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Several months later.
The Sanctuary.
"My Lord, the acquisition of whale glue on the market is nearly complete. Due to the massive popularity of the 'Yang-Bolstering Pill,' the Medicine Hall merely claimed that whale glue was one of its raw materials during the buyout. Consequently, the average acquisition price was roughly three times the previous market rate," Yang Wudi reported, cupping his fists respectfully.
"Well done. Categorize and store these supplies according to their age. First, satisfy the consumption needs of the King's Hall—the primary knights, secondary knights, and standard riders," Ye Lan replied with a nod.
"My Lord, while whale glue can enhance a Spirit Master's physical constitution, its production is far too scarce. This seems at odds with your goal of 'Universal Spirit Masterization.' Even though the price surge has triggered a hunting craze, the catch from those fishermen likely won't be enough to fill the massive consumption gap of the Douluo Continent," Yang Wudi expressed his concern.
"Wudi, you make a fair point. Although the 'Awakening Soul Tools' can increase the probability of commoners awakening powerful Tool Souls, only a minority possess high innate talent. Many commoners cannot sustain a powerful Tool Soul and are likely to be held back by their physical limitations, resulting in low-tier spirits. Thus, whale glue plays a vital role."
"As for the production issue... I will resolve it personally," Ye Lan said after a moment of contemplation.
"The Lord is wise!" Yang Wudi said reverently. In his eyes, the current Ye Lan was a god. There was no problem the Lord couldn't solve; if he said he could, then it was a certainty.
"Taishan, has the first batch of Awakening Soul Tools been manufactured?" Ye Lan turned his gaze toward an exceptionally burly, black-haired elder.
Taishan grinned broadly. "My Lord, thanks to Senior Lou Gao, we have successfully forged the very first Awakening Soul Tool!"
A golden light flashed in Taishan's palm, and a small black hammer manifested.
The onlookers couldn't hide their astonishment at the sight of the small hammer.
"Oh? The Clear Sky Hammer?!" Ye Lan raised an eyebrow.
"Indeed, My Lord! It is exactly the Clear Sky Hammer!" Taishan laughed heartily.
He then thrust the hammer toward Yang Wudi's face and teased, "Old Goat, what do you think? Want to take it back to the Breaking Clan? Who knows, after some time, your 'Breaking Clan' might just rename itself the 'Clear Sky Clan.' Hahaha!"
"Get lost! My Breaking Soul Spear is the number one Tool Soul in all of Douluo; why would I ever envy the Clear Sky Hammer?" Yang Wudi snapped back, though he secretly thought to himself:
This Awakening Soul Tool was developed based on the Lord's 'Origin Theory of Tool Souls.' Theoretically, it definitely can help people awaken specific Tool Souls.
While the Breaking Soul Spear was formidable, it was indeed a half-step behind the Clear Sky Hammer. However, since the Clear Sky Sect had only recently been wiped out, he wasn't about to rush into awakening Clear Sky Hammers at this sensitive juncture.
Still, if Tang Hao and Tang San were to truly perish, he wouldn't mind placing a few of these hammers within his clan. Perhaps one day, the Breaking Clan might even awaken a 'Clear Sky Spear.'
"Enough. Wudi, if you're interested in the Clear Sky Hammer, you can ask Taishan for a few to study once mass production begins," Ye Lan said, noticing the conflict in Yang Wudi's eyes.
"Thank you, My Lord!" Yang Wudi immediately dropped to one knee in gratitude.
Taishan gave Yang Wudi a wry smile before hearing Ye Lan ask: "Taishan, tell me, how was this 'Awakening Tool: Clear Sky Hammer' created? Is mass production feasible?"
Taishan quickly organized his thoughts. "My Lord, the hammer was created primarily following your suggestions. His Excellency, the Astral Douluo, collaborated with the Divine Craftsman Lou Gao. Based on previous research into the 'Bloodline Factor Proportions' of Tang Wei's Clear Sky Hammer, Lou Gao used 'Factor-Refined Iron' to forge the hammer. Meanwhile, the Astral Douluo continuously condensed 'Clear Sky Soul Particle Clusters' and infused them into the tool during the forging process. Thus, this weapon was born!"
Ye Lan nodded. "Try to see if you can utilize 'Artificial Soul Rings' for Tool Souls. After all, artificial rings also store identical soul particle clusters, and after the 'Soul Property Mutual-Generation Reaction,' the proportions within those rings are the most precise."
"The Lord is wise! However, with the Clear Sky Sect gone and Tang Wei's blood reserves exhausted, where will we find more blood from the Clear Sky Hammer lineage?" Taishan asked.
"That is simple. Before long, I will have someone deliver Tang Hao's blood to you," Ye Lan replied calmly.
"Tang Hao's blood?! Then the hammers we forge will be far stronger than this one!" Taishan's eyes lit up.
Meanwhile, in a remote wilderness, a white-haired man with one arm and one leg—looking like a disheveled vagrant—suddenly let out a violent sneeze and began warily scanning his surroundings.
After handling the Sanctuary's affairs, Ye Lan breathed a sigh of relief and began thinking about how to mass-produce whale glue.
If whale glue could be produced on a large scale, the profits and the overall strength of Spirit Hall would expand to a new level. Currently, he had to start preparing for the creation of his own Divinity.
For some time now, his thinking speed had noticeably increased. It wasn't the effect of 'Consciousness Acceleration,' but rather a fundamental upgrade to his "single-core" processing speed.
At first, Ye Lan didn't know the cause, but he gradually realized the change likely stemmed from the Power of Faith. He possessed a forty-thousand-year 'Blue Silver Forest' and a Blue Silver Divine Attendant; the faith these Blue Silver Grasses held for him was near-fanatical.
Furthermore, with the introduction of artificial soul rings and his soaring reputation, his prestige on the Douluo Continent was growing. More and more people were beginning to revere him.
But to bring the entire continent under his faith, artificial soul rings alone weren't enough. They primarily influenced Spirit Masters, not the commoners who had no soul power or useless spirits. The faith of intelligent beings differed from non-intelligent ones; the former provided far more power.
Unifying the continent and setting up churches, statues, and sabbath days would help, but there are grades of faith: Broad Believers, Shallow Believers, True Believers, Devout Believers, Fanatics, and Saints.
Simply establishing churches might only create shallow believers who worship for the food provided rather than Ye Lan himself. But if Awakening Tools, Whale Glue, and Immortal Herbs were promoted, Ye Lan could take a hopeless commoner and place them on the path of a Spirit Master.
What did that signify?
It meant Ye Lan would be opening a 'Path of Hope' for billions of commoners. Those who previously had no future would instantly view him as their Savior. At that point, billions of people wouldn't just be shallow believers; they would be True or Devout believers. Fanatics, Saints, and Holy Maidens would inevitably emerge.
If his plan succeeded, the divine fire ignited by the sincere faith of billions would create a godhood Ye Lan could hardly imagine. Back then, the 'Sea God' only unified the oceans by suppressing ignorant marine creatures with force, yet he still achieved a First-Class God status. What kind of divinity would billions of intelligent beings create? Ye Lan estimated it would at least be a God-King position.
Retracting his thoughts, Ye Lan focused on whale glue. Training a fleet of Spirit Master fishermen wouldn't work; no matter how large the fleet, it could never satisfy the continent's demand. Whale glue had always been a "protagonist-tier" luxury—there was no precedent for universal distribution.
But that was by conventional standards. If the current supply couldn't meet the demand, Ye Lan would simply increase the production. He decided to head to Hanhai City to study marine whale-type spirit beasts.
Trading with spirit beasts was no longer a rare occurrence. 'Artificial Soul Ring: Spirit Beast Blood Supply Squads' from Spirit Hall were already active at the edges of forests and oceans. Wearing green cloaks inscribed with "Protect Spirit Beasts, Everyone's Responsibility," they traded Ye Lan's refined Blue Silver Grass and Ye Lingling's Nine-Hearted Flowering Begonia petals for spirit beast blood.
Since blood could be traded, Ye Lan wanted to see if whale glue could be regenerated or traded for through his 'Refined Blue Silver Grass.' If it worked, his plan for divinity would take a massive leap forward.
Before leaving Spirit City, a golden-haired figure flashed through his mind. For the past few months, Xiao Xue had locked herself in the Douluo Temple, refusing to come out. Though he visited every day, she chose not to see him.
With a heavy heart, Ye Lan stood outside her chambers and whispered, "Xiao Xue, I'm heading to the coast for a few months."
On the other side of the ornate door, Qian Renxue stood with her back against the wood, her head lowered. Her ears perked up, catching every word. Her heart stirred once again. Every day, she had waited by the door to listen to his words of comfort. She hadn't known how long it would last, and she hadn't expected today to be his farewell.
She bit her lip, her shoulders trembling.
After a moment of silence with no response, Ye Lan said firmly, "Xiao Xue, wait for me to return. I'll take you to the Far North to see the snow."
As he turned to leave, a stubborn, haughty voice drifted from the room: "Who said I'd agree to that!"
Ye Lan smiled happily. "Just wait for me!"
Qian Renxue watched his silhouette through the window for a long time, until he turned into a golden meteor and vanished.
"Sister Qian, what happened between you and Husband? Why won't you forgive him?" Xue Ke asked, seeing the sorrow in her eyes.
"I will never forgive him!!" Qian Renxue replied, her eyes fluttering with panic.
A few days later, with Ah Yin's help, Ye Lan reached the westernmost coast of the continent, a bay about ten kilometers from Hanhai City. The waves were strong here, and there were no signs of human activity. It was close enough to the city for supplies, yet secluded enough for work.
Ah Yin stared at the boundless, churning ocean, shouting toward the horizon in pure excitement. Ye Lan chuckled at her. "Ye'er, have you never seen the sea?"
"My Lord, I haven't!" she exclaimed.
"Look all you want. In a few days, you'll be tired of it," Ye Lan teased.
"My Lord, you're so annoying!!" Ah Yin pouted.
Ye Lan settled his mind and began his research. Sitting cross-legged on the shore, he activated his 'Natural Domain.' A jade-green light swept across the blue ocean. In his mental world of plants, the 'Blue Silver Sun' at the center was surrounded by endless darkness.
But upon closer inspection, one could see faint "firefly lights." These were even weaker than Blue Silver Grass; they were the countless primitive algae of the ocean. Spirulina, nori, kelp, and diatoms were the most numerous 'plants' in the sea. They formed the foundation of the marine world; without them, there would be no sea beasts.
Ye Lan used his plant consciousness to communicate with the algae, sending out a signal to find 'whale-type spirit beasts.' Soon, the ripple of consciousness spread like a wave. Before long, a pod of over fifty 'Evil Spirit Orcas' was discovered and reported back to him.
Ye Lan immediately had Ah Yin fly him toward that area. Whale glue didn't distinguish between 'evil' or 'righteous' sources. Besides, in his eyes, unless a beast killed indiscriminately, there was no such thing as an evil spirit beast. He found Tang San's original claim that these orcas "deserved to die" somewhat absurd.
Survival of the fittest was the law of the sea; big fish ate little fish. Was the 'Demon Spirit Great White Shark' a vegetarian? Even if it were, who would speak for the algae?
Following the real-time dynamic map provided by his consciousness, Ye Lan guided Ah Yin across the waves. About a hundred kilometers out, they found the pod. These orcas were grayish-black with massive heads and mouths that looked like dark abysses. Their teeth were like terrifying swords, and their dark red eyes were full of ferocity.
The pod was split into two: the outer ring consisted of thirty-meter-long adults, while the inner ring held smaller calves. Under his 'Golden Dragon Pupil' vision, the strongest among them was a seventy-thousand-year-old orca.
The moment Ah Yin appeared, the pod grew agitated and began to dive. Ye Lan wasn't about to let them escape. He unleashed his 'Dragon's Might.' Like a thousand-meter-long dragon descending upon the world, the shockwave knocked the entire pod unconscious instantly. One by one, they floated to the surface, white bellies up.
Ye Lan then activated his 'Exquisite Heart' skills, instantly weaving a massive green net of Blue Silver Grass. In moments, the entire pod was caught. He lifted the net a few meters out of the water to ensure they didn't suffocate.
"My Lord, you are truly incredible! Even as a Titled Douluo, I couldn't have captured them so easily!!" Ah Yin marveled.
"Ye'er, let's head back to the shore," Ye Lan instructed.
As they flew away, a dark shadow moved hundreds of meters below the surface. It moved with incredible speed, racing in the opposite direction. Had Ye Lan seen it, he would have recognized it as a Demon Spirit Great White Shark.
Deep underwater, the shark wore its signature 'grin,' racing toward Sea God Island in excitement.
"I didn't expect such luck! To find the person the High Priest is looking for so quickly!!"
She had been tracking this pod of orcas, waiting for them to leave the 'Evil Spirit Orca King's' territory so she could ambush them. She was just about to strike when she saw human Titled Douluos arrive. Upon careful observation, she realized the golden-haired man was exactly the Ye Lan that Bo Saixi was seeking!
Golden hair, orange dragon pupils, and that soul-shaking Dragon's Might—she was certain she had just earned a massive merit!
A while later, Ye Lan placed the pod in the shallow waters by the coast. He surrounded them with a wall of Blue Silver Grass and used 'Formless Form' to slit his wrist. A drop of 'Ultimate Life Blood' fell into the water.
In an instant, the algae and seagrass exploded in growth. Small shrimp, fish, and crabs surged in size. Under the influence of Ultimate Life, the orcas quickly regained consciousness. The smaller ones began frantically eating the nutrient-rich sea life.
The massive adults looked at the golden-haired figure on the shore with trepidation. Orcas of tens of thousands of years had intelligence comparable to humans; they understood how terrifying this man was.
"Excellency, why have you brought us here?" the largest orca spoke, its voice sounding like a human infant. It realized the human didn't intend to kill them, or they would be dead already.
"Oh? Since you can speak, this becomes much easier," Ye Lan smiled.
"Hahaha, I've just lived for many thousands of years. I learned the human tongue by listening to fishermen and through the teachings of our King," the orca replied.
Ye Lan nodded. "Then you must know how powerful the life force within this grass is. Even as carnivores, you must want to take a bite, right?"
"Uh... if that grass weren't your martial soul, I would have already taken the children to graze," the orca admitted awkwardly.
Ye Lan condensed a large bundle of refined Blue Silver Grass and tossed it into the orca's mouth. The creature didn't hesitate to swallow it. The moment it entered its system, it turned into a rich, jade-green surge of life energy.
"This... this is?!" The orca felt every cell in its body cheering. To its amazement, its growth speed near this man felt five times faster than normal.
"How is it?" Ye Lan asked.
"As you humans say, even Dragon Liver or Phoenix Gall couldn't compare! This life force is staggering! Are you the one who created the 'Grass of Life' and 'Flower of Life' rumored in the ocean?"
"Indeed. The 'Grass of Life' is my Blue Silver Grass, and the 'Flower of Life' is my partner's 'Nine-Hearted Flowering Begonia.' Previously, we traded those for spirit beast blood. Now, I want to trade them for something from your race."
"Excellency, what do you want? No matter what it is, trading for your 'Grass of Life' is a steal—no, it's an absolute bargain!"
"Whale Glue," Ye Lan stated.
"Whale Glue? No wonder so many whaling ships appeared recently. They were after that!" The orca had a realization, then added with lingering fear, "Fortunately, our race is strong, and humans didn't dare provoke us."
"Yes, whale glue. If your race's glue can be regenerated, I can call upon every Spirit Master on the continent to stop whaling. Your population would grow significantly. Furthermore, I will use my life energy to trade with you. If whales and humans cooperate, you becoming the future overlords of the ocean is a predictable outcome."
The orca hesitated. "Excellency, I cannot say for sure if it can regenerate. It is a substance secreted from our foreheads that helps us navigate."
Ye Lan waved his hand. "Don't worry. Even if something goes wrong, I can heal you. Are you willing to cooperate with my research?"
"Very well! But what about my kin?"
"Let them feast on the Blue Silver Grass over there," Ye Lan said.
"Thank you, Excellency!" The orca bowed its massive head. It let out a series of clicks and whistles, and soon, dozens of orcas abandoned the small fish and shrimp to dive into the lush bed of Blue Silver Grass by the shore.
(End of Chapter)