"The Spirit Devouring Fierce Blade was acquired by the Starlight Auction in Star Luo City several years ago, but after appraising this carving knife, they never dared put it up for auction. Instead, they kept it in storage."
"We're in luck. We happened to catch its very first auction."
Kong Deming's eyes narrowed slightly, and a trace of delight appeared on his face.
At his words, Xu Tiance immediately turned his gaze toward the nearby Starlight Auction House.
From the outside, the Starlight Auction House looked like a very small auction house, with little of its overall floor space exposed aboveground. Only after Xu Tiance and his companions entered did they discover an entirely different world within.
After entering the auction house, they followed a five-meter-wide staircase down, completed their registration, and passed through an old-fashioned wooden door before finally reaching the actual Starlight Auction House.
To qualify to bid at the Starlight Auction House, applicants had to meet not only financial requirements but also undergo an assessment and verification of their identities. Fortunately, with Du Busi, a Level 98 Super Douluo, among them, the Starlight Auction House did not even dare verify his assets. They immediately escorted the group all the way to a VIP room with the utmost respect.
"Welcome to the Starlight Auction House, honored guests. This is a first-tier auction, and many unexpected items may appear. Please take your seats. Our auction will begin shortly."
As a lovely female voice rang out from every direction, the auction hall immediately fell quiet, and the lights that had been shining gradually dimmed.
Soon, a woman in a long red dress stepped onto the stage from one side of the auction hall.
Xu Tiance actually had little interest in the auction itself. After all, items that could be put up for auction were unlikely to include anything that would tempt him.
Given his status, he could truly be said to have anything he wanted. Unless it was a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone or a Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear external soul bone, he had no need to bid for it at an auction.
As for the soul tools sold here... there was even less to say.
Many of the soul tools sold here had come from the Sun Moon Empire. Besides, with Kong Deming around, he had no need to buy them. Whatever soul tool he wanted, he could simply ask Kong Deming to make it for him.
Unless... the Starlight Auction House could get its hands on another Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast Embryo.
At that thought, Xu Tiance's expression turned slightly grim.
Once they returned, he would have to ask Kong Deming to investigate just which Level 9 Soul Engineer from the Sun Moon Empire had been stupid enough to sell the Snow Empress Embryo to the Star Luo Empire after going to such trouble to capture it.
It had belonged to the Sun Moon Empire in the first place, yet in the end, Mingde Hall had to spend its own money buying it back, only for Huo Yuhao to reap the benefits.
Wasn't that Level 9 Soul Engineer downright sick in the head?
As for that Level 9 Soul Engineer's identity, it would not actually be difficult to uncover. He only needed to have Kong Deming investigate which soul engineer had built, or was currently building, a soul tool called the God-Sealing Platform.
"Good evening, honored guests. I am Zilin, an auctioneer with the Starlight Auction House, and I will be hosting tonight's first-tier auction."
"Our auction will now officially begin. Would our staff please bring out today's first item?"
As her words fell, two young women in purple dresses pushed a small cart onto the auction stage. They stopped just as the cart reached the center, then gently lifted the cloth covering it.
Beneath the cloth was a display stand.
Displayed within it was a blade roughly half a foot long and only as thick as a finger. It was simple and dark, with faint patterns engraved on its surface, giving off a subtle air of antiquity, yet also something somber and oppressive.
"I imagine many of our honored guests have already been deceived by its plain, unassuming appearance. But let me tell you: although this carving knife looks rather ordinary, its origins are anything but."
"The carving knife rankings of the Douluo Continent list only one hundred carving knives in total, and more than two-thirds of them are in the Sun Moon Empire. This is also an important reason why the Sun Moon Empire has so many soul engineers, and why they are so powerful."
"This carving knife is one of those ranked in the top hundred. A ranked carving knife, number ninety-nine: the Spirit-Devouring Carving Knife."
As the auctioneer finished speaking, a look of delighted surprise immediately appeared on Xu Tiance's face.
He had thought he might have to wait a long time for the Spirit Devouring Fierce Blade to appear. He had never expected it to be the very first item in this auction!
Beside him, Kong Deming's expression also shifted slightly. His eyes were fixed intently on the Spirit Devouring Fierce Blade, a searching look emerging within them.
Was this the Spirit Devouring Fierce Blade forged by an evil soul master, the one that would turn on its owner and lure them into falling to become an evil soul master?
From its appearance, there was no way to tell that it could be so dangerous.
Still... even if the curse on this carving knife could not be removed, it had some value as a collector's item.
"The Spirit-Devouring Carving Knife has a history of more than three thousand years. Its creator was an extraordinarily gifted soul engineer from the Sun Moon Empire three thousand years ago, and also a terrifying evil soul master. Three thousand years ago, he brought a storm of blood and slaughter upon the continent."
"This Spirit-Devouring Carving Knife was crafted by that evil soul master in his later years. Afterward, he died, and the carving knife passed into private hands."
"According to the history traced by our Starlight Auction, this fierce blade has had thirty-seven owners. In the end, without exception, every one of them died a violent death. Nine of them also became evil soul masters."
"Legend has it that this fierce blade, Spirit Devouring, contains the curse of that evil soul master. That is why its ranking has fallen again and again, from somewhere in the thirties originally to its current position of ninety-nine. We hope that whoever wins it possesses the light attribute. Of course, we cannot fully understand precisely what mysteries this carving knife holds."
"The only thing we can guarantee is that, as long as you do not channel your own soul power into it, it will never turn on you."
Once the auctioneer finished her explanation, the entire auction hall fell into deathly silence. Even the few buyers who had been itching to act upon hearing the words "ranked carving knife" completely abandoned the idea after learning how sinister this knife was.
First, curses and the like were absolute nonsense. What carving knife could possibly bewitch its owner into falling to become an evil soul master? Second, these were ultimately nothing more than rumors. Whatever anyone said, it was still a carving knife ranked in the top hundred. Finally, there was absolutely no way I was bidding on this knife.
Most of the soul engineers present were thinking along those lines.
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