Spirit Devouring Carving Knife!

Xiao Jinchen had his own considerations. Huo Yuhao had already shocked the audience with his six hundred-thousand-year soul rings; if he were to reveal his own, the deterrent effect would inevitably be greatly diminished.

Only by annihilating the entire Changning Academy team with thunderous speed and then casually dropping his identity as the Young Hall Master of the Soul Hall could he truly cement the prestige of the Soul Hall. Although the previous robbery of the Nine Treasures Glazed Sect had already made the Soul Hall famous, this would elevate its reputation to an even higher level.

As for why he wanted to adopt the title of the Soul Hall's Young Hall Master, he had long since planned it out. He intended to establish a Pill Tower, waiting only for the day he could become a hands-off manager and entrust the entire Soul Hall to the Ice Empress.

After Xiao Jinchen helped Zhengtian Academy win their first match, he took the Ice Empress to explore Star Luo City, tasting all kinds of delicacies from the human world. After all, the Ice Empress had lived in the Far North Lands her entire life and had never eaten such food.

In the days that followed, Xiao Jinchen focused on accompanying the Ice Empress and stopped participating in the matches, yet Zhengtian Academy continued to win consecutive battles, successfully advancing into the round-robin tournament.

Inside the Star Emperor Grand Hotel.

"Hehehe, Bing'er~ let's cultivate together." Xiao Jinchen slowly approached the Ice Empress, a mischievous smirk curling the corners of his mouth.

"No lewdness allowed!" Upon hearing this, the Ice Empress's cheeks instantly flushed with a lovely rosy hue. She crossed her arms over her chest and took a step back.

Xiao Jinchen stepped forward, closing the distance, while the Ice Empress hurried backward until her back hit the wall, leaving her nowhere left to hide.

Xiao Jinchen took the opportunity to place his hands on the wall on either side of her head, leaning forward slightly to trap the Ice Empress firmly between himself and the wall in a "kabedon" pose.

"Bing'er~ you can't run away now~" As soon as he finished speaking, Xiao Jinchen lowered his head and kissed her soft lips.

"Mmph!"

The Ice Empress's body stiffened. She wanted to pull away, but trapped against the wall by Xiao Jinchen, she could only let out a whimper, her face turning bright red with shyness.

"Alright, we still have important business to attend to." Xiao Jinchen wiped the dampness from the corner of the Ice Empress's mouth and said, "I'm taking you somewhere."

"Where to?" The Ice Empress asked softly, the blush on her face yet to fade.

"To go rob something," Xiao Jinchen laughed.

Calculating the time, the Starlight Auction House was about to begin, and the Shrek group would soon be heading there to bid, with Wang Yan ultimately stepping forward to purchase the Spirit Devouring Carving Knife.

Hehehe, it's time for another zero-cost shopping spree.

"Rob something?" The Ice Empress's eyes lit up, and she asked excitedly, "Where are we going to rob? What are we stealing this time?"

Ever since they ransacked the Nine Treasures Glazed Sect, she had become obsessed with the feeling and had completely fallen in love with the life of a bandit.

"This time, we are going to steal a knife—a knife that contains immense life force," Xiao Jinchen grinned, looking toward the direction of the auction house.

Approaching the auction house, Xiao Jinchen and the Ice Empress quickly disguised themselves. With their strength, they could have easily forced their way in to seize the Spirit Devouring Carving Knife, but Xiao Jinchen decided to keep a low profile.

After all, now was not the time to show his full hand. He was truly eyeing the auction where the Snow Empress Embryo would be revealed; he could simply snatch the embryo then and make a clean getaway. As for this Soul Master tournament, there was no point in participating anyway.

The auction house's facade was understated, with only a plaque featuring a golden hammer and anvil above the lintel to signify its status. Only upon stepping inside did one realize there was a whole world hidden within.

This seemingly unremarkable building was merely a front; the real venue was buried deep underground. The two walked through a dim passage for quite some time before reaching the registration desk.

The threshold for this place was extremely high; ordinary people usually had to undergo over half a month of rigorous screening to obtain bidding qualifications, but Xiao Jinchen and the Ice Empress were clearly not the type to follow rules.

With a thought, Xiao Jinchen activated his sixth soul skill, Soul Devour! He forcibly controlled the auction staff, and just like that, the two easily obtained their identity badges and were led by a maid directly into the venue.

Guided by the maid, Xiao Jinchen and the Ice Empress passed through a long corridor and stepped through a heavy door into the auction hall. The surrounding light dimmed abruptly, and both donned masks—a double layer of insurance!

At this moment, guests were already seated in the auction hall.

"Welcome, distinguished guests, to the Starlight Auction House. The auction is about to begin; please take your seats."

A soft voice echoed from all directions, and the hall instantly fell silent. As the ambient light faded, a spotlight hit the auction stage, and a woman in a long purple dress walked out with graceful steps.

"Good evening, distinguished guests. I am Qingya, a purple-level auctioneer at the Starlight Auction House, and I will be presiding over tonight's auction."

The auction officially began, and one rare soul tool after another appeared on stage, all of which were snapped up by Wang Yan and his group. It had to be said that Shrek was indeed wealthy; it was just a question of how much they could loot when they came to rob them later.

However, Xiao Jinchen had no interest in these soul tools. Possessing both Heavenly Flames and Dou Techniques, he had no use for such things.

Not to mention those Heaven-tier techniques, even Earth-tier high-grade techniques were enough to instantly destroy these soul tools. Furthermore, his Earth Gale Flame could even withstand Pill Lightning—and one had to know that the power of Pill Lightning was even more terrifying than the heavenly tribulations faced by hundred-thousand-year soul beasts during their evolution.

Moreover, he still couldn't fully unleash the power of the Earth Gale Flame; otherwise, why would it have been so difficult to resist the Pill Lightning when he was refining the Humanoid Transformation Pill for the Ice Empress back then?

According to his own estimates, he would need to reach at least the level of an eight-star Dou Zong to push the power of the Earth Gale Flame to its absolute limit.

Just as Xiao Jinchen had anticipated, Qingya's voice lowered slightly, and as soon as she mentioned the name of the final item, a small cart was pushed onto the side of the auction stage.

The red cloth, as crimson as blood, covered the object underneath completely, yet this very mystery instantly became the focus of everyone's attention.

By now, Qingya on the auction stage had lifted the red cloth and began a detailed introduction. However, when everyone heard that this carving knife was the infamous Spirit Devouring Carving Knife, they instantly felt a sense of revulsion. No matter how good a ranked carving knife was, it couldn't compare to one's life; no one would gamble with their own existence.

"The Spirit Devouring Carving Knife, starting bid at one hundred thousand gold soul coins, with each increment no less than five thousand gold soul coins. Distinguished guests, you may begin bidding," Qingya said with a smile.

"Bing'er, the target has appeared," Xiao Jinchen pointed to the object that was covered tightly.

"A-Chen, is this the thing we're going to rob?" The Ice Empress's beautiful eyes turned toward the item covered by the red cloth.

"Yes," Xiao Jinchen nodded and said, "This is the knife we are going to steal."

"Then let's do it now," the Ice Empress rubbed her small hands in excitement, but she was pressed back down by Xiao Jinchen just as she stood up.

"Don't be impatient," Xiao Jinchen reached out to stroke her emerald-green hair and whispered, "Now is definitely not the time to act. Let them bid for it first, and we will wait for the right moment to strike."

Although the Ice Empress was somewhat reluctant, she sat back down obediently.

"Fine, I'll listen to you," the Ice Empress pouted, her gaze fixed on the Spirit Devouring Carving Knife below. "But this thing looks evil. Qingya made it sound so miraculous—is it really that powerful?"

"Whether it's powerful or not doesn't matter, as long as it's useful to us." Xiao Jinchen withdrew his hand and leaned back lazily against the chair. At the same time, a soul mark had already swept out like a phantom, branding itself silently onto the Spirit Devouring Carving Knife below.