Chapter 102 The Arrogant Vina! The Disappointed Huo Yuhao!
The interior of the Xingluo Grand Auction House was extremely luxurious, with a huge crystal chandelier on the ceiling emitting a soft yet bright light.
With a crisp sound of the auctioneer's gavel, the auction officially began.
On the display stand, rare soul tools, precious soul bones, and various valuable medicinal herbs were slowly brought out.
The initial rounds of bidding were extremely heated, with buyers in the stands frequently raising their paddles, driving prices up all the way.
However, Liu Yuan, sitting in the VIP box, maintained a calm demeanor throughout.
He leaned back in the comfortable leather chair, his double pupils slightly closed, not even glancing at the treasures that were being frantically snatched up by the outside world.
"Liu Yuan, you don't like any of these?" Vina turned her head, holding a golden number plate in her hand, and asked eagerly.
"Just some ordinary things," Liu Yuan said calmly. "What we're waiting for hasn't come out yet."
Long Aotian was also idly fiddling with his teacup.
For people like them who pursue the ultimate power of their physical body, ordinary soul tools are indeed not very attractive.
The auction lasted for about an hour, and the atmosphere gradually reached a small climax.
Just then, the lights on the auction stage suddenly dimmed, with only a beam of light shining on an exquisite tray brought over by the hostess.
On the tray lay a short sword that emitted a faint blue light.
The short knife had a slightly curved blade, covered with dense, vein-like patterns. A chilling aura emanated from it, and even through the protective shield, many of the audience members felt a strange chill.
"Ladies and gentlemen, please take a look. This item is extremely special." The auctioneer raised his voice, his expression becoming serious.
"It is known as the 'Soul-Devouring Blade,' renowned in the Soul Master world, but also infamous for its ferocity."
"It is said to be made from the extremely rare life metal, the Gold of Life, by evil spirit masters using extremely cruel methods. Although it contains enormous life force, it also carries an extremely terrifying curse."
"Every owner who possessed it ultimately met a terrible end. But undeniably, if we disregard the curse, it is the world's finest carving knife, ranking among the top thirty carving knives!"
As the auctioneer made his introduction, in the Shrek Academy VIP box on the other side, Huo Yuhao, who was deep in thought, suddenly heard an extremely old and excited voice deep in his mind.
"Yuhao! Quick! That's the thing! We have to get it!"
Huo Yuhao was startled; it was Electrolux's voice.
Normally, this necromancer saint, who had lived for an unknown amount of time, always had a calm and collected demeanor. This was the first time Huo Yuhao had ever seen him lose his composure like this.
"Elder Yi, isn't this thing... supposed to be an ominous object?" Huo Yuhao asked in his mind, puzzled.
"That's the view of an ordinary person!" Electrox's voice trembled slightly.
"They only saw the fierce curse on the outside, but they couldn't see the miracle hidden within!"
"The core of that dagger is the metal of life, a vessel sufficient to bear my soul!"
"My current fragments of divine consciousness may dissipate at any time, but as long as I have it, I can stabilize my soul and even use it as a foundation to open the Eye of Life for you!"
"This concerns your future, and it concerns my very survival. Even if it means going bankrupt, I must get it!"
After hearing Electrolux's explanation, Huo Yuhao's heart was filled with shock and disbelief.
He knew very well how powerful Electrolux was; if even Electrolux had said so, then this must be a good thing, and he didn't want to see Electrolux disappear.
Without hesitation, Huo Yuhao immediately turned to look at Xuanzi, who was sitting to the side drinking silently, and said in an almost pleading tone:
"Elder Xuan, that knife is extremely important to me. I would like to ask the academy to help me bid for it. I will definitely work hard to earn back all the expenses in the future and repay the academy!"
Xuanzi put down the wine pot and glanced at the murderous knife.
For him, a carving knife was nothing, but Huo Yuhao's current status had become crucial because of Liu Yuan's departure, making him the only core member that the academy was focusing on cultivating.
"Since you want it, then I will buy it for you." Xuanzi was quite generous and directly pressed the price indicator in the private room, "100,000 gold soul coins."
As Xuanzi made his bid, the room fell into a brief silence.
After all, the Soul-Devouring Blade was so infamous that ordinary Soul Masters dared not touch it.
However, before Xuanzi could even breathe a sigh of relief, a clear female voice suddenly came from the VIP box opposite.
"Five hundred thousand."
Vina's offer increased the price fivefold.
Liu Yuan looked at the murderous knife on the stage and nodded slightly to Vina: "This is it."
He could sense the throbbing in the origin of the double pupils, an extreme yearning for pure life energy.
Xuanzi frowned slightly when he heard someone raise the price, and raised his paddle again: "Six hundred thousand."
"One million two hundred thousand," Vina's voice followed, still doubling the amount without any emotion.
Xuanzi's expression began to darken. He recognized the voice; it was from the private room of the Heavenly Soul Royal Academy.
"You can't poison that old bastard? You're deliberately trying to go against me, aren't you?" Xuanzi gritted his teeth and raised the price again, "Two million!"
"Four million." Vina replied without hesitation.
For the next ten minutes, the auction house transformed into an utterly absurd arena.
Every time Xuanzi announced a price, Vina would double it the next second.
The sheer extravagance of his wealth left the entire audience breathless.
The price quickly broke through 50 million gold soul coins.
Xuanzi's hands began to tremble.
Although Shrek Academy has a rich history, the funds he brought this time were limited, mainly for purchasing strategic materials needed by the academy.
Spending tens of millions to buy a carving knife for a disciple is beyond his authority.
"Yuhao, no, it's too expensive. This knife isn't worth that much money," Xuanzi said with a troubled expression.
Huo Yuhao was extremely anxious. Electrolux was urging him frantically in his mind, even giving him a headache.
"Elder Xuan, please! One more time! With this sword, my improvement speed will more than double!" Huo Yuhao's voice was trembling with tears.
Under immense psychological pressure, Xuanzi shouted out the price one last time: "Eighty million!"
Before she could finish speaking, Vina's domineering voice rang out again, this time with a hint of mockery.
"One hundred and sixty million. Sir, if you don't have enough money, please don't waste everyone's time here."
"boom--!"
Xuanzi felt as if his mind had exploded.
160 million!
This is already a huge sum of money, enough to buy half a province.
Even if he loved Huo Yuhao dearly, he would never spend so much money to buy a cursed carving knife.
"Enough! Huo Yuhao, this isn't the way to help you!" Xuanzi slammed his hand on the table in annoyance.
"Do you know what 160 million means? That's how many years of the academy's expenses? Shut up, this is non-negotiable!"
Huo Yuhao slumped into his chair as if struck by lightning, his eyes filled with deep disappointment and despair.
He could feel a deep sigh from Electrolux inside him, and the hopeful aura within him instantly faded away.
At that moment, the auctioneer's gavel slammed down.
"Sold! One hundred and sixty million. This Soul-Devouring Blade belongs to the VIP in the Heavenly Soul Royal Academy's private room!"
Liu Yuan sat opposite, watching the waiter respectfully bring the tray containing the murder weapon into the private room, a slight smile playing on his lips.
He could sense that this was not just about winning an auction item, but also about cutting off a huge opportunity for Huo Yuhao.
Xuanzi was cursing and swearing that poison didn't kill people who were stupid and rich, but he didn't know that Liu Yuan was holding the short knife that was emitting a blue light, feeling the powerful life force inside resonating with the origin of his double pupils.
(End of chapter)