Douluo Dalu: This Soul Master is to Weird

Over ten days later.

Two days after Huo Wu, Huo Wushuang also mastered the Extreme Flame Meditation Method.

Upon seeing that his elder cousins had both successfully learned it, Mu Yang pretended to master the technique the following night as well.

Thus, his act of secretly passing the Extreme Flame Meditation Method to his four close relatives came to an end.

At the same time, Mu Yang had "legitimized" his own use of the meditation method. From now on, he could practice it openly in front of his aunt and cousins.

Meanwhile, in Heaven Dou City, within a luxurious prince's mansion:

"What did you say? No more whale gelatin available?"

Inside an opulent hall, Prince Xue Xing asked his steward with a look of disbelief.

"Your Highness, I've scoured all the major merchant guilds in Heaven Dou City, and whale gelatin is out of stock everywhere. After some inquiries, I learned that someone has been buying it up, seemingly intending to monopolize the supply."

Discreetly wiping the sweat from his forehead, the middle-aged steward reported truthfully.

"Even the Seven Treasure Business Guild has no stock?"

Xue Xing persisted.

As a man entering his twilight years, there were some things he could no longer do as he once had.

With whale gelatin to aid him, Xue Xing could transform into a vigorous youth. Without it, however, he could only lament his fading vitality.

The steward shook his head silently.

"Damn it! Which bastard dares to ruin my mood?!"

Xue Xing cursed angrily.

After all, tonight, he had plans to entertain a pair of delicate twin cat-eared beauties!

Had he known this would happen, he wouldn't have wasted the previous night hosting a grand banquet, exhausting his mansion's supply of whale gelatin.

This was akin to depriving an old warrior of his sword right before battle. Completely unacceptable!

"Do we know which power is behind this?"

Amidst his curses, Xue Xing directed his inquiry to the steward.

The middle-aged steward once again shook his head.

Due to its niche use and relatively high cost, whale gelatin was typically purchased by wealthy clients. Merchant guilds were careful not to disclose customer information lightly. Furthermore, as a steward, he lacked the influence to extract such details.

Additionally, merchants were not always aware of their customers' backgrounds. As long as the buyer paid, their identity didn't matter.

Xue Xing was not the only influential figure to hear of the whale gelatin monopoly.

Ning Fengzhi, the master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan, also received a report from the president of the Seven Treasure Business Guild.

Typically, the whale gelatin trade was a niche market, far from significant enough to catch the attention of someone of Ning Fengzhi's stature.

However, Ning Fengzhi himself had a personal interest in the product.

Though he appeared youthful, the reality was that Ning Fengzhi was over fifty. Without the aid of whale gelatin, how else could he sustain his regular "rescue missions" for young ladies at the Heaven Dou Grand Auction?

"Clan Master, the president requests your instructions. Should we investigate the buyer's identity?"

A disciple of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan, working within the guild, asked Ning Fengzhi.

"There's no need. It's just whale gelatin. Let them be."

Ning Fengzhi waved dismissively.

Unlike Xue Xing, Ning Fengzhi was a forward-thinking individual. Even if the market's supply of whale gelatin were entirely bought out, his private reserves would last him several years.

Given that, why waste effort investigating?

Besides, someone spending lavishly at his guild only benefited him as the hidden owner.

As for others in need of whale gelatin?

What did that have to do with him, Ning Fengzhi? As long as his needs were met, nothing else mattered.

Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, two years had passed.

Under the moonlight, Mu Yang sat cross-legged on a soft cushion on his balcony, eyes closed, silently circulating his spiritual cultivation method. He absorbed the moonlight's essence into his spiritual power.

Half a year ago, through relentless effort and his innate talent for deduction, Mu Yang successfully devised a spiritual cultivation technique.

The method, named Lunar Refining Technique, harnessed moonlight under the night sky to refine spiritual power, manifesting a "lunar star" within the sea of consciousness.

Unlike the Extreme Flame Meditation Method, which directly tied to soul power levels, the Lunar Refining Technique consisted of five stages: Illusory Moon, Crescent Moon, Full Moon, Radiant Moon, and Lunar Star.

Stage One: Illusory Moon – Forming a vague, illusory moon in the sea of consciousness. Achieving clarity in this stage corresponds to the spiritual power of a level 30 Soul Elder.

Stage Two: Crescent Moon{Half Moon} – Solidifying the illusory moon into a crescent moon corresponds to a level 60 Soul Emperor.

Stage Three: Full Moon – Transforming the crescent moon into a solid full moon corresponds to a level 90 Soul Douluo.

Stage Four: Radiant Moon – Refining the full moon to radiate dazzling light represents the peak before breaking into the hundredth level.

Stage Five: Lunar Star – Elevating the Radiant Moon into an eternal Lunar Star signifies surpassing the hundredth level, granting eternal life to the soul.

Mu Yang stopped developing the technique after completing the fifth stage.

Given his current level, further refinement had no practical use and would only waste time.

Perhaps due to his innate spiritual strength surpassing ordinary people, Mu Yang reached Stage One's peak—Illusory Moon clarity—within half a year. His spiritual power rivaled that of a level 30 Soul Elder.

However, the Lunar Refining Technique had its limitations.

The method could only be practiced at night. During the day, it merely aided recovery.

Its efficiency was also affected by the lunar phase and weather.

For instance, cloudy skies or a new moon reduced its effectiveness. In contrast, the technique was twice as effective during a full moon compared to a crescent moon.