At noon the next day, Ye Tian took the Tiger Tooth Fruit to the pharmacy and collected his reward from the shopkeeper.
An invitation to the Heaven Dou City auction.
"Many thanks, Brother Ye Tian. I wonder, did you find any tiger bones?"
"There were two Dark Giant Tigers in that cave. We weren't a match for those Soul Beasts."
"Two? How could there have been two?"
Ye Tian smiled faintly. "Shopkeeper, haven't you heard? A mountain cannot hold two tigers—unless one is male and the other female."
The shopkeeper understood at once. He thanked Ye Tian respectfully and personally saw him off.
"Why didn't you ask where Leader Wang and the others went?" As soon as Ye Tian left, the young man emerged from the back, his face full of youthful confusion.
"Since only this man came back, do I really need to ask what happened to Leader Wang and the others?"
The shopkeeper affectionately stroked the boy's head.
"Could that Ye Tian have robbed them after all?"
The shopkeeper reached out in exasperation and flicked the boy on the forehead.
"Do you think Ye Tian went looking for trouble and planned to swallow up Leader Wang's whole squad?"
"It's obvious Leader Wang thought Ye Tian was worth robbing, so he made his move. In the end, Ye Tian killed him instead."
In just a few words, the shopkeeper laid out the truth.
"That Ye Tian is actually that powerful!"
"Never underestimate anyone in this world. If a lone wanderer doesn't have a few cards up his sleeve, in this Soul Master world where people eat one another, others would have swallowed him whole, bones and all, long ago."
Ye Tian had no idea that after he left, the shopkeeper had used him as an example to teach his younger generation how to handle themselves. He found an auction house and took out the Soul Bone he had obtained from Leader Wang. The clerk, who had been treating him casually, immediately became enthusiastic.
"My lord, please rest in the VIP room. I'll call the manager over right away!"
Ye Tian entered the VIP room and sampled the obviously expensive tea and pastries. Before long, a richly dressed middle-aged man hurried in.
"My lord, I'm Mao San, manager of the Jiu Jiu Auction House. Our auction house has been around for a hundred years, and we can absolutely get you a good price."
Mao San introduced himself at lightning speed, then sat beside Ye Tian, his eyes alight with eagerness and curiosity.
"My lord, might I have the honor of examining the Soul Bone?"
"Go ahead."
A Soul Bone, crystalline as jade and as long as a forearm, appeared on the table.
"My lord, please wait a moment. If you need anything, just let me know."
After Ye Tian nodded, Mao San put on a pair of ice-silk gloves. Only then did he carefully lift the Soul Bone in both hands and examine it closely.
"Judging by its markings, this Soul Bone came from an Earth Violent Bear."
"It should be around three thousand two hundred years old. It could easily serve as the star lot at an auction!"
"My lord, would you like to sell the Soul Bone directly to us, or put it up for auction?"
"If you sell it to us, I can offer you this much."
Mao San held up three fingers on one hand and five on the other.
"Pay me." Ye Tian chose the simplest option. The Soul Bone might have fetched a higher price at auction, but the auction was only a few days away, and he needed the money more.
At his words, Mao San's smile grew even warmer. He left and soon returned, presenting a card with both hands.
"My lord, this is an anonymous card holding thirty-five thousand Gold Soul Coins. You can redeem it at any bank."
After checking that everything was in order, Ye Tian pocketed the card and left. Mao San carefully put away the Soul Bone and ordered his subordinates to spread the news immediately.
The star lot at their auction next month would be a Soul Bone dating back more than three thousand years!
He wanted the news to spread across the entire continent within five days.
It was a Soul Bone, after all—a treasure ordinary Soul Masters would never let out of their hands once they got one.
Mao San was certain the upcoming auction would be bustling.
Several days later, Ye Tian walked out of the hotel and headed to the Heaven Dou City auction.
At the entrance, a clerk verified his eligibility to attend and handed him a black conical hat. Once Ye Tian put it on, he realized it was made of some material that ordinary eyes couldn't see through.
He took his assigned seat. One after another, many people wearing black conical hats like his filed in around him. Of course, some didn't take a hat at all and went straight to the upstairs private rooms.
"Hiss—"
Ye Tian suddenly heard a chorus of sharp intakes of breath around him and curiously looked over.
Just who had arrived to make so many people contribute so much to warming the Douluo Continent?
A middle-aged man in a gorgeous outer robe approached slowly, pride and confidence on his face. He held a scepter encrusted with all manner of gemstones. The ones Ye Tian recognized alone would have cost three or five thousand Gold Soul Coins apiece.
The scepter alone had to be worth fifty or sixty thousand Gold Soul Coins.
This man was flaunting his wealth so brazenly. Wasn't he worried someone might rob the rich to help the poor?
"It's Bishop Sax!"
"Bishop Sax has actually come to this auction. Could there be some treasure among the lots that we don't know about?"
"With the bishop here, I wonder how many families will come flocking. I don't know if I'll still be able to get what I came for."
Some people at the auction were stunned, while others sighed.
Ye Tian touched the card in his robes, hoping Bishop Sax hadn't come for his Whale Rubber.
Otherwise, going up against a bishop stationed in Heaven Dou City in terms of wealth would be like challenging Old Ma to a money-making contest.
Before long, the auction began. Storage devices, weapons, rare treasures, and other valuables were brought out one after another, each drawing tremendous enthusiasm from the crowd.
When the next lot appeared, the host's voice quickly grew impassioned.
"Everyone, the next item to appear is the star lot of this auction."
"First up, Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Rubber!"
"Tests have shown that it's ten times as potent as thousand-year Whale Rubber."
"The starting price is one thousand Gold Soul Coins, with a minimum raise of one hundred. The auction starts now!"
As soon as the host finished speaking, many people immediately called out their bids.
"Two thousand Gold Soul Coins!"
"Five thousand!"
"Seven thousand!"
Seeing the price climb higher and higher, Ye Tian didn't hesitate any longer.
"Fifteen thousand!"
"We have a bid of fifteen thousand! Is there anyone higher?"
"Anyone else?"
The host's enthusiastic voice echoed through the hall.
Ye Tian had doubled the price to intimidate the others. The bidders in the seats had nearly fallen silent, and just as he thought he could secure the lot, a bid came from one of the private rooms.
"Eighteen thousand."
Ye Tian called out again. "Twenty thousand!"
The buyer in the private room wasn't about to back down either.
"Twenty-five thousand."
Twenty-five thousand Gold Soul Coins could buy a valuable Soul Bone. Ye Tian decided to make one last bid. If it didn't work, so be it.
"Thirty thousand!"
The voice from the private room rang out again.
"Thirty-one thousand."
The host and the people around him turned to look, wondering whether the mysterious bidder would raise the price again.
Ye Tian slowly lowered his bidding paddle.
The host drew back his gaze with some disappointment,
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