Vast Sea Auction! Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Rubber!

Early the next morning, Huang Yun had breakfast in the lobby on the first floor of the inn.

Breakfast in Vast Sea City differed somewhat from that of the inland regions. The staple was a hearty seafood congee mixed with diced fish and shrimp, its base simmered thick and fragrant.

Huang Yun sat near the entrance, drinking his congee while listening to the casual chatter of the other diners in the lobby.

He had not paid much attention to the noisy conversations at first, but the topic discussed by a table of fishermen made his ears twitch slightly.

"Have you heard? Vast Sea Auction House in the eastern part of the city is holding a big auction this afternoon."

"What kind of big auction? More sea beast materials?"

"More than that. I heard it from someone on the inside. They're auctioning ten items this time, most of them brought back from Deep-Sea Ruins and ocean-going hunting ships. One of them is supposedly a whole intact piece of Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Rubber, bigger than a washbasin."

Huang Yun's chopsticks paused.

Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Rubber, bigger than a washbasin.

He set down his chopsticks and listened closely as the men continued talking.

"Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Rubber? That stuff is rare. Which ship brought it back?"

"No idea. I heard it came from the deep sea, anyway, so its origins are unclear. The auction house won't say who the owner is either. Those are the rules."

"What else is there besides the Whale Rubber?"

"Some Deep-Sea Sunken Wood, the spine of an Iron-Scaled Shark, a piece of deep-sea ore of some unknown kind, and several things supposedly salvaged from underwater ruins. They didn't give specifics. Anyway, the scale of this auction is huge. Even people from the City Lord's Manor are going."

"The tickets can't be cheap, then."

"I heard entry alone costs a hundred Gold Soul Coins. You also have to pay an additional deposit to enter the auction hall."

"One hundred Gold Soul Coins? That's a high threshold."

"Of course. Good things aren't for just anyone to look at."

Huang Yun finished the last mouthful of congee and set down his bowl and chopsticks, already having made up his mind.

An entry fee of one hundred Gold Soul Coins was nothing to him. What mattered was the Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Rubber.

If there really was an entire piece of Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Rubber bigger than a washbasin, then this trip to Vast Sea City had been more than worthwhile.

After paying for his meal, he left the inn and asked passersby for the location of Vast Sea Auction House before heading east along the main street.

Vast Sea Auction House stood on a broad street in the eastern part of the city. It was a three-story gray-white stone building, far larger than the surrounding structures.

Two thick stone pillars stood at its entrance, their surfaces carved with patterns of waves and fish. Above the doorway hung a black plaque with golden lettering that read, "Vast Sea Auction House."

When Huang Yun arrived at the entrance, he saw that quite a few people had already gathered outside to wait.

Most were well-dressed merchants and sea hunters, with the occasional figure who looked like a Soul Master in luxurious brocade robes mixed among them.

He went to the counter, paid the entry fee, received a numbered bronze token, and was led into the auction hall on the second floor.

The auction hall was vast, arranged in a semicircular stepped layout. At its center stood an auction platform raised several feet off the ground, covered in dark blue velvet. A row of Soul Tool lamps hung overhead, bathing the entire platform in bright light.

Huang Yun found a seat toward the back and swept his gaze over the people in the hall.

More people had come than he had expected. Around seventy or eighty people occupied more than half the seats.

Several people in the front row clearly had influential backgrounds. They were meticulously dressed and had attendants beside them.

Although the people in the back were dressed more plainly, most had steady auras. Several were clearly Soul Masters, and the Soul Power fluctuations around them were not weak.

Huang Yun withdrew his gaze and waited quietly.

About the time it took to drink a cup of tea, a middle-aged man in a dark blue robe walked onto the auction platform.

He was not tall, but he looked sharp and capable. He wore gold-rimmed glasses, and his eyes were shrewd and clear. He was obviously an old hand who had worked in this business for years.

Standing at the center of the stage, he clapped his hands and smiled. "Thank you for waiting, everyone. Vast Sea Auction House will auction ten fine items today, all from the deep sea. Every one of them is a rare treasure. The rules are the same as always: highest bidder wins, payment on the spot. All right, enough talk. Bring out the first item."

Two attendants carried up a wooden chest half a man tall. When they opened the lid, they revealed a dark green stone inside, its surface smooth, with faint patterns seemingly flowing within it.

"Deep-Sea Sunken Wood Fossil, tempered by a thousand years of deep-sea pressure. Its texture is harder than iron, making it an excellent material for crafting Soul Tool bases. The starting bid is five hundred Gold Soul Coins, with each increase no less than one hundred Gold Soul Coins."

Someone in the front row immediately raised a token to bid.

Huang Yun scanned the stone with his eye technique. There was nothing special about it, and it was not something he needed, so he had no interest in it and continued waiting.

The second, third, and fourth items were sold one after another.

Some were deep-sea pearls, some were high-level sea beast bones, and some were coral powder used for refining medicine.

Every one of them was a treasure to ordinary people, but none was useful to Huang Yun.

After all, the people of this world had rather limited knowledge.

It was not until the fifth auction item was carried out that his gaze truly focused.

It was an amber-colored gelatinous substance, placed on a silver tray lined with white silk. It was a full circle larger than a washbasin.

Its surface was smooth and warm, glowing with a honey-like radiance beneath the lights. It was translucent and full-bodied, with fine tree-ring-like concentric circles inside, layer upon layer, numbering at least a hundred.

Yet it emitted an incomparably fishy stench.

The older it was, the more intense the smell became.

Everyone in the hall frowned.

But there was also frenzy.

Huang Yun's Lightning Falcon Eyes activated instantly, a faint violet flash of lightning streaking through the depths of his pupils.

He saw the patterns and texture within the Whale Rubber clearly. Every concentric ring represented one shedding and thickening, one layer per century. With more than a hundred layers, it was at least ten thousand years old. Its texture was dense and pure with very few impurities. It was top-grade Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Rubber.

The auctioneer cleared his throat, his voice ringing out loudly. "The fifth item: Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Rubber, weighing approximately thirty jin. It was obtained from an ocean-going deep-sea hunting ship and has been appraised by several experts to be at least twelve thousand years old. This is a divine medicine for relations between men and women. A warm reminder: its medicinal effects are fierce, and ordinary people cannot withstand them. Starting bid: three thousand Gold Soul Coins, with each increase no less than two hundred."

The moment he finished speaking, someone in the front row immediately raised a token. "Three thousand five hundred."

"Three thousand eight hundred."

"Four thousand."

The price climbed steadily. Several burly figures who looked like Soul Masters bid fiercely, clearly aiming for its body-strengthening effects.

Huang Yun did not raise his token immediately. By the time the price reached six thousand Gold Soul Coins, the number of bidders had dwindled, leaving only a burly man in black leather armor in the front row and a white-bearded old man in the back row taking turns raising the price.

The man in black leather armor said, "Six thousand two hundred."

The white-bearded old man said, "Six thousand five hundred."

The man in black leather armor gritted his teeth. "Seven thousand."

The white-bearded old man hesitated, his raised token pausing in midair.

At that moment, Huang Yun raised the numbered token in his hand.

"Ten thousand."

The auction hall fell silent for a moment.

Everyone turned toward the source of the voice and saw a youth in a black half-mask seated in the back row, holding his token steadily aloft.

The auctioneer raised an eyebrow and confirmed, "This guest bids ten thousand Gold Soul Coins. Is there anyone willing to offer more?"

The man in black leather armor turned to glance at Huang Yun, his expression darkening. His lips moved, but in the end, he lowered his token.

The white-bearded old man shook his head and withdrew his hand as well.

"Ten thousand Gold Soul Coins, going once... going twice... going three times, sold!"

The auctioneer brought down the hammer.

Huang Yun lowered his token, satisfied.

Ten thousand Gold Soul Coins for thirty jin of Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Rubber was a slightly low price by Vast Sea City standards.

The owner was probably in a hurry to sell, and there were not many people present who truly recognized its value and could afford the price. That was why Huang Yun had managed to get such a bargain.

There were still five items left, and he remained seated to watch the rest of the auction.

He paid a little attention to two of them: a deep-sea Iron-Scaled Shark spine, hard in texture and suitable for polishing into light weapons or armor components.

There was also a bottle of oil supposedly from a Deep-Sea Dragon Whale, which could be applied to equipment to increase its resistance to corrosion.

He won those two items for eight hundred Gold Soul Coins and four hundred Gold Soul Coins respectively.

He had no interest in the remaining items and did not bid on them.

After the auction ended, Huang Yun went backstage to settle the payment and placed the Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Rubber, Iron-Scaled Shark spine, and Deep-Sea Dragon Whale Oil into his storage ring.

The weighty haul put him in a good mood.

By the time he walked out of the auction house, the sun was already slanting westward. The sea breeze blew toward him, carrying the distinct chill of evening.

As Huang Yun walked back toward the inn, he was already considering how to use this piece of Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Rubber.

Thirty jin of Whale Rubber would be enough for him to temper his body continuously for at least three months if used normally.

Combined with the cultivation of his Indestructible Vajra Body and the nourishment of his two Spirit Bones, his physical strength would definitely rise to another level after three months.

By then, even without an increase in Soul Power Level, his actual combat strength would rise considerably.

He clenched his fist, sensing the warm aura emanating from the Whale Rubber in his storage ring, and his steps became lighter.