Xu Qianqian Casts Her Line, and the Willing Take the Bait

As they spoke, the auction quietly began.

One auction item after another was brought out, taken down, or sold.

The auction proceeded in an orderly fashion.

Just then, the host on the stage held up a voice amplifier and flashed a professional smile.

"Next, we have a rare treasure up for auction. Male guests in particular, don't miss this opportunity."

The sound of wheels rolled across the stage as several burly men pushed a cart up.

The outline of an iron cage could be seen beneath the cart's black cloth covering, but its contents were hidden from view.

Xu Qianqian glanced at the stage, her voice calm. "Doesn't the Heaven Dou government do anything about selling slaves?"

"As I recall, the laws of the Heaven Dou Empire prohibit this, don't they?"

After speaking, Xu Qianqian looked toward Ning Fengzhi and the other two, pretending not to know who they were.

Of the three being watched, Ning Fengzhi and Bone Douluo remained composed. Such things were exceedingly common in the Heaven Dou Empire.

But Xue Qinghe was different. He sighed. "It is forbidden on the surface, but beneath it lie the sordid dealings of many nobles. Unless the Xueye Emperor truly has the resolve to cut off his own arm."

"But that is realistically impossible..." Xue Qinghe sighed and said no more.

"I see."

Xu Qianqian nodded thoughtfully.

Xue Qinghe was indeed Qian Renxue, but if they wanted to stop slave auctions, Spirit Hall would likely have to intervene. Yet what reason would Spirit Hall have to do so?

Moreover, the Heaven Dou Empire's control over its various factions was not particularly strong. If it truly imposed an absolute ban, the nobles would probably rebel against the Xueye Emperor.

In both her previous and current lives, Xu Qianqian had long since passed the age of youthful impulsiveness.

No matter the world, power always rested in the hands of a small minority.

The black cloth was removed, revealing a young girl curled up inside the iron cage.

Everyone's tastes were similar, especially among the nobility. The moment the catgirl appeared, the atmosphere in the venue surged.

"A catgirl whose martial soul mutated during awakening. If she can successfully awaken it further, she would be quite a promising prospect."

Xu Qianqian muttered to herself, then turned to Ning Fengzhi. "Judging from your bearing, sir, you must be an elder of some great sect or something?"

"Oh? What makes you say that?"

Because of Xue Qinghe's words, Ning Fengzhi had been watching Xu Qianqian from the corner of his eye.

"Intuition."

"Hehe." Ning Fengzhi did not believe her, but he did not press further.

By then, amid the clamor, the catgirl's price soared rapidly, reaching seventy thousand in the blink of an eye.

"You people in the imperial capital really are rich." Xu Qianqian propped her chin on her wrist. "Could it be that you've noticed something about that little girl?"

"She must be a case of failed martial soul awakening. Otherwise, she would most likely have innate soul power above Rank 7. Looked at that way, it wouldn't be a loss."

"Miss Wendy, are you certain she has innate soul power above Rank 7?" Ning Fengzhi perked up. Why did he so often come to Heaven Dou to buy slaves? Could it really be for personal use?

Naturally, it was to nurture promising talents for the sect's future. If she had innate soul power above Rank 7, wouldn't she become a solid high-level combatant in the future?

"Yes. Her body is unable to bear the martial soul, making it difficult for the martial soul to manifest outside her body."

"As long as some medicinal materials are used to improve her constitution, her martial soul can fully awaken within a month at most."

Xu Qianqian answered casually. "Actually, if you want, I can help her awaken it. It isn't particularly difficult."

"Hiss—" Ning Fengzhi and the other two exchanged glances. "My young friend, I am Ning Fengzhi, Sect Master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. I will purchase this catgirl."

"If you are willing to help awaken her martial soul, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect will reward you generously."

"Easy enough." Xu Qianqian was not quite sure why Ning Fengzhi would offer terms that were clearly so unequal. Had he heard something from Qian Renxue?

Still, it suited her perfectly. In any case, she was not using her true body right now, so she was not worried about anything happening.

Ning Fengzhi pressed the black button on his seat.

In an instant, the auction price rose by one hundred thousand gold soul coins.

Seeing those gold soul coins, which were nothing more than a string of numbers to Ning Fengzhi, Xu Qianqian silently cursed him for being obscenely rich.

If she had a father like Ning Rongrong's, she would not have needed to struggle so hard just to find the proper way to use her martial soul.

Sigh... different people, different fates.

"Bastard!" A guest in the red section stood up at once, but the moment he saw Ning Fengzhi in the black section, his anger immediately vanished.

"Your Highness the Prince, the auction house has rules." Ning Fengzhi's voice was calm. His gaze fell on Xuexing beside Xue Beng, as well as an elderly man with green hair, but he did not pay them much attention.

Ning Fengzhi bought the catgirl for one hundred and seventy thousand gold soul coins and had the auctioneer bring her over.

By the time the catgirl was brought over, the clothes that had done nothing to conceal her alluring figure had been replaced.

She now wore a comparatively modest outfit, apparently because Ning Fengzhi had specifically instructed the auctioneer to do so.

"Miss Wendy, I wonder..."

"If Sect Master Ning is willing to owe me a favor, of course you may watch the entire process. It's not a big deal anyway."

Xu Qianqian lightly flicked her fingertips, gathering a green glow that sank into the cat girl's forehead.

In moments, soul power began to surge from the cat girl, who had previously shown no fluctuations of soul power. Her martial soul began to separate from her body.

"Hiss—" Bone Douluo sucked in a sharp breath. "Innate Rank 8!"

A soul master with innate Rank 8 soul power would still be a target of fierce competition among all major powers, even if they had missed several years of cultivation.

Compared to Bone Douluo's shock, Ning Fengzhi and Xue Qinghe were more concerned about Xu Qianqian's condition.

After an attendant led the cat girl away, Xue Qinghe finally could not resist asking:

"Miss Wendy, is helping someone undergo a second martial soul awakening really that easy?"

Though the question was somewhat presumptuous, all three present were quite curious.

"My attribute is similar to hers," Xu Qianqian answered casually.

"As for martial souls, as long as the deficiencies within them are supplemented with heaven-and-earth vital energy, they can awaken again to a considerable extent. Of course, their original strength still makes a difference."

Xu Qianqian had spent six years observing the martial souls throughout Notting Academy. She had also secretly "borrowed" every relevant book in Notting City, read them all, and studied them in detail. She was not someone a theoretical master like Yu Xiaogang could compare to.

Xu Qianqian was someone who took action. Besides, since she herself had gained soul power through a second martial soul awakening, it was still possible for people with similar attributes.

"Heaven-and-earth vital energy?"

Bone Douluo frowned, unclear on what heaven-and-earth vital energy was.

Xu Qianqian smiled faintly and explained:

"Simply put, it is the natural wind, the rain that falls freely, the unmoving rocks, and so on."

"They all contain something distinct from soul power, usually called heaven-and-earth vital energy."

"Other than certain special martial souls, soul masters above Rank 95 can all sense it to some degree."

"But to truly wield it, one must reach Rank 99, the level of a Limit Douluo."

"Then again, only because my martial soul is rather special can I barely make use of it."

Ning Fengzhi and the others: "..."