Whale Hunting Grand Assembly

Time flew by. Another two years passed in the blink of an eye.

Cheng Xiao broke through to level seventeen. Because he had absorbed his first soul ring beyond his level, his Soul Power had directly reached level twelve after absorbing it. Over these two years of cultivation, he had advanced a total of five levels.

Tang San and Xiao Wu had also reached level twenty-seven by then, likewise improving by only five levels.

The gap did not seem to have widened, but Cheng Xiao knew full well that cultivation as a Soul Grandmaster was far more difficult than during the Soul Master stage. Tang San and Xiao Wu had gained nearly seven levels in two years during that stage.

That was the advantage of getting an early start. Uniform acceleration would inevitably fall behind constant high-speed motion. There was no way a struggling student could study for two years and surpass a top student who had always ranked first.

Conventional methods could not erase that early advantage. He had to come up with something unconventional.

"Looks like I have to make a trip to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well first. I can't let Tang San have the opportunities there." Cheng Xiao decided to put the immortal herbs on his agenda. After all, this was his best chance to overtake them on a bend.

However, the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well was currently occupied by the Poison Douluo. He was far too weak to negotiate with someone like that.

After pondering it for more than half a month, Cheng Xiao still had no clear ideas. Then summer vacation arrived for the fifth-year students.

"Xiao, you've become familiar with everything in the shop over these years. This summer, come with me and learn the supply routes." Cheng Xiao's uncle, Cheng Yu, said.

The Cheng Family supplied whale oil to nobles. Whale oil burned without smoke and carried a pleasant fragrance, making it highly sought after by every noble. Even the royal family regarded whale oil as a necessity.

The Cheng Family had always maintained steady sales channels and never had to worry about unsold goods. Though they could not be considered nobles, they were still a wealthy household in Nuoding City.

Cheng Xiao's father had previously taken him along, but his father had died a few years earlier. His uncle had then taken over the family business while teaching Cheng Xiao the trade.

"Alright, Uncle."

Cheng Xiao nodded. His Innate Soul Power was obvious to all. Although he was already a Soul Master, his family did not expect him to achieve much on that path. They intended for him to take over the family business after coming of age.

After his father passed away, his mother had always held expectations for him. Not wanting to disappoint her, Cheng Xiao chose to help manage the family business during summer vacation. Becoming a Titled Douluo or ascending to godhood were matters for the future. A person should focus on what lay beneath their feet; no one could turn their life around by daydreaming every day.

"You need to remember this route well. You'll have to run it yourself in the future. And also, you need to pay attention to..." Along the way, Uncle Cheng Yu taught Cheng Xiao almost everything he knew.

After ten days of travel, the procurement convoy finally arrived at a small coastal city—Whale Hunting City.

The moment they entered the city, its bustling atmosphere hit them head-on. Noisy cries of trade and hawking flooded their ears, displaying the city's prosperity.

Whale Hunting City was famed for its whale oil. Nearly half the whale oil on the entire continent came from here. Whale oil was produced from June through August each year, and during that period, almost every whale oil merchant on the continent came here to purchase it. The place could not have been more lively.

"Come on. We won't buy in the city. We have hunters we work with directly, so there's no need to purchase secondhand goods here." After arranging lodging for the convoy, Cheng Yu took Cheng Xiao away from the others. "The route isn't the most important thing. These partner hunters are the foundation of our family's livelihood. We absolutely can't let anyone else follow us here."

After walking more than twenty li and crossing a mountain, they reached a village just before nightfall.

Knock, knock! Cheng Yu walked familiarly to a house and knocked on the door.

"Who is it?"

"Old Lyu, it's me, Cheng Yu."

"Hahaha, I knew it was you. I counted on my fingers, and figured it had to be around these days. If you came any later, you might miss the first batch."

With a creak, the door opened. The man who answered was dark-skinned from sun exposure. Upon seeing Cheng Yu, he immediately gave him a huge hug before exchanging pleasantries.

"And this is?" After greeting Cheng Yu, Old Lyu looked at the youth behind him with a puzzled expression.

"This is my elder brother's son. He'll take over the family business once he comes of age, so I brought him along to learn the way." Cheng Yu introduced them to each other. "This is Lyu Han, one of the hunters we work with. All the whale oil we handle is purchased from him. Call him Uncle Lyu."

"Uncle Lyu!"

"Good, good! This kid looks great! With a build like that, he'll grow into a tough, iron-blooded man. Hahaha!" Lyu Han welcomed them inside. "Wife, make a couple of dishes to go with the wine. Second Cheng is here. He's staying with us tonight, and I'm going to drink to my heart's content with him."

At the dinner table, Cheng Xiao gradually came to understand the village's standing.

The village was called Moon Village, and there was a Moon Bay nearby. Since ancient times, the village had possessed a technique for luring and hunting demonic whales. They had always cooperated as a village and possessed exceptional unity.

Rather than a village, it was more like a loose sect established around that secret technique.

Every year from June to August, the village held the Whale Hunting Grand Assembly. At night, they held a grand bonfire feast. The demonic whales they hunted were rendered into whale oil, which was distributed to the village hunters according to an internal system of rank and contribution. The hunters then sold it at high prices.

Hunters with good reputations had long-term purchasing partners, and those arrangements were exclusive. As for hunters with poor reputations, people might initially try working with them, but they would eventually be abandoned by purchasers. They could only sell their goods in Whale Hunting City, deceiving those who did not know the trade.

"No wonder Uncle said we couldn't bring anyone here. He was afraid someone would poach our partners." Watching the two men toast each other, Cheng Xiao muttered to himself.

It was not until late at night that the two men finally drank themselves unconscious, ending the meal.

Three days later, the Whale Hunting Grand Assembly began.

It was Cheng Xiao's first time witnessing such a spectacular sight. Dozens of great ships set sail together, sailors shouting as they raised their sails, cleaving through the waves and heading into the open sea.

Cheng Xiao and Cheng Yu boarded one of the ships with Lyu Han, experiencing the assembly's intensity and grandeur firsthand.

"Old Lyu, do you think we'll get as much as last year?"

"How could anyone say for sure? Our secret technique only lures and kills them; it can't predict anything. It all depends on how many demonic whales come into these waters this year."

After ten days at sea, the fleet finally arrived in a certain stretch of ocean. Early that morning, Cheng Xiao was awakened by the blast of a horn. Rubbing his bleary eyes, he made his way onto the deck—and the sight before him left him utterly stunned.

Every Soul Master aboard the fleet stood on deck, releasing their Martial Souls in unison. All of them possessed Sea Soul Beast Martial Souls. These Sea Soul Masters were at least Soul Elders, while the strongest among them had already reached the Soul Emperor level.

Cheng Xiao spotted Old Lyu. To his surprise, this dark-skinned man with an honest-looking face was also a Soul Elder!

"You really can't judge a book by its cover." Cheng Xiao clicked his tongue.

They chanted under their breath, seeming to produce a certain melody. The melody resonated, and before long, it drew in a pod of demonic whales. The whales seemed bewitched as they circled the fleet, occasionally blasting columns of water into the sky. Beneath the sunlight, the spray reflected rainbow-colored light.

The fleet began its return voyage, luring the pod of demonic whales to follow behind it. Only after returning to Moon Bay did the Sea Soul Masters bare their fangs, driving the whales into the bay before beginning a merciless slaughter.

The villagers used the secret technique they had mastered to kill them. Those Gray-Eyed Demonic Whales could not resist at all. This was simply a massacre—an utterly one-sided massacre!

Countless soul rings rose into the air. Most were purple, with an occasional few black ones appearing among them.

The waters of Moon Bay turned red, as vivid as a bride's veil.

The stench of blood surged into the sky. Even as the seawater continually washed over the shore, it could not cleanse the bloodstains from the jagged rocks of Moon Bay.

Even with Cheng Xiao's heart of stone, the sight stirred something within him.

"Don't think too much about it. These Gray-Eyed Demonic Whales breed like crazy. They produce a whole bunch every year." Cheng Yu patted his nephew's shoulder in consolation.

Cheng Xiao shook his head and smiled. "You underestimate me, Uncle. I do feel a little sorry for them, but if these people had not mastered that secret technique, they would be the Gray-Eyed Demonic Whales' food instead. The strong prey on the weak. That's simply the ironclad law of the Soul Master world. I'm not that fragile."

"Hahaha, that's good."

That was right—the strong preyed on the weak. Cheng Xiao gained another understanding of this world. He thought of Xiao Wu. She... was also a soul beast... Yet only a moment later, his heart hardened like iron once more.