Inside the VIP room, the atmosphere subtly shifted at that very moment.
The reason Jing Hongchen quoted a sky-high price of two hundred thousand gold soul coins without the slightest hesitation was simple—because of a single sentence from Liu Yuan.
"Dean, I want this."
Just six ordinary words.
No explanation.
No justification.
No mention of its purpose.
Yet for Jing Hongchen, that was more than enough.
Since his own prodigy had spoken, Jing Hongchen had already made up his mind—no matter the cost, he would secure this item today.
…
Meanwhile, in the Shrek Academy VIP room next door.
When Huo Yuhao heard the price of two hundred thousand and recognized the voice as Jing Hongchen's, his mind went blank, his face turning deathly pale.
It was like a drowning man who had finally grasped a lifeline—only to watch it be mercilessly severed right before his eyes.
Within his Sea of Consciousness, Electrolux's voice rang out, urgent and severe:
"Yuhao! We can't let him take it! The Gold of Life contained within that carving knife is incredibly pure. If we miss this chance, there may never be another opportunity! No matter what, we must get it!"
Huo Yuhao's heart pounded violently. He spun around, his eyes bloodshot as he stared at Xuan Zi, his voice hoarse and trembling with desperation.
"Elder Xuan! I beg you—help me!"
"This carving knife is truly crucial to me! I… I can't live without it!"
Seeing the hesitation and struggle on Xuan Zi's face, Huo Yuhao grew even more frantic, pleading incoherently.
"The money—I'll borrow it! I swear I'll pay it back! Elder Xuan, please!"
Looking at the child before him—usually so calm and resilient, now on the verge of collapse—Xuan Zi felt a sharp ache in his heart.
Despite how much it pained him to think of the money he'd already been fleeced out of, as an elder of Shrek Academy's Sea God Pavilion, how could he bear to watch the academy's future hope sink into despair?
Moreover, Huo Yuhao possessed the Ultimate Ice martial soul—a genius personally valued by Elder Mu.
"…Why…"
Xuan Zi let out a heavy sigh and slammed the wine gourd in his hand onto the table. A fierce glint flashed through his cloudy old eyes.
"Silly child, what are you talking about borrowing for?"
"If this thing is truly that important to you, then even if I have to empty my entire savings, I'll fight for it!"
He rapidly calculated the remaining wealth in his storage soul tool, along with the public funds he had brought on this trip.
Though Jing Hongchen had scammed him repeatedly, he was still a Super Douluo—he still had some resources left.
"Two hundred and one thousand!"
Xuan Zi gritted his teeth and roared the bid into the auction console.
He was gambling.
He was betting that Jing Hongchen was only bidding to provoke him, and wouldn't truly invest too much in a cursed weapon that no one dared use. Two hundred and one thousand was already an irrational price.
However—
Reality struck him like a massive hammer, crashing straight down onto his head.
His words had barely faded, the echo not yet dispersed through the hall, when the cold voice from the neighboring VIP room sounded once more—like a death sentence:
"Three hundred and one thousand."
Boom!
Just four simple words, and the price jumped by a full hundred thousand.
No hesitation.
No pause.
Not even the slightest hint of reluctance.
As casual as tossing spare coins to a beggar by the roadside.
Xuan Zi's body swayed violently, and he nearly fell out of his chair.
Three hundred and ten thousand…
The number felt like a mountain pressing down on his chest, suffocating him.
"This is madness… this is completely insane!"
Xuan Zi's eyes were bloodshot, veins bulging on his forehead, his breathing heavy and ragged like a broken bellows.
"Elder Xuan…"
Huo Yuhao looked at him in despair, tears pooling in his eyes.
"Don't worry! I can still try one more time!"
At this point, Xuan Zi was already in a blood-red frenzy. The humiliation of being toyed with and his obsession with saving face twisted together, completely overwhelming his rationality.
With trembling hands, he pulled out every last valuable item he carried, rapidly estimating their worth.
This was the final line.
Truly the last bit he had.
"Three hundred and twenty thousand!"
Xuan Zi practically screamed the number, his voice shrill and distorted.
The entire hall fell into deathly silence.
Everyone held their breath, their gazes darting between the two VIP rooms. A carving knife that started at one hundred thousand had been driven up to three hundred and twenty thousand—this was utter madness!
And yet—
Just when everyone thought the dust had settled, just when a faint glimmer of hope appeared in Xuan Zi's heart—
Jing Hongchen's calm, almost indifferent voice echoed once more through the venue.
This time, he didn't raise the price by another hundred thousand.
He simply took a sip of tea, then casually reported a number that sent chills down everyone's spine.
"One million."
…
Silence.
Absolute, deathly silence.
In that instant, time itself seemed to freeze.
Auctioneer Qingya's hammer stopped mid-air, her mouth hanging open in a perfect "O," completely forgetting to speak.
The audience was dumbfounded—some even wondered if they had misheard.
One million gold soul coins?!
Not three hundred thirty thousand.
Not four hundred thousand.
But a direct leap to one million!
This wasn't an auction anymore.
This was someone dumping a mountain of gold onto the table.
Inside the Shrek Academy VIP room.
Xuan Zi's expression froze completely.
Too expensive.
He simply didn't have that much money.
In the end, he could only speak helplessly:
"Yuhao… give up."
"One million… even if we sold the both of us, we still couldn't raise that much."
Huo Yuhao sat there in a daze, his heart filled with despair.
Give up?
How could he give up?
That was the Gold of Life—the embodiment of life itself!
But seeing Xuan Zi's dejected expression, and hearing that hopeless bid of one million, Huo Yuhao knew that it was over.
He screamed in his heart, resentment boiling wildly, but in the face of absolute financial power, his emotions felt unbearably weak.
Within his Sea of Consciousness, Electrolux let out a long sigh… and then fell completely silent.
…
"One million, once!"
"One million, twice!"
"One million, three times—sold! Congratulations to VIP Room Number Two!"
As Qingya's trembling voice fell, the thrilling auction finally came to an end.
Inside the Sun Moon team's VIP room, Jing Hongchen set down his teacup, his face showing not the slightest hint of pain—only satisfaction.
To him, one million gold soul coins was nothing.
If such a sum could make Liu Yuan happy, humiliate Shrek Academy, and thoroughly wound his old rival Xuan Zi all at once, then it was money very well spent.
"Come, Xiao Yuan. Let's go collect your item."
Jing Hongchen stood, straightened his robes, and led Liu Yuan and the others toward the backstage.
—
Backstage VIP chamber.
Jing Hongchen smoothly completed the payment of one million gold soul coins.
Soon after, the crystal case containing the Spirit Devouring Carving Knife was presented to them.
Even through the crystal, the eerie coldness and resentful aura made one instinctively uncomfortable.
Jing Hongchen frowned slightly as he looked at the pitch-black carving knife radiating ominous energy.
Though he had spent millions for Liu Yuan, as a top-tier Ninth-Rank Soul Engineer, he could clearly sense the terrifying vengeful aura sealed within.
"Xiao Yuan."
His expression turned serious. Jing Hongchen reached out and stopped Liu Yuan just as he was about to take it, speaking in a deep voice:
"Although I helped you obtain it, this item is extremely dangerous. The resentment it carries is extraordinary—even a Titled Douluo could be affected if careless."
"If you plan to use it, you must be fully prepared. Alternatively, once we return to Mingde Hall, I can have experts skilled in spiritual purification help you deal with it. Don't act rashly—understand?"
Hearing Jing Hongchen's earnest warning, a warm feeling rose in Liu Yuan's heart.
"Don't worry, Dean. I know what I'm doing."
Without hesitation, he reached out and took the crystal case.
"Alright. Since we've got the item, let's go."
Seeing Liu Yuan's confidence, Jing Hongchen said no more.
The group left the Starlight Auction House, leaving behind a crowd still buzzing about the "one-million sky-high price," and the Shrek members in their VIP room who looked as though they had just lost their parents.
The moment they stepped outside, a cool night breeze brushed past them.
Holding the Spirit Devouring Carving Knife close, Liu Yuan was in exceptionally high spirits.
And just then—
That familiar, cold, mechanical voice echoed precisely within the depths of his mind:
[Congratulations, Host! You have successfully completed the time-limited mission: Obtain the Gold of Life.]
[Reward received: Random Pokémon Item…]