Soul Devouring Carving Knife

Soul Devouring Carving Knife

Two days had passed, and the first round of the Round-Robin Tournament had ended. The various teams had begun adjusting their tactics, and every match now contained more technical skill than before.

The first round of the Round-Robin Tournament had not been particularly exciting. It was not yet time for everyone to reveal their strongest abilities. In the coming matches, many teams could no longer afford to lose.

Night fell.

"Teacher Wang Yan, where are we going?" Bei Bei asked Wang Yan curiously.

A day had passed since the end of the first round. Tomorrow, they would begin the second round of the Round-Robin Tournament, yet after dinner, Wang Yan had led the seven reserve team members out of the Star Emperor Hotel.

Wang Yan smiled faintly. "I'm taking you somewhere. Just follow me."

After passing through several streets, they stopped in front of a pointed-roof building. The structure was not particularly eye-catching. Though it was not small compared with the surrounding tall buildings, it did not stand out. Above the main entrance hung a sign bearing the image of a hammer. Beneath the hammer seemed to be the pattern of a golden platform.

Upon seeing the sign, Huo Yuhao was the only one who looked confused. Everyone else showed expressions of realization.

Huo Yuhao quietly asked Ye Qingchen, "What kind of place is this?"

Ye Qingchen replied, "An auction house."

On the way to the auction house, Wang Yan had already explained the reason for bringing Ye Qingchen and the others here. They had all joined this experiment. As members of the Cold Sect, they naturally had sufficient resources to integrate Soul Masters with Soul Tools.

From the outside, it looked like a very small auction house, since the building did not appear large. But once they entered, they realized there was far more to it. The auction house was underground rather than aboveground, and this building was merely its entrance.

They continued downward, descending roughly twenty meters before reaching the registration area. Wang Yan had already completed all the tedious registration procedures before bringing them here. He handed each person a number plate, and only with those plates did young women in red gowns lead them farther inside.

After passing through an ancient wooden door, the scene suddenly changed. Their view was filled with a dazzling golden radiance. A broad passageway glittered magnificently, and its lavish decoration even surpassed that of the Star Emperor Hotel where they were staying.

Wang Yan said quietly, "Don't let its unremarkable exterior fool you. This is actually the largest auction house in Star Luo City. Obtaining the qualifications to bid here is quite difficult. Not only do you need proof of assets, but you also have to undergo an assessment."

As he spoke, they followed the hostess through a large door.

Wang Yan asked the hostess who had opened the door for them, "Please give us a brief introduction to the level of today's auction."

The hostess answered respectfully, "Certainly. Today's event is a special auction for Soul Tools. Since only Soul Tools below the sixth rank will be auctioned, its level is relatively low. According to the classification system, it can only be considered a fourth-tier auction. Our Starlight Auction House ranks auctions from one to five, with first-tier being the highest. Only first-tier auctions are held in the main auction hall. This is Hall Number Twelve, which can accommodate two hundred bidders at once. It is specifically used for fourth-tier auctions."

Upon entering Auction Hall Number Twelve, the lighting immediately dimmed.

"Welcome, honored guests, to Starlight Auction House. Our auction will begin shortly. Please take your seats."

A pleasant female voice came from all directions. The auction hall quieted down, and the already dim wall lamps gradually darkened further, while the lights above the auction platform slowly brightened.

The auctioneer began introducing the items one by one. Ye Qingchen only took interest in a few of them, and the one he cared about most was the final item—Gold of Life. Now that Electrolux had awakened, he no longer had much need for it. However, Ye Qingchen's evolving Small World desperately needed the aura of life, something Divine Power could not create.

"Honored guests, our mysterious grand gift is about to make its appearance. Its price is extremely high, but I believe that everyone who truly understands it will find it well worth the cost. Now, please welcome our hostess as she brings this mysterious grand gift onto the stage."

A cart slowly emerged from one side of the auction platform. Unlike the previous items, this cart was not only larger, but the cloth covering it had also been changed to a vivid, eye-catching red.

Everything in this Starlight Auction House was associated with colors. Gold was the most prestigious, followed by red, the same color as a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring.

This showed just how extraordinary this mysterious grand gift was. Soon, it was pushed to the center of the stage, beside auctioneer Qing Ya. Judging from the shape beneath the cover, the item seemed fairly large. Onstage, Qing Ya had already begun her introduction.

"Everyone must be eager to know what this mysterious grand gift is. It's getting late, and Qing Ya has never been one to keep people in suspense. Please take a look."

The item itself was actually very small, about half a foot long and no thicker than a finger. From bottom to top, it gradually narrowed. Its uppermost tip appeared extremely sharp, while below it was a blade roughly half an inch wide. The whole item was ancient and black, with faint engravings etched across its surface. It emanated a subtle, archaic aura, though it also felt somewhat gloomy. Quite a few bidders let out dissatisfied sighs.

Qing Ya's voice rang out amid the dissatisfaction. "Some honored guests have surely been deceived by its appearance. Then I can only regretfully inform you that you are wrong. Missing this mysterious grand gift will become the greatest mistake of your lives. Let me now introduce this seemingly ordinary, but absolutely extraordinary carving knife."

Ye Qingchen directly interrupted her before she could continue and announced his bid. "I offer one hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins."

"One hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins, first call." Qing Ya began the final three calls.

"One hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins, second call."

"One hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins, third call. Sold!"

Bang! The auction hammer fell, announcing that this peerlessly vicious blade now belonged to Ye Qingchen.

That night, when Ye Qingchen held the Soul Devouring Vicious Blade, he directly released his Spiritual Detection and covered it with it. At the instant they came into contact, the Soul Devouring Vicious Blade seemed to turn into a boundless black hole, crazily devouring his spiritual power. At the same time, an incomparably frigid aura carrying terrifying viciousness followed his Spiritual Detection and drilled toward his sea of spirit.

"Insolence!"

Ye Qingchen's sea of spirit erupted into violent turbulence. The instant he released his Divine Power onto the Soul Devouring Carving Knife, the vicious blade began trembling violently. Low hums resembling shrill screams continuously rang out from the carving knife.

The purification process was extremely brief. When the last wisp of black air silently vanished from the Soul Devouring Vicious Blade, the green light emitted by its body became tranquil as water, without a trace of impurity. The originally black body of the carving knife had also transformed into something like green crystal.

"A carving knife? This form isn't very suitable as the core of the Azure Wave Realm. It's better to change its shape."

The carving knife in Ye Qingchen's hand transformed under his will into a palm-sized sphere. It slowly merged into the core of the Azure Wave Realm, sending the aura of life into that Small World. The Ice Empress, who was cultivating, naturally sensed the slight change. Her spiritual projection emerged from the Azure Wave Realm.

"Qingchen, what is this?" the Ice Empress asked. What she truly wanted to ask was about Ye Qingchen himself.

"Gold of Life, a solid purified form of life force. It contains endless vitality. The Azure Wave Realm now has the aura of life, so you can cultivate better as well. Bing Er, is your body all right?" Ye Qingchen looked at the Ice Empress's spiritual projection before him.

"Why are you asking that? Wouldn't you know whether my body is all right..." The Ice Empress lowered her head and spoke softly.

"That's true. Go cultivate for now. I already have some leads regarding the Snow Empress. I believe we'll meet again before long." Ye Qingchen stroked the Ice Empress's hair as he spoke.

"Fine. Tell me as soon as you have news of the Snow Empress. If you need me to fight, just let me know. After all, your Divine Power is currently being used to establish the Azure Wave Realm, so you don't have sufficient cultivation anymore." With that, the Ice Empress's spiritual projection dispersed.

"Definitely next time. But this time, having money was enough."

Early the next morning in Star Luo City, everyone from Shrek Academy was already awake. Wang Yan led the group, who had equipped the Soul Tools they had purchased the previous night, out of the Star Emperor Hotel and straight toward Star Luo Square.

Their opponents for today had long since been decided, but they would not know the match format until they drew lots at the venue. Star Luo Square was as bustling as ever. In particular, when the Shrek Academy group appeared in the contestant passage guarded by soldiers, cheers erupted throughout the entire venue.

During breakfast, Wang Yan had already introduced their opponent for the day. Unlike their previous battle, this time they would be facing a Soul Master academy from the Dou Ling Empire: Thousand Spirit Advanced Soul Master Academy.

Two battles. They only needed to hold on for another two battles before Ling Luochen returned. With two Soul Kings supporting them, the following Round-Robin Tournament matches would become much easier. Soul Kings were already extremely high-level existences in the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Dueling Tournament.