Taking Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Glue

"Whale Rubber is a special substance produced in the brains of devil whales. It strengthens the bones and meridians of Soul Masters, letting them withstand more!"

"According to the Ancient Books, a piece of Whale Rubber this large, softened over an intense flame and then eaten, is enough to transform a Soul Master's body from the inside out!"

"Although the Ancient Books don't explicitly say Whale Rubber increases Soul Power, it is intensely yang in nature. Once it soaks into every limb and bone, Soul Power will naturally rise."

Xu Yuan sat in the little courtyard in Nuoding City, holding forth with easy confidence.

In front of him stood a charcoal bellows from a blacksmith's shop. Xiao Wu was working herself to the bone, pumping its handle.

As a steady stream of air rushed into the charcoal, its deep red glow gradually turned orange-red, and sparks flew.

"Xu Yuan, can't you come help?"

A scorching wave of heat struck Xiao Wu's face, leaving her forehead drenched in sweat.

She glared at Xu Yuan, who lay resting on a wooden chair with his eyes closed, and couldn't help clenching her little fists.

"Sister Xiao Wu, I'm a Support System Soul Master!"

"I can't carry a load on my shoulders or lift one with my hands. How could I compare with you Power Attack System Soul Masters?"

"Besides, didn't you say that anyone who wanted to kill me would have to step over your dead body first?"

"If you can't endure this little hardship, how am I supposed to count on you to protect me later, Sister Xiao Wu?"

Xu Yuan lay in the courtyard like a salted fish, unmoved.

"When did I ever say someone would have to step over my dead body to kill you?"

Xiao Wu nearly exploded with frustration. "Xu Yuan, just you wait! Once I've melted these three pieces of Whale Rubber, you can watch me eat them!"

"Heh-heh..."

"You think Whale Rubber is ready to eat as soon as it melts?"

"If eating Whale Rubber directly could strengthen a Soul Master's body, its benefits would have been known throughout the world ages ago!"

"Do you think all those nobles are fools?"

Xu Yuan paid no mind to Xiao Wu's "vicious" threat.

The silly rabbit knew nothing about Whale Rubber, after all. He could make up whatever he liked.

"Oh, right!"

Xiao Wu stopped pumping the bellows.

If eating Whale Rubber was all it took to improve one's physique, how could every other Soul Master in the world have failed to discover it?

"Xu Yuan, what did you buy at the apothecary just now?"

Xiao Wu remembered that before renting the courtyard, Xu Yuan had made a special trip to the apothecary and bought some medicinal herbs.

"A secret recipe I found in the Ancient Books, of course. The Whale Rubber only works when taken with it."

Xu Yuan opened his eyes and gave Xiao Wu a look that was almost a smile.

"Hahaha, so that's how it is!"

"Sister Xiao Wu was only teasing you. It's just pumping the bellows, isn't it? Sit back and relax. Leave it to me!"

Xiao Wu was so angry that she ground her teeth together, but she still forced out a strained smile.

For the sake of raising her Soul Power Level, Sister Xiao Wu would learn to endure!

As the flames grew hotter, the clear golden crystals began to melt, releasing a rich, heady fragrance.

Pale golden light flowed from the Whale Rubber as the solid crystals softened into a pliant gel.

"Xu Yuan, the Whale Rubber has melted!"

Xiao Wu let go of the bellows handle and cried out in delight.

"Good. The three pieces are a hundred, a thousand, and ten thousand years old."

"The hundred-year Whale Rubber is no use to me. We'll split the thousand-year and Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Glue evenly!"

Xu Yuan walked over to the fire and began brewing some medicinal herbs.

He had carefully selected them according to the standards in the medicine and poison sections of the Mysterious Heaven Treasure Record.

The decoction made from these herbs could suppress the aphrodisiac effect of the Whale Rubber.

Xiao Wu had no objection. She watched Xu Yuan's movements intently, as though trying to memorize every step.

A while later, Xu Yuan finished brewing the decoction.

"Xiao Wu, this is yours. The wooden tub is in the room. Remember: drink the decoction first, then eat the Whale Rubber, and finally circulate your Soul Power to absorb it!"

Xu Yuan handed Xiao Wu the decoction and Whale Rubber, then told her to go into the room to absorb them.

"I'll go first, then!"

Xiao Wu eagerly took the Whale Rubber and decoction and hurried into the room.

But before Xu Yuan could sit down, she came back out.

"Xu Yuan, I have a question!"

Xiao Wu looked grave and earnest.

"What is it?"

Xu Yuan looked at her in confusion. Had she seen through his plan to keep a little extra Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Glue for himself?

Surely not. Was the silly rabbit that clever?

"Have you ever taken Whale Rubber before?"

"Of course not. I come from an ordinary mountain village. Whale Rubber is for nobles—how could I afford it?"

"Then how can you be sure what the Ancient Books say is true?"

"I..."

Xu Yuan's words caught in his throat.

He had to admit, Xiao Wu had asked a good question.

It would be another ten thousand years before people discovered that Whale Rubber could strengthen a Soul Master's physique.

He had found the recipe for the special decoction in the Mysterious Heaven Treasure Record.

Xu Yuan really had no way to prove any of it was true.

"Then... I'll go first. If something happens to me, take me to a Soul Master in the city for treatment!"

After a moment's silence, Xu Yuan decided to try it himself. Carrying the Whale Rubber and decoction, he headed straight for the room.

Then Xu Yuan caught sight of Xiao Wu.

She was following him, apparently intending to enter the room too.

"What are you doing?" Xu Yuan stared at her, stunned.

"Going in to keep an eye on you! If something happens, I need to drag you out for treatment right away!"

Xiao Wu planted her hands on her hips and answered as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"But these are the only clothes I have. If I'm getting into the tub, I'll have to take them off."

Xu Yuan's words made Xiao Wu pause. Her gaze swept over him from head to toe.

Though he was supposedly a transformed hundred-thousand-year-old tree spirit, he was still rather good-looking.

"Huh, Xu Yuan, have you..."

Xiao Wu raised a finger and measured his height.

"Is it my imagination, or have you grown a lot?"

She had barely paid attention to his appearance before.

Now that she looked closely, she immediately noticed something was different.

Each time a Soul Master absorbed a Soul Ring, their body underwent a transformation.

That was why Soul Masters of eleven or twelve often looked no different from ordinary people of seventeen or eighteen.

Zhu Zhuqing, a female Soul Master, deserved a special mention here. Did someone her age normally have a figure like that?

Xu Yuan had added two more Soul Rings to his Wish-Granting Tree Martial Soul in quick succession.

In height alone, he had already surpassed Xiao Wu.

"Forget it. Follow me if you want, but turn around and face away from me!"

Startled, Xu Yuan stopped arguing with Xiao Wu and carried the Whale Rubber into the room.

When he reached the wooden tub, he took off his outer clothes.

"Ah! Xu Yuan, what are you doing? You pervert!"

Xiao Wu covered her flushed cheeks and cried out.

"Next time you call someone a pervert, try closing the gaps between your fingers first!"

Xu Yuan's face darkened as he stared speechlessly at Xiao Wu, whose fingers were spread wide and whose bright eyes were fixed on him.

He took off nothing else and jumped straight into the tub.

"You're not taking off any more?" Xiao Wu sounded faintly disappointed.

"You're the real pervert!"

Xu Yuan ignored her. He poured the Whale Rubber, still soft and unset, into his mouth along with the decoction.