The Third Auction (3) Dragon Eggs!

Silence. Deathly silence!

No one knew how long passed before that dead stillness was broken by the sound of someone sucking in a cold breath.

Immediately after, a tidal wave of discussion completely set the entire auction hall ablaze.

"A dragon... dragon egg?!"

"Did I hear that right? Is it really a dragon egg? A dragon from the legends?"

"What kind of joke is this?! Creatures like dragons only exist in ancient records. Who has ever actually seen one?"

"Even if it's a lesser dragon—like those earth dragons or wyverns—seeing even one would be heaven-defying luck, and now they're going straight to a dragon egg?"

Cries of shock and doubt rose one after another, nearly lifting the dome of the auction hall all over again.

Countless gazes were fixed firmly on that enormous egg at this moment, as though trying to see through it.

On the fourth floor, inside a certain private room.

Prince Xue Xing of the Heaven Dou Empire suddenly rose from his seat, his luxurious robes stirring up a faint breeze.

The reason he had come here was because he had learned that the item Prince Kunt of the Balak Kingdom had given to Emperor Xue Ye had been won from this very place!

The Emperor had been extremely pleased with Prince Kunt's gift!

This time, he had come to try his luck, but he had not expected the opening item to be this!

If this dragon egg were bought and properly raised, it would be perfect for guarding the imperial family. Surely the Emperor would like it!

"Your Eminence Poison Douluo, what do you think?"

Prince Xue Xing turned to an old man beside him dressed in dark green robes, his face shadowed and gloomy, and spoke.

The old man was none other than Poison Douluo, Dugu Bo.

Dugu Bo's jade-green eyes narrowed slightly as he examined the giant egg on the platform below. Only after a moment did he slowly shake his head.

"Dragon-type soul beasts are far too rare. Their very existence is a mystery."

"Even if they truly exist, their strength must be enough to pierce heaven and earth. How difficult would it be to seize a dragon egg from them?"

"Let's watch for now. I actually feel that there is something strange about this matter."

On the top floor, inside the auction house owner's exclusive luxury private room.

Ning Rongrong's beautiful eyes were wide and round, her little mouth opening in surprise into an "O."

She tugged at Ning Liu's sleeve beside her.

"Senior Brother, Senior Brother!"

"This dragon egg..."

"I looked through the auction house's list of items before, and this wasn't on it!"

Ning Liu's expression was calm. He lifted the fragrant tea on the table and took a light sip, then smiled faintly.

"Not long before the opening, someone brought it in at the last minute to be auctioned on consignment."

"I thought the thing was fairly unusual, so I had Li An make a temporary adjustment."

Ning Rongrong's eyes darted.

"Senior Brother, then why don't we buy it ourselves?"

"Once it hatches, we can have it guard the gates of our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. How impressive would that be!"

At this moment, Ning Rongrong was imagining the scene of a giant dragon lying before the sect gates, with herself riding on it in all her glory, and the corners of her mouth were nearly stretching to her ears.

Hearing this, Ning Liu shook his head with a laugh.

"Dream on."

"This dragon egg actually... has a bit of a small problem."

"Just watch in peace."

"Oh?"

Hearing this, Ning Rongrong blinked curiously. She did not ask further, and her gaze returned to the platform.

On the platform, the auctioneer Doudou faced the boiling voices below, extended her fair hands, and gently pressed them downward.

"Honored guests, please quiet down and listen as Doudou explains in detail."

Her clear, pleasant voice carried a peculiar soothing power.

Seeing the clamor in the hall gradually subside, Doudou then continued:

"Just as everyone has guessed, this is an egg related to dragons."

"However, it is not the egg of the kind of true dragon from the legends that soars through the nine heavens and summons wind and rain."

When everyone heard this, the fervor in their hearts cooled slightly, but the anticipation in their eyes did not fade.

"This egg is the offspring of an Earth Fire Rock Dragon."

Doudou's voice clearly entered everyone's ears.

"The Earth Fire Rock Dragon was a powerful earth dragon species that carried dragon blood. It liked to dwell beneath the ley lines, in lands of lava. Once fully grown, its body was tougher than steel, its strength was boundless, and it could even manipulate fire and lava."

"According to the ancient texts of our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, this Earth Fire Rock Dragon was extraordinary. Once a young dragon broke out of its shell, it could fight. With a hundred years of cultivation, it could slaughter an ordinary Thousand Year Soul Beast!"

"Hiss—"

A wave of sharp inhalations rose from below the stage.

A hundred years of cultivation, yet it could slaughter a Thousand Year Soul Beast? That was indeed no ordinary creature!

Doudou smiled faintly and continued to drop another bombshell.

"And once its cultivation reached ten thousand years, it would be enough to rival a Soul Saint-level powerhouse among human soul masters!"

"Perhaps, if nurtured properly, there might even be a slim chance of evolution in the future!"

As her words fell, discussion broke out in the hall once more.

"So it was the descendant of an earth dragon. I knew it. How could true dragons be so easy to see?"

"Still, this Earth Fire Rock Dragon sounds very powerful! At a hundred years it can fight a Thousand Year Soul Beast, and at ten thousand years it can rival a Soul Saint?"

"Good heavens, if that thing hatched and was raised well, wouldn't it become a major aid to a clan or sect?"

"Exactly. I heard that the Thunder Leopard Sect of the Star Luo Empire enshrined a Cloud Pattern Thunder Leopard passed down from their founding master. Now it already has twenty-three thousand years of cultivation, enough to rival an ordinary Soul Douluo. It's their sect-protecting divine beast!"

"If they could raise a soul beast like that, it would be worth it no matter how many resources they spent!"

Inside a certain VIP box.

An old man with bristling hair and beard and a dignified face had a sharp gleam flickering in his eyes, and even his breathing had grown heavier.

The woman beside him was also visibly excited.

"Old man, Flender really didn't lie to us. This Seven Treasures Auction House truly has such a rare treasure!"

The one who spoke was none other than Snake Dowager Chao Tianxiang.

After parting from Flender and the others, they had actually found a soul beast suitable for their granddaughter fairly quickly, and afterward had also come to Suotuo City.

Dragon Duke Meng Shu nodded, his voice carrying a faint tremor.

"This egg carries dragon blood to some extent, so it does rather match our family's name."

"If we can buy it and raise it with care, our Peerless Dragon Snake Family might truly gain one more powerful guardian."

Chao Tianxiang continued as well.

"Many of the spiritual herbs our family grows are suitable for feeding this type of soul beast, so we don't need to worry about resources. We can afford to spend the effort and time."

On the high platform, Doudou saw that the atmosphere had been built up about enough, yet her tone suddenly shifted.

"However..."

There was a trace of regret in her voice.

"This Earth Fire Rock Dragon Egg also has some issues."

"According to the seller, this egg long ago reached its hatching period, yet it failed to break its shell."

"It seems... its vitality is somewhat lacking."

As soon as these words came out, the audience below instantly went into an uproar.

"What? Its vitality is lacking?"

"Isn't that just a dead egg?"

"I say, your Seven Treasures Auction House is far too unscrupulous. You're even taking out a problematic egg like this for auction?"

"After all that fuss, it's an egg that can't hatch?"

"The egg's already like this, so what are we supposed to do with it after buying it? Make egg fried rice? It's so big, it should last quite a few meals!"

Immediately, boos rose throughout the venue, and many people showed disappointment and dissatisfaction on their faces.

Doudou hurriedly explained, "Honored guests, please rest assured. The seller's explanation was extremely detailed, and we also had it specially appraised. Although this egg's vitality is insufficient, it is not a dead egg!"

"If you do not believe it, you may come forward and sense it yourselves!"

"It can only be said that the difficulty of hatching this egg will be much greater than that of a normal egg, and it will also require more time and more heavenly treasures to nourish it. Perhaps there may also be some special methods that can speed up this process!"

She paused, then her clear voice rang out again.

"The starting bid for this Earth Fire Rock Dragon Egg is ten thousand Gold Soul Coins!"

"Each bid increase must be no less than one hundred Gold Soul Coins!"

"Now, the bidding begins!"

As Doudou's words fell, the hall sank into a brief silence.

A starting bid of ten thousand Gold Soul Coins was not exactly high.

However, this was an egg with insufficient vitality and an unclear chance of hatching.

Only after a moment did someone tentatively raise a bidding paddle.

"Ten thousand one hundred Gold Soul Coins!"

After that, someone else called out a higher bid, their voice slightly hoarse.

"Ten thousand five hundred gold soul coins!"

Another voice followed close behind.

"That voice sounds so familiar!"

"I remember now. That's someone from the Strength Clan, right? Their clan chief is said to have a fiery temper and likes strength-type soul beasts the most. It's just that whether this egg can hatch is another matter."

"They're not planning to buy it back and hatch it so it can do construction work for them, are they?"

"Now that you mention it, judging by the soul beast's name, it does sound like it'd be good at making bricks and firing tiles."

Someone recognized the bidder's identity and began discussing it in low voices.

"Eleven thousand gold soul coins!"

Another deep, resonant voice rang out.

"The private room next door seems to be occupied by people from the Star Like Chamber of Commerce? Aren't they in the spiritual medicine business? They're interested in this kind of soul beast too?"

The bidding on the floor seemed somewhat lukewarm. The increments were all small; clearly, the various factions were still watching and testing the waters.

Inside a certain private room on the third floor, Xiao Wu looked down at the slow, hesitant bidding below and impatiently curled her lip.

"What are they doing? They're only adding that little?"

"If they don't have money, they shouldn't come to buy it. Seriously."

She swung her two long, slender legs, looking very disdainful of these people's petty stinginess.