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The true purpose of Spirit Gold is to nourish life, not to evolve bloodlines.
Otherwise, the hundred-thousand-year tortoise that appeared later in the story wouldn't have been so thoroughly useless despite using Spirit Gold.
Now, this Soul Devouring Blade—or rather, what should now be called the Spirit Carving Knife—truly shines in its ability to imbue soul-guiding arrays with greater vitality during their creation, thanks to its immense life force.
Based on Ye Wen's experience, he judged that soul-guiding arrays engraved with this knife could potentially increase in rank by one level. Ninth-rank soul engineers aside, with this tool, Tang Wulin would only need to reach the eighth-rank level to rival ninth-rank soul engineers.
Moreover, using it daily for cultivation could nourish the body and enhance training speed. It was truly a multifunctional treasure.
Only then did Ye Wen realize Xu Jiujiu had asked him a question earlier, and he replied directly:
"Not interested. This thing is useless to me."
A flicker of disappointment crossed Xu Jiujiu's eyes, but curiosity quickly took over, prompting her to ask further:
"Master, do you recognize this material? I've never seen anything so unique before."
Ye Wen didn't intend to hide anything and decided to give everyone a quick lesson.
"The material of this carving knife is called Spirit Gold.
Though the word 'gold' appears in its name, it has nothing to do with metal.
This substance is the crystallized product of pure life force accumulated over time under special conditions.
As for its effects, your auction house already knows them well—it continuously nourishes those nearby with life force."
Here, Ye Wen paused and, deciding to go the extra mile, advised Xu Jiujiu:
"Jiujiu, tell the auctioneer that this item can only be used as a tool. It must not be ingested or refined internally. If someone attempts to refine it and triggers its instinctive reaction, they'll instantly be drained of their life force and turned into a desiccated corpse."
Xu Jiujiu instinctively nodded and prepared to relay the message but soon realized something odd about Ye Wen's explanation.
"Master, even if the refinement fails, why would someone be drained dry?"
This question momentarily stumped Ye Wen, but after some thought, recalling the unfortunate hundred-thousand-year tortoise from the original storyline that plummeted to ten-thousand years after consuming a piece of Spirit Gold—and eventually became Xu Sanshi's spirit—he combined it with his years of cultivation experience to provide an answer.
"You can think of it as a siphon effect. Though this tiny piece of Spirit Gold may seem unremarkable, the amount of life energy it contains is comparable to the divine level.
I don't need to explain the concept of divinity to you, do I? It's the realm beyond level 99—a level no one has reached in ten thousand years.
For a mere mortal to attempt refining something divine—isn't that courting death?"
Xu Jiujiu instantly understood and nodded, then hurriedly went out to pass along the instructions.
At this moment, among Ye Wen's six disciples, aside from Princesses Xu Jiujiu and Wei Na, the other girls exchanged strange looks. Though they didn't know why Ye Wen hadn't revealed his divine status to Xu Jiujiu and Wei Na, they trusted that their teacher had his reasons. All they needed to do was focus on their cultivation.
Meanwhile, the crowd in the midst of the heated bidding saw the auction abruptly halt, causing their hearts to sink.
They inwardly lamented: Could it be? Was this legendary treasure really slipping through their fingers?
However, the auctioneer's subsequent explanation reignited their passion even more fiercely.
Divinity—how distant a concept, yet countless soul masters pursued it with fervor.
In the Shrek booth, Tang Wulin's eyes flashed with anger and deep frustration. The bidding had already reached 130 million, and many booths had given up due to lack of confidence. But after the auctioneer's explanation, those who had previously withdrawn suddenly began competing again.
As for why the crowd believed so readily, it was naturally because the auctioneer mentioned Ye Wen's name.
At first, they were puzzled why Ye Wen showed no interest in such a divine-level treasure. But upon learning that it could only passively bestow its effects and couldn't be actively refined, they understood.
They weren't at the ninth rank and couldn't comprehend such vast realms. Naturally, they assumed Ye Wen had already reached the pinnacle, where external objects held no value for him, and thus he chose not to participate.
But most of those present were ordinary people—and nobles at that. Greed ran deep in their lineage. Even if they couldn't use it themselves, they wanted to hoard it for future needs.
Unbeknownst to them, Ye Wen had been labeled as a paragon of virtue.
Xu Jiujiu bit her lip, as if making a significant decision, and said to Ye Wen:
"Master, I'd like to participate in the bidding."
Ye Wen responded with a curious look.
"If you want to buy it, go ahead. I haven't placed any restrictions on you."
Upon hearing this, Xu Jiujiu's face flushed red as she realized how overly cautious she had been around Ye Wen, forgetting that he never imposed unnecessary interference on her.
Still, Ye Wen quite liked having such a considerate disciple and offered his advice:
"If you're planning to buy this for your royal family's elders to extend their lifespans, I think it's a waste of its potential. Besides increasing vitality, this item can also enhance the aptitude of young soul masters, allowing the Star Luo Empire to cultivate more talent."
After hearing this, Xu Jiujiu's eyes lit up, and she immediately began bidding. By now, the price of the Spirit Carving Knife had soared to two hundred million—an unprecedented and terrifying figure.
Meanwhile, Wei Na, also a princess, grew anxious. She hurriedly approached Ye Wen, tugging on his sleeve with a pitiful expression.
Ye Wen knew exactly what she meant. Compared to the currently dominant Sun Moon Empire and Star Luo Empire, the Heavenly Soul Empire—born from the division of the Tian Dou Empire—was far weaker. It was no wonder it would be the second to fall in the coming war.
Though the Heavenly Soul Emperor was working hard to strengthen his nation, talent wasn't something that could be summoned at will.
Ye Wen pondered for a moment.
"Jiujiu, the Star Luo Empire alone can't fully utilize this item. Collaborate with the Heavenly Soul Empire, and both sides can share its benefits. Otherwise, the Star Luo Empire will face constant harassment from the Sun Moon Empire."
Xu Jiujiu thought it over and nodded in agreement. Then, inspired, she added:
"After purchasing it, why not place it in Master's Tian Xing Academy?
Shrek has the Golden Tree as its core for nurturing and inheritance. With this divine-level Spirit Gold, we can establish a similar legacy for Tian Xing Academy."
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