Tang San Took Whale Rubber and Strengthened His Physique!

Tang San frowned slightly and sank into thought.

Back when he had been an assassin in his previous life, he had understood that biting off more than one could chew would get him nowhere.

He possessed the Clear Sky Hammer. If he also sent his Blue Silver Grass down the power attack system path, he would only waste the advantage of his twin martial souls.

At that thought, Tang San raised his head and said with certainty, "Big Brother, I want to pursue the ultimate life path."

"Since I have the Clear Sky Hammer, I don't lack the ability to fight head-on. Blue Silver Grass should do what the Clear Sky Hammer can't."

Hearing this, Tang Tianlin straightened up despite himself. "Not bad, San. With that kind of understanding, it'd be a shame if you didn't study theory."

A little embarrassed by the praise, Tang San scratched his head. "Don't tease me, Big Brother. I've only just started..."

"There's no need to belittle yourself."

Tang Tianlin smiled. "You should know that plenty of people go their entire lives without understanding the meaning of specialization. By figuring this out, you've already left your peers far behind."

"But pursuing the life system won't be that easy, either."

"Blue Silver Grass is inherently weak. If you want to strengthen its life attribute, choosing the right soul ring is crucial. Ideally, you'll want a soul beast with attributes like recovery and accelerated growth, and its age can't be too low..."

As Tang San listened to Tang Tianlin's stream of analysis, he felt as though a blockage in his mind had suddenly cleared. He nodded. "I'll follow your lead, Big Brother."

After their time together, his trust in Tang Tianlin had already far surpassed his trust in Tang Hao.

Besides, an eldest brother was like a father. He believed his big brother would never harm him.

"Don't worry." Tang Tianlin waved a hand. "I have a plan for your soul ring."

The Sunset Forest could be called a paradise for plant-type soul beasts. With a patient search, they would eventually find a soul beast suited to Tang San.

Just then, the carriage suddenly jolted and gradually slowed.

Immediately afterward, the driver's somewhat simple, honest voice came from beyond the curtain. "Lord Soul Master, the pool you asked me to find is just ahead."

"Park the carriage here for now. We'll be right back."

With that, Tang Tianlin leaped out of the carriage and beckoned to Tang San.

Tang San hurriedly jumped down and followed behind Tang Tianlin.

The two made their way to the pool. Tang San looked around, somewhat puzzled. "Big Brother, is there... something special about this place?"

Without answering, Tang Tianlin reached into his Storage Soul Tool and took out a palm-sized, translucent orange-yellow crystal.

"This is called whale rubber. Taking it can temper your muscles and bones, cleanse your marrow, and thereby raise the age of the first soul ring you can absorb."

At this stage, whale rubber was still regarded as an aphrodisiac, and its price was nowhere near as high as it would be ten thousand years later.

Moreover, while at the sect, he had reported whale rubber's effects early on, spurring the entire sect to harvest it.

Though this piece of whale rubber was only a thousand years old, it was enough for Tang San as he was now.

"Temper my muscles and bones and cleanse my marrow?!"

Tang San's eyes lit up.

Even in his previous life, spiritual medicines capable of cleansing the marrow had been priceless treasures that only grandmaster-level figures could enjoy.

He had never expected his big brother to be willing to give him such a precious spiritual medicine.

I'll never be able to repay all of Big Brother's kindness at this rate!

Tang Tianlin tossed the piece of whale rubber to Tang San and explained, "Hold it in your mouth and swallow slowly. Don't gulp it down in one go. Let its medicinal power spread from your mouth first, so it doesn't surge too fiercely and injure your spleen and stomach."

"During the tempering process, your body will also expel some impurities. You can wash them off in this pool."

Tang San caught the whale rubber and examined it for a moment. Then he gritted his teeth and stuffed the orange-yellow piece into his mouth.

In an instant, a strong fishy taste shot straight to the crown of his head.

Tang San felt his tongue go numb, his entire mouth seemingly enveloped in a warm current of air.

A scalding current poured down his throat into his abdomen, then burst apart, as though a mass of raging fire were rampaging through every limb and bone in his body.

Tang San let out a muffled groan. Veins bulged on his forehead, and his whole body began trembling slightly beyond his control.

"Don't panic."

Tang Tianlin's unhurried voice sounded beside his ear.

"The medicinal power is flushing through your meridians. If you circulate your energy to resist it now, you'll waste at least thirty percent of its effects. Relax and let the medicinal power move on its own."

Tang San clenched his teeth and struggled to suppress his instinct to circulate his energy in resistance, allowing the violent heat to run freely through his meridians.

Sweat soon soaked his clothes. A faint red flush appeared on his skin, and fine beads of black, fishy-smelling grease seeped from his pores.

Only after nearly an hour did the heat gradually subside.

Tang San let out a long breath. His whole body felt light, as though he had cast off a set of invisible shackles.

Although his soul power remained at rank ten, his physique and blood vitality had both improved considerably.

Even the circulation of the Mysterious Heaven Skill within his body had become much faster.

"Good results."

Tang Tianlin looked him up and down and nodded slightly.

Tang San already had a solid foundation, and he had absorbed at least seventy percent of the whale rubber. Tang Tianlin reckoned that, if he gritted his teeth and pushed himself, he could manage a seven-hundred-year first soul ring.

"Get changed. We're moving on."

After two days of traveling day and night, the carriage finally reached the outskirts of the Sunset Forest.

As the sky was growing dark, Tang Tianlin took Tang San to rest at a nearby inn, planning to enter the forest to hunt for soul rings the following day.

Early the next morning, Tang Tianlin rose, made some simple preparations, and led Tang San into the Sunset Forest.

Although he was only at rank thirty now, the first four layers of the Golden Dragon King's seal had already been unlocked. Combined with the Clear Sky Secret Art and his child of nature abilities, ordinary ten-thousand-year soul beasts were no match for him.

After entering the Sunset Forest, they could clearly sense that the surrounding vegetation had grown thicker and sturdier. Even the air carried an inexplicable, sickly-sweet tang.

"San, when hunting for soul rings, you must stay wary of everything, especially soul masters."

"Soul masters with ulterior motives are the greatest danger during a soul hunt."

Tang Tianlin led Tang San on a leisurely walk through the outskirts, explaining some precautions for soul hunting along the way.

Tang San nodded repeatedly as he listened.

He had already gained a profound understanding of the danger posed by those in the same profession in his previous life.

Soon, using his child of nature ability to communicate with plants, Tang Tianlin pinpointed the location of a target soul beast.

The two walked on, stopping from time to time. After passing through several dense thickets, a stretch of emerald-green grass came into view.

A thick vine grew in the center of the clearing. It was green all over, its surface covered in silvery-white markings shaped like dragon patterns.

Tang Tianlin studied the vine for a moment, his eyes brightening slightly.

"A Dragon-Patterned Vine. It's a plant-type soul beast with extremely powerful life attributes and recovery abilities. Judging by the density of its markings and the thickness of its stem, it should be around seven hundred and fifty years old, right at your limit."

"Seven hundred and fifty years?"

Joy rose in Tang San's heart.

Wasn't that exactly the limit of what I could absorb?

Just then, Tang Tianlin suddenly walked up to the Dragon-Patterned Vine and closed his eyes. A faint emerald-green glow rose around him.

The Dragon-Patterned Vine seemed to sense something. Its silvery-white markings glimmered, and the entire vine gave off a humming vibration, as though answering some kind of summons.