You've Been Played

"Teacher, Elders, you might not know this, but something interesting has happened in Spirit City. Or rather, an interesting jar shop has opened. For a hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins, you can open a jar and get all sorts of miraculous items."

Seeing everyone's puzzled expressions, Hu Liena did not keep them guessing. She briefly introduced Lin Xiao's jar shop to them.

Her explanation was straightforward, and everyone understood.

"So you're saying you bought these things for a hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins?"

Something occurred to Ghost Douluo. He looked at the exquisite boxes in Xie Yue's arms and sucked in a cold breath.

These were most likely the miraculous items Hu Liena had mentioned...

"No."

Afraid they would misunderstand, Hu Liena hurriedly shook her head.

"That's a relief..."

Ghost Douluo let out a relieved breath and muttered inwardly, A hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins is no small sum. It might not mean much to us, but some people never see that much money in their entire lives. Spending it on jars would really make you... a sucker.

Then Hu Liena said, "A hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins couldn't buy all these. We spent six hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins..."

What?

Six hundred... thousand?

Hu Liena's words instantly stunned Ghost Douluo.

"Pfft..."

Chrysanthemum Douluo nearly choked on his own saliva.

Six hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins...

That was no small sum!

It was enough to fund two months of Spirit Hall's basic living allowances for every Soul Master below rank thirty on the Douluo Continent.

Even Bibi Dong's beautiful eyes flickered with an unusual expression. "Nana, even if money is just a number to us, that doesn't mean you should squander it like this..."

A few hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins meant little to her.

But as her successor, Hu Liena needed to understand what money should and should not be spent on.

After all.

In the future, countless people in Spirit Hall would depend on Hu Liena for their livelihoods.

"Teacher, I understand all that, but we weren't spending recklessly..."

Hu Liena stuck out her tongue. "Besides, these things were well worth the money. We actually made a killing! Forget everything else-my brother got a Soul Bone from a jar."

"What? You got a Soul Bone?"

"Impossible! Who would be that stupid?"

At Hu Liena's words, Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo cried out in unison.

They were both Soul Masters, so of course they knew the value of a Soul Bone.

Even an ordinary one was worth over a million, and you could not buy one even if you had the money.

Yet Hu Liena and the others had actually gotten one for six hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins?

If it was true, they could resell it for a profit of several hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins. They really had made a killing.

"Brother, take out the Soul Bone you got and show Teacher and the Elders."

Hu Liena turned to remind Xie Yue.

"All right."

At her words, Xie Yue dumped all the boxes in his arms onto Yan, keeping only a palm-sized box. He opened it for everyone to see.

Immediately.

A ripple of Soul Power spread through the hall.

This aura...?

Sensing something unusual, Ghost Douluo's pupils abruptly contracted. He nodded solemnly. "Well, it really is a Soul Bone."

Chrysanthemum Douluo's eyelids twitched at the sight, and he said in his soft, feminine voice, "Judging by its Soul Power alone, this Soul Bone is at least around five thousand years old..."

"To think there really is a fool selling Soul Bones so cheaply..."

Apart from Hu Liena and her two companions, everyone present was a Titled Douluo.

Moreover, they were powerful even among Titled Douluos, so they easily recognized how extraordinary the Soul Bone was.

"No. If that shop can identify a Soul Bone by name, it naturally knows its value..."

"The owner of that shop cannot be a fool."

Bibi Dong slowly shook her head, rejecting Chrysanthemum Douluo's conclusion.

"Your Holiness, you mean..." Chrysanthemum Douluo asked quietly.

"Heh, what do you think?"

A rare smile appeared on Bibi Dong's face. "It has been a long time since I met someone with such boldness. He was actually willing to put up a Soul Bone as a lure."

A lure?

Understanding dawned on Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo.

The value of a Soul Bone went without saying. Offering one to attract customers was certainly a lavish move.

"The shop owner really is generous! When I heard him say you could get a Soul Bone in his shop, I didn't believe it either. Who would've thought I'd open a jar to put that claim to the test and actually get one? I was still completely dazed at the time."

"But I'm certain it wasn't just a lure. If they're lucky enough, other people can definitely get Soul Bones too."

As Xie Yue recalled what had happened, a trace of disbelief still lingered in his eyes.

"Other people can get Soul Bones too?"

"Heh, how naive!"

After hearing Xie Yue out, Ghost Douluo offered that remark, then merely smiled without another word.

Did he really think the owner had opened a shop to run a charity?

Chrysanthemum Douluo wholeheartedly agreed with Ghost Douluo. "You were indeed lucky, Xie Yue. Lucky to be the first person to open a jar, that is. Otherwise, that Soul Bone would have belonged to someone else..."

"If it's really as miraculous as you say, and anyone lucky enough can get a Soul Bone, I'll withdraw all my savings right now and spend them on jars!"

How precious were Soul Bones? He himself was proof enough.

Even as a rank ninety-five Titled Douluo, he did not have so much as two. For someone to offer even one to attract customers was already lavish enough.

Truthfully, Chrysanthemum Douluo was even a little envious of Xie Yue's good fortune.

If I hadn't witnessed everything myself, I wouldn't believe it either... Hu Liena felt neither anger nor resentment. She patiently explained, "Elders, I can testify that this really wasn't just a lure. My brother truly was lucky. And if you think a Soul Bone is the best thing available, you're wrong!"

Once again, her words stunned everyone.

At that.

Chrysanthemum Douluo frowned. "You're getting more and more outlandish..."

Ghost Douluo looked utterly unconvinced. "Is this all you've learned after more than a decade of studying Soul Master knowledge? How could there be a treasure better than a Soul Bone?"

Not only they, but even Bibi Dong frowned. "Nana, have you been neglecting your studies lately...? How could you forget such basic knowledge?

"In that case, starting tomorrow, you're not to go anywhere. Stay in Spirit Hall and study properly. Xie Yue and Yan will join you..."

"Teacher, I'm really not talking nonsense."

Hu Liena's expression shifted slightly, and she hurriedly told Xie Yue, "Brother, take out the Enhancer. If we don't prove we're telling the truth, Teacher is going to punish me..."

The Enhancer?

What was that?

Everyone froze. None of them had ever heard that term.

The next moment, they saw Xie Yue move. From among the boxes, he took out a disk that looked like jade.

Several black dots adorned its surface.

Their first impression was that it was mysterious...

But aside from that air of mystery, they could discern nothing at all.

Bibi Dong frowned in thought, trying to search her memories for any records concerning the Enhancer.

Just then, Chrysanthemum Douluo's soft, feminine voice rang out again. "This is the thing that's more precious than a Soul Bone?"

Hu Liena nodded firmly. "Yes. This treasure is called an Enhancer, and it has only one function... to enhance Soul Rings and increase their age!"

After some thought, Hu Liena felt her description had not been precise enough and added, "In theory, using Enhancers can increase a Soul Ring's age indefinitely. Even a first Soul Ring could potentially become a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring..."

P.S.

Please send some recommendation votes, positive reviews, and the like. Tips would be even better.

Also, starting tomorrow, I'll post 4,000 words a day.

If readers leave comments and vote, it'll be 6,000 words a day.

If there are tips, 8,000 words a day.

If there's enough enthusiasm, 10,000 words a day.