Departure! Arrival at Vast Sea City! Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Rubber!

Huang Yun stood by the window on the second floor of the inn, his gaze sweeping through the gap along the window frame toward the old locust tree across the street.

Beneath the tree stood a candied hawthorn vendor. He had been there since morning without selling a single skewer, yet his eyes occasionally drifted toward the inn's entrance.

The vendor's stance was far too steady. An ordinary person would not stand motionless for two hours, nor would they instinctively tighten their grip on their sleeve whenever someone passed by.

Huang Yun withdrew his gaze without exposing him.

Dai Weisi's people had been watching him since yesterday. They had changed shifts three times: one disguised himself as a vendor, one as a shoe mender, and another rode back and forth at the street corner.

Their methods were not especially crude, but to Huang Yun, who possessed Lightning Falcon Eyes, these little tricks were no different from standing directly in front of him.

He paid them no mind.

They were merely watching and had not acted, which meant Dai Weisi was still observing and had not yet decided to offend him.

Since that was the case, Huang Yun could not be bothered to waste time looking for trouble.

"This matter is settled. It's time to leave."

He had stayed in Gengjin City long enough.

The air here was perpetually filled with the scent of iron filings and charcoal smoke. It had seemed novel when he first arrived, but after half a month, it only felt stifling.

Huang Yun did not like staying in one place for too long to begin with. Besides, he had already obtained his equipment, and both the Dragon Fang Knuckle Duster and Dragon Bone Soft Armor had proven effective. There was no longer any reason to remain in Gengjin City.

He quickly packed his belongings, stuffing several changes of clothes and miscellaneous items into his storage ring. After checking that he had properly brought the knuckle duster and soft armor, he pushed open the window and leaped out.

He left through the inn's back alley, moving with incredible speed and landing without a sound.

By the time the "candied hawthorn vendor" across the street noticed something was wrong and rushed into the inn to inspect the room, it was already empty.

After leaving Gengjin City, Huang Yun flew south for more than a hundred li before landing at the edge of a stretch of wasteland.

He sat on a large rock and took a map from his storage ring, spreading it out.

Gengjin City lay in the north-central region of the Star Luo Empire. His destination was Vast Sea City, a coastal city on the continent's western shore, roughly two thousand li away from Gengjin City.

At full speed, he could reach it in about a day without resting. But he was in no hurry and intended to travel at a leisurely pace, resting and replenishing supplies in towns along the way.

Vast Sea City was one of the largest port cities on the western coast. Its people lived off the sea, and many folk tales and hunting techniques regarding marine Soul Beasts circulated among them.

His goal for this journey was clear: Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Rubber.

Whale Rubber was a gelatinous substance extracted from deep-sea whale-type Soul Beasts. After special treatment, it could be used to strengthen a Soul Master's physical body and the toughness of their muscles and bones.

For Huang Yun, who had already achieved the minor realm of the Indestructible Vajra Body and possessed two Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bones, the tempering effects of Whale Rubber still had considerable room to improve him.

More importantly, Vast Sea City was a coastal city that worshipped Sea God Island. It was not governed by either the Heaven Dou Empire or the Star Luo Empire, nor did it fall within Spirit Hall's sphere of influence.

The environment there was relatively free, with fewer rules and watchful eyes. He could cultivate there in peace for a while.

Huang Yun put away the map, took to the sky once more, and flew westward.

His speed was astonishing!

Like a streak of Lightning, he vanished in a flash!

After flying for most of the day, he passed through a small town called Bluestone Town at dusk and descended to find an inn for the night.

He continued his journey early the next morning. At noon, he flew over a range of rolling hills. By afternoon, a salty, damp sea breeze began blowing toward him, the salt content in the air noticeably increasing as a deep-blue line emerged on the distant horizon.

Vast Sea City was close.

At dusk, Huang Yun saw Vast Sea City's outline from afar.

This city differed from every other city he had seen before.

Its walls were built from grayish-white stone. They were much lower than those of Heaven Dou City, yet astonishingly thick. The walls were covered in gullies carved by sea winds, showing that they had endured countless years of exposure to the elements.

Among the crowds entering and leaving through the city gates were many fishermen and dockworkers clad in coarse short garments, with dark skin and thick hands and feet. There were also sea hunters in leather armor, forked harpoon-like weapons hanging from their waists.

The air was thick with a salty, fishy odor. Damp sea winds poured into the city, while the signs of roadside shops bore drawings of various fish and sea beasts. Even the stone pillars by the road were carved with wave patterns and fish-scale designs.

Huang Yun walked along Vast Sea City's main street, his steps noticeably lighter than they had been in Gengjin City.

Though the wind here carried a salty fishiness, it was far more pleasant than Gengjin City's rusty smell.

The open horizon, the moist air, and the faint sound of waves in the distance all made him feel at ease.

He found a small inn near the dock district and settled in.

The innkeeper was a plump middle-aged woman. Seeing that Huang Yun was young and alone, she asked a few extra questions. But after he directly paid for three days' lodging, she stopped prattling.

Once he had settled in, Huang Yun did not rush to inquire about Whale Rubber. Instead, he first wandered around the city to familiarize himself with the surroundings.

Vast Sea City's dock district was extremely lively. Fishing boats and merchant vessels of all sizes lined the shore, while dockworkers carried cargo back and forth through air filled with the mingled smells of fish and seawater.

At the end of the docks was an open plaza packed with stalls. Some sold dried seafood, some sold tools and ropes for ships, while several stalls had gathered sizable crowds as their owners loudly hawked their goods.

Huang Yun moved closer to take a look.

One stall displayed several fist-sized gelatinous objects, amber in color throughout and gleaming with a warm luster beneath the sunlight.

Beside them stood a wooden sign with several crookedly written words: Three-Hundred-Year Whale Rubber, fifty Gold Soul Coins per piece.

Huang Yun swept his gaze over the pieces of Whale Rubber. Lightning Falcon Eyes activated for an instant, allowing him to see the patterns and texture within the gel.

They were indeed three-hundred-year specimens, but their age was too low to be of any use to him.

What he needed was Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Rubber. Whale Rubber of that age could not be bought from ordinary stalls.

Either he would have to purchase it through specialized channels from sea hunters, or he would have to hunt ten-thousand-year whale-type Soul Beasts himself.

But he was in no rush. He would settle in first.

Huang Yun made a round of the plaza, memorizing several sea hunter stalls that seemed relatively trustworthy before turning back toward the inn.

He planned to ask those experienced sea hunters tomorrow. Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Rubber should be available in Vast Sea City, but he needed to find the right channels.

Night fell, and Vast Sea City's sea breeze carried dampness through the cracks of the window. In the distance came the steady, peaceful sound of waves striking the seawall.

Huang Yun sat cross-legged on the bed and closed his eyes in meditation as Soul Power slowly circulated through his body.

Outside the window, moonlight on the sea shattered into countless silver scales, flickering and fading with the waves.