18 Chapter 18: Lay the cards on table

"No, it must be above two thousand years, and at least seven of them!" Cheng Xiao shook his head. "This is still considered few. Originally, I wanted fifteen."

"Huh!" Cheng Yu was shocked. "Are you crazy? Do you know how many Gold Soul Coins that would cost? Seven two to three-thousand-year soul beasts are enough to raise seven Soul Ancestors! Fifteen? Do you think our family is a marquis's mansion?"

The optimal age for the fourth soul ring was between one thousand seven hundred and five thousand years. Two or three thousand years were not at the limit but were acceptable for a fourth soul ring for a commoner Soul Ancestor.

Employing Soul Masters, only a Soul Ancestor team could safely hunt a three-thousand-year soul beast, and the commission would be a staggering amount. If Cheng Yu asked for seven of them, it would deplete the family's wealth. Some marquis noble families only had a dozen or so Soul Masters.

"Impossible, absolutely not!" Cheng Yu decisively refused, shaking his head firmly. Cheng Yu had no more hesitation this time.

Cheng Xiao contemplated for a while, finally deciding to reveal the whole truth. Otherwise, it would be challenging to gain the family's approval to invest all the money in him.

He had thought about other ways, but each one had been rejected by himself.

The academy's dean was only a forty-second level Soul Ancestor, and other teachers were either Great Soul Masters or Soul Masters at most. Even if they formed a team, there were significant risks.

His talent had not reached the point where the academy would go all out for him. Moreover, his demand for more than one soul beast would never be approved unless the dean had a problem with his head.

As for trying to deceive someone like Tang San and Xiao Wu did with the first soul ring, Cheng Xiao quickly dismissed the idea. It was unnecessary to feed the soul beasts.

After much thought, Cheng Xiao could only rely on the family. Only the family had the hope of helping him.

"Uncle, do you remember those three pieces of whale jelly? Those three pieces of whale jelly are what allowed me to break through to level twenty. Whale jelly can enhance the muscles, bones, and meridians' endurance, improving the Soul Master's physique."

Cheng Xiao looked sincere, explaining, "After taking whale jelly, the Soul Master can absorb soul rings with a longer age limit. I estimate that my limit has reached two to three thousand years, but I still need to carefully test to determine the true limit. That's why I need so many."

Cheng Yu's eyes shook violently. He immediately sat upright, asking seriously, "Enhancing the soul ring's absorption age limit? Are you sure?"

If this were true, this news would be enough to shock the entire continent.

"Yes, I once got hold of a piece of ancient scroll that recorded it." Cheng Xiao nodded. "I didn't take it seriously at first, but after seeing the whale jelly last time, I tried it with a trial mindset. Unexpectedly, I directly broke through to level twenty. Whale jelly is definitely a treasure!"

Cheng Yu's breathing immediately became heavy, and his face flushed. If whale jelly could indeed enhance the soul ring's absorption limit, their family could take advantage of the current situation to hoard it in large quantities...

Seeing Cheng Yu's reaction, Cheng Xiao sighed inwardly. He knew it would be like this. Last time, he didn't tell his uncle because he was afraid Cheng Yu would be swayed by interests.

"Uncle, this is not something we can control! We don't have the strength to monopolize it. If others know this secret, our family is likely to face disaster!"

A single sentence poured cold water on Cheng Yu. Excitement made Cheng Yu shudder, immediately waking him up.

Right, if whale jelly had such miraculous effects, they only needed to sell one, and the news would spread to every corner of the continent.

At that time, it would attract the coveting of countless forces. How big was their family? Could they compete with royal families, major sects, and large families? In their eyes, the Cheng family was nothing!

"In that case, why don't we sell this information to the Martial Soul Hall?" Cheng Yu suggested. If they couldn't keep it, they could sell the information to others. At least, they could benefit from it.

This idea was not unreasonable. Cheng Yu was a businessman, and his first thought was how to use this secret to make a considerable amount of Gold Soul Coins.

"Uncle, do you think the Martial Soul Hall will kill to keep this secret for themselves?" Cheng Xiao shook his head.

Cheng Yu's expression froze, then he frowned and pondered, "Impossible, right? The Martial Soul Hall isn't that ruthless, are they? They are much better than those sects and families."

In the public opinion of commoners, the Martial Soul Hall was much better than those major noble families. In their eyes, the Martial Soul Hall represented justice and was the embodiment of angels.

This was an image that the Martial Soul Hall had spent thousands, even tens of thousands, of years building.

Cheng Yu was not an exception.

But Cheng Xiao didn't see the world through rose-tinted glasses. In his eyes, the Martial Soul Hall was just a Soul Master force, no different from the two empires and three major sects. They were just good at creating a positive image.

Whale jelly was something that could rapidly widen the gap for the younger generation. Any force would try everything to fully control it in their hands, and the Martial Soul Hall was no exception.

As long as the Cheng family existed, it became an uncertain factor because the Cheng family might sell the information. How could the Martial Soul Hall let them go?

After explaining this truth to Cheng Yu, Cheng Xiao emphasized once again, "Uncle, don't fantasize about handing your life over to others! You will die! Unless we have the strength to keep this secret or protect our family's lives, we cannot reveal this secret even a bit!"

Cheng Yu's face turned pale at these words. His lips trembled for a long time before he weakly spat out a few words, "Strength, huh? How much strength do we need to protect it?"

"A Title Douluo! At least a Title Douluo!" Cheng Xiao's expression was serious. "Only a Title Douluo can protect the lives of a family!"

"At least? Title Douluo?" Cheng Yu was speechless. "Do you know what you're talking about? How many Title Douluos are there on the continent? Dreaming of getting the protection of a Title Douluo, isn't that daydreaming!?"

Cheng Xiao fell silent, but his eyes firmly locked onto Cheng Yu. He didn't speak any exaggerated words about how he could become a Title Douluo. A three-year-old might be praised for saying they would become a Title Douluo someday, but if a ten-year-old Soul Master said it, anyone would roll their eyes and mock them for overestimating themselves.

Cheng Yu understood his nephew's attitude from Cheng Xiao's eyes. He sighed lightly, "It seems that this secret either goes to the grave with us or is only usable on you."

Cheng Xiao nodded, "So, Uncle, forget about the idea of making money with whale jelly."

With one less chance to become rich, Cheng Yu felt his heartache, making it difficult to breathe.

"But seven is too many." After dismissing an inappropriate desire, Cheng Yu returned to the main topic. "Even if the family squeezes out all the liquid assets, it's only enough for you to kill three. If you want seven, we'll have to sell family assets and take out loans. Other family members definitely won't agree, and your mother won't agree either."