Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Glue

Without a Storage Soul Tool, Lu Yi was in no hurry to buy one.

He had no idea how much Whale Rubber cost. It would be awkward if he spent his money and found himself just short.

But after searching for quite a while, Lu Yi found no Whale Rubber for sale in the area, so he asked the sales attendant, "Do you have Whale Rubber here?"

"Of course." The attendant kept her pleasant smile, showing no particular reaction to his request.

Though she was not a Soul Master herself, she knew her trade and understood what Whale Rubber could do for one. Turning to the side, she gestured with practiced courtesy. "Please follow me, sir!"

Lu Yi followed her into another room. Compared with the previous room, where goods had been packed together like wares in a general store, this one was far more spacious and bright.

Every item sat behind glass in a custom display case, like an exhibit in a museum. Lu Yi needed no introduction to tell that the things here were worth a fortune.

I've barely had that money long enough to warm it in my hands, and it already looks ready to leave me!

Lu Yi grumbled to himself, then saw that the attendant had stopped.

Following her gesture, he saw several yellow-orange crystalline lumps of different sizes arranged inside a display case.

"This is the Whale Rubber, sir," the attendant said. She took a discreet step back, leaving Lu Yi room to look.

No further explanation was needed. Beneath each item in the case was a detailed label listing its name, properties, price, and origin.

Lu Yi examined the pieces of Whale Rubber, each a different size.

"High-quality thousand-year Whale Rubber, seven taels and six qian, thirty-eight thousand Gold Soul Coins. From a three-thousand-year Sea-Swallowing Whale."

"Medium-quality thousand-year Whale Rubber... from a two-thousand-year Dragon-Whisker Whale."

Thousand-year Whale Rubber generally cost around five thousand Gold Soul Coins per tael. Prices varied slightly between whale-type Soul Beast species, but not by much.

The Treasure Gathering Pavilion certainly had deep pockets. It had put so much Whale Rubber on display despite how scarce the stuff had become. Lu Yi checked several pieces; all were high quality, and all were expensive.

Then he spotted a case that stood out far more than the others. A sign on it read: Not for Sale.

"Top-grade thousand-year Whale Rubber, one jin, two taels, and five qian. From an eight-thousand-year Evil Spirit Orca."

This Whale Rubber was plainly there to command attention and show off the Treasure Gathering Pavilion's resources, not to be sold.

Lu Yi gave it only a glance. To be honest, aside from being a little bigger than the other pieces, he saw nothing special about it.

Of course, he knew it was beyond his reach. He moved on until an unassuming display case in the farthest corner caught his eye.

"Ordinary thousand-year Whale Rubber, one jin and two taels, twelve thousand Gold Soul Coins. Source Soul Beast unknown; age unknown. Note: This Whale Rubber has declined slightly in quality and has been discounted accordingly. The Pavilion has provided full disclosure. No returns or exchanges after purchase."

At the sight of the dark, grimy lump inside the case, Lu Yi's heart suddenly began to pound, and his breathing quickened.

He did not know how to judge Whale Rubber's quality, but that description—and the way this piece looked...

The more he thought about it, the more certain he felt. Wasn't this the Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Glue Huo Yuhao had picked up for a steal?

It was considerably more expensive than when Huo Yuhao had bought it, but on reflection, that made sense.

If an item sat unsold long enough, its price would naturally keep dropping. He had arrived so much earlier; a higher price was only to be expected.

Lu Yi turned to the attendant and indicated the piece. "I'll take this one."

The attendant had noticed its appearance too. Knowing Lu Yi had fifty thousand Gold Soul Coins to spend, she offered a reminder, both for his sake and for her own sales figures:

"Wouldn't you like to look a little longer? This piece is cheap, but there's a problem with its quality. We have plenty of good-quality pieces, and the prices are very fair."

"No need. I'll take this one. I need the rest of my money for other things." Lu Yi's tone was firm, though he tried to keep his expression unchanged so as not to arouse suspicion.

Seeing his mind was made up, the attendant did not press him. She opened the case and wrapped the Whale Rubber.

At the counter, Lu Yi swiped his card. The attendant smiled as she handed him the Whale Rubber, and only then did his heart settle.

What a steal!

The attendant also thoughtfully gave him a small device made specifically for melting Whale Rubber.

The device was worth little—five or six Gold Soul Coins at most—but Lu Yi was pleased with it.

He promptly placed another order, buying a Storage Ring, enough ingredients for three months of medicinal baths, and a good supply of ointments for bruises and sprains.

Together, those purchases cost less than three thousand Gold Soul Coins. Lu Yi had finally experienced what it felt like to spend without batting an eye.

When he left the Treasure Gathering Pavilion, his Storage Ring was already nearly half-filled with everything he had bought that day.

A reassuring thirty-five thousand Gold Soul Coins still remained on his card. After buying a small bathing tub just large enough for him to sit in, Lu Yi returned to the academy.

He went to the dining hall first and ordered a meal from the high-end counter, something he had never been willing to spend money on before. Once he had eaten his fill, he returned to his dormitory.

Evening was approaching, and his roommate Zhou Sichen was nowhere to be found. On the way back, though, Lu Yi had seen Huo Yuhao jogging around the academy in a heavy iron vest.

You really work hard, Old Huo!

Then I'd better get to work too.

Lu Yi fetched a bucket of hot water, poured in the ingredients for his medicinal bath, mixed them thoroughly, and sat down in it.

He took out the dark Whale Rubber and the heater, sawed off roughly one tael, and put it in the device to melt.

This piece took an unusually long time to heat. By the time a strange fragrance began to bubble up inside the sealed container, the water in the tub had gone cold.

Lu Yi carefully opened the container. The fragrance grew richer, soon filling the entire dormitory with its refreshing scent.

Merely smelling it made Lu Yi's cheeks grow hot and his head feel a little light.

He looked inside. The crystalline lump, once black, had turned into a dark golden paste.

Relief washed over Lu Yi. He was certain now that he had snatched up the same piece of Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Glue Huo Yuhao would have found, not a genuinely inferior product.

He scooped up a spoonful of the thick, scalding Whale Rubber and blew on it until it cooled a little. Only then did he put it in his mouth.

"Hss... Hah..."

It was still hot, but how could he spit out something so good?

Enduring the pain on his tongue, Lu Yi waited a moment before swallowing it.

Heat seemed to flow down his throat. Without stopping to think, Lu Yi hurriedly ate the rest of the Whale Rubber, leaving not a drop behind.

Within just a few minutes, its effects began to kick in.

First, his head grew foggy. Then the skin all over his body turned as red as a cooked shrimp.

"What the fuck!"

Lu Yi let out a curse.

He was sitting in the cool water of the tub, but it did nothing to ease the burning heat in his body.

This stuff... packs way, way, way too much of a punch!

Lu Yi felt one part of his body turn to stone, hard as a rock.

Just then, the dormitory door opened and Zhou Sichen stepped inside.

The heady fragrance drifting through the air reached his nose, stirring him before he could help it.

Then he saw Lu Yi glowing red in the bathing tub, barely aware of his surroundings. Zhou Sichen stopped dead.

At that moment, the dormitory felt like the most dangerous place in the world.

There was no way he could stay there tonight.

He slowly backed away and closed the door again.

"I'll be going!"