Lin Yue nodded faintly, his gaze sweeping across the room. "Today's auction is now over. Also, the System has unlocked a new feature—the Private Auction Room. In the future, any faction wishing to bid discreetly can exchange Points in advance and apply for a Private Auction Room. The Auction House will strictly protect bidders' privacy."
His words stirred another commotion. A Private Auction Room meant bidders could conceal their identities when bidding on high-value treasures, avoiding the risk of revealing their strength or offending other factions through public bidding. Yue Guan immediately stood and strode toward Lin Yue. "Pavilion Master Lin, Spirit Hall would like to apply for a Private Auction Room. How many Points would that require?"
"Once you've exchanged a total of 50,000 Points, you can apply for a basic Private Auction Room. At 100,000 Points, you can upgrade to a high-grade Private Auction Room, which comes with a dedicated guard detail and access to a resource appraisal channel," Lin Yue explained.
As the beams of light in the Auction House slowly faded, Lin Yue swiped across the System Panel with a fingertip, gazing at the newly unlocked "Auction Atmosphere Rendering" feature. A faint smile touched his lips. The first two auctions had gotten things started, but the auction that would truly make the major factions understand the value of Points was this grand finale: a high-value auction item—the Soul Douluo Experience Card.
Mo Chen and Cang Xuan stood on either side of the Auction House entrance. Soul Power rippled faintly beneath their Black Robes, serving as both a deterrent and a safeguard. Compared with the previous two auctions, today's Auction House felt more tense. Ning Fengzhi of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect still sat in the front row. Beside him, Sword Douluo Chen Xin had tightened his grip on his sword, while Bone Douluo Gu Rong narrowed his eyes as he surveyed the surroundings.
At the Clear Sky Sect's table, Tang Xiao had come in person, accompanied by two Soul Douluo elders. A piece of Mysterious Iron wrapped in black cloth lay on their table—the resource they had brought to bid with. The most eye-catching area, however, was the section reserved for Spirit Hall. Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan sat shoulder to shoulder with Ghost Douluo Gui Mei. The Soul Power surrounding them was even more condensed than before, making it clear that Bibi Dong had given them explicit instructions.
"Thank you all for waiting," Lin Yue said. His voice carried clearly through the system's amplification, reaching every corner of the room. "You've surely seen the value of the Auction House's treasures at the first two auctions. Today's third auction will feature an item capable of changing the fate of low-grade Soul Masters—the Soul Douluo Experience Card."
As soon as he finished speaking, a system projection lit up in the center of the Auction House. It showed an 89th-level Soul Douluo activating a card. His Soul Power surged instantly, and yellow, purple, and black Soul Rings whirled around him. His aura, which had barely been able to withstand the pressure of a Titled Douluo, rose straight to the peak of the Soul Douluo rank. He could even briefly stand against a weaker Titled Douluo.
When the experience period ended, the Soul Douluo's aura receded, but the excitement and insight in his eyes were impossible to conceal. This one hour had not only temporarily increased his strength; it had also given him a direct understanding of how high-level Soul Power worked.
"Item: Soul Douluo Experience Card." Lin Yue's voice rang out again, each word like a heavy hammer striking the hearts of those present. "Effect: Soul Masters above level 80 can temporarily experience the peak strength of a Soul Douluo for one hour. Any insight into the circulation of Soul Power gained during that time will be retained permanently. No side effects. It can be used immediately upon activation. Starting Price: 10,000 Points. Each bid must increase by at least 500 Points."
The 10,000-Point Starting Price silenced the Auction House for half a beat. The most expensive items at the first two auctions had only gone for tens of thousands of Points, and now the bidding was already starting at 10,000. Representatives of several small and mid-sized factions looked uneasy—the resources they had spent so long accumulating might not even be worth the Starting Price in Points.
"10,000 Points!" Tang Xiao was the first to bid. He slammed his palm on the table, his voice brimming with restrained excitement. The Clear Sky Sect had suffered a decline in talent over the years, and quite a few of its younger Soul Masters were stuck above level 80. If they could experience the strength of a Soul Douluo, perhaps several of them could break through their bottlenecks at once. An elder behind him immediately stepped forward and pulled away the black cloth, revealing ten pieces of Mysterious Iron gleaming with a metallic sheen. They were forging materials the Clear Sky Sect had treasured for years, and according to the system's appraisal, they were worth exactly 10,000 Points.
"15,000 Points!" Yue Guan immediately followed. He toyed with a golden chrysanthemum in his hand, his tone flippant but commanding. "Spirit Hall offers fifty stalks of Thousand Year Blazing Fire Grass, along with ten Ten Thousand Year Soul Beast Inner Cores." An appraisal result instantly appeared on the System Panel: the Blazing Fire Grass and Soul Beast Inner Cores came to exactly 15,000 Points.
Ning Fengzhi tapped his fingers against the table and glanced at Chen Xin beside him. Sword Douluo Chen Xin was staring at the Experience Card in the projection, his breathing slightly quickened. He had been stuck at level 89 for many years in his youth and knew how important an hour of experience like this could be for breaking through. Although the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect specialized in the Support Type, it also had many disciples stuck at the peak of the Soul Saint rank. The card could help the sect build up more high-level fighting strength.
"20,000 Points." Ning Fengzhi spoke slowly, his voice not loud, yet still carrying over the entire room. "The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect offers thirty stalks of Thousand Year Purple Rhyme Grass, twenty pieces of Deep Sea Silver, and one Hundred Year Spirit Type Soul Bone."
At his words, Tang Xiao's expression darkened. Deep Sea Silver was a core material for crafting high-grade Soul Tools, while a Hundred Year Spirit Type Soul Bone was a treasure to Support Type Soul Masters. Together, the two were worth far more than ordinary resources.
"30,000 Points!" Tang Xiao gritted his teeth and raised the bid. This time, he put forward a fragment of the Clear Sky Sect's ancestral treasure, the "Clear Sky Divine Iron." Though it was only a fragment, it contained a trace of divinity. The system appraised it at 30,000 Points, which, together with their Mysterious Iron, brought their total to exactly 30,000.
The tension in the Auction House grew. Everyone's eyes shifted back and forth between Tang Xiao, Yue Guan, and Ning Fengzhi. Lin Yue leaned against the seat of honor and ran a finger across the System Panel, watching the Points total keep climbing. A hint of satisfaction flashed in his eyes. This was exactly the effect he wanted: to make the major factions realize that if they wanted rare treasures, they had to offer up their true hoards.
"50,000 Points." Yue Guan's voice came with a hint of strain. "Spirit Hall offers an additional ten stalks of Ten Thousand Year Ganoderma and a complete Level 8 Soul Tool Blueprint." Ten Thousand Year Ganoderma was a primary ingredient for refining high-grade pills. This increase in the bid pushed the total to a new high.
Tang Xiao clenched his fists, his lips pressed into a thin line. The Clear Sky Sect had almost exhausted its treasures. To bid any higher, he would have to draw on the sect's inheritance treasures. Though he was an elder, he did not dare make that decision lightly. Just as he hesitated, Ning Fengzhi spoke again. "80,000 Points."
This time, Ning Fengzhi offered one of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's sect-protecting treasures: a "Glazed Lamp Fragment." The fragment contained pure Support Type energy. It could not only enhance the effects of Support Type Soul Masters' abilities, but also nourish Soul Bones. The system appraised it at a staggering 80,000 Points. Together with the resources they had offered earlier, it came to exactly 80,000.
Yue Guan's expression changed completely. He contacted Bibi Dong again, but received no reply. It was clear that even Spirit Hall was unwilling to use an even more precious inheritance treasure for the sake of an Experience Card. Tang Xiao simply shook his head and withdrew from the bidding.
"80,000 Points, going once!" Lin Yue called out. The Auction House fell completely silent. "80,000 Points, going twice!"
Chen Xin's breathing gradually steadied, though the excitement in his eyes was hard to conceal. He could already imagine the sect's disciples breaking through after using the Experience Card. Gu Rong smiled and patted Ning Fengzhi on the shoulder, saying quietly, "A wise decision, Sect Master."
"80,000 Points, going three times! Sold!" Lin Yue brought down the hammer. The system instantly converted the resources into Points, storing the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's offerings in the system space. The Soul Douluo Experience Card transformed into a streak of light and landed in Ning Fengzhi's hand.
Ning Fengzhi held the card, sensing the Soul Power contained within, and nodded slightly to Lin Yue. "Pavilion Master Lin, thank you."
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