"Teacher Wang." In a rare occurrence, Ling Luochen spoke. She appeared to be irritated. "Isn't the Starlight Auction House being deceitful, knowing that the soul bone they are auctioning is flawed?" She had been moved by Huo Yuhao's words earlier too. She was wondering about the prospect of being able to fuse with this soul bone. If this soul bone was flawed, it would be in the best interest of the Starlight Auction House to sell it to them. After all, Huo Yuhao possessed an ultimate ice martial soul, which was very uncommon.
Wang Yan waved towards her and said, "Don't fret."
Qing Ya came towards Wang Yan and whispered a few words to him.
Wang Yan laughed slightly and said, "I've guessed that it'd be like this already. We'll wait here. Isn't there a last auction item? Let us take a look at it and see what can be more valuable than the Ice Jade Scorpion Left Arm Bone."
Upon seeing Wang Yan's expression, Ma Xiaotao and Dai Yaoheng were both relieved. They seemed to have understood something too. Bei Bei, He Caitou and Xu Sanshi all grinned too. Xu Sanshi even took the initiative to answer Jiang Nannan's doubts.
Wang Dong was initially as irritated as Ling Luochen. Only when Huo Yuhao muttered a few words into his ear did he seemed to be enlightened. Xiao Xiao was at a loss though. Ling Luochen continued to furrow her brows, but did not say anything.
As this Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Dueling Tournament continued, Wang Yan was gaining further recognition from his students based on his profound knowledge and hard work.
"Next, we have our final auction item."
The image on the soul screen turned golden. As the golden light receded, Princess Jiu Jiu appeared on the screen wearing a long, golden skirt.
Her milky-white skin didn't lose its beauty and elegance when paired with the graceful and luxurious golden palace skirt. The tailoring of the skirt fitted her body to a tee, and even managed to accentuate her curves.
Qing Ya had already said before that wearing the golden auction attire signified that the auction item that was about to be presented next could potentially achieve a bid of over 100 million golden soul coins.
Although no one knew what that auction item was going to be, they were excited upon seeing Princess Jiu Jiu's change of attire. In this top-ranked auction, she was indeed capable of getting everyone to their feet!
"Distinguished guests, we can tell how valuable this final auction item will be just by looking at Princess Jiu jiu's dress. Honestly speaking, it's also my first time seeing this auction item in my entire life. From my viewpoint, the value of this item can no longer be judged using money."
Princess Jiu jiu showed some minor changes again after changing into this golden skirt. She was different from her previous self, which appeared to be more seductive. Right now, her tone of voice was more serious. Her expression was also more serious. Just by saying a few words, others could sense her sincerity. They even could not help but believe every single word that she said.
"I shall not reveal the name of this auction item yet. I shall give a brief introduction of what its effects are. The Ice Jade Scorpion Left Arm Bone earlier was already very scarce and rare. As for this final auction item, it's even more unique. Its price is even immeasurable using money."
"It's an item that can only expended once. More specifically, it's medicinal in nature, and there's only one of it. Distinguished guests, please take a look." As she spoke, Princess Jiu jiu waved her right hand, and a change occurred on the soul screen. There was one more white tray that appeared on the screen. On that tray, there was another wooden tray. This wooden tray was embedded with at least a hundred jewels of various colors. Above this average-sized wooden tray, a ball of flowing gas surged slightly.
This ball of flowing gas revealed itself to be white. The tender whiteness of it undermined its strength. Furthermore, it only appeared to be a ball of flowing gas from the screen. It was difficult to sense how miraculous it was through one's vision alone.
However, this ball of flowing gas was very condensed, and did not disperse. Subtly, it seemed to be struggling, and attempting to escape some form of encirclement. The wooden tray beneath the ball of flowing gas even emanated a layer of dim golden light that engulfed the gas as the gas struggled. This stopped the gas from escaping.
"All of you must be very curious. What exactly is this item? When I saw it for the first time, I was also unable to confirm what sort of presence it is exactly. However, we have confirmed its detailed form through countless research attempts. Never underestimate this ball of flowing gas. It's even a blessing just to see it today. Although it's a little disrespectful to say this as an auctioneer, I can't think of another way to describe how valuable and rare it is other than using this method.
"All of you should be aware that in the world of soul beasts, there's a situation. After a soul beast reaches 100,000 years of cultivation, it will have a choice. If it continues to cultivate, it has to rely on its powerful innate talent to challenge the bottleneck that could potentially dissipate its soul. If the bottleneck is overcome, we would then name it a transcendent soul beast until it reaches 200,000 years of cultivation. Among transcendent soul beasts, we call the most powerful ten of them the Ten Great Savage Beasts. It's fair to say that they are the elites among the soul beasts."
"However, not all soul beasts will choose this path after they reach 100,000 years of cultivation. There's another choice that they can make. They can re-cultivate to become human. To carry this out, they must convert themselves into the most primitive form of humans. They must exist in the form of an embryo first before continuing to cultivate in order to increase their cultivation. As long as they can cultivate all the way till the 7th ring, they will be able to become true humans. For such soul beasts, they are almost certainly able to reach the level of Transcendent Douluo. However, it's more uncommon for soul beasts to choose this path compared to the previous one. Why?"
"That's because it's equivalent to them forsaking all their previous cultivation once they choose to be reborn. Besides retaining their soul skills and relieving themselves of the need to kill a soul beast to replenish themselves, their bodies will be as weak as the bodies of humans. Regardless of whether it's the soul beasts themselves or the most powerful human soul masters, they can also sense the difference between these soul beasts and humans. Such soul beasts with 100,000 years of cultivation are the prime targets to be hunted and slain by human soul masters. If we say that 1 out of 10 soul beasts survive by choosing the previous path, it's fair to say that none of them will survive if they choose this path. As a result, there have been fewer and fewer soul beasts who will make such a choice. This is unless if they are able to cultivate till 100,000 years based on luck, or if their lineage is extremely poor."
"After saying so much, I reckon that some of you will be thinking that I am saying stuff that all of you are already aware of, and there's no need for me to remind all of you of this. However, I must clarify that what I'm saying is not gibberish. What I'm saying is closely related to this, the final item of today's auction. This ball of flowing gas is a soul beast with 100,000 years of cultivation that was captured by someone powerful after it reached its bottleneck and decided to re-cultivate into a human. After that, it was trapped in a Class 9 Godsealing Altar.
After hearing Jiu Jiu's words, the entire room went silent, including Wang Yan. Everyone was astounded.
Huo Yuhao was still immersed in his expectations for the Ice Jade Scorpion Left Arm Bone, but he opened his mouth wide in shock when he heard Princess Jiu Jiu's words.
A soul beast was captured and trapped in the process of turning into a human, when it was in its embryonic state. What did this mean? This meant that a 100,000 year soul beast could be easily slain. As a result, a hundred thousand year soul ring and soul bone could be obtained. But at the same time, this signified immense cruelty too!
Undoubtedly, this Class 9 soul engineer must have come from the Sun Moon Empire. That's because only the Sun Moon Empire possessed a soul engineer of such a level.
This was indeed a treasure! A hundred thousand year soul ring and soul bone were indeed the most valuable treasures currently in the world. It was tremendously arduous to obtain them, not to even mention capturing a 100,000 year soul beast. The temptation to get ahold of this embryo was very great. No wonder Princess Jiu Jiu had donned the golden auctioneering clothes.
An item worth 100 million golden soul coins was undoubtedly a staggering figure. But compared to a 100,000 year soul beast, there were those who were willing to fork out this sum of money!
However, this was not the end of the shock for everyone.
Princess Jiu Jiu beamed with a smile and said, "Distinguished guests, am I right that all of you are stunned now? I shouldn't be wrong. However, there are even more astonishing things that I haven't revealed yet. According to the research information provided by the Sun Moon Empire regarding this embryo, this 100,000 year soul beast embryo's memory was also sealed when it was solidified into this state. Besides the fact that it can provide a hundred thousand year soul ring and soul bone, this means that it can be easily absorbed. Of course, the powers of the Class 9 Godsealing Altar have to be tapped into during the process of absorption. Moreover, the probability of it being absorbed directly might not be huge. However, an entire martial soul could be obtained by the person absorbing it if it's successful, and all the powers of the soul beast could be absorbed. If this is true, a martial soul that can be added with 9 soul rings is much superior than a soul ring or a soul bone."
Silence. Not only was the room that Huo Yuhao and the rest were in silent, all the participants of the auction were also completely hushed. However, their breathing became heavier and heavier.
If they had thought that Princess Jiu Jiu was exaggerating when she described that auction item, their mindset changed immediately at this moment. If what Princess Jiu Jiu said was true, then this hundred thousand year soul beast was indeed a priceless treasure!
"Is it really possible?" Huo Yuhao asked the Skydream Iceworm and the Ice Empress.
The Ice Empress said nothing, but she felt as if she was about to blow up any moment. The Skydream Iceworm did not try to provoke her this time, but instead tried to calm the Ice Empress down.
"It is really possible. Unbelievably, you humans managed to catch the embryo of a hundred thousand year soul beast that was about to turn into a human. All I can say that the luck required for something is like this is incredible. Furthermore, the person who caught his embryo probably prepared for it for quite some time. When a soul beast tries to turn into a human, it will be at its weakest. One has to be extremely careful. For the captor to remain undetected means that he had some powerful concealment ability. If the embryo could be forcibly fused, it may become a martial soul. However, it will not cooperate as seamlessly as you and I. If it were to become a martial soul, the embryo of the soul beast would still preserve a bit of its consciousness. Think about it; will it be willing to be fused? While it may not necessarily create problems, it is surely not a good thing."
Huo Yuhao nodded his head and sighed in his heart. He had no chance of obtaining this item. Including Electrolux, he had three martial souls already. Furthermore, as he looked at the stream of gas that was actually the embryo of a soul beast, he could not make himself want it.
When humans killed mature soul beasts, it was survival of the fittest. When humans won, they would obtain soul rings. When they were killed, humans would become food for the soul beasts. However, no one would pick on the younger humans and soul beasts. It was as if the two sides had come to a tacit agreement that harming a youngling was something shameful.
Princess Jiu Jiu was not yet finished with her introduction. She smiled and continued, "Honored guests, please don't worry excessively. If one fails at fusing with it, then the soul beast will surely die. At that time, the soul ring and the soul bone will naturally appear. I want to remind all guests that whoever wishes to try fusing with it must possess the power of an Soul Douluo. If not, when the beast dies upon failure and produces its hundred thousand year soul ring and soul bone, you will not be able to absorb it because you won't be strong enough. Optimally, one must be an Soul Douluo. Then, regardless of whether you succeed or fail, no problem will arise."
"Of course, if you are not powerful, it's fine too. The Godsealing Altar is powerful enough to seal time and space. With it, as long as one does not open it with some special spell, the hundred thousand year soul beast will still be inside. Even after a thousand years, or even ten thousand years, it will not be damaged. However, this creates a problem unto itself too. Whoever buys the hundred thousand year soul beast must also buy this Class 9 soul tool, as it is necessary to preserve this embryo."
"Now, we will give our honored guests 30 minutes to rest and admire this object. After 30 minutes, we will start this auction. Here, we allow our guests to obtain some cash by offering collateral. We will assess each object offered thus objectively, but we will take a 20% commission fee for each exchange. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, as this object is unprecedented in history. With it, one's power will surely increase immensely. Don't miss this chance."
The Godsealing Altar in the image was blown up many times, and the ball of faint, golden light became clearer. If one looked at it carefully, one would see that the ball of gas in the 封神台 possessed a humanoid shape, akin to a human baby.
Wang Yan arched his eyebrows tightly as he sat on the sofa. This treasure was attractive, no doubt. However, the people from Shrek all had a look of helplessness in their eyes.
Because of the value of this treasure, its price would surely be terrifyingly high too. Even if Shrek Academy wished to purchase it, it would put a huge dent in their finances. Furthermore, with their current setup, they might not even be able to bring it back.
At this time, Ma Xiaotao finally played her role as the team leader. "Pa! Pa! Pa!" She clapped her hands and attracted everyone's gaze to her.
"It's fine guys, there's no need for Shrek Academy to own every single goodie. No doubt this item is good, but it's way too expensive. To me, this item is overvalued. With so much money, why don't we just ask some freaks from Shrek Academy to catch some hundred thousand year soul beasts? Furthermore, the description comes solely from the auctioneer, and we don't know much about any specific details either. Its auction price is surely based on the value of a second martial soul, produced upon successful fusion. What if the fusion fails? Let's just enjoy the show, shall we?"
Dai Yueheng regained his senses too as he nodded his head and said, "Xiaotao is right. This is a treasure that we might encounter, but may not possess. Even if we encounter it, this is not something that we can buy with our current financial ability. What a shame." While that was what he said, a dark expression still crossed his eyes. If the people behind the Starlight Auction were not the Imperial Family, he would surely do something. Hatred brewed in his heart. For a treasure like this, even his father did not know the details. If he did…
Huo Yuhao's eyes were clear. He had no desire for the embryo of this hundred thousand year soul beast. Without desire, his heart was much calmer too. He turned his head to look at Wang Dong. What shocked him was that Wang Dong was eating a fruit from the table. He was acting even more naturally than him.
Huo Yuhao could not help but say in a low voice, "What? Don't you have the slightest desire for it at all?"
Wang Dong shook his head and said, "No."
When Ma Xiaotao heard their exchange, she could not help but chide, "The two of you are already twin-souled soul masters, what desire can you possibly have? However, do you know how many twin-souled soul masters are there in the continent? I can count them with one hand. Even for our school, we had not seen one for over 400 years. Now, three appear all at once."
At this moment, a knock came from the door. Qing Ya stood up and shot a look at Wang Yan, as if seeking his permission.
Wang Yan nodded. Only then did Qing Ya open the door.
The door opened, and the first to enter was Princess Jiu Jiu, who was still clad in her golden, regal robes. The person behind her was none other than the Emperor of the Star Luo Empire.
When she saw who they were, Qing Ya was shocked. She retreated a few steps and knelt on one knee. The two maids next to her knelt on both knees.
The people from Shrek had all seen the emperor in Star Luo Plaza. Now, when they looked at him up-close, all of them were dumbfounded. Only Dai Yueheng leapt up from the sofa and knelt on one knee as he said respectfully, "Your Majesty."
The Star Luo Emperor raised his hands and said, "Rise. This is an auction, and you are guests. I am the host. There's no need for formalities. In fact, I should properly extend my hospitality to you as the host. Yueheng, your father is my big brother. You should call me uncle. Why are you acting so formal?"
Only then did the team from Shrek get over their initial shock. They all got up and paid their respects to him, but instead of kneeling, they simply bowed. After all, they belonged to Shrek Academy, whose dean's position rivalled that of emperors. It would be wrong to show too much deference.
After Wang Yan bowed, he exclaimed in surprise, "Your Majesty, what are you doing?" By coming, the emperor had revealed his status as the force behind the auction. This shocked him.
The emperor smiled and said, "I am here to look at you all. I wanted to take a look at the high-caliber students of Shrek for a very long time. I have seen you compete in every single round. While there were some mishaps in the 正选队员 of Shrek Academy, your resolute display of force and talent have left a deep impression on me."
"Please sit, Your Majesty," Wang Yan said as he gestured with his hands.
The Star Luo Emperor shook his head and said, "No, thank you. All of you have seen how shocking this object is. I still need to be there, to guard against those who may harbour ill intent. Speaking of this object, I really can't bear to auction this item out. However, the empire's expenses are rather high, and all I can do is give up what I love. Today, other than taking a look at you talented people, I also want to thank you for your warning during the auction of the Ice Jade Scorpion's left arm bone. This has helped to preserve everyone's trust in the auction."
Princess Jiu Jiu said, "Just now, under my mediation, we bought the Ice Jade Scorpion's left arm bone back ourselves. However, to prevent anymore trust issues from arising, this item can no longer be sold. To thank Shrek Academy for your timely reminder, we have decided to give the Ice Jade Scorpion's left arm bone away as a gift. If Shrek Academy can become the champions of the inaugural Elite Continental Soul Master Academy Tournament, then we shall give the Ice Jade Scorpion's left arm bone to your school as an additional reward. Of course, we do hope that you can keep this matter a secret."
Even if Princess Jiu Jiu did not say it herself, everyone could guess that the auctioneers were the ones who had bought back the item at a price of 30 million. Using this method, they were able to stop others from realizing that the auction item was unable to live up to its hype.
"This…" Wang Yan and everyone from the Shrek Academy were shocked. While they knew that the price for the Ice Jade Scorpion's left arm bone was clearly not indicative of its value, it was still an immensely valuable object. While others might not be able to use it, it was priceless to Huo Yuhao! Its value surpassed Wang Dong's Golden Light Left Arm Bone. 10 million was too cheap a price for it! It was possible that the Star Luo Empire had decided to gift it out only because of the absorptive ability of Ultimate Ice. This debt of gratitude was immense indeed, to the point where Wang Yan did not even dare to accept it.
The Star Luo Emperor simpered at Huo Yuhao, who was standing at the side, and said, "My Protector Douluo told me that it is likely that you possess an ice-type martial soul with Ultimate Ice, so this soul bone is suitable for you, just like how a hero deserves an exotic sword. Besides, I don't think you can find a second person in the entire world with Ultimate Ice. Since that's the case, I shall gift it to someone instead of letting it collect dust somewhere in a corner. Of course, the champion's title is a prerequisite – even though this soul bone couldn't fetch a high price, it needs the respect and dignity it deserves."
"Thank you, your majesty." This was Huo Yuhao's first encounter with the emperor of a nation, so it was impossible for him not to feel a little nervous as he bowed timidly once more.
The Star Luo Emperor continued, "Your name is Huo Yuhao. From what I can see about your place of birth in your registration, you are from my country, after all – we can't give the good stuff to outsiders, eh? The gates to Star Luo City will always be open to you. Let's just leave it like this first. I wish to continue with the highlight of this auction, and it's highly likely that the last item will fetch an exorbitant price. So you guys can witness a miracle before your departure." With that, the Emperor tilted his head to his audience before he turned and left.
Huo Yuhao's first impression of him was that his aura of majesty and prestige wasn't overflowing, yet he was extremely unruffled at the same time. There seemed to be a feeling of absolute control hidden within his indifferent smiles, and he appeared to be able to convince other people for no other reason than it was he who had spoken.
"He's really giving it to us for free?" Xiao Xiao was a little taken aback.
Wang Yan shook his head and replied, "Nah. Put more accurately, it's a gift to Huo Yuhao of Shrek Academy. The Emperor is truly well-informed."
As he spoke, he surveyed the rest of his students, and everybody could see the sudden change in his eyes. Everyone instantly sealed their mouths and ceased to discuss the matter. In the end, Qing Ya and the other two servant girls were still in the room.
Once he was out of the seventh guest room, the Star Luo Emperor smiled as he muttered under his breath, "I do hope this kid won't let me down. The beacon of trust and friendship has been sent out – I wonder what response Shrek will give. Jiu Jiu – after the conclusion of the competition, strengthen our relationship with Shrek Academy. Waive the taxes for merchants and business delegations from Shrek Academy doing business in our country by fifty percent."
"Yes, brother. Something's happening," Princess Jiu Jiu whispered.
The Star Luo Emperor nodded his head faintly, but asked nothing, and instead strolled back into the first auction room that he was initially in as Princess Jiu Jiu followed behind him. One could see upon closer inspection that there was a white-colored ear plug in her right ear, and she made gestures that suggested she was listening closely to something.
Once the door was closed, only the two of them were left in the first guest room.
"You can speak now," the Star Luo Emperor signaled to Princess Jiu Jiu.
Princess Jiu Jiu answered, "The target has taken the bait and has begun selling soul tools to us for the appropriate amount of cash. When we proposed to reduce the processing fee for products manufactured by the Illustrious Virtue Hall by ten percent across the board, they had a brief discussion and took out a portion of the soul tools from the Illustrious Virtue Hall to sell us. What a success!"
The Star Luo Emperor smiled and said, "This is within our estimations. The Illustrious Virtue Hallmaster's great-grandchild is the most prodigious individual in the history of the Sun Moon Empire. If they can finish the fusion of the embryo, it will be like the cherry on the cake. How can they let go of such an opportunity? In terms of financial power, the Illustrious Virtue Hall can be considered to be number one on the continent. Every single soul tool obtained from the Illustrious Virtue Hall shall be immediately sent to the research lab."
"Yes," there was a tinge of craftiness in Princess Jiu Jiu's eyes as she said, "Let's hope they search for that Class 9 soul master when they go back. Hehe."
The Star Luo Emperor said, "This plan can be said to be seamless. Start the clock after the conclusion of the auction – three months later, announce a quest to steal treasures from the Illustrious Virtue Hall to the Adventurer's Association, and that the reward upon completion will be one hundred million golden soul coins. No matter how talented the great-grandchild of the Illustrious Virtue Hallmaster is, it's highly unlikely that he will finish the fusion within ten years. This estimate is also made under the assumption that they will utilize their most exotic herbs and whatnot. Ten years is enough to change many things and create a lot more variables."
Princess Jiu Jiu giggled and teased, "I realize that you're becoming more and more scheming, brother."
The Star Luo Emperor's eyes grew a little dull. "Why would we have to employ such methods if we had enough power? According to our intelligence, the Illustrious Virtue Hall's research on soul tools has had multiple continuous breakthroughs. If we don't restrain them right now, it won't take ten years for the Sun Moon Empire to take some drastic action – and we are far from prepared."
Princess Jiu Jiu attempted to console her brother. "This isn't your fault, brother. You are already trying your best. The only difference is that, in terms of researching and developing soul tools, we don't have the rich geographical and natural advantage that the Sun Moon Empire possesses. Furthermore, they have been on this journey even before they clashed with the Douluo Continent."
The Star Luo Emperor waved his hands and said, "Nothing you can say can alter reality, and we can only work with what's real. I will pay a personal visit to Shrek Academy in the near future. If the Sun Moon Empire decides to take some drastic action, they are the only allies that we can count on. What are the responses from the other powerful sects?"
Princess Jiu Jiu replied, "Everyone has responded, and two of them are clearer with their intentions and they have already sold us a great many things. A conservative estimate of our direct revenue from this auction should be in excess of fifty million golden soul coins. This sum of money is enough to purchase plenty of things from the Sun Moon Empire via our agents."
A trace of chilly light flickered in the Star Luo Emperor's eyes. "Try to instigate sparks between them, as much as possible."
"Yes."
Thirty minutes was enough time – enough for many people to settle a lot of things.
The audience from Shrek Academy followed the intense contest in the last round of the auction as outsiders who were out of the picture, who simply sat back and relaxed.
The opening price of the hundred thousand year soul beast embryo was an outrageous one hundred million golden soul coins. Princess Jiu Jiu claimed that this opening price was unprecedented in the Starlight Auction and set a historical record.
The subsequent events could only be described as cruel and fierce. Three parties entered the fray from the very beginning. The price rose steadily, and swiftly reached one hundred and thirty million golden soul coins. The moment this number was reached, the speed of the bidding became a lot more gradual.
After all, anything after a hundred million golden soul coins was a sum that most parties wouldn't be able to fork out.
At this very moment, the number changed suddenly. "One hundred and fifty million golden soul coins!" Someone had added twenty million golden soul coins in one go.
A youth stood before the soul screen in the second guest room with his fists tightly clenched together. "I want to see who will compete with me now."
There were about a dozen people sitting on the sofa behind him, and everybody's expression was a little different. Some looked envious, some had indifferent faces, and some were even jealous, while others were clearly displeased.
If the people from Shrek Academy were here, they would have recognized their identities instantly. Were these people not the students from the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy, here to participate in the competition? The youth standing at the forefront was their reserve team leader, Xiao Hongchen.
Elder Wu's brows were tightly knitted together. "Don���t you think you raised the price a bit too high? Twenty million golden soul coins in one bid…"
Xiao Hongchen shook his head and snickered, "This is meant to frighten my competitors so that they'll be afraid to continue bidding. If we grind them down slowly, the price may end up being even higher."
Ma Rulong lowered his voice and said, "Is it really worth it to spend so much money on just one thing?"
Xiao Hongchen's emotions and rationality were already influenced by the hundred thousand year soul beast embryo, and he was almost in a hysterical state of mind. He didn't spare a second thought and said, "Of course it's worth it. I'm not spending the academy's money either. With this treasure, I will be able to have twin martial souls or a hundred thousand year soul ring and bone, or the 魂晋.This is an opportunity that comes once in a blue moon – how can I let it slip?"
Ma Rulong's face instantly turned even darker, but Elder Ma glared at him, and he said nothing more.
Inside the third guest room.
"Little bastard. Tell me who's the one raising the price – I'll end him." There were only two people inside this room, and they both looked like they were at least forty years old. The person who spoke was tall and lanky, and the most striking feature about him was that his right arm was unnaturally thick and burly – at least twice as large as his left arm. His entire being seemed to emanate with an aura that resembled that of a prehistoric beast.
The other man was a lot smaller and skinnier, but his head was especially large, which made him look like a big-headed doll. There were barely a few strands of hair on his head and they were all yellow in color, but his eyes sparkled as he blinked, as if they were flickering lights.
"I think we have to find out who this is. If we can't take this item back to our little lord right away, we at least have to find out where we have to snatch it from."
As he spoke, the big-headed man closed his eyes into slits, and the air within the entire guest room immediately started to twist vigorously. The sensation was similar to that of a person in a daze as he witnessed heat ripples above raging flames, and the entire room suddenly became extremely surreal.
Every room was hosted by an auctioneer and two servant girls. The first people to feel the intensity were the three girls working for the auction. As their bodies quivered, their eyes grew empty, and they just stood there, rooted to the ground, and didn't move a single inch.
The big-headed man sank back into the sofa and gestured towards the black-ranked auctioneer. "You, get over here."
The black-ranked auctioneer stepped up hurriedly and stopped before him as if she were in a stupor.
"Go out and find out the identity of the person who just raised the price to a hundred and fifty million golden soul coins."
"Yes." The black-ranked auctioneer actually bowed respectfully before she turned and left the room.
If the Soulsucking Bell Soul Master, Shangguan Can, who had faced off against Shrek Academy during the Continental Advanced Academy Soul Dueling Tournament, were to see this scene, his jaw would be hanging slack – that big-headed man had hypnotized and controlled the willpower of several people at a whim, without even unleashing his martial soul. Even though they were just several normal people, this was a miraculous and incredible occurrence.
The thick-armed man whispered, "You're so powerful, second senior brother. Why don't we just control the people working for the auction instead, and simply steal away the item?" As he spoke, murderous emotions flickered in his eyes, and his burly right arm cracked several times in a row. These sounds weren't produced by his bones – instead, they were the crackling sounds created by a change in the air flow surrounding his arm.