Xiao Jinchen had his own plans. Huo Yuhao had already shocked the crowd with six Hundred Thousand Year Spirit Rings. If he showed off his own Spirit Rings now, their impact would inevitably be greatly diminished.
Only by wiping out every member of Changning Academy in a thunderous sweep and then revealing his identity as the Young Hall Master of the Soul Hall could he truly make the Soul Hall's name ring out across the land. The Soul Hall had already made a name for itself by robbing the Nine Treasures Glazed Sect, but this would take its reputation to even greater heights.
As for why he was using the title of Young Hall Master of the Soul Hall, he had long since made plans. He wanted to establish a Pill Tower as well, then sit back and relax, entrusting the entire Soul Hall to Ice Empress.
After helping Zhengtian Academy win its first match, Xiao Jinchen took Ice Empress all over Star Luo City, sampling all kinds of delicacies from the human world. After all, Ice Empress had always lived in the Far North Lands and had never tasted any of this food.
Over the next few days, Xiao Jinchen focused on keeping Ice Empress company and stopped competing. Zhengtian Academy, however, continued its winning streak and smoothly advanced to the round-robin stage.
Inside the Star Emperor Grand Hotel.
"Heh heh heh, Bing'er~ Let's cultivate together." Xiao Jinchen sauntered up to Bing'er, a mischievous smile curling his lips.
"No getting naughty!" At his words, Bing'er's cheeks instantly flushed a lovely shade of red. She folded her arms across her chest and took a few steps back.
Xiao Jinchen edged closer one step at a time, while Bing'er backed away in a fluster. She kept retreating until her back bumped straight into the wall, leaving her nowhere else to go.
Xiao Jinchen took the opportunity to brace his hands against the wall on either side of her head. Leaning forward slightly, he trapped Bing'er between himself and the wall, pinning her in a wall-kiss pose.
"Bing'er~ You can't get away now~" As soon as Xiao Jinchen finished speaking, he lowered his head and kissed her soft lips.
"Mmph!"
Bing'er stiffened. She tried to dodge, but Xiao Jinchen had her pinned against the wall, leaving her nowhere to escape. All she could do was let out a muffled whimper, her cheeks turning scarlet with embarrassment.
"All right, we have something important to do." Xiao Jinchen wiped the moisture from the corner of Bing'er's mouth and said, "I'm taking you somewhere."
"Where?" The blush had yet to fade from Bing'er's face as she asked softly.
"To steal something," Xiao Jinchen replied with a grin.
By his reckoning, the Starlight Auction House was about to open, and the Shrek party would be attending the auction. In the end, Wang Yan would step forward and bid on the Spirit Devouring Carving Knife.
Heh heh heh, time for another shopping spree at no cost.
"Steal something?" Bing'er's eyes lit up at once. Excitedly, she asked, "Where are we stealing from? And what are we stealing this time?"
Ever since they had looted the Nine Treasures Glazed Sect, she had been hooked on the feeling. She had fallen completely in love with being a bandit.
"This time, we're stealing a knife—a knife brimming with an immense amount of life force." Xiao Jinchen grinned and looked toward the auction house.
Near the auction house, Xiao Jinchen and Bing'er quickly disguised themselves. With their strength, they could have stormed straight in and taken the Spirit Devouring Carving Knife by force, but Xiao Jinchen still decided to keep a low profile.
After all, it wasn't time to show off their strength yet. The auction he was really interested in was the one where the Snow Empress Embryo would appear. When the time came, he could simply steal the embryo and leave unscathed. As for the Soul Master Tournament, there was no real point in taking part or not.
The auction house's exterior was understated. Only a plaque bearing a golden auction hammer above the entrance hinted at its status. It was only after stepping inside that they discovered the wonders within.
The unremarkable building was merely a cover; the real venue lay hidden deep underground. The two followed a gloomy passage for quite some time before finally reaching the registration desk.
The bar for entry here was extremely high. Ordinary people hoping to obtain the right to bid had to undergo at least half a month of rigorous screening. But Xiao Jinchen and Bing'er clearly weren't the type to follow the rules.
With a thought, Xiao Jinchen immediately activated his sixth Soul Skill, Soul Devour! He forcibly took control of the auction house staff, and just like that, the two easily obtained their identity badges. An attendant led them straight into the venue.
Following the attendant down a corridor, Xiao Jinchen and Bing'er passed through a heavy door and entered the auction hall. The lights around them abruptly dimmed. Each of them accepted a mask and put it on—double the protection!
By then, guests were already seated in the auction hall.
"Welcome, honored guests, to the Starlight Auction House. The auction is about to begin. Please take your seats."
A gentle voice rang out from all directions, and the hall fell silent. As the ambient light dimmed, a spotlight shone on the auction stage, and a woman in a purple gown stepped out gracefully.
"Good evening, honored guests. I'm Qingya, a Purple-level auctioneer with the Starlight Auction House. I'll be hosting tonight's auction."
The auction officially began. One rare Soul Tool after another appeared, and Wang Yan and the others snapped them up. Shrek really was rich. The only question was how much they would be able to loot when they went knocking later.
Xiao Jinchen, however, had no interest in these Soul Tools. He possessed Heavenly Flames and Dou Techniques, so he had no use for them.
Forget the Heaven-tier Dou Techniques—even high-tier Earth-level techniques were enough to instantly crush these Soul Tools. What's more, his Earth Gale Flame could withstand Pill Lightning head-on. The power of Pill Lightning was more terrifying than the Heavenly Tribulation faced by a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast.
Besides, he still couldn't unleash the full might of his Earth Gale Flame. Otherwise, why would he have struggled so much against the Pill Lightning when refining the Humanoid Transformation Pill for Ice Empress?
By his own estimate, he would have to reach at least the level of an Eight-Star Dou Zong before he could bring the power of the Earth Gale Flame to its peak.
Just as Xiao Jinchen had predicted, Qingya's voice dipped as she announced the headlining lot, and a small cart was pushed out from the side of the stage.
The red cloth hid the item beneath it completely, like a sheet of blood. Yet it was precisely this air of mystery that drew every eye in the hall.
Qingya had already lifted the red cloth covering the item onstage and begun describing it in detail. But when everyone heard that the carving knife was the infamous Spirit Devouring Carving Knife, they were immediately put off. No matter how good a ranked carving knife was, it wasn't worth a life. Nobody would gamble with their own.
"The Spirit Devouring Carving Knife. The bidding starts at one hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins, with a minimum increment of five thousand Gold Soul Coins. Honored guests, you may begin bidding," Qingya said with a smile.
"Bing'er, our target has appeared." Xiao Jinchen pointed to the auction item, still hidden beneath the red cloth.
"Ah Chen, is this what we're here to steal?" Bing'er looked toward the item covered by the red cloth, her beautiful eyes bright.
"Yes." Xiao Jinchen nodded. "This is the knife we're here to steal."
"Then let's move now." Bing'er excitedly rubbed her hands together. She had just stood up when Xiao Jinchen pressed her back into her seat.
"Don't rush." Xiao Jinchen reached up and stroked Bing'er's long, emerald-green hair, speaking softly. "Now is absolutely not the time to make a move. Let them buy it first. We'll wait for our chance."
Bing'er wasn't entirely happy about it, but she obediently sat back down.
"All right, I'll listen to you." Bing'er pouted, her gaze fixed on the Spirit Devouring Carving Knife below. "But this thing looks sinister. Qingya made it sound so impressive. Is it really that powerful?"
"Whether it's powerful doesn't matter. What matters is that it's useful to us." Xiao Jinchen withdrew his hand and leaned back lazily in his chair. At the same time, a Soul Imprint slipped out like a phantom and silently branded itself onto the Spirit Devouring Carving Knife below.