Just as the crowd in the auction house was consumed by greed, a heavy pressure suddenly descended, accompanied by an icy, bone-chilling sword intent that hung in the air.
This pressure and sword intent instantly sobered everyone, their reason, previously clouded by avarice, swiftly returning.
When the sword intent dissipated, they found their backs drenched in cold sweat.
They secretly rejoiced, knowing that if it weren't for that pressure and sword intent, they might have already made impulsive moves, potentially leading to their instant demise by a single sword strike!
"A 100,000-year Stigmata, Mountain-Moving Ape. The starting bid is one hundred million gold soul coins. You have twenty minutes for viewing, esteemed guests, please make the most of your time!"
As soon as Xu Jiujiu's words fell, the doors of various private rooms opened, and many people rushed out of the Tianquan Auction House.
Without a doubt, they were off to raise funds, preparing to participate in this fierce bidding war.
Inside Private Room Number Four, Old Ma's pipe clattered to the ground, but he paid it no mind, urgently ordering the others, "Quick, everyone, get out your soul tools!"
He intended to convert all their soul tools into gold soul coins. Even if it meant selling his own natal soul tool, he would find every possible way to acquire this Stigmata.
For soul engineers of the Sun Moon Empire, this Stigmata held immense significance.
Soul engineers, due to their focus on soul tool research and usage, often had inferior physical constitutions and soul power levels compared to traditional soul masters. Even upon breaking through to become Titled Douluo, they struggled to withstand the immense power of a 100,000-year soul ring.
In the past, even if they could hunt 100,000-year soul beasts, they couldn't absorb the soul rings, rendering all their efforts futile.
But this Stigmata was completely different. Since even Soul Douluo could absorb it, soul engineers, despite their relatively weaker physical constitutions, would have a chance to obtain a powerful 100,000-year soul ring with the help of the Stigmata when breaking through to Titled Douluo.
This was a crucial item that could elevate the upper limit of soul engineers' strength. How could Old Ma not be tempted?
Moreover, the effects of the Stigmata extended far beyond this.
Whether it was enhancing physical constitution, gaining the strength and defense boost of the Mountain-Moving Ape, or the gravity manipulation ability and bloodline inheritance after Stigmata awakening—every point was a massive temptation, constantly assailing Old Ma's reason.
Furthermore, their family's inherited martial soul was the Big-Headed Ape, a high-grade martial soul. If they obtained this Stigmata, their family's martial soul might even evolve. He couldn't help but be moved.
The overall martial soul level of the Sun Moon Empire was already lower than that of the original Douluo Three Kingdoms, and top-tier martial souls were even rarer.
The heaven-defying effects of this Stigmata constantly exuded a fatal attraction, almost causing Old Ma to lose his mind.
If it weren't for that sword intent appearing just in time, he might have already acted impulsively, even attempting to forcefully seize it.
At the same time, they secretly speculated that the developer of this Stigmata, that mysterious genius, was very likely Lady Herta.
After all, Lady Herta's simulated universe had already demonstrated extraordinary abilities, and this Stigmata might be another one of her astonishing creations.
Inside Private Room Number One, Gu Yue's face was filled with shock, her eyes gleaming with excitement.
She stared intently at the blood-red crystal, her heart full of hope. She didn't care much for the other effects of the Stigmata, but the ability to obtain a soul ring without hunting a soul beast deeply captivated her.
This might be the hope for the soul beast race! At this moment, she had only one question: what was the cost of making the Stigmata?
Gu Yue looked at Lu Jingming, her eyes showing a hint of hesitation, as she pondered how to ask.
"The Stigmata was made by Möbius. The raw materials are the genetic information and soul information of the Mountain-Moving Ape, plus some other materials. Moreover, you don't need to specifically kill soul beasts to extract these materials," Lu Jingming said calmly, seemingly having anticipated Gu Yue's question before she could even speak.
Gu Yue was stunned, a flicker of complexity in her eyes.
She should have guessed it long ago. With Lu Jingming's mysteriousness and Herta's abilities, her identity had probably long been exposed.
She just didn't know how much of herself had been exposed, how much Lu Jingming knew, and whether he had already guessed her true identity.
However, seeing that Lu Jingming hadn't pointed it out and was acting as usual, she felt a slight relief.
Gu Yue gently pursed her red lips and softly said, "Thank you!"
Lu Jingming's lips curled into a smile, and he teased, "If you want to thank me, why not be more practical?"
As he spoke, he pointed to his own lips.
Gu Yue's cheeks flushed slightly, and she said, somewhat exasperatedly, "Dream on!"
She felt a mix of shyness and annoyance. This scoundrel usually seemed so clever, how did he suddenly become so foolish?
If you had asked me privately, I might have impulsively agreed. But how can I agree when you say it in front of so many people!
Regarding Gu Yue and Lu Jingming's conversation, some of the people present were bewildered, some were thoughtful, and some had smiles on their faces, each reacting differently.
"Big Brother, we don't have enough money!" Inside Private Room Number Five, two burly figures stood like iron towers, particularly eye-catching.
At this moment, twenty minutes had silently passed, and the Stigmata auction had already begun, making the burly man with arms like thick wooden stakes anxious.
Normally, given his temper, he would have directly resorted to force to snatch it.
But now, with Snow Moon Douluo present, even the Body Sect, notorious for its reckless and fearless actions, dared not act presumptuously here.
After all, Snow Moon Douluo's killing intent was definitely not a bluff. If they truly angered her, they could genuinely be slain with a single sword strike!
"No matter the cost, we must obtain this Stigmata. Our young master's talent is exceptional. If he integrates this Stigmata, he might even achieve a golden-level awakening. No matter who ultimately bids for the Stigmata, once they leave Haiyuan City, we will take it by force!"
The man called Big Brother was slender but had a head disproportionately large for his body. At this moment, a cold glint flashed in his slightly narrowed triangular eyes, clearly having devised a subsequent plan.
The bidding price on the soul tool screen galloped like a wild horse, soaring upward.
When "one hundred and fifty million gold soul coins" finally settled on the display, the entire auction house fell into a sudden silence, followed by a surging tide of whispers.
This exorbitant price far exceeded everyone's expectations, even surpassing the rumored valuation of a 100,000-year soul bone by a significant margin.
Although there had never been a precedent for a 100,000-year soul bone to be publicly auctioned, everyone present knew that this Stigmata, appearing for the first time, was exceptionally rare and precious.
It was precisely because the Stigmata was making its debut that most people still harbored doubts; otherwise, the final transaction price would have been even more astonishing.
More importantly, this auction had no prior warning, leaving many factions without enough time to prepare sufficient funds.
If the Qunyu Pavilion had extensively advertised in advance, this Stigmata would have easily fetched over two hundred million gold soul coins.
Among the various forces present, the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy was immensely wealthy, and the Mingde Hall behind it was even richer.
Even Shrek Academy, which presided over an entire city and was exempt from taxes, found it difficult to compete financially.
Wang Yan stared at the final price on the soul tool screen, sighing deeply.
If he hadn't previously spent fifty million gold soul coins to bid for Ma Xiaotao's Blazing Sky Sacred Armor, he would have unhesitatingly continued bidding.
As a scholar who had devoted his life to martial soul research, the Stigmata held a fatal attraction for him, even causing him to consider secretly using Shrek Academy's funds.
However, he firmly believed that the academy would not blame him.
If he successfully bid for the Stigmata, the academy elders would likely be ecstatic.
To acquire such a rare treasure with money was worth every gold soul coin, no matter how much it cost. After all, 100,000-year soul bones were generally only spoken of in legends and rarely appeared in transactions, and the value of this Stigmata far exceeded that of a 100,000-year soul bone.
Everyone knew that Qunyu Pavilion offering this Stigmata for auction was, in fact, a meticulously planned publicity stunt.
This implied that Qunyu Pavilion, or rather, Haiyuan City behind it, likely possessed more Stigmata.
But even though they coveted it, no one dared to act rashly. Haiyuan City was formidable and not a pushover to be easily manipulated. Anyone with greedy intentions had to first weigh their own capabilities.
Inside Private Room Number Four, Xiao Hongchen and the others finally breathed a sigh of relief when they saw no one else raising the bid.
One hundred and fifty million was already their absolute limit.
To gather this massive sum, they not only sold most of their soul tools, but Old Ma also painfully gave up all his precious collections except for his natal soul tool, exchanging them for money. Among them were even several Rank-9 soul tools, which were all creations of Old Ma's own painstaking effort.
Without these Rank-9 soul tools, Old Ma's strength had even dropped by one level.
"Old Ma, after the auction, please make the effort to take the Stigmata back to Mingde Hall. Here in Haiyuan City, with Snow Moon Douluo present, we don't need to worry about safety for now."
Xiao Hongchen pondered for a moment before speaking seriously.
Although he was arrogant, he deeply understood the principle of "a precious item brings trouble." This Stigmata was too tempting; even Titled Douluo would likely be moved by it, making it inevitable that some would take risks.
Within Haiyuan City, it was fine, but once they left the city, danger would be constant. Having Old Ma travel alone to deliver the Stigmata back would be not only covert but also more secure.
Old Ma nodded in agreement: "That's how it should be. You all must keep a low profile during this period and wait for my return."
Meng Hongchen and the others also nodded, clearly understanding the gravity of the situation. They decided that as soon as the auction ended, they would stay hidden in the Daydream Hotel and not step out until the competition began.
Inside Private Room Number One, Lu Jingming's lips curled into a slight smile: "One hundred and fifty million, that's within expectations."
Möbius's process for making Stigmata was quite unique. When extracting soul beast genes and soul information, if the soul beast was alive, it required its cooperation; if it was deceased, it did not.
The subsequent materials required were primarily Honkai Energy and some rare natural treasures. Excluding Honkai Energy, the total cost of those natural treasures was only about a million gold soul coins.
Thus, selling one Stigmata yielded an exorbitant profit.
Of course, such exorbitant profits were limited to 100,000-year Stigmata. The value of 100-year, 1,000-year, and 10,000-year Stigmata was significantly reduced.
Theoretically, there was no limit to the number of Stigmata a soul master could absorb, but in practice, this demanded extremely high mental power.
The vast majority of soul masters reached their limit after absorbing three Stigmata.
However, one Stigmata could provide more than one soul ring, so three Stigmata were generally sufficient for a soul master.
As for Stigmata awakening, that was an incredibly difficult feat, many times harder for a soul master than forming a soul core or breaking through to Titled Douluo.
To achieve Stigmata awakening, one must establish a Stigmata space based on the Stigmata, accommodate the soul information within the Stigmata genes, and cultivate it into a Stigmata will. Only then could one obtain all the power contained within the Stigmata genes.