"Ah! Great-grandmother, I'm not talking to you anymore!" With that, she rushed into the room in the middle.
Wang Xian'er shook her head with a smile. "That girl, getting shy now. But..."
She glanced at Zheng Li's room. "It really is a pity."
She still had nearly twenty years left to live, but for a Super Douluo, that wasn't much. Once she was gone, the enormous Wang Mansion would have no one to rely on. None of her descendants were worth much, and none had inherited her Martial Soul.
After Wang Xin'er awakened the Sound Spirit Green Goose, she had decided to personally train Wang Xin'er. She might not become a Super Douluo in the future, but reaching the Titled Douluo level would be no problem.
She had no particular requirements for Xin'er's future partner. They could fall in love freely, as long as he wasn't too weak—he had to be a combat-type Soul Master.
"Ten years old, level twenty-six..."
Wang Xian'er murmured again, then shook her head.
"Why think so much about it? Children and grandchildren have their own blessings. I just need to raise someone they can rely on..."
After speaking, Wang Xian'er closed her eyes and enjoyed the warm sunlight.
That evening, after dinner with Wang Xian'er and the little girl, Zheng Li returned to his room and cultivated using the Spirit Sutra.
"The Spirit Sutra seems to really like life energy..."
Feeling the increase in the strange energy converted by the Spirit Sutra, Zheng Li couldn't help muttering to himself.
But what exactly was it?
Zheng Li still couldn't figure it out.
"I'll take it slowly..."
Chapter 61: Maybe... Take the Whole Lot
"Damn you, Zheng Li!"
In the room where Zheng Li had stayed in the small courtyard, Wang Xin'er roared as she held a piece of paper.
It read: "Little girl, I leave as lightly as I came...
Zheng Li."
"Ah!!
Wang Xin'er let out a cry and ripped the paper in half. Gritting her teeth, she said, "Who are you calling a little girl?! And what do you mean, 'as lightly as you came'?! What a pretentious, artsy jerk. Just you wait, I'll beat the crap out of you the next time we meet! I mean it!!"
Was she angry because Zheng Li had left? No. She was angry because he had left without saying goodbye!
At that moment, Wang Xian'er appeared in the open doorway and asked warmly, "Xin'er, what's wrong so early in the morning?"
"Great-grandmother, Zheng Li left," the little girl said unhappily.
"Mm, he left. I know."
"Huh? You knew, Great-grandmother?" The little girl's eyes widened.
Wang Xian'er replied matter-of-factly, "Of course. Just think about who your great-grandmother is. How could I not notice a little Soul Grandmaster leaving?"
"Then why didn't you tell me, Great-grandmother?!" Wang Xin'er asked, her helplessness tinged with annoyance.
"Well... Xin'er, you'd only just come back after going through so much, and you were sleeping so soundly. I couldn't bear to disturb you."
Wang Xin'er: "...If something like this happens again, please tell me, Great-grandmother... Wait!"
"Great Soul Grandmaster?" Wang Xin'er exclaimed in shock. "Wasn't he a Soul Master?"
Zheng Li had never shown off his Second Soul Ring, so Wang Xin'er hadn't known.
Wang Xian'er shook her head in surprise. "No. I don't know why you thought he was a Soul Master, Xin'er, but I sensed that he was a level-twenty-six Soul Grandmaster! His talent is even better than yours."
Even though Wang Xin'er was already level eighteen and would most likely surpass Zheng Li's current level by the time she turned ten, Wang Xian'er still held that opinion.
Judging only by his cultivation speed, she had sensed Zheng Li cultivating last night. He was very fast...
After hearing that, Wang Xin'er was dumbfounded.
She knew Zheng Li was level twenty, but when had he gotten a Second Soul Ring? Oh, right. It must have been a reward from the Valley of Love and Emotion...
But wasn't level twenty-six a bit much?
She had always thought Zheng Li was just an ordinary student at Shrek Academy...
"Damn it, Zheng Li! You should've let me meet Big Sister Xiao Nai before you left!" Wang Xin'er complained.
Who was Xiao Nai?
Wang Lao was puzzled. Come to think of it, she had heard that name yesterday, too.
"Achoo!"
After sneezing, Zheng Li rubbed his nose and muttered, "That little girl must be cursing me!"
He had gotten up at dawn, left a note, and gone on his way. Why hadn't he said goodbye?
Because he was afraid the little girl wouldn't let him leave if he did.
As for now...
Zheng Li looked at the unremarkable building in front of him. A sign hung above its main entrance, bearing the image of a hammer. Beneath the hammer was a gold-colored platform pattern.
"Is this the Starlight Auction House? I almost couldn't find it..."
"Xiao Li, buy two melee Soul Tools."
"Hm? Why?"
Zheng Li was puzzled. Weren't they more like mages than melee fighters?
"In our previous battle, the Light Swords and Light Shields we condensed with Soul Power were very fragile and consumed quite a bit of Soul Power. Using Soul Tools in battle would also help reduce unnecessary expenditure."
"That's true." Zheng Li nodded. "Let's have a look. If there's anything suitable, we'll buy it."
"Mm, all right."
Zheng Li said no more and walked into the auction house. The first thing he saw was a red-carpeted staircase, five meters wide, stretching down into the depths. There were no greeters outside like he'd imagined.
Only after descending about twenty meters did they reach a place that looked like a registration desk. It was there that a red-uniformed attendant appeared. Wearing a courteous, businesslike smile, she asked Zheng Li respectfully, "Sir, are you here to consign an item?"
Zheng Li calmly shook his head, took out his Shrek Badge, and said, "I'm a student in Shrek Academy's Soul Tool Department. I'd like to buy an engraving knife."
Being a Shrek student was useful in many places.
The attendant glanced at the badge, her expression unchanged, though she now understood the situation. Having been trained, she could naturally recognize a genuine Shrek School Badge.
"Please follow me, sir."
Under the attendant's guidance, they passed through an antique wooden door, and the scene abruptly changed. Before them was a resplendent corridor more than ten meters wide. The floor was laid with unknown tiles that looked like white jade. Every ten meters on either side stood a pair of columns carved from the same material and adorned with magnificent patterns. Intricate designs covered the walls.
Zheng Li frowned slightly.
"Is something the matter, sir?" the attendant asked, having keenly noticed.
"Nothing."
Seeing that, the attendant didn't press him.
They continued forward. After passing a staircase and another doorway, they entered a room with a futuristic design. It wasn't large. Once inside, the attendant placed both hands on a semicircular protrusion beside the door and infused it with Soul Power. The Soul Guidance Lamps in the room lit up at once.
Zheng Li was momentarily stunned by the sight before him. The room had been empty, but now a series of glass-like display cases had appeared. Similar cases were embedded all over the pristine white walls. The difference was that these had no supporting pillars. The cases on the walls stood close together without seeming crowded.
An engraving knife sat inside every case. There were all kinds, and at a glance, nearly two hundred of them.
"Sir, these are basically all the engraving knives in our Starlight Auction House. You may choose whichever you like," the attendant said respectfully.
Basically? Zheng Li shook his head inwardly but said nothing.
He nodded to the attendant and began looking over the engraving knives.
Of course, the browsing was just for show.
As he examined them one by one, whenever his gaze lingered on a display case, the attentive attendant promptly explained the knife inside.
Her explanations even made him somewhat tempted. The knives were all extremely sharp—otherwise, how could they engrave such hard materials? Every one of them could be used as a throwing knife, or even as a short dagger if it was long enough.
Whenever the attendant finished explaining, Zheng Li would let a subtle look of disappointment cross his face. After inspecting a few more, he shook his head and asked, "Do you have any Ranking Engraving Knives?"
The attendant was indeed taken aback by the question, but then she smiled and replied, "You must be joking, sir. Of the one hundred knives listed on the engraving knife rankings for Douluo Continent, two-thirds are in the Sun Moon Empire. Most of the remaining third are unaccounted for. If a Ranking Engraving Knife really turned up at the Star Dou Auction House, it would be auctioned at one of our top-tier auctions."
To maximize profit, huh... Zheng Li nodded. That made sense.
"Sir, perhaps you could..." The attendant suddenly trailed off, as though she'd thought of something.
"Perhaps what?" Zheng Li asked with a smile.
The attendant smiled awkwardly. "I'm sorry, sir. I just remembered that the Starlight Auction House really does have a Ranking Engraving Knife, but there's a bit of a problem..."
Zheng Li pretended his eyes lit up. "Really? Could I see it?"
As expected, it was a Ranking Engraving Knife.
"Certainly, sir. Please wait a moment. The knife was originally meant to be auctioned tonight, but it's been put away separately. I'll go get it for you."
"Hm? An auction item?" Zheng Li asked, then joked, "If I buy it, won't that interfere with the auction?"
"You're joking, sir. The auction is only meant to bring in a greater profit. If the price is right, there's nothing wrong with selling it early."
The attendant answered respectfully. To be honest, she was a little worried about whether Zheng Li could afford it.
He might be a Shrek student, but there was no rule saying every Shrek student had to be rich!
"Don't worry. I brought plenty of Gold Soul Coins," Zheng Li said with a smile, looking into the attendant's red eyes with a teasing expression.
The attendant blushed. "Please wait, sir," she said, then left the room.
Zheng Li watched her leave, then turned to look at the many engraving knives in the display cases and the prices beneath them. He couldn't help feeling tempted, and rubbed his chin.
"This Starlight Auction House really is confident... Maybe... I should take the whole lot?"
Chapter 62: Two for One Hundred Thousand
"Sorry to keep you waiting, sir."
As the attendant's voice sounded, a graceful figure appeared in Zheng Li's sight.
The attendant was quite cute, with a youthful baby face. In her delicate hands, she carried a tray.
The tray was dark gold, carved with exquisite patterns that shimmered beneath the lights.
But Zheng Li's gaze fell neither on the attendant nor on the tray. Instead, he looked at the ordinary engraving knife resting on it.
The knife was small, about half a foot long and only as thick as a finger. From bottom to top, it narrowed gradually, ending in a sharp-looking point. Beneath that was a blade about half an inch wide.
Black and unadorned.
That was his first impression.
However...
The entire knife gave off a faintly icy aura. Even the attendant handled it with great care, as though she were deeply wary of it.
The attendant began her explanation. "Sir, this knife is the Spirit-Devouring Engraving Knife, ranked ninety-ninth. Perhaps you've heard of it..."
The Spirit-Devouring Fierce Blade had originally been called the Spirit-Devouring Engraving Knife. It had gained its vicious reputation over time, after a series of incidents.
The Starlight Auction House called it the Spirit-Devouring Engraving Knife because it sounded better. What would people think if one of their auction items had the word "fierce" in its name?
She carefully explained the knife's origins and drawbacks.
The Spirit-Devouring Fierce Blade had been created three thousand years ago by a Level 9 Soul Engineer from the Sun Moon Empire. That Soul Engineer had also been a powerful Evil Soul Master. It was said that not long after creating the blade, he had died at the hands of an enemy.
The Spirit-Devouring Fierce Blade had passed through many owners. The Starlight Auction House had managed to trace thirty-seven of them. Twenty-eight had met gruesome deaths, while nine had become Evil Soul Masters!
After that, every Soul Engineer who knew about the knife had wanted nothing to do with it. Even those who had never heard of it would turn pale after hearing the auction house's explanation.
And so the Spirit-Devouring Fierce Blade had been passed over at auction again and again.
After finishing her explanation, the attendant keenly noticed Zheng Li's expression change. He even took a step back, looking rather frightened.
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