Searching for Whale Rubber (Please Keep Reading)

"Arrogant brat, you're asking for it!"

Seeing the boy dare to meet her head-on, Elder Lin, seated in the place of honor, felt a flicker of genuine anger. Beneath her sleeve, her withered fingers stirred, and the pressure she had intended as a mild punishment suddenly surged!

Boom!

Violent pressure swept out like a storm. Fine cracks spread across the hall's hard floor beneath the force of it. Pressure of this magnitude was enough to crush a Four-Ring Soul Ancestor until he coughed blood and collapsed!

And yet...

At the very heart of the storm, Dongfang Hao looked remarkably calm beneath pressure that would have left an ordinary Soul Ancestor completely helpless.

Even the hems of his clothes failed to stir in the surging air!

"Elder Lin, you may as well put away these children's games. If you truly want to crush me... why not raise your pressure to the Soul King level and see what happens?"

A mocking smile touched Dongfang Hao's lips as he spoke.

"You little wretch! Do you really think there's nothing I can do to you?!"

Challenged so openly by a junior, Elder Lin could no longer save face. Light blazed deep in her eyes, and the pressure around her climbed wildly once more!

At last, the terrifying force descending from above grew strong enough to flatten even a Five-Ring Soul King of the Power Attack System!

And yet...

One breath. Three breaths. Ten breaths!

Time slipped by in a silence so oppressive it was hard to breathe.

In the center of the hall, the black-clad boy stood with his hands behind his back, rooted to the spot like a boulder.

He had not moved an inch. That faint, mocking smile remained on his lips. Like a monolith of dark iron that had stood for ten thousand years, he let the raging waves crash around him without budging!

"How... how is this possible?!"

Beside them, Cai Mei'er's lovely face had gone pale with nerves. Her eyes widened, and she raised a hand to cover her red lips as her thoughts churned like a river overturning the sea.

She knew better than anyone how terrifying the mental pressure Elder Lin had unleashed was!

Any Soul Grandmaster would have been sent flying, coughing blood!

Even a Soul Emperor or Soul Saint could never have kept a straight face!

Yet the boy before her had endured it without a scratch. Not even half a drop of cold sweat had appeared on his brow?!

What kind of monster possessed such terrifying reserves?!

"Enough!"

In the place of honor, Elder Lin's withered chest heaved. Unable to maintain her lofty composure any longer, she drew a deep breath and swept her sleeve, withdrawing every trace of the violent pressure from the hall.

The old woman stared fixedly at Dongfang Hao. The coldness on her face had vanished, replaced by unconcealed shock and gravity.

A mere Soul Grandmaster had faced down mental pressure strong enough to crush a Soul King without so much as changing expression...

How could the boy before her be called merely a genius?

He was a monster, plain and simple!

"Phew..."

Elder Lin leaned wearily against her chair. The shock in her eyes took a long time to fade. Finally, she waved a hand and said hoarsely:

"Fine... Mei'er, take him there."

"The brat has earned the right to be arrogant... let him choose his Whale Rubber."

Cai Mei'er let out a breath of relief and patted her chest. Then she turned to look at the black-clad boy beside her, whose expression remained as calm as ever. Awe and a strange light now shone in her eyes.

"Come along, little one."

Cai Mei'er exhaled deeply and led Dongfang Hao across the hall toward the storage chamber at the rear.

Their footsteps echoed softly through the empty, dim corridor as they walked at an unhurried pace.

Cai Mei'er walked ahead, her graceful figure wrapped in a dark-green robe. Yet the woman, whose strength had reached the Super Douluo level, could not calm the storm raging in her heart.

Partway there, she could no longer hold back her bewilderment. Slowing her steps, she turned to stare at the black-clad boy beside her and said:

"You really were a newborn calf unafraid of the tiger back there. You dared to withstand Elder Lin's pressure head-on! Do you know she's a genuine level ninety-six Super Douluo? If she'd truly lost her temper, even a sliver of the Soul Power pressure spilling from her would have crushed you!"

As she spoke, lingering fear made Cai Mei'er's chest rise and fall sharply.

Dongfang Hao merely smiled faintly at her words. With his hands behind his back, he offered no rebuttal, though he could not help scoffing inwardly.

An ordinary Soul Grandmaster would certainly have died under pressure capable of crushing a Soul King.

But the Divine Heaven Soul Power flowing through him had been compressed threefold to the extreme. Its density and resilience were enough to leave even the inner court's so-called prodigies eating his dust.

What was more, deep within his mind lay a genuine mental sea at the Spirit Abyss Realm.

Elder Lin's so-called test might have felt like Mount Tai crashing down on someone else. To him now, it had been no more than a breeze against his face, posing no real threat at all.

Click.

As they spoke, a hidden door ahead slowly opened, revealing a treasury lined with countless crystal display cases.

The moment it opened, a slightly ancient scent mixed with the odors of various Sea Soul Beasts washed over them.

"All the Whale Rubber kept on the top floor of the Treasure Gathering Pavilion is here."

Cai Mei'er stopped before a large white-jade table. Her eyes swept over the faintly glowing yellow crystals, each about the size of a fist, and her brows furrowed in puzzlement.

"But most of the Whale Rubber here is only around a thousand years old. The oldest piece barely reaches three thousand. Given what you've shown me, is it really worth going to such lengths to take this as your first treasure?"

Faced with Cai Mei'er's confusion, Dongfang Hao only curved his lips in a knowing smile and shook his head. He did not explain.

Hum!

But while Cai Mei'er wondered, two brilliant glints of dark gold quietly flashed deep within Dongfang Hao's eyes.

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