A Startling Bid

Above the Myriad Treasures Pavilion's dome, soul-guided light orbs lit up one after another, like stars kindled one by one by an invisible hand. The break passed quietly amid the fragrance of tea and hushed conversation.

When the auction stage was once again bathed in light, the atmosphere throughout the hall had changed. It was a restrained momentum building beneath the surface, like storm clouds hanging low before a downpour, heavy above everyone's heads.

Yun Zhiyu reclined in her chair, her fingertips lightly stroking the bracelet on her wrist as the Star Ring gleamed. More than thirty auction items had flowed past during the first half without stirring the slightest ripple in her eyes.

Yet now, she had to admit that Uncle Master Mu Chen's words about there being "good stuff" might not have been empty talk. She turned her head slightly and met Gu Yue's gaze. Reflected in those black eyes, deep as ancient pools, were the lights and shadows of the auction stage. She was as calm as though awaiting a match whose outcome she had known from the start.

"Honored guests, the second half of the auction now begins."

The female auctioneer's voice came through the soul-guided amplifier, carrying an indescribable gravity absent from the first half. The soul-guided screen behind her slowly lit up, and an image of the first item condensed within the glow—a fruit as white as jade, its surface covered in fine icy patterns. Under the lights, it reflected rainbow hues, like a drop of morning dew frozen in amber.

"A Thousand-Year Ice Spirit Fruit, harvested from the core region of the Far North and guarded by ice-attribute soul beast clans. One ripens only once every hundred years." The auctioneer's voice carried a carefully trained allure.

"For ice-attribute soul masters, it can purify soul power, refine the origin of one's martial soul, and offers a thirty percent chance of triggering a latent mutation in the martial soul. The starting bid is eight hundred thousand Federation Credits!"

For the first time, Yun Zhiyu's gaze truly shifted.

She turned toward Wu Nianbing. The latter had unconsciously leaned forward, the pale lavender hem of her dress tightening slightly with the movement. The Icebound Frost Sword rested across her knees, and the frostmarks on its blade had become active the instant the Thousand-Year Ice Spirit Fruit appeared. As though they had caught the scent of their own kind, they traced fine trails of ice crystals through the air.

"You want it?" Yun Zhiyu asked, her tone as calm as if she were asking about the weather.

Wu Nianbing's fingers tightened around the sword hilt, her knuckles turning white. Her eyes remained fixed on the fruit, complex emotions churning within them—desire, restraint, and a clarity beyond her years.

"It's too expensive." She shook her head lightly, her voice so soft it was as if she feared disturbing something. "Eight hundred thousand, plus the bidding..."

"I asked whether you wanted it." Yun Zhiyu interrupted her, the vertical pupils in her violet eyes narrowing slightly behind her dark brown contacts.

"Not whether it's worth it."

Wu Nianbing fell silent. Her gaze met Yun Zhiyu's briefly, and in those unfathomable eyes, she saw an almost indulgent certainty. It was the composure of someone in a high position, the indifference toward value held by someone who had seen too many treasures, a silent promise that said, "As long as you nod, you needn't worry about the rest."

"...I do."

One word, as light as a snowflake landing on a lake.

Yun Zhiyu nodded faintly and tapped the soul-guided control panel with her fingertip. The female auctioneer on the stage seemed to receive some sort of signal. Her gaze swept unobtrusively toward the Sky-Class VIP Room on the top floor, and a knowing curve touched her lips.

Bids rang out one after another throughout the hall. An elderly woman in a sable coat in the front row raised her placard first, her voice hoarse yet forceful. "Eight hundred and fifty thousand!" A bid came from a Human-Class VIP Room. "Nine hundred thousand!" An Earth-Class VIP Room refused to be outdone. "Nine hundred and fifty thousand!"

The price quickly broke through one million. Wu Nianbing's breathing unconsciously quickened, and the frostmarks of the Icebound Frost Sword formed a thin mist around her. It was an instinctive reaction from her martial soul in response to her emotional fluctuations. She watched the price climb all the way to 1.2 million, her lips pressing together slightly as she restrained an emotion threatening to burst forth.

"1.5 million."

Yun Zhiyu's voice traveled throughout the venue through the soul-guided amplifier, as calm as if she were naming an inconsequential number. The bidding in the hall abruptly stalled. Countless gazes turned in unison toward the dark glass on the top floor, filled with shock, speculation, and an indescribable reverence.

The auctioneer's voice trembled almost imperceptibly. "Sky-Class VIP Room Number One bids 1.5 million! Is there anyone higher?"

Silence. A long silence. For a single thousand-year spirit fruit, 1.5 million Federation Credits was already nearly double the market value. Unless one was an ice-attribute soul master desperate to break through a bottleneck, continuing to bid would simply not be worth it.

The elderly woman in the sable coat shook her head and slowly sat back down. Several unwilling sighs came from the Human-Class and Earth-Class VIP Rooms, but no one bid again.

"1.5 million, going once. 1.5 million, going twice. 1.5 million, going three times—sold!"

As the hammer fell, Wu Nianbing's body relaxed slightly, like a string stretched to its limit finally regaining its elasticity. She turned to Yun Zhiyu, countless emotions surging in her eyes before they finally condensed into a nearly inaudible whisper. "Thank you, Sister Yun."

Yun Zhiyu did not respond. She merely shifted her gaze back to the auction stage, her expression as indifferent as ever, as though the 1.5 million she had just thrown out was nothing more than pocket change. Only Gu Yue noticed that the rhythm of her tapping against the armrest had become a little more relaxed, as though she were quietly pleased.

The second item was soon brought out. It was the chest piece of a fourth-grade soul-guided armor set, sparking intense competition below.

Yun Zhiyu's gaze lingered on it for less than a second before shifting toward the deepening dusk beyond the window. Fourth-grade soul-guided devices had long since ceased to interest her. Any item casually taken from the System Space collection would be enough to make the so-called "treasures" on this auction stage pale in comparison.

The third item, the fourth, the fifth... The auction lots changed like a flowing stream, and the atmosphere in the hall rose and fell with the peaks and troughs of bidding like a dramatic symphony.

Xie Xie had already recovered his energy. He leaned over the soul-guided control panel, studying each item's detailed specifications and occasionally letting out exclamations of surprise or derisive snorts. Zhang Yangzi rested against Wang Jinxi's shoulder. The aura of his Shadow Martial Soul gave him a particular sensitivity toward soul-guided devices, and he occasionally chimed in with comments, only for Xie Xie to snap back at him without mercy.

Until the seventh auction item appeared.

It was a section of marrow sealed within transparent soul-guided crystal, displaying a peculiar pale gold color. It slowly flowed beneath the lights like the breath of some living creature. The crystal's surface was etched with dense sealing formations, clearly meant to suppress the immense energy contained within.

"Thousand-Year Sea Dragon Marrow." The auctioneer's voice was even more solemn than before.

"It comes from the waters inhabited by the Deep Sea Demon Whale, extracted from the spine of a thousand-year Sea Dragon soul beast. It contains exceptionally pure water-attribute and draconic bloodline essence. For soul masters who need to awaken or advance a draconic bloodline, it is an exceedingly rare treasure. The starting bid is two million Federation Credits!"

Yun Zhiyu's fingers abruptly stopped against the armrest.

She turned to Tang Wulin. He blinked in confusion, while the little grass snake soul spirit on his shoulder seemed to sense something. Its emerald eyes stared fixedly at the Sea Dragon Marrow, its tongue flicking at an astonishing speed.

Tang Wulin might not yet understand what this meant, but Yun Zhiyu knew—the second seal of the Golden Dragon King Bloodline required four spiritual items as keys, and this Thousand-Year Sea Dragon Marrow was one of them.

"Wulin," she said, her voice carrying an unquestionable solemnity, "do you want it?"

Tang Wulin froze for a moment. The lights of the stage reflected in his dark blue eyes, carrying the bewilderment unique to a young boy. "Me?"

"Your Golden Dragon King Bloodline." Yun Zhiyu lowered her voice, ensuring that only those around her could hear. "The second seal needs it."

Tang Wulin's pupils suddenly contracted. He lowered his head to look at his palm, where the faint heat left behind by yesterday's Golden Dragon Claw still lingered. He had only ever mentioned the secret of his Golden Dragon King Bloodline to Yun Zhiyu. Now that she had stated it so plainly, complicated emotions surged in his heart—trust, dependence, and an awe he could neither explain nor understand.

"Yes!" He nodded heavily, a faint tremor in his voice.

"I want it."

The bidding had already exploded throughout the hall. The Thousand-Year Sea Dragon Marrow was far rarer than the Ice Spirit Fruit, and its price began at two million before quickly climbing to three million, 3.5 million, then four million.

A fierce battle erupted among the Earth-Class VIP Rooms. The guests in the Human-Class VIP Rooms had long since withdrawn, leaving only several richly dressed elders in the front rows to grit their teeth and persist.

"Five million."

Yun Zhiyu's voice once more came through the amplifier, calm as though she were merely stating an established fact. The uproar in the hall instantly fell silent, and countless gazes turned toward the top floor again, their surprise even stronger than before. Five million Federation Credits was enough to purchase a respectable estate in East Sea City, yet that voice had tossed it out as casually as anything.

"Sky-Class VIP Room Number One, five million!" The auctioneer was clearly excited now. "Is there anyone higher?"

A round of subdued discussion came from the Earth-Class VIP Rooms before it finally faded into silence. An elder in the front row shook his head and sighed as he sat back down. Another middle-aged man in brocade robes hesitated again and again but ultimately did not raise his placard.

"Five million, going once. Five million, going twice. Five million, going three times—sold!"

As the hammer fell, Tang Wulin's body trembled slightly—not from fear, but from an indescribable excitement. He turned toward Yun Zhiyu, complicated light burning in his dark blue eyes. "Sister Yun, I..."

"We'll talk when we get back." Yun Zhiyu interrupted him calmly, already looking toward the auction stage.

The next few lots were rare metals unique to the East Sea region—Deep-Sea Sinking Silver, Coral Gold, and Tidal Copper. These materials were extremely rare elsewhere on the Douluo Continent, but they occasionally appeared here due to East Sea City's proximity to the deep sea. Yun Zhiyu had little interest in them. The System Space held mountains of god-grade metals, and these supposedly "regionally unique" materials were no different from ordinary metal in her eyes. Tang Wulin's eyes, however, lit up. A blacksmith's instincts made him almost reflexively sensitive to the textures, colors, and energy fluctuations of these materials.

"Sister Yun," he leaned closer, a cautious anticipation in his voice, "these..."

"Once your forging rank improves, you won't have any use for these."

A faint curve touched Yun Zhiyu's lips as her fingertips lightly tapped the tabletop. Deep-Sea Sinking Silver, Coral Gold, and Tidal Copper were sold to Earth-Class VIP Room Number One and Human-Class VIP Room Number One for eight hundred thousand, 1.2 million, and six hundred thousand respectively. The guests in the hall had gone from shock to numbness. Whenever that calm voice came from the top floor, the lower hall would fall into a tacit silence—as though everyone had accepted that the VIP room had come today to sweep up the goods.

Yun Zhiyu replied blandly, "There are too few useful things."

The instant those words traveled through the amplifier, several stifled coughs sounded from the hall below. In an Earth-Class VIP Room, one guest who had been drinking tea directly sprayed it over the soul-guided screen.

The auction continued onward in an increasingly bizarre atmosphere.

The thirteenth item was a fifth-grade soul-guided core, sparking intense competition below before it was ultimately claimed by an Earth-Class VIP Room for eight million Federation Credits. The fifteenth item was a five-hundred-year blood ginseng, purchased by an elder in the front row for 3.5 million, reportedly to temper the physique of his descendants.

Yun Zhiyu remained reclined in her chair, watching everything with an indifferent gaze like an old patron tired of the performance. Every so often, she would cast a glance at something that interested her, and that alone was enough to alter the course of the entire show.

Until the first of the finale items was presented.

It was a bone, crystal-clear and roughly palm-sized, its surface covered in intricate icy patterns that reflected a dazzling glow beneath the lights. A flowing radiance could vaguely be seen within it, like stars frozen in amber, slowly turning as they brightened and dimmed.

"Thousand-Year Ice Crystal Bear Left Arm Soul Bone." The auctioneer's voice carried barely restrained excitement.

"It was produced by a thousand-year individual that died unexpectedly within a ten-thousand-year Ice Crystal Bear clan in the Far North. It is a top-grade ice-attribute soul bone, with the attached soul skill 'Ice Crystal Form.' For a short time, it can transform the body into an ice crystal state, granting immunity to physical attacks and reflecting thirty percent of ice-attribute damage! The starting bid is ten million Federation Credits!"

The atmosphere in the hall instantly erupted. A soul bone—and a thousand-year soul bone at that—was a finale item capable of causing bloody conflict at any auction. Several elders in the front row shot to their feet, while bids rang out continuously from the Human-Class and Earth-Class VIP Rooms. Starting from ten million, the price crazily surged to fifteen million, twenty million, then twenty-five million.

Wu Nianbing's eyes lit up again, but this time she did not speak. The frostmarks of the Icebound Frost Sword flowed violently around her, as though answering the soul bone's call. Yet her fingers rested quietly on her knees, neither clenching nor trembling.

"You want it?" Yun Zhiyu tilted her head.

"Yes." Wu Nianbing's voice was soft, but it held a frankness different from before.

"But it's too expensive, and... this soul bone isn't the best fit for my martial soul. Ice Crystal Bears emphasize defense, while my Icebound Frost Sword follows the path of ultimate offense. Forcing a fusion could instead hinder my future advancement."

Yun Zhiyu's gaze rested on her face for three seconds, a trace of approval flashing in her eyes. Such clarity, such restraint, such insight to still assess herself in the face of temptation—Wu Changkong's daughter had not disappointed expectations after all.

"Then we won't bid."

In the end, the Thousand-Year Ice Crystal Bear Left Arm Soul Bone was claimed for the staggering price of thirty-eight million Federation Credits by a mysterious buyer from an Earth-Class VIP Room. Regretful sighs filled the hall, along with several breaths of relief. For most people, the appearance of a soul bone merely confirmed that they had no chance at today's ultimate treasure, yet it oddly brought them a sense of release.