Moreover, the Mystic Water Pill could cleanse his meridians and improve their resilience, while boosting his Soul Power by a large margin.
"What a classic case of spewing shit from every pore."
He looked down at the oily grime and impurities covering his body. The smell, in particular, was absolutely revolting. He hurriedly washed himself clean in the stream.
"Time to get to work!"
After catching his breath, Yang Hao took out and assembled the two smelting furnaces he had made, ready to forge the shields and battle swords.
The process was the same as with the spears, except that he swapped out the molds. The Soul Tool cores were identical.
Chapter 9: The Spirit-Devouring Engraving Knife
Leaving Yang Hao quietly at work, the spears and the sample shield and battle sword he had sold at the Starlight Auction House had already been delivered to the Star Luo Emperor, Xu Jiawei.
"Imperial Brother has been looking at these for an hour. Is there something special about this shield, spear, and battle sword?"
A young woman approached, carrying a bowl of soup. She was Xu Jiawei's younger sister, Xu Jiujiu. A little girl followed behind her—their youngest sister, Xu Yun.
"These were purchased by the Starlight Auction House today. They're all first-grade Soul Tools, prized for their sturdiness and sharpness. The Iron Essence used in them is exceptionally pure, and their performance rivals that of second- and third-grade Melee Soul Tools."
Xu Jiawei couldn't bear to part with the spear. He gently stroked it, then even planted his feet and gave it a flourish.
"First-grade Soul Tools? Are they cheap?"
After setting the soup on the table, Xu Jiujiu picked up the battle sword to examine it. It weighed a good ten kilograms, but as a Soul Master, she had no trouble lifting it.
She simply didn't understand why these three items, which were only first-grade Soul Tools, had made her Imperial Brother so happy. The guards outside had said he'd been looking at them for an hour.
Could they be cheap enough to buy in bulk?
The little girl was watching curiously too. She even reached out to grab the shield, but she was too weak to budge it, no matter how hard she tried.
"They're not cheap. Each spear costs three thousand Gold Soul Coins, but there are plenty of them. We've already purchased ten thousand, and the seller says they have another batch of these shield-and-sword sets.
"With these weapons, we could raise a whole Spirit Master Legion—even a cavalry legion of Soul Masters."
Xu Jiawei smiled. They weren't cheap, but their quality was excellent—enough to build a powerful Spirit Master Legion.
Forming a Spirit Master Legion wasn't difficult. The hard part was making it truly formidable in battle.
Soul Master talent formed a pyramid. The vast majority had only one or two levels of Innate Soul Power, and even at their peak could only become Two-Ring Soul Grandmasters.
Most Soul Masters with low-grade Martial Souls were poor fighters. Those with Beast Martial Souls fared better, but the same couldn't be said for those with tool-type Martial Souls. Some had Martial Souls like vegetable hoes and sickles, making it difficult to develop a unified style of combat, let alone coordinate in battle formations.
But now they had a batch of these spear Soul Tools. Even a One-Ring Soul Master wielding one could unleash the combat power of a Two-Ring Soul Grandmaster. In the hands of a Two-Ring Soul Grandmaster, one could even pierce a Three-Ring Soul Elder's defenses.
With the matching heavy shields and battle swords, they could form battle formations capable of threatening a Soul Ancestor.
With powerful Soul Masters leading the charge and holding the enemy at bay, they could even stab a Soul King to death.
If they formed a cavalry unit and charged with these spears, even a Spirit Emperor would have to retreat.
This could become one of his trump cards!
"Ten thousand spears!"
Xu Jiujiu was astonished, and understood their value.
One spear on its own wasn't much, but once they had enough to form a unit, it was a different story. This was exactly what people meant by quantitative change.
"So, being first-grade is actually their greatest advantage."
She tried channeling her Soul Power into the battle sword and felt how much it consumed. She could tell it was truly good.
First-grade was the lowest rank of Soul Tool, which meant a low barrier to use and low consumption. They would also be easier to distribute widely.
Besides, their effects—sturdiness and sharpness—were among the least costly Soul Tool effects. With their consumption reduced even further, they were suitable for prolonged battles.
The seller wasn't incapable of making higher-grade Soul Tool cores. He'd deliberately made them this way. They were designed specifically for fighting in legions!
"Does the seller want to pledge allegiance to our imperial family?"
Xu Jiujiu realized that the seller was seeking to join their side.
"Probably. But he's played a little trick. The shield-and-sword sets haven't been sold yet. He wants us to offer something good in return."
Xu Jiawei smiled and nodded. He naturally welcomed forces that were capable and showed goodwill.
"What does he want?"
Xu Jiujiu was curious. What exactly did the seller want?
"Here's the list. There are quite a few things on it."
Xu Jiawei pointed to the folded list. He didn't think it would be a problem; it would be an easy matter for him.
Besides, the Starlight Auction House belonged to their imperial family.
"There really are a lot of things. We don't have some of them in stock, so we'll have to buy them elsewhere."
Xu Jiujiu picked up the list and looked it over, her brow furrowing.
There really were a lot.
"Leave this to you, Imperial Sister."
Xu Jiawei handed over the responsibility. He trusted his sister's judgment and abilities. With a few more years to grow, she would surely become his right-hand woman.
"Yes, Imperial Brother."
Xu Jiujiu agreed, curious about the force selling the spears and shields. Could they make more?
Yang Hao had no idea that a young woman had set her sights on him. He was working overtime.
Of course, he hadn't forgotten to cultivate, or to take the Mystic Water Pills and Whale Rubber.
There was a limit to how many Mystic Water Pills one could take. They worked best before reaching twenty levels of Soul Power, and their effects halved if taken repeatedly. After three pills, they barely had any effect.
So Yang Hao took one every ten days, getting the most out of each dose.
He took Whale Rubber every day. Luckily, century-old Whale Rubber wasn't hard to melt; the furnace in a Soul Tool could do the job.
Those dull days soon passed. When the appointed day arrived, Yang Hao took a good bath, washing away the smell of smoke and dust that had clung to him for days.
At last, he changed into women's clothes, took a carriage back to Star Luo City, and headed straight to the Starlight Auction House.
As soon as he walked in, he saw a group of people wearing Shrek Academy badges. They were clearly students from Shrek.
There were plenty of others too. From their attire and bearing, they were clearly no ordinary people.
"Miss, please come with me."
The red-dressed woman from last time had been waiting for him. As soon as she saw Yang Hao, she hurried forward to greet him.
"A lot of people came this time."
"This auction is quite large, with many treasures on offer, so we've had more guests than usual. I hope you'll be pleased with it, Miss."
The woman in red explained, maintaining her professional smile.
"I'm looking forward to it."
Yang Hao took one last look at the Shrek students, then followed the woman in red toward the back.
"Why does she have someone escorting her?"
Ma Xiaotao looked at the figure, then turned to Dai Yueheng.
Her expression seemed to say, She gets her own personal escort, but you, the White Tiger Duke's eldest son, don't.
You're not doing so well, are you?
Everyone looked over, curious.
They had been there for a while and hadn't seen the staff approach anyone. Earlier, even an imperial Prince had come by without anyone paying him any attention.
Now they were going out of their way to welcome a young woman. Who was she?
Yang Hao followed the woman in red to a VIP box in the auction hall.
The woman in red didn't leave. She stood quietly behind him, ready to serve.
The manager had given her specific instructions: she had to take good care of this distinguished guest.
The auction began soon after. Yang Hao watched quietly, buying whatever caught his interest. After more than two hours, they finally reached the main event.
The Spirit-Devouring Engraving Knife!
"The Spirit-Devouring Engraving Knife. The starting bid is two hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins, with each bid increasing by no less than ten thousand. Distinguished guests, you may begin bidding."
After the auctioneer introduced the knife, he opened the bidding. Unfortunately, the room fell silent.
Only Soul Engineers would be interested in an engraving knife, and they had all heard of this vicious blade's fearsome reputation. It had taken real lives.
They wouldn't dare risk their own lives trying it, and didn't even dare collect it.
Besides, two hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins was no small sum. Even if they had the money, they couldn't just throw it around.
"Two hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins!"
Someone suddenly placed a bid, but it wasn't Yang Hao.
"Someone's bidding on this thing?"
Yang Hao was surprised. After waiting a moment and seeing no one else bid, he spoke up without hesitation.
"Three hundred thousand."
"Three hundred and ten thousand!"
The other bidder immediately followed. Clearly, he had his eye on the Spirit-Devouring Engraving Knife.
"Four hundred thousand!"
Yang Hao decisively raised the bid by ninety thousand, showing that he was determined to win—and that he had money to burn.
When Yang Hao again raised the bid by ninety thousand all at once, the other side seemed to hesitate. Only after quite a while did they speak again.
"Five hundred thousand!"
"Six hundred thousand!"
Before you continue