Huo Yuhao slashed through the light shells fired by the soul tool cannon with his sword, closing the distance to Situ Yu.
Situ Yu was completely stunned. You call this a Control System?! And wasn't that a bow and arrow you pulled out earlier? How has it turned into a sword now?
Even thinking with one's backside, it was obvious what the consequences would be if a stationary "fortress" like himself allowed an opponent to get into close quarters.
The Class 4 Power-Gathering Soul Cannon on his chest erupted with light. At this moment, Situ Yu couldn't care about anything else; he poured all his remaining soul power into the cannon.
One could clearly see the light at the muzzle of the Power-Gathering Soul Cannon beginning to distort. The intense white light actually turned dim the moment it was spat out, and the air across the entire competition stage became frenzied.
Situ Yu's eyes were filled with madness. The final strike—launched.
Huo Yuhao accelerated further. The black sword in his hand swung out at an incredibly ingenious angle, the pitch-black blade making contact with the muzzle on Situ Yu's chest.
A crisp, pleasant sound rang out. The Power-Gathering Soul Cannon was sliced open; the cross-section was smooth, without a single burr.
The madness in Situ Yu's eyes vanished, replaced only by stillness.
The match was decided.
"...Is that the swordsmanship you taught him?"
In the spectator stands, Long Qiu'er pointed at Huo Yuhao on stage and asked Snow Emperor beside her.
Snow Emperor hesitated for a moment. "I only taught him the execution method for [Emperor's Sword: Peerless Ice]; he likely gained this insight on his own."
"But..." Snow Emperor paused. "That strike just now was very good."
A trace of a gratified smile couldn't help but appear on Long Qiu'er's face.
...It was indeed very good.
Situ Yu looked down at the severed cannon on his chest and gave a bitter laugh. He naturally knew that if Huo Yuhao had intended it, his head would have been separated from his shoulders just now.
"I lost; I am fully convinced. Our Yunluo Academy also concedes."
"Very well." Huo Yuhao gave him a slight smile, sheathed his sword, and turned to walk off the stage.
Defeating a soul tool academy single-handedly—even though he only faced three opponents—was no small feat. Everyone could see that these three were the strongest the Yunluo Advanced Soul Engineering Academy had to offer. The remaining members were only at the three-ring Soul Elder level and had no chance of victory.
"Yunluo Advanced Soul Engineering Academy concedes! Shrek Academy wins this battle!"
Instantly, overwhelming cheers erupted from the stands, with every corner chanting Huo Yuhao's name.
Huo Yuhao might not be the strongest in this tournament, but in terms of looks, it was no exaggeration to call him the number one handsome guy of the competition. Coupled with the stunning performance of his "one-vs-seven" streak, he had gained quite a few female fans after this battle.
Xiao Hongchen tutted. This glory should have belonged to him! To be upstaged by this Huo Yuhao guy...
He irritably flicked the head of Meng Hongchen, who was also shouting nearby. "Hey, what are you yelling for!?"
"Old Xiao, if you hit my head again, I'll fight you!"
"Yuhao, beautiful job. Let's head back."
Huo Yuhao nodded, waved to the spectators calling his name, and immediately headed back under military escort.
Upon returning to the Star Emperor Hotel, Wang Yan finally breathed a sigh of relief.
They had finally made it through the first round of the round-robin matches. Calculating the time, after a few more days of treatment from Elder Zhuang, Bei Bei and Xu Sanshi should be able to fight. For the next round, Wang Yan wouldn't have to worry about sending out the weaker members like Wu Feng or Wang Dong.
...
The Night
A day had passed since the end of the first round; tomorrow, they would begin the second round of the round-robin. However, after dinner, Wang Yan led the preparatory team out of the Star Emperor Hotel, winding through several paths to arrive at a rather hidden location.
Zhang Lexuan and Ma Xiaotao followed along as well. After all, Wang Yan's actual status was lower than theirs. Ling Luochen and Gong Yangmo stayed behind to focus on their cultivation and recovery.
"Teacher Wang, where are we going?" Bei Bei asked Wang Yan in confusion.
Wang Yan then explained his thoughts regarding soul tools to everyone. Unsurprisingly, he met with rejection from most of the preparatory team, especially Bei Bei and Xu Sanshi.
Xu Sanshi said disdainfully, "The abilities we soul masters cultivate ourselves are the most reliable and trustworthy. Soul tools are, after all, external objects."
Huo Yuhao let out a sneer. "In your eyes, soul tools are just external objects, and a soul master's own cultivation is the key? Senior Bei, Senior Xu?"
Seeing them nod, Huo Yuhao actually looked like he agreed. He pointed at the storage soul tools they were wearing. "Then why are you still using storage soul tools? Throw them all away."
???
For a moment, Xu Sanshi and Bei Bei looked at each other in silence. "This..."
Huo Yuhao waved his hand dismissively. "Whether you use soul tools or not has nothing to do with me. I just can't stand this attitude—saying soul tools are external objects while using them so happily yourself. What do you call that? A double standard?"
"Uh..."
Though Huo Yuhao's words were blunt and even a bit biting, they were the cold, hard truth.
Every soul master knew how inconvenient it was to be without a storage soul tool. Asking them to take them off and carry their luggage by hand would be exhausting.
Bei Bei gave a bitter smile, his voice full of self-deprecation. "Yuhao is right. My vision was too narrow, clinging to the so-called glory of a soul master and rejecting soul tools while unknowingly enjoying the convenience they provide."
He took a deep breath and said firmly, "No matter what, for the future of the Tang Sect and for myself, I am willing to use soul tools in battle!"
Bei Bei's words carried weight. With his stance clear, the other preparatory members naturally agreed.
To everyone's surprise, the usually silent Wang Dong suddenly looked up, eyes filled with determination. He said resolutely, "No, I have an issue. I am unwilling to use soul tools. You guys go ahead. I'm going back." As he spoke, he turned and strode back toward the Star Emperor Hotel.
Wang Dong's sudden emotional shift startled everyone. No one expected him to still object after hearing Wang Yan's explanation.
Huo Yuhao narrowed his eyes slightly as he watched Wang Dong's departing figure.
Doesn't like soul tools... should I say he's truly the daughter of Tang San? Holding an indescribable hostility toward the soul tools that practically caused the destruction of the Tang Sect.
Wang Yan wanted to persuade Wang Dong further, but Huo Yuhao stopped him.
Being short one person didn't matter.
...
The Auction
Upon entering the auction, everyone received a mask to cover their faces.
Though Huo Yuhao felt these were more for show than anything else—everyone knew who was buying what—the formality remained.
The auction house was truly a playground for the wealthy; its luxurious decor even surpassed that of the Star Emperor Hotel.
The Shrek group sat in the front row. Zhang Lexuan and Ma Xiaotao unceremoniously sandwiched Huo Yuhao between them, cutting off any lingering hopes from Ning Tian.
"Welcome, esteemed guests, to the Starlight Auction House. I am your Purple-class auctioneer, Qingya. Our auction is about to begin; please take your seats."
A beautiful, melodic female voice echoed from all directions, and the hall fell silent.
A mature woman in a purple dress walked onto the stage. She was elegant and beautiful, with a faint smile, her well-tailored qipao highlighting the perfect curves of her body.
Xu Sanshi's eyes immediately glazed over. His Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed hard.
"D*mn..."
Being close, Bei Bei saw this clearly. He cursed under his breath, stood up, and moved to the seat furthest away from him.
Before Xu Sanshi could even feel embarrassed, He Caitou asked in confusion, "Bei Bei, why are you..."
"I don't want to sit near an idiot."
The commotion drew stares from those around them. Xu Sanshi, realizing his behavior was inappropriate, quickly wiped the grin off his face and sat upright.
Jiang Nannan glanced at Xu Sanshi with disappointment and silently shook her head.
The auctioneer, Qingya, continued as if nothing had happened.
As Qingya introduced the items, various soul tools were brought on stage. Wang Yan bid frequently, matching items to the specific traits of each Shrek team member. As he bought several practical soul tools, the sultry Qingya began casting flirtatious glances toward old Wang.
Huo Yuhao had little interest in these items and was actually getting sleepy.
Suddenly, his left hand was pulled, and Zhang Lexuan's gentle voice reached his ear.
"If you want to sleep, just lean on me."
Huo Yuhao blinked dizzily, and then he heard Qingya's voice.
"This is an antique gold coin dating back to the era of Martial Soul Hall. It is inscribed with an ancient soul formation from the Douluo Continent, possessing high research and archaeological value. The starting price is 5,000 gold soul coins, with minimum increments of 500. Let the bidding begin."
Inside a box lay a gold coin. It looked small and primitive, with dirt and traces of time around its patterns. One could vaguely discern complex designs resembling a soul formation. Perhaps due to its age, there were no soul power fluctuations.
"!!!"
With the vision provided by his Spirit Eye, Huo Yuhao's pupils shrank after seeing the formation clearly. Could this thing be...
"I bid 10,000 gold soul coins." A slightly youthful voice rang out—it was Huo Yuhao.
Ignoring the surprised looks from Zhang Lexuan and Ma Xiaotao, Huo Yuhao was determined to get this item regardless of the cost!
While others saw him as a fool wasting money, Huo Yuhao knew it was worth 100,000 or even a million gold soul coins. Its actual value was immeasurable.
Ma Xiaotao couldn't help but tug at Huo Yuhao's sleeve. "Yuhao, you..."
Huo Yuhao shook his head, gently squeezed Ma Xiaotao's hand, and sent her a mental transmission.
"Sister Xiaotao, don't worry, I know what I'm doing. This thing is absolutely worth it."
He then turned to Wang Yan. "Teacher Wang, this is a personal purchase; it has nothing to do with Shrek."
Wang Yan glanced at Zhang Lexuan. Seeing her nod, he didn't say anything more.
Fortunately, no one contested the bid, and the antique gold coin was secured for 10,000 gold soul coins.
Qingya bowed gently toward Huo Yuhao, her face slightly flushed—perhaps from the commission or something else.
"Congratulations to this gentleman on acquiring this item."
In truth, Huo Yuhao was even more excited, but his mask hid his emotions.
"The final grand finale item was originally not supposed to appear in this auction. However, to thank our esteemed guests for supporting the Starlight Auction House, we have received permission from the Chief Auctioneer to present it."
"This item is significantly more expensive than the previous ones, but it is absolutely worth the price. Let us welcome our final item of the day."
Soon, a larger cart was brought out, covered in a red cloth—a tier just below gold. This change, along with Qingya's introduction, piqued everyone's curiosity.
Swish.
When the cloth was removed, a tool resembling a carving knife appeared on a tray. It was about sixteen centimeters long, the thickness of a finger, tapering from wide to narrow. The blade grew thinner toward the top, with faint dark-gold patterns flowing through it. The tip was extremely sharp, and the whole object exuded an ancient aura.
That was... a carving knife. Specifically, a carving knife used by soul engineers to engrave core formations.
"?...!"
Huo Yuhao was stunned.
When Bailidu and Electrolux previously called him the "Child of Destiny" of the Douluo Continent who appears once in ten thousand years, he had been skeptical. But seeing this knife, Huo Yuhao realized they weren't just trying to comfort him.
His luck was indeed absurd... to think that besides a soul tool for storing living beings, he would encounter a second piece of Life Gold...
"...As everyone knows, our Douluo Continent has a ranking list for carving knives, and this knife happens to sit at the 99th position. Unfortunately, while its fame is great, due to a specific reason, its infamy is even greater."
"Because this knife is called the Spirit-Devouring Carving Knife."
Hearing Qingya's long introduction, everyone understood why a ranked carving knife was appearing at a Class 4 auction.
Many who were previously eager now fell silent.
Seeing the auction hall suddenly go cold, Qingya smiled bitterly. She was just trying her luck; if she could actually sell this "hot potato," her earnings would be substantial.
But this reaction... was expected.
"The starting price for the Devouring Spirit Carving Knife is 100,000 gold soul coins, with increments no less than 5,000."
After speaking, Qingya prepared for the item to go unsold. This thing had been at the Starlight Auction House for years. Her boss had promised that whoever managed to sell it would be promoted to a Black-class auctioneer.
Huo Yuhao immediately sat up straight, an action noticed by Ning Tian.
"110,000 gold soul coins."
A similarly youthful female voice rang out, drawing countless eyes. Even Qingya froze in place.
"...You?"
On the Shrek Academy side, everyone looked at the masked Ning Tian.
Huo Yuhao's eyes flickered. He raised his hand to counter-bid, but Ning Tian interrupted him. "I'm buying this knife to give to you, but you must be careful when dealing with it."
Huo Yuhao's movements paused. He looked at her in total surprise and immediately used his Spiritual Interference Domain to cover the Shrek group so their conversation wouldn't be overheard.
"...This, isn't this inappropriate?"
Ning Tian smiled dismissively. "I owe you a favor from the academy selection trials. Besides, it's only a hundred thousand or so gold soul coins—just a drop in the bucket."
Young lady, do you know what a hundred thousand means?
Huo Yuhao's expression was strange. Is this what it feels like to be taken care of by a wealthy woman? Actually, it's not bad...
Zhang Lexuan finally spoke, her face serious. "Yuhao, what if you hurt yourself with it?"
Ma Xiaotao added worriedly, "Yes, this thing is too dangerous. Didn't you hear? Thirty-seven owners, and every single one died a tragic death."
Huo Yuhao chuckled. "Don't worry, I have a way to deal with it."
Looking into Huo Yuhao's determined eyes, Zhang Lexuan chose to trust him. "Then go ahead and take it."
Huo Yuhao smiled. "Thank you. And thank you, Ning Tian."
Ning Tian nodded slightly. Once Huo Yuhao retracted the interference field, she looked at the stunned Qingya. To outsiders, it appeared that the Shrek side hadn't spoken at all.
"Auctioneer Qingya, please continue the call."
"Ah... right, of course."
Qingya reacted quickly and asked for further bids.
But no one contested; others were simply watching the spectacle.
After three calls, Qingya excitedly slammed the gavel.
"110,000 gold soul coins, sold! Congratulations to this esteemed guest!"