During the Douluo II era, the theory of Soul Masters had become much more refined. The maximum absorption limit of soul rings was no longer fixed but instead depended on one's physical strength and spiritual power.
Before the ten-thousand-year soul ring threshold, as long as the body could handle it, even the first ring could be a thousand-year ring and still be absorbed directly.
Because of this, after learning about the effects of whale glue, Xu Yang had been living frugally, using his spare time to earn money to buy it. At present, it was still the Douluo I era, and the true function of whale glue had yet to be discovered, so the price wasn't as exorbitant as it would be during the Douluo II period. A thousand-year whale glue cost over a thousand gold soul coins.
However, even now, it was still expensive for him. High-quality whale glue cost dozens or even over a hundred gold soul coins.
What he had bought was degraded due to weathering, with a poor appearance that put off customers, which allowed him to snag it at a discount. Even so, it still cost him thirty gold soul coins, and he owed the headmaster twenty gold soul coins because of it.
He wasn't entirely sure of the specific age of the whale glue, but the merchant claimed it was a thousand-year product.
Although he wasn't certain, he still bought it because he vaguely remembered that whale glue could only be produced by whale soul beasts that were over a thousand years old, so there was no such thing as a "low-year" version.
Confirming that the whale glue was still there, he closed the box, picked it up, and left the dormitory.
…
At that moment, inside the orphanage.
"Fengzhi, that kid you just took in has impure thoughts. I suspect he's a little pervert… When we return to the sect, better keep the female disciples away from him!"
"Uncle Jian, why would you say that?!"
Hearing this, Ning Fengzhi frowned, looking at Chen Xin with confusion.
"I used my spiritual power to scan the orphanage, trying to check if any spies from other forces were here. But I accidentally scanned that kid who went to get something—what he fetched turned out to be two pieces of weathered whale glue. For someone his age to be thinking about these things, what will he be like when he grows up?" Chen Xin explained.
He genuinely hadn't meant to probe Xu Yang specifically. As the Grand Elder of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, every trip outside was monitored by various factions' spies. He was simply trying to root them out to delay them learning about their sect acquiring a genius.
However, seeing Xu Yang so focused on whale glue made him displeased. He despised those who indulged in debauchery and harassed decent women, which is why he told Ning Fengzhi.
Sure enough, after hearing Chen Xin's words, Ning Fengzhi's expression turned sour, while Madam Ning looked outright disgusted. As a woman, her hatred for lewd individuals far exceeded that of men.
Only Gu Rong remained expressionless, his thoughts unreadable.
"Fengzhi, you must properly discipline this child!"
"I understand. He's still young; his dirty thoughts can be corrected through education…"
Ning Fengzhi looked grim. He couldn't allow word to spread in the Soul Master world that his disciple had been rotten from a young age, playing with women using whale glue. How would he, the Sect Master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, maintain his dignity?
At that moment, Xu Yang walked out holding a box and carrying a bag.
As soon as he emerged, he saw Ning Fengzhi and Madam Ning glaring at him with dark expressions. He was immediately dumbfounded.
Did these two eat something bad?!
They had been so cheerful just minutes ago—how did their moods sour this quickly?
…
In just a few breaths, countless scenarios raced through Xu Yang's mind. He even wondered if Spirit Hall had made a sudden move, completely failing to link it to the fact that him retrieving whale glue had caused a misunderstanding.
Ning Fengzhi and Madam Ning's eyes were fixed on the box in Xu Yang's arms. As Soul Saints, a mere wooden box couldn't block their perception; a simple spiritual scan revealed its contents.
"Sure enough, it's whale glue!"
Having confirmed the contents, all their doubts vanished.
"Xu Yang, what's in your box? Can you tell your teacher?"
Ning Fengzhi's tone was stiff, his expression grim. The affectionate "Yang'er" had now become the formal "Xu Yang."
"Whale glue!" Xu Yang replied instinctively, then immediately noticed the fiery anger in his teacher and teacher's wife's eyes. He suddenly realized that they must have sensed the whale glue and misunderstood. He quickly explained, "Teacher, you might be overthinking this. I have another use for the whale glue—it's not for that kind of thing!"
Had he not explained, it might've been better. Now, their anger only intensified. In their eyes, this further confirmed that the boy was devious and inherently bad.
Especially Madam Ning, who, if not for Xu Yang being a genius, would have slapped him into a pile of meat on the spot.
To them, whale glue had no purpose beyond that kind of usage. Xu Yang's words indicated he understood such matters very well, which only solidified their belief that he intended to use it for vile purposes.
Seeing this, Xu Yang gave a wry smile. He had been thoroughly misunderstood.
But thinking it over, it made sense. In the Douluo world, due to soul power, children developed quickly, and engaging in such acts wasn't exactly impossible.
No, he couldn't let his pure, noble, and heroic image be ruined. He had to clear this up.
"Teacher, Madam, you've got it wrong!" Xu Yang quickly pulled out his notebook from his bag and handed it to Ning Fengzhi. "When studying medicine, I found that the aphrodisiac effects are just a side effect. Its true function is to enhance a Soul Master's physical constitution and increase the absorbable age limit of soul rings.
I planned to use my soul power to refine it after my Martial Spirit awakens to boost my body's strength.
If you don't believe me, I can refine the whale glue right in front of you so you can see the effects for yourself!"
Ning Fengzhi, half-convinced, took the notebook and flipped through it, quickly becoming engrossed. The content about whale glue's usage was logical and well-founded—it seemed credible…
"Good thing I studied medical knowledge to figure out how to consume whale glue properly. I thoroughly researched it!"
Xu Yang felt relieved. The notebook he gave Ning Fengzhi focused solely on whale glue—nothing else.
Though not long, it was over ten pages, showing how deeply Xu Yang had studied the substance. Unfortunately, he had no real data—everything was inferred through medical theory.
"Very well, then I'll believe you for now. When we return to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, you'll consume the whale glue and let me see if the notebook's content is accurate!"
Although the notes seemed logical, Ning Fengzhi wasn't fully convinced since it was all theoretical with no empirical data. Still, he was excited—if the notes proved true, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect could reach unprecedented heights in the future.
(End of Chapter)