Auction House Turmoil, Ning Fengzhi's Hobby (Revised)

Time flowed like water, and in the blink of an eye, a month had passed.

Over the past month, Qin Ming had strictly followed the plan Lin Mu devised. Yu Tianheng, Tang San, and the others participated in at least two soul battles every day.

Under such high-intensity training, not only had their Soul Power improved faster than before, but their practical combat experience had also risen sharply.

The most pleasant surprise had been Shi Mo and his brother.

Under Lin Mu's guidance, the two ate and lived together, inseparable from one another. They even tried guiding and merging their Soul Power during cultivation.

During a sparring session a few days ago, their Black Tortoise Martial Souls had produced a clear resonance for the first time, and an aura as heavy and solid as a mountain flashed into existence before vanishing.

Though it had not yet been completed, it was undoubtedly an extremely encouraging beginning, proving that they were at least heading in the right direction.

As for Lin Mu himself, aside from cultivating, he spent his time teaching Ye Lingling movement techniques.

Ye Lingling had decent comprehension, and with her diligent practice, she had already gained a preliminary grasp of the most basic footwork. Her ability to evade had improved dramatically.

However, that was still far from enough. Lin Mu planned to refine some pills to aid cultivation.

Though they could not compare to the immortal-grade herbs of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, his alchemy was enough to increase Tang San and the others' cultivation speed. It might even accelerate the fusion of Shi Mo and his brother's Martial Souls.

Refining pills required medicinal herbs, and herbs that could increase Soul Power were never low-quality.

"Looks like I have to make a trip to the auction house."

Lin Mu silently calculated.

As the most prosperous city in the Heaven Dou Empire, Heaven Dou City's auction house gathered all kinds of treasures from across the continent. There were surely plenty of rare medicinal herbs there.

However, he could not be the one paying for them.

After all, this was for improving the Imperial Dou Team's overall strength. The three Committee Members were surely reasonable people and would be willing to reimburse him.

Having made up his mind, Lin Mu was about to head to the auction house when, just after leaving his room, he ran into an unwelcome visitor.

Xue Qinghe naturally stepped forward and greeted him. "Brother Lin, heading out?"

Seeing this unwelcome visitor, Lin Mu felt both speechless and helpless. Over the past month, this person had come looking for him every few days, clearly harboring ulterior motives.

"Greetings, Your Highness the Crown Prince."

Keeping his expression unchanged, Lin Mu said calmly, "I intend to visit the auction house to purchase some medicinal herbs."

"Oh? Brother Lin has studied medicinal herbs as well?"

A hint of interest flashed through Xue Qinghe's eyes as she offered, "I happen to have nothing to do today. How about I accompany you, Brother Lin? I know the auction house well and may be able to help."

Lin Mu had originally wanted to refuse, but on second thought, having His Highness the Crown Prince at his side might save him some trouble.

"Then I'll have to trouble Your Highness."

Before long, the two arrived at one of the grandest buildings in the center of Heaven Dou City: the Heaven Dou Auction House.

The auction house was brilliantly lit and packed with guests, all of them richly dressed soul masters and nobles.

Though it was Lin Mu's first time here, Xue Qinghe was extremely familiar with the place and led him to the front row of the Red Zone.

After a while, the auction finally began.

As expected, there were indeed quite a few rare medicinal herbs at this auction, and their prices were exorbitant.

Fortunately, Lin Mu had a considerable amount of savings, and he could seek reimbursement from the three Committee Members afterward. Thus, he secured all the medicinal herbs he needed.

Lin Mu's goal at this auction had been clear. He only bid on several rare herbs that were over a thousand years old and had no interest in the other auction items.

Just as the auction was nearing its end, the atmosphere on the auction stage suddenly became heated.

The auctioneer struck the gavel hard, his voice spirited and alluring. "Honored guests, next is the grand finale of this auction!"

As his words fell, a huge iron cage was pushed onto the stage, with a figure curled up inside.

It was a young girl, no more than sixteen or seventeen years old, with dazzling golden hair and emerald-green eyes.

Most striking of all were her pair of furry fox ears and the fluffy fox tail hanging limply behind her.

She wore only a thin gauze dress. Her exposed skin was white as snow, and though her gaze was frightened and helpless, she possessed an exotic charm that evoked pity.

"When this girl's Martial Soul awakened, her body underwent certain mutations. She retained some fox-like traits, yet possesses no Soul Power. She is gentle and obedient."

On the auction stage, the auctioneer gave a vivid introduction.

Below the stage, excited discussions rose one after another, accompanied by pairs of burning eyes.

Auction items like this were extremely popular among Heaven Dou City's nobility, and they could be driven to astronomical prices every time.

Seeing this, Xue Qinghe frowned slightly. She seemed somewhat dissatisfied with this sort of transaction, but said nothing. Such matters were not uncommon in Heaven Dou City.

Lin Mu's gaze landed on the Fox Woman, and a cold glint flashed through his eyes.

Though he had expected it, seeing it with his own eyes still made it difficult for him to accept.

"Your Highness, could you help me bid for her?"

Xue Qinghe was slightly stunned by this and looked at Lin Mu in surprise. Seeing not the slightest trace of lust in his eyes, but rather an indescribable solemnity, she was puzzled.

Still, it was a good opportunity to do him a favor, so she immediately nodded. "Of course, no problem."

By then, the bidding price had already reached one hundred and twenty thousand Gold Soul Coins.

"130,000 Gold Soul Coins."

Xue Qinghe's clear voice rang out, instantly suppressing the surrounding clamor.

The crowd followed the sound and saw that His Highness the Crown Prince had made the bid. Many grew wary and did not continue bidding.

"140,000 Gold Soul Coins."

Just then, a somewhat imposing voice came from the other side. It belonged to an elderly man dressed in lavish robes—none other than Prince Xue Xing.

As Xue Beng's supporter, he had always been at odds with Xue Qinghe.

Xue Qinghe's expression remained unchanged as she raised the bid again. "150,000 Gold Soul Coins."

"160,000 Gold Soul Coins!"

As the most powerful figure beneath Emperor Xue Ye, Prince Xue Xing commanded wealth far beyond what Xue Qinghe could compare to.

Seeing the old bastard deliberately obstructing her, a cold gleam flashed through Xue Qinghe's eyes, along with a trace of killing intent that was difficult to detect.

Just as the two were bidding against each other, another gentle voice came from the back.

"180,000 Gold Soul Coins!"

Everyone turned toward the voice and saw a refined middle-aged man seated in the back row, with a white-haired elder beside him whose figure stood as straight as a sword.

"Could it be them?"

Lin Mu's gaze flickered. Though the two wore masks, given their bearing and wealth, they were most likely Ning Fengzhi, Sect Master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, and Sword Douluo Chen Xin.

Xue Qinghe recognized them as well, and a strange look flashed through her eyes.

At the same time, Ning Fengzhi also noticed Xue Qinghe in front of him, and his expression became somewhat unnatural.

Could it be that his disciple had this sort of hobby too?

Suddenly, his gaze landed on the man beside Xue Qinghe, and his heart stirred. Over the past month, Xue Qinghe seemed to have grown quite close to a young powerhouse.