no one would feel like cultivating. That was why its ability to enhance one's physique was only discovered ten thousand years later.

This showed just how strong-willed the person who discovered this use had been.

Lu Shi said seriously, "Sit cross-legged, steady your mind, meditate and cultivate. Use your Soul Power to guide the heat through your meridians until it disappears."

There was not actually an exact figure for the upper limit of Soul Ring absorption. The so-called 423 years and 764 years were not absolute.

It was mainly influenced by three factors: a Soul Master's physique, Martial Soul quality, and spiritual power.

If a tenth-level Soul Master had a body as frail as a monkey's and a Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul, forget a three-hundred-year Soul Ring—even absorbing a two-hundred-year Soul Ring might result in backlash.

But if someone possessed a top-tier Martial Soul, such as the Six-Winged Angel, had consumed heavenly treasures since childhood, and cultivated their spiritual power, they could absorb a five-hundred-year Soul Ring without taking Whale Rubber.

Why, then, had figures like 423 years become widespread? The reason was simple.

The risks and rewards were disproportionate.

A single Soul Ring had little impact in the early stages. Even if one absorbed an eight-hundred-year Soul Ring as their first, so what? By the later stages of cultivation, there was almost no difference compared to a four-hundred-year Soul Ring.

The benefit was minimal.

But the risk was fatal. Soul Masters did not know which factors affected Soul Ring absorption.

Attempting to absorb one that was too old could cause their body to explode and kill them.

Success brought little reward, while failure carried a severe penalty.

Naturally, no one dared to gamble on it.

Four hundred years was considered the limit most Soul Masters could absorb, and over time, that became the accepted standard.

Lu Shi sat to one side and watched over her, opening the window to disperse the fishy smell in the room.

Otherwise, they would not even be able to sleep that night.

Zhu Zhuqing's appearance just now had been far too tempting. He had almost lost control.

Mainly because they were enrolling at Shrek tomorrow, and he did not want to delay important matters.

Besides, they were already together. There would be plenty of opportunities.

For now, he would let Zhu Zhuqing consume more Whale Rubber, then in a while, they would go obtain the Immortal Herbs.

At present, his Soul Beasts could only eat some low-level Soul Beasts, so their growth rate was slow.

Eating Immortal Herbs would be much faster.

About half an hour later, Zhu Zhuqing finished absorbing the medicinal effects and slowly opened her eyes.

Her pupils shook.

It really worked!

She could clearly sense her physique growing stronger!

Her blood and qi had become more active, while the resilience of her meridians and the strength of her bones had improved.

Zhu Zhuqing raised a hand in disbelief, intending to examine her body more closely, only to see a thin layer of grime clinging to the surface of her skin.

"Come wash up after you finish absorbing it."

Lu Shi had prepared hot water in advance.

"The grime is what remained after sweat carrying impurities evaporated."

Amid the splashing of water and rising mist, Zhu Zhuqing finished washing and emerged with a pile of questions in her heart.

She had changed into a clean white outfit.

Her hair was damp, droplets falling from its tips. Her skin was dewy, her pretty face rosy, and a pleasant fragrance emanated from her entire body.

A faint, sweet scent filled Lu Shi's nostrils, stirring his heart.

She was too beautiful, so beautiful that she seemed unreal.

"Come here."

He sat on the soft white bed and patted the bedding, motioning for her to sit beside him.

Zhu Zhuqing pounced directly onto him and pressed herself against his body.

"Why does it seem like you know everything?"

The girl blinked her large eyes and gazed at him with admiration.

Holding her in his arms, listening to her soft complaints as he kneaded her pert backside, Lu Shi explained, "That is the importance of reading."

"I've read quite a few ancient books, many of them extremely obscure and almost never seen by anyone. One of them recorded a cultivation method involving consuming Whale Rubber."

"However, it failed. The record said to cut the Whale Rubber into pieces and swallow it. I tried melting it before consuming it, and unexpectedly, it actually worked."

Ancient records were the perfect excuse for anything.

Zhu Zhuqing did not doubt him in the slightest. Whatever Lu Shi said, she believed.

"If this gets out, the impact will be enormous. Make sure you don't let it slip."

Lu Shi kneaded her pert backside as he cautioned her.