"Were you deceived? Come in and find out. The auction is about to begin!"
Lin Yuan's words reached the Scarlet King and Zi JI.
The Scarlet King and Zi JI looked at each other in dismay.
After exchanging a few glances, they walked into the Lin Auction House in unison.
They had come all this way; it would hardly make sense not to go in.
Not long afterward, another figure appeared outside the Lin Auction House.
This time, the arrival was not a Soul Beast, but a Soul Master.
He wore a loose cloak, black as ink, that concealed every inch of him. He was tall and powerfully built; one look was enough to tell he was well suited to physical labor. If you stood in front of him, all you could see was his stubbled chin.
Looking at the auction house before him, he sank into his memories.
Yesterday, while keeping his wife company in the cave, he had received an invitation that had materialized from golden light.
He had opened it and found himself drawn in by its contents.
[One day from now, the Lin Auction House in Suotuo City will auction an Immortal Herb. If you, Your Excellency Haotian, win and consume it, not only will you be able to take another step atop a hundred-foot pole and grow stronger, but the injuries you suffered in the past can also be healed. If you are interested, Your Excellency Haotian, please bring sufficient Gold Soul Coins and attend the auction.]
[Note: With this invitation, you may bring two people with you.]
The man in the black cloak was none other than Tang Hao, the Clear Sky Douluo whose name had once shaken the Soul Master World.
Tang Hao had been stuck at the level of a rank ninety-five Titled Douluo for a very, very long time, and he desperately wanted to break through. On top of that, he had suffered severe injuries in the battle years ago when he had fought three opponents alone, and their pain had tormented him all these years. So, after receiving the invitation and reading its contents, he had ultimately decided to come take a look at the Lin Auction House.
Tang Hao raised his head and looked at the plaque bearing the words "Lin Auction House."
After confirming he had come to the right place, Tang Hao stepped inside.
The Lin Auction House's auction hall had a huge semicircular platform.
Nine conspicuous glass cabinets stood on the platform.
Each glass cabinet was covered by a red silk cloth.
They were just like a bride's veil.
Until they were lifted, there was no telling what lay beneath.
The last glass cabinet was as tall as a person, while the others were only the size of wagon wheels.
Beyond the semicircular platform, leather sofas were arranged one after another.
The leather sofas were exceptionally soft. There were only ten in total, for the ten people who had received invitations.
The moment Tang Hao entered the auction hall and saw who was there, shock flashed in his eyes.
Shock he could hardly conceal.
Bibi Dong, Pope of Spirit Hall.
Sword Douluo Chen Xin of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
Ning Fengzhi, sect master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan, an elder directly under Spirit Hall.
Yu Yuanzhen, patriarch of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan.
Porcupinefish Douluo Ci Xue, an elder directly under Spirit Hall.
Snake Lance Douluo She Long, an elder directly under Spirit Hall.
A woman with golden hair and an angelic presence, just like Qian Xunji.
A blond youth surnamed Dai, whose Martial Soul was the White Tiger passed down through the Star Luo Imperial Family.
Every last one of them was no ordinary person.
The number on Tang Hao's invitation was nine.
He found the sofa numbered nine and sat down.
As luck would have it, Dai Mubai was sitting beside him.
Dai Mubai glanced at Tang Hao, disgust appearing in his eyes, and covered his nose and mouth with his right hand.
A thought popped into Dai Mubai's head.
What a stinking beggar.
One could hardly blame Dai Mubai for his disgust. Tang Hao simply paid too little attention to his appearance. He neither shaved his beard nor tended to his hair, and when he went out, he merely threw on a cloak to conceal his identity. That would have been one thing, but he did not even wash the cloak. All he ever did was drink, and the foul stench mingled with the reek of alcohol. It would have been strange if he did not stink.
Tang Hao could be summed up in three words.
He reeked something fierce.
Thud!
The auction hammer came down heavily on the sounding block.
Everyone's gaze immediately locked onto Lin Yuan.
Facing their gazes, Lin Yuan smiled and spoke.
"Welcome, everyone, to the Lin Auction House and our very first auction."
"I don't believe you know me yet, do you?"
"Then allow me to briefly introduce myself."
"My surname is Lin, and my given name is Yuan. I'm the owner of the Lin Auction House and, at present, its only employee."
"Next, nine items will be auctioned. Without exception, each item will go to the highest bidder."
"The starting bid for every item will be one Gold Soul Coin."
"Now, for the first item: the Green Lotus Sword."
As soon as he finished speaking, Lin Yuan went to the glass cabinet on the far left.
With a swish, Lin Yuan pulled the red silk cloth off the cabinet.
In an instant, everyone saw what was inside.
It was a delicate little sword, only as long as an ordinary person's middle finger. The sword was blue-green, with lotus flowers covering its blade, and its sharp edge gleamed.
The moment Sword Douluo Chen Xin saw the Green Lotus Sword, his focus, or rather the seriousness with which he regarded it, rose several notches.
The Green Lotus Sword?
It was what Sword Douluo Chen Xin had come for!!!
The invitation had said it was a sword that surpassed the Seven Kill Sword, and Sword Douluo Chen Xin was eager to know whether that was true.
But whether it was true was not the most important thing.
The most important thing was for Sword Douluo Chen Xin to win it and obtain it, so that he could become a Twin Martial Souls possessor.
After looking at the Green Lotus Sword for a few moments, Dai Mubai, sitting on sofa number eight, gave his assessment.
"The Green Lotus Sword? What a tiny sword. It looks pretty ordinary to me. I don't think it's even as good as Little San's Hidden Weapons."
"I won't waste my Gold Soul Coins bidding on it."
Having spoken, Dai Mubai turned to look at Zhu Zhuqing, who stood behind him in a one-piece, form-fitting battle suit. "Zhu Zhuqing, what do you think?"
Hearing Dai Mubai's words, Lin Yuan smiled on the platform.
Looking at Dai Mubai, Lin Yuan spoke with a smile.
"Third Prince of the Star Luo Empire, it seems you've misunderstood."
"The Green Lotus Sword isn't a weapon. The reason it's so small is that it's a Martial Soul, a sword-type Tool Martial Soul focused on offense."
"Tool Martial Souls are all small and delicate when they first awaken."
"Anyone who wins the Green Lotus Sword and uses Soul Power to refine it can possess the Green Lotus Sword as a Martial Soul."
When Lin Yuan finished, realization dawned on Zhu Zhuqing.
Zhu Zhuqing had ignored Dai Mubai just now and kept her eyes fixed on the Green Lotus Sword.
She had felt that something about it was off.
Normally, a sword would not be so short and small.
Not even a short sword.
So the Green Lotus Sword isn't a weapon, but a Martial Soul!
Wait, what was the Green Lotus Sword? A Martial Soul?!
After repeatedly confirming that she had not misheard, Zhu Zhuqing's beautiful eyes narrowed sharply, and storm-tossed waves and towering billows rose in her heart.
The Lin Auction House was auctioning a Martial Soul?
Zhu Zhuqing wanted to know how the Lin Auction House had done it.
Was this not unprecedented on the Douluo Continent?
As Zhu Zhuqing stood shocked, Bibi Dong, Yue Guan, Yu Yuanzhen, She Long, and the other experts released their spiritual power one after another to examine the middle-finger-sized Green Lotus Sword in the glass cabinet.
They soon finished examining it, and their breathing and heartbeats quickened beyond their control.
They had confirmed it beyond doubt.
The Green Lotus Sword was a Martial Soul.
"I never imagined there was actually an auction house in this world that could auction Martial Souls! Today is really like cutting my backside with a knife-it's opened my eyes." As Snake Lance Douluo She Long marveled aloud, the shock on his face was plain to see.
"I wonder which is stronger, the Green Lotus Sword or the Seven Kill Sword, another sword-type Tool Martial Soul." Looking at the Green Lotus Sword in the glass cabinet, Porcupinefish Douluo Ci Xue muttered to himself, intensely curious.
On her sofa, Qian Renxue gazed at the Green Lotus Sword. After hearing Porcupinefish Douluo Ci Xue's words, she thought for a moment and said, "No matter its quality, as long as I obtain it, I can become a Twin Martial Souls possessor!"
After Qian Renxue spoke, determination appeared on her face.
The Green Lotus Sword Martial Soul?
She, Qian Renxue, wanted it!
She was determined to have it!
Lin Yuan spoke again.
"As for the Green Lotus Sword's quality, all I can say is that it surpasses the Seven Kill Sword. As for what makes it stronger, the Soul Master who possesses it will find out. Oh, and a Soul Master with one Martial Soul who wins the Green Lotus Sword can become the fourth Twin Martial Souls possessor on the Douluo Continent, while a Soul Master with two Martial Souls who wins it can become the Douluo Continent's first Triple Martial Souls possessor."
After speaking, Lin Yuan glanced at two people in turn.
One was Spider Emperor Douluo Bibi Dong.
The other was Clear Sky Douluo Tang Hao.
The former was a Twin Martial Souls possessor, with the Death Spider Emperor and Soul Devouring Spider Emperor Martial Souls.
The latter's son was a Twin Martial Souls possessor, with the Blue Silver Grass and Clear Sky Hammer Martial Souls.
Lin Yuan called out again.
"The auction begins now! The starting bid is one Gold Soul Coin!"
Lin Yuan had not set the price of one Gold Soul Coin.
The goddamn system had.
"The Green Lotus Sword is mine!"
"I bid ten thousand Gold Soul Coins!"
Bibi Dong was the first to bid.
"Twenty thousand!"
Qian Renxue bid next.
Bibi Dong looked at Qian Renxue in shock and surprise.
Her gaze seemed to say, You're competing with your mother for it?