The main hall of the Heaven Dou Auction House is circular, with a high platform in the center displaying the auction items. It is surrounded by several tiers of seats, with the seats becoming more spacious and private as you go up. These are the VIP boxes, where Xue Qinghe, Ning Fengzhi, and the others are currently located.
Guided by a waiter, Lin Yan and Ye Lingling sat down in a relatively forward position. The auction had not officially started yet, but the hall was already packed, and although people were talking in hushed tones, it was still quite noisy.
Soon, a middle-aged auctioneer dressed in a magnificent robe and with a loud voice walked onto the platform. After a brief opening speech, the auction officially began.
The first few items were mostly rare antiques, jade artifacts, calligraphy and paintings by famous artists, or Soul Tool ornaments made by renowned masters. Although exquisite, they were not very practical for Soul Master and were mainly sought after by nobles and wealthy merchants. Lin Yan simply watched quietly and did not make a move.
"Next item, ' Deep Blue Ice Crystal ' from the deep sea of Far North!" The auctioneer's voice rose a few decibels.
The waiter presented a tray covered with black Swan, on which rested a fist-sized, deep blue crystal with what appeared to be flowing ice crystals inside. As soon as it appeared, the surrounding temperature seemed to drop a few degrees, and a cool and pure aura spread out.
"This item contains extremely cold water-elemental energy, which is of great benefit to water or ice-elemental Soul Master' cultivation. It can also be crafted into an ornament by skilled artisans; wearing it for a long time will have the effect of calming the mind and nourishing Soul Power. Starting bid: 10,000 Gold Soul Coin!"
Lin Yan noticed that Ye Lingling's gaze lingered on the Deep Blue Ice Crystal for a moment longer. Ye Lingling's Ten Heart Begonia Martial Soul belongs to life and healing, and its attributes are not Ultimate Water or ice, but the pure energy and calming effect of this crystal may also be of some benefit to her.
However, because of the high price, she quickly looked away.
Lin Yan looked at Ye Lingling and asked, "Do you like this?"
"Too expensive!" Ye Lingling replied.
"It's alright, I'm not short of money." Lin Yan said, raising his sign directly!
"Twenty thousand Gold Soul Coin!"
"Twenty-one Gold Soul Coin!"
"Twenty-five thousand Gold Soul Coin!"
"Thirty thousand Gold Soul Coin!"
"Four..." Lin Yan was about to raise the sign.
"No need, this isn't worth that much money to me!" Ye Lingling quickly pulled him back. "Let's see what other good stuff is behind us!"
"Okay, whatever you say!" Lin Yan tugged at Ye Lingling's hand.
Finally, the item was sold for 35,000 Gold Soul Coin.
Several more items related to Soul Bone subsequently appeared, but none of them were complete Soul Bone. Instead, they were defective items with lower age and average attributes, or bone materials from special Soul Beast. Their value was limited, but they still sparked a contest.
Next, an auction item caught Lin Yan's attention.
"The next item up for auction is a 'Soul -Soul-Calming Incense ' made primarily from the heartwood of ' Soul-Calming Wood,' supplemented with materials such as ' Mind-Calming Flower ' and ' Moonlight Moss,' and personally crafted by the Imperial Court's Chief Healing Soul Master." The auctioneer displayed an antique jade box containing three sticks of incense with a serene color and a faint fragrance.
"Once lit, this incense's fragrance can calm restless Soul Power and soothe damaged spirit. It has remarkable effects on recovery from qi deviation during cultivation or mental injury. It is especially suitable for Auxiliary System and Healing System Soul Master to cultivate their minds daily. There are three sticks available, starting bid 8,000 Gold Soul Coin!"
This is great! Lin Yan's heart skipped a beat.
This Soul-Calming Incense is both practical and not overly expensive, making it a perfect gift for her parents, especially her mother who is also Healing System, as a first visit.
"Nine thousand!" someone immediately offered.
"Ten thousand!"
"Twelve thousand!"
Bidding was incessant. Both the Soul-Calming Wood and the Mind-Calming Flower were rare items, and being crafted by the court's chief healing Soul Master guaranteed their quality.
Lin Yan waited until the price climbed to 18,000 Gold Soul Coin and the competition eased slightly before raising his paddle and saying, "20,000."
This price was actually quite high. Some people weighed the options and gave up the competition. In the end, Lin Yan successfully bid for the box of Soul-Calming Incense for 22,000 Gold Soul Coin.
He gently placed the jade box in Ye Lingling's hands and whispered, "This is for your mother; I hope she will like it."
Ye Lingling held the cool jade box, feeling the tranquil aura emanating from it, and a warmth welled up in her heart. She nodded gently, "Thank you, Mother will like it."
Afterwards, Lin Yan set his sights on a piece of metal called " Star Iron." This metal possesses exceptional toughness and can slightly amplify Soul Power transmission, making it an excellent material for crafting high-quality close-fitting soft armor or certain special Soul Tool. He considered that Ye Lingling, as Healing System Soul Master, had a weakness in defense; if he could use this material to forge a close-fitting armor for her, it would be perfect. This piece of Star Iron was quite heavy, with a starting bid of 15,000 Gold Soul Coin. After several rounds of bidding, Lin Yan acquired it for 30,000 Gold Soul Coin.
For the gift prepared for Ye's father, Lin Yan chose a jar of " Lie Yan Liquor," aged for over fifty years. This is an extremely potent liquor, said to be so potent that even low-level Soul Master dare not drink much of it, but for certain Soul Master with a bold and unrestrained nature or those who cultivate a fierce and powerful path, it is a rare and exquisite brew. Although he was unsure of Ye's father's specific preferences, preparing a gift that suited his tastes was always a good idea. This jar of wine fetched a price of ten thousand gold coins at auction.
With his main objective achieved, Lin Yan felt at ease and began to pay attention to other auction items. The auction gradually reached its climax, with the appearance of some powerful Soul Tool, extremely old medicinal herbs, and even a leg Soul Bone from a ten-thousand-year-old agile Soul Beast, which triggered a frenzy of bidding among the VIP boxes and the wealthy people below, ultimately resulting in an astronomical sum.
Just as the auction was drawing to a close, and many people thought the highlight had been sold and were losing interest, the auctioneer had someone bring out a rather old-looking wooden box. The box itself seemed to be very old, with some wear on the edges and some dirt on it, as if it had just been excavated from some ruins.
"Ladies and gentlemen, the next item is the last and most special one of this auction." The auctioneer's tone carried a hint of uncertainty and mystery. "This item is neither Soul Bone, nor Soul Tool, nor any known rare treasure. It was discovered during the exploration of an ancient ruin, along with some broken Soul Tool. According to identification, its material is an unknown animal hide, exceptionally tough, impervious to water and fire, and inscribed with completely unrecognizable characters and patterns."
He opened the wooden box, inside which lay a thin booklet with no writing on the cover. The paper (or rather, the animal hide) of the booklet was a dark yellow, with curled edges, exuding a sense of age. The auctioneer carefully turned a few pages and showed them to the audience. The writing on it was crooked and distorted, like scribbles, interspersed with some human figures in meditation postures or breathing patterns, but it was completely different from any meditation or Soul Power execution methods circulating on the continent today, appearing ancient and strange.
"The contents and purpose of this ancient book are unknown. Many appraisers at our auction house, and even scholars of philology from the Imperial Academy, have been unable to decipher it. Perhaps it records some lost secret technique, or perhaps it's merely random scribbles from ancient times," the auctioneer stated frankly. "However, its material is unique, and its age is considerable, giving it some value for collection and research. Starting bid: 5,000 Gold Soul Coin, with each bid increment no less than 500."
A murmur immediately broke out in the audience.
"What is this? An ancient book I can't understand?"
Five thousand Gold Soul Coin? To buy a piece of waste paper?
"What if it came from an ancient ruin? It might be some kind of treasure!"
"Come on, even the appraisers at the Heaven Dou Auction House can't figure it out. How could you possibly understand it? That's too much of a gamble."
The vast majority of people adopted a wait-and-see attitude and were skeptical. After all, spending thousands of Gold Soul Coin to buy something completely unknown was too risky.
However, when Lin Yan's gaze fell upon the illustrations and the "unrecognizable" characters in the ancient book, his heart skipped a beat! Those characters were not some ancient script; they were clearly—Chinese characters! Moreover, they were the ancient Huaxia seal script! Although somewhat blurry and distorted, he was absolutely certain he was not mistaken!
Although the design was ancient, the pattern was clearly a diagram of the human body's meridians and acupoints, as well as an illustration of a specific breathing technique! This was not Soul Power cultivation method from the Douluo Continent at all; it was very likely some kind of internal energy cultivation technique from Earth!
Suppressing his shock and excitement, Lin Yan remained outwardly calm. He knew this was his opportunity, perhaps the only unexpected connection between this world and his hometown from his previous life.
After waiting a moment and seeing no one bid, the auctioneer was somewhat disappointed and was about to announce that the item had failed to sell.
"Five thousand." Lin Yan held up his bidding paddle.
His offer drew surprised glances from many. Even Ye Lingling turned her head slightly, a hint of confusion in her eyes.
"A young man? What would he do with this?"
"Just curious, or are you burning money?"
Inside the VIP box, Xue Qinghe and Ning Fengzhi also noticed this scene.
"Oh? Young friend Lin Yan is interested in this ancient book?" Ning Fengzhi stroked his beard with great interest. "Does he recognize it?"
Xue Qinghe's eyes flickered slightly. "This boy has many secrets; perhaps he has indeed seen through something. However, an ancient book that cannot be deciphered is ultimately of limited value."
Seeing someone place a bid, the auctioneer perked up. "Excellent! This young master has bid five thousand Gold Soul Coin! Any higher bids?"
No one answered. Spending five thousand Gold Soul Coin to solve a mystery was not considered worthwhile by most people.
"Five thousand Gold Soul Coin, for the first time!"
"Five thousand Gold Soul Coin, for the second time!"
"Five thousand Gold Soul Coin, third time! Sold!"
With the fall of the gavel, this neglected "ancient book" came into Lin Yan's possession.
After the auction ended, Lin Yan went backstage to complete the transaction, paying a total of 67,000 Gold Soul Coin for the Soul-Calming Incense, Star Iron, Lie Yan Liquor, and the mysterious ancient book. He felt it was absolutely worth it. Especially the ancient book, whose value to him far exceeded what Gold Soul Coin could measure.
He carefully wrapped the Soul-Calming Incense and the Lie Yan Liquor, and then carefully put the Star Iron and the ancient book into his Storage Soul Tool. He then took Ye Lingling's hand and walked out of the noisy auction house.