The morning sun had just crested the mountains in the heart of Douluo Continent when the Otherworld Auction House, standing in the middle of the plains, was already packed with Soul Masters seeking information. News of the Beginner Soul Power Boosting Pill, released yesterday to build anticipation for the First Auction, had swept across the surrounding hundred miles like a gale. Sect Masters from small sects had arrived with treasured items to exchange for Points, while many others, harboring doubts, lingered at the edge of the safe zone outside the Auction House.
Two figures in the crowd stood out.
Yu Xiaogang wore a faded blue robe, his back ramrod straight and his face bearing its usual solemn expression, as though he saw through everything. The boy beside him was none other than the twelve-year-old Tang San. Beneath his short black hair, his Purple Demon Eye held a composure beyond his years. Yet his right hand, wrapped around his Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul, was clenched so tightly that his knuckles had turned faintly white. Yesterday, he had advanced to level thirty-one at Nuoding Academy and had planned to ask Yu Xiaogang for guidance on his future cultivation. Instead, his teacher had hurriedly dragged him to the Auction House, claiming they were going to "expose a swindler's lies."
"Teacher, is that Auction House really exaggerating?" Tang San asked in a low voice, glancing at the main building, constructed entirely from some unknown black jade. The pale golden light screen hovering outside was beyond even his Purple Demon Eye's ability to see through. "I heard Elder Hu Yan Zhen of the Elephant Armored Sect already brought a Ten Thousand Year Soul Bone to exchange for Points."
Yu Xiaogang let out a cold snort and kept walking, his voice brimming with certainty. "Cultivation as a Soul Master requires gradual progress. Soul Power growth depends on the age of one's Soul Rings, the quality of one's Martial Soul, and one's own comprehension. What kind of pill could raise a Soul Master below level thirty by an entire level? This is plainly a scam that flies in the face of the fundamentals of Soul Master theory!"
He had spent his entire life studying Soul Master theory. Though his Soul Power had stagnated at level twenty-nine because of a Martial Soul Mutation, he enjoyed prestige in the Soul Master World thanks to his title of Master. When he heard yesterday that the Auction House claimed its "Beginner Soul Power Boosting Pill could break through cultivation bottlenecks," his first thought had been that it was absurd. If such a treasure truly existed, the Soul Master system of Douluo Continent would have been turned upside down long ago. A newly appeared Auction House had no right to make such an announcement.
"But they also have two guards whose strength is impossible to fathom..." Tang San tried to remind him, but Yu Xiaogang cut him off with a raised hand.
"Impossible to fathom? They're probably just using Soul Tools or some special technique to disguise their strength." A look of disdain flashed through Yu Xiaogang's eyes. "Today, I'll expose them in front of everyone, before more Soul Masters are deceived and waste precious Soul Bones and resources."
As they spoke, the two reached the Auction House's entrance. Two guards in silver armor stood watch. Their auras were steady, yet carried an almost imperceptible pressure. When Yu Xiaogang and Tang San approached, one of them spoke without expression. "Do you have Point Vouchers? If not, you'll need to exchange for Points before entering."
"Exchange for Points?" Yu Xiaogang sneered and stepped forward, raising his voice so suddenly that the watching Soul Masters nearby turned to look. "I think you're afraid to let me in! You don't even understand the basic principles of Soul Power growth, yet you dare peddle these so-called 'pills' to deceive people. Do you really think the Soul Masters of Douluo Continent are fools?"
His words landed like a hammer, and a wave of murmurs rippled through the crowd. Many Soul Masters had already been doubtful, and after hearing Yu Xiaogang's accusations, they looked at the Auction House with even greater suspicion.
The Silver Armored Guard furrowed his brow but didn't lose his temper. He simply replied, "The Auction House doesn't need to prove the authenticity of its treasures to you. If you don't wish to exchange for Points, please leave and don't obstruct others."
"I'm going in whether you like it or not!" Yu Xiaogang barked, craning his neck as he tried to force his way inside. "I want to see what kind of trash your so-called 'treasures' really are!"
Just as his hand was about to touch the Golden Light Screen, a window on the second floor of the main building suddenly opened. A figure in a black robe leaned against the window. His face was unremarkable, but he exuded an authority that made people afraid to look directly at him. He was Mo Chen, one of Lin Yue's two Peerless Douluo subordinates.
Mo Chen didn't come downstairs. He merely glanced at Yu Xiaogang and spoke in a voice devoid of emotion. "If you're looking to cause trouble, you've come to the wrong place."
"Cause trouble? I'm exposing a scam!" Yu Xiaogang glared up at Mo Chen, his agitation growing. "Do you dare claim your Soul Power Enhancement Pill doesn't violate Soul Master theory? Do you dare let me inspect its ingredients?"
Impatience flashed through Mo Chen's eyes. He had followed Lin Yue for years and seen mighty figures from countless worlds. In his eyes, this Soul Master with less than level thirty Soul Power was no more than an ant. If Lin Yue hadn't instructed him to "avoid hurting people unless necessary," he would have acted already.
"Words are pointless." Mo Chen couldn't be bothered to argue any further. He simply released a trace of Soul Power—and that mere trace was like a Tidal Wave suddenly surging across a still lake.
An invisible pressure instantly engulfed the entire entrance to the Auction House. The arrogance froze on Yu Xiaogang's face, as if an invisible hand had clamped around his throat. His breathing seized. The Soul Power within him reacted as though it had encountered a natural enemy, running wildly out of control and crashing through his meridians. Pain flooded him, cold sweat instantly beading across his forehead as his face turned pale as paper.
"Pfft—" Yu Xiaogang could hold on no longer. He spat out a mouthful of blood and staggered several steps backward. If Tang San hadn't caught him in time, he would have fallen straight to the ground.
Tang San fared little better. A terrifying aura crashed over him, and the Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul within him trembled violently against his will, as if it might disintegrate at any moment. His Purple Demon Eye automatically operated at full capacity, yet all he could see was an abyss-like ocean of Soul Power around Mo Chen, its boundary nowhere in sight.
What... what kind of strength is this? A storm raged in Tang San's heart. He had felt Master's Soul Power and the Nuoding Academy dean's. He had even sensed the aura of a Titled Douluo from Spirit Hall from afar. But compared with this trace of Soul Power, they were like fireflies before the full moon.
"Leave." Mo Chen uttered a single word, and the trace of Soul Power intensified slightly.
Yu Xiaogang felt a sweetness in his throat as more blood rose to his mouth, but he forced it back down. Looking at Mo Chen's calm gaze, laden with absolute pressure, he finally realized that he had provoked someone he could never afford to offend. His talk of "disguises" and "scams" had been nothing but self-deception.
"I... We're leaving!" Yu Xiaogang struggled to push Tang San's hand away and turned around unsteadily. His earlier arrogance had vanished, leaving him to retreat in a wretched state.
Supporting Yu Xiaogang, Tang San left, looking back every few steps. He gave one last glance at Mo Chen on the Auction House's second floor, then at the mysterious Black Jade Main Building. The suspicion had vanished from his eyes, replaced by deep wariness—and a trace of resentment he tried to hide. He could tell Mo Chen's Soul Power hadn't even been aimed at him, yet its aftershock alone had made his Martial Soul tremble. For the first time, this boy who had always seemed to have everything go his way felt helpless before such a gulf in power.
"Teacher, that person just now..." Only after they had walked some distance away did Tang San dare ask in a quiet voice. It still trembled slightly.
Yu Xiaogang leaned against a large tree, his face still pale. He shook his head, his voice hoarse. "More than... He's definitely more than a Titled Douluo... That kind of Soul Power pressure would be impossible even for a peak Titled Douluo..." In all his years studying Soul Master theory, he had never imagined that such a powerful being could exist on Douluo Continent.
The surrounding Soul Masters were also stunned by what they had just witnessed. Those who had still been doubtful now felt nothing but awe. Mo Chen had effortlessly crushed "Master" Yu Xiaogang with just a trace of Soul Power. With strength like that, no faction would dare provoke the Auction House lightly.
"So this Auction House really does have the power to back up its claims..."
"Even Master got beaten like that. Who would dare question them now?"
"Let's hurry back and gather resources to exchange for Points. We can't miss the First Auction!"
As the voices buzzed around them, more and more Soul Masters flocked to the Auction House's Point exchange counter. Even those who had been lingering indecisively now had no doubts. The impression that the Otherworld Auction House was "not to be trifled with" had been branded into everyone's mind.
Meanwhile, on the Auction House's second floor, Mo Chen withdrew his gaze and turned back into the room. He bowed to Lin Yue, who was seated in the main chair. "Master, I drove them away without causing any casualties."
Lin Yue was looking through the Point exchange records on the System Panel. At that, he smiled faintly. "Yu Xiaogang... Tang San... How interesting." He had learned their identities through the system long ago and knew Yu Xiaogang would come to provoke him. Sending Mo Chen out had served both to establish his authority and to teach Tang San a "lesson." This future Sea God was still just a boy who needed a reality check.
"How are preparations for the First Auction?" Lin Yue asked.
"Everything is ready. The Beginner Soul Power Boosting Pill is prepared, and the Point Vouchers of the bidders have all been registered. We're just waiting for tomorrow's auction to begin," Mo Chen replied respectfully.
Lin Yue nodded and gazed out the window. "Tomorrow, I'll show Douluo Continent what a true 'treasure' is."
Back at their lodgings, Tang San helped Yu Xiaogang inside, then sat alone on the edge of the bed, absently rubbing the Twenty-Four Moonlit Bridges Night at his waist. He remembered Mo Chen's pressure and the Auction House's mystery, and silently swore that one day he would gain the strength to surpass that pressure and uncover the Auction House's secrets. More than that... he would repay the humiliation he had suffered today, many times over.
The seed had been quietly planted in his heart, awaiting the day it would take root and grow.
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