Although it was only an internal evaluation of Shrek Academy, and only for the outer court, her stunning beauty and unique temperament were indeed well-deserved, making people unable to help but take a few more glances.
However, despite Jiang Nan'nan's beauty, she wasn't enough to make Lu Jingming lose his composure. He merely glanced at her a little longer before politely shifting his gaze.
"Sister Ningguang, you've worked hard during this time. And this must be classmate Jiang Nan'nan. You should both be familiar with us," Lu Jingming said with a smile.
Ningguang had indeed been quite busy recently, helping Sea Abyss City sort out its economy.
With a large influx of people, Ningguang's contributions were indispensable in maintaining the orderly state of Sea Abyss City.
As for Jiang Nan'nan, Lu Jingming had actually known for a while that she had been recruited by Ningguang.
After all, Ningguang's trip to Shrek City was twofold: on one hand, to establish the Jade Chamber and expand her business empire; on the other, to recruit talent.
Students who could enter Shrek Academy's outer court either had prominent backgrounds, were wealthy, or possessed extraordinary talent and strength.
Jiang Nan'nan belonged to the exceptionally talented category. She came from a commoner background; if she hadn't been born in Shrek City, she probably wouldn't even have had the chance to enroll in Shrek Academy.
Even so, when her mother fell ill, Shrek Academy didn't offer any assistance, and she had to find a solution on her own.
If Ningguang hadn't intervened in time, she might have had to sell herself to the Xuanming Sect to save her mother.
Besides Jiang Nan'nan, a few other people familiar to Lu Jingming from Shrek's outer court were also successfully invested in by Ningguang and subsequently joined the Jade Chamber.
For instance, Nanmen Yun'er and Xie Huanyue, who were originally supposed to be recruited by Ning Tian of the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, were discovered and invested in by Ningguang ahead of time.
These two didn't have strong backgrounds, so they were easily swayed, otherwise, in the original story, they wouldn't have followed Ning Tian so readily.
The current Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect was long past its glory days of ten thousand years ago. While its former prestige still existed, it was merely a hollow reputation.
Ten thousand years ago, Ning Rongrong, the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's only Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda owner, did not leave any descendants, leading to the sect's current inheritance being limited to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda.
Although the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda was powerful, its possessors could only reach the Soul Sage level, and the lifespan of a Soul Sage was far shorter than that of a Titled Douluo.
Therefore, ten thousand years later, the decline of the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect was only to be expected.
However, as the saying goes, a starved camel is still bigger than a horse. The Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect still had Titled Douluo overseeing it, and more than one.
Ten thousand years ago, the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect was a powerful force capable of contending for a spot among the Upper Three Sects, but now, it seemed somewhat powerless.
"You are... the captain of the St. Freya Academy team!"
Jiang Nan'nan was full of surprise. She never expected people from St. Freya Academy to be here, and seeing how familiar they were with her Sister Ningguang filled her with even more questions.
"Nan'nan, let me introduce you. This is the City Lord of Sea Abyss City, and also the mastermind behind the Jade Chamber," Ningguang said softly, with a gentle smile in her eyes, introducing him to Jiang Nan'nan.
Jiang Nan'nan was stunned upon hearing this, her eyes filled with disbelief.
These past few days, she had personally witnessed the prosperity and power of Sea Abyss City, but she had never imagined that the owner of this city would be the captain of the St. Freya Academy team, a boy around her age.
"What mastermind? Isn't Sister Ningguang the only boss of the Jade Chamber!"
Lu Jingming gave a helpless smile and sat down with March 7th and the others, naturally taking the seat next to Ningguang.
"Heh heh, what's mine is yours, so it's not wrong to call you the big boss!"
Ningguang extended her index finger and gently tapped Lu Jingming's forehead, her gestures showing extreme intimacy.
Seeing this, Jiang Nan'nan's rosy lips parted in shock, and a stormy wave surged in her heart.
Was this still the decisive, powerful woman, Sister Ningguang, in her mind?
She had never seen Sister Ningguang act so gently towards a male, let alone make such intimate gestures.
Recalling her earlier joke about becoming Ningguang's maid of honor, Jiang Nan'nan's pretty face instantly flushed crimson. She lowered her head a little awkwardly, feeling embarrassed, fearing that Ningguang would tell Lu Jingming about her past joke.
At the same time, she finally understood why Ningguang had such a strange expression when she heard that remark.
She had truly "sold" herself!
However, sneaking a glance at Lu Jingming, Jiang Nan'nan secretly thought to herself, with that kind of looks, if it really came to that, who would be losing and who would be gaining was hard to say.
The sandalwood incense in the glazed lamp slowly rose, suffusing the VIP room with a dreamlike aura.
"Sister Ningguang, ignore A'Ming for now. What good stuff did you prepare for this auction?" March 7th affectionately hugged Ningguang's arm, her eyes full of curiosity.
Ningguang lightly tapped the gilded armrest with her fingertips, her jade bracelet clinking softly, "Little March is also interested in the auction items? If you see anything you like later, I'll get it for you."
"Eh, forget it. Compared to those expensive auction items, I'd rather buy a few new clothes!"
March 7th stuck out her tongue and bounced back, the head ornaments on her pink hair jiggling. She was merely curious for a moment, not truly wanting anything.
She hopped to the long table laden with pastries and exchanged a glance with Firefly, who was already secretly eating a small cake. The two girls instantly reached a tacit agreement to share the snacks.
Lu Jingming and the understanding Robin were accompanying Jiang Nan'nan, so she wouldn't feel awkward.
From Jiang Nan'nan, he learned that Shrek Academy was in VIP Room No. 3. Besides her coming to see Ningguang, only Wang Dong, who disliked soul tools, hadn't come; everyone else was already in the VIP room waiting for the auction to begin.
Lu Jingming nodded thoughtfully. It seemed Sea God Tang San had indeed placed a hint in Wang Dong's mind.
Lu Jingming was a bit speechless. His proud hidden weapons were eliminated by soul tools. Instead of embracing new things, improving hidden weapons, and innovating, he only thought about suppressing soul tools and even hinted at his own daughter.
Tang San's actions truly broadened Lu Jingming's horizons!
As they were speaking, the dome suddenly shimmered with starlight, and a holographic projection formed a dazzling light screen. In the image, a gilded high platform slowly rose, and twelve crystal display cases shimmered with light.
"Welcome, distinguished guests, to the Tianquan Auction!" In an ethereal voice, a young girl in a gilded, floor-length gown gracefully stepped onto the stage.
Gold threads woven into star patterns flowed with her steps, and a miniature astrolabe gleamed in her golden braided hair.
Lu Jingming looked at the young girl on the screen, his expression startled. That familiar smile was clearly Xu Jiujiu!
He turned his head to look at Ningguang, puzzled.
"Thanks to someone's great influence," Ningguang chuckled, covering her lips, her red nails reflecting the light screen. "The chief auctioneer of the Starlight Auction House isn't someone you can just invite casually."
Xu Jiujiu had a noble status. If it weren't for an invitation in Lu Jingming's name, it would have been impossible to invite her to host the auction.
Lu Jingming was a bit speechless. Ningguang really knew how to use connections. If it were in his name, Xu Jiujiu would indeed agree.
However, the Tianquan Auction House wasn't Xu Jiujiu's own Starlight Auction House. In a way, they were still competitors. Wasn't Xu Jiujiu practically helping the competition?
Not only Lu Jingming recognized Xu Jiujiu, but other contestants also recognized her. After all, she had been by Xu Jiawei's side, observing the competition from the grandstand since its beginning.
The contestants from other academies whispered among themselves. Who would have thought that the Princess of the Star Luo Empire would condescend to host an auction?
However, this also filled everyone with anticipation for the upcoming auction.
Xu Jiujiu didn't need to say much; her identity alone had already pushed the atmosphere of the auction to its peak.
"I am auctioneer Jiujiu, and it is my great honor to host this auction. Distinguished guests, your time is precious, so the Tianquan Auction officially begins now. Please welcome the first item."
Xu Jiujiu bloomed with a sweet smile, radiating charm.
As soon as Xu Jiujiu finished speaking, the screen image switched, and a holographic projection of an item appeared on the soul tool screen.
The image rotated 360 degrees, allowing everyone to clearly see the details of the item.
The holographic image of the first item rotated in mid-air. A gleaming long saber with icy blue patterns radiated a chilling light.
Xu Jiujiu's fingertips traced the blade, and text appeared on the holographic projection: "An eighth-grade close-combat soul tool, the Tyrant Tiger Soul Refining Blade, produced by Mingde Hall. It has a solidified soul skill, 'Tyrant Blade Slash,' which amplifies similar skills by 50%. What's even more special is—"
She suddenly paused, her eyes sparkling, "It was forged from a soul bone and comes with its own soul power storage, requiring only one-third of the consumption to activate soul skills!"
"Although this is an eighth-grade soul tool, Soul Sages can use it, making cross-rank combat effortless. The starting price is 600,000 gold soul coins, with a viewing time of five minutes!"
"This isn't a Jade Chamber soul tool, is it?" Lu Jingming turned to Ningguang.
"That's right, this is an item your Princess Jiujiu brought herself to liven things up," Ningguang said, chuckling and teasing him.
"A'Ming, you're really something!" March 7th giggled, giving Lu Jingming a thumbs-up.
Jiang Nan'nan looked at Lu Jingming with some surprise; it seemed his relationship with Princess Jiujiu was anything but ordinary.
Immediately, she looked at Ningguang with a peculiar expression, then swept her gaze around the VIP room, her expression becoming even stranger.
Good heavens, she hadn't noticed at first, but now that she looked, among a group of girls, Lu Jingming was the only male.
Five minutes passed in a flash, and a string of bidding numbers instantly appeared on the screen, indicating that someone had already placed a bid.
On the soul tool screen, the price continued to change, quickly settling at 1,600,000 gold soul coins.
For an eighth-grade soul tool, especially a close-combat one, this price was considered on the higher side.
However, auctions are inherently about bidding high for rare items that are difficult to come by on ordinary days, so this price wasn't outrageous.
The one who bought the Tyrant Tiger Soul Refining Blade was someone from VIP Room No. 3, clearly Shrek Academy had made a move.
And among Shrek Academy, only Dai Yaoh_eng would buy it, as this blade perfectly suited his martial soul.
Moreover, for the White Tiger Duke's Mansion, this amount of money was nothing.
"Thank you to the distinguished guest who just purchased the Tyrant Tiger Soul Refining Blade for your support of this auction. Next, we present the second item!"
Xu Jiujiu's melodious voice rang out again, and the soul tool screen changed once more. In the image, a dark red gem appeared.
Upon seeing this gem, Lu Jingming's expression suddenly changed, his face looking very peculiar.
"Distinguished guests, this is a mental-attribute soul tool gem, capable of assisting Soul Masters in cultivating their spiritual power, amplifying mental-type soul skills, and even replenishing a Soul Master's spiritual energy when it's exhausted. The starting price is also 600,000, and bidding will officially begin in five minutes."
After Xu Jiujiu finished her introduction, the screen rotated again, showcasing the gem from all angles and detailing its functions and effects.