In front of the stall, a man wearing a monkey mask joked with the vendor, "Such rare goods—why not take them to the auction house?"
The vendor complained, "Don't mention it. The Kuike auction house wouldn't even let me in. To be honest, I'm a sea soul master. These three horns come from a thousand-year-old Single-Horned Moon Whale—we caught it on our recent voyage."
Sea soul masters coming to the mainland to sell goods were simply trying to get a better price for their wares.
However, Ning Tianchen seized on a flaw in the vendor's words and raised a question: "If you can't even get into a legitimate place like the auction house, how did you find this place?"
Realizing his point, the onlookers chimed in.
"I'd say there's an eighty percent chance he's a scammer, pretending to be a sea soul master, probably trying to sell fake goods."
Indeed, anything could be bought in the black market, but it was also filled with countless counterfeits.
The biggest feature of the black market was confidentiality—sellers didn't worry about buyers causing trouble afterward.
As everyone started talking over each other, the vendor grew visibly anxious, desperately trying to explain himself.
However, no one believed him, and the crowd quickly dispersed, leaving only Ning Tianchen and Ning Rongrong behind.
The vendor angrily snapped, "What gives you the right to interfere with my business!"
"I've been selling here in the black market for years—how could I possibly be a fraud? The reason I couldn't get into the auction house is that they didn't think my items were good enough for this big auction."
The horns still contained traces of soul power, and the forgery techniques on the Douluo Continent were far from being able to replicate parts of soul beasts' bodies.
These three horns were indeed genuine.
Ning Tianchen smiled faintly and said calmly, "Name your price—I'll take all three."
During future training, they might need to venture deep into caves or forests. Having a horn like this would save them the trouble of carrying torches.
While torches were fine in forests, lighting them in caves created choking smoke.
"You!"
The vendor was furious, finally realizing Ning Tianchen's tactic.
By driving away all the competitors, he had left only Ning Tianchen, who could now haggle freely.
Ning Rongrong couldn't help but laugh—Ning Tianchen's move was truly underhanded.
"Ten thousand gold soul coins per horn—take it or leave it!" The vendor wasn't about to show any kindness.
Ning Tianchen didn't know the exact value of the Single-Horned Moon Whale's horns, but as products of a thousand-year-old soul beast, their price was nowhere near the vendor's asking price.
"Five thousand gold soul coins for all three." Ning Tianchen remained calm and composed. "I won't deny that seafood has a premium on land, but this is my bottom line. If you don't agree, I can go to Hanhai City to buy them elsewhere. I doubt the price will be higher than what I just offered."
The vendor fell into deep thought.
By sheer coincidence, Ning Tianchen had guessed the exact value of the three horns.
It was also the vendor's bottom line.
But after traveling thousands of miles to the mainland, selling at the same price as on the coast felt like a loss.
"Since you're sincere about buying them, I'll give you all three horns for fifty-five hundred gold soul coins—and I'll throw in a gemstone as well."
With that, he pulled out a palm-sized gemstone that was crystal clear and emitted a soft blue glow.
The Deep Blue Heart gemstone was worth only a few hundred gold soul coins.
Ning Rongrong enjoyed collecting gemstones, and she had never seen one this large before—it would make a nice addition to her collection.
"Deal."
Money and goods exchanged hands.
After receiving the payment, the vendor immediately left the black market without lingering.
Not long after, Zhao Yi successfully sold the soul bones and came to meet up with the two.
"They sold for thirty-six thousand gold soul coins—enough to cover pensions and military pay."
Though Ning Tianchen couldn't see Zhao Yi's expression through his mask, he could tell from his tone that the negotiation had been exhausting and that he was tired.
"We've finished our business—let's head back to the hotel. I wonder how Xiaotian and the others are doing with gathering information."
---
By evening, Feng Xiaotian and the others returned to the hotel with the information they had gathered.
This auction featured numerous high-quality items, so the auction house decided to conduct a blind auction.
The list of items wouldn't be disclosed beforehand, and during the auction, items would be randomly pulled from storage.
There was no final highlight item in this auction. For every item, the auctioneer would remember the reserve price and then put it up for bidding directly.
"A blind auction tests the guests' control over their funds," Ning Tianchen frowned.
If too much money was spent early on, there wouldn't be enough left for later bids.
Most people would approach it this way, so the prices at the start of the auction wouldn't be outrageous—there might even be opportunities to pick up bargains below market price.
However, once more than half the items were auctioned, the competition would become exceptionally fierce.
"Are they really going to randomize it? What if their insiders memorize the order and leak it to certain guests? Wouldn't that put us at a disadvantage?" Ning Rongrong complained.
Feng Xiaotian had the most detailed intelligence and explained, "The items are stored on numbered shelves. Apart from the first item, each subsequent item is randomly selected by the buyer of the previous item."
"Unless the auction house is willing to risk losing credibility and money, they shouldn't tamper with the process."
This sounded fair!
Next, everyone pooled their funds and handed them over to Ning Tianchen to manage.
Zhao Yi stood up and bid farewell. "Senior Sister, Senior Brother, my 'task' is complete. There's still much to do back in Xingnan City—I'll head back now."
He couldn't afford to waste the thirty-six thousand gold soul coins he had earned. Staying in Kuike City any longer would inevitably lead to unnecessary expenses.
Though he wanted to attend such a large-scale auction to gain experience, he was more concerned about his responsibilities in Xingnan City.
Ning Tianchen patted his shoulder lightly and didn't try to stop him. "Safe travels."
After Zhao Yi left, the group continued discussing the items they had learned about.
Suddenly, Ning Tianchen made a gesture for everyone to keep talking while he silently moved to the door.
Someone outside was eavesdropping on their conversation. Without knowing the person's identity, caution was necessary.
Suddenly, Ning Tianchen yanked open the door. A young boy who had been listening through the door stumbled and nearly fell to the ground.
"Hey, hey, hey—is this polite?"
The boy steadied himself and looked up, complaining.
"Little brother, eavesdropping at the door is very impolite. Tell me—who sent you?" Chen Huayu cracked his knuckles, trying to intimidate him.
The boy placed his hands on his hips, showing no fear. "Fatty, I'll give you one chance to rephrase that."
"You little brat—you dare call yourself 'old man'?" Ning Rongrong chuckled.
The boy had a handsome face that many girls would find charming.
Seeing the boy's demeanor, Ning Tianchen suddenly remembered something. He pulled the boy out of the room. "Keep talking," he told the others.
With that, he closed the door.
"Does Boss know him?" Chen Huayu asked curiously.
Feng Xiaotian shrugged and didn't respond.
Still, they all felt that a boy of around ten posed no threat.
---
Outside the room, Ning Tianchen pulled the boy into the stairwell.
"Speak—who sent you?"
The boy stood tall and proud. "I know you."
"If you know me, shouldn't you introduce yourself?" Ning Tianchen countered.
The boy cleared his throat and declared dramatically, "Listen carefully—I am the Fifth Elder of the Spirit Hall, the Guangling Douluo!"
Ning Tianchen nodded slightly.
As he had seen in his past life, the Guangling Douluo indeed appeared as a young boy.
But the Guangling Douluo was stunned and anxiously asked, "Hey, aren't you going to argue? Look how young I am—do you really believe I'm a Title Douluo?"
Ning Tianchen nodded again.
The Guangling Douluo deflated like a punctured balloon—all the prepared lines in his head now useless.
Ning Tianchen asked bluntly, "Enough nonsense—what does she want you to do?"
Guangling Douluo composed himself and responded, "The Great Elder sent me to attend this auction. There's an item that will greatly aid Young Master in his cultivation."
"I'm warning you—don't try to snatch it!"
Ning Tianchen didn't find this strange.
After Qian Renxue returned to the Spirit Hall, she had rapidly ascended from a peak Soul Sage to becoming the new Angel God within just a few years. Qian Daoliu must have provided her with no shortage of cultivation resources.
"How am I supposed to know what you're after if you don't tell me?"
Guangling Douluo thought about it and realized he was right.
Just as he was about to speak, Manager Liu arrived with several guests heading to their floor to select suites.
Seeing the two conversing, Manager Liu didn't find it unusual.
After all, both held Pope Tokens, so they were likely from the Spirit Hall.
Guangling Douluo took out a slip of paper from his soul-guiding tool. "It's the item listed here. Remember it well—I don't have much money."
"Got it!" After giving it a quick glance, Ning Tianchen stored the note in his soul-guiding tool.
"By the way, tell me about the auction situation. I'm alone and haven't gathered much useful information."
---
Two days remained until the auction began, and Ning Tianchen's group continued gathering intelligence around the city.
That evening, as everyone returned to the hotel to exchange information, the voice of the divine trial echoed in their minds.
"Fifth Trial of the Asura God: Cross the deep blue oceans and reach the land beyond. Note—you must depart within six months!"
"Upon completion of the trial, rewards include a 10% increase in Asura Affinity, one divine-bestowed soul ring, and a 10,000-year increase in soul ring cultivation."
"Failure means death at sea!"
The content of the divine trial left everyone exchanging glances.
The trial didn't explicitly state where they were supposed to go.
The only thing they knew for sure was that they had to head to the sea.
Kuike City wasn't too far from Hanhai City, and after the auction ended, their next destination would be there.
Ning Tianchen speculated, "From fragments I've read in ancient texts, I've learned there may be another continent beyond the sea. Perhaps the divine trial is asking us to reach it."
Yu Die added, "Now it makes sense—Mother's Butterfly Valley might very well be on this unknown continent."
Feng Xiaotian shrugged. "No exaggeration—we're all landlubbers. The sea is teeming with countless sea soul beasts. Near the coastline, it's manageable, but once you venture deeper, powerful soul beasts are everywhere."
Oscar chimed in, "Seawater can't be consumed directly. If we're attacked while flying over the ocean, we'll likely die of thirst before reaching our destination."
The most critical issue was that it was difficult to navigate direction on the open sea.
They had never been exposed to the ocean and didn't know how to use celestial navigation.
Ning Tianchen waved his hand to interrupt. "You're getting carried away."
"The waves in the sea aren't comparable to those in lakes. To venture into the deep sea, we'll need to rent a large ship."
"What, no captain on board? Do you expect us to navigate?"
Chen Huayu said, "If anyone has reached another continent, the news would've already spread across the continent."
Though Hanhai City was a hub for sea soul masters, many merchants from the mainland traveled there to purchase seafood.
Chen Huayu was right—if any ship had reached another continent and safely returned to Hanhai City, the news would have spread.
"I don't think it's that no one has ever reached another continent," Yu Die analyzed.
"Some may have gone and chosen not to return. Others might have run out of food before reaching the other continent and perished in the deep sea."
Ning Tianchen concluded, "Regardless, the fact that crossing the sea is our fifth trial means the difficulty won't be low."
"However, finding an experienced captain will save us a lot of trouble along the way."
After a pause, he instructed, "Xiao Ao, Fatty, wait for us in the city."
Ning Tianchen's movements had always been reported to the intelligence department to ensure the sect was aware of their whereabouts.
Since they were about to embark on a long sea voyage, they needed to inform the sect in advance to prevent the elder council from making incorrect assumptions.
"Have them send someone to escort the items we purchased at the auction back, and inform them to station people in Hanhai City. We're about to set sail, and when we return, the sect will know our status immediately."
---
Time flew by like a white horse passing through a crevice, and the day of the auction arrived in the blink of an eye.
Ning Tianchen's group, holding the invitation letters provided by Manager Liu, were escorted by staff to the VIP box.
The side of the box facing the auction hall had large floor-to-ceiling crystal windows, offering a clear view of everything happening on the auction stage.
Guests gradually entered the hall, and with some time before the auction began, Ning Tianchen sat by the window, observing the scene inside the auction hall.
"The Unrivaled Dragon Serpent Family is here as well."
Dragon Duke and Serpent Grandmother were seated in the first row of chairs in the auction hall, not in a private box.
The Unrivaled Dragon Serpent Family wasn't small in stature—they should have qualified to participate in the reselection of the Seven Great Sects.
But in reality, they hadn't appeared at the event.
After the Soul Master Competition ended, the Unrivaled Dragon Serpent Family had completely "disappeared," and no news about them had surfaced on the continent since.
Feng Xiaotian stood by the window and remarked, "It seems we might encounter quite a few familiar faces at this auction."
Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect was aware of the auction but hadn't sent anyone to attend.
"Boss, should we try to recruit the Dragon-Serpent Family? It's said that Dragon Duke and Serpent Grandmother's spirit fusion skill can rival that of a Title Douluo. Having such power would make the sect even stronger," Chen Huayu suggested.
Ning Tianchen shook his head.
The Dragon-Serpent Family didn't have much industry—they relied entirely on the intimidation of Dragon Duke and Serpent Grandmother to extort protection fees wherever they went.
Bringing such a family into the Sky Sword Sect would inevitably cause trouble sooner or later.
Moreover, even if they could discipline their disciples, the sect didn't have any suitable industries for them to manage.
Would they really use profits earned by other departments just to support them?
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