NOVEL NEXT Chapter 156: [DD2]: 155
Credits: Sai Manoj Nelavalli
Some people just love to boast, but when they meet a girl, they can't say a word. Xiao Hongchen was exactly this type. Normally, he's so arrogant, but now he's turned into a quail—he's not even as brave as Meng Hongchen.
Despite her shy and pure nature, Meng Hongchen boldly came at Su Yu back then. Under the watchful eyes of so many academy students, Meng Hongchen still walked alongside him confidently—her courage far exceeded Xiao Hongchen's.
Shaking his head, Su Yu casually picked up a glass of fruit juice from the jade table and took a light sip. The juice was sweet and, after drinking it, a noticeable warmth spread through his limbs, leaving him feeling cozy. The fruit used for this juice was extraordinary, likely a precious spiritual fruit.
As expected of a top-tier auction, even the food and drinks provided were exceptional.
Chatting and laughing with Meng Hongchen beside him while sipping the juice, time passed quickly. At that moment, the soul tool screen suddenly lit up, its soft golden glow spreading from the display and filling the room with a golden hue. Everyone's gaze immediately shifted toward the screen.
Qing Ya timely spoke up, "Honored guests, tonight's auction is about to begin."
As soon as her words fell, the golden light on the screen gradually dimmed, and a gentle, melodious voice slowly rang out.
"Thank you, esteemed guests, for attending our Starlight Auction House's top-tier auction tonight. This evening, we will present twelve rare and precious auction items. The order of presentation will follow a sequence from least to most valuable. We hope our esteemed guests will be satisfied."
The soul tool screen lit up again, and on the screen appeared a girl dressed in a red gown. She had porcelain-like skin, a graceful and slender figure, and an elegant, noble aura.
Seeing the figure, Wang Dong'er immediately exclaimed, "It's her?"
Even Meng Hongchen, who hadn't paid much attention, opened her icy blue eyes and studied the girl in the red dress, a hint of surprise appearing on her face. "Isn't that the girl who came looking for you the other day…"
For a moment, Meng Hongchen couldn't recall the girl's name.
"So, the host of tonight's top-tier auction is Princess Jiujiu," Su Yu said with a sigh, his expression showing no surprise at all.
"Does the esteemed guest know our Princess Jiujiu?" Qing Ya asked curiously.
"We've crossed paths a couple of times," Su Yu replied casually, offering no further explanation.
Qing Ya didn't press for more details, and the room soon fell silent. On the screen, Xu Jiujiu began introducing the first auction item. She smiled sweetly, performed an elegant curtsy, and made a gesture of invitation. The screen then transitioned, revealing an object—a weapon.
It was a large, imposing saber with a powerful and domineering design. Just by its appearance, one could sense its ferocity.
"The Tyrant Tiger Soul-Refining Saber, an eighth-level close-combat soul tool. Its materials are exceptionally precious, including a ten-thousand-year-old Tyrant Tiger spirit beast's right arm bone, which solidifies its soul bone skill: Tyrant Blade Slash. It also boosts similar attack-type soul skills by 50%…"
In the room, Xu Jiujiu's introduction continued, but the people in Su Yu's group, including Xiao Hongchen, all wore slightly odd expressions.
"This is one of our Illustrious Virtue Hall's products, isn't it?" Xiao Hongchen said with a strange tone.
"It's normal for many of Illustrious Virtue Hall's soul tools to circulate externally," Ma Rulong casually responded.
"The saber is made with amber gold crystal and features a solidified soul bone skill. For some attack-type soul masters, it's not a bad choice. However, the soul bone material is average—most likely a damaged soul bone. Though it's crafted with high-level techniques, its overall value isn't very high. I'd estimate its worth at about 1.3 million gold soul coins, and at most, it won't exceed 1.6 million," Su Yu analyzed, showcasing his understanding of soul tools.
Qing Ya looked at Su Yu with a trace of surprise in her eyes. The auction house had estimated the value at just over 1.3 million gold soul coins, and Su Yu's appraisal was incredibly precise. Such sharp insight was truly impressive.
"1.3 million gold soul coins? That cheap?" Wang Dong'er exclaimed, surprised. She remembered Su Yu saying that his sixth-level full-body armor was worth over ten million. How could this eighth-level soul tool be worth so little?
Su Yu's mouth twitched slightly as everyone else in the room gave Wang Dong'er odd looks. Was this kid clueless about money?
Rubbing Wang Dong'er's head, Su Yu explained, "Given the quality of the Tyrant Tiger Soul-Refining Saber, this price isn't low. The soul bone used must have significant flaws; otherwise, it wouldn't have been used to craft a soul tool."
"You see, soul bones have a huge gap in value between damaged and intact ones. If the soul bone were complete, and with the same crafting techniques, the Tyrant Tiger Soul-Refining Saber's price would be at least over 3 million gold soul coins.
"Even among eighth-level soul tools, prices vary greatly. Rare items, like an eighth-level Milk Bottle, can easily exceed ten million gold soul coins. Understand now?"
"Not… not really," Wang Dong'er shook her head, her pink-blue eyes filled with confusion.
Su Yu: "…"
This silly girl, why couldn't she get it?
"…Forget it. If you don't understand, it's fine. I understand, and that's enough," Su Yu said helplessly.
"Oh~" Wang Dong'er responded as if she completely accepted Su Yu's explanation.
"…Should we bid on it?" After a brief silence, Wang Dong'er asked again.
Shaking his head, Su Yu replied, "The quality isn't good enough; there's no need. If we needed something like this, we could ask the seniors at Illustrious Virtue Hall to craft something even better."
The Tyrant Tiger Soul-Refining Saber didn't compare to the Wind and Snow Twin Swords he carried. Despite being seventh-level, the Wind and Snow Twin Swords far surpassed the Tyrant Tiger Soul-Refining Saber in material, craftsmanship, and combat enhancement.
A soul tool's level wasn't always directly proportional to its value—factors like materials, techniques, and power also played significant roles. His full-body armor used top-grade eighth-level materials and had been meticulously designed by a ninth-level soul engineer, Jing Hongchen. It was on an entirely different level compared to this saber.
"Oh~" Wang Dong'er replied, dropping her interest in bidding entirely.
Su Yu added, "While we don't care for it, I'm sure someone else will."
"Who?" Wang Dong'er asked curiously.
"Look there." Su Yu pointed toward the neighboring Room 7, separated by just a wall.
"Shrek Academy?" Xiao Hongchen said, surprised.
Mentioning Shrek Academy seemed to suppress the nervous tension Xiao Hongchen felt earlier due to Qing Ya's presence.
Su Yu explained, "Shrek Academy's official team member, Dai Yueheng, has the White Tiger martial soul and a bold, direct combat style. This Tyrant Tiger Soul-Refining Saber suits him perfectly—he won't be able to resist it."
"Dai Yueheng, I remember he's one of the two Soul Emperors from Shrek Academy, right?"
Ma Rulong asked.
"Yes, he's the eldest son of the White Tiger Duke, a Level 64 Soul Emperor, and a fairly formidable opponent."
"I see. In that case, we can't just let them take this item so easily."
Xiao Hongchen's eyes glimmered mischievously as he looked at the screen. At this point, the price had already surpassed one million and continued rising, reaching 1.3 million gold soul coins.
Turning to a nearby attendant, Xiao Hongchen instructed, "Place a bid for 1.4 million gold soul coins, please."
"Xiao Hongchen, don't fool around. We have specific goals."
Elder Ma warned.
"It's fine. Let Brother Xiao enjoy himself. Even if we mess up, it's not a big deal. A few million gold soul coins—I can still cover it."
Su Yu chuckled lightly.
Seeing Xiao Hongchen interfering with Shrek Academy, Su Yu naturally had to lend some support. If anyone wanted to mess with Shrek Academy, he would back them up.
Hearing Su Yu's words, Elder Ma had no further objections. If Su Yu was willing to take responsibility, there was nothing more to say.
"Dear guests, the auction house does not encourage malicious price hikes…"
Qing Ya said hesitantly. These guys weren't even trying to keep their voices down, so she couldn't pretend she hadn't heard anything.
"We're not maliciously driving up the price; we're simply bidding, Miss Qing Ya. Are we not allowed to place bids?"
Su Yu smiled warmly.
Qing Ya: "…"
Before Qing Ya could say another word, Su Yu smiled again, saying, "Don't worry. If no one else wants the item, I'll pay for it. Miss Qing Ya, you just need to handle the bidding and commentary."
Though Su Yu's voice was soft, it carried an unshakable authority. For a moment, Qing Ya was stunned by Su Yu's presence.
Fine, the grievances between Sun-Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy and Shrek Academy were none of her business. Compared to these two giants, she was just a small auctioneer—completely insignificant. It was safer to stay out of it.
Besides, situations like this—malicious price hikes—weren't unheard of in the past. The auction house often turned a blind eye as long as someone paid in the end.
Qing Ya chose silence, and the attendant obediently announced the new price. Soon, the price rose to 1.55 million gold soul coins.
Xiao Hongchen didn't hesitate, directly increasing it to 1.6 million gold soul coins.
...
Inside Room Seven, Dai Yueheng's face darkened, clearly distressed. 1.6 million gold soul coins were practically the upper limit for the Tyrant Tiger Soul-Refining Saber. Anything higher, and it would be a losing proposition.
Whoever was bidding seemed to have deliberately chosen this exact price, perfectly locking him in.
"1.61 million gold soul coins!"
Dai Yueheng gritted his teeth and stubbornly added another 10,000 gold soul coins.
The Tyrant Tiger Soul-Refining Saber was simply too suitable for him. With it, his combat strength would increase significantly—it was hard for him to resist.
"1.62 million gold soul coins."
Xiao Hongchen suddenly shifted his bidding strategy and only raised the price by 10,000 gold soul coins.
Dai Yueheng's eyes lit up, thinking this was his chance, and immediately bid 1.63 million gold soul coins.
However, Xiao Hongchen signaled again, and the screen displayed a new bid: 1.64 million gold soul coins.
Dai Yueheng gritted his teeth and hesitated for a long time before finally bidding: 1.65 million gold soul coins.
This was his limit. In truth, he didn't even have that much money on hand. If the price increased any further, he would have no choice but to give up—it simply wouldn't be worth it.
No matter how much he wanted it, practicality came first.
In Room Eight, Xiao Hongchen smirked and said, "He's bidding so slowly now. I bet he's reached his limit. If we push the price any higher, he'll back out."
Hearing this, Su Yu chuckled, "He could've taken it for 1.55 million gold soul coins, but now we've made him pay an extra 100,000 gold soul coins. That's enough for now. There will be more chances later."
When it came to messing with Shrek Academy, Su Yu believed in doing it gradually. Pushing too hard all at once would only make them retreat, and that would spoil the fun.
"True, haha."
Xiao Hongchen laughed heartily.
In the end, the first item, the Tyrant Tiger Soul-Refining Saber, was successfully auctioned off to Dai Yueheng for 1.65 million gold soul coins.
The second item was then brought forward.
It was a set of sixth-level stationary soul-guided cannon shells—twelve in total—each with a unique attribute: water, fire, earth, wind, light, darkness, poison, lightning, frost, metal, explosion, and paralysis.
Each shell served a distinct purpose, and if all twelve were used together, they were capable of threatening even a Soul Douluo-level powerhouse.
"Another one of our Illustrious Virtue Hall's items."
Xiao Hongchen clicked his tongue dismissively when he saw the item.
He had little interest in soul tools, especially ones from his own family.
"I'm quite interested in this, though—even if just for collection purposes. More importantly, we can't let it fall into Shrek Academy's hands."
Unlike the Tyrant Tiger Soul-Refining Saber, these sixth-level stationary soul-guided cannon shells could help Shrek Academy reverse-engineer the technology to produce their own.
At this point, Shrek Academy could only produce fifth-level stationary soul-guided cannon shells.
Stationary soul tools were the most unique and powerful type of soul tools, making them highly significant.
Su Yu allowed Dai Yueheng to win the Tyrant Tiger Soul-Refining Saber because Shrek wouldn't gain much from it. However, he would not permit them to obtain these cannon shells, as they held immense strategic importance.
Su Yu explained this to Xiao Hongchen, whose expression turned serious.
"Are you saying Shrek Academy might try to reverse-engineer the technology for sixth-level stationary cannon shells from this set?"
Xiao Hongchen now understood the gravity of the situation.
"Exactly. The strategic significance of these cannon shells is extraordinary."
Su Yu said meaningfully.
On the battlefield, the destructive potential of stationary cannon shells was unmatched.
"If that's the case, we absolutely cannot let Shrek Academy acquire them."
Xiao Hongchen muttered to himself.