Chapter 105: Starlight Auction
Since the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Fighting Competition began, the originally vast Star Luo City has become crowded.
Even now that night has fallen, the level of excitement has not diminished in the slightest. Especially near the Starlight Auction House, bidders gather from all directions of Star Luo City in an endless stream. From time to time, ornately decorated carriages pass through the VIP passage and disappear into the depths of the auction house.
The Shrek group arrived slowly under the cover of night, instantly attracting the gaze of countless passersby.
With the round-robin tournament over and the Soul Master Competition halfway through, the faces of those from Shrek Academy who had appeared on stage were already deeply etched into the minds of the spectating commoners and the various academies.
Moreover, this group consisted of handsome men and beautiful women; standing there, they were a sight to behold, naturally drawing a massive amount of attention.
"Look! It's the people from Shrek!"
"That black-haired one is Lin Xuan, the one who swept seven opponents! Heavens! He looks even better in person than on the spirit tool screen!"
"The girls next to him are also so beautiful..."
Amidst the whispers, a few bold girls even approached with blushing faces, wanting to strike up a conversation with Lin Xuan.
"Th... That... Student Lin Xuan, I... I'm your fan! Can we get to know each other?"
Lin Xuan's footsteps paused slightly, but before he could speak, a slender figure had already blocked his path.
"Sorry, he's very busy tonight."
Ning Tian's voice was gentle, but her eyes were very wary. Looking at her noble temperament and exquisite beauty, the girls had no choice but to leave dejectedly.
Xu Sanshi laughed so hard he couldn't straighten his back. "Ning Tian, oh Ning Tian, the way you're guarding your food, tsk tsk tsk..."
Ning Tian's cheeks flushed red instantly, and she gave him a fierce glare. "What nonsense are you talking about?!"
"How am I talking nonsense?" Xu Sanshi looked innocent. "I'm just praising your quick reflexes."
Bei Bei silently added a finishing blow from behind, "Her reaction was indeed fast, it's just too obvious."
Ning Tian's face turned even redder, and she lowered her head, not daring to look at Lin Xuan. Lin Xuan looked down at her, the corners of his mouth curling up slightly.
"Ning Tian."
"Hmm?" She looked up, her eyes still a bit panicked.
"Do you remember what you said to me after you got drunk at noon?"
Ning Tian was slightly stunned and thought about it seriously.
"I remember." She started counting on her fingers, "I said the white clouds in the sky were very pretty, the roses in the hallway were very beautiful, and... and..."
Lin Xuan shook his head, his voice very low, so low that only the two of them could hear.
"It seems you don't remember saying you like me."
Ning Tian's movements froze. She looked up, staring straight at Lin Xuan. There was no panic or avoidance in those eyes, only seriousness.
Then she spoke, word by word, clearly.
"That was said while sober."
Lin Xuan was stunned. He looked at the young girl before him, at her serious eyes, and at her slightly flushed cheeks.
Then he smiled, and in those black eyes that were always as calm as a deep pool, a ripple of unprecedented tenderness appeared.
Meeting that gaze, Ning Tian's heart skipped a beat, and then the tips of her ears turned red at a visible speed, spreading all the way to her cheeks and neck. She lowered her head, not daring to look again.
Xu Sanshi frantically winked at Bei Bei from behind, whispering,
"Did you see that?! Did you see that?!"
Bei Bei looked away expressionlessly, his tone indifferent.
"I saw it. So? Do you dare say it out loud?"
Xu Sanshi: "..."
As they spoke, the group had already crossed a wide street, and a tall building appeared before them.
This building was shaped similarly to the Treasure Gathering Pavilion in the north of Shrek City, but it was even more grand and atmospheric.
On the sign above the main entrance was the pattern of a hammer, with golden platform lines below it. This was the unified identification for auction houses on the Douluo Continent.
A woman who appeared to be twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old stood not far outside the main entrance.
She wore a well-tailored long black dress that outlined her graceful body curves. Under the night lights, she appeared noble, elegant, dignified, and beautiful.
And the highly approachable smile overflowing on that pretty face added a touch of gentleness to her.
It was exactly the auctioneer who had come to deliver the invitations at noon, Qingya.
Noticing the group approaching, Qingya hurriedly stepped forward to meet them, her face full of joy.
"Qingya represents the Starlight Auction House in welcoming all our distinguished guests."
Wang Yan was somewhat surprised. "Auctioneer Qingya seems to have felt certain that we would come today?"
Qingya shook her head gently, her smile undiminished.
"I wasn't sure if you would definitely come, but my mission was to wait here quietly for your arrival."
She bowed respectfully to everyone before turning around and leading the way with a graceful gait.
"The auction is about to begin. Everyone, please follow me."
The group stepped into the gates of the Starlight Auction House and, under Qingya's lead, went directly to a VIP room on the second floor.
As the door opened, a wave of extremely luxurious golden light rushed toward them.
This VIP room was about two hundred square meters, with an elegant and retro decoration.
Various rare and precious woods, seldom seen normally, were placed here as if they were ordinary decorations. Calligraphy and paintings by famous masters hung on the walls, exquisite porcelain sat in the corners, and even the carpet underfoot was woven from high-grade Celestial Silk.
The group entered and took seats on the large leather sofas.
Qingya went to the innermost wall of the VIP room and gently pressed a button. A ripple of light dissipated, and a wide spirit tool screen slowly revealed itself on that wall.
The screen showed the scene on the auction stage.
Standing in the center of the auction stage was an exquisite young girl in a red dress, with long golden hair draped over her shoulders. Her eyes were clear as water, her bearing was graceful, and her beauty was celestial.
"Greetings, distinguished guests. I am Jiujiu, your auctioneer for tonight. Your time is precious, so our auction will begin now. Next, please enjoy the first auction item of the evening."
"Jiujiu? Wait! Isn't that..." Seeing Princess Xu Jiujiu on the stage, Dai Yueheng was instantly dumbfounded. He never expected to see her here.
"In that case... the background of this Starlight Auction House must be the Star Luo Empire's Imperial Xu Family." Wang Yan narrowed his eyes and said with some surprise.
Hearing this, the others were all shocked, while Lin Xuan couldn't help but want to laugh.
Really? Is it that hard to understand that the owner behind a top-tier auction house like this would be the nation's imperial family?
With such a big piece of meat, the Xu family isn't stupid. Even if they could resist eating it themselves, they would never allow another power to take it.
Meanwhile, the first auction item was placed on a wooden platform.
"Next, please enjoy the first auction item of the evening," Princess Xu Jiujiu introduced.
"Overlord Tiger Soul Refining Saber, a Rank 8 close-combat spirit tool..."
"Whoa!" After hearing just one sentence, Xu Sanshi almost jumped off the sofa.
"The very first item is a Rank 8 spirit tool?! Is it going to be this explosive?!"
One must know that the three original Empires of Douluo did not have Rank 9 Soul Engineers. Within these three Empires, Rank 8 spirit tools were the absolute peak.
If one wanted to obtain a Rank 9 spirit tool, they could only go through various shady channels to buy them from the Sun Moon Empire.
Even someone like Coarse Vegetable Head, a key student of the Soul Tool Department, had only seen them a few times.
This showed just how high the specifications of this auction were. If it were any other ordinary auction, having this Overlord Tiger Soul Refining Saber as the finale would be considered elevating the auction's grade.
In the end, as expected, this Rank 8 spirit tool was taken by Dai Yueheng for a large sum. As the eldest legitimate son of Duke White Tiger, he still had this much financial power.
The second item soon appeared: a full set of Rank 6 Stationary Spirit Cannons.
Coarse Vegetable Head's eyes went straight instantly. He grabbed Teacher Wang's sleeve, so excited he was incoherent.
"Teacher Wang! This! We must buy this!"
Wang Yan was shaken until he was dizzy and hurriedly nodded. "Buy, buy, buy! Let go first!"
As the leading teacher for Shrek Academy this time, Wang Yan still had the authority to spend some money to bring things back.
Ultimately, this set of spirit tools was secured by Wang Yan for eight hundred thousand gold coins.
Coarse Vegetable Head held the box of spirit tools, smiling like a two-hundred-pound child.
The appearance of two high-level spirit tools in a row made most of the participants very pleasantly surprised and even more expectant of the upcoming items.
However, in the VIP room belonging to the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineer Academy not far from Shrek, the atmosphere was exceptionally heavy.
Ma Rulong's hands were clenched tight, his knuckles turning white. His voice, gritted through his teeth, was full of fury.
"Damn it!"
He slammed a fist hard onto the armrest.
"Outrageous! Simply too outrageous! Over these years, spirit tools from Illustrious Virtue Hall have been appearing in the three Douluo Empires more and more frequently!"
"It's one thing for outdated Rank 5 or 6 ones, but now they even dare to resell Rank 8 spirit tools?! Are these people's entire families available for wholesale execution?!"
The other team members looked at each other, not daring to respond.
Among the next few items, besides a few more high-level spirit tools leaked from Illustrious Virtue Hall and several rare metals, the vast majority were Soul Bones of quite good quality.
After all, on the Douluo Continent, Soul Bones had always held a very significant weight and were the treasures every Soul Master most desired to obtain.
spirit tools are ultimately external objects. Although Soul Bones are the same, a high-quality Soul Bone can not only improve the absorber's aptitude but can also be left to descendants after the absorber's death, passed down generation after generation.
During this time, Lin Xuan did step in to buy a few spirit tools with special uses, but that was all.
It wasn't that he didn't have the money to afford them; on the contrary, it was because he was too rich.
Even without mentioning the thirty million gold coins he snatched from Princess Xu Jiujiu, the items in the Star Crown Auction House back then alone were worth an astronomical sum.
But the problem was that those treasures were stolen goods. With his current identity, he simply couldn't use them.
On the spirit tool screen, Princess Xu Jiujiu's figure appeared for the eighth time, her smile still bright and moving.
"The eighth item is still a Soul Bone."
She paused, her gaze sweeping across the room. "But it is very different; everyone, please take a look."
With a wave of her right hand, a wooden platform was pushed forward.
On the platform lay a left arm Soul Bone, jade green throughout. Its surface seemed to be covered in tiny crystals, translucent and sparkling, as if carved from the finest gemstones.
A faint mist of ice formed above the Soul Bone, looking magnificent. Even through the screen, one could almost feel that heart-chilling coldness.
The moment Lin Xuan saw that Soul Bone, he had a bad feeling. Sure enough, in the next instant...
"Humans!!!"
In the Spiritual Sea, a voice so furious it could almost freeze everything suddenly exploded!
Lin Xuan's eye twitched slightly. As expected...
The Ice Empress's chill was almost tangible, nearly freezing the entire Spiritual Sea into a glacier.
"Uh... Bingbing, calm down, please calm down..." Tianmeng Ice Silkworm said cautiously.
"Calm down?!" The Ice Empress's voice was filled with irrepressible killing intent.
"How can you ask me to calm down?! The owner of this Soul Bone was a member of my Ice Jade Scorpion clan! Fifty thousand years of cultivation! Do you know how hard it is to cultivate to fifty thousand years in the Extreme North?!"
"This Soul Bone's age is between fifty thousand and seventy thousand years." On the screen, Princess Xu Jiujiu's introduction continued.
"It comes from the super Soul Beast of the Extreme North, the Ice Jade Scorpion. As everyone knows, Ice Jade Scorpions are social Soul Beasts. Hunting a fifty-thousand-year-old Ice Jade Scorpion in the Extreme North is practically a miracle, even more difficult than entering the core area of the Star Dou Great Forest to hunt a hundred-thousand-year Soul Beast."
"What's even rarer is that this Ice Jade Scorpion dropped a Soul Bone. You should know that the top ten Soul Beasts on the Douluo Continent are known as the Ten Great Savage Beasts. The ruler of the Ice Jade Scorpion clan, the Ice Jade Empress Scorpion, ranks seventh among them. Furthermore, the Ice Jade Scorpion clan is a rare race possessing Ultimate Ice!"
"However, a Soul Bone of an Ultimate Ice race is both a blessing and a curse for a Soul Master. It restricts the absorber to only being an ice-attribute Soul Master. But according to the joint appraisal of several top appraisers from the Starlight Auction House, this Ice Jade Scorpion Soul Bone contains a rare solidified Soul skills."
She paused for a moment, then spoke each word deliberately,
"Ice Explosion Technique."
In the Spiritual Sea, the Ice Empress's rage was almost solidifying.
"Ice Explosion Technique!!! This kind of ice-attribute divine skill, even I haven't awakened it! Damned ants! Don't let me find out who did this, or I will definitely exterminate their entire lineage!"
"Lin Xuan!" the Ice Empress's voice rang out again. "You must take this Soul Bone! It absolutely cannot fall into the hands of other filthy humans!"
Lin Xuan felt somewhat helpless. "Wait, it's useless for me to have this Soul Bone. Besides, don't the Soul Bones and Soul Rings of your Ice Jade Scorpion clan have to be absorbed by a Soul Master with the Ultimate Ice attribute?"
"I don't care! I don't want anyone else to get this Soul Bone except you!"
At this moment, the Ice Empress had completely lost her usual composure, looking very much like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.
Lin Xuan fell silent and stopped speaking.
The Ice Empress seemed to realize she was being a bit excessive, and her tone softened slightly as she continued,
"How about this, you don't have to use it yourself, but you must buy it. Use it to win people over or for an exchange, whatever. In short, it cannot fall into the hands of others."
Lin Xuan frowned slightly. Buying this Soul Bone wasn't impossible, but who should he give it to?
As he was thinking, he suddenly felt someone gently tugging at his sleeve.
Lin Xuan turned his head and met a pair of cool, ice-blue eyes.
It was Ling Luochen.
"Lin Xuan," Ling Luochen lowered her voice and got straight to the point,
"Lend me money."
Lin Xuan raised his eyebrows, a bit surprised.
Then Ling Luochen's gaze fell upon the jade-green Soul Bone on the screen, a hint of undisguisable longing flashing deep within her eyes.
She was the possessor of an Ice Element Spirit. An Ice Jade Scorpion Soul Bone with the Ice Explosion Technique was as attractive to her as a hundred-thousand-year Soul Ring is to a Titled Douluo.
"You want this?" Lin Xuan asked.
"Yes." Ling Luochen nodded.
"Then you can ask Teacher Wang."
Lin Xuan said, puzzled, "The Academy should be very willing to help you buy this Soul Bone."
Ling Luochen was silent for a while, then she spoke indifferently,
"I don't want to owe the Academy such a huge favor."
As soon as these words were spoken, the expressions of the several people around them became subtle.
Wang Yan's face looked a bit strained. He opened his mouth, wanting to say something.
Doesn't want to owe the Academy a favor?
What did that mean? Had the Academy already made them this disillusioned?
Dai Yueheng didn't speak, he just lowered his eyelids with a complex expression. Chen Zifeng didn't speak either, but his silence was an answer in itself.
Yes, it was disillusionment.
Anyone who went through the Death God Messenger incident would be disappointed with Shrek.
Damn it, right under the nose of a Titled Douluo, they were almost wiped out by an Evil Soul Master Soul King.
Who could they even complain to about this?
If it weren't for Lin Xuan, the grass on the graves of Xixi and the other two would probably be three inches high by now, and the rest of them likely wouldn't have fared much better.
It was only because Ma Xiaotao had the closest relationship with Shrek; otherwise, with her temper, she probably wouldn't have come to participate in the competition at all.
Although Ling Luochen didn't say it explicitly, everyone could see what she meant.
Lin Xuan looked at her and asked with a smile, "Aren't you afraid of owing me a favor?"
Ling Luochen raised her eyes to meet his, and there wasn't the slightest flinch in those ice-blue eyes.
"No, because I will pay you back."
Although Ling Luochen didn't say it explicitly, everyone could see what she meant.
Lin Xuan looked at her and asked with a smile, "Aren't you afraid of owing me a favor?"
Ling Luochen raised her eyes to meet his, and there wasn't the slightest flinch in those ice-blue eyes.
"No, because I will pay you back."
She said this decisively, without a hint of hesitation.
But Ning Tian, listening from the side, was dying of anxiety.
Pay back what? Make it clear! Is it paying back money or something else?! What if you pay him back with yourself?
Taking the gift and the person too, is that it?!
She wished she could bid for this Soul Bone for Ling Luochen herself, but that would be too damn frustrating.
Buying a Soul Bone for a love rival?
How is that any different from crawling through Han Xin's crotch while he's already crawling through someone else's?!
She pressed her lips tightly together, looking at the Soul Bone on the screen and then at Ling Luochen's cold face. She was ten thousand times unwilling in her heart, but she couldn't say a single word.
Lin Xuan thought for a moment, and after a while, he nodded.
"Okay."
Since he was going to buy it to give away anyway, it didn't matter who he gave it to.
As for the money issue, one could only say that selling the father's field doesn't hurt the son; if he ran out of money, couldn't he just go find Princess Xu Jiujiu one more time?
Ling Luochen was slightly startled, then the corners of her lips curved into a very slight arc, so faint it was almost unnoticeable.
But Ning Tian saw it, and at this moment, she was practically gnashing her teeth in hatred.
"Thank you," Ling Luochen said softly.
Lin Xuan withdrew his gaze, his tone indifferent.
"Just remember to pay me back."
The subsequent auction process went very smoothly. Lin Xuan directly bid twenty-nine million to win it, and soon the Ice Jade Scorpion Left Arm Bone was delivered by a maid.
Looking at this magnificent Soul Bone, Lin Xuan's expression became somewhat strange. Buying things from the Star Luo Imperial Family with Princess Xu Jiujiu's money—wasn't that just getting it for free?
Ling Luochen picked up the jade-green Ice Jade Scorpion Left Arm Bone and prepared to absorb it, but Lin Xuan reached out and stopped her. Seeing Ling Luochen's puzzled gaze, Lin Xuan explained,
"You can't absorb this Soul Bone yet. Don't ask why; I'll explain it to you when we get back to the hotel."
Ling Luochen's brow furrowed slightly. After staring into Lin Xuan's eyes for a moment, she seemed to think of something, and while a look of realization appeared in her eyes, a shy blush surfaced on her cheeks.
Lin Xuan: "..."
What are you blushing for? And you guys, what are you all thinking? Am I, Lin Xuan, that kind of person?
"Sigh... I'm exhausted." Lin Xuan rubbed his brow, no longer looking at Xu Sanshi and the others who were just enjoying the show.
At this time, Princess Xu Jiujiu's figure appeared on the light-guide screen for the ninth time, and everyone's gaze was involuntarily drawn to her.
The final auction item of tonight's top-tier auction was about to arrive.
Lin Xuan's gaze locked onto Princess Xu Jiujiu. He wanted to see exactly what kind of world-shaking treasure the Star Luo Imperial Family was prepared to bring out. If it was the Snow Empress embryo...
A cold light flashed through his eyes.
Princess Xu Jiujiu smiled elegantly and said,
"The final auction item to be auctioned next will be tonight's highlight. I believe many of the distinguished guests present will be interested in this item. And this final item is also a Soul Bone."
"However, its existence is something many Titled Douluo might not even see once in their entire lives."
"Whoa! Sounds that impressive?!" Xu Sanshi was shocked. "A Soul Bone many Titled Douluo won't see in their lives? Could it be a hundred-thousand-year Soul Bone?"
"Probably," Bei Bei guessed.
Dai Yueheng didn't speak, but his gaze was fixed firmly on the auction stage. As a descendant of the White Tiger and a former member of the Star Luo Empire's nobility, he knew all too well how terrifying the foundation of an Empire could be.
There was only what you couldn't imagine, not what they didn't have. If the Star Luo Empire didn't have it, then the other Three Great Empires surely did.
"Distinguished guests, please look."
Princess Xu Jiujiu clapped her hands lightly. A dark purple light flashed, and a Soul Bone appeared on the screen.
This Soul Bone was a deep, dark purple throughout. The surface of the bone was not smooth but covered with strange patterns as fine as dragon scales.
What was even more miraculous was that this Soul Bone seemed to possess life; these dragon-scale-like patterns were actually opening and closing slightly, emitting a visible black mist-like energy.
This black mist was not blown away by the wind; instead, it flowed downward like a living thing, devouring the surrounding light.
Deep within the core of the bone, there seemed to be a slowly beating dark purple heart sealed inside. Every time it pulsed, it caused the surrounding void to distort slightly...
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