The cold moonlight of Shrek City felt heavier than usual as Lin Feng sat cross-legged on the roof of the Secret Forging Hall. He had the Mountain-Heart Ore in his hand, ready to initiate the evolution of his second ring. But as he reached into his consciousness to trigger the System, he was met not with the familiar golden interface, but with a jarring, blood-red flicker.
[CRITICAL SYSTEM ERROR: Temporal Desync Detected.]
Warning: The rapid evolution of 10,000-year rings at a low cultivation rank has caused a 'Soul-Logic Paradox'.
Status: Evolution Protocols: LOCKED.
Unlock Condition: Reach Rank 70 (Soul Saint Level) to stabilize the physical vessel.
Current Access: Limited to Point Accumulation, Crafting, and Basic Stat Monitoring.
Lin Feng's breath hitched. "Locked? Until Rank 70?"
The weight of the news was crushing. For a moment, the "Golden Hammer" felt like an anchor dragging him into the depths. Without the ability to evolve his rings, he was stuck with his current power level in a world where enemies were growing stronger by the day. But then, his eyes hardened.
"So the 'cheat' is gone for now," he whispered, crushing the Mountain-Heart Ore in his fist until it hummed. "Fine. If I can't evolve my soul, I'll build a world that has to bow to me anyway."
The Grand Auction of Shrek City
The Shrek City Grand Auction House was a cathedral of greed and opulence. Its gold-leafed domes rose high above the surrounding district, and today, the security was doubled. Rumors had spread that a "Mysterious Artisan" had submitted blueprints for a Rank 5 Soul Tool that didn't require high-level Soul Power to operate.
Lin Feng walked through the main entrance, draped in a deep obsidian cloak that masked his Golden Body's natural radiance. Beside him, Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong wore similar disguises.
"Feng, are you sure about selling the 'Gravity-Compression' blueprints?" Yuhao whispered, his Spirit Eyes scanning the hidden guards in the rafters. "That's your signature power."
"The blueprint I gave them is a 'hollow' version, Yuhao," Lin Feng replied, his voice disguised by a System modulator. "It works, but it's 40% less efficient than my gauntlets. I need the points—and the money—to fund our survival now that my 'shortcuts' are closed."
The Bidding War: The Shadow of Sun Moon
The auction hall was a sea of velvet and silk. In the VIP boxes sat representatives from the Star Luo Empire, the Heaven Dou remnants, and most importantly, a group of men in silver-grey robes from the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Tool Academy.
"Item 47!" the auctioneer shouted, a beautiful woman with a Rank 40 cultivation. "The 'Void-Anchor' Blueprints. A revolutionary design that allows a Rank 30 Soul Grandmaster to exert the gravitational pressure of a Soul King. Starting bid: 500,000 Gold Coins!"
"600,000!" a voice called from the Star Luo box.
"800,000!" the Heaven Dou representative countered.
Lin Feng watched from the back, his eyes fixed on his System's point counter.
[System: Converting Auction Interest into 'Reputation Points'...]
+100... +500... +1,000...
Suddenly, a cold, mechanical voice drifted from the Sun Moon Academy box. "Two million Gold Coins. And we demand the identity of the creator."
The hall went silent. Two million was a king's ransom.
Lin Feng's heart hammered. Sun Moon... they've recognized the value of 'Mass-Logic' in Soul Tools.
"Two and a half million!" Lin Feng shouted, changing his voice to sound like an old man.
The Sun Moon representative, a man named Jing Ziyan, leaned over the balcony, his eyes scanning the crowd. "Three million. And a 10,000-year Spirit Bone of the buyer's choice."
The crowd gasped. A Spirit Bone as a bidding chip?
The Hidden Objective: The 'Core of the World'
Lin Feng wasn't just there to sell; he was there to buy. He knew the auction's final item was something the System had flagged before the bug occurred: The Core of the World—a meteorite fragment from the Divine Realm.
"Final Item!" the auctioneer announced, her voice trembling. "The Star-Core Fragment. It is indestructible, inert to all Soul Power, and weighs exactly ten tons despite being the size of a fist."
To the others, it was a useless curiosity. To Lin Feng, it was the only thing that could sustain his body during the "System Lock."
"Starting bid: One Million Gold Coins."
"Five million," Lin Feng said instantly.
The Sun Moon representative stood up, his silver robes glowing. "Six million. That stone belongs in our laboratory."
"Seven million," Lin Feng countered, his voice cold.
"Eight million!" Jing Ziyan snarled. "Who are you to challenge the Sun Moon Empire?"
Lin Feng felt the System flicker.
[System Event: Desperation Protocol.]
Option: Sacrifice 20,000 Reputation Points to 'Fake' a Higher Bid using System-generated Gold.
Risk: If you cannot pay the difference in 24 hours, the System will 'Reclaim' your First Ring.
Do it, Lin Feng thought. Without that Core, I'm just a boy with a hammer I can't lift.
"Ten million Gold Coins!" Lin Feng's voice echoed like a thunderclap.
The hall erupted. Even the Sun Moon representative sat back, his face pale with rage. Ten million was enough to buy a small city.
The Escape: Shadows in the Alley
After the auction, Lin Feng claimed the Star-Core. It was a dark, pulsing stone that felt as if it were trying to sink through the floor. The moment his hand touched it, his Golden Dragon's Anchor groaned in resonance.
"We have to move," Lin Feng whispered to Yuhao and Wang Dong. "The Sun Moon people aren't going to let us walk away with ten million gold and their 'missing' research."
As they slipped into the rain-slicked back alleys of Shrek City, three silver-robed figures blocked their path. Jing Ziyan stood at the center, his hand resting on a Rank 6 Soul Cannon.
"Hand over the stone and the blueprints, 'Old Man'," Jing Ziyan sneered. "Or Shrek City will have a new crater where you're standing."
Lin Feng stepped forward, his cloak falling away to reveal his young face and his glowing black-and-gold gauntlets.
"The System might be bugged," Lin Feng said, his voice dropping an octave as his Divine Vajra Domain flared to life. "But my weight... my weight is still working just fine."
He slammed his fist into the ground.
"Absolute Gravity: 100x Compression!"
The alleyway didn't just shake—it collapsed. The Soul Cannon in Jing Ziyan's hand bent like a wet noodle under the sudden increase in mass.
[System Notification:]
Points Earned from 'Grand Theft': 15,000.
Status: Core of the World Acquired.
Next Goal: Survive the Sun Moon Pursuit.
[End of Chapter 15]