Over the following month, the children led a monotonous life of repeated training. Their focus was primarily on cultivating soul power, supplemented by physical training. For now, they only practiced the most basic martial techniques; there was no need to delve into more advanced ones.
In a few more days, Lan Xue planned to take them to obtain their first soul rings.
Lü Lingqi and Xun Yu had already reached level ten. Only Nan Feiling, with her innate seven and a half levels of soul power, was still hovering around the ninth level. Now she truly understood the extent of the others' talents, far surpassing her own.
Strength determines status. She no longer dared to look down on them, even though they were originally slaves. With their future potential, it would be easy for them to break free from their slave status and become nobles.
One day, Nan Feihuang approached Nantianchen, saying, "Father, I have a question. Does the palace have any whale glue?"
"Whale glue? Of course, we have some. But why do you need that? Children shouldn't be thinking about such things." Nantianchen's initial surprise quickly turned to exasperation as he stared at his son.
The next moment, a delicate hand grabbed his ear. "Nantianchen!!! Did you corrupt our precious child? How dare you tell him about whale glue! If you're not careful, I'll stuff every last bit of it in the palace down your throat and lock you in the basement alone!"
Lan Xue was furious. Whale glue, to put it mildly, was a tonic for men. More bluntly, it was an aphrodisiac meant to enhance a man's stamina. How could a child like Nan Feihuang know about such things? Who else but Nantianchen could have taught him something so inappropriate?
"Wait, Snow, I swear I didn't say anything! I have no idea where this brat heard about it. Let me explain..." Nantianchen pleaded with a bitter expression. If Lan Xue really did stuff him with whale glue and then locked him up with no way to release his energy, he'd be in a world of pain.
Seeing his innocent father getting caught in the crossfire, and Lan Xue in a fit of rage, Nan Feihuang suddenly remembered. In this era, the true potential of whale glue hadn't yet been discovered. Most nobles stored it merely as a libido booster.
If not, places like the Spirit Hall and the Seven Major Sects wouldn't limit the optimal soul ring configuration to just two yellows, two purples, and five blacks.
No wonder Lan Xue was so angry. After all, Nan Feihuang was only six years old. If he'd already been taught such things, how could she not be furious?
"Father, Mother, it's not what you think. You've misunderstood," Nan Feihuang quickly explained. "My Book of Gulei records a special cultivation method. It mentions that whale glue is a unique substance extracted from the brains of whales. It has excellent restorative properties for soul masters, enhancing their physical strength, muscle and bone density, and meridian resilience, which helps them withstand the strain of absorbing higher-age soul rings, thereby boosting their overall strength."
He pushed all the blame onto his Dun Jia Heavenly Book.
Lan Xue, who had been angrily beating her husband, paused and looked at Nan Feihuang in astonishment. After a long moment, she rushed over, lifted him up, and asked excitedly, "Darling, are you serious? Does whale glue really have such effects?"
Nan Feihuang nodded. "Yes, Mother. If you don't believe me, you can test it first. Use a fire-attribute soul master to melt the whale glue and then have them consume it. But don't let them seek... release with a woman, as that would drain the medicinal properties. Have them find a place to refine the energy properly, and the effects should be maximized."
He knew that proof would be necessary to convince them. With Lan Xue's care for him, she would never let him be the test subject.
"You brat! You should have said that sooner!" Nantianchen, clutching his now red ear, grumbled. This rascal must have done it on purpose, waiting until after he'd taken a beating to reveal the truth. Nantianchen would remember this grudge.
Nevertheless, he had no time to dwell on it. He immediately sent someone to the pharmacy to fetch a piece of century-old whale glue.
They didn't seem to have any millennium-old whale glue, let alone one from a ten-thousand-year-old whale. This was understandable; since the true purpose of whale glue hadn't been discovered, who would go to the trouble of venturing into the sea to hunt millennium-old whale soul beasts for an aphrodisiac?
Sea soul beasts were far more challenging to deal with than those on land. No one would bother with such a thankless task.
What they needed now was a soul master on the brink of advancement, to consume the whale glue and then attempt to absorb a higher-age soul ring.
If successful, the implications would be immense.
For now, only their Gulei Kingdom knew this secret. They could secretly cultivate a group of soul masters capable of absorbing higher-age soul rings.
Though the limited quantity of whale glue meant it couldn't create an entire army, it could still be used to form an elite unit that could prove decisive in critical situations.
As for the test subject, they already had someone suitable.
Dian Wei, with his robust physique, was the perfect candidate.
Having read the original novel, Nan Feihuang naturally agreed to let his parents use Dian Wei as the first to "eat the crab," as the saying goes. He was confident in success. Dian Wei was one of his most loyal followers, and Nan Feihuang had high hopes that he would become his foremost general.
To Nantianchen, innate full soul power was significant, but proving the effectiveness of whale glue would be even more beneficial.
Unlike Nan Feihuang, Nantianchen didn't place as much value on Dian Wei. To him, Dian Wei wasn't his own son. It wouldn't matter too much if they took a risk on him.
So, they decided to gamble. They had nothing to lose and everything to gain.
Nantianchen brought in a fire-attribute soul master to melt the whale glue and gave it to Dian Wei.
With his pure heart, Dian Wei was entirely unaffected by the aphrodisiac properties of the whale glue. Sitting cross-legged, he quickly refined the medicinal properties.
Lan Xue stepped forward to examine him. After probing Dian Wei's body with her soul power, she turned and nodded to Nantianchen. "His muscles and bones have strengthened significantly. His physical resilience now surpasses that of an average tenth-level soul master. With this physique, he might be able to absorb a first soul ring of around five to six hundred years."
After all, it was just century-old whale glue; its effects weren't exceptionally potent. This was within Nan Feihuang's expectations.
Only ten-thousand-year-old whale glue could bring about a fundamental transformation.
"I had originally planned to take the children out together to hunt soul beasts, but now it seems I should take Dian Wei first to test this," Lan Xue declared, her icy temperament belying her impulsive nature.
The whale glue's enhancement of Dian Wei's body was more or less confirmed, but whether he could withstand a soul ring beyond his usual limits was still unknown.
For Lan Xue, who cherished her son above all else, there couldn't be even the slightest risk to his safety.
Before letting Nan Feihuang absorb a soul ring, they needed a guinea pig to test it first.
Nan Feihuang walked over to Dian Wei and said, "Elai, you'll go with my mother to hunt soul beasts. Be good and listen to her. She won't let anything bad happen to you."
"Yes, my lord." Dian Wei nodded woodenly. He had always followed whatever his lord said without question.
﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌
Support the Translation! 🌐✨
20 Advanced Chapters are currently available in Patreon, make sure to visit and support our team.
patreon.com/Immortal_author
https://ko-fi.com/immortalauthor
https://discord.gg/KscfBegBPT