East Sea City Spirit Pagoda

Wu Changkong, however, kept his eyes locked firmly on Han Li.

He stood at the venue exit, his gaze sharp as a blade, piercing straight toward that masked figure.

He wanted to see exactly who this person was, daring to challenge him, Wu Changkong, at the auction, only to stop bidding the moment he drove the price up—it was clearly a deliberate provocation.

Unfortunately, his calculations were off.

After Han Li stood up from his seat, he did not head toward the exit at all.

Instead, he turned and walked in the opposite direction, toward a side door that led to the auction house's working area.

He had noticed this side door earlier and had made arrangements in advance.

Shortly after, he found a staff member of the auction house and whispered a few words.

The staff member nodded, then led him through the side door and into the corridor of the working area.

"Hello, how may I help you?"

The staff member asked politely.

"I have something to sell."

Han Li replied succinctly.

Just like that, he followed the auction staff into another room.

The side door closed, and the corridor returned to silence.

In the end, a helpless Wu Changkong had no choice but to leave with Tang Wulin, radiating an aura of low pressure.

He walked in front, taking long, heavy strides.

Tang Wulin followed behind, not daring to let out a breath.

He could feel the chill emanating from Wu Changkong, colder than usual, so cold that it made one afraid to get close.

The two of them, one after the other...

Soon vanished into the night.

Afterward, Han Li followed the auction house staff into a reception room.

The room was furnished simply.

A long table and two chairs.

The staff member asked him to take a seat while he went to fetch the specialist in charge of acquisitions.

Before long, a middle-aged man pushed the door open, dressed in a suit and tie with a professional smile on his face.

"Hello, what is it that you wish to sell?"

Han Li did not waste words; he flipped his wrist and withdrew a plant-type soul beast from his Storage Bracelet.

It was a spiritual plant, emerald green from top to bottom.

The entire plant radiated a dense aura of life.

A thousand-year plant-type soul beast.

The middle-aged man's eyes lit up.

He leaned in closer, examining the spiritual plant carefully.

A moment later, he straightened up and nodded.

"It is indeed at the thousand-year level."

His tone carried a hint of approval.

"Are you certain you wish to sell?"

Han Li nodded.

"Certain."

The middle-aged man pondered for a moment before offering a price.

Han Li did not haggle much.

He had a good grasp of the auction house's valuation system, and this price was within a reasonable range.

The two parties quickly reached a deal, and the Federal Currency was transferred into Han Li's account, the numbers jumping up by a significant margin.

Once the transaction was complete, Han Li did not rush to leave.

He looked at the middle-aged man and spoke.

"Additionally, I would like to ask your firm to keep an eye out for something."

"Please, go ahead."

"Millennium Sea Dragon Marrow."

The middle-aged man was slightly taken aback, then nodded.

Sea Dragon Marrow was the essence of bone marrow extracted from the bodies of sea dragon-type soul beasts, and those from thousand-year specimens were especially rare.

Unlike spirit fruits, this item could not be artificially cultivated and could only be obtained by hunting soul beasts, so very little of it circulated on the market.

"Very well, we will keep an eye out for you."

The middle-aged man noted it down in his notebook.

"Once we have stock, we will notify you using the contact information you provided."

Han Li nodded in thanks, then shifted the topic.

"By the way, does your firm still have any entry cards for the Primary Spirit Ascension Platform in stock?"

A look of understanding appeared on the middle-aged man's face.

He was, of course, aware of the bidding war over the Spirit Ascension Platform entry cards that had just taken place at the auction.

Now that the other party was asking about it directly, he certainly wouldn't miss this opportunity to do business.

"We do. How many do you need?"

"Three."

The middle-aged man smiled and nodded, rising to retrieve the cards.

Before long, he returned holding three silver-white cards. Faint fluctuations of soul power emanated from their surfaces, and the words "Spirit Ascension Platform" were printed on the front.

Han Li took the cards, flipped through them, and after confirming they were correct, he made the payment.

Three Primary Spirit Ascension Platform entry cards were now in his possession.

The auction house had plenty of these entry cards; they simply sold a few at a time to drive up the price.

Scarcity creates value.

Releasing a hundred at once versus releasing three at a time—the unit price of the latter was clearly higher.

The Spirit Pagoda was happy to see this as well, as it increased their revenue while reducing the energy consumption of the Spirit Ascension Platform.

However, the auction house was naturally generous toward big clients like Han Li.

After all...

Good service is what brings customers back.

The middle-aged man personally escorted Han Li to the entrance, his attitude significantly more attentive.

"If you need anything next time, feel free to come find me."

Han Li acknowledged him and walked out the door.

The next day, early morning.

Sunlight spilled through the gaps in the clouds, casting dappled light and shadows upon the street.

Han Li did not rush to the Spirit Pagoda; instead, he found a spot not far away and waited quietly.

About an hour later, two figures emerged from the main entrance of the Spirit Pagoda.

The person in front wore a white robe, his long silver-white hair shimmering with a cold light in the sun, his expression stern.

Following behind him was a young boy, his face filled with anticipation and excitement as he looked around.

It was none other than Wu Changkong and Tang Wulin.

Watching Wu Changkong and Tang Wulin depart from the East Sea City branch of the Spirit Pagoda...

Only then did Han Li emerge from his hiding spot and head toward the main entrance of the Spirit Pagoda.

After all, he had competed with Wu Changkong at the auction yesterday.

Even though he had worn a mask, a person's physique, posture, and temperament were difficult to disguise completely.

If they were to run into each other at the Spirit Pagoda today, given Wu Changkong's keen eyes and sharp intuition, it was hard to guarantee he wouldn't find Han Li familiar.

If Wu Changkong were to grow suspicious and start digging, while it wouldn't necessarily result in anything dire...

Having a six-ring Soul Emperor watching him from the shadows would still be a nuisance.

Better to avoid it if possible.

Han Li walked through the doors of the Spirit Pagoda.

The receptionist saw him enter and greeted him with a smile.

"Little friend, what can I help you with?"

Han Li took the three entry cards from his pocket and waved them in front of the staff member.

The smile on the woman's face deepened, and she gestured to the side.

"Please, follow me."

She led Han Li across the lobby, down a long corridor, and arrived before a silver-white metal door.

She pressed a few buttons on the electronic panel beside the door, and it slid open silently.

A room filled with a high-tech aesthetic was revealed, its walls embedded with a ring of soul-guiding screens.

Several strangely shaped devices were arranged around the room.

The devices resembled coffins, connected to a dense web of soul-guiding circuitry.

"Please lie down."

The staff member gestured toward the device.

Han Li walked over and lay down on the apparatus.

The staff member walked over to a control console nearby.

The soul-guiding screens lit up, and lines of data began to scroll across them, displaying:

"Connecting..."

"Verification passed..."

"Energy loading..."