Whale Rubber

"Father, for Whale Rubber to work, you have to soften it with fire first," Tang Chen told Tang Yue.

Tang Yue picked Tang Chen up and took him and the Whale Rubber to his private forge.

When they arrived, Tang Yue placed the Whale Rubber in the furnace to melt.

"Chen, whether this Whale Rubber works or not, I'm your father, so I have to try it first," Tang Yue said. "If it works for me, then you can try it."

Before long, the Whale Rubber, which had looked like yellow crystal, softened into a semi-liquid gel and gave off a peculiar fragrance.

Seeing that it was ready, Tang Chen said, "Father, it's softened. You can eat it now."

Tang Yue swallowed the softened Whale Rubber in one gulp.

Then he sat cross-legged and began refining its medicinal power.

As the Whale Rubber reached his stomach, warm energy flowed into his meridians.

Warmth spread through Tang Yue's entire body. His physique improved slightly, and even his Soul Power rose a little.

At the same time, his blood grew increasingly restless, and a flame of desire flared from within.

Only Tang Yue's high cultivation let him withstand the heat. He calmed his mind and, relying on his formidable Soul Power, forced the flame down.

A short while later,

Tang Yue had absorbed all the energy in the Whale Rubber.

He let out a long breath.

"Chen, Whale Rubber really can strengthen the body and even increase Soul Power," he said. "But its side effects are serious too. You need to be ready for them."

Tang Chen nodded. "I've been ready for a long time."

As he spoke, Tang Chen took a wooden tub from his Storage Ring. It was filled with icy water.

Seeing that Tang Chen had prepared thoroughly, Tang Yue stopped objecting and handed him four pieces of Whale Rubber.

"Two are thousand-year Whale Rubber, and two are ten-thousand-year Whale Rubber. Start absorbing them. I need to go out, but I'll be back soon."

With that, Tang Yue flew toward the Fourth Elder's house.

Tang Chen wasted no time. He put a piece of thousand-year Whale Rubber into the furnace.

Once it had softened, he stuffed it into his mouth, jumped straight into the icy water, and began refining it.

Scalding heat spread from his stomach, and energy coursed through his limbs and bones, sweeping across his entire body.

Tang Chen slowly closed his eyes and felt the Whale Rubber take effect. His body grew burning hot, his blood surged, and a flame of desire ignited deep within him.

Impurities seeped steadily out of his body, while his physique grew stronger.

Even in the icy water, Tang Chen felt miserable, but it was better than having nothing to cool him.

Nearly two hours passed before Tang Chen opened his eyes.

Seeing the impurities he had expelled floating throughout the tub, he leaped out.

He poured away the water along with the impurities, then filled the tub with fresh icy water.

After changing the water, Tang Chen checked how the Whale Rubber had affected him.

"Mm, my physique has improved quite a bit. My Soul Power seems to have gone up a little too."

Tang Chen then placed the second piece of thousand-year Whale Rubber into the furnace.

He followed the same steps as before.

As expected, his physique improved by another great leap.

Then Tang Chen took out the third piece: ten-thousand-year Whale Rubber!

It was black and gold, and when it melted, it flowed like liquid black gold.

Tang Chen eagerly stuffed it into his mouth. To his surprise, it held far more energy than the thousand-year Whale Rubber.

The flame of desire was more than ten times as fierce.

The icy water could no longer help. Fortunately, Tang Chen had prepared for that too.

He hurriedly took a silvery-white crystal ore with a faint blue sheen from his Storage Ring.

Ice Soul Silver Crystal!

This exceedingly rare ice-attributed ore continuously released frigid air without causing frostbite.

Tang Chen placed the Ice Soul Silver Crystal in the water and circulated his Meditation Method to absorb the Whale Rubber's energy.

His eyes were bloodshot, he panted like an ox, and steam rose from his body.

Absorbing this piece took a full five hours.

When Tang Chen finally emerged from the water, his muscles felt swollen with strength. He felt as though he could kill a thousand-year Iron Rhinoceros with one punch.

He had also grown five centimeters taller, reaching 1.72 meters.

Tang Chen decided to take the last piece of ten-thousand-year Whale Rubber tomorrow. He had taken enough for one day and needed time to adjust.

Meanwhile, Tang Yue arrived at the Fourth Elder's residence.

He pushed the door open and went straight in.

"Tang Cen, I need to speak with you." Tang Yue walked into the Fourth Elder's room.

"Chen discovered a treasure: Whale Rubber! It can raise a Soul Master's cultivation. More importantly, it can strengthen a Soul Master's physique, allowing them to absorb Soul Rings of a greater age."

Tang Cen drew in a sharp breath.

"Sect Master, has this been confirmed?"

Tang Yue nodded.

"Yes. Chen and I have both taken it."

"What would you like me to do, Sect Master?" Tang Cen asked.

Tang Yue came straight to the point. "Go down the mountain and collect Whale Rubber."

"The older it is, the better it works. Gather as much as you can."

Tang Yue then took ten banknotes and a Storage Ring from the Clear Sky Sect's treasury and handed them to Tang Cen.

"These ten banknotes are worth five million Gold Soul Coins, and there are another ten million Gold Soul Coins in the Storage Ring. Buy as much Whale Rubber as possible. Coastal cities would be your best bet."

"Understood." Tang Cen nodded and set off toward Vast Sea City.

Watching the Fourth Elder depart, Tang Yue wondered, Should I tell the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect about this?

After all, there was no hiding it forever. Even if the Clear Sky Sect did not buy Whale Rubber on a large scale, people would notice when someone's first or second Soul Ring appeared purple instead of yellow or white. The Clear Sky Sect could not keep the secret then.

Telling the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect would merely let them claim a share of the benefits early.

Besides, the Clear Sky Sect's wealth fell far short of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's.

With this information, he could strengthen ties with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and earn the Clear Sky Sect a handsome reward.

It was a win-win—the Clear Sky Sect won twice.

After weighing the advantages and disadvantages, Tang Yue decided to share the information with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect once the Fourth Elder returned.

Elsewhere...

With Soul Power and energy to spare, Tang Chen began practicing the Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer.

It flowed more smoothly with every swing, as if a god were guiding his hands.

One strike.

Three strikes.

Twelve strikes.

Thirty-six strikes.

He kept going until he reached seventy-two strikes.

Tang Chen felt not the slightest fatigue. His body seemed to hold an endless reserve of strength.

Anyone watching would have realized that Tang Chen had fallen into a state of sudden enlightenment.

By then, Tang Chen had brought the Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer to a level of true mastery.