The Frost Sword slashed lightly, a faint glow appearing out of nowhere, with delicate frost marks overlapping one another.
Wu Zhangkong's entire body shone with silver light from his battle armor as he descended from the sky, diving directly toward the small boat on the ocean's surface.
What is Teacher Wu trying to do?
Wouldn't that attack destroy the boat?
Tang Wulin and Xu Lizhi were filled with confusion.
But in the next moment, their eyes widened in shock.
Centered at the point where Wu Zhangkong entered the sea, a vast area of seawater rapidly began to freeze. Wisps of white mist rose into the air as solid ice swiftly spread outward.
The ice spread at an incredible speed, and in the blink of an eye, it had already covered an area as large as a mid-sized soul battle platform.
The small boat was frozen within the ice but remained completely unharmed. Thanks to the connection between the boat and the cruise ship, the ice battle platform moved along with the ship, eliminating the risk of it drifting away.
Wu Zhangkong's level of control left them in awe once again.
Gazing down at the magnificent man-made ice platform, Tang Wulin excitedly vaulted over the railing and landed on it. He used his Blue Silver Grass to create a cushion, ensuring a safe landing.
However, when it was Xu Lizhi's turn, he hesitated at the edge of the railing. Although he had just been determined to go, actually taking the leap was an entirely different matter.
His face turned even paler. "I… I'm afraid of heights!"
Given that Wu Zhangkong was their teacher, it was naturally impossible for him to allow his students to have such an obvious and fatal weakness.
He said indifferently, "You just need to get used to it after a few times."
Before Xu Lizhi could react, Wu Zhangkong grabbed him by the back of his collar and simply threw him off.
"Tang Wulin, catch him."
"Aaaahhhhhh—"
Accompanied by shrill screams, Xu Lizhi crashed into a thick net of Blue Silver Grass. The layers of vines softened his fall, allowing him to land gently on the ice platform.
Although they had no fishing equipment, their abilities were far more effective than any standard fishing tools.
Xu Lizhi's Bun Martial Soul and his various soul skills allowed him to make soul power-infused buns, which made excellent bait.
They tied the buns onto fishing lines and cast them into the sea.
Tang Wulin, meanwhile, covered his right hand with Golden Dragon Scales. With a single swipe of his Golden Dragon Claw, he was far more effective than any harpoon.
Wu Zhangkong took on the role of chef. Years of living alone had honed his cooking skills—while not at a master chef's level, he was more than competent.
However, no matter how fast they caught fish or how efficiently Wu Zhangkong prepared them, it was impossible to keep up with the appetites of the two bottomless pits that were Tang Wulin and Xu Lizhi.
Driven by his insatiable hunger, Xu Lizhi came up with an idea.
His small eyes sparkled with a flash of brilliance.
"Hey! Captain, our method is too slow! The fish we're catching aren't even enough to fill the gaps between our teeth!"
"Didn't you say that your blood has a strong attraction to soul beasts? I wonder if it works on sea soul beasts too?"
"Why don't we give it a try?"
Tang Wulin's eyes immediately lit up at the suggestion.
"Let's try it!"
After all, they were still close to the surface, where dangerous high-level sea soul beasts weren't likely to appear.
If his blood truly attracted sea soul beasts, they might be able to secure enough food for the entire voyage in just one session.
As someone who always put his thoughts into action, Tang Wulin wasted no time. Using the Golden Dragon Claw on his right hand, he slashed his own skin—so tough that even soul-guided carving knives struggled to cut through—and opened a small wound.
Fresh crimson blood trickled down and was mixed into the buns that Xu Lizhi had prepared as bait before being tossed into the sea.
However, the expected feeding frenzy among ordinary sea creatures did not happen. Instead, they actively avoided the bait.
Normal sea creatures lacked intelligence and acted purely on instinct. Their instincts told them that this bait was far beyond what they could handle.
As they scattered, the now-vacant waters became a prime hunting ground for true sea soul beasts, drawn in by the irresistible scent of the bait.
In the depths of the ocean, countless pairs of bloodthirsty eyes gleamed.
One by one, sea soul beasts swam at their highest speeds toward Tang Wulin's location.
The sweet, intoxicating scent spread rapidly—so rapidly that it reached the nostrils of a true hundred-thousand-year-old sea soul beast king.
According to human knowledge, such powerful sea soul beasts should not appear in shallow waters.
Yet at this very moment, the hundred-thousand-year sea soul beast known as Lan Fozi was here, conducting research on ocean currents and seasonal monsoons.
She was utterly focused on her work—until the scent of the bait distracted her.
Beside her, a giant octopus beast also caught the scent.
"Mmm—"
"That smells absolutely delicious~"
Lan Fozi sniffed the air, instinctively nodding in agreement—then froze.
"Wait!"
"There's a human scent mixed in! Someone is fishing for sea soul beasts!"
Having interacted frequently with humans, Lan Fozi quickly deduced the situation and the source of the bait.
"Let's go take a look!"
Clearly, among the two sea soul beast powerhouses, Lan Fozi was the one in charge.
The two swiftly surged forward at speeds far surpassing that of a warship, racing toward the source of the scent.
Along the way, Lan Fozi continuously used "whale song" to command nearby sea soul beasts to stay away from the bait.
At this moment, Tang Wulin and his team were reaping the rewards of their fishing.
With the power of a Titled Douluo-level fighter, Wu Zhangkong was cutting through the sea soul beasts with ease. The Frost Sky Sword's icy brilliance carved through the waves, expanding the man-made ice battle platform to a large-scale arena.
Within the newly formed ice blocks, various frozen sea soul beasts of different sizes and species were trapped.
During this temporary battle against sea soul beasts, Tang Wulin's performance greatly satisfied Wu Zhangkong.
As a mere four-ring Soul Ancestor, being able to fight against ten-thousand-year sea soul beasts on the open ocean was a rare feat.
Once they finished dealing with the latest wave of sea soul beasts, Tang Wulin swiftly put away the bait, and they began transporting the frozen sea soul beasts to the cruise ship's storage.
Thanks to Wu Zhangkong's technique, the sea soul beasts remained alive, their life force sealed within the ice, ensuring freshness when consumed later.
However, just as they were nearly done transporting everything—
Suddenly!
"BOOOOM—"
A deafening explosion echoed across the ocean as the massive cruise ship violently tilted from side to side.
Inside the storage hold, just as Tang Wulin was about to thaw a frozen deep-sea demon whale's brain to taste, he was thrown off balance by the ship's abrupt lurching.
His head smacked against the floor, leaving him momentarily dazed.
Struggling to find his footing amidst the chaotic swaying, he instinctively grabbed onto a nearby support beam to steady himself.
At that moment, all thoughts of feasting were forgotten.
Bracing against the rocking ship, he gripped onto stable objects and quickly navigated toward the deck, searching for his teammates and teacher.
(End of Chapter)