As they entered the auction hall, two attendants came forward respectfully and led Xue Qinghe's party to the most luxurious private box on the second floor, with the best view, reserved exclusively for the Imperial Family.
Su Ling paid no attention to the opulent decorations around him. As soon as he entered the box, he went straight to the enormous floor-to-ceiling one-way crystal window.
His gaze pierced the specially made glass, zeroing in on a huge cage covered with black cloth behind the auction stage below.
It was as if he had spent every last bit of his strength, yet also as if he had found his sole purpose. He leaned forward slightly, bracing both hands against the cold crystal ledge.
Qian Renxue waved away all the attendants, and the heavy box door shut, sealing them off from the outside.
Watching Su Ling's unsteady yet straight-backed figure as he leaned against the window, watching the dark-red drops of blood still falling silently from the hem of his black robe, she felt an invisible hand squeeze her heart tight.
The sight of him collapsed in a pool of blood in her Previous Life overlapped with the scene before her. Terror that had sunk into her very bones instantly overwhelmed her reason.
She forced down the urge to rush over to him and spoke in a tone that held a hint of concern yet kept its distance. "Your injuries are severe. This place is noisy and chaotic, hardly conducive to a quiet recovery."
"The auction hall has its own heavily guarded security. Why did you need to come in person?"
Her gaze seemed to pass casually over his bloodstained back, while her fingertips dug painfully into her palm beneath the wide sleeves of her robe.
"That's none of your business."
Su Ling's voice was hoarse and low, carrying a chill that kept people at bay and pain he was desperately trying to endure. He didn't even turn around.
He tossed a jade bottle containing Soul Enlightenment Pills to Qian Renxue.
He knew that the Imperial Family, as the power behind the auction, must already have learned that he was the one who had consigned the pills.
Any help they offered him now was merely an exchange of benefits.
Those four icy words pierced Qian Renxue's heart like a poisoned needle.
The pain was sharp and clear, but the Crown Prince's warm, elegant mask remained perfectly in place.
Holding the Soul Enlightenment Pills, she walked silently to a soft chair on the other side and sat down, her eyes reddened as she stared at Su Ling's back.
What kind of look is that?
Su Ling's eye twitched, and discomfort welled up inside him.
Having a grown man stare at him from behind with such an almost obsessive gaze made him want to punch the other man's eyes out.
But remembering Qian Renxue's terrifying strength in his First Life, and the fact that he was still a nobody now, Su Ling could only force down his discomfort.
Meanwhile, the atmosphere in the auction hall below had reached a fever pitch.
With language designed to whip up the crowd, the auctioneer described the effects of the Soul Enlightenment Pills as nothing short of miraculous:
"...Purify Marrow and Cleanse Meridians, defy fate and change your destiny! Innate Soul Power too low? An ordinary Martial Soul? A damaged soul? An unstable physical foundation? One Soul Enlightenment Pill can solve them all!"
"Verified by the Imperial Family, a Slave with Innate Soul Power of only one level took one and immediately broke through to the peak of Innate Full Soul Power. Their Martial Soul even underwent a beneficial mutation!"
"These Divine Pills, blessed by the workings of heaven and earth, are down to the last nine precious pills in existence! Miss them, and they're gone forever!"
"Starting bid... one million Gold Soul Coins! Each bid must be at least 100,000 higher!"
The entire hall erupted!
After a brief silence came a frenzy like a volcano erupting.
"One million two hundred thousand!" A light flashed in one of the noble's private boxes as they placed the first bid.
"One million five hundred thousand!"
"Two million! Box Three bids two million!"
"Two million three hundred thousand!"
The price soared at a shocking pace, every bid met with gasps and exclamations from the crowd.
Gold Soul Coins seemed like cheap numbers here.
Inside Box Six, where the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect was seated,
Ning Rongrong tugged urgently at Ning Fengzhi's sleeve. "Daddy! Buy one! No matter how expensive it is, we have to get one! I feel like there's still room for my Light Feather Divine Bow to improve! And... and..."
She pictured Su Ling lying in a pool of blood. The words Maybe it could save him caught in her throat, and her cheeks flushed slightly.
Ning Fengzhi's expression was grave as he raised a hand to stop his daughter. "Rongrong, don't be ridiculous. Your talent and Martial Soul are already among the finest in the world. This pill would do very little for you."
Of course, he knew what Ning Rongrong was thinking.
Her Love Brain had probably kicked in, and she wanted to give the Soul Enlightenment Pills to her friends at Shrek.
But that was 2.8 million Gold Soul Coins!
Even the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect couldn't afford to throw money around like that.
Yet while Ning Fengzhi hesitated, the price had already soared to three million.
By now, most of the bidders had dropped out. Only a few top powers were still competing.
He turned to Chen Xin and Gu Rong and said quietly, "If this pill's effects are really as astonishing as they claim, we have to get one and study it. At the very least... we need to find out where it came from."
Bone Douluo Gu Rong couldn't bear to see Ning Rongrong looking so wronged. He said in a low voice, "Fengzhi, if Rongrong wants one so badly, just get her one! What's money for if not to spend?"
Hearing that, Ning Fengzhi didn't even want to look at Gu Rong.
If he really let that brat waste more than three million on this,
he figured the shock would be enough to make him leap out of his coffin even after he died.
Sword Douluo Chen Xin's sharp gaze swept over Xiao Wu in the crowd below, and he furrowed his brows slightly. He sent a voice transmission: "Fengzhi, I'm more concerned about that girl called Xiao Wu than the pills."
"I didn't get a good look during the chaos at the Su Family, but that peculiar aura around her... It doesn't belong to a human Soul Master. It seems more like a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast in Humanoid Form." His voice held a note of certainty.
Ning Fengzhi's pupils contracted almost imperceptibly. He gave Xiao Wu a long look, a grave, calculating glint passing through his eyes, then sent a voice transmission in return: "Uncle Jian, this is no small matter. The fewer people who know, the better. We can wait until we leave the auction before making a move."
"But Rongrong..." Sword Douluo hesitated. After all, Rongrong and Xiao Wu got along well. If they acted rashly, they might break her heart.
Ning Fengzhi sighed softly and looked at his daughter with a complicated expression. "Rongrong is still young. There are some things she doesn't understand. But once she gets a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone and Soul Ring, she'll understand our good intentions."
Ning Rongrong had still been clinging to Ning Fengzhi and acting spoiled, but the moment her Mental Power picked up their voice transmission, her expression froze.
She jerked her head up and stared at her father in disbelief, her eyes filled with shock and defiance.
"Daddy! You can't—" she shrieked, but Ning Fengzhi clamped a hand over her mouth.
"The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect bids three million seven hundred thousand. Please, everyone, do us this favor."
Ning Fengzhi's composed voice rang through the entire hall via the Amplifying Soul Tool, as he calmly pressed his daughter back into her seat.
Ning Rongrong struggled violently beneath his hand, tears spilling from her eyes as muffled sobs escaped her.
The auctioneer excitedly brought down the gavel. "Three million seven hundred thousand, once! Three million seven hundred thousand, twice! Any higher bids?"
The entire hall fell silent.
The price was beyond what most powers could afford, and besides, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's face was not one they could afford to slight.
"Three million seven hundred thousand, three times! Sold!" The gavel came down hard. "Congratulations to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect on winning the first Soul Enlightenment Pill!"
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