In fact, there was no need for Xu Zihuang to speak; Yao Yang had already planned to bid for the Demon Soul Great White Shark's head whale oil for him.
Years ago, when he was still young, his family had been fortunate enough to hunt a lone hundred-year-old Demon Soul Great White Shark. He was well aware of the deep-sea whale oil's effects, as it was an excellent supplement for soul masters with spiritual attributes.
Yao Yang directly raised the bid to 300,000 gold soul coins, a price that already bordered on excessive.
Yao Yang's title, As the Southern Moon Islands Viscount, was quite well-known, and since this was his territory, many bidders in the auction center were more happy to let him have it as a gesture of goodwill.
However, at the last moment, a jarring voice rang out, breaking the silence.
"310,000 gold soul coins." Through a sound transmission soul tool, a robust and commanding voice resounded, harshly disrupting the atmosphere.
"This old bastard…"
Zhu Yao, standing on the stage, slightly restrained her smile upon hearing the voice. But she couldn't tarnish the Moon Hub Auction House's reputation, so she continued hosting.
In the top VIP room, Yao Yang's expression darkened slightly. Without hesitation, he increased the bid.
"350,000."
"360,000."
"400,000."
When Yao Yang raised the price to 400,000 gold soul coins, a glimmer of mockery shone in the sole eye of Eyu Luo, who was in another VIP room. In the end, however, he didn't continue bidding.
His sole intent was to annoy Yao Yang and damage his reputation in his own territory. Now wasn't the time to escalate matters to the point of no return.
The deep-sea whale oil was successfully auctioned off. And soon, the eighth item was brought onto the stage. The massive red cloth covering the cart was pulled away, revealing a colossal black creature over six meters long.
Despite being bound by thick chains of cold iron, its fierce aura could not be concealed.
When the creature's dark red eyes moved, casting its gaze over the crowd, many of those sitting in the front row stood up in fear.
"Evil Spirit Orca?!"
Their reaction was understandable. People living on the Southern Moon Islands were more familiar with the terror of such top-tier soul beasts than those on the mainland. When sailing in the seas, the Evil Spirit Orca was one of the most fearsome creatures to encounter. Its brutal nature meant that there were virtually no survivors from any encounter.
Zhu Yao's expression softened, and her polite smile returned. "I believe many distinguished guests have recognized it by now. Yes, the eighth auction item tonight is this 1,500-year-old Evil Spirit Orca. You should be well aware of the strength of such a soul beast. I can guarantee on behalf of the Moon Hub Auction House that this Evil Spirit Orca is in excellent condition and will live for at least four to five days. In other words, whoever wins this Evil Spirit Orca will have ample time to absorb its precious soul ring after its death. Additionally, its head contains the invaluable thousand-year-old Whale Rubber."
"The starting bid is 300,000 gold soul coins. Each increase must not be less than 1,000 gold soul coins."
As Zhu Yao finished her announcement, the auction center's atmosphere instantly ignited.
Most of the residents of the Southern Moon Islands were sea soul masters. Naturally, compatibility with an Evil Spirit Orca's soul ring wasn't an issue for them. Which sea soul master wouldn't dream of fusing with an Evil Spirit Orca's soul ring to achieve meteoric progress in their cultivation?
An exceptional soul ring from an Evil Spirit Orca could significantly enhance a soul master's aptitude. Moreover, it wasn't as troublesome to handle as a soul bone. The bidding quickly became fierce.
"310,000 gold soul coins!"
"350,000 gold soul coins!"
"…"
"400,000 gold soul coins!"
"…"
"The allure of this thousand-year-old Evil Spirit Orca seems even greater than I expected," Xu Zihuang remarked as he leaned back on the sofa, casually popping a piece of pastry into his mouth.
That was fine. The crazier these people got, the more profit they would reap.
In contrast, Shui Qianqian and Shui Jixi in another VIP room were in much lower spirits.
"500,000 gold soul coins," Shui Qianqian bit her silver-white teeth lightly and called out the maximum amount she could afford. Before heading to Moon Hub Island, her father had only given her 400,000 gold soul coins. The remaining 100,000 was borrowed from her aunt.
If 500,000 wasn't enough to win, she would have to give up and settle for hunting other soul beasts for her third soul ring.
Beside her, Shui Jixi sat up and carefully watched the auction. Though her ideals differed from Shui Qianqian's, the bond between the two was deep.
At the steep price of 500,000 gold soul coins, most bidders in the audience retreated.
Fortunately for the two, after the final three knocks of the hammer, Shui Qianqian and Shui Jixi successfully secured the thousand-year-old Evil Spirit Orca.
As the atmosphere in the auction center continued to heat up, an awkward situation arose during the auction of the ninth item—a ten-thousand-year-old Whale Rubber.
This extremely rare ten-thousand-year-old whale rubber, which was exceedingly rare in human history, surprisingly received no bids and ended up unsold.
Even Xu Zihuang hadn't anticipated such an outcome.
Yao Yang, on the other hand, seemed unfazed.
The unique geography of the Southern Moon Islands was to blame. While ten-thousand-year Whale Rubber could extend the absorption limit of soul rings, the specific increase was difficult to determine. Not everyone had the spiritual power of Xu Zihuang or Yao Yang to precisely measure it.
Moreover, soul masters on the Southern Moon Islands could only obtain soul rings from the ocean. Though sea soul beasts outnumbered and surpassed those on the mainland in quality, the vastness of the ocean made finding suitable soul rings far more challenging than mainland soul masters obtaining soul rings from the Soul Beast Forest. This made acquiring soul rings heavily dependent on luck.
The risks of wandering the seas in search of higher-aged soul rings often outweighed the rewards.
"The next item is tonight's grand finale," Zhu Yao's clear, melodic voice announced again.
This time, the presentation was grander than ever. A young girl carried a black rectangular metal box in her hands, accompanied by fifty Moon Hub City guards clad in platinum armor.
Zhu Yao walked up to the girl and delicately opened the box, introducing its contents to the crowd.
"This is the final item of the night—a Soul Bone. More precisely, it is the Skull soul bone of a 9000-year-old Demon Soul Great White Shark. Based on the appraisal of the Moon Hub Auction House, this soul bone can be easily fused by any soul master. Once fused, it grants an attack-type spiritual soul skill and significantly enhances a soul master's spiritual power. The starting price is 1 million gold soul coins, with each increase no less than 10,000 gold soul coins."
The audience paid no attention to Zhu Yao's words. Their eyes were fixed on the exquisite, translucent soul bone in the center of the metal box.
The skull soul bone resembled a miniature human skull, about the size of a palm.
Rich soul power fluctuations radiated from it, blending with the faint silver glow on its surface, exuding an indescribable harmony.