Bai Yuan and the Shrek team walked out of the hotel, a figure came to greet them.
"Hello, Mr. Bai Yuan."
A woman in a red dress bowed slightly.
"I am a staff member of the Starry Sky Auction House. Welcome to the Shrek Academy for tonight's auction."
Bai Yuan paused, his gaze sweeping over the badge with a white tiger relief on her chest, and nodded slightly.
The Starry Sky Auction House is the largest auction venue in Star Luo City and is directly under the Star Luo Imperial Family.
Tonight's auction is an impromptu addition, designed to take advantage of the ongoing buzz surrounding the Continental Elite Youth High-Level Soul Master Elite Tournament and squeeze another round of money from the city's nobles and gentry.
At this moment, luxury cars flowed through Star Luo City, and distinguished guests gathered in droves, pouring into the auction house from all directions.
The Shrek team arrived slowly under the cover of night.
The moment the seven figures appeared at the end of the street, they drew hushed discussions from countless passersby.
The Soul Master Tournament had just ended, and the faces of these people were already deeply etched in the Remembrance of the audience.
Tang Wulin, Xie Xie, Yue Zhengyu, Ye Xinglan, Gu Yue, Yuanen Yehui, Xu Lizhi.
The couple is handsome and beautiful, except for Xu Lizhi himself, who slightly lowers the average attractiveness.
The entire team attracted an absurdly high number of people turning their heads to look at them.
But everyone's attention eventually fell on one person.
Bai Yuan walked in front, at a moderate pace.
After four days of tempering in Dragon Valley, his face shone with a restrained, jade-like luster under the night lights.
As she walked, the hem of her clothes swayed slightly, as if she were enveloped in an invisible halo.
The Star Luo Empire truly lives up to its reputation as a nation that reveres the strong.
The newly crowned individual champion walked right down the street, and immediately some bold girls blushed and surrounded him.
"Mr. Bai Yuan! Could you please sign your autograph?"
"I want one too!"
"I'm your biggest fan! I've been watching you since the very first elimination match!"
Her voice was sweet and gentle, carrying the shyness and courage unique to young girls.
Several sheets of paper and a pen were handed to him. Bai Yuan paused for a moment, then took them and signed them.
When it was handed back, the girls clutched the autographs, covered their mouths, and screamed softly.
Xie Xie watched this scene from the side, and his habit of being cheeky kicked in again.
He glanced sideways at Yue Zhengyu and nudged him in the ribs with his elbow.
"Hey, why isn't anyone asking for your autograph? Young Master Yue Zheng, your looks aren't up to par."
Yue Zhengyu's face instantly darkened:
"Say it again?"
I said.
Xie Xie fearlessly moved closer, half an inch.
"You're not good enough."
"Xie Xie!!"
"I am Yue Zhengyu from the Holy Angel Family"
"I challenge you to a duel!!"
"Come on, who's afraid of who!"
Tang Wulin reacted quickly, grabbing one of them with each hand:
"Say less! We're a team!"
He provoked me first!
"You spoke first!"
The two were being carried forward by Tang Wulin, one on each side, their mouths still arguing, but their feet never stopped.
En Yehui followed behind expressionlessly, silently recording this scene in the ledger of "Xie Xie's Number of Times He's Annoyed with Being Beaten Up".
Passing through the metal gate branded with a white tiger relief, the scenery suddenly changed.
The walls on both sides were resplendent in gold, and as far as the eye could see, everything was a dazzling expanse of gold.
The floor is paved with luxurious Deep-Sea Crystal Gold, each one polished to the point of reflecting one's image;
Every ten meters, a pair of pillars carved with exquisite patterns are erected, and the pillars are inlaid with delicate Soul Guidance Lamp.
The entire hall was illuminated, making it look like a palace cast in gold.
The air of imperial extravagance is palpable.
"I..."
Yuanen Yehui paused for a moment.
She stood at the entrance of the hall, looking at the dazzling gold, and felt almost depressed.
"Damn capitalism!"
"Damn wealth!"
"Damn rich people!"
As a high-earning woman, she felt a deep-seated disgust for this extravagant lifestyle.
Xu Lizhi followed beside her, carrying his own bag of sesame seed cakes.
The gaze shifted from the gold-brick floor to the diamond-encrusted dome.
"... How many sesame cakes can you buy with just one floor tile?"
No one answered him, because everyone was stunned.
Tang Wulin had seen small and medium-sized auction houses before, but this three-dimensional, glittering golden world before him still made him involuntarily open his mouth.
Xie Xie stopped making a fuss, Yue Zhengyu stopped arguing, and even Ye Xinglan took a few more glances at the patterns on the pillars.
It's unbelievably exquisite.
The girl in the red dress led them to the door of VIP room number nine and bowed slightly.
"Distinguished guests, please come in."
Welcome to the Starry Sky Auction House!
The moment she pushed open the door, Yuanen Yehui was struck by another devastating blow.
A sofa made of the fur of Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast sits in the center of the room.
Every inch of it gleamed with a soft, oily sheen; sitting on it would probably feel softer than lying on a cloud.
Luxury!
The white jade table was laden with rare fruits and drinks, specialties of the Star Luo Empire.
The Shrek members took their seats one after another.
As Bai Yuan strode towards the center of the sofa, a silver figure on his left and a cool, aloof figure on his right sat down almost simultaneously.
Left: Gu Yue; Right: Ye Xinglan.
Other boys. "..."
Two stunningly beautiful girls positioned themselves on either side of Bai Yuan, precisely wedging him in the middle of the sofa.
Neither of them looked at him.
But he had already felt a subtle, invisible pull.
Across from them, the Soul Guidance Screen of the live auction platform was lighting up.
The girl in the red dress gave the final introduction in a soft, gentle voice:
Welcome to the Starry Sky Auction House.
"The auction is about to begin, and there are nine categories of items in total."
"We have a wide variety of treasures, including ten-thousand-year-old spiritual objects, Ten Thousand Year Soul Bone, rare metals, and living Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, which will surely meet the needs of our distinguished guests."
"The auction will begin immediately."
On the auction stage, the lights slowly came on.
A figure stepped gracefully out from the side curtain.
The gold dress was well-tailored, highlighting her mature and voluptuous figure.
She wore a captivating smile, as if she were born for this stage.
Good evening, distinguished guests.
She stopped in front of the stage, clasped her hands in front of her, and gave a slight bow.
"I am Keli, a gold-level auctioneer at the Starry Sky Auction House."
"I will be hosting this annual auction today."
A round of applause erupted from the audience.
Some people recognized her.
The top auctioneer at Star Luo Auction House, with many years of experience, has never had a single item fail to sell.
"The auction is now officially open. We will be presenting nine lots to our distinguished guests."
"Please have the staff present the first item."
The Soul Guidance Screen lit up, and a fist-sized red fruit appeared in the center of the image.
Fine, layered crystalline scales envelop the fruit peel, with glimpses of the molten red flesh inside visible through the gaps.
The whole fruit resembles a slowly beating heart.
"The first item up for auction – the Millennium Dragon Scale Fruit."
The moment those three words were uttered, Tang Wulin's eyes lit up in the private room.
Dragon Scale Fruit, a rare and precious spiritual object naturally grown, can refine dragon blood. Its effects are especially amplified for dragon-type Soul Beast or bloodline holders who excel in physical combat.
The Golden Dragon Bloodline within Tang Wulin began to stir the moment it sensed the fruit.
"I want this one."
Xie Xie peeked at the price displayed on the screen:
"The starting price... isn't low."
Tang Wulin reached out and touched the Storage Soul Tool at his waist.
Inside lay dozens of pieces of Thousand-Refinement and Spirit-Forged Metal.
These metals served as hard currency between the two continents; unlike gold coins, they were recognized everywhere.
He doesn't usually spend much money, and he had been saving for a long time. This time, he decided to splurge.
"I'll make the bid."
Auctioneer Keli's voice echoed in the hall:
"Ten-thousand-year-old Dragon Scale Fruit, starting bid."
Tang Wulin pressed the price quote button.
As the numbers on the Soul Guidance Screen changed, a slight commotion arose throughout the venue.
The bidding continued for several rounds.
Some people tried to add their own moves, but they quickly backed down in the face of Tang Wulin's "unwavering determination" to win.
"Make a deal."
Keli brought down her hammer, her smile deepened.
"Congratulations to the VIP guest in Box 9 for winning the Ten-Thousand-Year Dragon Scale Fruit."
Tang Wulin leaned back on the sofa, let out a long sigh, and couldn't suppress the smile on his face.
Xie Xie clapped from the side:
"Not bad, Tang Wulin. I didn't know you were such a tycoon."
"I've been saving this up for a long time."
Tang Wulin scratched the back of his head and smiled somewhat sheepishly.
The following items were then presented one by one.
Black-Grade Mecha. Battle Armor belt. Catwoman. Fusion Forging metal. Ten-thousand-year-old Sea Soul Beast.
Each item had its own buyer, but there was no activity in the Shrek box.
Xie Xie occasionally offer a comment like, "This isn't worth it," or "That's alright."
Yuanen Yehui stared at the astronomical figures on the screen, feeling as if her soul had been ripped out.
I failed! I really failed!
"The luxury tax should be raised to 90%."
Bai Yuan made one bid in the middle of the process.
It was neither too high nor too low, just right at a certain threshold, making the competitor hesitate for a moment and then give up.
What he received was a rare metal with a pale purple edge.
He glanced at it twice and then put it in his pocket without explaining further.
One, two, three.
The lights in the center of the auction stage shifted, and the items were rotated.
The atmosphere in the VIP section gradually became more lively.
Until the last treasure was presented.
"Next up is the last item for tonight."
Her gaze swept across the entire room, and the smile on her lips faded slightly.
"A priceless treasure."
In the center of the display stand, a single beam of light descends vertically from the dome, illuminating the items on the stand.
It was a rhomboid crystal, only the size of a fist.
The crystal-clear, white-gold radiance flowed slowly within it, each ray of light seemingly breathing as if it were alive.
The light wasn't dazzling, but it was so bright that one couldn't look at it directly for too long.
It was as if everyone who looked directly at it felt their soul being cleansed from within by a flawless, inviolable power of light.
"The Holy Light Dragon, Dragon Crystal!"
The moment those four words were uttered, the entire venue fell silent for a moment.
Immediately following was a barely suppressed murmur of commotion.
"The Holy Light Dragon?!"
"Did I hear that right? The Imperial Advisor's Martial Soul?"
"How did this thing end up at an auction???"
Bai Yuan slightly raised his eyes.
My gaze fell on the half-open window high up directly opposite.
The VIP room reserved for the Star Luo Imperial Family.
A figure stood there, holding a wine glass in his hand.
He met Bai Yuan's gaze without flinching or avoiding it, raised the rim of his cup, and gestured towards him from afar.
En Ci.
Bai Yuan's brow twitched slightly.
What is this old man going to do?