Treasure Appraisal Fair

Given Su Ming's current prestige and status within the Shrek Outer Court, he was already a recognized top-tier prodigy.

As a core disciple receiving key cultivation from the academy, the exclusive invitation to each Treasure Appraisal Fair held by the Treasure Pavilion was something others would pay a fortune to obtain.

For him, however, it was within easy reach; he only needed to report it casually to easily secure entry qualifications.

On the eve of this Treasure Appraisal Fair, he had originally planned to accompany Bei Bei, Xu Sanshi, and the others, having agreed beforehand to head to the Treasure Pavilion together to select treasures.

But when he finished his morning Yin-Yang dual cultivation with Zhang Lexuan and returned to the male dormitory to pack and prepare, he discovered the dormitory was already empty.

Bei Bei and his group had actually set off in a hurry, with no intention of waiting for him at all.

Helpless, Su Ming could only hurry along alone, galloping all the way toward the Treasure Pavilion within Shrek City.

While walking, he couldn't help but mutter to himself:

"Bei Bei, Sanshi, and that bunch—they really are a group of ungrateful fellows. Going out to attend the Treasure Appraisal Fair without even calling me; that's not loyal at all."

A moment later, Su Ming arrived at the magnificent Treasure Pavilion and, familiar with the layout, headed straight for the second-floor VIP area.

His goal for this trip was extremely clear; without a moment's hesitation, he went straight for the good item he had already set his heart on—that piece of Ten Thousand Year Whale Rubber that was labeled as millennium-grade but actually concealed a mystery.

Guided respectfully by the Treasure Pavilion's dedicated staff, Su Ming soon arrived in front of the display case housing the Ten Thousand Year Whale Rubber.

Looking at the crystal-clear gelatinous substance lying quietly in a specially made constant-temperature jade box, its surface flowing with a faint, pearly luster, a warm and gentle energy aura quietly permeated the air.

Without needing much hesitation, Su Ming directly produced his VIP identity token.

Like Huo Yuhao, he was a top-tier VIP of the highest level at the Treasure Pavilion, holding exclusive privileges that granted him the right to choose one treasure for free at every Treasure Appraisal Fair.

Relying on this privilege, Su Ming secured the precious Ten Thousand Year Whale Rubber without any suspense, building a solid foundation for his future breakthrough to the fiftieth-level Soul King realm.

After successfully obtaining his target treasure, Su Ming did not leave immediately.

Instead, he wandered around the second-floor exhibition area with great interest, intending to see what other rare items were available at this year's fair.

Just as he was weaving between the various treasure displays, two familiar figures caught his eye: it was Bei Bei and Xu Sanshi.

At this moment, Xu Sanshi had a bitter look on his face, leaning in close to Bei Bei to complain in a low voice, looking as if he had suffered a great grievance and had nowhere to vent, chattering on about his recent string of bad luck.

Bei Bei looked at his guilty and fidgety appearance with an indifferent gaze.

He casually retorted with a question, implying that Xu Sanshi must have done something wrong in secret to be so restless.

Stung by the truth, Xu Sanshi's expression changed instantly, and he dared not continue to argue.

With a sheepish laugh, he hurriedly turned and ran away, avoiding Bei Bei's gaze.

Su Ming walked up slowly, watching Xu Sanshi's fleeing back, and couldn't help but chuckle.

Seeing this, Bei Bei also shook his head helplessly and remarked to Su Ming: "Look at him—eyes darting around, acting all flustered. It's clear he has a guilty conscience. No wonder people don't want to deal with him."

Hearing this, Su Ming took the opportunity to ask about the doubt in his heart, his gaze shifting toward a special soul bone glowing not far away as he spoke:

"Bei Bei, I've always been curious. Your Bright Sacred Dragon bloodline has never been very stable, and its shortcomings are quite obvious."

"That is, you cannot stably unleash its power."

"That Golden Radiance Left Arm Bone from the Ten Thousand Year Golden Earth Dragon over there is a perfect match for your attributes."

He raised his hand to point at the soul bone in the center of the display and continued to explain:

"This soul bone possesses a pure, ultimate light attribute and comes with the exclusive skill Light Fire, which has an excellent nourishing effect on your bloodline."

"If you're lucky, after absorbing it, you might even have a chance to let your Bright Sacred Dragon bloodline undergo a second evolution, greatly stabilizing your foundation. Why aren't you tempted at all to take it?"

Bei Bei followed his gaze, looking at the high-quality Ten Thousand Year Soul Bone, his eyes filled with regret and indifference as he slowly explained:

"Although this Golden Radiance Left Arm Bone matches my attributes, its age is only just over ten thousand years."

"It would be more than enough to temporarily nourish and stabilize my Bright Sacred Dragon bloodline, but the effect would ultimately be limited."

"My current bloodline foundation is special; it's hard for ordinary ten thousand year soul bones to trigger a qualitative change. Rather than settling for it and leaving behind hidden dangers, it's better to keep waiting and search for a light-attribute soul bone with a higher age and better quality."

Su Ming curled his lip and teased: "As expected of you, old man. Your standards are picky, and you really have quite a few demands."

Bei Bei could only shake his head and laugh helplessly, offering no rebuttal.

Just as the two were chatting, a gentle and clean boyish voice drifted over from behind:

"Big Brother Bei Bei, Big Brother Su, you're here too!"

Su Ming and Bei Bei turned around at the sound to see Huo Yuhao wearing his Shrek school uniform, standing tall and straight, walking quickly toward them with Wang Dong at his side.

Su Ming smiled and raised a hand in greeting, his eyes carefully sizing up the current Huo Yuhao, and he couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

Having experienced the trials of the Far North and with the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm convincing the Ice Empress to reshape his physique, Huo Yuhao had long since shed the frailty and sickly appearance he had when he first entered the academy.

The once thin, weak, and sickly look had completely vanished, and his entire spirit and energy were brand new.

His frame had become sturdy and well-proportioned, his eyes were clear and bright, and his soul power was steady and condensed—he was visibly much stronger.

Wang Dong, who was following closely behind Huo Yuhao, also nodded slightly to the two of them with poise, greeting them politely.

After the greetings, her gaze could no longer move away, locking tightly onto the Ten Thousand Year Golden Earth Dragon's Golden Radiance Left Arm Bone, her eyes filled with undisguised love and longing.

Huo Yuhao took in Wang Dong's expression, and his heart instantly understood.

Without the slightest hesitation, he immediately revealed his top-tier VIP authorization and purchased this precious Ten Thousand Year Soul Bone on the spot, gifting it to Wang Dong beside him without a second thought.

For Huo Yuhao now, the focus of his cultivation had long since shifted toward Soul Tool research, and the enhancement of his Martial Soul and physical body was no longer his primary goal.

This Soul Bone, which was perfectly compatible with the Radiant Goddess Butterfly Martial Soul, was of little use to him but served as the most suitable cultivation resource for Wang Dong; he felt not a shred of reluctance in gifting it to her.

After all, the two of them shared an excellent relationship and possessed a Martial Soul Fusion Skill; giving it to either of them was beneficial to both.

Huo Yuhao had not come to the Treasure Appraisal Fair to select Soul Bones or temper his physical body; his true purpose was to search the Treasure Pavilion for high-level Soul Tool blueprints and rare refining materials.

After running into Su Ming and Bei Bei, he simply set aside his search and followed behind Su Ming, strolling through the Treasure Appraisal Fair venue with the group.

Su Ming led Huo Yuhao, Wang Dong, and Bei Bei through the entire second-floor exhibition area of the Treasure Pavilion, carefully screening every treasure on display.

After a full night of sweeping and searching, the group had gained a little; Su Ming had selected several high-level Soul Tool blueprints with research value, which were sufficient to support his subsequent research into Soul Tools and Battle Armor.

Beyond that, the remaining exhibits in the venue appeared mediocre and unappealing to this group of core prodigies.

Within the exhibition area, there was no shortage of conventional Soul Bones ranging from thousand-year to ten-thousand-year quality.

Common Soul Bones such as the Void Demon Leopard Left Leg Bone and the Ice Bear Right Arm Bone had ordinary attributes and limited compatibility;

There were also large quantities of rare medicinal herbs and forging materials, such as the Dark Demon Flower and Starlight Night, As well as a dazzling array of various high-level metal ores.

At the same time, the exhibition area displayed many finished high-level Soul Tools, lost blueprints for basic hidden weapons, and even exquisite hidden weapons like the Peacock Plume.

There were also accessories exclusive to Soul Masters inlaid with blood jade and rubies.

However, these ordinary treasures held little attraction for Su Ming and his group, who had already purchased a Ten Thousand Year Soul Bone and Whale Rubber.