"Rongrong, your Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda and Light Feather Divine Bow are already top-tier Martial Souls in the world."
"Your cultivation aptitude is also Innate Full Soul Power."
"This pill is useless to you."
Ning Fengzhi gently stroked his daughter's hair, his voice warm but firm.
"However, this pill is indeed real."
"They say a Slave ate it and went from Innate Rank One Soul Power straight to Innate Full Soul Power, or even higher."
"His Martial Soul also mutated."
He changed the subject, a thoughtful glint in his eyes.
The appearance of such a heaven-defying pill would surely shake the balance of the entire Douluo Continent.
Those with Innate Full Soul Power were exceedingly rare. If someone could produce such geniuses in batches...
He didn't dare think further.
"Daddy, no... please... I want it..."
"I feel like my Martial Soul... still has some flaws."
Ning Rongrong threw herself into her father's arms and pouted, though a different thought was hidden in her eyes.
She wanted to get this pill for Su Ling.
These past few days, the boy she'd once loathed had kept appearing in her thoughts.
Was it guilt, or something else?
She didn't dare look too closely.
Outside the Heaven Dou Auction House, the lights blazed and crowds streamed past.
Tang San and Xiao Wu stood not far away, the atmosphere between them tense.
"Brother, you really don't believe me?"
Xiao Wu tugged at Tang San's sleeve, her eyes reddening.
"That night, Su Ling really just... asked about Rongrong and then left."
"I slept on his bed, and he didn't come near me..."
Tang San glanced at the auction house's dazzling entrance, his voice heavy. "I know."
But all he could think of was what he'd seen the night before: Xiao Wu wearing Su Ling's sleepwear, her collarbone faintly exposed, looking languid as she'd just woken up.
A man and a woman alone together in the same room all night...
Was it really just a few questions? Who would believe that?
But another voice in his heart reminded him: Rongrong was the one he truly cared about.
Rongrong was the one his heart yearned for.
"I'm not angry."
"It's just... Su Ling acts strangely. Keep your distance from him from now on."
He forced himself to look away, his voice low and sullen.
He had nowhere to vent his frustration, and everything he saw irritated him.
"Well, well! Where did these country bumpkins come from?"
"Standing around blocking the way, and you don't even realize the likes of you can't just walk into this auction?"
A nobleman dressed in silk embroidered with gold thread passed by, surrounded by guards.
He glanced sideways at Tang San and Xiao Wu in their plain clothes, then raised his voice into a shrill, mocking sneer. Spit nearly flew onto Tang San's face.
Xiao Wu's brows shot up, and she was about to lash out when Tang San grabbed her wrist and held her back.
His face was dark with fury, his knuckles white, his chest heaving.
"Let's go."
He forced the words through clenched teeth.
If they hadn't been standing at the auction house entrance, he would have shouted, "Path to Death."
"Why leave? You're already here. Why not go in and see the place?"
The nobleman wouldn't let up, swaying his head.
"Do you know what you need to get inside?"
"Either a VIP invitation or a bank card with 100,000 Gold Soul Coins in it!"
"Do you have either? Hahaha!"
His grating laughter drew more gazes—scornful, curious, indifferent... each one pricked like a needle.
Tang San felt his face burn. A surge of Evil Fire crashed around in his chest, but he forced it down.
"Let's... go in and have a look!"
He spoke to Xiao Wu through gritted teeth.
The two steeled themselves and walked to the entrance.
A scarlet carpet lay beneath the enormous archway. On either side stood hostesses with exquisite makeup, wearing high-slit qipaos.
"Esteemed guests, please show your invitation or bank card."
The hostess on the left wore a sweet smile, her voice clear as her gaze swiftly passed over Tang San and Xiao Wu's faded clothes.
Tang San and Xiao Wu exchanged glances, embarrassment spreading across their faces.
An invitation? A bank card?
They couldn't even scrape together ten coppers between them.
They'd insisted on going in just to save face, but now they felt as if they were being roasted over a fire.
"Brother, maybe we should... just leave?"
Xiao Wu secretly tugged at Tang San's hem and whispered.
Tang San gritted his teeth and was about to speak when the hostess's smile faded, a hint of disdain entering her eyes.
"If you don't have either, then please leave."
"This auction isn't somewhere just anyone can enter."
Her words struck Tang San like a slap, making his face burn.
"We..." He started to explain, but his voice came out painfully hoarse.
Just then, Ning Rongrong peeked out from inside.
"Tang San? Xiao Wu? What are you doing here?"
She lifted her skirt and ran over, her gaze passing casually to the side before suddenly stopping.
In the shadows beside the auction house, a boy in a black robe leaned against the wall.
His head hung slightly, and he was slender.
Dark-red drops of blood fell slowly from the hem of his robe, staining a small patch of the gleaming floor.
He seemed not to notice the gazes around him, staring stubbornly into the depths of the auction house as if sensing something.
Ning Rongrong had been the Seven-Colored Goddess in her Previous Life, and her Mental Power was considerable, yet she couldn't see the face beneath the black hood.
She only felt that there was something indescribably familiar about that figure.
She instinctively tugged at Tang San's sleeve and whispered, "W-who is that?"
"I don't know. I don't know him. Let's leave him alone."
Seeing Ning Rongrong pay attention to the black-robed boy as soon as she came out left Tang San feeling deeply uncomfortable.
He pulled Ning Rongrong and Xiao Wu along, intending to leave.
But Xiao Wu suddenly broke free from his grasp and took an unconscious half-step forward.
"Are... are you all right? Do you need help?"
Su Ling didn't respond. All his Mental Power was focused on the depths of the auction house, on the Cage where Gu Yuena was held.
Sensing that the girl was in good condition, he relaxed a little—at least she hadn't been abused these past few days.
Destruction Divine Power was furiously rebounding against him inside his body.
His soul was damaged, and he could no longer fully control the Destruction God Armor.
He could only press his pale lips together as blood trickled from the corner of his mouth and dripped onto his black robe.
When would the auction begin?
Who would buy that Little Silly Dragon...?
If she fell into the hands of some perverted nobleman with unusual tastes...
Su Ling's breath caught, and a violent killing intent nearly broke through the calm he was struggling to maintain.
"Sir," the hostess on the right noticed Su Ling in the shadows.
She furrowed her carefully drawn brows, her voice cheerful, but distance and impatience appeared in her eyes.
"Are you planning to enter as well? Please show your credentials."
She deliberately emphasized "credentials," glancing at Su Ling's gray cloth robe, shabbier than even an ordinary merchant's, and his unsteady stance.
Su Ling seemed not to hear her and didn't move.
"Hey! I'm talking to you!"
When the Oval-faced Usher saw Su Ling make no response, she reached out and shoved him, her tone suddenly sharp.
Her professional smile vanished, leaving only undisguised contempt.
"Are you deaf or mute?"
"Didn't you hear that you need an invitation or a bank card?"
"If you don't have one, get out of the way! Stop blocking the honored guests!"
"Look at where you are. Do you think you can just stand around here daydreaming?"
"If you don't leave, I'll have the guards escort you out!"
Her companion also gave him a scornful look, as if he were an eyesore of a piece of trash.
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