The Auction Begins

However, when Huyan Zhen, the head of the Elephant Armor Sect, stepped into the hall, the atmosphere changed abruptly.

He was built like an iron tower, with a powerful, muscular frame. The oppressive might of his eighty-ninth-level Soul Douluo spilled out without restraint.

He glanced at the nameplates on the second-floor seats, then looked up at the six private rooms on the third floor, screened by pearl curtains. His thick brows immediately knitted together.

"Hold it."

Huyan Zhen stopped at the foot of the stairs, his voice rumbling like thunder. "My Elephant Armor Sect ranks first among the lower three sects. Why should we be seated on the second floor? Are you saying my sect isn't worthy of one of those six private rooms on the third?"

At his words, the other guests already seated on the second floor turned to look. The hubbub in the first-floor hall fell silent as well.

Zhu Zhuqing remained composed and bowed slightly.

"Master Huyan, the six private rooms on the third floor have been reserved for Spirit Hall, the Heaven Dou Empire, the Star Luo Empire, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, and the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan. The seating arrangements were all stated in advance on the invitations. We meant no disrespect."

Huyan Zhen snorted. "According to the invitations? You're the ones who decided what went on them! Let me ask you this: isn't one of those private rooms still empty? Does your Hundred Treasures Pavilion think my Elephant Armor Sect is easy to bully?"

As he spoke, Soul Power surged around him, and the ground trembled faintly. Several nearby guests on the first floor turned pale under the pressure.

Zhu Zhuqing stood tall against the pressure and was about to speak—

Suddenly, a terrifying, bone-chilling aura crashed down from the fourth floor!

It was as immense as a collapsing mountain, as cold as ten thousand years of ice, and laced with a strand of killing intent that made the soul tremble. It locked onto Huyan Zhen with pinpoint precision.

The pressure of a ninety-seventh-level Titled Douluo!

Huyan Zhen's expression changed drastically. It was as if an ancient Ice Dragon had fixed its gaze on him. In that instant, the Soul Power in his entire body seemed to freeze, its flow slowing by a third.

He jerked his head up toward the fourth floor, fine beads of cold sweat already breaking out across his forehead.

The pressure lasted for only three breaths before receding like the tide, as if it had never appeared.

But everyone had felt it, clear as day. It was a warning.

Zhu Zhuqing looked as composed as ever, as if nothing had happened. She offered another faint smile.

"Master Huyan, refreshments have been prepared in your second-floor seat. Please."

Huyan Zhen's Adam's apple bobbed. All his earlier arrogance was gone. He cupped his fists and muttered, "This old man was out of line. Sorry for the trouble, Miss Zhu. Please show me the way."

Huyan Zhen's face was livid, but in the end, he said nothing more.

He obediently followed the attendant up to the second floor.

The representatives of the small clans on the first floor exchanged glances. Any notion some of them had entertained of joining in the commotion was completely snuffed out.

Even an eighty-ninth-level Soul Douluo had instantly backed down. It was better for people like them to keep their heads down.

In one of the second-floor seats, an elder from the Wind Sword Sect whispered to his companion.

"That aura just now... It was definitely from a Titled Douluo, and at least level ninety-six. What kind of place is this Hundred Treasures Pavilion?"

His companion shook his head, eyes full of wariness. "Don't ask questions. Just attend the auction quietly."

Ye Guchen had witnessed the entire affair. He knew the Elephant Armor Sect had acted under Spirit Hall's orders, but now he had marked them for death as well.

Just then, a clear announcement rang out from the entrance—

"His Highness the Crown Prince of the Heaven Dou Empire and His Highness the Prince have arrived!"

At the announcement, everyone rose to their feet. The guests on the first floor stood in unison and bowed.

Two men entered through the doors.

The young man at the front wore a moon-white robe embroidered with python designs and a jade crown. He had a handsome, gentle face, and a warm smile that made him seem as pleasant as a spring breeze. He was none other than Xue Qinghe, Crown Prince of the Heaven Dou Empire.

The prince beside him looked to be around fifty. He wore a dark robe embroidered with gold, his bearing dignified and his gaze deep and sharp.

Zhu Zhuqing hurried forward and performed a flawless court bow.

"Zhu Zhuqing of the Hundred Treasures Pavilion welcomes Your Highness the Crown Prince and Your Highness the Prince. Your private room on the third floor is ready. Please follow me."

Xue Qinghe looked at Zhu Zhuqing, his pupils contracting slightly. A thirty-seventh-level Soul Elder at twelve!

Yet on the surface, he remained warm and amiable.

"Then I'll trouble you to show us the way."

Only after they had taken their seats did the two attendants behind him send him a voice transmission.

"Young Master, I sensed four Titled Douluo auras inside this Hundred Treasures Pavilion. One belongs to Dugu Bo. The other three are exceptionally powerful—probably no weaker than the fourth and fifth worshippers."

At that, Xue Qinghe maintained his composure and replied through voice transmission.

"Proceed as usual. Don't cause any trouble."

But the slight furrow in her brow betrayed the turmoil within.

"This is getting more and more interesting!"

Afterward, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, Platinum Bishop Salas of Spirit Hall, Yu Luomian of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, and the Star Luo Empire's representatives took their seats in turn.

No further unpleasant incidents occurred.

As the various forces took their seats one after another, the atmosphere in the Hundred Treasures Pavilion gradually settled into the hush before a storm.

Everyone present was shrewd enough to know that the main event had yet to begin.

The ordinary guests and representatives of small clans on the first floor whispered among themselves, while the sect representatives in the second-floor seats each had their own thoughts. Every so often, someone would glance toward the pearl-curtained private rooms on the third floor, their gaze full of awe and curiosity.

And the private room on the fourth floor, which had remained silent from beginning to end, had become a mystery no one dared speak of.

Amid this delicate atmosphere, hundreds of moonstones embedded in the dome of the Hundred Treasures Pavilion lit up at once, their gentle glow spilling down like moonlight.

The soft light poured down, enveloping the entire auction hall in a silvery radiance. The twelve crystal chandeliers above the first-floor hall began to turn slowly, scattering countless specks of light before gathering them into a beam that landed precisely at the center of the auction stage.

At some point, a person had appeared onstage.

He was a youth who looked no older than fifteen or sixteen, dressed in a dark teal robe with cloud patterns embroidered in silver thread around the cuffs. A smooth white jade pendant hung from his waist.

His features were handsome, but not so striking that anyone would remember them at a glance. What truly drew the eye was his gaze.

It was like a dust-covered ancient sword. There was none of the liveliness or bluster one might expect of a youth; instead, he carried the composure of someone who had seen the world.

He stood there casually, a faint smile playing at the corners of his mouth, as if the people below were not nobles from the Seven Great Sects and two empires, but merely a group of ordinary tea drinkers.

"Everyone."

Ye Guchen spoke. His voice was quiet, yet it reached every person present as clearly as if he were speaking right beside their ear.

That precise control of Soul Power alone was enough to make several important figures in the third-floor rooms raise their brows.

"I'm Ye Guchen, owner of the Hundred Treasures Pavilion. Today is the Pavilion's first auction. Thank you all for honoring us with your presence. I'm grateful."

As he spoke, he clasped his hands in a calm, neither servile nor arrogant manner. He seemed nothing like a youth standing before a hall packed with giants of the Soul Master World.

"I won't waste your time with idle chatter. You came here for treasures, not to listen to me ramble."

Ye Guchen smiled faintly and raised a hand. The curtain behind him slowly drew back, and a white jade platform rose from the floor.

A pitch-black wooden box rested on the platform. Fine golden threads seemed to shimmer across its surface. It had been carved from thousand-year-old blackened wood, and the box alone was worth a fortune.

A faint stir ran through the audience.

A blackened wood box for packaging? What kind of treasure could it possibly hold?

Ye Guchen opened the box. A crisp medicinal fragrance immediately filled the air. The nearby guests on the first floor took a deep breath, and the Soul Power within their bodies seemed to stir faintly.

Inside lay ten thumb-sized pills arranged in neat rows. They were a translucent, inky blue, with ripples of light flowing across their surfaces, as if each contained a deep sea.

Under the moonstones' glow, fine silver threads, thin as hair, could be seen within each pill. They resembled naturally formed meridians, faintly brightening and dimming as if breathing.

"This is the Mystic Water Pill."

Ye Guchen's voice remained calm, as if he were describing an everyday object. But every word that followed landed like a boulder thrown into a still lake.

"Your auction lists already include a brief description, but please allow me to introduce them in more detail."

"The Mystic Water Pill is a support-type medicinal pill. Its effects are mild, and it is easily absorbed. Soul Masters below level twenty who take one will gain at least one level of Soul Power."

People in the audience sat up straight.

"Additionally, the Mystic Water Pill can cleanse the marrow and strengthen the body—removing impurities, nourishing the meridians, and permanently improving a Soul Master's talent. For an ordinary Soul Master, taking one is equivalent to permanently raising their Innate Soul Power by one level."

At those words, the entire Hundred Treasures Pavilion seemed to freeze. Then an uproar erupted.

"What?!"

Even though they had already read the description, hearing Ye Guchen say it aloud still left them stunned.

"Permanently raising Innate Soul Power? That's defying fate!"

"Don't be ridiculous! How could a pill like that exist in this world?"

On the second floor, an elder from the Wind Sword Sect leapt to his feet, staring fixedly at the ten inky-blue pills, his breathing growing ragged.

As for the offensive Soul Tools to be auctioned later, many factions were not particularly interested in them.

After all, even in the Dou II era ten thousand years later, when Soul Tools had reached a high level of development, plenty of people still looked down on offensive Soul Tools.

The pills listed in the catalogue were what they had come for.

His companion tugged at him, finally getting him to sit down again. But the hand gripping the armrest was clenched so tightly that its knuckles had gone white.

Ye Guchen paid no attention to the commotion below and continued.

"Unblocking the meridians and improving the body's constitution are additional benefits. There's one more thing I should mention—the Mystic Water Pill can be taken multiple times, with no limit on the number of doses. However, its effects will diminish with each successive pill."

If his previous words had been a boulder hitting the water, this was a tsunami.

No limit on the number of doses.

What did that mean? It meant that with enough Mystic Water Pills, a Soul Master of mediocre talent could, in theory, be force-fed into a genius!