Seeing Prince Xue Xing Again

"Your Eminence, Baron Ye, please proceed to the red VIP seats at the very front." The attendant leading them made a welcoming gesture and spoke respectfully.

"No need. We'll find our own seats. You can go back." Ye Zhou said to him.

Hearing this, the attendant said nothing more. He bowed and replied, "Yes, my lord."

After the attendant left, Ye Zhou immediately said to Shi Jian, "Uncle Jian, this place is really impressive. The people here are basically all from wealthy and noble families."

"Oh, really?" Shi Jian swept his gaze around the room as well, his eyes glinting with surprise.

"Yeah. Look at that old man at the very front. He's Prince Xue Xing, the one who brought me into Heaven Dou Royal Academy. He's the Heaven Dou Emperor's younger brother." Ye Zhou pointed at the elderly man in front, whose gaze was fixed on the auction platform.

Prince?

Shi Jian nodded. That was quite a lofty status.

"And that one—the man is an Elder of the Heavenly Zither Sect, one of the Lower Four Sects. His grandson is a student at Heaven Dou Royal Academy. I saw him once when he came to pick his grandson up from school."

"And that man is wearing a duke's attire. There are only two dukes in the Heaven Dou Empire. One founded the Dumas Duchy, while the other remained in Heaven Dou City. It should be him—the Earth Dragon Duke. They say he's a level eighty-eight Soul Fighting Luo."

Listening to Ye Zhou's introduction, Shi Jian nodded.

It seemed the Heaven Dou Auction House truly was a place where important figures gathered. No wonder Ning Fengzhi, the sect master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, one of the Top Three Sects, had come here to attend auctions in that Douluo Continent novel.

From now on, if this old man has anything he wants to sell for money, I'll bring it here. Shi Jian thought.

"Uncle Jian, shall we sit at the front?" Since he had already publicly accepted Shi Jian's invitation and joined the Maoshan Sect, there was no need to keep a low profile at times like this. Ye Zhou spoke to Shi Jian.

"Fine." Shi Jian nodded, and the two of them headed together toward the VIP seats at the front.

"Hm?" Prince Xue Xing, who was sitting alone in the first row, sensed someone approaching beside him. His brows furrowed slightly. When he turned his head to look, his pupils immediately contracted.

Shi... Shi Jian?

He had never gone to Shi Jian for a fortune reading, but he had seen Shi Jian's portrait and observed him from afar before. Why had he come to this Auction House?

"Greetings, Your Highness!" At that moment, another polite voice entered his ears.

His gaze shifted behind Shi Jian, where an adorable boy around six years old was standing—the child he had snatched from the Martial Soul Holy Hall and brought to Heaven Dou Royal Academy.

Right, there had been reports that this child had been recruited into Shi Jian's sect.

Many thoughts flashed rapidly through Prince Xue Xing's mind. Then, a kindly smile appeared on his face as he said to Ye Zhou, "So it's you, child. Ye Zhou, correct?"

"Yes, Your Highness," Ye Zhou replied.

"Mm, what a good child." Prince Xue Xing smiled, then rose to his feet. He placed his right hand over his left chest, nodded slightly to Shi Jian, and said, "Your Eminence Shi Jian, this is our first meeting. I am Xue Xing. I am delighted to meet Your Eminence here."

"You are too courteous, Prince."

"Please sit, Your Eminence. Little Ye Zhou, you sit as well."

"Thank you, Your Highness," Ye Zhou said.

The three of them then took their seats together.

This scene was witnessed by the people sitting in the rear rows, and they immediately began whispering among themselves.

Shi Jian.

The Titled Douluo who had recently risen to fame in Heaven Dou City had actually come to attend the auction!

"Did Your Eminence come here today because you have your eye on some treasure to bid for?" After the three sat down, Prince Xue Xing asked Shi Jian in a friendly manner.

"No." Shi Jian shook his head.

"Your Highness, we came here to auction something," Ye Zhou said from beside Shi Jian.

"So that's how it is. Whatever Your Eminence Shi Jian is auctioning must surely be a fine treasure, haha~" Prince Xue Xing laughed.

He did not ask what it was, because the auctioneer would naturally bring it out shortly. Right now, he was only thinking about how to make the most of this chance encounter and properly win Shi Jian over.

If he could get Shi Jian to serve him, then he would have two Titled Douluo on his side. At that point, would he still need to fear whatever schemes Xue Qinghe might try?

He could simply use force, cripple that bastard who had harmed his own brother, and put Xue Beng in the position of Crown Prince. That would not be difficult at all!

Unaware of Xue Qinghe's true identity, Prince Xue Xing's thoughts were beautiful indeed.

"And now, please welcome our sixth auction item—the Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Pearl!" The auctioneer's voice rang out from the auction platform, drawing everyone's attention back.

As a member of the Auction House staff, he had naturally learned earlier than anyone else in the hall that Shi Jian had arrived, so he was not surprised.

These people just loved making a fuss over nothing!

"This Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Pearl comes from a thirty-thousand-year soul beast, the One-Eyed Moon Ice Porpoise. A Soul Master with an ice-element beast Martial Soul may wear it and gradually absorb the Soul Power contained within, accelerating cultivation. There is also an extremely small chance that it can strengthen the chill of one's Martial Soul, producing a beneficial mutation! Starting price: one hundred and fifty thousand Gold Soul Coins!" the auctioneer shouted.

As his voice fell, most of the crowd remained unmoved. Only a small number began raising their paddles to bid.

"One hundred and seventy thousand Gold Soul Coins!"

"One hundred and eighty thousand!"

"One hundred and eighty-five thousand Gold Soul Coins!"

"It seems there aren't many Soul Masters here with ice-element beast Martial Souls." Shi Jian glanced back and said calmly.

"That is correct. Among the Empire's wealthy and noble families, ice-element Soul Masters are relatively few," Prince Xue Xing said to Shi Jian.

Beside them, Ye Zhou raised a brow. Few ice-element Soul Masters among the wealthy and noble families? What about Skywater Academy? Oh, right—they gathered Soul Masters with a single attribute together, which was why there seemed to be so many.

In the end, the Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Pearl was sold for two hundred and three thousand Gold Soul Coins.

"Greetings, Your Highness the Crown Prince!"

"Where are they?" Qian Renxue, disguised as Xue Qinghe, asked the Auction House manager before her.

"Reporting to Your Highness, they are in the VIP seats of Auction Hall No. 1. Prince Xue Xing is there as well."

"Oh?" Qian Renxue's eyes flickered. Xue Xing was there too—had he specifically come to find Shi Jian?

Seeming to guess what Qian Renxue was thinking, the Auction House manager promptly added, "Prince Xue Xing arrived at the Auction House first. Some time later, those two arrived. They came here to auction something."

"What is it?"

"Several sheets of paper containing the Thunder Explosion Soul Skill. They said they were talismans and called them Thunder Fire Talismans," the manager answered.

"Sheets of paper containing the Thunder Explosion Soul Skill?" Qian Renxue frowned. She had never heard of such things existing on the continent.

"Where is the paper?" she asked the manager.

"It has already been taken to the auction hall."

"Come. We're going to Auction Hall No. 1." Qian Renxue spoke, and the manager immediately led the way.

Very soon, Qian Renxue arrived at the auction hall. With a sweep of her gaze, she noticed the three people seated in the very front row.

Prince Xue Xing, Shi Jian, and... that young junior she had shown favor to before.