Heaven Dou Auction House

Time flew by in cultivation, and four months passed in the blink of an eye.

Dugu Chen had reached level fifteen. He had already been on the verge of a breakthrough after absorbing his soul ring, and during this time, he had advanced two levels in succession. If his senior sister had not also cultivated diligently and reached level sixteen, he would have been at the same level as her.

The streets within the city were broad and clean, lined with countless shops, while an endless stream of people bustled along them. A carriage rolled slowly through the streets.

Inside the carriage, Dugu Bo sat at the front, while Dugu Yan and Dugu Chen sat together. Dugu Yan lifted the curtain to look at the bustling scene outside, occasionally pulling Dugu Chen along as she pointed outside and commented on what she saw. The little girl was clearly thrilled.

Listening to his senior sister's soft, sweet voice beside him, Dugu Chen could not help but feel cheerful as well. He happily looked out through the carriage window. He had never seen such a prosperous city in all his life.

After her excitement faded somewhat, Dugu Chen looked at the resting Dugu Bo and asked in confusion.

"Teacher, where are we going?"

Hearing Dugu Chen's question, Dugu Bo opened his eyes and looked through the carriage window toward the city center.

"Today, the Heaven Dou Auction House is holding an auction for a Soul Bone. You two have worked hard at your cultivation lately, so I'm bringing you out to broaden your horizons and relax a little. Cultivation requires the right approach too—you need to know when to push and when to ease off."

They were actually going to an auction house. Across both his lives, Dugu Chen had spent more than twenty years without ever visiting one. Today, he would finally get to see one for himself.

And there would even be a Soul Bone up for auction. Such scarce items were something Dugu Chen very much wanted to see.

The carriage proceeded slowly until it finally stopped before a domed building.

The building looked quite peculiar. It was completely rounded, like half a sphere buckled over the ground. There was no sign bearing its name, only the image of a hammer.

The imperial capital's auction house covered an enormous area, more than five hundred meters in diameter and over eighty meters at its tallest point. Heaven Dou City was the capital of the Heaven Dou Empire, where every inch of land was worth a fortune. The fact that this auction house could occupy such a vast area showed its status and backing in Heaven Dou City. Dugu Chen did not believe the imperial family had no involvement behind it.

Four tall young women stood at the entrance.

These young women had clearly been selected through a rigorous process. Not only were they all around one meter seventy-five in height, but their figures were also exceptionally well-proportioned. Though they could not be called breathtaking beauties, their lovely appearances were still quite appealing.

They looked no older than twenty, dressed in floor-length gowns with sleeves extending all the way to their wrists. Not an inch of unnecessary skin was exposed, yet the gowns fit snugly and fully outlined their graceful curves.

Their snowy white dresses were embroidered with silver patterns that vaguely formed characters. The four girls stood in identical poses, their hands folded before them and smiles on their faces. Though the smiles were professional, they still made people feel favorably inclined toward them.

"Welcome, honored guests."

Dugu Chen and the other two got out of the carriage and walked toward the auction house. One of the four women approached them and bowed slightly.

Dugu Bo took a red token from his robes. Upon seeing it, the girl's attitude became even more respectful. She hurriedly made an inviting gesture. "Please follow me."

As she spoke, she led the way forward in small, quick steps, and the three followed her into the auction house. The interior was not particularly resplendent or luxurious. The floor was made of creamy white marble, while the surrounding walls were decorated with various relief sculptures. The reliefs used few colors and looked clean, bright, and exceedingly elegant.

Besides the reliefs, the corridors were lined with display cases built into the walls, containing exhibits such as porcelain and armor. It looked much like a museum of fine crafts.

The guide was highly professional. About every ten steps, she would stop, make an inviting gesture, and precisely indicate the direction.

Under the girl's guidance, Dugu Bo and the other two entered the true heart of the Heaven Dou Auction House.

The auction center was located on the second floor. Eight staircases led up from the main hall. Before entering the auction center, the receptionist gave each of them a mask. This was for the clients' safety. All kinds of people attended auctions here, after all, and it would be troublesome if someone accidentally revealed their identity and became a target.

Seeing that Dugu Chen and Dugu Yan were only seven or eight years old, the girl thoughtfully brought them smaller masks.

The girl escorted the three all the way to the entrance of the auction center before turning to leave. There were separate attendants inside the auction center.

Compared to the guide from earlier, the attire of the attendants here truly broadened Dugu Chen's horizons.

They were also dressed in white, and they were also wearing dresses, but the impression they gave was completely different.

All the attendants in the auction center were women, and they were about as tall as the guides outside, except their figures were far more voluptuous.

Their white dresses had deeply plunging necklines, no sleeves, and short skirts that fell only slightly below their waists, exposing their smooth, gleaming thighs. Together with their white high heels, they were especially alluring. The deep cleavage at their chests and their perky buttocks beneath the short skirts left much to the imagination.

Although he was not yet capable of doing anything in that regard, it was still nice to feast his eyes a little.

Dugu Yan looked at the curves of the women before her and curled her lips, consoling herself inwardly that hers would definitely be bigger in the future.

Seeing her junior brother still staring at the women ahead, she stepped forward and viciously pinched Dugu Chen's lower back.

Pain shot through his waist, followed by Dugu Yan's dangerous voice in his ear. "Junior Brother, do they look good?"

Dugu Chen winced and hurriedly explained, "I was just looking at their clothes. How could they possibly be prettier than Senior Sister?"

For the sake of his waist, Dugu Chen could only speak against his conscience while looking at Dugu Yan's figure, which was impossible to distinguish front from back. Sure enough, cuteness was nothing compared to sexiness.

"Hmph! I'll let you off this time, you little pervert."

Only after hearing Dugu Chen praise her beauty did Dugu Yan let him go.

It seemed that women, regardless of age, were sensitive about such matters—especially since people on Douluo Continent matured early.

Dugu Chen had suffered because of this. After all, what man could withstand such a test?

After that little episode, the voluptuous attendant led them into the auction center. It felt more like a grand auditorium, with a circular stage in the center and rows of seats arranged in rings around it.

The seats were divided into four colors. The three rows closest to the stage were red, followed outward by black, purple, yellow, and white. They had been arranged according to the different ranks of bidders.

The innermost red seats could only be entered through a special passage, guarded by dedicated security personnel. This was the so-called million-level VIP area. Only people of status and standing could qualify for red VIP privileges.

Dugu Bo naturally had the proper standing, so he led Dugu Chen and Dugu Yan to find seats in the red section.

The premium auction at the grand auction house generally did not begin until evening, and it was still early. Only about a quarter of the seats were occupied, so the atmosphere was not particularly lively. Most of the items being auctioned were ordinary as well, without any rare treasures that could catch one's eye.

After casually watching for a few moments, Dugu Chen lost interest. He propped his chin on one hand, rested the other on the armrest, and tapped his fingers idly.

Dugu Yan, on the other hand, found everything quite novel. She watched eagerly from the side, and whenever she saw something she liked, she would act cute and ask Dugu Bo to buy it for her.

The host on the stage was quite eloquent. In less than a quarter of an hour, three auction items had sold for high prices. Then, after another jade carving was auctioned off, the host picked up the amplifier once more and said to the bidders with a smile, "The next treasure we'll be auctioning is rather special. Friends who are interested, don't miss it."

A dark-yellow crystal rested on a tray as it was brought up.

"The next auction item is a piece of Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Rubber. Friends who need it, don't miss out."

As she spoke, she swept her sultry gaze over the distinguished guests present.

"Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Rubber?"

The guests erupted into commotion. Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Rubber was simply too rare. Although people of this era did not know that refining whale rubber could improve one's physical constitution, a piece of Thousand-Year Whale Rubber could increase the age limit of one's absorbable Soul Ring by five hundred years, allowing a family's geniuses to build a deeper foundation.

Whale rubber was now regarded as an aphrodisiac—simply put, something used to enhance pleasure in the bedroom. The effects of Thousand-Year Whale Rubber were already powerful enough in ordinary circumstances. For those who needed it, this Ten-Thousand-Year piece was as tempting as a Soul Bone!

An auction house never lacked people willing to spend lavishly in pursuit of pleasure. After all, who did not have a few lovely wives and concubines?

Dugu Chen, who had been leisurely watching the excitement, suddenly began breathing rapidly when he heard it was Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Rubber. Others might not know how to use this thing, but how could he not?

As long as they obtained this piece of whale rubber, he and his senior sister could achieve a Thousand-Year second ring—something unprecedented in the current age.

With his physical constitution, he was confident that once he reached level twenty, he could attach a Thousand-Year Soul Ring. But there was also his junior senior sister, and besides, who would ever complain about having too much foundation?

Thinking of this, Dugu Chen looked at Dugu Bo.

"Teacher, bid on this whale rubber. Your disciple has a great use for it."

Hearing his disciple suddenly ask for the whale rubber, Dugu Bo looked at Dugu Chen with a strange expression.

Even Dugu Yan stared at her junior brother in disbelief. Listening to the discussions around them, she had also learned what whale rubber was used for. The way she looked at Dugu Chen now was no longer merely the look one gave a lecherous wolf.

Made so uncomfortable by their gazes that he could barely sit still, Dugu Chen could only solemnly repeat his request to Dugu Bo.

"Teacher, I swear it isn't what you think. This whale rubber is absolutely a priceless treasure. I wouldn't trade it even for a Thousand-Year Soul Bone. Once we return home, I'll explain it to you."

Hearing this, Dugu Bo became serious as well. His disciple did not seem like someone given to debauchery. It appeared that whale rubber had uses he did not know about.

After several rounds of bidding, Dugu Bo secured the whale rubber. Those who knew Dugu Bo had no desire to offend a Titled Douluo over a mere piece of whale rubber, while those who did not know him saw that he was seated in the red section and automatically gave up.

Seeing that the whale rubber was in hand, Dugu Chen finally relaxed. This trip tonight had not been in vain.

After winning the whale rubber, Dugu Bo felt the covert looks from those around him. Even with his independent temperament, he could not help feeling somewhat uncomfortable. He could only glare at Dugu Chen and say bitterly, "When we get home, you'd better have a reasonable explanation. Otherwise..."