Not only was Xiao Hongchen unable to hold back, but even Elder Ma set down his smoking pipe with a dark expression.
At that moment, the golden-haired girl's voice rang out again, "These are twelve fixed-mounted soul tool shells, also produced by the Illustrious Virtue Hall. We went to great lengths to collect them.
Each one has a unique effect and adheres to standard specifications. When used properly, these twelve fixed-mounted soul tool shells are powerful enough to threaten the life of a Soul Douluo-level soul master."
"Elder Ma, should we buy them?"
Michael and the others looked at Elder Ma. Fixed-mounted soul tool shells from the Sun Moon Empire had always been strictly prohibited from being sold to the three original Douluo nations, precisely to enforce a technological blockade.
Elder Ma shook his head. "No need."
Xiao Hongchen also sneered, "These fixed-mounted soul tool shells have encryption arrays from the Illustrious Virtue Hall. At least that bastard still has some sense. Otherwise, I'd definitely have my grandfather investigate thoroughly."
Without the encryption arrays, the Star Luo Empire wouldn't have been able to auction them off, they would've kept them for research.
Without research value, these fixed-mounted soul tool shells were nothing more than disposable weapons.
Liuxing and Liuying exchanged glances. If they remembered correctly, Luan Yu had a habit of selling unwanted soul tools to the three original Douluo nations.
After all, soul tools of the same grade fetched vastly different prices in the Sun Moon Empire compared to the three original Douluo nations.
For example, the first-generation Tiger Soul Refining Blade could sell for at most 800,000 gold soul coins in the Sun Moon Empire, but here in the Star Luo Empire, the price had doubled.
How could Luan Yu, a notorious penny-pincher, resist such profits?
With such massive gains, many soul engineers besides Luan Yu were doing the same, it was just that the Sun Moon Empire turned a blind eye.
Otherwise, where would the three original Douluo nations have gotten their soul tools?
Much of the soul tool technology in the three original Douluo nations and Shrek Academy was reverse-engineered from purchased soul tools.
However, this technology wasn't considered highly classified by the Sun Moon Empire, so they hadn't made a big fuss about cracking down on such activities.
After all, a serious investigation would trample on many people's interests.
Aside from the fixed-mounted soul tool shells, the next five auction items consisted of three soul bones, a piece of rare metal, and a long-range eighth-level soul tool.
Among them, one of the three soul bones, a left arm bone, was secured by Ma Rulong, while the rare metal was bought by Michael.
As for the final long-range eighth-level soul tool, it was also from the Sun Moon Empire, though not a product of the Illustrious Virtue Hall.
It was purchased for a staggering seven million, far more expensive than the eighth-level Tiger Soul Refining Blade.
After all, long-range soul tools were rarer than close-combat ones, and this piece was rumored to have been crafted by a ninth-rank soul engineer.
None of the first seven auction items caught Liuxing's interest. Though there were three soul bones, the highest quality was only ten-thousand-year level, which didn't appeal to him much.
His standards weren't as high as demanding a hundred-thousand-year soul bone, but he at least wanted something above fifty-thousand years.
Moreover, those three soul bones didn't match his attributes.
Out of the seven auction items, the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy had secured two, proof of the academy's immense wealth.
The golden-haired girl's beautiful figure appeared on the large screen for the eighth time.
She smiled and said, "The next two items will be the highlights of today's auction. I believe all our distinguished guests will be very interested.
Be sure to seize the opportunity, some treasures are rare and may never appear again on the continent. For example, our eighth auction item is another soul bone, but this one is extraordinary. Take a look."
A flash of light later, the soul tool screen displayed a soul bone magnified many times over.
This soul bone was entirely emerald green, with rippling green light swirling across its surface, as though liquid jade flowed within.
Judging by its shape, it was a left arm bone. The emerald-green body emitted faint white mist.
Magnified as it was, the bidders could clearly see numerous crystalline green nodules on the bone, sparkling like gemstones.
Compared to the three soul bones from earlier, this one was in a league of its own, utterly outshining them.
"What is this?"
Xue Nu raised an eyebrow, instantly recognizing which soul beast this soul bone originated from.
At that moment, the golden-haired girl's slightly seductive voice rang out, deeper and more melodious than before, carrying an even stronger sense of temptation.
"Distinguished guests, allow Jiu Jiu to introduce this soul bone to you. This is a treasured item from our Starlight Auction House, an ice-attribute soul bone.
It is very special, as it can only be absorbed by a soul master with a specific attribute. Others who attempt to absorb it will harm themselves. This is one of its drawbacks, attribute restrictions."
"The ice attribute requirement is already very stringent, as it only suits ice-attribute soul masters, who are exceedingly rare. Moreover, this soul bone possesses a fixed soul skill.
In other words, no matter who fuses with it, they will only obtain this predetermined soul skill."
"Additionally, this soul bone has a cultivation age between fifty thousand and seventy thousand years. Without sufficient physical constitution, one must never attempt to absorb it, or they will be overwhelmed and destroyed."
The golden-haired girl kept emphasizing the drawbacks of this soul bone, but the gazes of those present only grew more fervent.
Drawbacks? These were practically advantages! Soul bones with attribute requirements were invariably powerful, and those with fixed soul skills meant that the skill was bound to be terrifyingly strong. As for the age, wasn't higher always better?
"Now that I've mentioned the drawbacks, it's time to tell you about its advantages," the golden-haired girl's voice turned crisp as she shifted the topic.
"As the chief auctioneer of the Starlight Auction House and a princess of the Star Luo Empire, I, Jiu Jiu, assure you that my next words are absolutely true.
This soul bone comes from one of humanity's forbidden zones, the Extreme North, even the core region of the Extreme North. It originates from one of the dominant species there, the Ice Jade Scorpion race."
Only then did Liuxing and the others realize that this auctioneer, Jiu Jiu, was actually a princess of the Star Luo Empire.
No wonder she could become the Starlight Auction House's only gold-level auctioneer at such a young age, though it was clear that Princess Jiu Jiu was indeed highly skilled.
Princess Jiu Jiu's introduction continued, "The Ice Jade Scorpion may be unfamiliar to most of you, but surely you've heard of the seventh-ranked of the Ten Great Great Beasts, the Ice Empress, right? That's correct, the Ice Empress is the ruler of the Ice Jade Scorpion race."
"The Ice Jade Scorpions are born with Ultimate Ice. This left arm bone comes from an Ice Jade Scorpion with over fifty thousand years of cultivation.
Therefore, what I must tell you is that once this left arm bone is fused, an ice-attribute soul master's martial soul attribute will undergo a significant upgrade, with even a slight chance of evolving their martial soul into Ultimate Ice."
"As for the fixed soul skill of this bone, I won't keep you in suspense any longer. It is the soul skill, Ice Explosion. For the Ice Jade Scorpions, this skill is also a divine ability, mastered by only a select few.
In any environment with ice, Ice Explosion is no less formidable than a hundred-thousand-year soul skill."
"I believe any ice-attributed soul master who obtains this will never regret it. Now, I will give our distinguished guests ten minutes to admire it."
Princess Jiu Jiu's words were filled with temptation.
Even though the so-called martial soul evolution was only a slim hope, no ice-attribute soul master would willingly give up such an opportunity.
This was evident from Meng Hongchen's sparkling blue eyes and her flushed, excited face.
Liuxing glanced at Xue Nu. Compared to the excited Meng Hongchen, Xue Nu, who already possessed Ultimate Ice, remained calm.
She didn't need an Ice Jade Scorpion soul bone to evolve her martial soul, but the Ice Explosion skill still stirred some interest in her.
From what she knew, even the Ice Empress, the ruler of the Ice Jade Scorpions, hadn't mastered the divine skill of Ice Explosion.
At this thought, even Xue Nu became intrigued by this soul bone.
However, there was a major issue with this soul bone!
Xue Nu frowned. The Ice Jade Scorpion race was inherently proud. As one of the three overlords of the Extreme North, the soul bones they produced couldn't be absorbed by just any ice-attribute soul master, only those with Ultimate Ice stood a chance of successful absorption.
She was confident she could absorb it, but judging by Meng Hongchen's expression, she clearly wanted to compete for it too.
If Xue Nu pointed out this flaw now, it would seem like she was trying to dissuade Meng Hongchen.
Whether from the knowledge she'd gained living in the human world these past few years or from the novels she'd read, she found herself in a dilemma, speaking up would seem like malicious competition, but staying silent could lead to disaster if Meng Hongchen bought it and attempted absorption.
"From what I know, the Ice Jade Scorpion race is born with Ultimate Ice. Their soul bones can only be absorbed by soul masters who also possess Ultimate Ice.
Other ice-attribute soul masters who attempt absorption face a high risk of backlash from the residual spirit within the bone."
At that moment, Gu Yuena spoke softly.
"Huh? Gu Yuena, are you serious?"
Meng Hongchen and the others looked at Gu Yuena in surprise.
Gu Yuena nodded. "Absolutely true. Princess Jiu Jiu mentioned that someone tried absorbing it before but failed. The reason wasn't the soul bone's high age, it's because it can only be absorbed by an Ultimate Ice attribute soul master."
"I see… Then, never mind. I won't take it."
Meng Hongchen trusted Gu Yuena's words. Since Gu Yuena couldn't absorb this soul bone either, she had no reason to lie.
"Then the only one here who can absorb it is Xue Nu, right?"
Everyone turned to look at Xue Nu.
Liuxing took out a black crystal card from his storage soul tool and handed it to Xue Nu. "If you want it, go ahead and bid. This was given to me by Aunt Luan before we left Mingdu, it has twenty million gold soul coins inside. If that's not enough, Liuying also has the soul card Aunt Luan Feng gave her. Together, it should be enough to buy this soul bone."
Xue Nu had initially intended to refuse, but upon hearing it was from Luan Yu, she unhesitatingly accepted it. Luan Yu had sealed her origin power, though she'd treated Xue Nu well these past few years, spending Luan Yu's money to make her heart ache a little could be considered collecting interest for the seal.
"If it's still not enough, the academy can cover the rest."
Elder Ma spoke up at this point.
"Then thank you, Elder Ma."
Liuxing expressed gratitude on Xue Nu's behalf.
If it were just an item worth a million gold soul coins, Elder Ma could have decided to buy it for Xue Nu as an investment by the academy.
But this Ice Jade Scorpion soul bone was worth at least ten million gold soul coins, he couldn't make that decision alone.
Soon, the ten-minute viewing period ended, and the auction for the Ice Jade Scorpion soul bone began.
The starting price for the Ice Jade Scorpion left arm bone was a staggering twelve million gold soul coins, with each increment no less than fifty thousand.
In no time, the price skyrocketed to fifteen million.
Liuxing glanced at the auctioneer and calmly said, "Twenty million."
The auctioneer's eyes flashed with delight. When Liuxing and the others spent money, she earned a commission. Twenty million gold soul coins meant at least ten thousand in her pocket!
But to Liuxing's surprise, the moment he bid twenty million, the screen displayed a new offer, thirty million.
Liuxing's lips twitched. Who the hell was this tycoon? Thirty million already exceeded the soul bone's intrinsic value!
Liuxing gritted his teeth and took another black card from Liuying. "Forty million."
This was all the money the two of them had. Only ninth-rank soul engineers like Luan Yu and Luan Feng could amass such wealth.
Since neither had other relatives, Liuxing and Liuying were the ones carrying this fortune.
The thought of emptying their wallets for this soul bone made Liuxing resent the bidder who kept raising the price.
But the next moment, under Liuxing's stunned gaze, the screen displayed a new bid, fifty million.
"Who is this? Are they out of their mind?"
Liuxing couldn't help but curse.
"Achoo!"
In a private room, Xu Jiu Jiu sneezed, rubbing her nose in puzzlement. She turned to the middle-aged man beside her. "Royal Brother, who's the fool bidding forty million for a soul bone worth twenty million at most? If it weren't for the issue with this soul bone, and for the sake of our Starlight Auction House's reputation, I'd have loved to sell it to him. Such easy money doesn't come often."
The so-called "fool" sat speechlessly on the sofa as Liuying, amused, stuffed a piece of fruit into his mouth.
Xue Nu shook her head. "Forget it. It's too expensive."
Meng Hongchen nodded in agreement. Even if she hadn't known the soul bone could only be absorbed by an Ultimate Ice soul master, she wouldn't have spent fifty million on it. Only a fool of the highest order would waste money like that.
When Liuxing had bid forty million, the looks everyone in the private room gave him could be summed up in three words: "spendthrift."
The ten-thousand-year soul bone Ma Rulong had bought earlier was only worth five million gold soul coins, after all.
Forty million gold soul coins could buy eight ten-thousand-year soul bones.
Unsurprisingly, the fifty-million price tag exceeded everyone's expectations, and the soul bone was ultimately bought by a mysterious bidder for the astronomical sum of fifty million gold soul coins.
Though somewhat frustrated, Liuxing suppressed the urge to go rob the wealthy bidder and instead waited for the final item, the grand finale, to appear.
"Next up is today's grand finale."
The soul screen once again turned golden. As the light gradually receded, Princess Jiu Jiu reappeared on the screen, now dressed in a golden gown.
Her fair skin, accentuated by the luxurious golden dress, exuded both nobility and elegance. The well-tailored outfit perfectly outlined her alluring curves.
According to the auctioneer's explanation, Princess Jiu Jiu only changed into a golden auction dress under one circumstance, when the next item was likely to fetch over a hundred million gold soul coins.
Even without knowing what the item was, the mere act of changing clothes was enough to excite everyone. As a top-tier auctioneer, this princess certainly knew how to captivate an audience.
"Distinguished guests, my attire should give you an idea of how precious today's final item is. Frankly, this is the first and only time I've seen such an item in my life. In my opinion, its value can hardly be measured in money."
Princess Jiu Jiu's voice had subtly changed once more. Unlike the earlier temptation, her tone now carried solemnity, her expression grave. With just a few words, she conveyed sincerity, making it impossible not to believe her.
"I won't say more. Let's unveil this final item. But be warned, it's very special."
Princess Jiu Jiu clapped her hands, and soon, two golden-clad maidens wheeled out a large cart covered with a red cloth.
Princess Jiu Jiu personally stepped forward and pulled off the cloth.
What appeared on the screen was a metal cage. Inside sat a blue-haired girl in a white dress, appearing no older than eight or nine. Her hands and feet were bound with soul power-sealing soul tools, tears brimming in her eyes as she looked around fearfully.
"What's the meaning of this? What is the Starlight Auction House trying to do?"
At the sight of the little girl, Liuxing and the others shot to their feet. While slave trading was not uncommon in this world, it was usually conducted discreetly in underground auctions. On the surface, all major empires prohibited the slave trade.