The Fierce Blade Soul Devourer

"I'm terribly sorry to have kept you waiting, honored guest."

"This is Jiujiu, an auctioneer at the Starlight Auction House. She has the authority to approve your request. As long as your circumstances check out, you can qualify to bid in the auction with her consent."

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

The moment he heard the name Jiujiu, a stir rose in Jiang Yue's heart.

Others might not have known, but he knew exactly how much power stood behind the girl before him. She looked seventeen or eighteen, in the prime of her youth.

During the era of the Unrivaled Tang Sect, the Star Luo Imperial Family ranked among the most powerful and wealthiest forces on Douluo Continent.

Seeing Xu Jiujiu, Jiang Yue could only marvel at his luck. He had happened to come to the Starlight Auction House while she was there.

He had hoped to meet someone in management. Instead, he had drawn out Xu Jiujiu, one of the most powerful figures in the Star Luo Empire.

"Hello, honored guest. I'm Jiujiu, the chief auctioneer of the Starlight Auction House. I suppose I count as management. You'd like to qualify to bid in one of our auctions, is that right?"

Xu Jiujiu smiled at the boy before her, who was clearly only eleven or twelve. On her way over, she had already learned the results of Jiang Yue's Soul Power test.

Xu Jiujiu was naturally patient with talented people, especially one who had come to her door. As long as Jiang Yue had no complicated background, she was happy to show him goodwill.

While Jiang Yue had studied Xu Jiujiu, she had studied him too. Looks mattered, after all; an attractive face made a good first impression.

Jiang Yue's mismatched silver and blue eyes had certainly left a deep impression on her. Apart from members of the White Tiger Lineage, she had never met anyone else with mismatched eyes.

That favorable first impression was helped by the fact that, on the form the receptionist had given him, Jiang Yue had listed only a slight connection to the lord of Maple Leaf City.

To the Star Luo Empire, the strongest of the Original Three Douluo Empires, the lord of a major city in the Heaven Dou Empire was hardly intimidating. Such a background was nearly the same as none at all and would not stop other factions from courting him.

Of course, all of that depended on Jiang Yue having told the truth.

"Yes. I forgot to apply for bidding privileges before I came. If I request expedited processing now, how long will it take?"

"It's our honor to welcome a talented soul master like you to the Starlight Auction House. We've verified the information you provided, and everything checks out. We'd be delighted to have you."

"We're processing your application urgently. Please wait just a little longer."

As Xu Jiujiu finished speaking, the woman in black left the room, evidently to prepare the paperwork for Jiang Yue's participation in the auction.

Xu Jiujiu sat down across from Jiang Yue and deftly poured him a cup of tea. She kept studying him, hoping to glean something from his appearance.

"We'll also need to verify your assets shortly. Don't worry, it's just a simple check to prevent people from making reckless bids. It's standard procedure, so I hope you don't mind."

"I understand. What I'd like to know is whether the Spirit Devouring Carving Knife will be in tonight's auction."

"I heard this Ranking Carving Knife appeared at a Starlight Auction and went unsold several times. No one was willing to bid."

"Well, what you heard is true. The Spirit Devouring Carving Knife is indeed here at the Starlight Auction House."

Xu Jiujiu paused slightly at the name, but recovered so quickly that it looked like an ordinary break in her speech.

Her surprise was understandable. No one wanted to buy the Spirit Devouring Carving Knife.

Carving knives were essential only to Soul Engineers, and there were few Soul Engineers in the Original Three Douluo Empires. Though it was a Ranking Carving Knife, its curse had left it without a single interested buyer.

Scarcity drove up prices, especially for carving knives that had long held places in the top hundred. The Starlight Auction House had originally put it in a top-tier auction with a starting price of three hundred thousand, but no 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. Every last one had died a horrible death.

For some, a violent death would have been a mercy. Their fates were worse than death, all because of the knife's first owner: an Evil Soul Master who had drenched Douluo Continent in blood three thousand years ago.

A Ranking Carving Knife might be precious, but you had to stay alive to use it! Who in their right mind would buy a death sentence?

"Since you came for the Spirit Devouring Carving Knife, does that mean you're a Soul Engineer?"

"No. An elder in my family likes collecting rare things. I thought I'd bring the knife back as a gift for him."

"Uh, honored guest... did you mean an enemy?"

Xu Jiujiu was speechless. She had never heard of anyone giving the Spirit Devouring Carving Knife to an elder as a gift. What a devoted young man.

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

"Our auction house happened upon the knife by chance. It's gone unsold for so long that we've been stuck with it. If you truly want it, you can have it at cost."

"That works for me. I'll leave it in your hands, Auctioneer Jiujiu."

"Very well. Please wait here while I fetch the Spirit Devouring Carving Knife."

With that, Xu Jiujiu left the room.

Once outside, she grew preoccupied. Meeting a prodigy while handling business here was rare enough. Now it turned out he was a reckless prodigy who wanted to buy the Spirit Devouring Carving Knife.

She did not believe Jiang Yue's story about giving it to an elder for a moment. It was plainly an excuse.

About fifteen minutes later, Xu Jiujiu returned to Jiang Yue's room with two maids. Each carried a tray. One held only a simple yet elegant purple card; the other held a box.

The box was exquisitely made, yet it gave off a sinister air. Merely drawing near it sent a chill through the body.

As soon as the box entered the room, Jiang Yue sensed a jumble of negative emotions. Simply staying near it was deeply uncomfortable.

The feeling was familiar. He could never forget it: the Evil Soul Master who had slaughtered his entire village had carried much the same aura.

The Fierce Blade Soul Devourer! Jiang Yue was certain the box contained the blade he had awaited for years. Only a carving knife cursed by an Evil Soul Master could give off such a nauseating aura.

"Honored guest, this is the Spirit Devouring Carving Knife. Its starting bid has fallen to one hundred and ten thousand Gold Soul Coins. If you'd like to take it now, you need only pay eighty thousand."

"This is also a purple VIP card for the Starlight Auction House, granting you bidding privileges. Your information is registered to it. Next time you want to attend an auction, simply show it at the front desk and someone will assist you."

"The card also lets you attend higher-tier auctions and receive discounts from merchants partnered with our auction house."

"Eighty thousand Gold Soul Coins? I'll pay with my Gold Soul Card."

Jiang Yue took the Gold Soul Card from his Storage Soul Tool and swiped it across the Soul Tool held by the maid behind Xu Jiujiu. Eighty thousand Gold Soul Coins were deducted.

Despite spending most of his fortune, Jiang Yue felt no pang of regret. If anything, he was excited.

"We've received your payment. Thank you for your purchase. The Spirit Devouring Carving Knife is yours. Given its unusual properties, we'll include a Storage Soul Tool that can hold it temporarily."

"It won't withstand the knife for long, so please prepare a suitable place to store it as soon as possible."

"Thank you."

Once the Spirit Devouring Carving Knife was placed inside the Storage Soul Tool, the nauseating feeling in the room faded. But the knife's power was steadily corroding the tool's core. At this rate, the Storage Soul Tool would be ruined in five days at most.

The transaction complete, Xu Jiujiu personally escorted Jiang Yue out of the Starlight Auction House and watched him leave.

Only then did one of the maids following her ask in confusion,

"Your Highness, that boy was remarkably talented. Judging by his clothes and the way he spoke, he probably isn't from a major family. Why didn't you try to recruit him?"

"If it worked, Your Highness could invite him to Star Luo Imperial Academy. In five years, he might lead us to victory in the next continent-wide Soul Master Academy Soul Fighting Tournament."

"Recruit him? With what? We know his age and cultivation, but nothing else. We don't know what he needs or wants. How could we make him the right offer?"

"His age and cultivation are real, but that doesn't mean everything else he wrote is. We need a thorough background check. Once we know his worth, what he wants, and who we're competing against, we can make a decisive move."

"Besides, I'm sure a prodigy like him won't miss a grand event like the continent-wide Soul Master Academy Soul Fighting Tournament. As long as he lives, he won't remain unknown."

"Pass the word. Check the entry records for every young soul master who's come into Star Luo City. Trace his route back, then send someone to Maple Leaf City. I want every piece of information you can gather on him. Every piece."

Whether the information Jiang Yue had volunteered was true or not, Xu Jiujiu needed people to verify it.

Against the machinery of a state, Jiang Yue's current cultivation and standing offered little protection. Even with Maple Leaf City far away in the Heaven Dou Empire, the Star Luo Empire could turn his background inside out.

After this, apart from the secrets he had never shown anyone, they would likely uncover everything about him.

Meanwhile, Jiang Yue returned to his hotel and breathed a sigh of relief. He took the box out of the Storage Soul Tool and set it on the table.

The Spirit Devouring Fierce Blade's baleful aura was terrifying. In just a few dozen minutes, it had struck a hairline crack into the core of the Storage Soul Tool holding it.

Ignoring the Storage Soul Tool, Jiang Yue took a deep breath and opened the box. Waves of unpleasant, icy air burst through the modest room, with cold drafts rising now and then. It made him uncomfortable.

An ancient-looking knife lay quietly inside. An intensely cold, baleful aura coiled around its blade.

If anyone claimed that this thing was actually a life-filled natural treasure, people would think they were mad.

"Old Yi! Old Yi!"

Jiang Yue's spirit went to the gray bead Electrolux had become and repeatedly called out to him in his sleep.

Electrolux was fast asleep. No matter how Jiang Yue called, he showed no sign of waking.

That was only natural. Jiang Yue had obtained Electrolux and the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm earlier than Huo Yuhao had in the original story. Besides, Electrolux was now only a fragment of a remnant soul. Without Living Gold, he could slow his dissipation only by entering a deep sleep.

"Sorry to interrupt your sweet dreams, Old Yi. But you've slept for years. It's time you woke up!"

When shouting failed, Jiang Yue grabbed the Spirit Devouring Carving Knife. Its baleful aura immediately rushed through his body toward his brain. With the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm there, it could not possibly hurt him. If a Million-Year Soul Beast could not protect him from this, the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm might as well retire.

"Hiss—!"

The moment the aura entered his brain, indescribable pain tore through Jiang Yue's entire body. It felt as though someone had brought an axe down hard on his skull.

And it did not stop. Whoever was "swinging the axe" kept at it. The pain throughout his body intensified until cold sweat covered his forehead.

"What?! What's going on?! Jiang Yue, what did you get mixed up with?!"

The baleful aura made straight for the Sea of Spirit, jolting the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm awake where he lived inside Jiang Yue's mind.

The moment he woke, the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm summoned the portion of Mental Power under his control to resist the aura emanating from the Spirit Devouring Carving Knife and protect Jiang Yue's Sea of Spirit.

As the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm mobilized his Mental Power, a strange golden light shone in Jiang Yue's silver and blue eyes.

"Whew, you're awake. Looks like I made quite a racket."

"Quite a racket? If I hadn't woken up in time, that baleful aura would've contaminated your Sea of Spirit! Damaged Mental Power would've been the least of your worries. You could've ended up an idiot!"

"Do you have any idea what you're doing? I thought you were a good kid! Turns out you've been saving up a stunt like this for years, huh?! You nearly scared this silkworm to death!"

"Do you have to be that angry? I only dared to take the risk because you're in my Sea of Spirit, Tian Meng."

"Yes! I do! You and I are in this together. Next time you pull something like this, tell me beforehand! At least give me a chance to brace myself!"