Whale Rubber, Strengthening the Body!

But just as Li Yan's hand was about to grab Qian Renchuan's collar...

A flicker of impatience crossed Qian Renchuan's eyes.

He did not even get up. Still sitting on the bed, he casually raised his right hand.

Bang!

His seemingly effortless punch met Li Yan's outstretched palm head-on.

A dull thud rang out.

Li Yan's expression changed.

Terrifying force surged up his arm.

His eyes flew wide with disbelief.

How was this possible?

Could a six-year-old really be this strong?

Before he could react...

Li Yan was sent flying backward and slammed hard into the dormitory wall.

"Pfft!"

"Argh!"

Only after crying out did he slide down the wall.

He collapsed onto the floor, groaning in pain.

The sight left Zhao Mang stunned.

He stopped dead in his tracks as he charged toward Qian Renchuan.

He looked at Li Yan sprawled on the floor, then at Qian Renchuan, who had not budged from his spot on the bed.

Cold sweat soaked his back.

"Y-you..."

Zhao Mang's voice shook. He was utterly stunned.

How was this possible?

During Practical Class, they could have said Qian Renchuan had gotten lucky.

But what about now?

Neither side had used a Martial Soul.

That meant Qian Renchuan was just a six-year-old child.

How much strength could a six-year-old possibly have?

Yet he had sent Li Yan flying with one punch?

What the hell???

Just then, Qian Renchuan lazily turned to Zhao Mang.

"What?"

"Weren't you going to teach me the rules?"

"Come on, then."

Zhao Mang swallowed and forced himself to shout,

"You're just a little stronger than me! I don't believe you can do whatever you want without using your Martial Soul!"

Gritting his teeth, Zhao Mang swung his fist at Qian Renchuan again.

Qian Renchuan shook his head.

His figure blurred, and he vanished from the bed in an instant.

The next second...

He reappeared right in front of Zhao Mang and lashed out with a vicious roundhouse kick.

Bang!

Zhao Mang felt as if lightning had struck him.

The tremendous force sent him flying into Li Yan, who had just managed to get up.

The two tumbled across the floor, bruised and battered, gasping in pain.

They had been thoroughly beaten into submission!

In this dormitory...

Martial Souls were forbidden.

With his physical strength of 360, Qian Renchuan was in another league entirely!

Never mind these two ten-year-olds.

Even a teenage Soul Elder would be no match for Qian Renchuan in a contest of physical strength alone.

Tap, tap, tap...

Just then...

Qian Renchuan strolled over and looked down at them.

"Now."

"Who's in charge of this dormitory?"

At the sound of his voice, Li Yan and Zhao Mang trembled. Their earlier arrogance had vanished, replaced by sheer terror.

They nodded frantically, their voices shaking.

"You are!"

"You're in charge of this dormitory, Young Master!"

"We didn't know who we were dealing with! Please don't hit us anymore!"

Qian Renchuan nodded in satisfaction.

"Good."

"From today on, you two are responsible for cleaning the entire dormitory."

"Sweep the floor thoroughly."

"Scrub the chamber pot three times a day."

"If I smell even a hint of an odor, I'll stuff both of you inside it."

"Understood?"

The two nodded frantically again.

"Understood!"

"Don't worry, Young Master. We'll make sure it's spotless!"

"Then get over there and start cleaning."

"Yes, yes, right away."

The two scrambled away.

They were afraid that if they stayed a moment longer, Qian Renchuan would give them another beating.

Watching them hurry to fetch a broom and rags, Qian Renchuan nodded in satisfaction. He yawned, climbed back into bed, and added,

"Oh, and bring my food up when it's time to eat. Got it?"

Li Yan and Zhao Mang exchanged a glance.

Then they nodded vigorously.

All of this...

Had been seen by Huo Yuhao, who was pretending to cultivate on the bed opposite.

Shock surged through Huo Yuhao.

That strength... that speed...

He didn't use his Martial Soul at all. He defeated two Soul Grandmasters above level twenty in an instant with nothing but physical strength!

An ordinary Skin Martial Soul could never do that!

Just how much of his strength is the boss hiding?

Until I'm absolutely certain I can beat him, I mustn't provoke him.

He had expected Qian Renchuan to defeat them again, but he had never imagined it would be so easy.

Neither side had used a Martial Soul, after all.

That proved one thing.

The boss was exceptionally strong even with his body alone, far beyond what Huo Yuhao had imagined.

Huo Yuhao was wary of him.

But only wary.

In the long run, he was still confident he could leave the boss in the dust.

This was the Douluo Continent, after all!

Soul skills and Martial Souls were what mattered.

Besides, no one in this era seemed to know that Whale Rubber could temper the body.

In other words, surpassing the boss physically would be easy, too.

He just needed to find enough Whale Rubber!

That was right.

Huo Yuhao set himself another small goal.

Find Whale Rubber.

Craft Soul Tools.

Find Brother Sky Dream.

Find Qiu'er.

Kill Tang San.

Kill the Evil Soul Masters in Spirit Hall.

Having settled on these few "small" goals, Huo Yuhao's eyes flashed. He stopped circulating the Mysterious Heaven Skill.

No. Time is running out. I need to finish making the Fixed-Installation Soul Tool as soon as possible.

With that trump card, I'll have a better chance of escaping Spirit Hall.

He glanced at Qian Renchuan, who was fast asleep on his bed, and sneered.

The boss is an idiot.

All he does is sleep.

I don't need to hide anything from him.

How could a fool who doesn't even understand cultivation recognize Soul Tool technology from ten thousand years in the future?

Huo Yuhao took a large pile of metal materials and an engraving knife from his Storage Soul Tool.

He laid them on the small table beside his bed.

Then, with no regard for anyone else, he began carving the Core Magic Array for the Fixed-Installation Soul Tool.

Scritch, scritch, scritch.

The knife raced across the metal, making a faint, rhythmic scraping sound.

Hearing the soft scratching...

And Huo Yuhao's thoughts echoing endlessly in his head, Qian Renchuan reluctantly opened one eye.

He glanced at Old Third, who was absorbed in carving the metal disc, and felt speechless.

Old Third...

He really does think I'm an idiot.

I might never have seen a Soul Tool from ten thousand years in the future, but he's making contraband right here in the dormitory. Does he think I'm blind?

Whatever. He can make what he likes, as long as he doesn't disturb my sleep.

Qian Renchuan rolled over and settled into a more comfortable position, ready to drift off again.

Just then, the system's notification sounded in his mind.

[Ding—]

[Bonded individual "Huo Yuhao" detected carving a Soul Tool core with intense mental focus. Tenfold return triggered.]

[Congratulations, Host. You have gained: Mental Control +1...]

[Ding—]

[Bonded individual "Qian Renxue" detected undergoing extreme-limit weighted training. Tenfold return triggered.]

[Congratulations, Host. You have gained: Physical Body Enhancement +1...]