Shrek City Auction House

P.S.: Yan Qingling and Qiangu Tinglan were not the female leads. The female lead was still undecided.

Shrek City, the Sun Moon Federation's largest city, lay at the center of the continent. The Spirit Pagoda Headquarters, Tang Sect Headquarters, and Shrek Academy had all been established there.

As a result, Shrek City had gathered talented people from every region and profession. Pedestrians flowed endlessly through its bustling streets.

At the side of the street, a cute young girl walked forward with a bright smile, skipping along as she went.

Beside her followed a boy around 1.2 meters tall. He had platinum-blond hair, and a warm, pure aura radiated from him, making others feel as though they were bathing in sunlight.

One of them was the granddaughter of Qiangu Dongfeng, the current master of the Spirit Pagoda. The other was the direct disciple of the Spirit Pagoda's vice master, the ninety-eighth-level Super Douluo, Sky Phoenix Douluo.

"Brother Tianchen, what are you so nervous about? Today is only the preliminaries. I looked at today's match list, and your name isn't on it."

Seeing that Mu Tianchen was still worried, Qiangu Tinglan immediately spoke with some dissatisfaction.

Going out shopping was supposed to be fun. What was with that troubled expression?

Ever since their battle in the Riot Period Spirit Ascension Platform a month ago, Qiangu Tinglan's opinion of Mu Tianchen had changed greatly. She had started calling him Brother Tianchen. In terms of age, the two of them were actually about the same, less than three days apart at most.

Mu Tianchen had not wanted Qiangu Tinglan to call him that, but girls were stubborn. How could he possibly persuade her otherwise?

After telling her several times and seeing that she still would not change, he eventually let her call him whatever she wanted.

Mu Tianchen felt helpless. "Even if I don't have a match today, I'll definitely have one tomorrow. The elimination rounds will last three days at most. I can take this chance to learn more about my opponents."

Qiangu Tinglan rolled her eyes at him. "There are only so many experts in the Genius Youth Elite Tournament, and you saw them last time too."

"The strongest competitor in this tournament is Qin Jianxin, known as the Sword God. He possesses a mutated Seven Kill Sword martial soul. In terms of attack power alone, he is much stronger than many Four-Ring Soul Ancestors."

"You fought him last time, so you should know how strong he is."

"Qin Jianxin? He really is a powerful guy."

Hearing that name, Mu Tianchen could not help recalling what had happened a month ago. Qin Jianxin truly was very powerful. Both his combat awareness and combat techniques were outstanding.

However, if they were at the same level, he did not think he would lose to Qin Jianxin.

What a joke. With the soul of an adult in his twenties, if he could not beat a twelve-year-old brat like Qin Jianxin at the same level, he might as well smash his head into a block of tofu and die.

The gap between him and Qin Jianxin lay only in their Soul Power Levels.

Once their Soul Power Levels were equal, his overall strength would absolutely crush Qin Jianxin's.

At that moment, Qiangu Tinglan gave a charming smile. "Although you might not be Qin Jianxin's match in this tournament, the item at this auction can increase your chances of defeating him."

"Oh? What item?"

Mu Tianchen was immediately stunned by her words. What could an auction possibly have that would allow him to cross ten levels and defeat Qin Jianxin, who had already reached Level 37 as a Soul Elder?

"Secret! You'll find out when you get there."

Seeing Mu Tianchen at a loss for words, Qiangu Tinglan smiled softly.

Shrek City was divided into the outer city and the inner city.

The inner city was directly under Shrek Academy's jurisdiction. Everything there was managed by Shrek Academy, while the outer city was different, belonging under Federation control.

The Spirit Pagoda Headquarters and Tang Sect Headquarters were located in Shrek City's outer city. Various districts were spread throughout the area, including commercial districts, entertainment districts, Soul Battle districts, and more.

The place Qiangu Tinglan and Mu Tianchen were heading to this time was the Auction House located in Shrek City's commercial district.

The Shrek City Auction House, reputed to be the Federation's largest, possessed countless rare treasures. Legend had it that this Auction House was controlled by the Federation government and had a deep background.

After walking for roughly half an hour, Qiangu Tinglan and Mu Tianchen arrived at the entrance of the Auction House.

Two enormous stone lion statues stood at the entrance, imposing and majestic. At a glance, their appearance even somewhat resembled Golden-Haired Lion Mastiffs.

Within Mu Tianchen's spiritual sea, the Golden-Haired Lion Mastiff could not help complaining, "They are merely two low-level lions. How could they be mentioned in the same breath as me? In the era when I was active, I could stand shoulder to shoulder with dragons."

Hearing the Golden-Haired Lion Mastiff speak, Mu Tianchen asked curiously, "Golden-Haired Lion Mastiff, legend says you are the ancestor of all lion-type and canine-type soul beasts. Is that true or false?"

After transmigrating to the Douluo Continent, apart from wanting to become a top-tier powerhouse, Mu Tianchen also wanted to learn more of the continent's secrets.

For example, how had the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, a true dragon with lightning attributes, mutated into the light-attributed Holy Dragon of Light? Could it be that the Radiant Dragon King had once had an affair with the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon's ancestor?

The Golden-Haired Lion Mastiff shook his head. "Of course not. Lion-type soul beasts and canine-type soul beasts are entirely different species. How could they possibly share the same ancestor?"

Mu Tianchen's curiosity grew even stronger, and he asked, "Then are you a lion-type soul beast or a canine-type soul beast?"

"Uh..."

Hearing that, the Golden-Haired Lion Mastiff immediately rolled his eyes and did not answer Mu Tianchen.

"Hello, didn't the adults in your family come with you?"

At the entrance of the Auction House, two well-dressed young women stopped Qiangu Tinglan and Mu Tianchen with polite smiles instead of letting them enter directly.

The main reason was that Mu Tianchen and Qiangu Tinglan were too young.

Although Mu Tianchen was 1.2 meters tall and looked like a teenager, his face was far too immature. Anyone could tell at a glance that he was not yet ten years old.

As for Qiangu Tinglan, she looked even younger. She was only as tall as Mu Tianchen's shoulder. Anyone unaware of the truth might think she was only three or four years old.

Therefore, the staff at the Auction House entrance did not let the two of them enter.

"I'm not a child. I'm already an adult!"

Qiangu Tinglan glared at them angrily upon hearing that.

"This is our invitation card. You can let us in now, right?"

As she spoke, Qiangu Tinglan directly took out a card emitting a purple-gold glow from her Storage Ring.

This purple-gold card was made entirely from a super alloy known as Purple Gold Meteorite. Blacksmiths below Saint Craftsman rank could not forge it. Every Purple Gold Invitation Card was a symbol of status.

Normally, only the leaders of major powers could possess such Purple Gold Cards.

For instance, Yun Ming, the Sky-Piercing Douluo and master of Shrek Academy's Sea God Pavilion, or the two Limit Douluos at Tang Sect Headquarters, Sentimental Douluo and Heartless Douluo.

As for why Qiangu Tinglan possessed this card, she had naturally obtained it from her grandfather, the master of the Spirit Pagoda, Qiangu Douluo Qiangu Dongfeng.

Qiangu Dongfeng did not attend auctions all the time. Since the Purple Gold Card would simply sit unused, he might as well give it to his granddaughter.

And so, the card ended up in Qiangu Tinglan's hands.

This card contained five billion Federal Coins for ordinary expenses. From this alone, one could see just how wealthy the Spirit Pagoda was. Even calling it rich enough to rival a nation would likely be an understatement.

"A Federal Auction Purple Gold Card?"

The moment they saw the card, the two staff members at the Shrek City Auction House widened their eyes.

As staff members of Shrek City's official Auction House, they had received training and naturally knew about certain privileged classes.

The Purple Gold Card before them represented privilege among privileges. Every person who possessed such a card was an influential powerhouse renowned in their region.

With this Purple Gold Card, one could sit in the VIP section at any official Federation Auction House and receive a ten-percent discount on every auction item.

Since the young girl before them could produce such a card, it proved her identity was far from ordinary.

However, Auction Houses had their rules as well. Minors under eighteen were not permitted to enter without an adult accompanying them.

"This..."

Thinking of that rule, the two Shrek City Auction House staff members hesitated. They certainly did not dare offend a little girl who possessed a Purple Gold Card, but neither could they violate the Auction House's rules.

The Auction House was an official Federation Auction House, and it also had a Title Douluo stationed there. They could not afford to provoke them either.

Mu Tianchen saw the troubled expressions on the two Shrek City Auction House staff members' faces and immediately understood. He said, "Tinglan, if they won't let us in, then let's go back first."

"But!" Qiangu Tinglan immediately became anxious. She had confidently invited Mu Tianchen to attend the auction, yet now they could not even get through the door.

"Let them in."

Suddenly, an elderly voice rang out. At some unknown moment, an old man dressed in a black robe had appeared directly beside Mu Tianchen and Qiangu Tinglan.

The moment the old man appeared, everyone at the entrance of the Shrek City Auction House felt an invisible pressure descend upon their hearts.

He was a kind-looking old man with a smile constantly on his face.

As soon as he appeared, nine Soul Rings rose beneath his feet: purple, purple, purple, purple, black, black, black, black, red. Four purple, four black, and one red—he was clearly a Title Douluo-level powerhouse!

The old man's appearance drew the attention of everyone at the entrance of the Shrek City Auction House. They all stared wide-eyed, sucking in cold breaths.

"What? A nine-ring Title Douluo!"

"Good heavens, I actually got to see a living nine-ring Title Douluo powerhouse today. This trip was worth it!"

This was Shrek City, a holy land in the hearts of all Soul Masters. Many Soul Masters came and went here, including quite a few high-level ones.

At a glance, they could tell that this old man was extraordinary. A nine-ring Title Douluo was absolutely someone who could make the world tremble with a single stomp in this era.

"Ah? May I ask who you are?"

Seeing the nine Soul Rings beneath the old man's feet—four purple, four black, and one red—the two Shrek City Auction House staff members instantly recognized his identity as a nine-ring Title Douluo.

Naturally, they did not dare neglect a Title Douluo-level powerhouse. They immediately asked for the old man's identity.

"Like these two, I am from the Spirit Pagoda. This is my identification."

The old man smiled gently as he spoke to the two Shrek City Auction House staff members.

He did not make things difficult for them. He took out his identification from the Spirit Pagoda and handed it to the two Auction House staff members for inspection.

"Ah? Grandpa Qian, why are you here? Hurry and take us inside! Those two wouldn't let me enter the Auction House."

At that moment, Qiangu Tinglan suddenly cried out in surprise. A delighted smile appeared on her face as she ran over and grabbed the old man's arm, her eyes filled with joy.

"Grandpa Qian?"

However, upon hearing that name, Mu Tianchen suddenly froze. He could not help examining the old man surnamed Qian.