Heat and cold mingled within the room, making the scene look particularly bizarre. Tie Zhan scratched his head, his face full of confusion, and joked with a grin:
"Teacher, this is quite the unusual setup. Water, pots, and stoves—are we supposed to cultivate while soaking in ice water, then cook ourselves a meal right here?"
Several boys around him chuckled at his words, their faces equally puzzled.
Lin Chen nodded lightly and replied casually, "More or less. That's how the process works."
That simple reply froze the smiles on Tie Zhan and the others' faces. Utterly bewildered, they exchanged looks, unable to imagine how this strange setup could possibly be used for cultivation and refinement.
Without explaining further, Lin Chen got straight to work. He placed the small iron pots on the floor onto the stoves one by one, then adjusted the heat to keep the flames gentle and steady—neither so fierce that they wasted the medicinal potency nor so weak that they failed to melt the rubber.
"Put the whale rubber you're holding into the pots and let it melt slowly over low heat. Once it's completely liquid, follow the steps to refine and absorb it."
No longer hesitating, everyone followed his instructions, gently placing their whale rubber into the iron pots and quietly waiting for it to melt.
Meanwhile, in the girls' lounge on the western side of the Training Ground, the atmosphere was entirely different.
The instant Bai Qingqing told everyone that the treasures in their hands were whale rubber, more than half the girls blushed, their ears burning as they shyly lowered their heads and fidgeted.
They had all heard something of whale rubber and knew of its special benefits for building a foundation. Understanding what that entailed, they could not help feeling a little embarrassed.