"Two hundred million!"
Zhu Ziyang didn't hesitate. He calmly called out a jaw-dropping bid—200 million gold soul coins. The moment the price hit, the entire auction hall fell silent. No one dared to compete anymore.
"VIP Room Seven has bid 200 million gold soul coins! Any higher offers?" Auctioneer Jiujiu held her gavel high and announced loudly. After a brief pause, she brought it down. "Two hundred million, going once!"
With the gavel's fall, frustration appeared on several faces across various VIP rooms. Especially in the box that had bid 150 million—its occupant angrily slammed a teacup onto the table.
"Damn it!" The bidder was none other than the Sun Moon Empire's delegation. The one who made the previous bid was the arrogant Xiao Hongchen, whose face was full of unwillingness. He had desperately wanted a ranked carving knife of his own—especially one with a high ranking.
After all, nearly all top-thirty carving knives already had owners. Finding one that didn't—and it was the Mystic Blue Silver Knife, ranked eleventh—was incredibly rare. He didn't understand how such a precious item had ended up in the hands of the Star Luo Empire, let alone been put up for auction... But that didn't matter to him anymore. He wanted it—badly.
"Who the hell is in Room Seven? How dare they snatch my prize?!" Xiao Hongchen slammed the table again, roaring in fury.
His group's authorized funds were only 100 million, and he had another 50 million in personal money. He thought 150 million would secure it. Never had he expected Room Seven to casually spend 25 million on the Ice Explosion Soul Bone, then turn around and offer 200 million for the carving knife. Just who were they?!
That question wasn't just on Xiao Hongchen's mind—it was the question everyone in the hall was asking.
Meanwhile, in VIP Room One, a man in his early thirties showed a look of admiration. "So that's Shrek Academy… They really don't hold back."
He stood and left the room with his attendants, adding, "Let's go. We're done here."
"Your Majesty, aren't you going to meet with the people from Shrek Academy?" the attendant asked respectfully—revealing the man's identity. He was Xu Jiawei, Emperor of the Star Luo Empire.
"No need," Xu Jiawei smiled bitterly. "Pointless. None of those students are ones we could win over, nor would they ever agree to be recruited. Besides, we just had a disagreement with them over Dai Yueheng's incident. Meeting now would only stir up more tension."
"What about Huo Yuhao? He's from Star Luo City, right? Doesn't that make him worth reaching out to?" the attendant asked.
"Huo Yuhao may be a genius, but he doesn't impress me," Xu Jiawei replied casually.
"Hmm… I suppose that's fair," the attendant said thoughtfully. "His soul power is low, and he probably only made it into Shrek's prelim team because of his martial soul. A spiritual-type eye martial soul… But isn't Shrek worried the Body Sect will come after him?"
"Hmph. The Body Sect? Just a bunch of clowns," Xu Jiawei sneered. "They think they can shake the balance of the continent and topple Shrek's legend? They don't even match Mingde Hall of the Sun Moon Empire, let alone Shrek Academy."
With a cold laugh, Xu Jiawei placed his hands behind his back and left.
Back in the Starlight Grand Auction House, Zhu Ziyang and his group collected their purchased items and left without delay, heading straight for the Star Emperor Grand Hotel.
As soon as they arrived, Wang Yan called for Elder Lin, handing over both the Mystic Blue Silver Knife and the Level 6 Synchronized Fixed Soul Cannon Shells to him, along with a full report of the auction.
Elder Lin examined the items, and his aged face lit up with joy and admiration. "Wang Yan, this is a major contribution. Since Elder Xuan was injured by an Level 8 soul cannon shell, Elder Mu has decreed that the Academy will now fully support the development of the Soul Tool Department. Your timing couldn't be better."
"Really?!" Wang Yan jumped to his feet in excitement. "Elder Mu is truly wise!"
The students' reactions to Elder Lin's words were varied.
Zhu Ziyang, Jiang Nannan, Bei Bei, and Xiao Xiao were indifferent—they saw soul tools as just another means of enhancing strength, neither good nor bad.
Ma Xiaotao, Xu Sanshi, and Wang Dong, on the other hand, were clearly upset. All three were traditional soul masters and had strong disdain for soul tools, seeing them as a stain on a soul master's honor. Though recent events had softened their opinions slightly, they still leaned toward rejection.
Lastly, there were Huo Yuhao, He Caitou, and Tang Ya—positively thrilled. Two were Soul Engineers, and the third sought to revive the Tang Sect using soul tools. Naturally, they were excited about the Academy's new direction.
"Haha, of course!" Elder Lin laughed. "Alright, get some rest. Tomorrow's another competition day. Zhu Ziyang, the Academy will fully reimburse the funds you fronted."
"No problem!" Zhu Ziyang waved it off with a smile.
After Elder Lin left, the students began heading toward their rooms.
"Brother Ziyang, who is this 'Elder Mu' Elder Lin mentioned? Why does he get to decide the future of the Academy?" Huo Yuhao asked, full of curiosity.
"Elder Mu is the Head of Shrek Academy's Sea God's Pavilion, and also the head of the Shrek Enforcement Team. He holds the highest authority in the Academy. Of course he makes the big decisions," Zhu Ziyang explained with a light chuckle.
"Sea God's Pavilion?" Huo Yuhao scratched his head. "I've heard of the Enforcement Team, but what's the Sea God's Pavilion? Why haven't I heard of it before?"
"Yeah, I haven't heard of it either," added Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao, stepping closer.
"The Sea God's Pavilion is Shrek Academy's decision-making body," Wang Yan joined in. "People like Elder Lin and Elder Xuan are all Pavilion members, called Sea God Elders. Entering the Pavilion is the ultimate dream of every inner court disciple, but only Title Douluo-level experts qualify!"
"Title Douluo?!" The trio trembled, their faces filled with awe and longing. "That means… the Pavilion has lots of Title Douluo inside?"
"More than twenty, at least," Wang Yan said proudly. Then he looked at Zhu Ziyang. "Ziyang, get some rest. You're competing tomorrow."
"Got it." Zhu Ziyang nodded and returned to his room.
Once free from the group, he sat down and pulled out the Ice Jade Scorpion Left Arm Bone, admiring the faint chill that radiated from it. A smile tugged at his lips.
Inside his spiritual sea, the jade-colored Ice Empress Spirit Egg trembled violently, reacting to the presence of the Ice Jade Scorpion bone. Even through the shell, Zhu Ziyang could feel her fury.
"Relax already," he said with a laugh. "I've already got it. You belong to me now—what's one clan member's soul bone to you? They're not even really your kin anymore."
The Ice Empress seemed to realize the truth. Her agitation gradually calmed. Seeing this, Zhu Ziyang smirked with satisfaction.
He stored the soul bone back in his Starflame Ring, then sat cross-legged on his bed and began cultivating.
The next morning.
As the sun rose, the Shrek team arrived at Star Luo Plaza and were met with thunderous cheers.
The Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament had entered its final and most thrilling phase. The crowd size had doubled overnight, forcing the Star Luo Empire to expand the spectator stands and deploy additional troops to maintain order.
With Shrek Academy's arrival, all sixteen qualifying teams were now present.
The third phase began with a sixteen-to-eight bracket: eight teams would compete each day in four matches, finishing the round in four days. Naturally, as the reigning champions, Shrek Academy would be the first to take the stage.
All eyes turned toward Shrek. Everyone was eager to see what lineup they would send out—after all, their opponents were Dou Ling Royal Academy, a top-four team from the previous tournament and a powerhouse with five Soul Kings!
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