Yu Xiaogang Slandered Again, Data Slaps His Face

Summer nights in Heaven Dou City were always lively, especially the noble banquet hosted by the City Lord's Mansion, which gathered over half the city's elite. Crystal chandeliers illuminated the banquet hall like daylight, maids carrying delicate pastries wove through the crowd, and melodious music flowed through the air. On the surface, it seemed peaceful, but beneath lay an undercurrent of tension—ever since the Auction House appeared, the nobles' conversations had revolved around those treasures that could change a Soul Master's fate, and today was no exception.

Yu Xiaogang sat at a corner table, his face dark enough to drip water. He hadn't wanted to come to this banquet, but he couldn't refuse the invitation from the Heaven Dou royal family. More importantly, he'd heard that many nobles were planning to take out their treasured collections and exchange them for points to participate in the next auction. This made him feel like sitting on pins and needles—if even these nobles with their resources sided with the Auction House, then his "orthodox Soul Master theory" would become a complete laughingstock.

"Did you hear? Bone Douluo of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect took the Auction House's 'Auxiliary Amplification Pill,' and his soul power stabilized a lot, even his defense got a big boost!"

"I also heard that Martial Soul Hall exchanged for a Private Auction Room. They're definitely going to snatch high-value treasures next time. We need to hurry and save up points!"

"Exactly! My son's been stuck at level 79 for years. If he could bid on a 'Soul Douluo Experience Card,' he might break through to Soul Douluo!"

The murmurs around him stabbed into Yu Xiaogang's heart like needles. He slammed the table, splashing a few drops of red wine from his glass, instantly drawing everyone's attention.

"Everyone, quiet!" Yu Xiaogang stood up, his voice carrying a forced authority. "The treasures you're talking about from the Auction House are nothing but harmful things!"

The banquet hall fell silent instantly. The nobles turned to look at Yu Xiaogang, their eyes full of surprise. The Crown Prince of the Heaven Dou Empire, Xue Qinghe (disguised as Qian Renxue), also set down his wine glass and watched him with interest—he wanted to see what new tricks this "theory master," who had been slandering the Auction House, could come up with.

Seeing that everyone was listening, Yu Xiaogang's confidence grew. He continued, "A Soul Master's cultivation requires gradual progress, with foundation as the root! Those 'Soul Power Enhancement Pills' and 'Soul Ring Extraction Fluids' from the Auction House may seem to boost strength quickly, but they're actually forcing growth, damaging a Soul Master's foundation! I have a student who took similar pills, and now his soul power advances slowly, and he can't even absorb soul rings anymore!"

His words were half-true, half-false—there was indeed a Soul Master whose foundation was damaged by taking inferior pills, but those were bought on the black market, completely unrelated to the Auction House. Yet Yu Xiaogang deliberately conflated the two to slander the Auction House, even embellishing the "damaged foundation" with a tragic description.

Many nobles' expressions changed at the mention of "damaged foundation." A Soul Master's foundation was more important than strength. If there were side effects, even if it could boost power quickly, no one would dare take the risk. For a moment, the banquet hall buzzed with discussion. Nobles who had planned to exchange points began to hesitate.

"Is what Master Yu Xiaogang said true? If it damages the foundation, that would be the end!"

"Maybe it's true. After all, there's no such thing as a free lunch?"

"Then should we still exchange points? What if..."

Watching the wavering crowd, a smug smile curled at the corner of Yu Xiaogang's mouth. He knew that the words "damaged foundation" were enough to make all Soul Masters back off.

Just then, the banquet hall's doors suddenly swung open, and a figure in black robes walked in slowly. It was Mo Chen, holding a palm-sized crystal ball in his hands. Though his soul power fluctuations weren't strong, they pressed down on every noble in the hall—especially the weaker Soul Masters, who instinctively stepped back half a pace.

"Master Yu Xiaogang, you can eat your words carelessly, but you can't speak them carelessly," Mo Chen's voice was calm but carried clearly across the hall. "Whether the Auction House's treasures have side effects isn't something you can decide with a single sentence."

Yu Xiaogang's face changed instantly at the sight of Mo Chen, but he still forced himself to retort, "Am I wrong? How could those treasures that boost strength quickly have no side effects? You're just a subordinate of the Auction House, so of course you speak for them!"

"Whether I speak for the Auction House doesn't matter," Mo Chen said, walking to the center of the banquet hall and raising the crystal ball above his head. "What matters is that the facts can prove everything. This crystal ball stores the cultivation records of all Soul Masters who have taken the Auction House's treasures, including Bone Douluo of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, Soul Masters from Martial Soul Hall, and many noble children of the Heaven Dou Empire. Everyone can inspect it themselves and see if the so-called 'damaged foundation' actually exists."

With that, Mo Chen injected a thread of soul power into the crystal ball, which lit up instantly, countless streams of pale blue data flowing within it. The nobles crowded around, and Xue Qinghe also rose to stand beside the crystal ball, examining it closely.

The data in the crystal ball was clear and straightforward: after taking the "Auxiliary Amplification Pill," Bone Douluo Gu Rong's soul power foundation stability increased by 12%, and his cultivation speed increased by 8%; a level 85 Soul Douluo from Martial Soul Hall took the "Soul Power Refining Pill" with no damage to his foundation, and his soul power purity increased by 15%; a noble child of the Heaven Dou Empire took the "First-grade Soul Power Enhancement Pill," rising from level 32 to level 33, with foundation stability unchanged, and even gained a 5% increase in subsequent cultivation speed due to purer soul power...

All the data pointed to one result: the Auction House's treasures not only had no side effects but also either stabilized the foundation or accelerated cultivation speed while boosting strength. The so-called "damaged foundation" was nothing but nonsense.

"Is... is this data real? Bone Douluo's foundation wasn't damaged, it's even more stable?"

"My son is in there too! His cultivation speed really increased after taking the pill! Master Yu Xiaogang was lying!"

"What theory master? I think he's just jealous of the Auction House and deliberately spreading rumors!"

The nobles' attitudes flipped instantly, their gazes at Yu Xiaogang filled with contempt and anger. Xue Qinghe also set down the crystal ball, his tone carrying a hint of mockery: "Master Yu Xiaogang, your so-called 'damaged foundation' doesn't seem to match the facts. Could it be that you fabricated lies to stop everyone from participating in the auction?"

Yu Xiaogang stared at the data in the crystal ball, his face pale, his whole body trembling. He hadn't expected Lin Yue to leave such a backup plan, having Mo Chen present the evidence publicly at the banquet. He opened his mouth to defend himself but found he couldn't say a word—the evidence was right in front of him, making any excuse seem feeble.

"I... I..." Yu Xiaogang's voice trembled, sweat streaming down his cheeks, dripping onto his expensive formal wear.

"Master Yu Xiaogang, you mentioned earlier that a student of yours had their foundation damaged by similar pills. Could you have that student come forward as a witness?" Mo Chen's voice rang out again, like the final straw that broke Yu Xiaogang's psychological defenses.

Yu Xiaogang staggered back a step, nearly falling. Where was his "injured student"? It was nothing but a fabricated lie. Now exposed publicly, he couldn't face anyone anymore and turned to flee the banquet hall.

"Stop!" a noble suddenly called out. "Master Yu Xiaogang, you fabricate lies to slander the Auction House and try to mislead us into giving up our opportunities, and you think you can just leave?"

Other nobles chimed in, demanding an apology. Amid the chorus of accusations, Yu Xiaogang rushed out of the banquet hall without looking back, as pathetic as a stray dog.

Watching Yu Xiaogang's retreating figure, the nobles' anger gradually subsided, replaced by trust in the Auction House and a craving for its treasures.

"Lord Mo Chen, can we copy the data in this crystal ball? I want to take it back to show the Soul Masters in my family."

"Lord Mo Chen, when does the next auction start? Is it too late to exchange points now?"

"I'm willing to offer my family heirloom, the Jade Ruyi, to exchange for points!"

Mo Chen looked at the enthusiastic nobles and nodded slightly. "Point exchanges are available at any time. The Auction House has set up a temporary exchange point in Heaven Dou City. As for the next auction time, you will be notified later through Soul Tools."

The nobles cheered, crowding around Mo Chen to ask about the details of point exchanges. Xue Qinghe stood to the side, watching the scene, a hint of deep thought flashing in his eyes. He had originally planned to use Yu Xiaogang to suppress the Auction House, but now it seemed not only had he failed, but the Auction House's reputation had risen even higher. This Lin Yue was indeed no simple man.

After handling the nobles' questions, Mo Chen turned and left the banquet hall. As soon as he stepped out of the City Lord's Mansion, he saw Lin Yue standing under a streetlamp not far away, playing with a jade pendant in his hand.

"Master, the mission is complete. Yu Xiaogang's reputation is thoroughly ruined, and the Heaven Dou nobles' trust in the Auction House has greatly increased. I estimate that point exchanges will grow by at least 50% in the coming days," Mo Chen reported with a bow.

Lin Yue nodded, a faint smile curling at the corner of his mouth. "Yu Xiaogang is just a clown, not worth worrying about. Making him lose face publicly this time also serves as a warning to anyone else thinking of slandering the Auction House—if you want to oppose it, be prepared to face the consequences."

He paused, then continued, "By the way, the system just released a 'Noble Resource Collection' mission. Nobles who complete it will receive priority bidding rights. Go inform the temporary exchange point and spread this news."

"Yes, Master." Mo Chen bowed and turned to leave.

Lin Yue looked up at the night sky, a profound glint in his eyes. Yu Xiaogang's farce hadn't suppressed the Auction House at all; instead, it had become free publicity. Now, the Heaven Dou nobles had fully sided with the Auction House, Martial Soul Hall and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect were actively gathering resources, and the soul beast clan had gained important opportunities through the auctions. The power structure of the Douluo Continent was rapidly reshaping around the Auction House.

Meanwhile, at Shrek Academy, Yu Xiaogang sat in his room, staring at the pitch-black night outside his window, his eyes filled with venom. He knew that after tonight's farce, his reputation as a "theory master" was completely destroyed, and no noble would ever trust him again. But instead of reflecting on his mistakes, he blamed all his resentment on Lin Yue and the Auction House.

"Lin Yue... Auction House..." Yu Xiaogang muttered to himself, a hint of madness flashing in his eyes. "Just wait. I won't let this go! One day, I'll prove my theory is right, and I'll make you pay!"

What he didn't know was that his every thought was already being watched by Ling Shuang, who was observing from the shadows. Lin Yue had long anticipated that Yu Xiaogang wouldn't take this lying down and had specifically assigned Ling Shuang to monitor his movements. A new confrontation was quietly brewing. And Yu Xiaogang was nothing more than a minor episode in Lin Yue's grand scheme to control the entire situation.