"Obtain three Soul Rings within two and a half days?"
"Their combined age must be at least fifteen thousand years?!"
Ye Han froze slightly at such harsh conditions.
That meant even his first Soul Ring would have to be several thousand years old.
"Make good use of my physique, and you will achieve twice the results with half the effort in this second trial."
Then, the Dragon God's eyes lit up, and he sent Ye Han back to reality.
As soon as he returned to reality, Ling Yuan's concerned voice reached him:
"Xiao Han, what's wrong? Are you sleepy?"
Hearing her, Ye Han hurriedly shook his head and replied:
"Ah... no, no."
Only then did Ling Yuan relax and smile.
"Let's go. The clothing store is just ahead."
Ye Han nodded, silently thinking about the Dragon God's second trial.
It seemed he would have to ask Sister Ling Yuan about whale rubber shortly.
Whether whale rubber could unlock his sacred physique for cultivation or not, he had to get some.
Whale rubber was also a powerful supplement for his ordinary physique and could increase the age of the Soul Rings he could absorb.
Without strengthening his physique, he simply could not absorb older Soul Rings and complete the second trial.
Time passed.
After buying Ye Han clothes, Ling Yuan headed back toward the courtyard.
On their way back, Ye Han could no longer restrain himself and suddenly asked:
"Sister Ling Yuan, do you know about whale rubber?"
Ling Yuan froze at first, then her pretty face flushed as she chided him:
"Who told you about that stuff? Children aren't allowed to ask about that!"
Her words carried a slight note of reproach, but Ye Han sensed her bashfulness.
That was hardly surprising, though. Whale rubber was a special supplement obtained from Sea Soul Beasts.
It had potent nourishing effects, replenishing the nutrients and energy the human body needed and improving bodily functions.
After Huo Yuhao, the protagonist of Douluo II, ate a piece of ten-thousand-year whale glue, the age of the Soul Rings his body could withstand rose to over two thousand years.
But only older whale rubber had such miraculous effects. Younger whale rubber had weak nourishing effects and fell far short of that result.
After taking younger whale rubber, people would experience excessive yang Qi, bodily heat, and similar symptoms, so it had come to be used as an aphrodisiac.
Only younger whale rubber was sold on the market. Sister Ling Yuan probably thought he knew nothing about it and had mistakenly assumed he wanted to do lewd things.
"N-no, that's not it."
Ye Han hurriedly shook his head and explained, blinking his big eyes:
"Sister Ling Yuan, you've misunderstood me! I want to use whale rubber to improve my physique."
"Do you know where there's any older whale rubber? Could you help me get some?"
At those words, Ling Yuan's beautiful eyes flickered with surprise.
"Hmm? You little fellow, you actually know whale rubber has the miraculous effect of improving one's physique?!"
But on second thought, perhaps Ye Han had heard it somewhere. She did not dwell on it and smiled.
"You've asked the right person. Back when I attacked Sea God Island..."
"I happened to obtain a few pieces of whale rubber, and I've kept them ever since."
"I'll give them to you when we get back. Consider them a gift for becoming my disciple."
Recalling that the original story had indeed mentioned Spirit Hall attacking Sea God Island, Ye Han asked in delighted surprise:
"That's great! Sister Ling Yuan, how old are those pieces of whale rubber?"
Ling Yuan pinched Ye Han's little cheek and replied with a smile:
"You'll know when we get back. In any case, they're certainly not young~"
Ye Han was wild with joy. For a Titled Douluo like Ling Yuan to say they were not young...
They should... at least be several thousand years old, right? Just thinking about it is exciting!
"Ah! Murder! Run!!!"
Just then, a commotion suddenly erupted up ahead.
The originally bustling street descended into utter chaos.
A man holding a sharp blade was chasing civilians while roaring furiously:
"You damned lowly peasants! I'll kill every last one of you!"
When Ye Han and Ling Yuan saw the man's face clearly, they froze.
He was none other than the Soul Master from the awakening hall earlier.
From the looks of it, his Soul Power had probably been crippled, and he had been expelled from Spirit Hall.
Now, he seemed unable to withstand the shock and had gone mad, wanting revenge on society.
Ling Yuan's brows knitted tightly. As an elder, she instinctively moved to stop him.
"Xiao Han, stay right here. I'll go deal with that madman!"
Ling Yuan gently set Ye Han down, then darted toward the scene.
Ye Han obediently stayed where he was, watching her figure recede.
Suddenly, three figures shot out like lightning from a short distance to the side. They hurried toward the chaotic street ahead, instantly drawing Ye Han's gaze.
The figure in the lead was a girl who looked about twelve years old.
She had delicate, alluring features and smooth, short orange-gold hair.
She wore a gilded gold dress that outlined her full figure to perfection.
As she ran, her long dress swayed in the wind, revealing fleeting glimpses of the long, beautiful legs beneath it.
The two figures behind her were male, dressed in black and red respectively.
Is that Bibi Dong's disciple, Hu Liena?!
And Hu Liena's older brother, Xie Yue, along with her simp, Yan?!
Ye Han recognized the three at a glance and could not help freezing.
He had to admit that Hu Liena's looks and figure were truly top-tier.
No wonder she could stand alongside Qian Renxue and Bibi Dong as Spirit Hall's three beauties.
Judging by their course, they seemed to be heading over to stop that crazed Soul Master too.
Perhaps it was the unseen hand of fate.
As she ran, Hu Liena suddenly noticed Ye Han standing there.
Ye Han was tiny and had no adult accompanying him, making him particularly conspicuous.
Tenderness immediately welled up in her heart, a natural desire to protect a vulnerable life.
Why is that little boy there all alone? What if he runs into danger!
Thinking this to herself, Hu Liena changed direction and ran toward Ye Han.
"Nana, where are you going?!"
Xie Yue and Yan stopped at the same time and cried out in surprise before following her.
Hu Liena quickly ran up to Ye Han, a gentle smile appearing on her face.
"Little boy, why are you here all alone? Where are your mommy and daddy?"
Ye Han froze, not expecting her to suddenly run over.
When Ye Han did not answer, Hu Liena assumed he had been frightened out of his wits.
She immediately bent down, gently picked Ye Han up, and comforted him:
"Don't be scared, little boy. I'll take you to find your mommy and daddy."
"Huh?!"
Suddenly finding himself in her arms, Ye Han was even more stunned.
Xie Yue and Yan both witnessed the scene.
Xie Yue had little reaction, but Yan was instantly overcome with jealousy and said discontentedly:
"Nana, leave that damned little brat alone! Our priority right now is to get that disturbance under control!"
Hu Liena immediately rolled her eyes at him and snapped coldly:
"Can't you see how dangerous it is for this little boy to be here alone? How pitiful he is?!"
With that, she ignored Yan, looked at Ye Han in her arms, and coaxed him:
"Little boy, I'll take you somewhere safe to stay first, all right?"
Ye Han nodded at her words. At the same time, seeing Yan's expression made anger surge through him.
What did I ever do to him? Calling me a little brat for no reason?!
The more Ye Han thought about it, the angrier he became, and he soon came up with a way to retaliate.
Right then, under Yan's gaze, he buried his head in Hu Liena's bosom and began making mischief.
Although Hu Liena could not compare with Ling Yuan in that respect, she was quite impressive for her young age.
"Ah?!"
Ye Han's antics made Hu Liena's pretty face flush.
But she did not think much of it, and she endured the sensation as she carried Ye Han away.
"Bastard! That little shit actually dared to bury his head in Nana's...!"
Seeing this, the simp Yan completely boiled over and was about to chase after them.
But Xie Yue grabbed the simp Yan by the shoulder and said speechlessly:
"Seriously, man? He's just a child. You're even jealous of a little kid?!"
As he was carried farther away, Ye Han witnessed this and pulled a face at the simp Yan, feeling thoroughly vindicated.
The simp Yan was utterly livid. He swore to himself that if he ever ran into that little brat again, he would cripple him.
(End of chapter)