10-Year Wind Baboon Torso Bone

Only after finishing dinner and heading out did Huo Yuhao learn there was another surprise activity planned: visiting an auction.

Xiao Hongchen said he already had a full set of equipment and had nothing worth buying.

After they agreed to stroll around the school together once the auction ended, Xiao Hongchen pulled Feng Tingting away to spend some time alone with her.

Huo Yuhao went to browse with Meng Hongchen. He had been in Mingdu for so long, yet he had never even left the school.

Meng Hongchen explained, "This auction is hosted by the academy's Self-Run Commerce. They sent plenty of invitations to students staying at the academy."

"So, to accommodate the students, it's divided into a first and second half."

"The first half only has low-grade Soul Tools, materials, and a small quantity of materials for intermediate-grade Soul Tools. The overall quality is pretty average, and the prices are fairly low."

"The second half, though, gets into high-grade Soul Tools and rare natural treasures."

"Our main target is the second half."

"Then why don't we just go for the second half?" Huo Yuhao asked, puzzled.

Meng Hongchen raised a slender finger and wagged it, smiling mysteriously. "I heard there's a very unusual 'treasure' in the first half this time. I'm taking you to see it."

Even Senior Sister Meng thought it was unusual. What could it be?

Huo Yuhao's interest was piqued too. He followed Meng Hongchen into the venue and entered the Hongchen Family's VIP box.

Huo Yuhao had not come to the auction intending to be a mere spectator.

Setting aside the supplementary dean's card Jing Hongchen had given him when he enrolled, which could be used at the academy's Self-Run Commerce-

There was also the savings card he had received from his Level 2 Soul Engineer qualification exam. Combined with two months of rewards for holding first place on the Level 2 rankings, he had a modest sum saved up.

In three months at the academy, his savings had gone from zero to over a million Gold Soul Coins.

His funds were even greater than those of a certain Level 4 Soul Engineer.

The first half opened with a few small items to warm up the crowd, most priced at only a few thousand Gold Soul Coins.

The students below won bids on various Level 3 and Level 4 Soul Tools.

Neither Huo Yuhao nor Meng Hongchen bid. They could make all these things themselves, and could even make them better.

Although he did not bid, Huo Yuhao was not idle. He activated his Telepathist ability, and layer upon layer of colorful Ether Bodies appeared before his eyes below.

Drawing on various kinds of mysticism knowledge, Huo Yuhao swiftly deciphered the thoughts of the strangers below.

With so many people whose cultivation was close to his, this was a good place to condense Chaos Qi.

The younger students below seemed swept up in the auction's lively atmosphere, calling out ever-higher prices and making one impassioned purchase after another.

For a time, Huo Yuhao deciphered all sorts of thoughts filled with regret, relief, and self-reproach.

After a little while, Huo Yuhao read some interesting thoughts.

Oh no, I spent so much money.

Good thing there's a complete sucker outside the academy. I fleeced him for three thousand Gold Soul Coins before coming here.

No, I have to find that out-of-towner afterward and fleece him some more to recoup my losses.

If I'd known, I wouldn't have come. Wouldn't it be better to spend a little time making a Level 1 Soul Tool and sell it for a thousand Gold Soul Coins?

Someone was buying Level 1 Soul Tools in bulk outside the academy?

And at such an outrageous price?

Huo Yuhao frowned slightly, recalling something unpleasant. He made a mental note and considered how to prepare a backup plan for unexpected developments.

Meng Hongchen patted him and reminded him, "Junior Brother, that unusual item is here!"

"Our next lot is exceptionally rare and possesses tremendous value as a collectible."

Huo Yuhao looked toward the voice. Below, the young auctioneer lifted the white cloth covering the table with a bright smile.

It revealed a somewhat misshapen torso bone, only the size of a handball, emanating extremely faint Soul Power fluctuations.

Everyone present was stunned.

Even if those attending the auction had never eaten pork, they had at least seen pigs run.

Soul Bones were frequently put up for sale at Mingdu's various auctions. Even a legendary Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone had been sold several hundred years ago.

But this was their first time seeing a Soul Bone with such weak Soul Power fluctuations!

Inside the Sea of Consciousness, the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm was stunned too. Could a Soul Bone really be this weak?

For a time, the auction attendees erupted into discussion:

"What the actual hell? With Soul Power fluctuations this weak, this Soul Bone can't be more than a hundred years old."

"How come its Soul Power fluctuations aren't even as strong as that Level 2 Soul Guidance Ray Gun sold earlier?"

"I'm wondering about something. If you absorb trash like this, will your Soul Power drop instead of rising?"

"You'd have to be careful even holding this Soul Bone, or you might chip it."

"Anyone who buys this and absorbs it would really be something!"

"I'll bet a hundred Gold Soul Coins it's no more than five hundred years old!"

There was no need to guess. The young auctioneer gave them the answer outright:

"This is a 10-Year Wind Baboon Torso Bone, purchased in Shrek City by the academy-run commerce association for 351,000 Gold Soul Coins."

"According to a professional appraiser's assessment, it contains an active Soul Skill that can increase the user's total Soul Power by one to three percent."

"The selling point of this lot lies in its value as a collectible. Thus, the weaker it is, the more its collectible value stands out."

"Its starting bid is 350,000 Gold Soul Coins, with each increase no smaller than 1,000 Gold Soul Coins."

The starting bid was nearly on par with that of a Thousand-Year Soul Bone, which could also be considered the auction's valuation of it.

A lot of this nature had nothing to do with the students.

Apart from suckers with more money than they knew what to do with, and people who enjoyed collecting strange curiosities-

They did not think anyone would spend hundreds of thousands on this kind of trash.

Meng Hongchen corrected her. "Hmph, how could an auction do business at a loss? I bet they paid no more than 300,000 Gold Soul Coins for it!"

"But, Junior Brother, it really is unusual, isn't it? Haha."

Just imagining someone absorbing a ten-year torso bone, only for their physique and Soul Power to decline rather than improve, had her beside herself with laughter.

Wind Baboons really were treasure troves of Soul Beasts. They turned up everywhere. Huo Yuhao laughed too.

"It certainly is unusual. Too bad no one would be stupid enough to absorb something like-"

Wait!

No one would absorb it willingly, but what if that person were guided-or rather, given a suggestion?

Huo Yuhao's gaze shifted slightly. Ever since he had obtained the abilities of the Spectator Sequence and advanced to the Telepathist level-

The beings within his Sea of Consciousness had all believed this ability would evolve toward the soul and mind.

And this ability was very likely to undergo a qualitative transformation at the next stage.

If he gained the ability to implant mental suggestions then, allowing him to guide others into performing certain specific actions-

Wouldn't this 10-Year Wind Baboon Torso Bone become a powerful tool for screwing people over?

At the thought of that out-of-towner who had come specifically to buy up Level 1 Soul Tools outside the academy, the corners of Huo Yuhao's mouth curled upward.

Tang Yin, don't let me catch you following me here again.

Watching his smile, Meng Hongchen inexplicably shivered.

Junior Brother was definitely plotting something wicked!

Huo Yuhao declared without a trace of hesitation, "Senior Sister Meng, I'm buying it!"