The Soul Emperor wore an mmp expression. He had not expected Toji to be interested in this Soul Bone.
He silently weighed his options.
This time, he was really screwed.
If I let him have it, what am I supposed to do?
"Are you also interested in this Soul Bone, sir?" the Soul Emperor asked tentatively, a hint of ingratiation in his voice.
Toji gave him an indifferent glance.
"You want it?"
The Soul Emperor put on an apologetic smile. "You heard the auctioneer, sir. Even a Soul Saint supposedly can't withstand this Soul Bone. If you want it, I'm afraid..."
"My affairs are none of your concern." Toji turned his gaze back to the Soul Bone. Hearing someone competing with him for it, he immediately raised his bid again.
The Soul Emperor took a deep breath, not daring to say anything more that might provoke him. The auctioneer's loud calls continued to ring in his ears:
"Six and a half million!"
"Six million seven hundred thousand!"
"Ten million."
Toji raised the price straight to ten million. He needed to act decisively and bring the price down, or the bidding would go on and on.
He had not expected to find something truly good at this auction house. Luckily, he had brought thirty-five million Gold Soul Coins with him. It was Liang Wu's life savings, so he could spend it however he pleased.
He had to get the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Right Palm Bone today.
The auctioneer's eyes lit up, and he immediately called out, "Ten million Gold Soul Coins! Any higher bids?"
"Ten million, going once!"
"Ten million, going twice-"
The Soul Emperor gritted his teeth and weighed his options again. If he did not bid now, Toji would win the Soul Bone, and when he returned, he would have a hard time explaining himself to that lord.
"Eleven million!" At the last second, the Soul Emperor steeled himself and raised his paddle to bid.
Toji raised an eyebrow slightly and looked at the Soul Emperor.
"Are you sure you want to compete with me?"
The Soul Emperor's heart trembled, but when he thought of that lord's wrath, he could only steel himself and say:
"Sir, this Soul Bone is extremely important to my lord. Please show mercy..."
"Your lord? What's that got to do with me? Looks like you really do want a beating."
With that, Toji raised his paddle again.
"Thirteen million."
The Soul Emperor's entire face turned pale.
"S-sir... my lord is..."
Toji waved a hand.
"Dropping names won't help. Of course, if you're talking about someone from the Body Sect, I'd give it serious thought."
At the mention of the Body Sect, the Soul Emperor's expression became a sight to behold.
The Body Sect? That was the strongest sect in the Heaven Dou Empire, bar none!
One of the three strongest powers on the entire continent.
The first was the Sun Moon Empire's Illustrious Virtue Hall, the second was Shrek's Sea God Pavilion, and the third was the Body Sect.
Anyone else was fair game, but who would dare provoke the Body Sect?
Wait, could this big shot be a mighty expert from the Body Sect?
At that thought, the Soul Emperor became even more afraid to speak carelessly.
"Congratulations to this gentleman on winning the Soul Bone for thirteen million!"
The auction came to an end. Toji stood up, his expression calm, and turned to the Soul Emperor.
"You made me spend another three million."
Beads of cold sweat formed on the Soul Emperor's forehead. He hurriedly lowered his head, not daring to meet Toji's eyes.
"You're lucky I happen to have no time to deal with you."
Toji said no more. He turned and headed backstage to collect the Soul Bone and Whale Rubber he had won.
No time to deal with me?
The Soul Emperor abruptly raised his head, only to see most of the people in the auction hall watching Toji's departing figure like tigers eyeing their prey.
So that's it. He spent thirteen million Gold Soul Coins, but there were far too many people with their eyes on that Soul Bone.
He was fine inside the auction house, but once he stepped outside, countless people would probably try to rob him.
"No wonder he has no time to deal with me..." The Soul Emperor gave an awkward smile, feeling as though he had survived a calamity.
"Go, follow him! Don't let him leave Heaven Dou City."
Quite a few people had already fixed their eyes on Toji without a word.
Only the Soul Emperor remained seated, pondering for a long time.
"If he gets beaten to death by the crowd, I can try to snatch it too. With all my skill in using poison, hardly anyone dares provoke me. If he crushes everyone with absolute strength, I won't get involved."
Having made up his mind, the Soul Emperor followed.
But everyone there who had the same idea was likely to be disappointed.
With Toji's physique, which prevented anyone from sensing him, almost no one was likely to be capable of tracking him.
After slipping out of the auction house without anyone noticing, Toji blended straight into the crowd. The Soul Masters following him were instantly dumbfounded.
"Where is he?"
"Where did he hide? Find him!"
The Soul Emperor, who had followed them out, could not help but twitch at the corner of his mouth. Seeing several powerful Soul Saints present use their spiritual power to search and still fail to find Toji, he let out a long breath.
He got away...
Meanwhile, Toji, who had already slipped over to Heaven Dou City's gate, smiled.
Go on, take your time looking.
Every one of you will be searching without a peep.
I have to say, my Body Martial Soul's Soul Skill really is useful.
I wonder what my fourth passive Soul Skill will be.
The first three Soul Skills were already heaven-defying enough.
The first concealed his presence. No matter how powerful a person was, their senses were as good as useless when directed at him.
The second, Unyielding Fortitude, gave Toji a chance to turn the tables and kill his opponent when he was on the brink of death.
The third, Immunity to a Hundred Poisons, was damn useful against Soul Masters with poison-using Martial Souls.
Combined with the strength of his body, he really could have killed that poison-using Soul Emperor head-on with a Class 6 Soul Tool in hand.
If he kept walking the line between life and death, breaking through his limits and growing stronger, perhaps he could step on Huo Yuhao, that child of fortune, to rise to the top and have a chance at becoming a god.
Of course, he would not be Tang San's dog.
As he pondered, he was about to leave Heaven Dou City when he suddenly saw people at the city gate questioning others about something.
"Do you know a young man named Toji? He's about fourteen..."
"Do you know a young man who appears to have no Soul Power at all, but whose individual combat ability is exceptionally formidable? Where is he?"
Hearing what they were asking, Toji's expression changed.
Were they looking for me?
Who were they?
Those people also had extraordinary bearing. They wore matching black martial outfits with a peculiar emblem embroidered on their chests, and they gave off a sharp presence. They also emitted strong fluctuations of Soul Power, clearly marking them as Soul Masters of considerable strength.
There was so much traffic through the city gate, yet not a single person dared come into conflict with them.
Looks like they have quite a background.
"What should I do? Turn back?"
Toji began weighing his options.
Going back was too risky. The Soul Masters from the auction house were all looking for him, including several Soul Saints. At a time like this, he had to fish in troubled waters and leave the city with the crowd where it was thickest. If he turned back, there was a chance he would run into them.
Judging by the way those people were grabbing passersby to question them, they apparently did not know what he looked like.
And since he was dressed to look mature, they probably would not recognize him.
So Toji straightened his back and joined the crowd, preparing to fish in troubled waters and leave the city.
Just then, a sharp-eyed young man spotted Toji. Sensing no fluctuations of Soul Power from him, the man immediately stepped forward and blocked his path.
People with no Soul Power fluctuations were the main targets of their scrutiny.
He looked Toji up and down, his tone slightly probing.
"Young master, might you know a child named Toji? His personal combat ability is exceptionally strong, but on the surface, he appears to have no Soul Power at all."
Toji kept his expression calm. Unruffled by the man blocking his way, he mimicked the tone of the people who had been questioned earlier.
"Toji? I've never heard that name."
The young man frowned slightly, evidently dissatisfied with Toji's answer.
He studied Toji carefully, a trace of doubt flashing in his eyes.
"Young master, you really don't know him? As far as we know, he may be near Heaven Dou City."
Toji shook his head.
"Sorry, I really don't know the person you're talking about. If there's nothing else, I'll be going."
With that, he prepared to walk around them and leave.
But the young man suddenly reached out to stop him, a chill in his voice.
"Young master, wait."