Taking the Golden Rubber (Part Two)

"All right, Yuehua. Thanks for the effort."

Tang Hao nodded, then turned to Li Xun. "Xun, we have the Whale Rubber. What do we do with it?"

"Uncle Hao, just use your Soul Power to melt it down," Li Xun replied calmly.

"All right. No problem."

With Tang Hao's immense Soul Power as a Titled Douluo, melting down two pieces of thousand-year Whale Rubber was effortless.

He raised his palm, and Soul Power flowed out, enveloping the two golden, solidified pieces of Whale Rubber on the jade plate.

Under the steady heat of his Soul Power, the Whale Rubber, hard as beeswax, slowly softened. The dense chunks melted bit by bit into a warm, viscous, translucent orange-gold gel.

A rich, unusual fragrance spread through the air. Though strong, it did not drift outward, remaining concentrated within a meter of the jade plate.

Standing nearby, Tang Yuehua caught the scent and looked surprised. "What a strong fragrance! But how are Xun and San supposed to absorb it?"

Tang Hao and Tang San both looked at Li Xun, waiting for him to explain.

Li Xun stepped forward and picked up a lump of Whale Rubber that the Soul Power had warmed and softened. The translucent orange-gold gel still held a gentle sheen.

"It's simple, Aunt Yuehua," he said. "Swallow it while it's hot, then sit cross-legged and circulate your Soul Power to digest its medicinal strength."

With that, he opened his mouth and swallowed the entire lump without hesitation.

The Whale Rubber slid smoothly down his throat. A scorching current of warmth rushed through his esophagus and spread throughout his body in an instant.

Li Xun's expression changed. He immediately sat cross-legged on the spot, closed his eyes, and circulated his Soul Power, guiding the surging medicinal strength through his flesh and meridians.

A thin layer of sweat soon appeared on his skin, carrying a faint, acrid odor. The medicinal strength was forcing impurities out of his body.

Tang Hao, Tang San, and Tang Yuehua were all taken aback. None of them had expected Li Xun to swallow the Whale Rubber the moment he finished explaining.

Now that its medicinal strength had entered his body, it was too late to stop him.

The three composed themselves at once and held their breath, watching Li Xun closely as he absorbed the thousand-year Whale Rubber.

Tang Hao looked the gravest. Soul Power gathered silently in his palm. At the first sign that Li Xun was losing control, he would intervene and help suppress the violent medicinal strength.

Time passed slowly. The quiet room was silent except for the soft sound of Li Xun's deep, even breathing.

About half an hour later, Li Xun trembled slightly where he sat, and the feverish heat surging around him gradually faded.

He slowly opened his eyes. A faint golden glint flashed in their depths and vanished. A thin layer of murky reddish-brown sweat had soaked into his clothes, giving off a faint, acrid smell.

Li Xun let out a long breath of stale air and clenched his fists. He could clearly feel that his flesh, muscles, and bones had been tempered. His strength and resilience had improved dramatically, and power seemed to fill every part of him.

He had completely absorbed the body-tempering medicinal strength of the thousand-year Whale Rubber.

"It worked."

At the sight, Tang Hao relaxed a little. The Soul Power poised in his palm quietly dispersed, and the weight on his mind finally lifted.

Tang Yuehua and Tang San also breathed a sigh of relief.

Li Xun slowly stood and flexed his arms. His joints gave a series of soft pops.

It really lives up to its reputation. Thousand-year Whale Rubber is astonishingly effective at tempering the body. Li Xun marveled at the transformation within him.

He turned to Tang Hao. "Uncle Hao, we can discuss any questions later. Let San take the Whale Rubber first. It works best when swallowed and absorbed while it's still hot."

Tang Hao nodded and looked at Tang San. "San, go ahead."

Without hesitation, Tang San stepped forward and carefully lifted the still-steaming lump of orange-gold Whale Rubber from the jade plate with both hands. Its rich, unusual fragrance washed over him. He took a deep breath, steadied himself, and swallowed the warm gel whole, then immediately sat cross-legged to absorb it.

Another half hour passed.

Tang San's body trembled lightly as he sat absorbing the Whale Rubber. The waves of scorching heat surging around him slowly subsided.

He rose to his feet, his expression relaxed. Clearly, he too had completely absorbed the medicinal strength of the thousand-year Whale Rubber.

"San, how do you feel?" Tang Yuehua hurried over, concern in her voice.

Tang San exhaled a long breath of stale air and slowly clenched his fists. His knuckles gave a faint crack. He could clearly feel that his muscles, bones, flesh, and blood had been forged anew. His body could withstand far more than before.

"Aunt, I feel wonderful," Tang San said, unable to hide his delight.

Seeing this, Li Xun spoke up. "Uncle Hao, you can use your Soul Power to examine how strong our bodies are now."

Tang Hao nodded and stepped up to them. He placed a hand on each of their shoulders, sending gentle but powerful Soul Power into their bodies to carefully examine their physiques, meridians, and physical foundations.

Both Tang San and Li Xun had first Soul Rings at the Four-Hundred-Year Limit.

By the long-established rules of the Soul Master world, a Soul Master with a four-hundred-year first Soul Ring could bear a Second Soul Ring of no more than around the Seven-Hundred-and-Fifty-Year Limit.

That was the ceiling. Exceeding it was impossible.

But as Tang Hao continued his examination, his pupils contracted sharply. His usual calm shattered, and utter shock filled his eyes.

He could clearly sense that both bodies possessed far greater resilience than he had expected.

The Whale Rubber's body-tempering effect was far more astonishing than he had imagined!

Their bone density, the resilience of their flesh, and the pressure their meridians could withstand had all undergone a complete transformation! The Seven-Hundred-and-Fifty-Year Limit that had once constrained their Second Soul Rings had been broken and raised!

Their capacity had increased by a full five hundred years!

Tang Hao abruptly withdrew his hands. His breath caught, and disbelief filled his face.

"The One-Thousand-Two-Hundred-and-Fifty-Year Limit... Both of your Second Soul Rings can reach the One-Thousand-Two-Hundred-and-Fifty-Year Limit!"

His voice was deep with astonishment, excitement and joy unmistakable in it.

An ordinary Soul Master's Second Soul Ring could only reach around seven hundred years, and San and Xun had been no exceptions. Who could have imagined that a single piece of thousand-year Whale Rubber would increase what their bodies could withstand by five hundred years?

Tang Yuehua froze. Her beautiful eyes widened, and disbelief spread across her face.

"The One-Thousand-Two-Hundred-and-Fifty-Year Limit?! Second Brother, are you sure you examined them correctly? Their Second Soul Rings can come from thousand-year Soul Beasts? That's unheard of!"

In all the history of Soul Master cultivation, there had never been a precedent for absorbing a thousand-year Soul Ring as one's Second Soul Ring!

Tang San was shaken to his core. He clenched his fists instinctively, feeling the formidable strength filling his body, and finally understood just how extraordinary an opportunity the Whale Rubber had given him.

A knowing smile flickered in Li Xun's eyes.

This is the true, extraordinary value of thousand-year Whale Rubber.