Ghost Leopard Left Leg Soul Bone
He had spent nearly twenty years in Treasure Sword City alongside that old fellow. Twenty years had passed in the blink of an eye, and he had gone from a young man to a middle-aged one. Before he knew it, he was nearly fifty, yet he had only recently broken through to the Soul Saint realm. He would never have any hope of reaching the realm of a Titled Douluo in his lifetime.
At the thought, He Dahai's cheerful expression instantly turned solemn. Every Soul Master cultivated Soul Power in the hope of one day reaching the Titled Douluo realm and becoming an unrestrained expert, free to do as they pleased.
"I bid 550,000 Gold Soul Coins. He Dahai, follow me if you've got the guts."
Just then, Mo Hu's bid came from the private room next door. His provocative tone brought a wry smile to He Dahai's lips.
That old fellow is still the same old child. Since he wants to play, I'll play along.
He Dahai's voice immediately rang out from his private room as he called to the one next door. "Mo Hu, since you want to play, I'll play a round with you. I bid 600,000 Gold Soul Coins."
On the auction stage, Su Mei heard both men call out their bids, and anticipation lit her eyes. She wanted to see how many Gold Soul Coins the 3,000-year-old Ghost Leopard Left Leg Bone would fetch.
In high spirits, she immediately walked briskly across the stage and cheered into the microphone of the Amplifying Soul Tool in her hand.
"Congratulations to this distinguished guest on his bid of 600,000 Gold Soul Coins. I'm sure everyone here has recognized the owner of that voice. He is the lord of Treasure Sword City, Lord He Dahai, a Soul Saint."
"Wow, I didn't expect the city lord to be so wealthy. He casually raised the other bid by 50,000 Gold Soul Coins. He's really loaded!"
The commoner Soul Masters in the auction hall heard the bid from the private room at the very top and immediately began chattering, praising Treasure Sword City's lord, He Dahai.
Watching the commoner Soul Masters in the hall praise the city lord in his upstairs room as if they had been pumped full of chicken blood, Su Tianyu could not help shaking his head. Their blood had really rushed to their heads; they could hardly remember who they were anymore.
"Hehe, He Dahai, why did you only raise it by 50,000 Gold Soul Coins? Is the Heaven Dou Empire paying you less and less? Since you don't have the money to compete, I won't hold back. I bid 700,000 Gold Soul Coins."
Mo Hu mocked He Dahai, who was sitting in the private room next door. A smug look appeared on his face, and he felt much better, even the anger from moments ago subsiding.
"Old fellow, you're a long way from matching me in Gold Soul Coins. Don't you see the entire Heaven Dou Empire standing behind me? When it comes to cultivation resources, we can't spend as lavishly as your Spirit Hall, but when it comes to Gold Soul Coins, you'll just have to accept defeat and go home empty-handed. I bid 800,000 Gold Soul Coins."
He Dahai listened to the black-robed bishop Mo Hu's mockery without getting angry and cheerfully raised the bid. "Hmph, He Dahai, even if the entire Heaven Dou Empire stands behind you, when it comes to fighting strength, your Heaven Dou Empire still can't match our Spirit Hall.
"Your Heaven Dou Empire has only one Titled Douluo, Dugu Bo, and he's merely a guest elder. He can leave your Heaven Dou Empire whenever he likes. If you want to compete with our Spirit Hall in raw strength, all you have left is Gold Soul Coins. I bid 850,000 Gold Soul Coins."
After saying that, Mo Hu thought smugly that even if he could not compete with He Dahai in Gold Soul Coins, Spirit Hall had no shortage of top-level fighting strength. It had several Titled Douluo elders alone. As for the legendary Worship Hall, his Soul Saint cultivation only allowed him to know a thing or two about it; he did not dare claim recklessly that he knew everything.
In the neighboring private room, He Dahai's face turned ashen when he heard Mo Hu's mockery. His hand clenched into a fist without his noticing, and resentment filled his heart. He looked every bit the powerless husband.
He Dahai knew full well that corruption in the empire was severe. From top to bottom, what noble did not greedily grab everything they could, as if they had never seen a Gold Soul Coin before? Moreover, Spirit Hall's influence had grown in recent years, and many talented Soul Masters' first choice was to join Spirit Hall, followed by the empire's major sects.
As for those who joined the empire's service, they were suppressed by the various nobles, leaving them with no hope of promotion, and disillusioned, they withdrew from the Heaven Dou Empire's officialdom. The Heaven Dou Empire's court was essentially ruled by the nobles alone, held firmly in the hands of nobles of high standing. For commoner Soul Masters who wanted to join the empire, things often did not go as they wished.
"Alas!"
Thinking of these vexing matters, He Dahai felt his head throb and buzz. He sighed repeatedly, wondering how much longer the empire could hold out. Without anyone noticing, this great ship had long since been on the verge of collapse.
He Dahai stood up and paced back and forth in the private room, wondering whether he should find himself a way out. Otherwise, when the Heaven Dou Empire fell, he might be nothing more than a scapegoat and end up dying without even knowing why.
He Dahai slumped into his chair, his heart heavy with worry. What had he maintained his good name in Treasure Sword City for over the past twenty years? Had it not been to find talented commoner Soul Masters for the Heaven Dou Empire?
Yet the commoner Soul Masters he had sent to Heaven Dou Royal Academy in recent years had suddenly been expelled by Prince Xue Xing. Had his loyalty been fed to the dogs?
At the thought, He Dahai's face twisted. He clenched his fist so hard that his nails pierced his palm, and blood slowly flowed down his hand. He shouted, "I bid one million Gold Soul Coins!"
"Has He Dahai gone mad?"
The black-robed bishop Mo Hu sat with his head lowered, deep in thought, his eyes darting back and forth. For a moment, he could not understand why He Dahai was acting so desperately, raising the bid straight to one million Gold Soul Coins. He Dahai had served the Heaven Dou Empire loyally and honestly for so many years. Was he now leaving himself no way out at all?
As far as Mo Hu knew, the lord of a small city in the Heaven Dou Empire generally did not receive many Gold Soul Coins in annual pay. In a small city like Nuoding City, the city lord's cultivation was only at the Soul Elder realm, and his annual pay was only around 2,000 Gold Soul Coins. As for a city the size of Treasure Sword City, the Heaven Dou Empire would generally send a Soul Saint to guard it, with annual pay not exceeding 60,000 Gold Soul Coins.
He Dahai must have gone mad. Otherwise, why would he stake his entire fortune to bid on a Soul Bone? He Dahai has no family or dependents; I'd better not push him any further.
At that thought, Mo Hu immediately said, "He Dahai, your Heaven Dou Empire really does have more Gold Soul Coins. Unlike our Spirit Hall, where our annual pay is meager. I'll leave this Ghost Leopard Soul Bone to you. I can't outbid you."