Wu Changkong, meanwhile, stared fixedly at Han Li.
He stood at the exit of the venue, his gaze like a blade as it shot straight toward the masked figure.
He wanted to see who this person really was, daring to challenge Wu Changkong at the auction, driving up the price before stopping—clearly doing it on purpose.
Unfortunately, he had miscalculated.
After Han Li rose from his seat, he did not head toward the exit at all.
Instead, he turned and walked in another direction, where a side door led to the auction house's work area.
He had noticed this side door earlier and had made arrangements in advance.
Then, he found an auction house staff member and quietly said a few words.
The staff member nodded, then led him through the side door and into the corridor of the work area.
"Hello, how may I help you?"
the staff member asked politely.
"I have something to sell."
Han Li answered briefly.
He simply followed the auctioneer to another room.
The side door closed, and the corridor returned to silence.
Left with no other choice, Wu Changkong could only leave with Tang Wulin, radiating low pressure.
He walked ahead, taking large strides.
Tang Wulin followed behind, barely daring to breathe.
He could feel the chill emanating from Wu Changkong. It was colder than usual, so cold that no one dared approach him.
The two walked one in front of the other...
Soon, they vanished into the night.
Afterward, Han Li followed the auction house staff member into a reception room.
The room was simply furnished.
One long table, two chairs.
The staff member asked him to wait for a moment before going to fetch the specialist responsible for purchases.
Not long after, a middle-aged man in a suit pushed open the door, a professional smile on his face.
"Hello. What would you like to sell?"
Han Li said nothing more. With a flick of his wrist, he took a plant-type Soul Beast from his Storage Bracelet.
It was a lush green spirit plant.
The entire plant exuded a dense aura of life.
A thousand-year plant Soul Beast.
The middle-aged man's eyes lit up.
He leaned closer and carefully examined the spirit plant.
A moment later, he straightened and nodded.
"It is indeed at the thousand-year level."
There was approval in his tone.
"Are you sure you want to sell it?"
Han Li nodded.
"Yes."
The middle-aged man pondered briefly before giving a price.
Han Li did not haggle much.
He knew the auction house's appraisal system well enough, and the price was within a reasonable range.
The two quickly reached a deal. Federal Currency was transferred into Han Li's account, and the number rose by another considerable amount.
After the transaction was completed, Han Li did not leave right away.
He looked at the middle-aged man and spoke.
"Also, I'd like to ask your auction house 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 marrow essence extracted from Sea Dragon-type Soul Beasts, and the millennium-grade variety was even rarer.
Unlike spirit fruits, it could not be cultivated artificially and could only be obtained by hunting Soul Beasts. Very little of it circulated on the market.
"Certainly, we'll keep an eye out for it."
The middle-aged man wrote it down in the notebook he carried with him.
"Once we have any in stock, we'll notify you using the contact information you left behind."
Han Li nodded his thanks, then changed the subject.
"By the way, does your auction house still have any Primary Spirit Ascension Platform Entry Cards in stock?"
A knowing look appeared on the middle-aged man's face.
Naturally, he knew about the fierce bidding war over the Spirit Ascension Platform Entry Cards at the auction just now.
Now that the other party had brought it up himself, he naturally would not miss such a good business opportunity.
"We do. How many do you need?"
"Three."
The middle-aged man smiled and nodded, then got up to retrieve the cards.
Before long, he returned with three silver-white cards in hand. Faint Soul Power fluctuations emanated from their surfaces, and the words "Spirit Ascension Platform" were printed on the front.
Han Li took the cards and checked them over. After confirming that there were no issues, he paid.
Three Primary Spirit Ascension Platform Entry Cards were now his.
The auction house had plenty of these entry cards. They simply sold fewer at a time, making it easier to raise the price.
Things were more valuable when scarce.
Releasing one hundred cards at once versus releasing three at once—the latter could clearly command a higher unit price.
The Spirit Pagoda's revenue looked higher that way, while it also reduced the Spirit Ascension Platform's energy consumption. Naturally, it was happy with the arrangement.
But for a major client like Han Li, the auction house was naturally generous.
After all...
Good service brought repeat customers.
The middle-aged man personally saw Han Li to the door, his attitude considerably 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 morning.
Sunlight streamed through gaps in the clouds and fell across the streets, casting mottled patches of light and shadow.
Han Li was in no hurry to enter the Spirit Pagoda. Instead, he found a place not far from it and waited quietly.
About an hour later, two figures emerged from the Spirit Pagoda's main entrance.
The person in front wore a white robe. His silver-white hair gleamed coldly under the sunlight, and his expression was stern.
A boy followed behind him, his face filled with anticipation and excitement as he looked around.
They were Wu Changkong and Tang Wulin.
Only after watching Wu Changkong and Tang Wulin leave the Eastsea City branch of the Spirit Pagoda...
did Han Li emerge from his hiding place and head toward the Spirit Pagoda's main entrance.
After all, he had competed with Wu Changkong at the auction yesterday.
Though he had worn a mask, a person's build, bearing, and temperament were difficult to conceal completely.
If he ran into them again at the Spirit Pagoda today, Wu Changkong's sharp eyes and keen senses might make the other man feel that he was familiar.
If Wu Changkong became suspicious and followed the trail to investigate, it would not necessarily do anything to Han Li...
But having a Six-Ring Soul Emperor watching him in secret would still be troublesome.
Best to avoid it if possible.
Han Li entered the Spirit Pagoda.
When the front desk staff saw him come in, she greeted him with a smile.
"Little friend, what are you here for?"
Han Li took out three Entry Cards from his clothes and waved them before the staff member.
The smile on the staff member's face deepened as she stepped aside and made an inviting gesture.
"Please follow me."
She led Han Li through the lobby and down a long corridor, arriving before a silver-white metal door.
She tapped the electronic panel beside the door several times, and the door slid silently open.
It revealed a highly technological room, with a ring of Soul Guidance Screens embedded in the walls.
Several strange-looking devices stood around the room.
The devices resembled coffins, connected to dense networks of Soul Guidance circuits.
"Please lie down."
The staff member pointed at one of the devices.
Han Li walked over and lay down on it.
The staff member went to the control console at the side.
The Soul Guidance Screens lit up, lines of information appearing on them:
"Connecting..." "Verification passed..." "Energy loading..."
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