Upon hearing Zhu Lu's introduction, Zhu Tianhao's heart was already surging with stormy waves. A twelve-year-old at level 40, a Level 5 Soul Tool Master, and a twin martial soul genius—to expel such a prodigy, had Zhou Yi lost her mind? And then there was Xuan Ziwen, equally incredible; despite his youth, he had already reached the level of an 8th-rank Soul Tool Master. His future prospects were absolutely limitless.
After a brief shock, the Duke of Nether regained his composure. With a smile, he said, "Palace Master Feng, Elder Xuan, you are too kind. Truth be told, it is I who was being abrupt. I have been tied up with official business these past few days and haven't had the chance to visit you. Previously, thanks to Palace Master Feng for rescuing my daughter; otherwise, I fear she would have become a soul under that villain's blade."
Feng Piaoling spoke sternly, "Zhu Lu is my seventh sister, and it was precisely because of me that she was targeted. Protecting her is my duty as her big brother. However, I did bring Zhu Lu away without your permission, Duke of Nether, and even had her join my sect. I hope you do not blame me for this."
The Duke of Nether waved his hand with a laugh. "No matter, no matter. Young people always have their own ideas. Since Zhu Lu is willing to follow you, as her father, I will respect her choice. But there is no need for you to keep calling me 'Duke of Nether.' You are an older brother she recognizes; if you don't mind, just call me Uncle Zhu. Or rather, I would prefer you to address me as such. And Elder Xuan, if you don't mind, let us address each other as brothers."
"Uncle Zhu."
"Brother Zhu."
Both men followed his lead and addressed him accordingly.
"Haha, good! Then I shall be bold and call Palace Master Feng 'Piaoling' and Elder Xuan 'Brother Xuan.' Piaoling, Brother Xuan, aside from thanking you both for saving and nurturing my daughter, I have invited you here tonight to attend this auction and to introduce you to someone."
The Duke of Nether finally revealed the purpose of his visit.
"That works out perfectly. Teacher Xuan and I were also interested in attending this auction," Feng Piaoling replied with a faint smile.
The group of four soon exited the Star Emperor Hotel. After crossing a few streets, they arrived at the auction house.
The exterior of the building was a spire structure. Compared to the tall surrounding buildings, while not small, it did not appear particularly conspicuous. However, hanging above the main entrance was a sign. On it was a hammer emblem, with a golden surface pattern underneath the hammer.
With the Duke of Nether, an Imperial Chancellor of the Empire, leading the way, Feng Piaoling and his group quickly passed through a special entrance and arrived at the VIP section, where a group of ushers bowed to the Duke.
The Duke waved his hand, turning to smile at Feng Piaoling. "There is still some time before the auction begins. Since our Zhu family holds some shares in this auction house, feel free to see if there is anything that catches your eye. Aside from the highest-tier items, you may select any of the other auction pieces."
"Then I thank you, Uncle Zhu." Feng Piaoling did not stand on ceremony. He turned to an usher and asked, "Does your auction house have any carving knives for making soul tools? Preferably a listed carving knife."
The usher replied respectfully, "We do. Today, the auction house happens to have a 'Ominous Soul-Devouring Knife' ranked 99th on the List. However, it carries the danger of backlashing against its master. According to the history traced by our Starlight Auction House, the Ominous Soul-Devouring Knife has had thirty-seven owners. Without exception, all thirty-seven have died tragic deaths. Nine of them even became Evil Soul Masters. If you require it, it is best not to inject your soul power into it, as it is prone to backlashing against its master."
"No matter, I am merely taking it as a collector's item," Feng Piaoling said with a wave of his hand.
The Duke of Nether had initially wanted to dissuade him, but seeing that Feng Piaoling had his own judgment, he said nothing more.
A moment later, a carving knife about half a foot long and as thick as a finger was brought over. The knife tapered from a wide base to a sharp, fine tip at the top, while the lower part was a blade about half an inch wide. It was archaic, dark, and faintly engraved with patterns, emanating a subtle, ancient aura, yet it felt somewhat heavy and gloomy.
The moment Feng Piaoling grasped the carving knife, the voice of Electrolux moved within his mind, "Vitality Gold."
Feng Piaoling naturally knew of Vitality Gold. He had spent no small amount of effort searching for it in the past, but unfortunately, he had found nothing. Now, he had finally achieved his wish.
After putting away the Ominous Soul-Devouring Knife, Feng Piaoling laughed inwardly: "Old Yi, it seems you really need this."
"Hmm, you brat have hit the jackpot this time. This Ominous Soul-Devouring Knife contains Vitality Gold. With it, not only can I recover my divine consciousness, but it can also help you solve all the difficulties you are currently facing. If nothing else, meeting trash like Zhongli Wu or Xuan Zi is more than enough for you to protect yourself. Beyond that, this thing is of great benefit to you yourself; it might even help you open a second Sea of Consciousness."
One could tell from Electrolux's tone that he, too, was quite excited. Feng Piaoling was even more so. At the same time, Xuan Ziwen had also picked out some rare metals from the auction house used for crafting soul tools, making the trip well worthwhile.
"It seems you have both picked out what you wanted. Let's go; it's time to meet the noble person I wanted to introduce to you," the Duke of Nether said with a smile.
Without the Duke needing to say it, Feng Piaoling could already guess who the person was.
A moment later, the door opened, and a man and a woman walked in. The man was naturally the person seen on the city walls earlier: the Emperor of the Star Luo Empire, Xu Jiawei. Having practiced the Heaven-Reaching Demon Eye, both Xuan Ziwen and Feng Piaoling recognized him instantly.
The woman wore a gold dress and was exceptionally beautiful. Among the beauties Feng Piaoling had seen, she was only slightly inferior to Wang Dong'er, and because she was approaching adulthood, her figure was even better. Everything was in the right place—curvaceous and elegant. The golden dress and gauze set off her fair, icy skin, giving her a perfect appearance.
The Duke of Nether first bowed to the two, then introduced them: "Piaoling, Brother Xuan, let me introduce you. These two are His Majesty, the Emperor of our Star Luo Empire, and His Majesty's younger sister, Princess Jiujiu."
"Greetings, Your Majesty. Greetings, Princess Jiujiu," Feng Piaoling and Xuan Ziwen bowed in salute.
Xu Jiawei gestured for them to rise. "This is an auction house; you are the guests, and I am the host. There is no need for such formalities. It is I who should be playing the host. Palace Master Feng, come to think of it, we are actually from the same sect."
"Your Majesty is joking. I have been alone since I was a child. My only sect fellows are Teacher Xuan and the ten brothers and sisters in the Soul Palace. I have had no sect prior to this," Feng Piaoling said with a frown.
Xu Jiawei smiled. "By 'same sect,' I mean our ancestors. Ten thousand years ago, there was a sect that was once famous, called the Wind Sword Sect, affiliated with the Spirit Hall. Later, with the demise of the Spirit Hall, it vanished into the dust of history. And the Xu family, to which the Star Luo Imperial House belongs, was also once affiliated with the Spirit Hall. During the earlier competition, I saw shadows of the Wind Sword Sect's sword techniques from ten thousand years ago in your disciples' movements. Plus, since your surname is Feng, I deduced that you must have originated from the Wind Sword Sect of ten thousand years ago."
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