Early the next morning, Huang Yun ate breakfast in the first-floor hall of the inn.
Breakfast in Vast Sea City differed somewhat from that inland. The staple was a hearty seafood congee mixed with diced fish and shrimp, its thick broth rich and fragrant.
Huang Yun sat near the entrance, drinking his congee while listening to the idle chatter of the other diners in the hall.
He had not paid much attention to the noisy conversations at first, but the topic being 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 major auction this afternoon."
"What kind of major auction? More sea beast materials?"
"Not just that. I heard from someone on the inside that they're auctioning ten items this time, most of them recovered from the Deep-Sea Ruins or brought back by deep-sea hunting ships. One of them is supposedly an entire 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 put 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. They say it came from somewhere in the deep sea, so its origins are unclear. The auction house won't say who the seller is either. That's the rule."
"What else is there besides the Whale Rubber?"
"Some Deep-Sea Sunken Wood, an Iron-Scaled Shark spine, a chunk of deep-sea ore of some unknown variety, and several items supposedly salvaged from underwater ruins. They didn't go into detail. Anyway, this auction is high-profile enough that even people from the City Lord's Manor are attending."
"The tickets can't be cheap, then."
"I heard entry alone costs a hundred Gold Soul Coins. And if you want to enter the auction hall, you have to pay an additional deposit."
"A hundred Gold Soul Coins? That's quite a 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. He had already made up his mind.
An entry fee of one hundred Gold Soul Coins was nothing to him. The important thing was the Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Rubber.
If there truly was an entire piece of Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Rubber bigger than a washbasin, then this trip to Vast Sea City had been well worth it.
He paid for his meal and left the inn. After asking passersby for the location of Vast Sea Auction House, he headed 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 grayish-white stone building, far larger than the surrounding structures.
Two thick stone pillars stood before the entrance, carved with waves and fish. Above the doorway hung a black plaque with golden letters reading, "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 dressed in luxurious brocade robes who looked like a Soul Master mixed among them.
He went to the counter, paid the entrance fee, received a numbered bronze token, and was led into the auction hall on the second floor.
The auction hall was spacious, arranged in a semicircular stepped layout. At its center stood an auction platform raised half a zhang above the ground, covered in dark blue velvet. A row of Soul Tool lamps hung above it, brightly illuminating the entire stage.
Huang Yun found a seat toward the back and swept his gaze around the hall.
More people had arrived than he expected. Around seventy or eighty people filled more than half the seats.
Several people in the front rows clearly had influential backgrounds. They were dressed with great care and had attendants beside them.
Although those in the back rows were more plainly dressed, most had steady auras. Several were clearly Soul Masters, and the fluctuations of Soul Power 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 stepped onto the auction platform.
He was not tall, but he was lean and capable. Wearing gold-rimmed glasses, he had sharp, perceptive eyes. One look made it clear that he was an old hand in this business.
Standing in the center of the platform, he clapped his hands and smiled. "Thank you all for waiting. Vast Sea Auction House has ten fine items for auction 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, without further ado, bring up the first item."
Two attendants carried up a wooden chest half a man's height. When they opened it, they revealed a dark green stone inside. Its surface was smooth, and faint patterns seemed to flow within it.
"Deep-Sea Sunken Wood Fossil, forged through a thousand years of deep-sea pressure. Its texture is harder than iron, making it an exceptional material for crafting Soul Tool bases. The starting bid is five hundred Gold Soul Coins, with each raise 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 and continued waiting.
The second, third, and fourth items were auctioned off one after another.
Some were deep-sea pearls, some were high-level sea beast bones, and some were coral powder used for refining medicine.
Each was a treasure to ordinary people, but none of them was useful to Huang Yun.
After all, the people of this world were somewhat lacking in knowledge.
It was not until the fifth auction item was brought up that his gaze truly sharpened.
It was an amber-colored gelatinous mass placed on a silver tray lined with white silk, more than a full circle larger than a washbasin.
Its surface was smooth and warm, glowing with a honey-like radiance beneath the lights. Its texture was translucent and full, while the patterns inside formed densely packed concentric rings like tree rings, layer upon layer, with at least a hundred of them.
Yet it emitted an incredibly fishy stench.
The older it was, the stronger that odor became.
Everyone in the hall frowned.
But there was also madness in their eyes.
Huang Yun's Lightning Falcon Eyes activated instantly, a faint violet flash of lightning passing through the depths of his pupils.
He saw the texture and patterns within the Whale Rubber clearly. Every concentric ring represented one shedding and thickening cycle, one layer per hundred years. With over 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 loudly through the hall. "The fifth item: Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Rubber, weighing approximately thirty jin. It was collected from a deep-sea hunting ship and appraised by several experts to be at least twelve thousand years old. This item is a divine medicine for matters between men and women. A friendly reminder: its medicinal potency is fierce, and not just anyone can withstand it. Starting bid: three thousand Gold Soul Coins. Each raise must be 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 rose steadily. Several burly figures who looked like Soul Masters bid fiercely, clearly after its body-strengthening effects.
Huang Yun did not rush to raise his token. By the time the bidding reached six thousand Gold Soul Coins, fewer people were competing. Only a burly man in black leather armor in the front row and a white-bearded old man in the back row remained, 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 his numbered token.
"Ten thousand."
The auction hall fell silent for a moment.
Everyone turned toward the source of the voice and saw a youth wearing a black half-mask seated in the back row, holding his token steady.
The auctioneer raised an eyebrow and confirmed, "This guest has bid ten thousand Gold Soul Coins. Any higher bids?"
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 on the low side of the market price in Vast Sea City.
The seller was probably in a hurry to sell, and there were not many people present who could truly recognize its value and afford the price. That was why he had managed to get such a bargain.
There were still five auction items left, and he remained seated to watch them all.
Two of them caught his attention slightly. One was the spine of a deep-sea Iron-Scaled Shark. Its material was hard enough to be polished into light weapons or protective gear components.
The other was a bottle of oil supposedly extracted from a Deep-Sea Dragon Whale, which could be applied to equipment to improve corrosion resistance.
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 stored the Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Rubber, Iron-Scaled Shark spine, and Deep-Sea Dragon Whale Oil in his Storage Ring.
The heavy weight of those items put him in a good mood.
By the time he left the auction house, the sun was already slanting westward. The sea breeze blew toward him, carrying the distinctive chill of evening.
As Huang Yun walked back toward the inn, he was already considering how to use the 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 cultivating the Indestructible Vajra Body and nourishing 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 improve by a great deal.
He clenched his fist, sensing the warm aura of the Whale Rubber within his Storage Ring, and his steps grew lighter.
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