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Ye Wen instinctively wanted to refuse. After all, if he really wanted to find something like this, he could locate many such items, and most would be larger than this tiny carving knife.
However, just as the words were about to leave his lips, Ye Wen paused. Undoubtedly, this carving knife was prepared by Tang San for Tang Wulin.
So, while Ye Wen completely disregarded this "little brat," he was confident that without divine intervention, Huo Yu'er could easily suppress Tang Wulin in the future.
But everyone who knew Tang San's pure and righteous facade understood that he had always been unscrupulous, with flexible standards for achieving divinity.
Though the Spirit Carving Knife was insignificant to Ye Wen, it was among the top-tier resources Tang Wulin could access. Intercepting it wouldn't hurt—why not?
Moreover, though Ye Wen hadn't paid much attention to nurturing students at Tian Xing Academy, upon reflection, he realized it was meant to be Huo Yuer's foundation. Being too frugal wouldn't do.
In the end, Ye Wen nodded in approval.
"Alright."
Seeing Ye Wen agree, both Xu Jiujiu and Wei Na revealed expressions of joy, and the price of the Spirit Carving Knife instantly soared to three hundred million.
With Ye Wen's booth intervening, the nobles of Star Luo and other nations quickly backed off.
After all, they knew this was Xu Jiujiu's territory. How could they compete against a booth backed by a national ruler like Ye Wen?
However, while these smaller factions retreated, two booths continued their fierce bidding.
"Three hundred fifty million!" Jing Hongchen didn't hesitate to raise the bid.
Though Jing Hongchen didn't carry that much money on him, as one of the top five figures in the Sun Moon Empire, he had the authority to command such vast sums.
Jing Hongchen was well aware that without the existence of tenth-rank soul engineers, the Sun Moon Empire needed to cultivate its own ninth-rank Super Douluos to surpass the three kingdoms of Douluo.
Though Jing Hongchen was a Titled Douluo, he deeply regretted overdosing on pills in his youth, leaving irreversible harm to his body. As a result, he was forever stuck at rank 94, unable to reach Super Douluo status.
This was also why Shrek and the Sun Moon Imperial Advanced Soul Engineering Academy later initiated the exchange student program—the Sun Moon Empire hoped to leverage Shrek's foundation to cultivate their own Super Douluos.
After all, despite being only rank 94, Jing Hongchen could retreat unscathed from confrontations with Xuanzi, who was rank 98, thanks to multiple ninth-rank soul-guiding tools. One could imagine how powerful a Super Douluo-level soul engineer would be.
Unfortunately, while the Sun Moon Imperial Academy nurtured Huo Yuhao, they concealed vast amounts of core information. If even they acted this way, what more could be expected of Shrek? This plotline was simply absurd.
Moreover, Shrek's success ultimately boiled down to nurturing geniuses into greater geniuses. The abundance of Super Douluos stemmed largely from the ceaseless vitality emitted by the Golden Tree.
Jing Hongchen understood this well, so he was unwilling to let go of such a treasure imbued with life force.
Meanwhile, Tang Wulin in the Shrek booth furrowed his brows slightly but raised the price without hesitation, pushing it to four hundred million.
Though the Hao Tian Sect wasn't among the wealthiest factions on the Douluo Continent, years of seclusion had allowed them to accumulate a substantial fortune. Wasn't this the perfect time for the true young master to splurge?
Moreover…
"Wulin, there's no need for us to secure this item. Our academy has the Golden Tree. If you truly need the nourishment of vitality, you can access it once you enter the inner court," Wang Yan advised.
Though Wang Yan didn't know Tang Wulin's true identity, before coming here, the inner court had already instructed him to prioritize Tang Wulin in critical moments.
Tang Wulin didn't show any impatience toward Wang Yan's presumptuous advice, given his mere Soul King-level strength. Instead, he calmly nodded and said:
"I understand your point, Teacher Wang. However, my intention to bid on this carving knife isn't for my own needs but for future preparations."
With that, Tang Wulin resumed operating the console to raise the bid.
Outwardly calm, Tang Wulin inwardly scoffed at Wang Yan's suggestion.
After all, why share the immense vitality of this treasure with others when he could enjoy it alone? Why struggle for a spot under that tree with countless others?
Moreover, after delving into soul-guiding tools, Tang Wulin truly understood how crucial a good carving knife was to a soul engineer.
However, as time passed, Tang Wulin's expression darkened.
Though the Hao Tian Sect's overall expenses weren't high, over the years they had accumulated around five hundred million gold spirit coins. Meanwhile, an elder from Shrek had explicitly informed him earlier that Shrek currently had about three hundred million available.
Yet now, the bidding for the Spirit Carving Knife had reached nine hundred million.
Tang Wulin found it hard to believe. Despite controlling two major factions, he was losing in this bidding war?
Suddenly, a thought flashed through Tang Wulin's mind.
"How foolish of me! This is Star Luo Empire's territory, and this auction item originally belonged to them. They're bidding freely now, knowing they won't have to pay a single coin in the end. What shameless people! They've been in an unbeatable position from the start and still put on such a farce!
How despicable! To dare deceive me like this! You've sealed your fate."
The staggering amount involved left Wang Yan trembling with shock. The other Shrek students looked at Tang Wulin as if he were a monster—they couldn't imagine their usually kind junior having such a formidable financial backing.
However, instead of feeling inclined to curry favor with Tang Wulin, those present subtly distanced themselves. After all, each of them represented a faction.
At this moment, Tang Wulin stood up with a grim expression.
"I'm going to the restroom."
With that, Tang Wulin left.
The Shrek group didn't think much of it and remained seated, curious to see the final price this legendary item would reach.
Jing Hongchen, as a Titled Douluo, was now desperate, raising the price to nine hundred fifty million.
The auctioneer on stage felt as though she had reached the pinnacle of her career. This was an item nearing a billion!
A billion! Not copper spirit coins, not silver spirit coins, but genuine gold spirit coins. Piled together, they'd form a mountain of gold capable of crushing someone to death.
As expected, Xu Jiujiu didn't hesitate to raise the bid to one billion.
This Spirit Carving Knife was originally brought by a destitute noble family to sell for money. However, due to its notorious reputation, it ended up unsold and was eventually sold to the Starlight Auction House for a mere ten thousand gold spirit coins.
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