Chapter 84: Starlight Auction House (Part 1)
"Cough cough..."
The seven members of the Fengyu team, although knocked off the stage by Du Qianjue, did not lose consciousness. Du Qianjue had been gentle with his strike; the punch was just enough to make them uncomfortable.
Their faces flushed red, completely winded by Du Qianjue´s punch. However, they bore no grudges as it was evident Du Qianjue had held back considerably. They definitely did not wish to experience the indiscriminate barrage of lightning that he unleashed against the Dia Academy, preferring to lose some face over getting seriously hurt.
"First round of the round-robin matches, Diao Academy versus Fengyu Advanced Soul Master Academy. Diao Academy wins!" announced the referee.
"Crush them! Crush them!!"
"Awesome!!"
"Du Qianjue is invincible, Diao is invincible!"
"Super cool!"
Though the fight lasted less than three minutes, with Du Qianjue actually taking action for less than three seconds to defeat the Fengyu team, the audience didn't mind the brevity.
The usual expectation was that longer fights were more entertaining, but this audience didn't care. They could make up for the match duration in other battles, but a Soul Saint with a hundred-thousand-year soul ring defeating other teams in a single move was unparalleled!
What they craved was Du Qianjue 's overwhelming and invincible dominance!
Thus, when the referee declared the result, an even louder cheer and thunderous applause erupted. The spectacle was more electrifying than any concert or event in their previous lives.
After all, this was tens of thousands of people!
And since soul masters also had significantly greater lung capacity than ordinary people, some even boosted their voices with soul power, which even Du Qianjue could hear.
Like this phrase...
"Du Qianjue! Be my boyfriend!!"
At first listen, the phrase seemed normal—Du Qianjue, strong and handsome, naturally had many admirers. But the voice shouting this was male!
Du Qianjue clenched his fists, his face turning green while Ou Yangqian and Zhao Jian, both coolly crossing their arms, nearly burst out laughing.
Clearly, they too were struggling to contain themselves as their shoulders shook.
"What's so funny?" Du Qianjue glared fiercely at Ou Yangqian.
"Sorry... I didn't expect you to be so popular," Ou Yangqian managed to say, barely holding back her laughter, her bright eyes twinkling.
Zhao Jian's honest face also betrayed a hint of amusement.
At that moment, Du Qianjue swore that if he ever found that man who wanted to be more than friends, he'd tie him up and throw him into a monkey enclosure for a good time!
Wei Na approached as Du Qianjue and his team returned. He was about to compliment them but paused upon seeing Du Qianjue´s stern face.
"What's wrong, Junior?" Wei Na raised an eyebrow, turning to ask Zhao Jian.
Zhao Jian remained silent, so Wei Na turned to ask Ou Yangqian. Just as she was about to speak, Du Qianjue´s deadly glare made her swallow her words.
"Don't say it!" Du Qianjue held up a fist, his eyes narrowing in a dark smile. "Think about the consequences if you do."
"Heh heh heh..."
Ou Yangqian's scalp tingled, and her originally mischievous smile suddenly took on a pitiable quality, enhancing her petite, sympathetic appearance.
"You wouldn't bully your senior, would you?" she asked pitifully.
Oh man, what a schemer!
"You can try," Du Qianjue smirked, his teeth shining ominously.
"Then I'd rather not," Ou Yangqian decisively backed off.
Understanding the situation from this interaction, Wei Na chose not to pry further. Likely, some outrageous comment from the audience had embarrassed Du Qianjue, and he was fiercely guarding against its spread.
Realizing this, Wei Na didn't pursue the matter further, not being one to stir up drama.
Back at the hotel, Du Qianjue returned to his meditation.
What really motivates one to cultivate?
Boredom!
When you have absolutely nothing else to do, you subconsciously find things to keep busy, to fill the growing void within (sadly).
A whole afternoon of cultivation thickened Du Qianjue´s soul power incrementally as his Yin-Yang Complementary Soul Cores spun steadily, drawing refined soul power from the void into the cores.
Twenty-four-hour auto-cultivation!
Yin-Yang Complementary Soul Cores, worth having!
"If this continues, I'll break through to level 77 in less than half a month. That's too fast," Du Qianjue mused with a wry smile.
After fusing with the soul cores, his level stabilized at 76. Initially, he thought he would break through after the Soul Master Contest ended, but now it seemed he might achieve it before the finals.
Continuing like this, wouldn't he become a fifteen-year-old Soul Douluo?
Rubbing his slightly bewildered head, Du Qianjue got up, freshened up, and left his room. Besides cultivation, eating was the best way to pass time.
Compared to the traditional staples of Douluo, Du Qianjue preferred sweets a bit more.
Are there spices without science and hard work? How about sugar?
Thinking this, Du Qianjue discovered several sweet dishes that were quite good, such as cakes made from Golden Tail Bee honey mixed with Qi Ling Cattle milk, garnished with various exquisite fruits.
This dish, called Sweet Mood, was one of Du Qianjue´s favorite desserts these days.
Although tasting Sweet Mood was mostly a female pursuit...
It didn't stop Du Qianjue from satisfying his cravings.
"Done with cultivation?" Wei Na asked, sitting next to him with his own tray of food.
"Yeah, no progress. Leveling up isn't easy," Du Qianjue replied, swallowing a mouthful of cake.
Wei Na rubbed his temples, speechless.
You're already a Soul Saint, dammit! At this level, every cultivator needs a ton of time to improve, maybe even several years to gain a single level.
You're making breakthroughs like they're as casual as eating or drinking!
Wei Na hadn't even started eating, and he could already feel the intense sourness in his mouth.
Looks like it's time for lemons, folks.
"By the way, Du Junior, there's a high-level auction at the Starlight Auction House tomorrow night. Are you interested in attending?" Wei Na changed the subject quickly, fearing that continuing would shake his own confidence in cultivation.
"Starlight Auction House? A high-level event?" Du Qianjue put down his utensils, thoughtfully stroking his chin.
"Yes, according to officials from the Starlight Auction House, because the auction coincides with the Grand Soul Master Contest, the Imperial Family of Star Luo is offering only the highest level of auction items," Wei Na explained.
"Although there are only nine items, each is priced over a million gold soul coins, including high-level soul guides and top-grade soul bones."
"The final auction item is particularly mysterious; the auction house claims it's worth billions."
"That sounds intriguing..." Du Qianjue murmured to himself.
(End of Chapter)