Auction House

Xue Xiao Ran rubbed his head and clicked his tongue. It really hurt.

Still, he admired the Ice Empress. She had built a house in his Sea of Consciousness in such a short time?

"Alright, alright. I'll send you out."

Seeing him lower his head in silent thought, the Ice Empress assumed he had knocked himself senseless. She sighed and grabbed him, pulling him through the spacious living room.

"It's so long."

Xue Xiao Ran felt as if the path stretched on forever and could not help letting out a soft sigh.

Had the Ice Empress built an ice palace inside his Sea of Consciousness?

After walking for quite a while, Xue Xiao Ran's hazy vision suddenly opened up.

"We're outside."

The Ice Empress released his hand irritably, then turned and walked back into the palace.

"Thanks."

Xue Xiao Ran said it, then sat cross-legged. That wisp of consciousness instantly slipped out of his Sea of Consciousness.

His eyes flew open, and two flashes of purple light streaked across them.

It was already late at night. It seemed that after entering his Sea of Consciousness, he had collapsed onto the ground and lain unconscious for the entire afternoon.

Xue Xiao Ran shook his head, rose to his feet, and activated his Purple-grade Demonic Eye.

The world of Minute Observation truly differed somewhat from before. Thinking this, he raised a hand and could clearly see the pulsing blood vessels and veins beneath his skin.

"So this is Minute Observation."

Xue Xiao Ran smiled faintly and said with emotion.

In the Star Dou Great Forest, he had obtained his own opportunity.

Although he had not gained a soul ring, after sleeping, his Sea of Consciousness had expanded by far more than a little. At the same time, his Purple-grade Demonic Eye had entered Minute Observation. He was already very satisfied.

Minute Observation could reveal an enemy's weaknesses through their clothes. It could be said to be one of the most useful weapons in battle.

Xue Xiao Ran nodded calmly and entered a cultivation state once more.

Half a month later, the students from the Sun Moon Royal Soul Tool Academy who had gone out returned to the academy. Every one of them had benefited greatly from that trip to the Star Dou Great Forest.

This time, the academy also distributed Academic Credit to their Student IDs. Everyone received a different amount, so it seemed the teaching staff had observed every student's performance.

Xue Xiao Ran looked at the nine hundred and fifty points in his Student ID and was speechless for a long while.

"How many points did you get?"

Xiao Hong Chen and Meng Hong Chen, who were chatting beside him, asked.

"Nine hundred and fifty. What about it?"

"..."

Xiao Hong Chen's eyes twitched as he raised his Student ID. "I only got eight hundred and fifty points."

"I only got eight hundred."

Meng Hong Chen sighed, her elegant brows faintly furrowed.

"That just shows the teachers observed very carefully. Well, I admit that your performance in the Star Dou Great Forest was the best."

Xiao Hong Chen spoke as though he were sulking.

Xue Xiao Ran shrugged.

Class ended quickly. After Gu Tian Yuan left the classroom, Xue Xiao Ran slipped his Student ID into his pocket.

He decided to visit the Auction House.

With nine hundred and fifty Academic Credit, what could he exchange it for?

Muttering to himself, Xue Xiao Ran left the classroom alone.

The Soul Tool Department had given him a short break, perhaps because they understood that he had only just returned to the academy and deliberately allowed him some time to rest.

Xue Xiao Ran left the classroom, descended the stairs, and passed through several corridors.

"Please show your Student ID."

A burly upperclassman sat by the entrance. He seemed to have been dozing just moments ago, but when he saw Xue Xiao Ran arrive, he quickly cleared his throat and spoke calmly.

Xue Xiao Ran nodded and took his Student ID from his pocket.

The upperclassman accepted it and held it against a black luminous panel behind him.

The panel flickered faintly and emitted a crisp sound.

The upperclassman smiled and nodded, handing the Student ID back to Xue Xiao Ran.

Seeing that Xue Xiao Ran seemed curious about the soft sound, he kindly explained, "This instrument is an identity verification device invented by an elder of Mingdetang. If a student's Student ID is fake, it will sound an alarm."

"Since your Student ID clearly isn't fake, there was no abnormal reaction."

The upperclassman explained with a smile.

"Thank you."

Xue Xiao Ran softly thanked the upperclassman for his helpful explanation.

Then he stepped into the magnificent hall.

To his surprise, the hall was far more expansive than it appeared. Young women in identical white uniforms stood on both sides, while students from the Sun Moon Royal Academy constantly moved about.

"May I ask what you need? We can determine which goods you can purchase based on the Academic Credit you possess."

A young girl approached and politely spoke to Xue Xiao Ran, who appeared to be staring blankly into space.

"I'm just looking around."

Xue Xiao Ran shook his head at the girl, politely declining.

His purpose in coming this time was simply to see what kinds of goods the Auction House had that could drive the academy's students to desperately compete for Academic Credit.

The young girl smiled politely, then returned to where she had been standing and resumed the exact same posture.

These girls were also goods that could be auctioned with Academic Credit.

They had originally been slaves or abandoned children sold by their parents. After being bought by the Sun Moon Royal Academy, they were specially trained in reception and welcoming duties.

Their prices ranged from eight hundred to ten thousand, and once auctioned off, they would bear slave marks that could never be removed.

Xue Xiao Ran naturally knew nothing of this. Even if he had known, he would not have said anything.

"Level Four Soul Tool, priced at six hundred Academic Credit."

"Level 5 Soul Tool, crafted by a Mingdetang teacher. Fixed price: nine hundred Academic Credit."

Looking at the dazzling array of goods on both sides and the labels beneath them, Xue Xiao Ran could not help sighing inwardly.

"They even have Ten Thousand Year Soul Bones?"

Xue Xiao Ran raised an eyebrow as he looked at the transparent left arm-shaped Soul Bone. Seeing its price of ten thousand, he immediately abandoned any thought of buying it.

Soul Bones really were expensive these days.

Xue Xiao Ran shook his head and continued wandering around.

After passing through the regular goods section, Xue Xiao Ran strolled into the auction area.

Here, students could take out items they owned for auction and exchange them for Academic Credit from buyers.

Compared to the quiet, general merchandise area from before, this place was packed with people.

Most of them were commoner students. Without Gold Soul Coins, they could only rely on Academic Credit to exchange for items in the Auction House.

Xue Xiao Ran wandered around for a while, looking at the strange objects, pills, and weapons on both sides, but he had no desire to buy anything.

Right now, he truly lacked nothing.

However, if there was anything he did lack, it was an Engraving Knife.

Although there was nothing wrong with the Engraving Knives provided by the school, and they were not inconvenient to use, one's own belongings were always the most comfortable.

Xue Xiao Ran soon arrived at a stall displaying nothing but Soul Tool-related goods. The seller was a Senior Sister in academy uniform. Seeing Xue Xiao Ran approach, she immediately greeted him warmly.

"Junior, what would you like to buy? I have Soul Tools, Soul Tool materials, Soul Cores, and Engraving Knives. Everything's cheap."

Xue Xiao Ran nodded calmly. "Senior Sister, may I take a look at your Engraving Knives?"

"Of course!"