First Successful Auction, Triggering a Ten-Thousandfold Critical Return!

One Thousand Gold Soul Coins!

As soon as that number landed, the Auction House hall fell briefly silent before a buzzing wave of discussion surged through the crowd.

"The starting bid is already one thousand! This ring..."

"Twenty-eight cubic meters. It's worth that price!"

"Quick, raise the bid!"

A richly dressed fat merchant in the front row impatiently raised his paddle.

"One Thousand and Ten Gold Soul Coins!"

The moment his voice fell, someone on the other side immediately followed.

"One Thousand and Twenty!"

"One Thousand and Fifty!"

The price began to climb slowly, though the increases were not large.

Many soul masters looked conflicted. This price had already exceeded what they could afford.

Some emptied their money pouches, counting the Gold Soul Coins inside with disappointment written all over their faces.

Some even quietly borrowed money from companions beside them, only to be helplessly refused with a shake of the head.

"One Thousand One Hundred Gold Soul Coins!"

A somewhat hoarse voice rang out, abruptly raising the bid by a large margin.

Everyone followed the sound, only to see that the bidder was in an inconspicuous corner of the back rows. His face was hidden beneath a hooded cloak.

"One Thousand One Hundred and Fifty!" A middle-aged man raised his paddle.

"One Thousand Two Hundred!"

The price rose in turns, and the atmosphere gradually heated up.

On the second floor, inside Red Box 1.

Liu Shaobing lightly tapped his fingers against the armrest, his expression no longer calm.

Beside him, Wu Chen took a sip of tea before speaking.

"Shaobing, it's only a Space Ring."

"Face is important, but you can't eat it."

"For us soul masters, strength is what truly matters."

"If you can break through to Soul Emperor soon, who in Suotuo City would dare deny you face?"

"There are more auction items to come. Why not save some money and see if there's anything useful for cultivation?"

Wu Chen's voice was rough, carrying a note of persuasion.

Liu Shaobing glanced at him, a faint curve appearing at the corner of his lips.

"I want to break through to Soul Emperor."

"And I want this face too!"

Just then, Li An's voice rang out from the auction stage again.

"One Thousand Two Hundred and Fifty Gold Soul Coins! Any higher bids?"

"One Thousand Five Hundred Gold Soul Coins!"

A voice suddenly rang out without warning, directly raising the price to a new height!

Whoosh!

At once, everyone's gaze turned toward the source of the voice: a private box on the second floor.

The box's window was obscured by special material. From outside, it appeared completely blurry, making it impossible to see who was inside.

"Who is that? Such a big spender, raising it straight to fifteen hundred?"

"What important figure has arrived?"

"Could it be some powerful expert passing through?"

Discussion erupted, filled with speculation, envy, and even a trace of barely concealed jealousy.

Inside Red Box 1.

Wu Chen grinned at Liu Shaobing, who had just made the bid.

"You still couldn't hold back! But let me make this clear first—if something good comes up later, don't ask me to lend you money!"

On the auction stage, Li An's smile widened.

"One Thousand Five Hundred Gold Soul Coins! This honored guest has bid One Thousand Five Hundred Gold Soul Coins!"

"Any higher bids?"

"One Thousand Five Hundred Gold Soul Coins, going once!"

"One Thousand Five Hundred Gold Soul Coins, going twice!"

Li An's voice echoed through the Auction House hall as everyone held their breath.

Just as he was about to bring down the hammer, suddenly—

"One Thousand Six Hundred Gold Soul Coins."

A somewhat teasing voice came from another private box.

Inside the Field Master's Office.

Ning Liu looked at the scene below through a one-way crystal window, curling his lip.

It was just a twenty-eight-cubic-meter Space Soul Tool. How could people fight over it so fiercely in a place like Suotuo City?

After all, he had come from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. Though he had not done particularly well for himself, he still had some discernment.

A Space Ring of this level would sell for, at most, around One Thousand Two Hundred Gold Soul Coins in major cities like Heaven Dou City or Star Luo City.

A little premium was normal in a small place. Even with an extra twenty percent, it should have been obtainable for no more than fourteen hundred.

Yet someone had actually bid sixteen hundred?

Was Suotuo City really that wealthy?

Or was someone... deliberately driving up the price?

Inside Red Box 3.

Jiang Shaocheng, the hall master of Spirit Hall's Suotuo City Branch Hall, put down the Bidding Device and laughed.

Sitting opposite him was Zhang Chen, the Garrison Commander of the Royal Soul Hunting Forest in Suotuo City.

"Hahaha, Commander Zhang, can you guess who made that fifteen-hundred bid just now?"

Jiang Shaocheng picked up his teacup and leisurely blew at the steam.

Zhang Chen remained expressionless, not even lifting his eyelids.

"Who else could it be but Liu Shaobing, that man obsessed with saving face?"

Jiang Shaocheng's smile deepened.

"Exactly! The last time I bought the ring on my hand, he competed with me for it and made me spend quite a bit more money for nothing."

Zhang Chen gave a disdainful snort.

"Among the few of us, he's the weakest, yet he loves putting on the biggest show."

"But Hall Master Jiang, are you really planning to buy this ring?"

A trace of coldness flashed through Jiang Shaocheng's eyes.

"Buy it? Why would I buy it?"

"Last time, he made me spend more. This time, shouldn't I give him a proper 'helping hand'?"

Inside Red Box 1.

Liu Shaobing looked at the flashing "1600" on the display, and his face instantly darkened.

He barely needed to guess to know who had done it.

"It has to be Jiang Shaocheng! That old dog!"

He cursed under his breath, then decisively pressed the bidding button.

"One Thousand Six Hundred and Ten!"

Red Box 3.

"One Thousand Seven Hundred!"

Jiang Shaocheng raised the price again, by a startling amount.

"One Thousand Seven Hundred and Ten!"

Liu Shaobing gritted his teeth and followed.

"One Thousand Eight Hundred!"

Jiang Shaocheng laughed loudly as he announced the price, then put down the Bidding Device.

Just as he expected, Liu Shaobing called out One Thousand Eight Hundred and Ten Gold Soul Coins the next moment!

"Hahaha! Satisfying! Truly satisfying!"

"Making him spend over three hundred extra Gold Soul Coins is enough to disgust him!"

Zhang Chen looked at him, shook his head, and said nothing more.

On the auction stage, Li An's heart blossomed with joy as he watched the soaring price.

This was what an auction was supposed to be like!

The highest bidder won!

The higher the price, the more commission their Auction House earned!

"One Thousand Eight Hundred and Ten Gold Soul Coins! The honored guest in Red Box 1 has bid One Thousand Eight Hundred and Ten Gold Soul Coins!"

"Any higher bids?"

He swept his gaze across the hall, but no one answered.

Clearly, this price had far exceeded everyone's expectations.

"One Thousand Eight Hundred and Ten Gold Soul Coins, going once!"

"One Thousand Eight Hundred and Ten Gold Soul Coins, going twice!"

"One Thousand Eight Hundred and Ten Gold Soul Coins, going three times!"

Clang!

The crisp sound of the hammer fell.

"Sold!"

"Congratulations to the honored guest in Red Box 1 for successfully purchasing the Profound Orchid Ring for One Thousand Eight Hundred Gold Soul Coins!"

Inside the Field Master's Office, excitement flashed through Ning Liu's eyes.

It's here, it's here!

It finally sold!

What exactly would this so-called return give him?

He waved his hand.

"You may all leave first. Wang Wei, stay behind."

Several attendants in the room bowed and silently withdrew, leaving only Wang Wei standing like a statue in the corner.

The next moment, a mechanical, icy voice rang directly in his mind.

Ding! The Profound Orchid Ring has been successfully auctioned for 1800 Gold Soul Coins. Random return multiplier is being calculated...

As this is the host's first successful auction of an item, the system has granted a special reward, triggering a ten-thousandfold critical return!

Congratulations, host. You have obtained: Spirit Charm Star Luo Ring!

Ten... ten thousandfold critical return?!

Ning Liu's pupils abruptly contracted, his heart seeming to be gripped by an invisible hand!

A ten-thousandfold return on his first auction?

Ten thousand times One Thousand Eight Hundred and Ten Gold Soul Coins...

Didn't that mean this new ring was worth as much as Eighteen Million One Hundred Thousand Gold Soul Coins?!

The number left his mind somewhat blank.

With a thought, he moved his consciousness.

At once, a ring emitting a gentle glow appeared out of thin air before him.

Its design was far more intricate and exquisite than that of the Profound Orchid Ring.

Its main body seemed to be forged from a mixture of some kind of mithril and adamantine, displaying a deep, mysterious silver-gray sheen.

Countless fine, intricate silver patterns were engraved across the ring's surface, as though they contained the trajectories of the stars' movements.

At the very center of the ring was set a purple crystal the size of a thumbnail. It was crystal clear, with streams of light seemingly turning slowly within it.

"Hiss..."

As Ning Liu looked at the ring, an aura of extraordinary luxury washed over him.

He carefully picked up the ring and put it on his finger.

A cool sensation spread through him. The ring automatically adjusted in size, fitting him perfectly.

Immediately afterward, a stream of information flooded into his mind.

Spirit Charm Star Luo Ring

Materials: Star Mithril, Eternal Adamantine, Void Amethyst...

Function One: Storage Space. Contains an independent space within, one hundred meters long, fifty meters wide, and twenty meters high!

Function Two: Soul Power Nourishment. While the wearer cultivates, the ring can automatically draw in and purify ambient Soul Power, slowly feeding it back to the host, increasing cultivation efficiency and accelerating Soul Power recovery.

Function Three: Skill—Purple Thunder Star Strike.

A storage space of one hundred thousand cubic meters?!

The previous Profound Orchid Ring, with its twenty-eight cubic meters, had already driven all of Suotuo City mad.

This one... had one hundred thousand cubic meters?

This was no longer a matter of storage capacity. It was like carrying an entire plaza with him!

And it even had a Soul Power nourishment effect?

Wasn't that equivalent to carrying a Soul Gathering Array and a purification array with him at all times?

What shocked him even more was the third function.

Purple Thunder Star Strike: Consumes Soul Power to activate, releasing a beam of light infused with the power of thunder from the Void Amethyst at the center of the ring. Its attack strength depends on the amount of Soul Power infused, and at maximum output, it could unleash a full-power strike comparable to that of a Soul Saint!

A Space Soul Tool... could even come with an offensive skill?

And one that could reach the Soul Saint level at its peak?!

Ning Liu was completely dumbfounded.

This was no longer a Soul Tool. It was practically a divine artifact!

Just then, Li An's clear voice rang out from the auction stage downstairs.

"Distinguished guests, the first auction item, the Profound Orchid Ring, has found its owner."

"Next up is our second auction item!"

Li An deliberately paused, keeping everyone in suspense before suddenly lowering his voice.

"Have any of you ever seen a weapon that can easily kill Soul Masters without needing a martial soul to activate it?"