Heaven Dou Auction House, Their Intentions

"Slick-tongued."

Standing so close, Dugu Yan heard Mo Li's words clearly. She muttered a soft retort, though she didn't continue her sharp-tongued remarks.

Noticing the tightening sensation on her arm, Ye Lingling glanced at Dugu Yan on her left with surprise.

At this moment, she seemed somewhat unusual; her head was slightly bowed, and her cheeks were hidden in the shadows of her hair, making it impossible to discern any expression.

Yet, Ye Lingling, who knew her well, understood clearly in her heart that Dugu Yan's inner state was likely far from calm.

She had always been sensitive about others mentioning her eyes, but today, Mo Li's seemingly unintentional comment had not provoked her resentment.

"We've arrived," Ye Lingling said softly, looking at the building not far away.

"Little Brother Mo Li, look over there."

Following the direction Jiang Zhu pointed, he saw a domed building that resembled an inverted bowl. However, the grandeur and majesty of this structure were clearly incomparable to the shops they had passed on the road.

This was the highest-tier auction house in the Heaven Dou Empire: the Heaven Dou Auction House!

Before long, Mo Li and his group arrived before a semicircular entrance, where four tall young women stood.

Seeing Mo Li and the others approach, one of the young women took the initiative to step forward and bowed slightly. "Is there anything I can help you with, guests?"

"We are here for the auction," Mo Li said, about to take out the gold card Liu Erlong had given him.

However, Dugu Yan produced a black card first. A look of astonishment flashed across the young woman's face, and she immediately gestured for them to enter, saying respectfully:

"Please enter, honored guests."

Seeing the black card with its unique patterns in Dugu Yan's hand, Mo Li cast a curious glance at it. Dugu Yan noticed this and triumphantly waved the black card at him.

Mo Li was merely curious and had no other thoughts. He withdrew his gaze, smiled at Dugu Yan, and walked past her with Jiang Zhu.

Dugu Yan stomped her foot at the entrance as if throwing a small tantrum, then grabbed Ye Lingling and followed.

Before entering the auction hall, Mo Li and Jiang Zhu were each issued a mask as per custom. After putting them on, they successfully entered the second floor of the auction house.

Ye Lingling and Dugu Yan had already gone inside; clearly, neither was a stranger to the auction house, as they were already well-acquainted with the routine.

As Mo Li and Jiang Zhu took their seats, the auction began.

Mo Li glanced at the stage below, where a poised host was delivering the opening remarks. He then looked at Ye Lingling beside him and asked:

"Sister Lingling, does this auction have what you are looking for?"

Ye Lingling nodded slightly. "I once told you about my martial soul. I assume Dean Liu must have told you about the flaws of the Nine Heart Begonia."

"Sister Erlong didn't say," Mo Li paused for a moment. "I looked it up myself."

Mo Li turned his gaze toward the stage and said, "It is rumored that the Nine Heart Begonia is the finest of all support-type martial souls, but it is passed down through a single line, with only one successor per generation."

"There can only be two Nine Heart Begonia spirit masters alive at any one time; only when one dies can another potentially appear in the next generation."

"Sister Lingling, this information should be correct, right?"

Ye Lingling did not look at Mo Li. Upon hearing his words, her eyes dimmed for a moment.

Seeing this, Dugu Yan gently placed her hand over Ye Lingling's and glared at Mo Li, seemingly blaming him for bringing up such a topic.

After a long silence, Ye Lingling spoke faintly: "What you said is basically correct, but I couldn't find any information regarding your martial soul."

Mo Li couldn't help but smile; he hadn't expected Ye Lingling to have looked into his martial soul as well.

"Did you lie to me?" Ye Lingling's voice remained cold.

"Then why did you dare to ask me to come with you, Sister Lingling?" Mo Li countered.

Ye Lingling shook her head and looked at Mo Li. "I don't know. Perhaps it's because you helped me once."

"Or perhaps it's because when you defeated Yan Yan earlier, you didn't continue your attack, and your reaction to my appearance was hard to fake. I am willing to trust you. If I am wrong, then consider it me deceiving myself."

Ye Lingling's voice returned to its clear, ethereal tone.

The only change occurred when she mentioned Dugu Yan being defeated by Mo Li.

That change was naturally because Dugu Yan was pinching her waist with her fingers, whispering complaints about why Ye Lingling had to bring up the dark history of her defeat by Mo Li again.

Mo Li looked at Ye Lingling. The girl's cheeks were hidden beneath a black veil, with only a pair of starry eyes fixed on him, emitting a faint glow like stars in the dim environment.

Ye Lingling merely stared into Mo Li's eyes, but she could not discern any emotion.

Yet, if Mo Li were truly deceiving her, she would inevitably feel deeply chilled.

"Sister Lingling, I did not lie to you. It's just that my martial soul is a special case; you can consider it a type of mutated martial soul." Mo Li smiled gently.

The Nine Nether Sparrow was not a mutated martial soul, but it was indeed something absent from the Douluo world. It was only natural that Ye Lingling couldn't find any information on it.

After a moment of silence, Ye Lingling gave a soft "Mm" and shifted her gaze back to the stage.

The conversation they had just shared had, unknowingly, brought them closer together.

Just then, the host on the stage began the auction.

Aside from the first storage-type soul tool, which managed to catch Mo Li's attention, the subsequent auction items failed to hold his interest. Beside him on the right, Ye Lingling and Dugu Yan remained composed, their moods showing no significant fluctuations from start to finish.

It was clear this wasn't their first time here, and they had arrived with a specific purpose in mind.

Jiang Zhu, seated to Mo Li's left, was a different story; she kept her eyes glued to the items on stage, letting out an occasional soft gasp of wonder.

Mo Li smiled as he watched the look of constant surprise flickering across Jiang Zhu's profile.

As a young girl who rarely ventured outside the academy, this trip was a good opportunity for her to broaden her horizons.

As the auction drew to a close, the host on stage wore a mysterious expression, raised the microphone, and announced:

"Distinguished guests, we have reached our final auction item. It was reportedly discovered in the Far North and possesses a rich aura of life. It is an absolute treasure for both cultivation and healing."

The atmosphere in the room was instantly ignited, and even Ye Lingling and Dugu Yan straightened their postures upon hearing the host's words.

Mo Li took note of these subtle movements, though even if he hadn't, this was the only item left in the entire auction.

It seemed that Ye Lingling and Dugu Yan had come today specifically for this.