Inviting the Wolf into the House

"Yuhao!" Ignoring the Ice Empress's glare, Xuan Zi rushed to Huo Yuhao's side and pulled him up.

Xuan Zi hurriedly cradled Huo Yuhao in his arms, pressing his palms against the boy's back to channel a steady stream of profound soul power. Ma Xiaotao had already been burned to death; if Huo Yuhao were to suffer a mishap here as well, he would truly have no face left to return to Shrek.

"Old dog Xuan Zi, once the tournament ends, I shall pay a visit to your Shrek Academy." Xiao Jinchen smiled faintly, then swept his gaze across the arena, his voice amplified by soul power to reach every corner of Star Luo Plaza: "Shrek! Vulnerable!"

After speaking, Xiao Jinchen ignored the stares of the surrounding spectators and took the Ice Empress's jade hand, leading her away.

"Ah! How dare this detestable human hold Bingbing's hand! You have already paved your own path to death!" Sky Dream Ice Silkworm writhed in agitation within Huo Yuhao's spiritual sea.

Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineer Academy spectator area.

"No! We must report this intelligence back to the Sun Moon Empire immediately." Elder Ma stood up abruptly and headed straight for the exit, intending to transmit the news about the Soul Hall back to the empire.

As the final two duels concluded, the round-robin stage finally drew to a close.

With the round-robin over, Zhengtian Academy advanced with a perfect record. Although Shrek Academy had lost Ma Xiaotao, their luck held for the upcoming schedule, as they were drawn against Changning Academy—a team that had previously been wiped out in seconds by Xiao Jinchen.

On the competition stage, Ling Luochen joined forces with Huo Yuhao, unleashing the full extent of their Ultimate Ice. With a single Ice Radiance Ring, Ling Luochen instantly froze all seven members of Changning Academy into ice sculptures.

This clean and decisive instant victory washed away the gloom of Shrek's previous defeat, forcefully reviving the team's flagging morale.

Inside the Star Emperor Grand Hotel.

"Ah... A-Achen... don't... don't touch there..." The Ice Empress's face flushed red as she pinned down Xiao Jinchen's hand, which had slipped beneath the hem of her skirt.

"Hehe~" Xiao Jinchen gave a wicked smile, and just as he was about to continue—

"Knock! Knock! Knock!"

A sudden, abrupt knocking at the door shattered the room's intimate atmosphere.

Xiao Jinchen's movements stiffened, and he quickly withdrew his hand. The Ice Empress, face burning, hurriedly straightened her skirt and glared at him in shamed annoyance.

"Damn it!"

Xiao Jinchen cursed inwardly, walked to the door with a look of intense irritation, and yanked it open.

"Who is it?"

Standing at the door was a young girl with golden hair tied into a high ponytail and blue eyes shimmering like stars. She was slightly startled by Xiao Jinchen's foul mood, but she quickly composed herself.

Instead of taking offense, the girl bowed elegantly and said softly, "Apologies for the intrusion. I am Princess Jiu Jiu, a gold-level auctioneer from the Starlight Auction House."

Princess Jiu Jiu looked up at Xiao Jinchen and said, "The Starlight Auction House is hosting a top-tier auction tonight, one that only occurs once or twice a year. I have come specifically on behalf of the auction house to invite you."

Princess Jiu Jiu? Isn't this Xu Jiawei's sister?

Xiao Jinchen narrowed his eyes, a cunning arc forming on his lips.

It seems Xu Jiawei wants to build a connection with me, even sending his sister to invite me. This is practically inviting a wolf into the house!

He had originally planned to break in from the outside to snatch the Snow Empress Embryo, but now, he could strike from the inside.

As Xiao Jinchen suspected, Xu Jiawei was indeed using this opportunity to probe the attitude of the Soul Hall. If he could successfully befriend them, the rewards would be immense. After all, an organization backed by a Limit Douluo was an ally of immeasurable value.

"Fine." Xiao Jinchen nodded indifferently. "Since it's an invitation from the Starlight Auction House, I suppose I am a bit interested."

Upon hearing this, Princess Jiu Jiu handed two exquisite gold-leafed invitations to Xiao Jinchen and said, "Then I shall not disturb your rest any further."

"Achen? What is this?" The Ice Empress walked up to Xiao Jinchen, staring curiously at the exquisite invitation in his hand.

"This is an invitation to the Starlight Auction House." Xiao Jinchen handed one to her. "It's the same auction house we visited last time."

"An auction house? Are we going to rob them again?" the Ice Empress asked with anticipation.

"You guessed it." Xiao Jinchen gently flicked her delicate, upturned nose and smiled tenderly.

Xiao Jinchen had two main goals for this auction: the Snow Empress Embryo and the Ice Jade Scorpion Left Arm Bone. The embryo was the primary objective; the bone was merely a bonus. After all, it was a spirit bone from one of his wife's kin; he was obligated to take it. As for what to do with it afterward, that would be up to the Ice Empress.

After a casual dinner in Star Luo City, Xiao Jinchen and the Ice Empress headed to the Starlight Auction House with the invitations provided by Princess Jiu Jiu.

This time, they walked in openly. As soon as they presented their invitations, a young woman in a black dress stepped forward to greet them. "Good evening, distinguished guests. I am Ya Fei, the receptionist assigned to assist you tonight."

Huh? That name sounds familiar, Xiao Jinchen thought, his eyebrows arching slightly.

"Lead the way," Xiao Jinchen said with a faint smile.

Soon, Ya Fei led the pair to Room 1 in the primary auction hall.

The room was two hundred square meters, decorated with extreme luxury yet maintaining an air of elegance. A crystal-clear white wall was particularly striking, and the beast-hide sofa was wide and soft enough to accommodate twenty people.

With only Xiao Jinchen and the Ice Empress present, the room felt quite spacious. A variety of drinks and food had already been prepared on the table.

Shortly after they sat down, a soft golden glow filled the box without warning. Xiao Jinchen and the Ice Empress instinctively looked toward the soul-guide screen opposite them.

"Distinguished guests, the auction is about to begin."

As the golden light faded, a gentle, melodious female voice drifted through the screen: "Thank you all for gracing the Starlight Auction House's top-tier event. Tonight, we have carefully selected nine rare treasures, which will be presented in order of value. We hope they catch your eye."

As the light shifted, the image on the screen became clearer. In the center of a display stage shrouded in light mist stood a graceful figure in a red dress—none other than Princess Jiu Jiu, who had delivered the invitations earlier.

"The first item: an eighth-tier close-combat soul guide, the Tyrant Tiger Soul-Refining Blade. This blade is fused with a ten-thousand-year Tyrant Tiger Right Arm Bone, solidifying the skill 'Tyrant Blade Slash,' which can amplify the power of similar soul skills by fifty percent..."

Princess Jiu Jiu's introduction was a bombshell; after all, this soul guide was crafted using a spirit beast's bone. To distract the Ice Empress, Xiao Jinchen picked up a piece of fruit from the table and fed it to her.

Though he wasn't sure if the Ice Empress would care about such things, he knew full well that when she saw the Ice Jade Scorpion's spirit bone later, this little lady would definitely lose her temper.