The process of absorbing and refining the whale glue lasted an entire month. The reason it took so long was because every member of the Shrek team experienced a massive improvement.
Among them, Gai Yue's physical attributes were not only enhanced, but his soul power broke through from level 82 to level 83.
Not just Gai Yue every member of Shrek gained one level of soul power from refining the whale glue, as it was their first time undergoing this process.
The improvements excited everyone immensely. However, since they were all at least Soul Emperor level, even though they had a substantial amount of whale glue, Gai Yue, Flender, and Zhao Wuji, who were at Soul Sage and above, still hadn't reached their limits.
All forty one pieces of whale glue were consumed. Even Oscar didn't expect that so many pieces would be used up and yet Flender, Zhao Wuji, and the teacher still hadn't reached their absorption limit? This indirectly proved the remarkable talent of the three.
Now, after absorbing a 20,000+ year old piece of whale glue and several 5,000+ year old pieces, Gai Yue's physical constitution had reached the level of a Title Douluo.
Flender and Zhao Wuji's physical strength also reached approximately level 85.
Shao Xin, Lu Qibin, Li Yusong, Oscar, and Ma Hongjun had already reached their current limits. Taking more whale glue would yield minimal further benefits.
Oscar's physique had now surpassed his previous limit, reaching at least the level of a level 45 Soul Ancestor, while Ma Hongjun's body had reached about level 30.
These two prodigies hadn't contributed much to combat, but took full advantage of the opportunity.
After a full month of recovery, the team set sail again to continue hunting soul beasts.
Despite their major gains, there was one major regret: out of an entire deepsea blue whale tribe, not a single soul bone dropped. Their luck was truly lacking.
Still, this wasn't a critical issue. They had already fulfilled their objectives. Now, with just a bit more effort, they could return to the academy.
While searching for the next target, Oscar and Ma Hongjun didn't remain idle. Under the protection of their teachers, they frequently challenged century old marine soul beasts to hone their strength.
After half a month, and bypassing several weaker sea soul beast tribes, Gai Yue locked onto a 50,000 year old Sawtooth Demon Whale, a lone predator that fed on its own kind making it a perfect target.
The ensuing battle thrilled Oscar and Ma Hongjun. With the combined effort of Gai Yue and the others, the Sawtooth Demon Whale was slain by a single sword strike from Gai Yue, and they even took the entire corpse.
The whale glue harvested from this whale was more than enough for Gai Yue, Flender, and Zhao Wuji. Thus, the Shrek group began their journey home.
On the way back, they slaughtered dozens more sea soul beasts over 5,000 years old.
This was Flender's decision. He recognized that Shrek's future wouldn't just depend on Oscar and Ma Hongjun, and he needed to prepare resources for future students.
However, since whale glue was incredibly rare and its secrecy vital Flender remained extremely cautious.
Only students who truly integrated into Shrek would be given this treasure. Otherwise, he'd rather let it rot than risk exposure.
Once exposed, Shrek would face major problems. But as long as its value remains hidden, Shrek could continue using it to cultivate more elite geniuses, exclusive to their academy.
Oscar was indifferent to this since it didn't conflict with his own interests.
After a four month expedition, the team finally returned to Shrek Academy in the Balak Kingdom. Though the journey was long, their gains were undeniable.
Especially for Gai Yue, Flender, and Zhao Wuji, who, after absorbing the Sawtooth Demon Whale glue, reached their physical limits.
Although their soul power didn't increase, their foundations for future cultivation were significantly enhanced, providing a massive boost to their combat abilities.
Oscar's swordsmanship had also advanced greatly over these four months. He could now proficiently use all the sword techniques in the Frost Moon Sword Manual, and his practical combat skill had surged.
Now at level 24, Oscar was confident he could break through to level 30 before turning 12. Ma Hongjun also aimed to soon break through level 20.
Currently, Ma Hongjun was at level 16, not yet 8 years old. It was possible that he might surpass Oscar in speed of advancement.
After all, Oscar didn't have access to whale glue when he was around level 10.
Upon returning to the academy, Oscar immediately immersed himself in cultivation without any complacency.
One key point: their daily food now consisted of soul beast meat, as Flender had preserved valuable parts from the dozens of whale type soul beasts. The rest were sold during the journey back netting him massive profits.
Shrek Academy was now completely different from the original. Beyond the improvements in teacher strength, Oscar's influence had made them all strive harder. Everything was moving in a better direction.
Flender, being shrewd, kept all of this under strict secrecy, and since Shrek wasn't receiving much outside attention, no one noticed the transformation.
The once broken down village now had the air of a hidden paradise, and the teaching environment had vastly improved.
One year later, Ma Hongjun, just three months short of his ninth birthday, broke through to level 20.
Under Oscar's suggestion, Flender personally chose for him a soul beast with Phoenix bloodline to help alleviate the Evil Fire problem in Ma Hongjun's body.
This was crucial. Earlier, due to the physical enhancements from whale glue, Ma Hongjun experienced a severe outbreak of Evil Fire, which caused him intense suffering.
Fortunately, Gai Yue used his powerful ice type soul power to suppress the outbreak, helping Ma Hongjun endure each episode.
But this was merely a palliative, not a cure.
That's why Oscar recommended this: although the Evil Fire Phoenix wasn't a true phoenix, absorbing a soul ring from a beast with Phoenix bloodline could help suppress or neutralize the Evil Fire.
In theory, if Ma Hongjun continued absorbing soul rings with Phoenix lineage, or even hunted a pure blooded phoenix, then even if the Evil Fire couldn't be removed, it could be effectively suppressed.
Upon acquiring his second ring with Phoenix bloodline, Ma Hongjun's Evil Fire was indeed brought under control, making his cultivation smoother.
This provided a practical solution to his problem.
Interestingly, his second ring wasn't from a 1,000 year old beast, but rather a 990 year old one just like Oscar had done in the past.
After absorbing the ring, Ma Hongjun reached level 22, matching Oscar's past achievement.
As for Oscar, he had now reached level 27. At just 10 years and 4 months old, his soul power was nearly at the Soul Elder level, setting a new record for Shrek Academy.
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