Chapter 18: Holy Light Auction, Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Bone

"Distinguished guests, welcome to the Holy Light Auction Hall. I am Yun Meng, the host of this auction. Welcome, everyone."

On the auction stage, a woman in a teal-blue gown appeared. Her voice was pleasant and penetrating, while her features were delicate and elegant. Every movement she made carried an enchanting, soul-stirring grace.

As soon as she finished speaking, the people in the auction seats immediately became excited.

"Miss Yun Meng, hurry up and begin!!"

"Yeah, we can't wait any longer..."

Hearing the crowd, Yun Meng covered her mouth and smiled before continuing.

"Distinguished guests, please do not be impatient. Before the auction begins, the rules must naturally be made clear. The Holy Light Auction House has spent half a year gathering treasures. From rare curiosities to treasures from the Blood River, there are eighteen items in total, each one a rare and genuine treasure. The rules remain the same: the highest bidder wins. Treasures may be used as collateral, but credit is absolutely forbidden. Anyone who dares to seize an item by force will bear the consequences.

"Alright, no more idle chatter. Please bring out the first auction item."

As her words fell, a staff member walked up carrying a tray covered with red cloth and gently placed it on the auction platform before Yun Meng. She stepped forward and lightly lifted the red cloth, revealing an azure-blue ring on the tray.

"Everyone, the first auction item is a Storage Soul Tool. It contains fifty cubic meters of storage space and is an exceptionally rare Soul Tool. The starting price is thirty thousand Gold Soul Coins, and each bid must increase by no less than five thousand Gold Soul Coins. Bidding begins!"

A Storage Soul Tool with fifty cubic meters of space was extremely rare. Aside from ordinary storage, it could directly hold the provisions, supplies, crossbow carts, catapults, and other large combat equipment of an entire army during a campaign. It could also be used to hide the treasures of certain sects, allowing a sect's accumulated foundation to be quickly relocated in a crisis.

"I bid forty thousand Gold Soul Coins!!"

"Forty thousand Gold Soul Coins. Can anyone offer fifty thousand?"

"Sixty thousand Gold Soul Coins!"

"This distinguished guest bids sixty thousand Gold Soul Coins. Can anyone offer seventy thousand?"

"..."

After a fierce contest, the Storage Soul Tool was sold for one hundred and twenty thousand Gold Soul Coins. Given the purchasing power of Gold Soul Coins on the current Douluo Continent, one hundred thousand was already about its limit. As for the extra amount, it was naturally caused by certain "kind people" driving up the price.

"The second auction item is an Ice Jade Marrow Bed. It was crafted from Ten Thousand Year Ice Marrow taken from a Profound Ice fissure in the Far North. Soul Masters cultivating atop it can keep their minds clear. For water- or ice-element Soul Masters, it can increase cultivation speed by nearly forty percent, no less effective than a high-level mimetic cultivation environment.

"The starting price is fifty thousand Gold Soul Coins, and each bid must increase by no less than five thousand Gold Soul Coins. Bidding begins!!"

"I bid seventy thousand Gold Soul Coins!"

"We are an ice-element family! I bid eighty thousand Gold Soul Coins!!"

"Eighty thousand Gold Soul Coins here. Can anyone offer ninety thousand?"

"..."

Qian Xunzong had no interest in that Ice Jade Marrow Bed either. It would be ice-cold to sleep on, and the bedding at Cloud-Treading Villa was far more comfortable than that thing. In the end, it was sold for one hundred and sixty-five thousand Gold Soul Coins.

Just two treasures had already sold for nearly three hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins, enough to show the scale of this auction. However, some sect forces had yet to make a move. Their targets were naturally not these items.

As time passed, the auction reached its climax, with only four items remaining.

A staff member carried up another tray and gently placed it on the auction platform as usual. After Yun Meng lifted the red cloth, an exquisite model boat appeared before everyone. Yun Meng began her introduction.

"Distinguished guests, this treasure is called the Sea-Covering Wandering Dragon Boat. It is a large submersible Soul Tool boat from an ancient overseas secret realm. It can carry several hundred people across the sea, possesses extremely strong concealment, and can withstand the disturbance of Soul Beasts below ten thousand years."

"The starting price is one hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins, and each bid must increase by no less than ten thousand Gold Soul Coins. Bidding begins!!"

"I bid one hundred and thirty thousand Gold Soul Coins!!"

"One hundred and thirty thousand Gold Soul Coins. Can anyone go higher?"

"One hundred and sixty thousand Gold Soul Coins!"

"..."

Qian Xunzong looked at the Sea-Covering Wandering Dragon Boat on the stage. "Now this is something I like. It can be placed at Silver River Waterfall for sightseeing on Mirror Lake. Just buy it outright."

At his words, Shen Ye stepped forward, raised his bidding plaque, and said, "Three hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins!"

Hearing Shen Ye raise the price by more than one hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins at once, everyone gave up bidding. Three hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins was nearly the highest possible price for this Soul Tool.

The Dragon Abyss Boat Tang San bought in the original work was a small sailing Soul Tool that could only withstand attacks from hundred-year Soul Beasts. This Sea-Covering Wandering Dragon Boat, however, was several times larger, could carry several times more people, and could even withstand attacks from ten-thousand-year Soul Beasts.

Besides, Qian Xunzong could not be bothered with the trouble and simply bought it out. Three hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins was about right. In any case, Qian Xunzong had the gold card Qian Xichen had given him. Besides, it was his own business, so he would not lose out.

"Congratulations to the distinguished guest in private room number six for purchasing the Sea-Covering Wandering Dragon Boat for three hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins!"

Then came the main event of the auction, the moment when the major powers began to exert themselves.

"Distinguished guests, the next item is the first grand finale item of this auction: one Ten Thousand Year Right Arm Soul Bone. It came from a fifteen-thousand-year Explosive Vajra Tiger and is of superior quality, suitable for fire-element and assault-type Soul Masters.

"The starting price is three hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins, and each bid must increase by no less than ten thousand Gold Soul Coins. Bidding begins!"

As soon as the Ten Thousand Year Soul Bone appeared, the major powers began raising their plaques to bid.

"Three hundred and fifty thousand Gold Soul Coins!!"

"Four hundred thousand!"

"Four hundred and thirty thousand!!"

"..."

The allure of a Soul Bone was simply too great. Bids rose one after another, and in the end, the private room next to Qian Xunzong's, private room number five, bought it for six hundred and forty thousand Gold Soul Coins.

"The next auction item is likewise a Ten Thousand Year Left Leg Soul Bone. It came from the thirty-thousand-year top-tier dark-element Soul Beast, the Netherworld Rakshasa Ghost. Its quality is no less than that of an ordinary fifty-thousand-year Soul Bone, making it highly suitable for dark-element and agility-attack Soul Masters.

"The starting price is four hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins, and each bid must increase by no less than fifty thousand Gold Soul Coins. Bidding begins!!"

"I bid five hundred thousand!"

"Five hundred and fifty thousand!"

"..."

Inside private room number six, upon hearing that it was a thirty-thousand-year Soul Bone from the supreme dark-element Soul Beast, the Netherworld Rakshasa Ghost, Gui Mei's eyes immediately lit up. He stared fixedly at the Soul Bone on the auction stage, unable to stop himself from swallowing, his gaze filled with longing.

However, the quality of this Soul Bone far surpassed the previous one. Its final price would likely reach around one million Gold Soul Coins.

"What, you want it?"

Hearing Qian Xunzong's words, Gui Mei turned around and nodded repeatedly. "I want it!"

"If you want it, then bid for it." Qian Xunzong waved his hand, and Shen Ye stepped forward, raised his bidding plaque, and said.

"Eight hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins!!"

"The distinguished guest in private room number six bids eight hundred thousand. Are there any higher bids?"

"Eight hundred and fifty thousand. The Star Luo Empire wants this Soul Bone. I hope everyone will give us some face!" A hoarse voice rang out from private room number three.

"They're from the Star Luo Empire. They've revealed their identity already, so we can't bid against them. Otherwise, we'd be opposing the Star Luo Empire!"

"Exactly, exactly!"

"I'm out, I'm out!"

"..."

Upon hearing the words Star Luo Empire, Gui Mei clenched his fists. In the end, he still let go and sighed. The Star Luo Empire was a colossal force, and opposing them would lead to no good outcome.

At that moment, a staff member entered the private room and said to Qian Xunzong.

"My lord, the person in private room number three is the head of the Star Luo Empire's Zhu Family."

"Young master, forget it. It isn't worth becoming enemies with the Star Luo Empire over a Soul Bone," Gui Mei said as well. Though he desperately wanted that Soul Bone, he wanted even less for Qian Xunzong to become enemies with Star Luo because of him.

However, Qian Xunzong merely took a calm sip of tea. "This young master has never broken his word. An auction is supposed to go to the highest bidder. There is no such thing as using power to suppress others. Besides, what the hell is the Star Luo Empire's Zhu Family? Are they worthy of me, Qian Xunzong, giving them face?"

Understanding Qian Xunzong's meaning, Shen Ye immediately stepped forward and raised his plaque again, saying without the slightest courtesy.

"One million Gold Soul Coins!!"