Whale Rubber and Four Ten Thousand Year Soul Rings!

Qin Yun had obtained the Sphalerite, but he did not intend to absorb it just yet.

"Dean, I might need one more thing."

Flender paused, then narrowed his eyes.

"What else do you want?"

His hand went instinctively to the money pouch at his waist.

Qin Yun noticed. The corners of his mouth lifted before he could stop them.

But he quickly wiped away his smile and spoke seriously.

"I don't need to buy any more ore this time. I need you to help me find something—Whale Rubber."

"Whale Rubber?" Flender repeated.

"I've heard of it. Fishermen sometimes dig a big, sticky lump of it out of beached whale carcasses. Supposedly it can be used in medicine or mixed into lacquer."

"But I don't think anyone in the Soul Master world uses it for cultivation."

"What are you up to this time, kid?"

"You'll find out!"

Flender fell silent for a moment, then let out a long breath.

"Fine, fine. We've already spent this much today. What's a little more walking?"

"Seaside Town isn't far. It's less than half a day east of here."

"Come on. There's still daylight. Let's get this done and head back."

The two changed direction, left Metal City through its east gate, and followed a winding dirt road east.

The fields on either side gradually thinned out.

After about four hours, a hazy gray-blue shape appeared on the distant horizon.

Along the way, they passed several small villages built by the sea.

The houses were low, with bamboo poles outside every home hung with drying fishing nets and salted fish.

A few women sat mending nets beneath an old locust tree at a village entrance.

They glanced up at the two for a moment, then bent back to their work.

At last, before the sun sank too low, a small seaside town came into view.

Flender had spent years traveling far and wide. He soon found out where to buy Whale Rubber.

The third shop on the west side of town, marked by a whale-bone sign, was the only place in the area with high-grade Whale Rubber.

The two followed the directions there.

The shop was small and dimly lit.

Behind the counter sat an old fisherman who was also a Sea Soul Master.

After hearing what Flender wanted,

he rose, took an earthenware jar from a wooden shelf behind him, lifted the lid, and pulled out a large lump of Whale Rubber.

It was about the size of two adult fists, a deep, translucent amber with a briny, fishy smell up close.

No one in the Soul Master world of Douluo Continent had yet discovered that Whale Rubber could temper the body and increase its capacity to bear Soul Rings.

So its price was ordinary. It was far from rare.

"Is that enough?"

Flender stepped closer and took a look.

"If not, we can keep looking. We're here anyway."

"It's enough."

By then, it was getting late.

They decided to stay the night before leaving.

To save money, Flender booked only one room.

Qin Yun laid the Whale Rubber, from a ten-thousand-year-old whale, flat on the table, then took the Sphalerite from his clothes and placed it beside it.

He spoke with a solemn expression.

"Dean, I'm going to start condensing my fourth Soul Ring."

"Sorry for the trouble, but please guard me."

Flender nodded.

"Don't worry. I'll keep watch outside."

Qin Yun said no more. He sat cross-legged on the bed, closed his eyes halfway, and steadied his breathing.

He picked up the wrapped Whale Rubber, peeled away the oiled paper, and put the amber-colored substance into his mouth.

The moment it touched his tongue, it dissolved, releasing a strong briny taste.

At the same time, warmth flowed through his body. The energy was not violent, but it seemed to go on and on.

About an hour later, the Whale Rubber's energy had completely merged with his body.

Qin Yun did not rest. He drew a deep breath, picked up the Sphalerite, and pressed it between his palms.

Slowly closing his eyes, he sent his Soul Power into the ore.

He sensed the Gallium first.

It was a gentle yet responsive metal element with an extremely low melting point.

Qin Yun's Soul Power reached in, separated a trace of Gallium from the ore's crystal lattice, and drew it into his body.

The instant the Elemental Chart accepted the Gallium, a soft silver-white light lit up the thirteenth position in the Fourth Period.

Next came Germanium...

The moment both markings shone, every element in the Fourth Period had been lit.

A resonant hum sounded within Qin Yun's body.

He felt a vast power flood every meridian in his body at once.

Gritting his teeth, he slowly brought his hands together before his chest and guided that immense energy through his meridians. Once, twice, three times...

His fourth Soul Ring gradually took shape.

Qin Yun's first three Soul Rings were all purple.

They had given him a physique far stronger than that of an ordinary Soul Master. Added to that was the Whale Rubber he had consumed,

and the unique nature of his Periodic Table of Elements Martial Soul.

His fourth Soul Ring reached the Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring level outright.

A pitch-black ring hovered silently a meter in front of Qin Yun.

A deep, inky sheen glimmered along its edge.

But the changes did not stop there.

His first three purple Soul Rings trembled together. Their deep violet glow darkened as though a drop of ink had fallen into each one, spreading outward from the center.

Black swallowed every trace of purple.

Four Ten Thousand Year Soul Rings turned slowly in the night breeze, sending out invisible ripples of Soul Power.

Flender stood a short distance away.

His gaze was fixed on Qin Yun's Soul Rings. His lips parted slightly, and for a long while he could not close them.

The shrewd look he usually wore had vanished. Only undisguised shock and disbelief remained on his face.

"I think I've... found a real monster."

He paused, then repeated himself, pride entering his voice.

"But he's my monster."

When Qin Yun stepped out of the room, his face still held a faint flush from the surge in his Soul Power.

The four Ten Thousand Year Soul Rings had subtly changed his entire bearing.

His Soul Power ran deep, his edge held in check.

Early the next morning, the two retraced their route.

The journey back felt much easier.

They returned to Shrek Academy at noon.

The academy gate was still the same creaking wooden gate, and the training ground was still an ordinary stretch of yellow dirt.

But the moment Flender entered, his eyes fell on an unfamiliar figure in the courtyard.

A lean-faced, middle-aged man in gray stood there.

He was of average height, with a slightly receding hairline and the somber air of a man who had spent years buried in study.

Flender slowed for a moment, then smiled and strode over.

"Well, Xiaogang, what brings you here?"

"You could've let me know you were coming!"

The man turned at the sound of his voice.

"I'm here to see my disciple," he said.

"Tang San is my apprentice. Isn't he at the academy?"

Flender answered.

"Zhao Wuji probably took them to obtain Soul Rings."

"Xiaogang, this is the peerless genius I discovered—Qin Yun!"

Yu Xiaogang gave a brief acknowledgment, paying Qin Yun little mind.

In his eyes, his disciple Tang San was the most talented of all.