100,000 Gold Soul Coins!

The supervisor of the Grand Auction House did not make things difficult for a child like Tang San; he assumed such exquisite Hidden Weapons must be the latest masterpiece of some master blacksmith, and that Tang San was merely an errand boy.

"Child, I have two purchasing options for your Godly Zhuge Crossbow."

"The first is a guaranteed floor of 7,000 Gold Soul Coins, plus a fifty percent share of the final auction proceeds."

"If you choose this, I can pay you 5,000 Gold Soul Coins right now. Naturally, if you have any additional Godly Zhuge Crossbows, the Grand Auction House is willing to acquire them at this same rate."

"The second option is no guaranteed floor, but your share of the auction proceeds can be as high as seventy percent."

The supervisor of the Grand Auction House offered Tang San a very high guaranteed amount. Comparing the two schemes, only if the auction price of the Godly Zhuge Crossbow reached 25,000 Gold Soul Coins would the second option yield more profit for Tang San than the first.

The supervisor was not actually certain what price the Godly Zhuge Crossbow would fetch at auction.

But acting on the principle of striking first to gain the advantage, he offered Tang San such a high guaranteed price directly.

Tang San was currently in dire need of money, so he chose the first option without hesitation, and the supervisor gave Tang San a yellow stored-value card on the spot.

"Child, this yellow stored-value card is a fourth-tier card. You can use it as proof of funds to enter the auction house and participate in the bidding. Furthermore, this card carries a credit limit of 5,000 Gold Soul Coins."

Tang San returned to Li Luo with the money. As it happened, there was an auction taking place at the house that day, so Li Luo, Tang San, and Xiao Wu decided to attend.

With Tang San's yellow-tier status, the three of them faced no trouble from the guards and entered the auction house with ease.

Specialized staff led the three of them to their corresponding yellow-tier seats to await the official start of the auction.

"Good afternoon, esteemed customers!"

The auction proceeded as scheduled, and the host greeted the attendees with enthusiasm.

"A warm welcome to all our esteemed customers here at our Gengxin City Grand Auction House!"

"Today, the auction house has prepared a vast array of items for you."

"Now, I declare this auction officially begun!"

"The first item is Dragon Blood Grass. Dragon Blood Grass is an herb stained with the blood of dragon-type spirit beasts. When processed into medicine and consumed, it enhances stamina and explosive power. Furthermore, spirit masters with dragon-type spirits can improve their aptitude and talent by consuming it."

The host's words were half-truth and half-fabrication; the enhancement of stamina and explosive power was real, but the effect was actually negligible, serving primarily as a potent aphrodisiac. As for the claim that it was highly beneficial to spirit masters with dragon-type spirits? That was nothing more than empty boasting, a fact everyone understood tacitly, and no one believed.

If it truly possessed such powerful properties, the Dragon Blood Grass would never reach the open market; it would have been snapped up by the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan long ago.

"Starting bid, 1,000 Gold Soul Coins! Each increment must be no less than 500 Gold Soul Coins."

The host announced the starting price for the Dragon Blood Grass.

"1,501 Gold Soul Coins," a buyer in the yellow-tier seating was the first to raise the price.

"I bid 2,002 Gold Soul Coins!"

Others were raising the price as well.

As others chimed in with bids, the first buyer grew a bit anxious.

"2,503!"

He shouted, though his voice lacked conviction.

Spending 2,503 Gold Soul Coins on an aphrodisiac was hardly cost-effective, but the buyer seemed in desperate need of the herb, so he grit his teeth and offered the high price of 2,503 Gold Soul Coins.

After his voice fell, no one followed up; no one was foolish enough to spend 3,000 Gold Soul Coins on an herb that had no effect other than acting as an aphrodisiac.

"2,503, going once!"

"2,503, going twice!"

"2,503, three times!"

"Is there anyone else? Three, two, one—congratulations to this customer for winning the Dragon Blood Grass!"

The buyer who won the Dragon Blood Grass was a bloated, wealthy merchant. He suffered from impotence due to excessive indulgence and was therefore in urgent need of the Dragon Blood Grass, willing to spend 2,503 Gold Soul Coins to obtain it.

In truth, those who had bid against him were staff members arranged by the auction house.

As the saying goes, a large shop bullies its customers; the Grand Auction House had long since investigated this buyer thoroughly and knew his limit was 2,500 Gold Soul Coins, so once the price reached that level, no one continued to bid.

Naturally, this was merely a small interlude.

The auction continued, with a dazzling variety of items on display.

There were trashy Soul Tools of two cubic meters that sold for astronomical prices, and five-thousand-year-old Whale Rubber was also auctioned off.

Because others did not know the special use of Whale Rubber and viewed it only as an aphrodisiac, Li Luo managed to secure this piece of five-thousand-year-old Whale Rubber for a mere 2,500 Gold Soul Coins, which could be considered a massive bargain.

The auction proceeded in full swing, with the most numerous items being finished forged goods produced in Gengxin City.

"Everyone, pay attention!"

The host shouted through a large megaphone.

"Next up is a pair of offensive and defensive weapons, forged by master blacksmiths of Gengxin City."

"The first item is named the Iron Mother Vajra Armor, a work by the famous master blacksmith Si Long, who is the direct disciple of the Divine Craftsman Lou Gao."

"This is a piece of defensive armor capable of withstanding one full-force strike from a Spirit Emperor, multiple attacks from a Spirit King, and for attacks from a Spirit Ancestor, it provides almost unlimited defense as long as the strike does not hit a vital point."

"Starting bid, 10,000 Gold Soul Coins. Each increment must be no less than 5,000 Gold Soul Coins."

Upon hearing the name of the Divine Craftsman Lou Gao of Gengxin City, all the buyers present were initially delighted, but when they heard it was not Lou Gao's own work, but rather that of his disciple, their excitement waned. However, once the host described the defensive capabilities of the armor, many still began to bid.

While such defensive gear holds little significance for Battle Soul Masters and cannot assist them in cross-rank combat, and since the armor is heavy, it is also not very friendly to Agility Attack Soul Masters.

However, for Support Soul Masters who are at a disadvantage in terms of mobility, offense, and defense, this set of heavy armor is quite meaningful.

"I bid ten thousand!"

"Twenty thousand!"

"Twenty-five thousand!"

Many people were bidding, with most voices coming from buyers in the black seats. These seats were generally occupied by nobles of the Heaven Dou Empire; their cultivation talent was mediocre, and they primarily mingled in political circles. Thus, they were not short on money but had many enemies, making them quite desperate for defensive gear.

"One hundred thousand!"

A distinguished guest in the red seats called out the high price of one hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins.

Li Luo followed the sound and looked over. The buyer who had offered one hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins was a man wearing a white robe and a mask. Serving beside him was another person also dressed in a white robe; he had white hair and was likewise masked, appearing to be an old man. The old man was holding a little girl dressed in a jade-green dress, who was also wearing a mask.