Vicious Blade, Spirit Devouring

"I'm terribly sorry, esteemed guest. We've kept you waiting."

"This is Auctioneer Jiujiu of our Starlight Auction House. Her rank is high enough that, as long as your circumstances are verified, you can directly obtain the qualification to participate in the auction with her approval."

In the reception room, Jiang Yue looked around and sampled some of the delicate pastries. After waiting for roughly ten minutes, a receptionist in a black dress entered the room with a young, beautiful woman.

The moment he heard the words "Auctioneer Jiujiu," a considerable stir rose in Jiang Yue's heart.

Others might not have known, but he understood perfectly well just how enormous the power behind this girl—who appeared to be seventeen or eighteen and in the bloom of her youth—truly was.

Throughout the Douluo Continent during the era of the Unrivaled Tang Sect, the strength and wealth possessed by the Star Luo Imperial Family definitely ranked among the many major powers.

Seeing Xu Jiujiu, Jiang Yue could not help but marvel at his own good fortune. He had happened to come at a time when Xu Jiujiu was at the Starlight Auction House.

Originally, Jiang Yue had thought that encountering even a manager here would have been fortunate. Instead, he had drawn out Xu Jiujiu, one of the Star Luo Empire's most influential upper echelons.

"Hello, esteemed guest. I am Jiujiu, the chief auctioneer of the Starlight Auction House. I suppose I can barely be considered part of the management. You wish to obtain bidding qualifications for the auction held by the Starlight Auction House, correct?"

Xu Jiujiu looked at the boy before her, who was clearly only eleven or twelve, with a smile. On her way here, she had already learned the results of Jiang Yue's soul power test.

Xu Jiujiu naturally had plenty of patience when dealing with geniuses, especially a genius who had delivered himself to her doorstep. So long as Jiang Yue did not have some complicated background, she was more than willing to show him goodwill.

While Jiang Yue had been observing Xu Jiujiu, Xu Jiujiu had also been observing him. It had to be said that appearance was quite important—a better-looking face could leave a favorable first impression.

Clearly, Jiang Yue's silver-blue heterochromatic eyes had left a deep impression on Xu Jiujiu. It was her first time seeing someone outside the White Tiger Lineage with differently colored eyes.

His first impression had been good, and on the form the receptionist had handed him earlier, Jiang Yue had only noted a slight connection to the lord of Maple Leaf City.

Obviously, to the Star Luo Empire, the strongest of the original three nations of the Douluo Continent, the lord of a main city in the Heavenly Soul Empire posed no deterrence whatsoever. That background was practically no different from having none at all, and it did not affect other factions' attempts to recruit him.

Naturally, all of that was premised on Jiang Yue not having falsified anything.

"Yes. I forgot to apply for bidding rights in advance before coming here. If it's expedited now, roughly how long will it take to process?"

"It is our honor that a talented soul master such as yourself has chosen to visit the Starlight Auction House. We have already verified that the information you provided is accurate, and the Starlight Auction House is very pleased to welcome a genius like you."

"We have already begun expedited processing for you. Please wait a moment."

As Xu Jiujiu finished speaking, the woman in the black dress from earlier had already left the room. Clearly, she had gone to prepare Jiang Yue's paperwork for attending the auction.

Xu Jiujiu walked slowly over and sat across from Jiang Yue. With practiced motions, she poured a cup of tea and handed it to him, her gaze continuously examining him in the hope of discovering something from his appearance.

"Later, esteemed guest, you will also need to undergo an asset verification. Don't worry, it is only a simple check to prevent people from placing reckless bids at the auction. It is standard procedure, so I hope you won't mind."

"I understand that. I'd like to know whether tonight's auction has the Spirit Devouring Carving Knife."

"I heard that this ranked carving knife appeared at the Starlight Auction House and has failed to sell several times already, with no one willing to place a bid."

"Well... it is indeed as you heard. The Spirit Devouring Carving Knife is currently here at our Starlight Auction House."

Xu Jiujiu paused slightly when she heard the name Spirit Devouring Carving Knife, but quickly regained her composure. Outwardly, it looked no more than a natural pause in her speech.

It was no wonder Xu Jiujiu was surprised. No one bought the Spirit Devouring Carving Knife at all.

Carving knives themselves were only necessities for soul engineers, and there were not many soul engineers in the region of the original three nations of the Douluo Continent. Because of the curse on the Spirit Devouring Carving Knife, although it was a ranked carving knife, it had ultimately ended up unwanted by anyone.

Things were precious when rare, and this was especially true for carving knives that had remained in the top hundred rankings for so long. The Starlight Auction House had originally placed it in a top-tier auction with a starting price of three hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins, but not a single fool had been willing to take it off their hands.

The reason was simple. The Starlight Auction House had traced thirty-seven owners of the Spirit Devouring Carving Knife, and without exception, every one of them had died miserable deaths.

For some, dying a violent death had not even been the worst of it. It could be said that they had suffered fates worse than death. The source of everything was the original owner of the Spirit Devouring Carving Knife, the evil soul master who had brought a reign of blood and terror to the Douluo Continent three thousand years ago.

Ranked carving knives were certainly precious, but no matter how precious they were, one still needed to be alive to use them! What sane person would buy something like that, a literal death warrant?

"Since you came for the Spirit Devouring Carving Knife, esteemed guest, does that mean you are a soul engineer?"

"No. There is merely an elder in my family who enjoys collecting all kinds of rare items. I thought I would bring that carving knife back as a gift for him."

"Uh, esteemed guest, are you talking about an enemy?"

Xu Jiujiu was speechless. This was the first time she had heard of someone giving the Spirit Devouring Carving Knife to an elder as a gift. What a filial descendant.

"If the Spirit Devouring Carving Knife is all you want, Jiujiu can directly authorize its sale to you. There is no need for you to attend the auction."

"Our auction house only came across the Spirit Devouring Carving Knife by chance in the first place. It has remained unsold for so long and has been sitting in our hands ever since. If you truly want it, you may have it for the cost price."

"That works as well. I'll follow Auctioneer Jiujiu's arrangements in all things."

"Mm, then please wait here, esteemed guest. I'll go retrieve the Spirit Devouring Carving Knife."

After saying that, Xu Jiujiu immediately left the room.

Once she stepped outside, Xu Jiujiu was filled with concerns. It was already rare enough to encounter a genius while handling business here, yet this was a genius who did not fear death and actually wanted to buy the Spirit Devouring Carving Knife.

Xu Jiujiu did not believe Jiang Yue's nonsense about giving it to an elder at all. It was obviously just an excuse.

About a quarter of an hour later, Xu Jiujiu returned to Jiang Yue's room with two maidservants behind her. Each maidservant carried a tray. One held nothing but a simple yet elegant purple card, while the other held a box.

The box was exquisitely crafted, yet it gave off an intensely sinister and terrifying feeling. Simply approaching it made one's body turn cold.

The instant the box entered the room, Jiang Yue sensed all kinds of chaotic negative emotions. Merely remaining there was already enough to make someone feel deeply uncomfortable.

Jiang Yue found the sensation familiar. He could never mistake it—the aura was almost identical to that of the evil soul master who had slaughtered his entire village.

Vicious Blade, Spirit Devouring! Jiang Yue was certain that the box contained the vicious Spirit Devouring Blade he had anticipated for many years. Only the Spirit Devouring Carving Knife, a carving knife cursed by an evil soul master, could emit such a nauseating aura.

"Esteemed guest, this is the Spirit Devouring Carving Knife. Its starting price has already fallen to one hundred and ten thousand Gold Soul Coins. If you wish to take it away now, you only need to pay eighty thousand Gold Soul Coins."

"Additionally, this is a purple guest card from our Starlight Auction House, which is also your bidding qualification. Your information has been recorded within this card. The next time you wish to attend an auction, simply present it at the front desk and someone will receive you."

"With this card, you'll be able to attend higher-level auctions. You can also enjoy discounts when purchasing items from certain merchant associations that cooperate with our Starlight Auction House."

"Eighty thousand Gold Soul Coins, right? I'll pay with a Gold Soul Card."

Jiang Yue took out his Gold Soul Card from his storage soul tool and swiped it across the soul tool held by the maid behind him. Eighty thousand Gold Soul Coins were immediately deducted from the card.

Having paid out most of his assets, Jiang Yue did not feel the slightest bit of heartache. Instead, he was rather excited.

"Alright, we have received the payment. Thank you for your patronage. This Spirit Devouring Carving Knife is now yours. Due to the Spirit Devouring Carving Knife's special properties, we are also providing you with a storage soul tool for temporary storage."

"This storage soul tool will not withstand it for very long, so please prepare a proper place to store the Spirit Devouring Carving Knife as soon as possible."

"Alright, thank you."

Once the Spirit Devouring Carving Knife was placed inside the storage soul tool, the nauseating feeling in the room dissipated. However, the knife's power was continuously corroding the soul tool's core. At this rate, the storage soul tool would be ruined in five days at most.

After the transaction was completed, Xu Jiujiu personally escorted Jiang Yue out of the Starlight Auction House and watched him leave.

It was then that the maid following behind her spoke in confusion.

"Princess, that young man's talent was very strong. And judging by his clothes and manner of speech, he probably does not come from any prominent family. Why didn't you try to recruit him just now?"

"If you succeeded, Princess, you could invite him into Star Luo Imperial Academy. Five years from now, he could lead Star Luo to victory in the next Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Fighting Tournament."

"Recruit him? With what? We only know his age and cultivation. We know nothing about anything else—what he needs, what he wants. How could we possibly tailor our approach to him?"

"His cultivation and age may be real, but that does not mean the rest of the information he filled in is genuine. Only after conducting a proper background check, determining his value and needs, and finding out who our competitors are can we strike decisively."

"Besides, I believe a genius like him would never miss an event as grand as the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Fighting Tournament. As long as he is alive, he will not remain an unknown nobody."

"Give the order. Have someone check the entry records of every young soul master in Star Luo City. Follow the trail to find where he came from, then send people to Maple Leaf City. I want every scrap of information that can be gathered about him. Remember—everything."

Whether the information Jiang Yue had voluntarily revealed was real or not, Xu Jiujiu needed to send people to verify it.

Before the machinery of a nation, with Jiang Yue's current cultivation and status, even if Maple Leaf City lay deep within the Heavenly Soul Empire, the Star Luo Empire could still dig up every detail of his background.

After this, aside from the secrets he had never revealed to anyone, Jiang Yue would likely be stripped bare of everything that could be uncovered.

Meanwhile, after returning to the hotel, Jiang Yue let out a breath of relief. He took the box from the storage soul tool and placed it on the table.

The vicious aura of the Spirit Devouring Vicious Blade was indeed terrifying. In just a few dozen minutes, it had already blasted a tiny crack into the core of the storage soul tool containing it.

Ignoring the storage soul tool, Jiang Yue took a deep breath and opened the box. Immediately, waves of chilling, discomforting aura burst through the small room, occasionally stirring gusts of sinister wind that made Jiang Yue feel rather miserable.

An ancient-looking knife lay quietly inside the box. Its blade was still wrapped in an extremely frigid, vicious aura, and its presence was incomparably ferocious.

Looking at it like this, if anyone claimed that its true form was actually a heavenly treasure brimming with life force, everyone else would think that person was insane.

"Old Electrolux! Old Electrolux!"

Jiang Yue's spiritual body arrived before the gray bead formed by Electrolux and repeatedly called out to the sleeping Electrolux.

Electrolux was clearly sleeping deeply. No matter how Jiang Yue called to him, there was no sign of him waking up.

That was only normal. Compared to Huo Yuhao in the original work, Jiang Yue had obtained Electrolux and Dream Iceworm much earlier. Moreover, Electrolux was currently only a fragment of a remnant soul. Without Living Gold, he would naturally enter deep sleep to slow the rate at which he dissipated.

"Sorry to disturb your beautiful dream, Old Electrolux, but after sleeping for so many years, it's time for you to wake up!"

Seeing that he could not wake Electrolux, Jiang Yue directly grabbed the Spirit Devouring Carving Knife. Its vicious aura immediately entered his body and charged straight toward his brain. With Dream Iceworm there, the vicious aura could not possibly harm Jiang Yue. If it truly could, then Dream Iceworm, a million-year soul beast, might as well retire.

"Hiss—!"

The instant the vicious aura entered his brain, an indescribable pain spread through Jiang Yue's entire body. It felt as if someone had savagely split his head open with an axe.

And the pain did not fade. The person wielding that axe had no intention of stopping. The agony throughout his body intensified, and cold sweat quickly covered Jiang Yue's forehead.

"What the hell?! What's going on?! Jiang Yue, what did you provoke?!"

The vicious aura headed straight for his spiritual sea. Dream Iceworm, who resided within Jiang Yue's spiritual sea, was naturally jolted awake by the sudden situation.

The moment he awoke, Dream Iceworm immediately mobilized the portion of spiritual power he could control to resist the vicious aura emitted by the Spirit Devouring Carving Knife and protect Jiang Yue's spiritual sea.

As Dream Iceworm mobilized his spiritual power, Jiang Yue's pair of silver-blue heterochromatic eyes also shone with an unusual golden light.

"Phew, you're awake. Looks like the commotion I caused wasn't small."

"Not small? It was huge! If I hadn't woken up in time, Jiang Yue, your spiritual sea really would've been contaminated by that vicious aura! Damaged spiritual power would've been the least of it. If things went badly, you could've turned into an idiot!"

"Do you even know what you're doing?! I thought you were such a well-behaved kid before! So you've been holding back something this big all these years, huh?! You scared the life out of this worm!"

"Do you have to be so angry? Dream, you're in my spiritual sea, so of course I dared to act recklessly."

"Yes, I do! Very much so! We're a community of shared interests and shared honor, brother! Next time you pull something like this, please tell me in advance! At least give me some time to prepare myself mentally!"