Tang San Snatches Resources for Points

Moon Guan did not hesitate: "Martial Soul Hall is willing to exchange another 50,000 points and applies for a basic Private Auction Room." The Martial Soul Hall disciples behind him immediately stepped forward to offer the resources they had prepared in advance.

Tang Xiao was not to be outdone. Although he had failed to bid for the experience card, he understood the importance of a Private Auction Room and immediately decided to exchange 50,000 points to apply for one for the Clear Sky Sect. In an instant, the auction house became lively once again, with many factions choosing to exchange points just to secure a spot in the private rooms.

Lin Yue watched the points on the System Panel continue to grow, finally stopping at 320,000. The smile at the corners of his mouth deepened. The unlocking of the Private Auction Rooms would not only increase his point revenue but also make the major factions more dependent on the auction house—after all, no one wanted their trump cards exposed to their competitors.

At this moment, in the core area of the Star Dou Great Forest, Gu Yuena was listening to Di Tian's report. When she heard that the "Soul Douluo Experience Card" had sold for 80,000 points and that the auction house had unlocked Private Auction Rooms, a strange look flashed in her eyes: "This Lin Yue is truly not simple. It seems the Star Dou Soul Beast Clan should also prepare some decent resources to exchange for points."

Di Tian bowed and said: "This subordinate will go and prepare at once; I will certainly not let the human factions seize the initiative."

Gu Yuena nodded slightly, her gaze fixed in the direction of the auction house, her fingertips unconsciously brushing against her sleeve—she had a faint premonition that this mysterious auction house, and the man named Lin Yue, would completely change the landscape of the Douluo Continent. And her connection with Lin Yue had only just begun.

Meanwhile, inside the Pope's Palace of Martial Soul Hall, fingers tapped lightly against the armrests of a throne. Although the 80,000-point closing price was within her expectations, the "Glazed Lamp Fragment" produced by the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had surprised her somewhat: "Ning Fengzhi is certainly willing to pay a heavy price. It seems that for the next auction, Martial Soul Hall must also bring out some true treasures."

She looked up toward the window, her gaze seemingly piercing through space to land in the direction of the auction house: "Lin Yue... just how many secrets are you hiding? I look forward to what surprises you can bring to the next auction."

An auction for a Soul Douluo Experience Card had not only brought a bountiful harvest to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect but also made factions like Martial Soul Hall and the Clear Sky Sect realize the importance of points, while paving the way for the promotion of Private Auction Rooms. Lin Yue knew that this was only the beginning—as the point system matured and more high-value items appeared, the power structure of the Douluo Continent would gradually undergo earth-shattering changes under his control.

The morning mist on the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest had not yet dissipated, and the humid air was mixed with the scent of rotting leaves and soil. Tang San gripped the knot of the Clear Sky Hammer at his waist, his knuckles turning white from the force. Behind him, the footsteps of Shrek's Seven Devils were somewhat sluggish—from their departure at dawn until now, they had been circling the woods for two hours without seeing the shadow of even a single thousand-year spirit beast.

"Xiao San, do we really have to look for a ten thousand year soul beast?" Dai Mubai wiped the sweat from his forehead, the aura of his White Tiger Martial Soul flickering within him. "The ten thousand year soul beasts on the outskirts are either hidden deep or have violent tempers. Even though we've all broken through to the Soul Ancestor level, if we fight them head-on..."

"We must find one." Tang San interrupted him, his voice filled with unquestionable urgency. "At the third auction, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect spent 80,000 points to win the Soul Douluo Experience Card, and Martial Soul Hall even exchanged for the qualifications for a Private Auction Room directly. The few points we have aren't even enough for the starting price of the next auction!"

He was not wrong. For the first two auctions, Shrek Academy had only scraped together 30,000 points, relying entirely on Oscar using ten ten-thousand-year sausages and Ning Rongrong offering an ancestral crystal pendant, only to fail to win the "Hundred Year Soul Ring Extraction Liquid." Now that the auction house had unlocked Private Auction Rooms, everyone knew that subsequent items would only be more precious; without enough points, they would only be left further and further behind.

Ning Rongrong bit her lip and whispered: "But Teacher Yu Xiaogang said that the auction house checks for 'legitimacy' when accepting resources. If we actively hunt soul beasts that haven't provoked us, does that count as..."

"Count as what?" Tang San turned his head abruptly, a flash of irritability in his eyes. "Soul beasts are the destiny of soul masters! Are we supposed to wait for others to auction away all the treasures while we sit around being 'orthodox' and starving?"

His words struck a chord with everyone. In recent days, Martial Soul Hall disciples had been breaking through one after another thanks to the "Soul Power Refining Pill" from the auction house, and Bone Douluo of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect was showing signs of an imminent breakthrough, while only Shrek Academy remained stagnant. Oscar gripped his sausage bag tightly and ultimately did not retort—he also wanted to bid for a "Physique Strengthening Pill" so he would no longer hold the team back.

The group walked for about another half-hour deeper into the forest when they suddenly smelled a faint, fishy odor. Tang San immediately raised his hand to signal everyone to stop. Blue Silver Grass spread out silently, and a moment later, a gleam of excitement flashed in his eyes: "In the pool ahead, there is a ten thousand year Jade Phosphor Purple Scorpion!"

The soul bone of a Jade Phosphor Purple Scorpion was known for its potent poison and control abilities. According to the auction house's previous assessments, a ten thousand year soul bone could be exchanged for at least 30,000 points. Dai Mubai immediately became excited, drawing his White Tiger Dagger: "I'll pin it down from the front, Oscar prepare the recovery sausages, and Rongrong, give everyone a boost!"

The group quickly took their positions. Tang San circled to the other side of the pool, his Blue Silver Grass reaching toward the water surface like a venomous snake. Just as he was about to entangle the tail stinger of the Jade Phosphor Purple Scorpion, a dark figure suddenly appeared out of thin air in the center of the pool.

The man wore a robe with dark patterns, and there was not a trace of soul power fluctuation around him, yet he caused the water in the entire pool to freeze instantly—not freezing in the physical sense, but a stagnation brought about by his aura, as if the very air were being crushed until it was hard to breathe.

"Who are you?" Tang San gripped his Clear Sky Hammer, staring at the other party vigilantly. He could feel that this person's aura was more than a grade stronger than the Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo he had encountered before, even reminding him of the legends from the Worship Hall of Martial Soul Hall.

"Auction House, Mo Chen." The man spoke, his voice flat and waveless, yet it struck everyone's heart like a heavy hammer. "Auction house rules: we only accept legitimate resources; we do not accept anything obtained through plunder."

"Plunder?" Tang San frowned. "We hunt soul beasts to obtain soul bones; that is the duty of a soul master. How is that plunder?"

Mo Chen's gaze swept over the shivering Jade Phosphor Purple Scorpion beneath the water's surface. Even though the soul beast had ten thousand years of cultivation, it was currently like a frightened rabbit, not even daring to reveal its tail stinger. "This beast has already gained intelligence and has not actively attacked humans. Your active hunting is, therefore, plunder."

"Nonsense!" Tang San couldn't help but take a step forward, black patterns appearing on his Clear Sky Hammer. "Soul beasts are born to provide soul rings and soul bones for soul masters; where do all these rules come from? You are merely a subordinate of the auction house—how dare you interfere in our affairs?"