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The moment the name "Soul Devouring Blade" was announced, many in the audience erupted into murmurs of shock. However, they quickly calmed down—after all, at this level of auction, the final item wouldn't be just that simple.
Sure enough, the auctioneer's next words extinguished any lingering curiosity.
"However, please rest assured, the Soul Devouring Blade is no longer as cursed as it once was. For some unknown reason, after failing to sell in a previous auction, it has shed its ominous aura and now radiates its original brilliance.
Now, please allow me to guide you in experiencing the beauty of this legendary treasure."
With that, the auctioneer deactivated the soul-guiding barrier encasing the Soul Devouring Blade.
In an instant, all the high-level soul masters in the booths visibly changed expressions.
"This fluctuation—it's incredible! What a beautiful aura of life force! It feels as if I'm standing at the source of vitality itself!"
"Even from this distance, my body feels nourished. No wonder it's the final auction item."
"A carving knife imbued with such terrifying vitality? What kind of material could have created this? Regardless of how much it aids in engraving soul-guiding arrays, the life force alone is worth far more than a hundred million gold spirit coins."
All the discerning guests stared at the carving knife on the auction stage with eyes gleaming in excitement, their gazes burning with desire.
Xu Jiujiu's lips curled into a smirk that was hard to suppress, her eyes provocatively glancing at Wei Na.
"So what if you bought a mere thirty-million-gold soul bone to curry favor with your teacher? The real ace up our Star Luo Royal Family's sleeve is this!"
Wei Na noticed Xu Jiujiu's gaze and clenched her teeth in frustration. She was inwardly shocked by the Star Luo Royal Family's bold move.
After all, the Douluo Continent of today wasn't like it was ten thousand years ago. Even Titled Douluos lived for only a few centuries. From Wei Na's perspective, though she didn't know her teacher's exact age, even a Supreme Douluo would find it hard not to be tempted by such a treasure.
Though the price tag of hundreds of millions of gold spirit coins was steep, for a nation like the Heavenly Soul Empire, it wasn't insurmountable. Moreover, unlike the Sun Moon Empire, the three kingdoms of Douluo didn't have many pressing expenses. If spending this much could secure the full support of a Supreme powerhouse, it would be well worth it.
Unfortunately, Wei Na had already made one bid earlier. Bidding again might come across as vying for favor—a move that often irritated powerful individuals.
Wei Na's expression dimmed slightly, and she instinctively glanced at Ye Wen.
!?
At the same time, Xu Jiujiu also looked over.
?
Both of them were struck by doubt. Ye Wen gazed at the screen with calm indifference, showing none of the fiery interest they had imagined.
Something was off—something big!
At this moment, the auctioneer reactivated the soul-guiding barrier around the Soul Devouring Blade. Without the nourishment of its life force, many of the important figures in the booths frowned deeply.
"Honored guests, I'm sure you've already felt that overwhelming surge of vitality. The Soul Devouring Blade has become an unparalleled treasure! However, our auction house must humbly admit that we remain ignorant of its material composition. The only thing we know is that whoever possesses it will be continuously nourished by the life force it contains—even a Titled Douluo could gain an additional century of life.
Now, I announce: the starting bid for the Soul Devouring Blade is fifty million gold spirit coins, with each subsequent bid increment no less than ten million gold spirit coins.
Due to the high amount, our auction house can now initiate asset certification to alleviate your financial pressure. However, we urge caution in bidding. If a winning bid cannot be paid, our auction house will forcibly confiscate half of the bidder's assets as compensation for breach of trust."
As soon as the auctioneer finished speaking, the starting price of fifty million instantly soared to seventy million. It was clear how tempting that aura of vitality had been for the influential figures present.
Especially since Ye Wen's booth remained completely silent, everyone subconsciously assumed he wasn't interested. Though their instincts told them that a Supreme Douluo wouldn't disdain such a legendary treasure, what if he truly didn't care? If that were the case, this supreme artifact could belong to them! Thus, the bidding frenzy grew even more intense.
Seeing that Ye Wen remained unmoved, Xu Jiujiu's curiosity reached its peak. Tentatively, she asked:
"Master, are you truly uninterested in such a legendary treasure?"
At this moment, Ye Wen snapped out of his thoughts.
Just moments ago, he had recalled the complete dossier of the Soul Devouring Blade. This item should have appeared in a small auction not long ago, where, according to the original storyline, Huo Yuhao purchased it to strengthen his martial soul and nourish the residual soul of Electrolux.
However, due to his intervention, many subtle plotlines in this world had shifted, and this Soul Devouring Blade naturally never reached Huo Yu'er's hands.
After all, Ye Wen had seen countless treasures—how could he possibly care about such a minor trace of life force?
If he wanted, he could simply take it directly from the Spirit Lake in the Great Star Forest.
But this raised another question for Ye Wen. The peculiar nature of this Soul Devouring Blade stemmed from modifications made by a ninth-rank soul engineer who was also a Titled Douluo and an evil soul master three thousand years ago.
Although the current ninth-rank soul engineers' capabilities far surpassed those of the past, the key factor was the pure cultivation of a Titled Douluo. Such malevolent energy could only be cleansed by someone of Supreme Douluo or even demi-god level strength.
Yet… currently, aside from himself, there didn't seem to be anyone in Star Luo City above rank 98. So who had purified the Soul Devouring Blade?
At this moment, Ye Wen heard the auctioneer's voice.
"One hundred million gold spirit coins! The bid has reached one hundred million! The Soul Devouring Blade is now at one hundred million gold spirit coins. Are there any higher bids? Otherwise, this legendary treasure will be claimed by a prominent figure from Shrek Academy."
Hearing this, Ye Wen's suspicions were instantly confirmed.
After all, Shrek Academy had recently been bled dry of eight hundred million gold spirit coins by him. They would be tightening their belts for a long time to come—how could they possibly afford such a sum? The only person in that booth capable of producing this kind of cash flow was Tang Wulin, the current head of the Tang Sect and the young master of the Hao Tian Sect.
It had to be said, Tang San had thrown all sense of shame aside for his plans. Wasn't this blatantly giving his son an unfair advantage?
As for vitality, Tang Wulin certainly didn't need it at this stage. No matter how potent the life force of the Spirit Gold might be, it couldn't directly enhance Tang Wulin's martial soul—it simply wasn't the right specialization.
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