Not long after, figures exuding terrifying auras stepped into the hall one by one. Seeing Chu Shanhe in the main seat with eyes closed in meditation, they saluted and sat in their positions. The entire hall was filled with a heavy atmosphere.
But privately:
" Why did the sect master suddenly summon us? Did something happen? Old Eight, you're in charge of external intelligence—did some fool come courting death?"
"You ask me, who do I ask? Seventeen said the sect master urgently called a meeting and ran off. Maybe the old man suddenly wants to check on sect affairs."
"You believe that? How many sect matters need asking, and summoning us all? I say, could it be related to Qian Xunji's death?"
"Whether Qian Xunji dies or not has nothing to do with our Body Sect? Use your brain martial soul— this fire won't burn our sect anyway."
"Hehe, Senior Brother has great insight."
...
Sentences wrapped in soul power transmitted wildly in the hall, while Chu Shanhe in the main seat had his eye twitching.
"Good for you, Zhang Tao, daring to mock me behind my back. Wait and see how I deal with you later."
Suddenly, all voices stopped, and everyone stood up—even Chu Shanhe, who was meditating, did the same. Because at that moment, a middle-built old man with skin as fair as jade slowly walked in from the door.
"Greetings, Second Elder."
"Greetings, Sect Master."
Seeing the old man, Chu Shanhe waved his hand.
"I've said before, no need for that between us."
"Etiquette cannot be neglected." The old man chuckled; it was the Body Sect's Second Elder, level 92 Titled Douluo Hua Shuwen, titled "Jade Skin."
"You, always like this," seeing Hua Shuwen's serious demeanor, Chu Shanhe had no choice. He could only say: "Take your seat."
After everyone was seated, Hua Shuwen looked at Chu Shanhe and asked: "All high-level members are here—what happened that requires us all present?"
"Haha, good news." Sensing the curiosity in everyone's eyes, Chu Shanhe didn't hide it and looked at Chen Zhen below: "Chen Zhen, tell everyone about Xiao Yi's discovery and ideas."
"Yes." Chen Zhen stood and repeated what he had told the sect master earlier.
After Chen Zhen finished, everyone in attendance was invigorated, and Hua Shuwen's eyes flashed with sharp lights, his body exuding a terrifying aura.
"Xiao Zhen, is what you say true?"
"Fourth Brother, is this real? If so, our Body Sect is truly about to rise."
"If, if, no—it must be true!"
The hall immediately became noisy; they understood too well what this meant. Over the years, countless sect powerhouses had failed secondary awakening due to insufficient qi and blood—these were their parents, spouses, siblings!
If whale glue's effects were real, the success rate of body martial soul secondary awakening would increase by at least thirty percent. In the future, even if secondary awakening failed, there would be a high chance of preserving the martial soul unharmed thanks to strong qi and blood.
"Silence, what decorum is this?"
Hua Shuwen lightly rebuked the excited crowd, but his slightly trembling mustache showed his inner unrest.
"Whether it's useful, we'll know with a test." After everyone quieted, Hua Shuwen stood, saluted Chu Shanhe, and said solemnly: "Sect Master, this matter is of great importance. I request an on-site verification."
The Body Sect had profound attainments in qi and blood paths; previously, they just hadn't linked whale glue to body refinement. Now, with a little nudge, it was likely true, but given the gravity, they still needed to see it to believe it.
"Indeed." Chu Shanhe nodded heavily; he had summoned everyone precisely for this.
Then, Chu Shanhe turned his gaze to a figure on the left, and others did the same.
Seeing everyone looking at him, Jiang Wu's face darkened, and he angrily said: "What are you looking at me for? I don't have it!"
"Cough cough, Second Brother, you see..."
Jiang Wu, in his youth, was obsessed with cultivation, so he delayed personal matters until recent years when he found a young wife. But age was there, and some things were beyond his strength. Though Jiang Wu hid this well, women gossip and spill everything, so everyone knew he had whale glue but didn't point it out.
Seeing everyone's strange looks, Jiang Wu's face flushed red, thinking: That silly girl, why does she blab everything?
"Cough cough cough," seeing Jiang Wu's flushed face, Hua Shuwen coughed lightly, suppressing a smile, and said to Jiang Wu: "I hear a new pharmacy opened in the town outside, with a wide variety of medicines—they should have it. Jiang Wu, make a trip; go and return quickly."
"Yes." Then, like an arrow released, he rushed out of the hall.
"Hahaha!" Once Jiang Wu was far away, everyone's laughter was no longer restrained, and the entire hall seemed to shake.
"Heh... cough cough, everyone restrain yourselves; Little Wu will be back soon." After laughing a while, Hua Shuwen looked seriously at the crowd.
Sure enough, in less than two minutes, Jiang Wu returned with a sizable jade box in hand.
"Sect Master, I bought the stuff," he said, handing over the jade box.
Chu Shanhe looked gratified, took it, and opened it. Inside were over a dozen pieces of whale glue of varying sizes and colors.
"Whoa, look at that luster—at least seven or eight thousand years old. Such rare stuff, that pharmacy has some strength!" Zhou Zheng nearby exclaimed.
"Pfft ×N"
Jiang Wu's face instantly darkened.
"Indeed, eating this would probably be too much even for a Soul Sage." Huang Qiyi nearby smirked. Soul Sage—Jiang Wu and he were both level 79 Soul Sages.
"I can't hold it anymore, hahaha!"
Jiang Wu's expression returned to calm.
"Alright, alright, quiet down," Hua Shuwen mediated again, shifting the topic. "Now, the test subject?"
Chu Shanhe pondered for a moment and said: "Let Seventeen do it. Eight-thousand-year whale glue should have sufficient potency for a Soul King, and if effective, the results will be obvious."
Hua Shuwen nodded, then used soul power to transmit a message. Soon after, Zhu Changyou arrived in the hall again, his face full of excitement.
"Seventeen, do you know why we called you?"
"Reporting to Second Elder, Seventeen knows." Zhu Changyou looked firmly at the two at the front, kneeling on one knee: "This disciple has insufficient talent; to go further, I must take a risk and fight fate. Please, Sect Master and Second Elder, grant this."
The two unrivaled Titled Douluos in the world both sighed to the heavens: "Foolish child!"
Foolish—since the Body Sect's founding eight hundred years ago, it had fallen to rock bottom and barely survived, but it persisted with unyielding spirit. In the Body Sect, who isn't foolish?
With that, Chu Shanhe's body surged with vast qi and blood, pouring into the whale glue. Supreme yang soul power spread from Chu Shanhe, distorting the space in the hall visibly—this was the power of a fire-attribute soul bone on his body.
Moments later, the whale glue turned into a liquid mass floating above his palm, emitting a foul, fishy stench. Retracting his soul power, he handed it to Zhu Changyou.
"While it's hot."
Zhu Changyou grabbed the whale glue, ignoring the nauseating stench, quickly stuffed it into his mouth, sat cross-legged, and circulated his meditation method to refine the energy. Soon, his body temperature skyrocketed, his skin burned red, and his face twisted.
Everyone stared intently at Zhu Changyou, afraid to miss a detail.
After a long time, Zhu Changyou was soaked in sweat; if ignoring his red skin, he looked like he had been fished out of water.
The next moment, everyone's pupils contracted, because a thin layer of black impurities slowly seeped out from Zhu Changyou's skin.
The most impatient Huang Qiyi lowered his voice and growled: "Impurities—it's impurities! This whale glue actually has a marrow-cleansing and meridian-washing effect!"
The effect of whale glue boosting qi and blood and improving constitution was within expectations, but the impurity expulsion and marrow cleansing were completely unexpected. The reason? Drugs that boost qi and blood aren't rare, but most leave some impurities in the body, which in a sense damages potential. But whale glue improving constitution while also cleansing marrow exceeded all expectations, meaning that in the future, even if body soul masters couldn't secondary awaken, they could still produce extraordinary powerhouses—how could this not be surprising?
Chu Shanhe stared fixedly at the layer of impurities on Zhu Changyou, laughing wildly: "Good, good, good! Heaven truly wants to prosper our Body Sect!"
Three "good"s in a row swept away the depression accumulated in his heart over years.
He knew the Body Sect would truly usher in great prosperity, producing batch after batch of secondary awakened body soul masters. Within a century, the Body Sect would replace Clear Sky Sect as the true number one sect in the world—even if it was Tang Chen's Clear Sky Sect.
Vast soul power enveloped Zhu Changyou, and hearty laughter echoed in the hall. Everyone vented their inner joy; even the usually unsmiling Hua Shuwen let out the most unrestrained laugh of his life.
After a long time, Zhu Changyou slowly opened his eyes, looking at the excited crowd, about to say something when he frowned, looked down, and sure enough, saw a thin layer of impurities on his body, along with a fishy stench assaulting his nose, rushing straight to his crown.
"Urgh..."
Chu Shanhe and Hua Shuwen didn't care about the smell; in a flash, they appeared beside him, placing hands on his shoulders. Powerful soul power coursed through his body, carefully checking every change.
After a while, having checked twice, they both opened their eyes and exclaimed: "Meridians widened by nearly ten percent, body toughness increased by over twenty percent compared to before, soul power also rose by half a level."
Hua Shuwen added: "Seventeen's current state is like absorbing an eight-thousand-year top soul ring."
On Douluo Continent, there are only two ways to break the shackles of martial souls and innate soul power: one is becoming a fallen soul master, using depraved methods for shortcuts; the other is absorbing powerful soul rings and soul bones to change aptitude, defying heaven—powerful soul rings and soul bones are no less than any heavenly treasures, true cheats.
"Hahaha, our Body Sect shall prosper in the world!"