Auction House and Ksitigarbha Soul

Naturally, no one was willing to miss a top-tier auction. Led by Wang Yan, they followed Qing Ya to the venue.

As they entered the auction grounds and took in everything around them, Ling Mo could not help but sigh. It really had the atmosphere of an upscale club, though some of the Soul Tools looked rather strange.

Qing Ya led them to Room Seven of Auction Hall One. Seeing Huo Yuhao and He Caitou curiously looking here and touching there like monkeys, Ling Mo could not hold back a laugh. "Alright, the auction is about to begin. You two little treasures, get back here and sit down."

As if responding to Ling Mo's words, bright lights lit up the auction stage the moment he finished speaking. A young girl in a long red dress stood at the center of the platform.

After recalling the plot of this auction, Ling Mo also remembered a few other things. The girl in red on the platform should be Jiu Jiu, princess of the Star Luo Empire. If he remembered correctly, she was also a member of one of the top sixteen teams. Ling Mo had forgotten what her Martial Soul and soul skills were, but she seemed to have caused Huo Yuhao quite a bit of trouble in the original story.

Whatever it is, I'll smash it to pieces.

After Jiu Jiu's brief introduction, the first auction item was quickly brought out. It was a blade-shaped Class Eight Soul Tool called the Overlord Tiger Soul Refining Blade.

It had been crafted using the right arm soul bone of a Ten-Thousand-Year Overlord Tiger Soul Beast, and Dai Yueheng ultimately purchased it for 1.56 million Gold Soul Coins.

The next item was a set of twelve Class Six soul cannon shells. The moment it appeared, He Caitou and Huo Yuhao became excited again. He Caitou directly urged Wang Yan to purchase the set, saying it would greatly benefit the future development of Shrek Academy's Soul Tool Department.

After that came three soul bones in succession, along with a Class Eight Soul Tool, but none particularly caught the attention of the Shrek group.

However, the seventh auction item stirred Huo Yuhao up. It was another soul bone, but this one came from an Ice Scorpion Soul Beast of the Far North and contained a sealed soul skill—Ice Explosion.

Just as in the original story, Huo Yuhao pointed out that only Soul Masters with an Ultimate Ice Martial Soul could absorb this soul bone. However, unlike the original story, Ling Mo also possessed Ultimate Ice. Wang Yan naturally knew this, as he had been present during the Seven Monsters selection tournament, and Xuan Zi had not avoided him when speaking at the time.

Of course, the Starlight Auction House would not continue auctioning a defective item. After confirming that the soul bone truly had this issue, they explained the situation to the Shrek group and sold the soul bone to them internally.

The auction continued. Jiu Jiu said from the stage, "The next item is a Class Four Soul Tool along with its design blueprints. This Soul Tool is called Moon God's Protection. It is similar to a soul ray and has a soul skill sealed within it—New Moon Soaring. Upon striking an enemy, it creates a one-meter-wide temporal stasis field."

Although a temporal stasis field sounded impressive, the attendees were still curious why a Class Four Soul Tool had appeared at a top-tier auction.

As a red-ranked auctioneer, Jiu Jiu could naturally guess what everyone was thinking. She continued, "You must be wondering why a Class Four Soul Tool can appear at such a top-tier auction. That is because of this Soul Tool's special qualities. Its power is quite good even among Class Four Soul Tools. Even a Soul King-level Soul Master would be affected to some extent by its attacks. But that is not the reason it is here. The reason it can be auctioned here is because it does not require Soul Power to activate."

Jiu Jiu carefully explained the Soul Tool's functions. "A Soul Tool that does not require Soul Power means exactly what you think it means. I do not need to explain further. But that is not all that makes it special. Its internal core is extremely unique, containing a device that stores Soul Power. Not only does this mean no Soul Power needs to be injected during use, but it can also absorb the Soul Power contained in the surrounding air to replenish its reserves on its own. Most importantly, aside from its core formation, this Soul Tool is entirely forged from Black Iron. This means it may be mass-produced!"

After hearing Jiu Jiu's words, the crowd had initially been astonished that this Class Four Soul Tool could be used without Soul Power. But when they heard that it might be mass-produced, shock was no longer enough to describe their feelings.

Yet Jiu Jiu had not finished. She continued, "I believe everyone now understands why it can appear here. However, that is still not all. It has one final special quality. According to the Soul Engineer who created it, its power can vary based on the materials used in its construction. When made entirely of Black Iron apart from the core formation, it possesses the power of a Class Four Soul Tool. But what if other precious materials were used instead? That will be for all of you to experiment with. The eighth auction item, Moon God's Protection and its design blueprints, has a starting price of ten million Gold Soul Coins. Each bid increase must be no less than fifty thousand. We will now enter a five-minute viewing period."

Inside Shrek's Room Seven, He Caitou was extremely excited. He shouted, "A Soul Tool that does not need Soul Power, and it can replenish its Soul Power reserves by itself! If it can really be mass-produced, then a nation would effectively gain an extra army of Soul Ancestors. And its power can actually be improved as well!"

As a Soul Engineer himself, Huo Yuhao was naturally far from calm. He understood the significance of this Soul Tool even better than He Caitou did. Wang Yan's research into Soul Tools was also considerable, so he naturally understood that this item held immense research value for the academy. He decided that no matter what, they had to acquire it.

Ling Mo said nothing from the side. Moon God's Protection had actually been provided by him. The real Moon God's Protection had been a gift from Siegfried and Kallen to Theresa. The one currently being auctioned was recreated by Ling Mo using the Herrscher of Reason's abilities. With his current forty-second rank Soul Power, Ling Mo could only recreate inferior versions of items, but it was more than enough to fool people.

Jiu Jiu's introduction was not wrong, but the key was that manufacturing the energy core required a material from the Honkai World—Soul Steel. Therefore, mass production was impossible. Worse still, prolonged use would lead to corrosion by Honkai Energy. The weapons recreated through the Herrscher of Reason's authority did not use Soul Power as their energy source like Ling Mo's Divine Key Martial Soul. They genuinely used Honkai Energy.

Wang Yan continued raising his bids, but he did not have that much money. The only reason he could bid was because he had Shrek's credit token and could purchase it on credit. However, the academy had not granted them a high credit limit for this trip. In the end, the Moon God's Protection provided by Ling Mo was bought by someone else for eighty-four million Gold Soul Coins. Everyone knew who it was. Only the Star Luo Imperial Family and the Soul Tool giant, the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy, could afford to spend so much money here. It could not be the Star Luo Imperial Family, since the Starlight Auction House stood behind them. Thus, the answer was obvious.

No one left, because after the auction for Moon God's Protection concluded, Qing Ya informed them that two more items remained.

Very soon, the ninth auction item was brought up. It was a long box, slightly under three feet in length.

"The ninth auction item is a Class Nine Soul Tool." Jiu Jiu opened the long box as she spoke. The moment Ling Mo saw the object inside, he could no longer remain seated.

Inside the box lay a long blade. Its black hilt and blade were connected by a red-and-gold handguard. The unsheathed sword rested silently within the box.

Jiu Jiu said, "This Soul Tool's specific abilities are unknown, and even its name is unknown. However, its power is certainly extraordinary. A Titled Douluo from our auction house once attempted to use it, but it seemed to possess a will of its own. Not only did it make that Titled Douluo feel intense rejection, but after Soul Power was injected into it, it even attacked him. A single strike left that ninety-third-rank Titled Douluo recovering from his injuries for half a year. Though its exact abilities are unknown, everyone should understand from this that its power is formidable. But as the auctioneer, I must remind you that there is a risk that you may be unable to use it after purchasing it. That is all I have to say. This Class Nine Soul Tool has a starting price of thirty million Gold Soul Coins. Each bid increase must be no less than fifty thousand. We will now enter a five-minute viewing period."

The possibility that it could not be used immediately dissuaded many people. Several members of the Shrek group who knew little about Soul Tools also lost interest. But He Caitou and Huo Yuhao were different. They were Soul Engineers. Though it might not be usable, a Class Nine Soul Tool still held great research value. Even the two deans of Shrek Academy's Soul Tool Department could not create Class Nine Soul Tools. After discussing the matter with Wang Yan, the three decided to bid on it, but someone was faster than them.

"Thirty million." Ling Mo made the first bid.

Turning back to Wang Yan, Ling Mo said, "Teacher, this is my personal decision. I'll pay for it myself."

Even after the auction house took its share of the proceeds from Moon God's Protection, Ling Mo would still receive more than eighty million. He was entirely capable of purchasing this Soul Tool himself.

Wang Yan did not know where Ling Mo had gotten so much money, but he could hear the resolve in his voice.

Perhaps the Sun Moon Team believed that a Class Nine Soul Tool with unknown effects and the possibility of being unusable held little value. The Sun Moon Empire had quite a few Class Nine Soul Tools already, so they merely made a symbolic attempt. Once someone continued raising the price, they gave up. In the end, Ling Mo bought the blade-shaped Class Nine Soul Tool for forty-one million Gold Soul Coins.

Seeing this, Ling Mo secretly let out a long breath of relief. From the very moment this blade appeared, he had been determined to obtain it. For no other reason than that he recognized it. Its name was Ksitigarbha Soul!

Ksitigarbha Soul was quickly delivered to Room Seven, where the Shrek group was gathered. Before Ling Mo could carefully inspect its condition, Jiu Jiu's voice drew his attention away. She was introducing the final auction item—a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast Embryo.

After the auction ended, everyone returned to the hotel. On the way back, Ling Mo could not understand how there could still be a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast Embryo when the Snow Empress was already gone. Huo Yuhao was definitely still going to get his Soul Spirit, right?

In the end, aside from the fact that Soul Spirits had a tremendous impact on the world, Ling Mo could not think of any reason why a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast Embryo would still appear after the Snow Empress had already been absorbed by him.

Ling Mo did not intend to dwell on this matter any longer. It was something Huo Yuhao would have to consider in the future. Right now, he had something more important to do.

He took out Ksitigarbha Soul and brought out Bella, who was still asleep and had yet to awaken. The stigmata on his back lit up as Ling Mo guided Honkai Energy into Ksitigarbha Soul. He soon discovered three figures within the blade. Honkai Energy continuously surged into it, slightly triggering Ksitigarbha Soul's corrosive power. Black-purple energy spread from the blade, enveloping Ling Mo and Bella beside him.

Ling Mo maintained the flow of Honkai Energy like this. Soon, an entire night passed, and Ksitigarbha Soul began to react differently. The black-purple energy continuously contracted, revealing Ling Mo and Bella, who had been wrapped inside it. In the end, it gathered around the blade itself, enveloping the entire weapon.

Ling Mo, who had been sitting with his eyes closed and sensing the aura within the blade, opened his eyes and stopped injecting Honkai Energy. He looked at Ksitigarbha Soul with a faint smile.

Before long, the energy surrounding Ksitigarbha Soul gradually shifted from black-purple to red. The color then continued to lighten, turning into deep pink in the blink of an eye before finally being drawn back into the blade.

Then a pink figure emerged beside Ksitigarbha Soul. She was about as tall as Bella in her shrunken form, with three short, thick, fluffy fox tails behind her. Her eyes were closed as she floated in the air alongside Ksitigarbha Soul. Ling Mo recognized her at once—Fei Yu Maru.

Just as Ling Mo was watching her, Fei Yu Maru slowly woke up. The moment she opened her eyes, she saw a person in a black-and-white cloak sitting cross-legged before her. She was so frightened that she hugged Ksitigarbha Soul and frantically retreated.

Seeing that the person opposite her made no move, Fei Yu Maru asked fearfully, "Y-you, who are you? Where is this? Wh-why am I here?"

"Pfft, hahaha! Why are you still so timid, Fei Yu Maru?" Ling Mo could not help laughing at the sight of her.

"Huh?" Realizing that the person before her seemed to know her, Fei Yu Maru was no longer as frightened as before.

Although he wanted to tease Fei Yu Maru a little, now was not the time. Ling Mo still had questions for her. He waved her over and said, "It's me, Ling Mo. Come here quickly and tell me how you got here."

Upon hearing Ling Mo's name, Fei Yu Maru was no longer afraid at all. "How do you prove that you're Ling Mo? You're wearing such a huge cloak and won't even take off your hood. You're obviously trying to trick me." With that, she gave Ling Mo a huff.

Ling Mo said nothing, because everything that could prove his identity was gone. He did not even look anything like he had before. However, that did not mean he had no way to prove who he was.

As Divine Keys primarily made from Soul Steel, every one of them possessed the ability to remember soul fluctuations. In his previous life in the Honkai World, Ksitigarbha Soul's compatible wielder had actually been Ling Mo himself.

Ling Mo relaxed his mind and began to sense Ksitigarbha Soul. As a spirit symbiotically linked to Ksitigarbha Soul, Fei Yu Maru naturally sensed Ling Mo's soul aura through the connection between the Divine Key and its master.

"You really are Ling Mo?!" Fei Yu Maru excitedly tossed aside Ksitigarbha Soul and flew before Ling Mo. Of course she would not mistake Ling Mo's soul aura. After all, she was essentially a blade spirit.

Looking at the excited Fei Yu Maru before him, Ling Mo helplessly shook his head and smiled. "Of course it's me. Can you tell me how you came here now? Let's talk in the Stigmata Space."

Ling Mo picked up Ksitigarbha Soul and held it in his hand, while Fei Yu Maru returned to the blade. Ling Mo closed his eyes, and his consciousness soon entered the Stigmata Space. Fei Yu Maru's form of existence was unique, and due to the special nature of the Key of Corruption, she could enter Ling Mo's Stigmata Space.

When the Snow Empress saw Ling Mo arrive, she was about to greet him when a small, fluffy figure flew into his arms. Curious about what it was, she walked over to take a look.

Holding Fei Yu Maru in his arms, Ling Mo comforted her. "Alright, I'm still perfectly fine, aren't I? You still haven't told me how you got here."

The joy of their reunion had left Fei Yu Maru extremely excited. After hearing Ling Mo's question, she did not notice the Snow Empress approaching and said, "I don't know either. Ever since we discovered that you had gone missing, everyone kept searching for you. Then Ksitigarbha Soul's connection to you suddenly broke, and Big Sis, Sister Kallen, and I all lost consciousness and fell into a coma. When I woke up, I saw you. Where did you go? How did you lose your connection to Ksitigarbha Soul? Let's hurry back to St. Freya. Everyone was so worried after you disappeared."

After hearing Fei Yu Maru's words, Ling Mo sighed. This child still thought they were in the Honkai World. His expression darkened slightly. "We can't go back..."

"Huh? Why can't we go back? It's okay, Big Brother. Even though you can be a bit of a flirt, everyone will definitely be happy once you return." Not understanding the situation, Fei Yu Maru thought Ling Mo simply did not want to go back, and she became nervous.

Looking down at Fei Yu Maru in his arms, Ling Mo thought that it was hardly because he was afraid of getting beaten after returning. He placed a hand atop her head and said, "It's not that I don't want to return. We really can't." Then he explained their current situation to Fei Yu Maru.

After hearing everything, Fei Yu Maru no longer had the excitement she had shown upon first seeing Ling Mo. Her upright fox ears drooped, and an indescribable loneliness appeared on her face.

Seeing that neither of them spoke, the Snow Empress said, "This little one is Fei Yu Maru? She is just as adorable as she was in your memories."

The Snow Empress's words caught both the man and the fox's attention. Only then did Fei Yu Maru realize that there was another person in the Stigmata Space.

She turned to look at the Snow Empress, then looked up at Ling Mo. Her big eyes seemed to say: Just as expected of you.