Chapter 9: The Heaven Dou Great Spirit Arena
After the whale gelatin was auctioned off, the auction continued. Many fascinating items came up, some of which intrigued Yang Potian, but he was too young to use them, and besides, he had no money to bid.
Finally, the auction reached its grand finale, revealing the most anticipated item—a thousand-year-old spirit bone.
While Yang Potian wasn't particularly interested in a thousand-year-old spirit bone, the audience became fervent with excitement.
The auctioneer introduced it with alluring charm: "Honored guests, our final item of the night is a rare thousand-year-old Ironclad Bear right arm spirit bone! Known for its exceptional strength and defensive abilities, this spirit bone is ideal for power-type soul masters—a true treasure beyond measure."
As Yang Potian looked at the glowing red spirit bone displayed on the screen, he felt a flicker of desire. Spirit bones were invaluable to soul masters, offering more than just a skill—they enhanced physical attributes and even improved the circulation of soul power. No wonder they were considered "treasures of the blood river."
However, his mother, Niu Jinfeng, seemed entirely indifferent. "Mom, this is a spirit bone! Don't you want it at all?"
She replied disdainfully, "A thousand-year-old spirit bone isn't worth much. This one is probably just over a thousand years old, not even close to two thousand. It would be practically useless for me."
Seeing his puzzled look, she continued, "Remember, son, spirit bones should be matched to one's power and potential. Otherwise, they're meaningless. Even the best thousand-year spirit bone is only useful up to the Soul Sage level. Once a soul master reaches Soul King level, a spirit bone this weak would quickly become a burden."
"Think about it. My third spirit skill alone is stronger than anything this spirit bone could offer. For me, it'd be useless. But for a soul master with limited potential who can't advance further, it's valuable. Luckily, my potential is far from reaching its limit."
"Mom, does our clan have spirit bones like this?"
"Of course. But for us, such spirit bones hold little value; they're kept mainly as collectibles or for soul masters who've been stuck at a bottleneck for a long time."
Yang Potian pondered her words. For soul master clans, such a low-grade spirit bone was indeed only moderately useful. For a powerful clan like the Po Clan, the ability to produce so many Titled Douluos in alliance with Haotian Sect must have relied on significant resources. Haotian Sect had long reigned as the top sect in the land; their reserves were probably immense.
Cheering and excitement filled the auction hall as the bidding for the spirit bone reached a stunning 500,000 gold soul coins, surprising Yang Potian.
"Mom, didn't you say the spirit bone wasn't valuable? Why are they paying so much for it?"
"Son, you're still too young to understand. Rare items tend to fall into the hands of the powerful. Take this spirit bone to Haotian Sect, and the elders wouldn't give it a second glance. But for commoners or ordinary soul masters, this spirit bone is a rare prize."
Watching the excited crowd, and particularly the person who had won the spirit bone, Potian couldn't help but sigh inwardly. This world's disparities… In this world, the gap between people can be wider than that between humans and dogs.
After the auction ended, Niu Jinfeng took her son to the back of the auction house. After confirming the whale gelatin's authenticity, she paid 50,000 gold coins with a swipe of her card and left with it.
The auction staff were impressively professional; even with a woman buying whale gelatin alongside her son, none of them displayed any surprise.
They left the auction and headed straight to the Heaven Dou Great Spirit Arena.
The arena was far larger than the auction house, stretching several thousand meters in width and length. Entry seemed unrestricted, with no membership cards required. However, security was tighter, as the fights here were between soul masters.
At the front desk, Niu Jinfeng handed over her black membership card. "Are there any fights that haven't started yet?"
The receptionist, noticing the black card, respectfully replied, "Honored Black Card member, there are still four fights scheduled for tonight: a one-on-one Soul Elder match, a one-on-one Soul Master match, a two-on-two Soul Master match, and a one-on-one Soul King match. All are friendly matches."
Niu Jinfeng thought for a moment. "I'll take a private room for the Soul King one-on-one match."
"Understood, Madam. The Soul King match will take place in Arena Two. I'll arrange a room for you immediately."
After paying, Niu Jinfeng received the room key and led her son onward. There was no escort service here, likely due to the high volume of guests.
"Mom, what is Arena Two? Are there multiple arenas inside?" asked Potian.
"Of course. The Great Spirit Arena has many arenas of varying sizes. I believe there are over a dozen in total. Arena One is the main arena, where they hold matches for Soul Emperors or larger team fights."
"I noticed a lot of people moving around near the front desk. What were they doing?"
"That's the betting area, where people can place bets on their preferred matches. Each fight has specific odds, and if you win, you receive a payout based on those odds."
"Can a fighter place bets on their own match?"
Niu Jinfeng knocked on Potian's forehead. "The Spirit Arena's rules forbid fighters from betting on their own matches. However, if they only bet on themselves to win, the arena usually doesn't mind. But neither the fighter nor anyone close to them can bet on their loss."
"But that seems like a loophole."
"You're underestimating the Spirit Arena. It has strict controls on match outcomes and a powerful background. No one would dare try to rig matches to make money here."
"Is the arena really that powerful, even stronger than our Haotian Sect?"
She chuckled. "Of course not! No one is stronger than Haotian Sect. But the Spirit Arena is backed by many major factions, including our sect. That's why no one dares to offend the arena—it would mean going against all those powerful backers."
With that, they arrived at the entrance to their room. After showing their key to the guard, they stepped inside.
(End of Chapter)