After confirming the effectiveness of her new soul skill, Qian Renxue returned to her room with a rare lightness in her step.
Tianmeng, however, wasn't satisfied. The purple ring had vanished, and Qian Renxue's soul power cultivation had visibly dropped—but how? His curiosity burned.
"How… How did you do it?" he asked once more, unable to hold back.
But Qian Renxue only gave a faint smile.
"It's a secret," she said, offering no further explanation.
Without waiting for another question, she turned away and opened the plain wooden box that Dugu Bo had entrusted to her. Inside, nestled carefully, were three crystals about the size of a clenched fist.
It was Whale Gel.
They gleamed in hues of dark yellow that gradually transitioned toward gold, a sign of their formidable age, each piece more than ten thousand years old.
Whale Gel was an extremely rare and potent material, found only in the brains of whale-type soul beasts. It was a powerful yang-tonic, renowned for its strengthening and aphrodisiac properties. Despite its uses, proper consumption required preparation, the gel needed to be melted over extremely high temperatures before it could be safely ingested.
Its primary function was to fortify the body of a soul master. For instance, if a soul master with a 1,000-year ring absorption limit consumed a substantial piece of Whale Gel, their body could potentially withstand a soul ring at least 500 years older than their usual threshold.
However, despite its remarkable benefits, Whale Gel wasn't widely sought after in modern cultivation practices. The value of a soul ring wasn't just in age but compatibility, and soul masters rarely encountered optimal soul beasts, let alone ones perfectly matched and aged precisely right. Moreover, determining a soul beast's exact age or whether the Gel derived from it was suitable remained a challenge.
That's why its market value often didn't reflect its potential. To many, it was a risky investment.
For Qian Renxue, who possessed the Tianmeng Ice Silkworm, a being capable of safely increasing soul ring ages, Whale Gel might seem redundant. But even she understood that in this early era of Douluo Dalu, its true value had yet to be realized.
In this era, Whale Gel was mostly used… as an aphrodisiac.
Few understood its deeper medicinal properties.
But Qian Renxue was no fool.
She knew its hidden benefits: it could strengthen the physique, reinforce bones and muscles, widen and fortify a soul master's meridians, and even provide a modest boost in soul power to those with lower cultivation.
Looking at the three crystals, she smiled to herself.
Tianmeng Silkworm finally emerged from his confusion after seeing the contents of the box. His voice was laced with curiosity.
"What are these?"
As a land bound soul beast, Tianmeng lacked deep knowledge about sea soul beasts. Although he recognized the materials Qian Renxue had asked Dugu Bo to procure, this particular item was unfamiliar to him.
Qian Renxue delicately picked up one of the crystalline substances. It shimmered faintly under the light, emitting a subtle, fishy scent that tickled the nose. She frowned slightly at the odor, but did not let it deter her.
"This," she said calmly, "is known as Whale Gel. It's rarely found and mostly harvested from the cranial cavity of whale-type sea soul beasts."
She paused for effect.
"It's widely misunderstood. Commoners and even Spirit Masters only know of it as an aphrodisiac. So, it is mostly used by the dandy noble young masters."
Electrolux raised a skeptical eyebrow. Tianmeng Silkworm blinked, mouth agape.
Qian Renxue continued, a smirk dancing at the edge of her lips.
"But they've only scratched the surface. "
She tapped the crystal lightly with her fingernail. "The… side effect is that it causes a burning sensation in the lower abdomen. Hence its reputation."
Tianmeng looked uneasy.
"So... you're willingly taking something that makes people aroused?"
Qian Renxue's eyes gleamed.
"I'm not afraid of a little discomfort. Not if it brings me more strength."
Electrolux gave a short hum of approval.
Qian Renxue sat cross-legged, her expression calm as she murmured, "Dugu Bo did good work. Finding three portions of Whale Gel within a month is no easy task. Even if, in this era, it's dismissed as nothing more than an aphrodisiac."
She lightly tapped the wooden box beside her. "All three samples came from soul beasts above 10,000 years old."
Only then did Electrolux and the Tianmeng Silkworm recall Dugu Bo's awkward expression when Qian Renxue had first asked him to acquire Whale Gel. The memory now seemed much more amusing in hindsight.
Qian Renxue's tone remained steady as she said"The correct method to use it is to heat and melt the Whale Gel with flame before consumption."
But then she added inwardly, 'However, there's something else that must be done first.'
She turned around and took a bell on the table and rang it.
Moments later, her maid Wu Meng entered, bowing respectfully. "Young Master?"
"I need an ice bath prepared immediately," Qian Renxue ordered. "Also, bring me a small cauldron for heating."
Wu Meng blinked in surprise. "An… ice bath, this late in the evening?"
"Don't ask questions," Qian Renxue replied coolly, though not unkindly. "Just follow the instructions. And ensure that there is ice in it, not just chilled water."
Wu Meng bowed again. "Understood."
Within a quarter-hour, the tub had been moved to the inner side of the room and filled with clear, glittering ice. A small bronze cauldron sat atop a specially prepared flame tray. Once everything was arranged to her satisfaction, Qian Renxue dismissed her maid.