After the whale rubber was auctioned off, the auction continued. All manner of items kept coming in a dizzying stream, and many of them greatly interested Yang Podi. Unfortunately, he was too young to use them even if he won them at auction. Besides, he had no money on him.
At last, the auction reached its final moments, and its grand finale item appeared. Unexpectedly, it was actually a Thousand-Year Soul Bone.
Although Yang Podi thought little of a Thousand-Year Soul Bone, the crowd erupted into a frenzy.
The host introduced it in an alluring voice. "Distinguished guests, as you can see, today's grand finale item is a thousand-year Ironclad Bear Right Arm Soul Bone. The Ironclad Bear boasts formidable strength and defense, making this exceptionally suitable for strength-type Soul Masters. It can truly be called a priceless treasure."
Looking at the glowing red Soul Bone on the large screen, Yang Podi actually felt a trace of desire stir within him. Soul Bones were indeed extremely valuable to Soul Masters. They did more than simply provide a Soul Skill; more importantly, they improved physical attributes and even the speed at which a Soul Master circulated Soul Power. No wonder they were called Blood River Treasures.
Yet his mother, Niu Jinfeng, showed no reaction whatsoever as she looked at the Soul Bone. "Mom, that's a Soul Bone. Aren't you even a little tempted?"
Niu Jinfeng's face was full of disdain. "Thousand-Year Soul Bones are worth far too little. Judging by this one, it's probably only a little over a thousand years old-not even two thousand. It's basically useless to your mom."
Seeing her son's puzzled expression, she said, "Son, remember this: a Soul Master must consider their own strength and upper limits, or a Soul Bone is meaningless. No matter how good a thousand-year Soul Bone is, it's only useful to Soul Saints and below. This one has barely passed a thousand years. Once you advance beyond Soul King, it won't be of any use at all. It might even become a burden."
"Think about it. Your mom's third Soul Skill is already stronger than this Soul Bone's skill, so what use would it be to me? It might still be somewhat useful to Soul Masters who have exhausted their potential and can never improve again. Your mom is nowhere near the limits of her potential."
"Mom, does our clan have Soul Bones like this?"
"Of course we do. But Soul Bones of this level are worth far too little to our Breaking Clan. Anyone with even slightly better talent disdains absorbing them. They can only serve as collectibles or be given to Soul Masters who have been stuck at a bottleneck for a long time."
Hearing this, Yang Podi sank into thought. For a Soul Master clan, a Soul Bone of this level really was something of a chicken rib-too little meat to eat, yet a pity to throw away. That was all the more true for a Soul Master clan as powerful and influential as the Breaking Clan. The Clear Sky Sect had still managed to produce so many Titled Douluo after what had happened back then; it had probably drawn on similar reserves. Having long held its place as the world's number one sect, the Clear Sky Sect's reserves of that kind were probably terrifying.
Waves of cheers rose through the auction hall as the excitement peaked again and again. In the end, the Thousand-Year Soul Bone actually sold for five hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins, leaving Yang Podi astonished.
"Mom, didn't you say this Soul Bone wasn't worth much? Why are they willing to spend so many Gold Soul Coins on it?"
"Son, you're still too young. There are some things you don't understand. In this world, the more precious something is, the more likely it is to be in the hands of the major powers. Believe it or not, if you took this Thousand-Year Soul Bone to the Clear Sky Sect, those elders probably wouldn't even glance at it. But to commoners or ordinary people, this Soul Bone is an exceptionally rare find."
Yang Podi glanced at the excited people in the hall, especially the person who had won the Soul Bone, and could not help sighing inwardly. Is this the disparity in this world? In a fantasy world, is the gap between people really greater than the gap between a person and a dog?
After the auction ended, Niu Jinfeng took her son to the auction's back area. Once several staff members had verified the purchase, she received the whale rubber she had won. After inspecting it and confirming that everything was in order, she casually took out a Gold Soul Coin card, had the staff charge fifty thousand gold coins, and left.
It had to be said that the auction staff were quite professional. Even when a woman like Niu Jinfeng came to buy whale rubber with her son, none of them showed any surprise.
After leaving the auction house, the two went straight to the Great Soul Arena in Heaven Dou City.
The Great Soul Arena was clearly much larger than the auction house, measuring several thousand meters in both length and width. There seemed to be no particular restrictions on entry or exit, nor did anyone need to present a membership card as proof. However, security inside was also much tighter. After all, the Soul Fighting Arena catered to Soul Masters.
Niu Jinfeng went straight to the front desk and casually took out a black membership card. "Are there any Soul Fighting matches that haven't started yet?"
Seeing the black card in Niu Jinfeng's hand, the beautiful attendant said respectfully, "Esteemed black-card member, there are four Soul Fighting matches left today: a one-on-one Soul Ancestor match, a one-on-one Soul Elder match, a two-on-two Soul Elder match, and a one-on-one Soul King match. All four are competitive Soul Fighting matches."
Niu Jinfeng considered for a moment. "Arrange a private box for me for that one-on-one competitive Soul King match."
"Certainly, madam. That match is in Soul Fighting Arena Two, and private boxes are still available. I'll arrange one for you right away."
Before long, the private box had been arranged. After paying, Niu Jinfeng took the box's number token and left with her son. Clearly, the Soul Fighting Arena accommodated too many people to offer an escort service.
"Mom, what's Soul Fighting Arena Two? Are there lots of Soul Fighting Arenas inside?"
"Son, of course there are lots of Soul Fighting Arenas inside, and they come in different sizes. I think there are more than a dozen in total. Soul Fighting Arena One is the main arena. It's generally used for Soul Emperor-level matches or team matches."
"Mom, I just saw lots of people moving around beside the front desk. What were they doing?"
"That's where the Soul Fighting Arena handles betting. People can place bets on the matches they fancy. Each betting match has its own odds. If you win, you can collect the corresponding payout according to those odds."
"Then if you're fighting in a match yourself, can you bet on whether you win or lose?"
Niu Jinfeng tapped Yang Podi's little head. "Son, according to the Soul Fighting Arena's rules, you theoretically aren't allowed to bet on your own matches. But if you only bet on yourself to win, the arena generally won't restrict you. You can't bet on yourself to lose, though, or have someone close to you do it."
"But there must still be loopholes, right?"
"Son, you're underestimating the Soul Fighting Arena. It keeps very strict control over wins and losses in its matches, and its backing is extremely powerful. No one dares deliberately bet on themselves to lose to make money."
"Mom, is the Soul Fighting Arena's backing really that powerful? Is it even more powerful than our Clear Sky Sect?"
"Son, what are you thinking? What force could be more powerful than our Clear Sky Sect? Still, all the major powers across the entire Douluo Continent have ties to the forces behind the Soul Fighting Arena. The Clear Sky Sect holds a certain share in it, for instance. That's why the arena's Soul Fighting matches are relatively fair. No one dares offend all those major powers at once."
By the time she finished speaking, the two had reached the door to their private box. After showing the number token to the guard, they entered.