Entering the Auction Hall "Wisely"

At dawn, the rising sun climbed into the sky, and waves of morning breeze brushed across their faces, carrying a faint chill.

In the [Falling Cloud] courtyard, Qian Xunzong and Xiaojing sat in the yard, eating breakfast beneath the rosy morning light.

After finishing breakfast, Qian Xunzong held Xiaojing and lay back in a lounge chair, bored out of his mind. There was nothing he could do about it—he had automated cultivation, so there was no need for him to painstakingly cultivate step by step.

This automated cultivation could not only cultivate Soul Power, but also improve his physique and spiritual power. Moreover, it cultivated according to Qian Xunzong's innate thirty-level Soul Power talent. In just these past two or three days, Mu Rong Huai could already feel his Soul Power nearing a breakthrough.

"Ah, this is so boring..."

Qian Xunzong was truly too bored. Douluo Continent had no phones, no computers, no game consoles...

"Shen Ye, is there anything lively happening in Spirit City today? Every day is so boring. Also, you're an Embroidered Uniform Guard, not a secret guard. You don't need to hide in the shadows from now on."

Hearing this, Shen Ye stepped out from the side. "My lord, there's an auction in Spirit City today. I heard several Ten Thousand Year Soul Bones of considerable quality will be auctioned off, so quite a lot of people are going. The two great empires and the seven great sects have basically all sent representatives."

"Oh, an auction? That sounds somewhat interesting." Qian Xunzong's interest was piqued. He immediately ordered, "Prepare the carriage. Call Gui Mei and Yue Guan too—we're going to look around the auction!"

"Yes, my lord."

Less than ten minutes later, a luxurious carriage left Cloud-Treading Villa. Gui Mei and Yue Guan rode horses, while Shen Ye drove the carriage.

Spirit City, Holy Cloud Auction Hall.

"Good heavens, there are way too many people, aren't there??"

Qian Xunzong helplessly looked at the auction hall, which had been surrounded so tightly that not even water could pass through, and the corner of his mouth twitched.

A large auction hall like this could accommodate several thousand people at once, so naturally it had a VIP passage. But today, even the VIP passage was packed solid. It couldn't be helped—Soul Bones were known as treasures of the blood river, not to mention high-quality Ten Thousand Year Soul Bones. Nearly every major force on the continent had sent people.

Spirit Hall had naturally sent people to participate as well, though not to bid. They were there to drive up the prices. The reason, of course, was that Holy Light Auction Hall was Spirit Hall's property. Making a little more money was only natural.

"Ah, Young Master, it won't work! The two of us can't squeeze in!!"

Gui Mei and Yue Guan emerged from the crowd in a sorry state. Gui Mei's hair was completely disheveled. Yue Guan was even worse—his hair was a mess, and where had those lipstick marks on his face come from?

"Young Master, we were almost there, but several big men from the Elephant Armor Sect forcibly squeezed us back out!"

Qian Xunzong sighed as well. They had spent all this time and still could not get in. Seeing this, Shen Ye said from the side, "My lord, why don't I use Soul Power to drive the crowd away? You have the Angel Token. They wouldn't dare make a move."

Qian Xunzong held Xiaojing in one arm and waved the other hand. "That wouldn't be very good, would it? I'm the dignified second young master of Spirit Hall. How can I use my status to bully people?"

"Hey, Young Master, I have an idea?" Yue Guan leaned closer as he spoke.

"Oh? Let's hear it."

"We do this..."

"Th-this... works, I suppose!"

The people scrambling to enter the auction hall suddenly felt the ground tremble. The gauze screens in the windows swayed slightly, and then a roar shook leaves from the trees:

"Earthquake! Titled Douluo are fighting, and the ground's splitting apart! If you don't run, you'll be buried alive in a living coffin!"

Another voice cried out sharply from a rooftop by the street. "Feel beneath your feet! Isn't it shaking? I could barely stay standing just now! If you run a step too late, you're done for!"

The crowd had already been on edge. The moment they heard this, chaos erupted. Someone had just started to say, "What earthquake?"

The ground beneath their feet suddenly shook three times for real. This was clearly a sign that the earth was about to split open.

At that moment, even those who did not believe it had no choice but to believe! The crowd that had just been fighting bloody battles for a spot immediately clutched their heads and fled toward open spaces on both sides. If Titled Douluo were fighting, getting caught up in it would spell disaster for people like them!

Seeing this, Shen Ye withdrew his Soul Power from the shadows, brushed the dust off his trousers, and returned to his original spot expressionlessly, as though nothing had happened. It was as if he had not caused that "earthquake" at all. He then directly led Qian Xunzong and Xiaojing into the auction hall in a streak of light.

At this time, Gui Mei and Yue Guan also emerged from the side, pretending to be victims as they cursed:

"Who's spreading rumors? This is Spirit City. How could Titled Douluo be fighting here?"

"Exactly! What kind of person has no manners like that? If I weren't in such a hurry to enter the auction hall, I'd jump up and give you a soul-crushing flick!"

The "evacuated" crowd finally came to their senses as well. "Fuck, that sissy was spreading rumors for no reason!"

"Damn it, I was almost inside!"

"Get in, quick!!"

"..."

Gui Mei and Yue Guan kept talking as they headed toward the auction hall. They soon reached the entrance, but then the crowd erupted again. In an instant, the place was packed solid once more as people surged forward.

"Fuck, which asshole grabbed this lady!!"

"Damn it, stop shoving! Are you all dead horses or what?!"

"Which bastard groped my ass again!!"

"Fuck your mother, I'm a man! Get lost!!"

"I don't believe you. Come, let Uncle feel..."

"Fuck!!"

"..."

In less than a minute, a black figure and a golden figure were thrown out of the crowd. Gui Mei and Yue Guan stared at each other blankly.

"Didn't we already get in? How did we get thrown back out?"

!(Ꙭ)--(Ꙭ)!

Inside the auction hall, private room number six.

Qian Xunzong waved a folding fan and asked doubtfully, "Isn't the auction about to start? Why haven't Gui Mei and Yue Guan gotten in yet?"

"Uh, well..."

Shen Ye was confused as well. Just then, two "beggars" pushed open the door to the private room and walked in. Seeing them, Qian Xunzong smiled.

"What happened to you two? It's been so long—why did you only just get in?"

The two dragged over chairs, sat down, and panted heavily.

"Ah, Young Master, you have no idea. Those people are bandits! Half my body was already inside, and they forcibly dragged me back out!"

"The men from the Elephant Armor Sect were each bigger than the last. Just two of them standing in that passage blocked it completely. We couldn't get in at all!"

Yue Guan cried as though tears were pouring like rain. "Damn it, there were a few shameless bastards just now. I told them over and over that I was a man, a man, but they still wanted to check..."

Seeing how miserable they looked, they had clearly suffered quite a bit. Qian Xunzong did not know whether to laugh or cry.

"Alright, alright. You two really put in a lot of effort this time. If there's anything you like later, I'll bid on it as compensation. Pick whatever you want."

"Thank you, Young Master! The two of us will brave fire and water without hesitation!" Hearing that Qian Xunzong would compensate them, the pair immediately beamed. Every item at Holy Light Auction Hall was worth a fortune!

Boom!

The lights in the auction hall suddenly dimmed, followed by a deep voice:

"Distinguished guests, welcome to Holy Light Auction Hall..."