The morning mist had not yet dissipated at the Heaven Dou Royal Academy the next day.
Dugu Bo appeared quietly, said a few words to Lin Kong, and then took Dugu Yan away to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well to completely eliminate the poison of the Jade Phosphorus Snake Martial Soul in Dugu Yan's body.
Lin Kong headed in another direction—to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect School's office in Heaven Dou City.
Regardless of whether he had any intention of scheming against or deceiving Ning Fengzhi, the final result was that Dugu Bo crumpled up Ning Fengzhi's handwritten letter of recommendation into a piece of waste paper in front of everyone.
He himself did indeed enter the gates of the Heaven Dou Royal Academy in a different way.
He was in the wrong, both morally and logically.
"Hello, this is my visiting card."
Lin Kong handed over a visiting card with a respectful tone.
He didn't even know where Ning Fengzhi was at the moment—was he in Heaven Dou City handling sect affairs? Had he already returned to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect School's mountain gate? Or had he been invited by some powerful figure to a banquet in another city?
We have no choice but to follow the procedures!
After sending a visiting card and waiting for the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect to approve it, the other party will arrange the time and place for the meeting. Ordinary people would have to wait at least ten days to half a month to see the leader of the Upper Three Sects.
After all, Ning Fengzhi is not only the sect leader of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, but also one of the top businessmen in the entire Douluo Continent, and he is extremely busy.
A staff member's voice quickly came through the window, carrying a somewhat bureaucratic tone, routinely asking three questions, "Who are you? Who are you looking for? What do you need?"
"Junior Lin Kong requests an audience with Uncle Ning, and has come specifically to apologize in person."
The next moment, the screen cover was lifted, and a head popped out. A pair of eyes scrutinized Lin Kong from head to toe several times, as if confirming something, before finally speaking with a sudden realization, "You're Lin Kong?"
"Exactly."
"The sect leader has given the order that you can go see him directly within three days. Today, the sect leader is at the Heaven Dou City Grand Auction House, so go ahead!" The clerk's tone softened considerably.
Lin Kong was slightly taken aback, his heart filled with surprise.
He never expected that Ning Fengzhi had already given prior notice, clearly anticipating his arrival to apologize.
"Thank you for informing me." Lin Kong bowed and expressed his gratitude.
Turning away, Lin Kong headed towards the most bustling area of Heaven Dou City.
There stands a building renowned throughout the entire continent— the Heaven Dou City Grand Auction House.
The glazed tiles shimmered brilliantly in the sunlight, and the vermilion pillars were carved with intricate patterns, exuding an air of extravagant wealth. On either side of the main gate stood two rows of young female attendants, all around twenty years old, with above-average looks and figures, clearly carefully selected.
As Lin Kong approached, a waiter quickly stepped forward, bowed slightly, and said in a gentle and polite voice, "Young master, is there anything I can help you with?"
Lin Kong stated bluntly, "I'm here to find someone."
A hint of surprise flashed in the waiter's eyes, but he maintained a polite smile and asked softly, "May I ask which distinguished guest you are looking for?"
" Ning Fengzhi, Sect Master Ning of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect."
Upon hearing this, the waiter's expression changed instantly. He couldn't help but glance at Lin Kong a few more times, his eyes filled with disbelief. After a moment's hesitation, he patiently explained, " Sect Master Ning is indeed in the auction house right now, but..."
She didn't say what came next, but her hesitant expression clearly conveyed her refusal.
Saying "You can't go in" directly would be too offensive; but letting someone of unknown identity in to disturb Sect Master Ning was a responsibility she couldn't bear.
Beneath this seemingly polite and rule-abiding attitude lies an unquestionable threshold—if anyone dares to force their way in, the Soul Master guarding the auction house will naturally use their strength to reason with them.
Lin Kong wasn't annoyed; he simply asked, "Then how can I get in?"
The waiter breathed a sigh of relief and patiently explained, "There are two ways to enter the inner area: one is to participate in the auction, which requires verification of your assets; the other is to provide auction items, which will first be appraised by an expert."
Lin Kong wasn't actually short of money. He had fought in the Great Soul Arena for many years and had already amassed a considerable fortune. Using money to pave the way wouldn't have been difficult for him, but he chose the latter method instead.
He spoke with a smile, his tone as casual as if he were discussing something trivial. "Do you want fragments of External Soul Bone?"
The waiter suddenly looked up, his eyes wide open, his composure vanished, and even his breathing became rapid.
"What, is that not allowed?" Lin Kong raised an eyebrow.
"No, no, no!" The waiter snapped out of his daze and bowed even deeper, his tone full of apology and respect. "Please forgive me, sir! Please come with me. The item you offered for auction... External Soul Bone. We will immediately have a Grandmaster evaluate it for you!"
She dared not be negligent in the slightest, and quickly stepped aside to lead the way, respectfully inviting Lin Kong into the magnificent Heaven Dou City Grand Auction House.
Lin Kong followed the waiter through a winding corridor, turning left and right, and was finally led into a quiet little cubicle.
In the center of the cubicle was a long rosewood table, behind which sat an elderly man with half-white hair and beard, who was the auction house's appraiser. He was slumped in his chair, looking listless, not even bothering to lift his eyelids, looking every bit the stereotypical, perfunctory worker.
But when the attendant leading the way leaned close to his ear and whispered a few words, the appraiser seemed to have been kicked in the tail. He jumped up from his chair, his weariness vanishing completely, replaced by uncontrollable excitement, his voice trembling. "External... External Soul Bone!"
Lin Kong nodded slowly, emphasizing his words: "It's a fragment."
"Fragments, fragments! It's a fragment of External Soul Bone!" The appraiser repeated twice, swallowing hard to calm his wildly beating heart. Even though he had seen countless rare treasures in his life, a legendary treasure like External Soul Bone, even if it was just a fragment, was enough to make him lose his composure.
With a flick of his wrist, Lin Kong conjured a tray covered in black velvet on the long table in front of him. On the tray lay several irregular black fragments, their surfaces covered in fine fuzz. A faint, chilling aura emanated from them, making one feel inexplicably uneasy.
"Be careful," Lin Kong said calmly, his tone carrying a hint of warning, "These fragments are highly poisonous."
The appraiser's fingertips were about to touch the fragment when he heard this and abruptly stopped, awkwardly withdrawing his hand. He stared at the fragment on the tray, his eyes full of hesitation. "This fragment, hmm..."
His hesitant expression made Lin Kong smile wryly, "You don't actually think I'd bring out External Soul Bone that I can directly absorb and fuse with, do you?"
Upon hearing this, the appraiser's face turned bright red. He rubbed his hands awkwardly, unable to utter a single word of explanation for a long time.
"Let's identify the toxins on it," Lin Kong said, too tired to tease him any longer. "It comes from Man Faced Demon Spider, and it's probably over ten thousand years old. Perhaps someone will be interested in this kind of potent poison."
The venom of the Ten-Thousand-Year- Man Faced Demon Spider, in the hands of an expert, can be a deadly weapon that kills instantly, or a priceless ingredient for refining miraculous medicines; but in the eyes of an uninformed person, it is nothing more than a few pieces of broken bones infused with poison.
"Alright, alright! Please wait a moment, young master!" The appraiser quickly agreed, carefully took a fragment, and turned to walk into the secret room inside the cubicle.
Before long, the appraiser returned in a hurry, his face filled with undisguised amazement. "Young master, the appraisal results are in! It is indeed the venom of the ten-thousand-year-old Man Faced Demon Spider spider, extremely potent! Our starting bid is one thousand Gold Soul Coin. Do you have any objections?"
"Yes." Lin Kong replied succinctly, without the slightest objection.
The appraiser hesitated for a moment, but couldn't help asking the question that had been bothering him, "If I may ask, are these fragments... fragments of the External Soul Bone the Man Faced Demon Spider, or simply fragments of the legs of a ten-thousand-year-old Man Faced Demon Spider?"
These two things are very difficult to distinguish!
Lin Kong glanced up at him, a half-smile playing on his lips, and casually uttered two words:
"You guess!"