Tang San didn't care at all about his rising fame.
Although the Martial Soul Newspaper was spreading everywhere like wildfire, only a few people—Matthew Nuo, Su Yuntao, Sisi, Wang Sheng, Xiao Wu, Principal of Notting College, Director Su, Mo Hen, and a couple of others—actually knew that he was that Tang San.
As for the general public, even if they stood right in front of him, they wouldn't believe that this young boy was the author of "The Self-Positioning Analysis of Soul Masters".They would simply assume it was a coincidence of name and surname.
How many people across the Douluo Continent were named Tang San?
Tang San didn't know, but there were definitely more than a thousand. The odds of being found out were possible—but very low.
As for whether Tang Hao would ever come looking for him...Tang San thought to himself: with someone like Tang Dahammer—limbs developed, brain underused—he'd only care about the greatness of the Haotian Hammer. He wouldn't care about any "theory" Tang San had written. The pride instilled by the Haotian Sect had blinded Tang Hao's vision, even if he was now wallowing in "deep sorrow."
"Regarding the maximum age of soul rings that a soul master can absorb—from the first ring to the second—I've documented everything in great detail, including the effects of whale glue. That means I can now use my second soul skill openly."
Tang San organized the full theoretical manuscript he had written. The thickness of the stack had reached a full centimeter.It was enough for a book—definitely not something suitable for casual publication in the Martial Soul Newspaper.
He realized the need for a two-pronged approach.He would write a simplified theoretical report for the Martial Soul Newspaper, while reserving the full material to publish as a proper book—no, two books.
From now on, every time he reached a major breakthrough in cultivation, he could write another volume detailing how soul masters at that stage should judge what age of soul ring they could safely absorb, and how to push their limits further.
"In that case, for the optimal combination of soul rings, I'll start by documenting the evolution of 'ideal ring age combinations' from ancient times to today. I'll also explain that the average age of soul rings has steadily increased over time, and then highlight the effects of both thousand-year and ten-thousand-year whale glue."
With that in mind, Tang San realized he should get his hands on some whale glue for firsthand study.Theory had to be grounded in experimentation—not just based on the novels he'd read in his past life.
Researchers must be down-to-earth!
So, Tang San made his way to a pharmacy in Nuoding City and asked the shopkeeper whether they sold whale glue.
The pharmacist was a kind old man. When he saw a child asking about whale glue, he was puzzled."Little friend, you want to buy whale glue? Is it for someone in your family?"
"Yes," Tang San replied without elaborating. "I heard this stuff can temporarily boost a person's strength."
"Well… that's not entirely wrong," the shopkeeper replied, his expression turning a bit strange. But since the one asking was just a child, he let it go. He took out two small boxes from under the counter.
"I've got regular whale glue—produced from common whales—and this one, from a thousand-year soul beast."
Tang San blinked."Thousand-year whale glue? You have that here?"
He hadn't expected a modest shop in Nuoding City to carry such a rare item. The piece was only about fist-sized, but still impressive.
"Yeah, though there's not much," the shopkeeper said. "This is the only one in the shop. Whales live in the deep sea, and even soul masters find it hard to hunt them. Thousand-year-level whale glue is rare across the continent. Most pharmacies don't even sell it. But small ones like mine might have a little stock."
"Why's that? Isn't whale glue an aphrodisiac? Don't nobles go crazy for it?"
"Ah… so you do know."The shopkeeper sighed. "Thousand-year whale glue is too potent. If a regular person takes it, they'll die of excitement. As for soul masters, well... unless they've got certain problems, none would dare buy it. They'd just be laughed at."
Tang San nodded thoughtfully."Do you have any ten-thousand-year-level whale glue?"
The shopkeeper's eyes narrowed with suspicion."Where did you hear about that?"
Tang San hadn't expected the question to be so sensitive."Wait—so it does exist?"
"It does. But don't assume it's common. I can guarantee, continent-wide, the total number of such items—regardless of size—can be counted on two hands. Nobles collect them, sure. But they're rarely consumed. Whale glue at ten-thousand-year level is as hard as rock. Some sculptors use it to practice carving."
"Would you sell yours?" Tang San asked.
The shopkeeper hesitated."I was planning to keep it as a family heirloom..."
"How much is it?" Tang San asked.
"The regular glue is one silver soul coin per pound. The thousand-year glue is one gold soul coin for half a tael."
"And the ten-thousand-year glue?"
"I got that years ago. Saved a soul master's life, and he gave it to me as thanks. It's about the size of a human head. My son's getting married soon and wants to move out. He needs a thousand gold soul coins for the dowry and a house in the city. If you've got five thousand gold soul coins, I'll sell it."
Tang San was stunned.A piece of ten-thousand-year whale glue the size of a human head?
He quickly collected himself and asked,"If I buy it, can I get the thousand-year glue too?"
"I'll give you the one in front of you," the shopkeeper said with pained reluctance. "And ten pounds of regular whale glue."
"Deal."
Tang San took off his wrist guard, revealed his soul card, and handed it over.
The shopkeeper instantly became respectful.He hurried into the back room and returned with a box. When he opened it, the deep, glossy black whale glue inside was indeed the size of a human head.
Tang San beamed.
After paying, he stored the entire haul—ten-thousand-year whale glue, the thousand-year sample, and ten pounds of ordinary whale glue—in the gem of his storage wrist guard, then made his way to the Martial Soul Hall.
"I'm really lucky. All this for five thousand gold soul coins."
Back in the study behind the Martial Soul Hall, Tang San immediately took everything out and began careful observation.
He softened a strip of ordinary whale glue with soul power. The fishy odor faded, and it turned pliable. He bit off a piece the size of a fingernail and swallowed it.
Warmth flowed through him, but the strengthening effect was negligible.Perhaps ordinary whale glue was ineffective on him, or maybe it lacked any strengthening qualities to begin with.
Next, he sliced a fingernail-sized piece from the thousand-year glue. Once softened, it turned a translucent honey-like orange.
Tang San swallowed it. It felt smooth in the mouth but had a strong fishy taste.
After circulating his soul power, he felt a rush of blood to his head—his whole body heating up.He immediately activated the simplified Blood and Qi Transfer Method, derived from Wang Sheng's first soul skill, Tiger King's Blood and Qi Transformation, to maximize the glue's physical enhancement.
Thirty seconds later, the heat faded.Tang San's body felt slightly stronger.
"The thousand-year whale glue has an effect—but it's extremely faint. Still, better than nothing."
Then he turned his attention to the ten-thousand-year whale glue.He cut off a small chunk, but to his surprise, discovered that the glue wasn't solid throughout—something was embedded within.
Was it a scam?
No. Whale glue forms as one whole mass. The shopkeeper couldn't have inserted anything, especially as an ordinary person without soul power.
Also, this level of whale glue couldn't be melted or reshaped with boiling water.
Unless...
Tang San's eyes flashed. He used the Mysterious Jade Hand to carefully scrape away the hardened glue. Eventually, he uncovered a round, transparent, deep blue bead.
"Whale pearl!" he gasped."The inner core of a ten-thousand-year whale soul beast!"
His excitement soared.Even if it had lost some energy over time, it still held vast potential.If digested, it would bring immense benefit.
But how to use it?
The inner core of a soul beast—also known as a soul core—could potentially be studied and replicated.
A soul core allowed for faster and higher-quality soul power recovery.This concept hadn't yet emerged in this era, but prototypes existed. For example: Dugu Bo's poison pill.
Tang San calmed himself and stored the whale pearl in his white jade belt. Then he resumed studying the effects of the ten-thousand-year whale glue itself.
After softening a piece with soul power and swallowing it, he felt a clear enhancement in his physical condition.A piece that small had already boosted him by nearly one level.
He kept taking small pieces.Eventually, after consuming about half of it, he found his body had reached the maximum strengthening possible for his age.
He laughed while gathering the remaining pieces—now reduced to fist-size."No wonder the shopkeeper was so happy. Sold it for five thousand gold soul coins, but it was worth ten thousand at least.I guess he realized there was something inside and felt guilty about overcharging me."
At that moment, the Nine-Jointed Jade, which Tang San used as a hair tie, leapt down onto the table.It pointed its tail at the whale glue, then at its mouth.
"You want to eat it?"Tang San picked up a fingernail-sized piece and handed it over. The jade creature gobbled it down, squinted in satisfaction, and returned to tie Tang San's hair into a ponytail.
Smiling, Tang San resumed his whale glue experiments, testing various methods to refine or enhance its effects.
"Come to think of it... I haven't seen any hundred-year whale glue."
He returned to the pharmacy. The shopkeeper, relieved Tang San wasn't back to return anything, explained:"Whales live in the deep sea. When soul masters go hunt them, it's usually for their fourth or later rings—so they target thousand-year soul beasts.Nobody bothers with hundred-year whales, so hundred-year whale glue is even rarer than ten-thousand-year glue."
Tang San hadn't expected the cause to be economic, not ecological.But it made sense. No soul master would risk venturing into the deep sea for a hundred-year soul ring.
After thanking the shopkeeper, Tang San spent another 300 gold soul coins to buy out all the thousand-year whale glue in stock and returned to the Martial Soul Hall.
At that moment, Xiao Wu was in the backyard, happily practicing her tree-climbing technique.