After casually flipping through the auction catalog, Bai Shu lost interest and tossed the booklet aside.
It had to be said that treasures on Douluo Continent were truly scarce. They were almost all weapons, medicinal herbs, or materials from rare Spirit Beasts—practically no different from scrap metal to the strong.
Since Bai Shu and Dugu Bo had arrived right on time, the auction began shortly after they took their seats. But once the initial novelty wore off, Bai Shu immediately grew bored out of his mind.
"Senior Dugu, we brought so much traffic to this Auction House, yet they're trying to fob us off with this junk. That's really not very professional." Bai Shu lounged lazily against the soft sofa.
Dugu Bo said, "Young Master, these things may not be worth your attention, but to low- and mid-level Spirit Masters, they are already rare treasures. Given the Heaven Dou Auction House's resources, I'm afraid it may not be able to produce anything more valuable."
Just when Bai Shu thought the boredom would continue, the auctioneer's formerly steady voice suddenly rose sharply, carrying a trace of incredulous excitement.
"Esteemed guests, our deepest apologies! Due to a last-minute commission from a distinguished guest, a special auction item will be added next! The Heaven Dou Auction House guarantees its reputation that the value of this item is absolutely no less than the grand finale of this auction—the Ninth-Grade Purple Ganoderma! We hope you will forgive us!"
The entire Auction House instantly erupted into discussion.
Everyone knew about the finale item of this auction. There were not many things on the continent that could be mentioned in the same breath as such a treasure.
Without making the people below wait long, a curvaceous maid stepped onto the stage in tiny steps, holding a rosewood box in both hands as though it were the most precious thing in the world.
The auctioneer knew full well what would happen if he tried to play up suspense before so many important figures. He took a deep breath and decisively opened the wooden box.
The instant the box opened, an incomparably pure fluctuation of Soul Power spread out, plunging the entire venue into silence!
He carefully took out the item within and gently placed it atop a scarlet velvet cloth.
In an instant, every gaze in the hall was drawn tightly toward it. Countless Spirit Masters shot to their feet with a sharp gasp, greed and fanaticism blazing in their eyes as they stared fixedly at the item.
Now they fully understood why the auctioneer had lost his composure. It was actually a Spirit Bone! And a complete Spirit Bone with extraordinarily powerful energy fluctuations!
"Everyone, you are not mistaken!" The auctioneer's voice trembled slightly with excitement as he shouted with all his strength, "This is indeed a Spirit Bone! Moreover, it is a supreme-grade Spirit Bone produced by a Wind-Chasing Beast with thirty thousand years of cultivation!"
"It is called—the Wind-Chasing Left Leg Bone of Extreme Speed!"
His impassioned voice, accompanied by the brilliant lights suddenly focusing upon it, rang through the entire auction hall and instantly ignited everyone's emotions!
Only Bai Shu wore an exceedingly strange expression the moment he heard the Spirit Bone's name. He even could not help raising a hand to press hard against his forehead.
He knew Bibi Dong had a lovesick brain, but he had never imagined she could do something this stupid.
If he remembered correctly, this Spirit Bone should have been one of the championship prizes for the Continental Advanced Spirit Master Academy Elite Tournament.
In other words, it was a Spirit Bone belonging to Spirit Hall and should have been under Bibi Dong's control.
And the ones who could bring this Spirit Bone here for auction could only be one of Ju Douluo or Ghost Douluo under Bibi Dong's command. Perhaps both of them had come.
As for the reason? Bai Shu could have guessed it with his toes. Bibi Dong must have been unable to conceal it from the Worship Hall and unable to mobilize enough Gold Soul Coins, leaving her with no choice but to resort to this measure.
But making two Titled Douluo who had worked diligently for Spirit Hall for decades without ever receiving a single Spirit Bone bring one here to auction, all to save a level 29 piece of trash... wasn't that forcing them to lose heart and rebel?
"Old Xie."
Bai Shu did not turn around. He merely uttered those two words indifferently.
The next moment, the air behind him distorted ever so slightly, and a figure seemingly fused with the shadows silently emerged.
Dugu Bo caught sight of the scene from the corner of his eye, and every hair on his body instantly stood on end. A chill shot from his tailbone straight to the top of his head! He had not noticed at all that Xie Biyan had been following them.
That was right. Xie Biyan had been secretly protecting Bai Shu all along. He had mastered the Ten Thousand Scorpion Sect's hidden arts, which were far beyond the perception of ordinary Titled Douluo. Combined with their vast gap in strength, even Dugu Bo, who had been following Bai Shu the entire time, had failed to discover him.
"Young Master." After appearing, Xie Biyan first gave Bai Shu a slight bow, then nodded to Dugu Bo, who was beginning to doubt his own senses.
"Can you determine who is in the other private rooms?" Bai Shu's gaze remained fixed on the Spirit Bone below as he asked softly.
The aura around Xie Biyan stirred slightly. After a moment, he slowly shook his head. "Young Master, special ores that block Soul Power should have been added to the walls of these private rooms. I cannot discern the exact Soul Power of the people inside. However, I can sense that there are no fewer than four private rooms containing Titled Douluo. One of them even has the auras of two Super Douluo."
"Two Super Douluo?" The smile at Bai Shu's lips deepened. "It seems Ju Douluo and Ghost Douluo have both come."
"Old Xie, keep an eye on the two of them. We'll go meet them later." After speaking, Bai Shu turned his gaze back to the auction floor.
"Yes." Xie Biyan cupped his hands in salute.
Only after Bai Shu returned his attention to the auction stage did Dugu Bo recover from his stiffness. He asked with some difficulty, "Young Master... Senior Xie... he has been here all along?"
Bai Shu nodded without turning his head. "That's right."
Xie Biyan seemed to see Dugu Bo's concern and took the initiative to explain.
"I am the Young Master's Guardian. My only duty is to protect the Young Master. Unless the Young Master gives an order, this old man will remain by his side at all times."
Dugu Bo could not help clicking his tongue. He found it hard to imagine what kind of force stood behind Bai Shu to have nurtured such a loyal supreme expert.
At the same time, an intense sense of crisis surged through him. He had joined later, contributed nothing, yet received all the benefits. If this continued, he feared he would not even be qualified to stand at the Young Master's side!
While thoughts raced through his mind, the bidding for the Spirit Bone below had already reached a fever pitch.
"Twelve million!"
"Twelve million three hundred thousand!"
"Fifteen million!" A deep voice from a VIP private room directly raised the price by an entire tier, declaring the elimination of the ordinary-seat guests.
Sure enough, the next stage was a clash between immortals. The other private rooms began calling out bids one after another, each increase measured in millions.
"Twenty-three million!" Another private room quoted an astonishing price, an aged voice filled with determination to win.
Dugu Bo watched the frenzied scene below, then looked at the calm and composed Bai Shu beside him and Xie Biyan standing behind him like a statue. Gritting his teeth, he bent down and whispered in Bai Shu's ear, "Young Master, may this subordinate resume contact with Prince Xue Xing? With the Heaven Dou Imperial Family's assistance, the task you assigned of finding a Soul Douluo will surely yield twice the results with half the effort!"
Bai Shu glanced at Dugu Bo in surprise. "Xue Xing? You stopped contacting him?"
"Reporting to the Young Master, Xue Xing's identity is rather special. Therefore, after I entered the Young Master's service, I voluntarily cut off contact with him."
Bai Shu waved a hand unconcernedly. "Contact him if you wish. I don't have that many rules for my subordinates."
"Thank you, Young Master!" Dugu Bo was overjoyed, feeling that he had finally found a way to prove his worth.
At that moment, the high bid of "twenty-three million" seemed to have intimidated all the other competitors, and the auctioneer began calling out loudly.
Seeing that the moment was right, Bai Shu lifted his teacup and took a light sip before joining the contest. His voice was not loud, yet enhanced by Soul Power, it spread with absolute clarity throughout the entire venue:
"Twenty-five million."
Before you continue